Peanut tea? That's a thing?

Hello, readers. I know that I have failed to update this blog for such a long time, but please understand that I am a full-time college student with demanding classes and work schedule. Last week, summer officially started for me, after I took a couple of summer classes for six weeks. Now that I actually have some free time to catch up on a lot of things I had yearned for, I will start updating more often before next semester starts in September. Also, I am awful at multi-tasking, and I spend a fairly large amount of time on writing blog posts, which, I ashamedly admit, were not a priority among many things I had to accomplish in the past few months. To make up for it, I have some interesting drinks to show you!


I would like to start out with an Ethiopian place in Boston. It's called Lucy's Ethiopian Cafe, located in the Symphony area. My friends and I got free tickets to one of the Boston Chamber Orchestra concerts, so we decided to stop by for lunch beforehand. Lucy's was a convenient and exciting option because it's right across from the performance center, and I had been dying to try Ethiopian food for the longest time. The place is pretty tight, laid-back, and decorated with African artifacts--not to sound too biased, musical instruments were my favorite. The server (or he could be the owner of the restaurant) was very friendly. Ethiopian is a perfect cuisine for my recent vegetarian diet, since it offers a lot of vegetarian/vegan dishes. For entrees, we ordered beef specials and a veggie combo (with potatoes and collard greens) seasoned with traditional Ethiopian spices. All entrees come with spongy, yeast-risen flatbreads called "injera." The most interesting thing about eating Ethiopian food would be that you don't use any utensils at all. It's all about using your hands to wrap the vegetables and meats with flatbread. Don't worry if you are completely new to Ethiopian--there is a nice brochure listing all the steps you need to know to tackle it. I absolutely loved the food, mostly because it appeased my affinity for spicy food. My friends, on the other hand, have really low tolerance to spicy things, but they still enjoyed the meal. So, if you're not fond of spicy food, you might have to watch out for the level of spiciness Lucy's offers; sometimes their "mild" could turn into medium hot for some people.


Now, to the real part: teas. I Yelped the restaurant before visiting to check out its ratings and specialities to look out for, and came across reading about peanut tea. Apparently, almost everyone who has tried became addicted to it. At first, I was skeptical but thought it wouldn't hurt to try, so I asked for a cup of peanut tea as soon as we got to desserts. The peanut tea was an absolute surprise! It had finely ground peanut in warm milk. It tasted a bit like peanut butter, which sounds odd, but it was delicious. The second time I came back with my roommate, I tried the traditional tea, which was very strong and pungent due to a hint of distinct Ethiopian bark spice that's really similar to cinnamon. It would be perfect as a cold remedy--it could immediately clear your sore throat. Yet again, remember that my spice tolerance is unusually higher than most people, so maybe something with milk--peanut tea, chai latte, etc. to name a few--might be safer for some of you.


I definitely recommend Lucy's to anyone looking for something adventurous and exotic yet also comforting, homey and full of warmth.

 Most drinks here come in mugs like this.

This is the traditional tea mentioned in the text. 

The beef special in the back. The green veggie combo in the front. Both came with rolled-up injera.

The green combo had green collards, spinach and potatoes, all seasoned with tasty Ethiopian spices.

ChocoLaté

My favorite coffee place of all time in Atlanta is ChocoLaté on North Decatur Road. Whenever I suggest places to hang out with friends back at home, I say here because of many reasons. First, the location is perfect, right in the heart of Emory University district, where I reside (besides the fact that now I actually live and attend school in Boston). Unlike big franchises like Starbucks, it's independently owned and operated. Since its opening in 2002 (pretty new), ChocoLaté has evolved into the coffee shop of the entire Emory community where neighbors know each other and socialize on a daily basis--whether as a student or businessman, ChocoLaté is the place to be when you crave for a good cup of Dark Chocolate Mocha or something simpler like cappuccino. The place is inviting and casual with comfy couches and hand-painted tables and chairs. It's usually packed during after school hours, between 3 to 5 P.M. The shop is definitely one of my high school nostalgias--my friends and I always used to come here after school only to realize that our teachers also decided to stop by. I love and support small businesses like this because they use fair trade organic coffee beans, and with ChocoLaté particularly, the beans are custom roasted by a master roaster with 20 or so years of experience. The baristas are super friendly and always willing to suggest what to try.


I highly recommend their specialty drinks, most of which include all types of mocha you could imagine--after all, it is called ChocoLate. During summer, I always get icy frappes to escape from the hot, humid Southern weather--Rich Chocolate was my favorite in high school, but I have tried Kona Mocha and Cookies and Cream. Yum! All the drinks here can be served with any kind of milk you prefer. With most of the frappes especially, you can ask for them either coffee or milk based. Prices are very reasonable, too. Their small 8 oz of coffee is $1.89, and medium 12 oz mocha is only $3.55--not bad for organic beans. I adore this place and highly recommend it to anyone. If you feel like grabbing Vietnamese/Thai food, you could have lunch or dinner at Saigon Cafe right next to it and go to the coffee shop afterwards for dessert. They have really good cakes that complement the drinks!

I got medium soy mocha today; you can also request for a mug instead of a paper cup as shown in the picture--they've been pretty good about keeping it green.

Look at the lovely chocolaty swirl on top of soy skim!

Notice the sunflower theme the table resonates?

My mocha is between dark & white mocha and vanilla latte that my sister and her friend had.

The song I shall sing to one of the baristas at Starbucks...

This is one of the songs that are currently lingering in my head, and the lovely Kristin Chenoweth is perfect. I believe it's completely relevant to this blog:

Tulsi (tool-sea)

My alternatives to lattes at Starbucks include just regular Tazo teas like chai and earl grey. I know it's a shame because I could always prepare a cup of tea on my own by heating water in the microwave. But there's something wonderful about that pipping, tongue-burning hot tea from coffee shops that I can't otherwise get from my rather ineffective MicroFridge. I do like my tea very hot, but I had to buy some tea bags for this spring semester because I need to do a better job of saving dining points.


One day my sister and I went grocery shopping and discovered this tea called Tulsi, pronounced as "tool-sea." I had no idea what it was at first, so took a glimpse at the description on the box. Apparently, it's also known as the "holy basil," a sacred plant for Hindus. It tastes minty and a bit like regular basil that you use for tomato sauce, and speaking of food, tulsi is also commonly used in Thai cuisine. The plant's formal scientific name is Ocimum tenuiflorum, and according to recent studies, it has a painkilling effect due to its high concentration of eugenol. It's also naturally caffeine-free, perfect for bedtime tea. There are various types of tulsi, and when brewed, it looks much like black tea but gives off that strong refreshing aroma that not many other teas would.

Tea shopping

My family and I went to Lenox to splurge the gift cards we received for Christmas and decided to stop by Teavana. After sampling a couple of things they offered, we decided on Youthberry (I know, there's no such thing, but Teavana calls it "youthful" for combining red currant and acai berry, haha) Wild Orange, a blend of white and herbal. I love its citric flavor from the orange and sweetness from the berries. It's naturally low in caffeine, so a cup of this would be quite nice before bed. It's our first time getting something from Teavana, so we didn't want to be too adventurous: a total of about $18.80 for 4 oz. Take 2 minutes to brew 2 teaspoons of it.

The tea crew. 

Right before pouring in water. 

 Look at that rosy pink color.

Would you like some tē?

Enough of chocolate, and now onto tea, the one that started all...


So, I did some Googling and research. According to the CHCP (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project)'s website, the word "tea" was derived from ancient Chinese dialects; the words "tchai," "cha" and "tay" were used to describe the tea leaf or the beverage itself. It is interesting to note that tea in Korean is pronounced as "cha," indicating that tea was originated in China and introduced to other neighboring Asian countries. Historically speaking, tea was invented accidentally--I've realized that some of the greatest things in the world were invented by coincidence or pure luck--by Emperor Shen Nong of China around 3000 B.C. One day the emperor was traveling and found dried camellia leaves fallen into his cup of boiled water, hence giving rise to "tea-ism." It was not until the Tang and Song Dynasties (around 800 A.D.) when tea became prevalent in Chinese culture; not only it was a part of people's meals and gatherings, but also served as an artistic inspiration that writers, musicians and painters depicted in their works. In the 17th century, tea was finally introduced to Europe and brought an incredible commercial success, especially in England.


Although tea may have Chinese ancestry, many countries have their own particular tea that's not brewed with camellia bush leaves but with distinct flowers, fruits, grains and roots that thrive in respective places. Imagine infinite possibilities in just one cup of tea! I have yet to try them all, of course, but watch me delve into tea-ism.


Expect more regarding tea later...

Look at my lovely teacup set from Korea!

Max Brenner

Hot chocolate place numero 2--so popular that even Rachel Ray talked about it in one of her Food Network shows.


It's called Max Brenner, aka. the Bald Man's chocolaty sensation. It's a big restaurant chain rather than a small, local cafe like L.A. Burdick. There are several chains across the U.S., including one on 745 Boylston in Boston. Before getting into details of the drinks I've tried, I have a funny story to tell you. I always thought that Max Brenner was a real person who started the chain in New York, but it turns out that he was just a fictional character created by two Israeli businessmen named Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner. I read a short story in the menu about how the restaurant was founded after Max Brenner returned home in New York from his writing career in France--he met and fell in love with a girl while working on his novel and then was inspired to start a chocolate business back in the U.S. based on his experiences from Parisian cafes. Contrary to my usual skeptical mind, I really believed in the romantic story and all, so I was very disappointed when I found out the truth. Boohoo.


The theme of Max Brenner is Charlie's Chocolate Factory built in a fancy, casual restaurant. There's a separate space for the store part where you can buy chocolate treats and other commercial products and accessories. An interesting note about chocolates at Max Brenner is that they are certified kosher--I guess that's one of the reasons why the items are a bit overpriced (basic hot chocolates start at $5.95, which is certainly not cheap for college students). In terms of drinks, there are so many varieties, ranging from exotic Mexican spicy hot chocolate to non-chocolate, fruity smoothies. For most chocolate drinks, you can choose to have them either dark, milk, or white. The hot chocolate  is served in an adorable egg-shaped "hug-mug," as shown by the pictures below. The last time I was there for my friend's birthday brunch, I had Italian Thick Hot Chocolate, which has the chocolate of your choice and rich vanilla cream. It was lusciously thick and smooth due to the cream. My friends had Hazelnut Cream Chocolate Milkshake and Choco-Pops, which is basically a hot chocolate with coco puffs. On top of our drinks, we also had breakfast foods from Max Brenner's Brunch Therapy, from which I chose "Max"ican Omelet--consisted of black beans, bell peppers, swiss cheese, onions and avocados with potatoes and a biscuit on the side that can be dipped in a special chocolate sauce. Even the savory foods had hints of chocolate, but the chocolate part didn't necessarily make them particularly extraordinary. I was not a huge fan of the meal-type foods there, so I would return for the drinks only next time.


I would prefer L.A. Burdick for a casual coffee hangout with friends or getting some reading done, but once I'm legally allowed to drink (*wink wink*), I would stop by Max Brenner for some chocolate cocktails. It would be also interesting to try some of Max Brenner's desserts, which many people praise about.

Cocoa powder in scientific flasks--my kind of experiment. 

The Bald Man is everywhere, even on napkins.

Our drinks altogether; the very front is mine--Italian Thick Hot Dark Chocolate. 

The tall one is the Icy Hazelnut Milkshake, garnished with whipped cream and hazelnut crumbles (*I think*), and lastly, the Choco-Pops.

The "hug-mug" 

"Max"ican Omelet; see the chocolate sauce? :)