The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar

Want to give your mum something hand crafted this Mother's Day but don't have the time? How about these ideas:

The Goddess On The Go - $39

The Yoga Mum - $15

The "Can't Get Enough Tea" Mum - $90 to $190

Every month we'll send her a tea from our Pure or Blended tea range (6 and 12 month subscriptions available). If that doesn't win you some brownie points, we don't know what will! http://www.therabbithole.com.au/buy-tea/pure/subscribe-for-tea/

Cheers to all the Mums

Corinne & Amara

You’ve heard of cheese and wine pairings but what about a tea and cheese?    

One of the reasons cheese pairs so well with wine is because of the astringency present in both the wine and the cheese. 

Tea also has that astringency and makes it a perfect cheese partner when combined with the warmth of the liquid that mingles with the high fat content in the mouth for a velvety finish. So, what works?  Well, as a general rule Tea Sommelier Cynthia Gold suggests:

* Soft/mild creamy cheeses pair with astringent black teas

* Salty cheeses pair with slightly sweeter, floral or fruity teas

* Nutty cheeses pair with well with nutty and more astringent black teas

If you’re looking for something different for your next dinner party here are some suggestions:

1. Pair Buffalo Mozzarella with White Peony           

The mild saltiness of the cheese allows the delicate nectarine flavour of the White Peony to emerge.  Subtle and smooth.

2. Pair Emmenthal with Dragonwell           

The nuttiness of both the cheese and the tea work well together. The sweet finish of this green tea works well against the saltiness of the cheese.

3. Pair Manchego (Aged) with Milk Oolong           

The smooth and slightly floral notes of the oolong contrast with the deep, rich pepperiness of the Manchego.

4. Pair Brie with Darjeeling           

The bright and astringent notes of the Darjeeling balance the richness and fat content of the Brie perfectly.

5. Pair Goats Curd & honey drizzle with Assam           

The maltiness of the black Assam tea contrasts the tanginess of the curd and sweetness of the honey. A taste explosion.

6. Pair Stilton with Lapsang Souchong           

The powerful flavours of the blue create an amazing counterpoint to the smokiness of the Lapsang

Happy tasting

Ok, so hopefully I convinced you the other week that tea is great because it's good for you.

Another reason I love tea is that it's good for your waistline. For me it's a constant battle to keep those extra kilos from creeping on.

This is made a whole lot harder because I have a massive sweet tooth (icecream is my biggest weakness!). The beautiful thing about tea is that I can satisfy my sweet cravings without the calories. 

Teas like After Dinner Mint, Banana Split, Toffee Apple, White Delight, and Turkish Delight are the dessert I have when I'm not having dessert. All are best without milk and the natural sweetness that comes from ingredients like freeze dried fruit and cocao nibs means that they're great without sugar too.

That means the average cup has the grand total of less than 3 calories. Yes, that's right, LESS THAN 3 calories.

A solution to my sweet cravings that doesn't expand my waistline...what's not to love about that?

Amara

Black tea has long been a staple in everyone’s pantry and green teas have grown in popularity, but one of my favourites is the often overlooked white tea…

White teas are young leaves picked from the tea plant and left to wilt in the sun for only a moment before being lightly heated to stop them oxidising. Because the oxidization is so short, white teas have a very light, delicate and fresh flavour and the lowest caffeine level of all the teas.  

Due to their delicate nature, white teas need to be steeped in cooler water (around 70˚C) and their light and subtle flavours mean that white teas are best served without milk or sweeteners. If you treat them right you should be rewarded with a delicate, sweet brew with subtle hints of ripe fruits. Perfect for a light afternoon tea.

In an attempt to give white teas a little piece of the spotlight, we are offering 10% off all large packs of our white tea blends for the rest of March (discount is already locked and loaded on the website so you're good to go). So do yourself a favour and grab a pack of Monkey Business, Spring Bouquet, White Peony or White Delight today. Hmm, think i’m going to make myself a cup of Monkey Business right now.

Oh, and if you need some convincing, you might be interested in these reviews:

Monkey Business

http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/03/05/organic-monkey-business-from-the-rabbi...

White Delight

http://steepster.com/teas/Organic%20White%20Delight/19938-organic-white-delig...

Happy sipping

Since we started The Rabbit Hole nearly two years ago, I’ve had a lot of people ask me ‘why tea?’ The simple answer is because I love it. I find tea so incredibly fascinating that many of my family and friends have regretted asking that question because I can bang on about how great it is for hours. I’ll spare you all my ravings, but over the next few weeks I’d like to share some of my favourite things about tea and hopefully you’ll see for yourself …why tea?

The first thing I love about tea is that it is good for you. There is stacks of research out there on the health benefits of tea. If you don’t believe me, do a Google search. Tea itself is packed full of anti-oxidants (not just green tea, but all tea) and on top of that the different herbs that are used in herbal teas have too many amazing properties to list them all here. There are teas that can energise you, relax you, refresh you, rehydrate you, settle your stomach, help with breast feeding, reduce inflammation, help you concentrate and even help you fight off the lurgy, just to name a few.

We also go the extra mile at The Rabbit Hole to make sure your tea is completely natural and organic. For me, living in the city feels like my body is constantly subjected to any number of toxins and nasties on a daily basis. Where I can, I really make an effort to avoid putting my body under any more stress with added chemicals or anything artificial. At the end of the day we only get one body and it has to last a lifetime, so for me organic tea is the perfect natural, healthy choice. What’s more it tastes great and (provided you don’t load it up with milk and sugar) has next to no calories.  What’s not to love about that!

Amara

Ingredients (makes 4 glasses of iced tea)

1 litre pre brewed Ginger Snap tea (4 teaspoons of tea left to brew in 1 litre cold water overnight)

Pulp from 1 fresh passionfruit

4 slices fresh ginger (peeled)

4 tablespoons agave syrup (light syrup)

4 small wedges fresh lemon

Ice

Method

(Make these delicious drinks one at a time in a cocktail shaker)

- Line shaker with 1 tablespoon of agave syrup

- Muddle together 1 slice of ginger, 1/4 of the passionfruit pulp and one small lemon wedge

- Add 250mls iced Ginger Snap tea

- Shake with ice then strain into a glass to enjoy

What's in store for you this Thursday to celebrate Australia Day?  A few snags on the BBQ, some sun, surf, sand?

Looks like it's going to be a bright, sun-shiny day so how about a little green and gold iced goodness to get you in that patriotic mood?  If the festivities are being held at someone else's place (and who doesn't love not having to deal with the clean up!), then it's the perfect thing to bring when you're told not to bring a thing (!!!). 

Ingredients (makes 1L)

- 4 teaspoons Lemon Aid (http://www.therabbithole.com.au/buy-tea/zesty/lemon-aid/)

- 880mls water

- 1 stick fresh lemongrass

- 3 slices fresh ginger

- 3 slices fresh lemon

- 3 slices fresh lime

- 120mls Bacardi (or any other white run)

- Light agave syrup (or sugard syrup) to taste

Method

- Pre ice your Lemon Aid by putting the dry leaves in a jug with the water and sitting in the fridge overnight

- Bruise the lemongrass by pounding it with a rolling pin (or other heavy impement!) on a chopping board, then slice it lengthways in half and add it to the steeped tea along with the sliced ginger, lemon and lime

- Add the Bacardi (or leave out if you're looking for an alcohol free version) and sweeten to tate with agave syrup

- Drink responsibly!

Cheers & happy Oztraylia day

Corinne

x

Happy New Year everyone.

Hope you had a fab festive season.

We're back into the swing of things down The Rabbit Hole and we'd like to introduce you to our newest member of the team Ruby Zing....

Ingredients:
Organic hibiscus flowers (28%), organic cherries (organic cane sugar, organic sunflower oil) (26%), organic blueberries (organic cane sugar, organic sunflower oil) (18%), organic rosehip shells (17%), organic coconut flakes* (11%)

Cheers

Corinne & Amara

Ah, the festive season is upon us and what better way to get in amongst it than with a spicy, fruity punch of an iced tea, reminiscent of sangria.  Here’s what you’ll need to make up 1L of this little beautie for your Christmas day feast:

Ingredients (makes 1L)

700mls water

250mls apple juice (we like Nudie’s Cloudy Apple because it’s got no nasties, just like our teas)

50mls Nudie Blueberry, Blackberry & More Crushie

4 x heaped teaspoons of Rabbit Hole Chai

1 x orange

1/2 x lemon

1 x red apple

Method

- Add the Rabbit Hole Chai to cold water and set aside to steep in the fridge overnight

- Add the juices (which have also been refrigerated)

- Dice the fresh fruit (leave skins on) and add to the tea/juice (you can also add the fruit a few hours before you’re ready to serve)

- Pour over ice and garnish with fruit

Merry Merry!

Corinne & Amara

Yes, it's true, we're off to the Big City of New York for a little tea tasting (amongst a whole lotta shopping!).

Before we go, we thought it was only fitting to leave you with our recipe for "The Big Apple":

Ingredients

250mls of iced Red Delicious - http://www.therabbithole.com.au/buy-tea/fruity/red-delicious/

1/4 of a red apple

Sprinkle of cinnamon powder

1 tsp rapidura sugar (or brown sugar if that's what you have in your pantry)

Method

- Muddle the apple, sugar and a shake of cinnamon powder in a cocktail shaker

- Add the iced Red Delicious (1tsp of Red Delicious left to brew in 250mls cold water overnight)

- Shake with ice and pour into a tall class

If you're feeling extra festive, you can add a splash of vodka to really get the party started!

Best enjoyed while listening to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqlJl1LfDP4

See you soon!

Corinne & Amara