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From the Editor's Desk
- Sue Worthman
Break out the bubbly, it’s June! Toasts all around to grads, Dads and newlyweds; summer’s start and school’s end; or simply, as the old song goes "just because it’s June. June. June."
Here at L’Amyx, we’re big on bubbles, in all their deliciously silly, fun, tasty glory, no matter what the occasion. That’s why we’re crazy for bubble tea—and so, apparently, are the rest of you. Kids belly up to the counter, happy to slurp up wild colored drinks with dark pearl bottoms through fat straws. As for the "big" kids, students, moms and dads, middle—aged friends, couples, and singles sip those icy, sweet drinks while knitting, chatting, studying, or simply wiling away a stolen moment.
But maybe you’re not a bubble fan, or into sweet, milky drinks, cold or hot. (Editor’s full disclosure: that last group includes me.) For you we offer—wholly in the spirit of National Iced Tea month and general festiveness, of course—‘champagne’ on ice. Tea as ‘champagne’? You bet. Take Keemun—which I happen to be drinking iced as I write this. Floral, tangy and amber, it’s regarded as the ‘champagne’ of black teas. Ours is not only exceptional, it’s organic! Perhaps you want to celebrate something—anything—with chocolate and champagne. For that we have Formosa oolongs, revered as the ‘champagnes’ of oolong. Our Formosa Dark is among the best of these, with rich, toasty chocolate notes. Or try our Tea of the Month, Tie Quan Yin. The most famous of all Chinese oolongs, this lovely tea is highly aromatic, with a long, lingering taste of orchids. Like a late, lazy summer afternoon, it’s perfect for unwinding. (Which you might need after weddings and graduations and assorted other celebrations.)
Regardless of where or how June finds you this month, may it find you celebrating, ceremoniously or otherwise. And do remember, bubbles or not, iced or hot, tea hits the… oh, you know the rest. After all, you’re part of the L’Amyx community. The lifestyle of tea.
The Basics
-Bubble Tea
It took kids, competition, entrepreneurship, tea and tapioca to brew up one of the biggest food fads of the past 20 years: bubble tea. Or as it’s variously known in other parts of the world: pearl milk tea, pearl ice tea, black pearl tea, tapioca ball drink, BBT, PT, pearl shake,and QQ (which means chewy in Chinese).
Common lore has it that Bubble Tea had its beginnings in the early 1980s at Taiwanese tea stands, conveniently (ingeniously) set up in front of schools to capture the business of afternoon—snack—hungry students. Competition was fierce among the vendors, as the kids were more faithful to their stomachs than any particular seller. The keen business owner had to be innovative to get ahead. So it was that one savvy woman started adding fruit juice and syrups to her milk and tea. It was an instant hit, and other stands soon followed her lead. As the tea and flavoring had to be shaken together to get a smooth taste and consistency, this new tea had a bubbly froth on the top. "Bubble tea" was born.
Meanwhile, Liu Han—Chieh was busy forming tapioca ‘pearls’ from cooked cassava root and sugar. He introduced them in Taiwanese bars and cafes where they quickly found their way into all kinds of drinks—tea included. One fad blended with another and soon, round, firm, chewy balls were found at the bottom and top of cold, milky, sweet tea drinks all over Taiwan. "Bubble Tea" suddenly had a shape to go with the name. By the early 1990s, thousands of bubble tea purveyors were serving millions of drinks daily throughout Southeast Asia. The US and Canada caught the wave soon after, as Bubble Tea aficionados spread the trend coast—coast into cities with large Asian populations.
At this point, there are hundreds of flavors and dozens of styles that characterize Bubble Tea—with milk or cream, or without; iced or hot; like a smoothie or thick like a shake; fruity (especially mango, melon and passionfruit) or nutty (almond, sesame, peanut); chocolate or vanilla; even red bean or chai. Even the pearls vary—usually black, they can also be white or transparent. Black pearls are made from cooking sweet potato, cassava starch and brown sugar into a thick, caramel slurry. They’re then run through sieves to form pellets. The pellets are rinsed in cold water, left to steep in a sugar syrup and darken as they cool. The white or transparent ones are said to be made with caramel, cassava starch and chamomile root extract. Flavored pearls in a range of colors are starting to become more available.
Regardless of the pearl color or flavor, every Bubble Tea has one common element: a big fat straw. It’s essential to grab up all those chewy bits.
Bubble Tea has come of age. Cream, tea and black pearls on ice. Who said this was a kid’s drink?
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Musical Wednesdays
Make Wednesdays your night for music with L'Amyx. Vocal guitarists are this month's feature, and we've got four weeks' worth to check out, in styles from emo to blues, folksy to funny.
14-Jun Musashi Lethridge
21-Jun Sharon Knight
28-Jun Tru
05-Jul Mark Denni
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Boyi (pronounced BOY-ee)
Tea Tender
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Favorite Tea: Jade Spring (oolong) and Dragonwell (green)
Boyi is a buoyant guy. A mere five months into the job and the world of tea, Boyi has already developed a sophisticated palate, feels that his co-workers are ‘like family’ and is not shy about matching customers with teas. Ask him why he likes Jade Spring, and he’ll tell you "it’s soft, fragrant and not too strong. Good for people new to tea.", and then spend several minutes more talking about why tea is part of a ‘healthy life’. Ask him what he likes about his job, and you’ll get a long list: "it’s familiar and warm", "I’m not bored", "everyone’s close to the bosses", "there’s more interaction with the customers and they’re less rude". Even the uniforms are "good-looking".
And while it’s true he’s comparing L’Amyx with his past employer, an Asian-themed, fast food chain—no contest there—Boyi insists that L’Amyx is a special place to work, no matter what the comparison. As further proof of his ability to assess fairly, Boyi points out that there are some downsides to his L’Amyx job: "I miss all the Chinese food."
Oh boy.
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