Learn the language of tea
Ask Vickie Boley which tea is her favorite and she’ll respond with an exclamation of enthusiasm. That’s because Boley, an unfeigned fancier of piping hot pekoe, lives by the adapted adage, “So much tea, so little time.”
“I grew up in a family that only drank tea,” said Boley, of Millersburg. “I didn’t even know what coffee was for a long time.”
For most of her life, tea was little more than a morning beverage. That is, until Boley found herself facing a challenge that launched her into a mission to master the perfect blend.
“I’ve always loved tea, but I became obsessed when my former husband, Mark Boley, and I opened the Bigham House Bed and Breakfast,” said Boley.
An independently operated tea room in the inn, Paddington Station, offered guests their own custom blend supplied by a gourmet coffee and tea shop in Roscoe Village called The Cheesery.
“It was specially blended for them,” Boley said. “People would go there just for the tea. It was a huge hit.”
When the tea room closed, Boley continued to purchase the blend for inn visitors. But then, the Cheesery was sold and the former owners disappeared, along with the famous Paddington Station tea recipe. Boley had only two cups of the custom blend stashed away when she discovered the beverage’s creators were gone. That, she said, is when she realized she had a challenge.
“Panic set in, because the tea was so good,” said Boley. “Everyone who knew about it loved it.”
Boley’s choices were limited. She could stop serving the tea, which, according to her customers, simply wasn’t an option. Or, she could try to recreate the flavor herself. She chose the latter.
“I started blending my own and tasting it side-by-side with the remaining Paddington Station tea. I came pretty close.”
In the process, Boley created nearly 100 unique blends.
“That’s where the obsession came in, with the desire to recreate something,” said Boley. “I learned to mix different teas together to come up with unique flavors.”
Now, Boley enthusiastically shares her love of all things tea-related, spouting off detailed flavor descriptions about every variety from flowering to keemun, emphasizing that, in order for a beverage to truly be called a “tea,” it must contain a species of plant called Camellia sinensis, a shrub whose leaves and leaf buds are found in all white, green, and black teas (Boley’s personal favorite). The difference between the teas comes from the way the leaves, stems or flowers are grown, harvested and processed. There’s the musky and floral Indian Darjeeling, the strong and smoky Lapsang Souchong, which Boley said “drives people crazy,” and the sweet and sought-after Dà Hóng Páo (“Big Red Robe”), which grows in the craggy spaces of the Wuyi mountains of China.
“It’s a very expensive Oolong,” said Boley. “There are four ancient tea trees guarded by the Chinese army and all of the tea from those trees goes directly to the emperor.” A small package of this tea, as legend has it, was presented by Chairman Mao to President Nixon who, not understanding its scarcity, was puzzled by the seemingly diminutive gift. He was quietly informed that he’d been gifted half of the most valuable tea in China. In 2005, reserves of the original Dà Hóng Páo were auctioned off for millions of dollars per kilogram.
But a good cup of tea needn’t require a second mortgage. For those interested in partaking in a particularly pleasant cup but aren’t quite sure what to look for, Boley hosts tea tastings, answering questions about the proper way to steep, decant, and serve a cup.
“It all depends on the tea,” said Boley. “Some Darjeelings are so fussy that if you go 15 seconds over three minutes, you’ll have a bitter tea. I tend to stay away from fussy teas,” she admitted. “I don’t like to have my tea fuss back at me.”
At the tastings, Boley offers samples of teas not readily available elsewhere. Two tastings, both in the ballroom of the Victorian House, booked up almost instantly and were a great success.
Fortunately, Boley plans to offer more tastings, and soon. The next one is planned for Saturday, Nov. 19, from 6:30-9 p.m. as part of the grand opening of the holiday season at the Victorian House, 484 Wooster Road in Millersburg.
Boley will also offer samplings on Sunday and Monday, Dec. 4 and 5, in the lobby of Hotel Millersburg as part of the Christmas Cookie Tour of Inns where she will feature her exclusive Victorian House tea, a fruity blend mixed specifically for the historic Millersburg home.
Boley hopes to continue offering tastings and maintaining her website into her retirement as she teaches others the language of tea.
“I love tea so much and would like to share it with people so they can enjoy it as much as I do,” said Boley. “Who knows where it will go?”
For more information on tea and upcoming tastings, contact Vicki Boley at 330-674-5322 or visit her website at http://www.worldcupteas.com.
“I grew up in a family that only drank tea,” said Boley, of Millersburg. “I didn’t even know what coffee was for a long time.”
For most of her life, tea was little more than a morning beverage. That is, until Boley found herself facing a challenge that launched her into a mission to master the perfect blend.
“I’ve always loved tea, but I became obsessed when my former husband, Mark Boley, and I opened the Bigham House Bed and Breakfast,” said Boley.
An independently operated tea room in the inn, Paddington Station, offered guests their own custom blend supplied by a gourmet coffee and tea shop in Roscoe Village called The Cheesery.
“It was specially blended for them,” Boley said. “People would go there just for the tea. It was a huge hit.”
When the tea room closed, Boley continued to purchase the blend for inn visitors. But then, the Cheesery was sold and the former owners disappeared, along with the famous Paddington Station tea recipe. Boley had only two cups of the custom blend stashed away when she discovered the beverage’s creators were gone. That, she said, is when she realized she had a challenge.
“Panic set in, because the tea was so good,” said Boley. “Everyone who knew about it loved it.”
Boley’s choices were limited. She could stop serving the tea, which, according to her customers, simply wasn’t an option. Or, she could try to recreate the flavor herself. She chose the latter.
“I started blending my own and tasting it side-by-side with the remaining Paddington Station tea. I came pretty close.”
In the process, Boley created nearly 100 unique blends.
“That’s where the obsession came in, with the desire to recreate something,” said Boley. “I learned to mix different teas together to come up with unique flavors.”
Now, Boley enthusiastically shares her love of all things tea-related, spouting off detailed flavor descriptions about every variety from flowering to keemun, emphasizing that, in order for a beverage to truly be called a “tea,” it must contain a species of plant called Camellia sinensis, a shrub whose leaves and leaf buds are found in all white, green, and black teas (Boley’s personal favorite). The difference between the teas comes from the way the leaves, stems or flowers are grown, harvested and processed. There’s the musky and floral Indian Darjeeling, the strong and smoky Lapsang Souchong, which Boley said “drives people crazy,” and the sweet and sought-after Dà Hóng Páo (“Big Red Robe”), which grows in the craggy spaces of the Wuyi mountains of China.
“It’s a very expensive Oolong,” said Boley. “There are four ancient tea trees guarded by the Chinese army and all of the tea from those trees goes directly to the emperor.” A small package of this tea, as legend has it, was presented by Chairman Mao to President Nixon who, not understanding its scarcity, was puzzled by the seemingly diminutive gift. He was quietly informed that he’d been gifted half of the most valuable tea in China. In 2005, reserves of the original Dà Hóng Páo were auctioned off for millions of dollars per kilogram.
But a good cup of tea needn’t require a second mortgage. For those interested in partaking in a particularly pleasant cup but aren’t quite sure what to look for, Boley hosts tea tastings, answering questions about the proper way to steep, decant, and serve a cup.
“It all depends on the tea,” said Boley. “Some Darjeelings are so fussy that if you go 15 seconds over three minutes, you’ll have a bitter tea. I tend to stay away from fussy teas,” she admitted. “I don’t like to have my tea fuss back at me.”
At the tastings, Boley offers samples of teas not readily available elsewhere. Two tastings, both in the ballroom of the Victorian House, booked up almost instantly and were a great success.
Fortunately, Boley plans to offer more tastings, and soon. The next one is planned for Saturday, Nov. 19, from 6:30-9 p.m. as part of the grand opening of the holiday season at the Victorian House, 484 Wooster Road in Millersburg.
Boley will also offer samplings on Sunday and Monday, Dec. 4 and 5, in the lobby of Hotel Millersburg as part of the Christmas Cookie Tour of Inns where she will feature her exclusive Victorian House tea, a fruity blend mixed specifically for the historic Millersburg home.
Boley hopes to continue offering tastings and maintaining her website into her retirement as she teaches others the language of tea.
“I love tea so much and would like to share it with people so they can enjoy it as much as I do,” said Boley. “Who knows where it will go?”
For more information on tea and upcoming tastings, contact Vicki Boley at 330-674-5322 or visit her website at http://www.worldcupteas.com.
Published: October 26, 2011
