Tay Tea offers some of the finest loose tea blends we’ve had. And they’re having a “fall sale” on their chai teas, through November 5th.

Tay Tea invites you to “steep, sip, and settle into fall.”

The options include two black tea-based chai blends and two caffeine-free rooibos blends. Each is custom-blended by master tea blender Nini Ordoubadi (photo #2).

Check out Tay Tea’s four chai blends in the chart below.

Then, head to TayTea.com and use the code FALLCHAI2022 at checkout (applicable to online sales only).

But before we leave, we have a bit of Food 101 and a masala chai recipe for you:
 
 
CHAI VS. MASALA CHAI: THE DIFFERENCE

In India, the word for tea is chai. That simple word refers to a cup of black tea, usually taken with milk.

Masala chai takes the flavor up a notch, with the addition of spices.

In the U.S., chai fans have referred to this Indian-spiced* tea with milk as “chai tea” or “chai latte.”
 
There are many variations of spices in a masala chai mix (as in any spice blend). The typical array includes allspice, black peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mace, nutmeg, and star anise.

Every home cook, restaurant, and spice seller has a mix tailored to their (or their customers’) palates.
 
 
RECIPE: MASALA CHAI, CHAI LATTE, OR WHATEVER NAME APPEALS TO YOU

Here’s a recipe to blend your own chai spices from scratch.

Then brew the tea of your choice, infused with spices (use a spice ball/tea ball).

The garnishes suggested (milk froth, spices) are American additions.

Ingredients Per Mug

 
Preparation

1. ADD the tea and milk to a mug and stir to combine.

2. TOP with a heaping spoonful of milk froth (we use a frother, currently this one).

Don’t hesitate to vary the spices to your tastes. Personally, we love adding black peppercorns and star anise, which many people omit.
 
 
CHECK OUT:

> Chai recipes: food and beverages.

> The history of masala chai.

> The history of tea.

[1] There are many different chai blends (photos #1, #2, and #4 © Tay Tea).

[2] Master tea blender Nini Ordoubadi, founder of Tay Tea.

[3] A blend of black masala chai (photo © Steven Smith Teamaker).

*Other countries make spiced tea, but India’s blends are more complex.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Best overall beer in America: Heady Topper (photo © Alchemist Brewery).

[2] Best IPA: Brouwerij West Picnic Lightning IPA (photo © Tavour).

[3] Best lager: Notch Session Pils Czech Pale Lager (photo © Notch Brewing).

[4] Best pilsner: Allagash Truepenny Pilsner (photo © Crystal City Wine).

October 27th is American Beer Day. It’s one of the 40+ international beer holidays celebrated in the U.S. (see all the American-beer-specific holidays belowthe history of beer, which began before written history, in the area around Mesopotamia.

Here are recommendations for “The 13 Best American Beers to Drink in 2022,” compiled by Liquor.com. You can read the full article here, including tasting notes.

These beers are available on Drizly, so here’s a great party idea: Get a few of your favorite beer-loving friends for a “best of America” beer tasting. Assume 4 people per 12-ounce bottle.
 
 
AND NOW, THE GREAT AMERICAN BEERS

 
Beer styles that originated in the U.S. include

 
Here’s more about them.
 
And who knows what’s forthcoming next from the creative minds of America’s craft brewers.
 
Hats off to these beer artisans. Long may they malt, mill, mash, and ferment†.
 
 
> Check out the different types of beer in our photo glossary.

> 100 different ways to say “beer.”

 
 
THE YEAR’S 14 AMERICAN-BEER-SPECIFIC BEER HOLIDAYS

*American Beer Holidays: National Beer Day is April 27th. American Craft Beer Week is the third week in May. National IPA Day is the first Thursday in August. International Beer Day is the first Friday in August. American Beer Day is October 27th.

**National Rotate Your Beer Day on May 1st encourages people to drink fresh beer (most beer taste better when freshly made) and to promote the variety of beer styles. Created by Superior Beverage Group in 2019, the day is a reminder for consumers to check the freshness of their beer. It’s a good opportunity to organize your beers so you’ll drink older beers first, and explore new or diverse flavors.

Beer was drunk freshly-brewed for millennia, until Louis Pasteur’s work on pasteurization culminating in 1876 gave brewers the way to extend shelf life by heating beer to kill microorganisms. This was transformative for commercial brewing. Combined with refrigeration technology, it marked the time when beer became a reliably shelf-stable product that could be stored for many months or years. However, with the exception of certain styles made to age, beer loses its optimal flavor over time, becoming flat and stale with off-flavors like cardboard due to oxidation. The quality is affected by factors like heat, light, and oxygen exposure over time.

†There’s more to brewing, of course. Check out all the other stages of brewing.

‡A wild ale is a sour beer made with wild yeast or some other kind of uncontrolled or atypical microflora. Here’s more about it.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

This seasonal approach to mashed potatoes, a Pumpkin Cheddar Mashed Potatoes recipe, is a special delight from the fall harvest through Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Not to mention October 27th, National Potato Day.

The orange color and pumpkin flavor, plus the delicious cheesiness, are a great combination.

The recipe was created by Carla Cardello of Chocolate Moosey for the Idaho Potato Commission. You can find many more inventive potato recipes on their website, IdahoPotato.com.
 
> The history of potatoes.

> The history of pumpkin.

> The history of Cheddar cheese.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN CHEDDAR MASHED POTATOES

If you’re not a rosemary fan, you can substitute sage or thyme.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add the potatoes and garlic cloves. Cook until soft but not overdone, roughly 12-15 minutes. Drain.

2. BEAT in a large mixing bowl the cooked potatoes and garlic until mashed and smooth (do not overbeat—you’ll get sticky, not fluffy, mashed potatoes). You can also mash them by hand with a potato masher.

3. BEAT in the butter and salt until completely incorporated. Then slowly beat in the milk. Finally…

4. BEAT in the pumpkin, cheese, and rosemary.

5. TOP with pats of butter and serve.
 
 
WHAT ARE THE BEST POTATOES TO USE FOR MASHED POTATOES

Here’s the 411 from the Idaho Potato Commission’s Dr. Potato column:

Idaho’s climate and rich, volcanic soil consistently yield potatoes with a high solids content (more potato and less water), which is ideal for making mashed potatoes.

It is most likely that you’ll see two different varieties of russets coming from Idaho, a Russet Norkotah, which is typically a lower-moisture russet (better for mashing), and the traditional Russet Burbank variety popularly used for baked potatoes.

Yellow flesh varieties tend to have higher solids or starch and less water content and can be used for mashing as well.

Red potatoes usually have a waxy texture and can be mashed, but are not as well suited for this as they are for boiling or roasting.

> The different types of potatoes.

[1] Just in time for Halloween: Pumpkin Cheddar Mashed Potatoes (photo © Chocolate Moosey | Idaho Potato Commission) .

[3] Pumpkin puree is different from pumpkin pie filling. The latter is sweetened and spiced (photo © Jessica Gavin).

[4] Cheddar makes wonderfully cheesy mashed potatoes (photo © Szakaly | Panther Media).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.