Coffee Intelligence Agency

Hello everyone!

Wow, it's been a while and if I knew what all of my readers looked like I would say I missed all of your smiling faces. I'll be starting back and posting new posts each Saturday (not counting this one.) I'm already working on a list of topics to cover but if you have a few, feel free to direct reply me on Twitter or post a comment here. I look forward to discussing coffee and tea with all of you!

I have since decided that all new posts will be posted on Thursdays. Sorry for the gap in posts everyone and I look forward to sharing more coffee/tea knowledge with you.

CIA Episode 2: The Perfect Tea from Brittney Murray on Vimeo.
Sorry this post is late everyone, I've had an incredibly insane week.
Things to Remember:

• Japanese cast iron teapots are the best, but you don't have to use them
• 1 teaspoon per 8 oz. of water (don't use a measuring teaspoon here)
• Don't use the infuser that comes with the teapot and remember to prep it by swishing around hot water inside the pot (remember to dump it out before adding the tea)
• Boil your water and dump it inside the teapot, allow it to brew according to the type of tea you're using (for black tea, between 2-3 minutes)
• Place a small strainer over the cup to catch the tea leaves and pour yourself the perfect cup of tea

It's been a while since I posted something pertaining to tea, and in my opinion, that's a shame. I'm from the South, so most Southerners are used to good tea, although it's usually iced and sweet. I'm not opposed to sweet tea, but I encourage my readers to branch out a little in the realm of tea. Truth be told, I didn't fall in love with hot tea until my trip to Ireland in 2005.


A few months back, I went to visit a good friend who is as equally addicted to coffee as I am, and that's when I was introduced to Earl Grey tea cookies. First of all, doesn't that cause the brow to furrow in confusion right there? Stick with me here because these cookies are fantastic and great to have not only with tea, but coffee as well. Remember, I enjoy things that can pull double duty. If you don't have Earl Grey tea? No problem, use this recipe with any other tea that you may have. I've discovered that chamomile is a wonderful substitution for this recipe.


Yield: 2 Dozen

• 1 cup all purpose flour 
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea leaves (use the ones in tea bags, not loose leaf) 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

Things to Remember:

• Make sure the coffee is a French Press grind or coarse grind
• 1.5 grams of coffee (ground) per 1 ounce of hot water
• Pour hot water slowly over the grounds and stir
• Place plunger onto the press but DO NOT PUSH DOWN YET!
• Set timer to 5 minutes
• Once the time is up, then slowly press the plunger down and you're ready to rock n' roll

Huge props to Willie and Becky for helping me out with the video!