Kyle Stewart and Phil Krampitz’s tiny tea shop tucked off one of Addison’s most non-descript roads is a haven for those who geek out over the varieties of green tea, the infinite subtleties of oolong, the aromas of a good, robust black tea. Weekends, a crowd of regulars threads through the bustle of a workroom to the tasting room that opens out like a secret annex, where canisters hold marvels. You’re there to smell, to learn, and to taste.
I went there to recently to watch matcha frothed with a bamboo whisk into a grassy, green elixir. Pu-erh teas were the teaching and sampling subject the following weekend. Conversation is rich and the mind and palate get to wander.
On my last visit, I also scored a recipe for a pumpkin spice blend that ups the ante on holiday drinks. It’s a mixture to swirl into coffee, chai tea, steamed milk, drinking chocolate.
Use a dollop (1-3 tablespoons, to taste). Fortify with rum and an extra slug of the spiced puree for a hot coffee toddy.
I’ve been making it at home and whipping up batches to give as holiday gifts.
Pumpkin Spice Puree (recipe courtesy of The Cultured Cup)
1 c. pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
½-3/4 c. light brown sugar (depending on desired sweetness)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg (fresh, if possible)
1 pinch of salt
Stir all ingredients together until brown sugar dissolves into pumpkin and spices are evenly mixed. Place mixture in a jar and store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
The Cultured Cup, 13714 Gamma Rd., #104
