The Food Network. It’s like crack for me. I don’t think there’s a single program on there that I would not watch. From Giada to Alton – I love them all. And on Sunday nights you’ll find me glued to “The Next Food Network Star“. And is it particularly good this season or is it just me?

Here are my Top 3 Reasons Why My Money is on Melissa:

1. She is NOT a trained chef. That is one of the things I love about Rachael and Paula. They are “learn at their mother’s kitchen” cooks. Nothin’ wrong with chefs now- I love me some Bobby Flay. I just relate better to the home cook hosts. And I think others do too.

2. Melissa is appealing. She is exciting to watch. You WANT to listen to what she is going to tell you. Not so much with Jeffrey.

3. Melissa has demonstrated that she can take criticism and learn from it. She has demonstrated, over and over, that she listens to the directions she is given and works hard to improve.

So, who do YOU think will win it all? Jeffrey or Melissa?

This is the 3rd part of my Taste Casting review of the Essencha Tea House in Cincinnati, Ohio.  If you missed the first two segments, you can find them here:  Bubble Tea and Taste Casting Visits the Essencha Tea House.

After our samplings were done, Tracy did one last presentation for us.  She told us all about the Japenese tea ceremony.  Below is a video of how to make Matcha Sawa.  This is ceremonial grade tea; it is the highest grade tencha leaves ground to a fine powder.  Tracy commented that this is to tea as espresso is to coffee.  It is consumed in small amounts and is quite strong.  After she was done we all took a sip from the cup.  It has a very pleasant earthy taste.

This is the second installment of my Taste Casting visit to the Essencha Tea House in Cincinnati, Ohio.  If you missed the intro post, you can find it here:  Cincinnati Taste Casting visits the Essencha Tea House .

Tracy Monson, owner and founder of Essencha, presented us with many teas to sample.  We tried Tulsi Apple Pear which was a botanical iced tea.  With our lunch samples we enjoyed matcha latte, an energizing tea with soy latte.  We also had Bubble Tea.  What is bubble tea???

We enjoyed Lychee Jasmine Green Bubble Tea.  It starts with pearl tapioca (which Tracy explained was formed from the casava root from South America).  It is boiled for 20 minutes and then it sits for another 20 minutes.  The tapioca is then gelatinous in nature.  It is then marinated in a simple syrup.  The freshly brewed tea is shaken with fruit syrup and then poured over the sweetened pearls.

The tapioca in sitting on the bottom of the glass,  You suck the pearls up using the monster straw and eat them.  They are just like jelly fruit snacks.  What fun!

We each got to take home a tea sample and some “make your own” tea bags – bags that are open on one end to allow you to make a loose tea bag.  Essencha sells a variety of loose tea and also sells the “make your own” tea bags if you need them (see website below).

We also received a Essencha Tea Passport – a little book that lists all of their teas so that you can keep track of the things you have tried.

Want to learn more about tea?  Be sure to visit the Essencha Tea House.  The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly.  They are happy to help you choose something you will enjoy and are trained to assist you.  They also offer “Tea 101″ classes and host group tastings.

For more information, visit them at Essencha Tea House, 3212 Madison Road in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Or on the web at http://www.essencha.com

I recently joined a new social networking group – Taste Casting.  It’s a group of social media marketers of sorts.  We attend a complimentary tasting in our town (Cincinnati) and in exchange, we blog/Twitter/Facebook about the tasting.  Taste Casting groups are popping up all over the country.  If you’re interested in learning more, visit Taste Casting.

Our recent visit was for a tasting of fine teas at Essencha Tea House.  Tracy Monson is the owner and I can’t imagine that there could be a more knowledgeable tea house owner on the planet!   This woman knows her tea!  Having traveled the world over, she fell in love with the teas of different cultures and brought that love back here to us in Cincinnati.

The tea house is located in Oakley, a quaint suburb of Cincinnati.  I arrived a bit early and got to sample from their Tulsi Apple Pear iced tea while I waited for the others to arrive.  After everyone got there and introductions were made, we got down to business.

Owner and founder, Tracy Monson, led us on a taste testing of numerous teas.  Tracy mentioned that they like to serve their drinks in clear glasses so that you can enjoy the visual aspect of the tea as well as the aroma and the taste.  It’s obvious that the visual aspect is an important aesthetic to Tracy as the whole tea house “atmosphere” is very well put together.

Tracy gave us a mini- “Tea 101″ class.  She explained that black tea is created by plucking the tops from the tea plant and allowing the tips to wither.  The tips are left out to release oxidation and the enzymes turn the leaves black.  Green tea, on the other hand, gets roasted or steamed to keep it green and is NOT oxidized.  She also explained that black tea is infused the longest, making it the highest in caffiene levels.  (I sure hope I got all that right! We were eatin and drinkin and writin all at once!).

The tea was outstanding, as was the food.  We were served a variety of samples: a quinoa salad with fresh lentils, two wraps and a cupcake (which had tea in it!).  I must confess that quinoa is not my favorite thing in the world… until I had it at Essencha.  Tracy has three chefs on staff and I am here to say that someone in the kitchen makes some mean quinoa!  It was a mix of fresh green lentils, red peppers, calamata olives, feta and had a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar – which makes all the difference folks.  It was YUMMY!

We also got to enjoy two wraps – both in a buckwheat crepe.  One was a vegetarian wrap and the other was turkey with Havarti cheese.  Again, these were just excellent.  I would have licked my plate had I not been with a group of people .

I have gone on long enough.  This will have to be a series! I will make part two all about the tea.  You don’t want to miss “Bubble Tea” – which has tapioca pearls in the bottom of the glass.  And part three will feature a fabulous video of Tracy explaining the tradional Japenese Tea Ceremony.  And don’t miss the third in the series, a video of Tracy detailing a Japenese tea ceremony.

Live in Cincinnati?  You don’t want to miss the Essencha Tea House, located at 3212 Madison Road in Oakley.

Find them on the web at http://www.Essencha.com and on Twitter @essencha

As part of Seleta’s “Fabulous Friday” event, I am posting about something that would make me very,very happy. It’s quite simple actually.  Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.  My son is coming home from college for the first time since his Christmas break and my daughter’s boyfriend (who is in the Army) is coming home for the weekend and will surprise her today.  I would love to have a fun Valentine weekend, spent with family and friends.  Simple yet divine.

If you have not had the pleasure of visiting Seleta’s website yet, do yourself a favor and go over there today.  I just love her style.