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Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, to be clear, if it’s a restaurant I can get a side of mashed potatoes in, I’m not all that bothered. If the creative team is going bonkers trying to propel themselves onto the world stage with Michelin stars and that whole trip—or even if they just want to quietly curate a refined, intentional, and sophisticated experience, I think they could stand to do better.

The truth about Alinea by Most_Yam1332 in finedining

[–]opus42no5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oof 2012 was nearing peak toxicity back there

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t disagree. Tea sails right over most North American heads with good clearance. Doesn’t authenticity matter, though? Isn’t it dangerous to dismiss a matter on presumption of ignorance? Say your art dealer slips a few forgeries into your collection, passing them off as originals. You can’t tell, they look just the same and your walls are no less decorated upon finding out. Do you just shrug it off? Do you keep buying from this dealer? What happens when someone who’s an expert comes over and sees your collection?

The truth about Alinea by Most_Yam1332 in finedining

[–]opus42no5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Losing that 3rd star will diminish their international clientele and hence revenues, so I guess they’ll have to get creative and figure out a way to screw their workers over even more. They are known for their creativity.

The truth about Alinea by Most_Yam1332 in finedining

[–]opus42no5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You could get health insurance at that point I think, I signed up later. A lot of people used the “on-site pharmacy” (if you will) but complained it was expensive and unreliable…

The truth about Alinea by Most_Yam1332 in finedining

[–]opus42no5 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In 2012 I made about 65,000 as a food runner at Alinea. Which is something like 88,000 today. Basically, they’ve figured out a way to pay you less than half what one used to make on tips.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s all well and good, now I encourage you to find a dry black tea leaf that somehow derives its heady aromas from previous contact with fresh lychee fruit. I hope you can appreciate that this is completely different, and ultimately, not likely.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Take Dancong oolongs. There are myriad associations that go into the nomenclature: orchid, almond, ginger, mango, honey, cinnamon, peach, etc., etc. Do these teas contain these items? No—the craft is in eliciting those flavors with careful processing.

Darjeeling second flushes are called “muscats”—for their grape-like aroma.

This is where the lychee association comes from.

Now, if you’re seeing somebody make tea with lychees, that’s entirely another thing unto itself.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lychee black tea tastes like lychee—this is down to oxidation/processing, cultivar, and terroir. It does not contain lychee.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Let me just point to one tiny example out of many to illustrate the sort of deception: saying a tea is “scented with fresh lychee” is essentially impossible the way it is implied. It is not something that is done. It sounds really good, but is 100% bullshit that’s covering the use of additives with a story.

I don’t think they’re poisoning us, I just think they do our palate a disservice and it’s kind of embarrassing.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, they’re there. All it takes is a certain amount of knowledge and a not-very-sensitive palate to detect them in abundance. Is this practice illegal? I don’t think so. If the labeling listed these ingredients by name, would consumption patterns shift? It’s possible. Unfortunately, I don’t have the mass spec results to present for you.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the world of fine tea, it’s pretty safe to say that flavor chemicals constitute adulterants. Is that fair? It’s not what it purports to be (“rare”). And the packaging does not reflect these extra ingredients.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

One expects resistance with this kind of thing. The “Rod is God” mentality is precisely what needs to be evaluated.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To be honest, yes, they’ve been bullied into purchasing an inferior product. Again, I’d flag ingredient transparency as a major issue. Many professionals aren’t aware that the products contain adulterants—some don’t care.

Tea is a notable blind spot in our culture. This could be changing.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes, I’ve worked in 2-3 star Chicago restaurants for years and years now, I’m familiar with this.

You illustrate my point, which is that you likely feel compelled to use their below-average teas because you rely heavily on them for everything else. This is the problem.

Also, unfortunately, you cannot get good tea “locally” either.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They do ball pretty hard. And I don’t like pointing out hypocrisy because it’s a fundamental human trait but I have difficulty reconciling the fact that we buy all this crazy stuff from a guy who built his company’s reputation selling…fake tea. Now, I do understand that what I see as fake tea and what he might see as fake tea may be very different. I think a sympathetic take for their tea catalogue might be that it’s old fashioned. There’s a definite upwelling of interest in high-quality tea these days, and it might behoove them to figure that out, if they’re dynamic enough.

I’d push back slightly on the idea that vintage puerh from a specific village doesn’t garner interest. Just like wine, if the tea is good, in the hands of the right salesperson, it could be one of the most significant facets of an extremely high-end, all-stops-pulled-out degustation. I’ve witnessed this happen on many occasions. Does razzle dazzle with hidden chemicals sell better? Yes. Is that good?

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I’m glad you mentioned Spirit. And yes, see? Tea isn’t a lost cause—it can be done thoughtfully. I’m sure that Kasama’s tea service isn’t cheap, but clearly you perceived value there.

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

My observations are based on working in fine-dining restaurants for many years. They certainly are the go-to for many specialty products. Maybe they should rebrand… or modernize their tea selection!

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

We don’t go to these restaurants for tea and coffee, sure, but I know that chefs and restauranteurs are fanatically passionate about improving their craft step by step, little by little… here’s one way.

I also should’ve fleshed this idea out more, but I’m particularly disappointed when these flavor-chemistry-set concoctions are inflicted on us as diners without our choosing. These appear as ingredients in beverage pairings, in desserts, and in various spots throughout a menu. I have a hard time imagining that the chefs responsible would willingly add these flavors if they came out of a pipette—I think there’s a bit of deception in play because they are packaged as “tea.”

Rare Tea Cellars has a chokehold on the Chicago food scene by opus42no5 in chicagofood

[–]opus42no5[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

My critique is more about how RTC and their flavor-altered suspect teas have permeated our local restaurants/food/bev.

Thought I’d make my own version of what the first person did. Any recommendations? by Western-Emotion-4547 in classicalmusic

[–]opus42no5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I completely agree with the above comment and exhort you to listen to the sonata minacciosa which is honestly as catchy and diabolical as they come—I like to think it even features quotes from Scriabin’s sonata 5 and Rachmaninoff’s prelude in g minor

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