Daily Sips

Tea Festival: Republic of Tea

2006-08-19T20:09:00.000-06:00

Traveling The Gardens of India, taught by Barbara Graves, was one of the classes I had the pleasure to attend at this year's tea festival. Known as Minister of Commerce for the Republic of Tea Company, Barbara led us through Darjeeling and Assam.

Darjeeling means "Land of the Thunderbolt" and is 1,500 to 6,000 feet above sea level and very vertical. Tea has been grown there since 1830. Darjeeling is known as the Champaign of Teas as it is a very unique tea grown in a small area. This tea will never be confused with another. "The mist makes it special," says Barbara, when speaking about the climate.

Some facts: There are 1,000 acres to a garden; 1,600 workers plus another 500 during plucking. 4500 kilos are plucked per day! From what Barbara told us, the plantations here provide a good standard of living for the workers. Plucking from 8am-noon with an hour for lunch with grandmother and family members. Then more plucking 1-4 pm. (I thought, wow! Only an 8-hour work day!) The tea planations are responsible for the whole villiage.

Darjeeling tea is typically not taken with milk, it is so light.

We tasted several teas: A 2005 First Flush (which most agreed was a bit flat); a 2006 First Flush which had a little more floral note. To me it tasted "fuller" and a little "silky." First Flush is the first plucking in spring, and produces a small leaf, greener in the cup and lighter to the taste. Then, the plants are left to rest--more rain, more sun--and the leaves are bigger on Second Flush. More body, more amber. From July through mid-September the monsoons come and the tea is not very good. From mid-September through November is the Autumnal Flush producing a more toasty flavor. Second flush and Autumnal Flush are popular in the United States.

Barbara recommends drinking First Flush in the same year it was plucked.

We tasted a couple of other First Flush teas, which the Republic of Tea labels as "Darjeeling Nouveau." According to Barbara, global warming has affected the Darjeeling crop, producing smaller leaves, but she says "they are hardy little souls!"

You Are Cordially Invited To Learn About Tea With Me

2006-04-10T08:10:00.000-06:00

The tulips are up in Boulder, Colorado, USA! If you live in a place where it snows, you know the thrill of the first tulip leaf sticking up through spring snow. If I'm feeling overworked or funky, all it takes is a walk downtown through the dozens of blooming tulip beds to lift my spirits.

Tulips and Tea in one day put me over the top!

I've been working on a new tea project which I can't wait to tell you about!

"Start Sipping" Is A New Online Mini-Course

As more and more people become curious about tea and all its benefits, I wanted to create a course on tea that comes easily and effortlessly to your email box, and can be read at your leisure. Every 3 or 4 days a new article will arrive in your email box on some tea-related topic. I've done my best to provide well-written articles to inform and inspire us all to try new teas.

Did I mention it is FREE?

If you'd like to check it out, click over to my sign up box at www.SwitchToTea.com, and you'll immediately be started on the tea course.

What Are YOU Sipping?

Initiation

2006-03-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of my newest Yixing pot's initiation to it's favorite tea. It's a special day for a teapot, no?

I use a stainless steel pot with my veggie steamer basket on the bottom. Love to watch the lazy steam as my pot luxuriates in its favorite tea bath. Makes me want to make an oolong bath for myself!

This pot is bathing in Tieguanyin Oolong from Generation Tea. [generationtea.com/?switchtotea in case you want to check out a teapot or some tea.]

Taking Time to Live by Thich Nhat Hanh

2006-02-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this excerpt by Thich Nhat Hanh. Enjoy!

---

Years ago in Vietnam, people used to take a small boat out into a lotus pond and put some tea leaves into an open lotus flower. The flower would close in the evening and perfume the tea during the night. In the early morning, when the dew was still on the leaves, you would return with your friends to collect the tea. On your boat was everything you needed: fresh water, a stove to heat it, teacups and a teapot. Then, in the beautiful light of the morning, you prepared the tea right there, enjoying the whole morning, drinking tea on the lotus pond. Nowadays you may have a lotus pond, but you do not have the time to look at it, let alone enjoy it in that way.

A tea meditation is a remnant of these times when we used to spend two or three hours drinking a cup of tea. In Plum Village, we are fortunate to have tea ceremonies several times a month. We come together to enjoy a cup of tea, a cookie, and the company of others for about an hour and a half. In a serene, affectionate, and informal atmosphere, we share poems, songs, and stories. We need only two minutes to drink a cup of tea, but in taking time to be with others, we nourish mutual understanding and happiness.

Wow! It pays to ask for what you want!

2006-01-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

In our family we draw names for holiday gifts between four siblings plus spouses so we only have to buy one gift. It's kept a secret until a few days before Christmas when packages arrive. This year I spent the holidays with most of my family who now live in Florida.

I opened my "secret santa" gift from my sister and voilà! A wonderful new Yixing Pot, a packet of oolong from Generation Tea, and two tea books--all from my list [The Green Tea User's Manual by Helen Gustafson and The New Tea Book by Sara Perry].

I initiated my baby teapot right away.

Here is a holiday tea tip

2005-12-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Who else is eating too much chocolate and sweets this holiday season? I know I’m not the only one! Just because my sister has a steady stream of “from scratch” bownies coming out of the oven the past few days I have been visiting.

Did you know that having a few cups of tea after your meal or with your dessert can help you digest all that holiday food? (In the case of our family, that would be lobster tails and spaghetti after our traditionally huge Italian Christmas Eve Feast.)

There are lots of digestive teas in tea bags on the market, but try this instead.
Make a small pot of your favorite tea, whether loose or in a tea bag.

Grate some fresh ginger root or get some peppermint leaves from the grocery story (or your kitchen pot garden if you have one). Put a pinch of the ginger in the pot before you pour the water. If you use mint leaves, throw a few leaves in the pot. This is so much better than the pre-bagged teas that have the herbs in it already. Who knows how long they’ve been sitting in that teabag? Fresh is always better, wouldn’t you agree?

The Pu-erh Society

2005-11-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

After the Rocky Mountain Tea Festival Donna Fellman (http://www.bodhidharmateacompany.com/) decided that we needed to keep sipping Pu-erh together. The Pu-erh Tea Society has been meeting monthly in Boulder, CO. It's free, and you bring either Pu-erh or food to share.

Tom, my hubby, accompanied me to one of these tastings, and he has not been the same since.

He says that first sip of Pu-erh changed his life! One of the teas we have come across is a 9-year-old Pu-erh that Tom loves because he says "It reminds me of a Cape Cod basement." He is hooked on Pu-erh and brings a thermos of "Cape Cod Basement" to work.

This may not seem like a big deal to some, but when we first got married he was chugging double lattes. A few years later he switched to Chai with a shot of Espresso (called a Hyper Hindu) and now at last he is hooked on tea!

The photo is of Al, one of the Pu-erh experts in the group, digging into some Pu-ehr that had been aged in a Pomello.

My New Baby Yixing Teapot

2005-10-15T18:10:00.000-06:00

Recently my brother called me from Bejieng.

"Hey Sis, what was the name of that teapot you wanted?"

I had been teasing him about at least bringing me some tea or a Yixing teapot, since he is often in China on business. He told me this time he was on a mission to get me that teapot.

A week later a beat up package arrived covered with Chinese characters. Inside was a dark brown and gold box with a charming brass clasp. Inside this gorgeous box was a tiny brown Yixing teapot with six cups and saucers securely fastened down in brown satin.

For my entertainment my brother Jim included the note that he had to have translated for the taxi driver. "I want to buy Gong Fu tea set."

Right away I bathed my clay pot and teaware in the tea that it would be drinking.

To learn more about how to prepare Yixing pots and teaware, click here:
http://www.switchtotea.com/TeaTipsYixing.htm

Thanks bro!

My Birthday at The Captain's House Inn

2005-09-01T20:53:00.000-06:00

Every summer Tom and I spend our anniversary on Cape Cod, where we had our honeymoon eight years ago. It's a romantic time, where we fall in love all over again. And then, my birthday is four days later. This year we went to tea at the Captain's House Inn located in Chatham on the Cape.

The experience was impressive not only because of the lush grounds and charming cottages. But the hostess brought me a complete vegetarian plate in addition to the traditional tier.

She'd asked in advance about any dietary requirements. I said "I'm vegetarian, but I always just take my chances!" She insisted they would leave off the sausage and the chicken curry. In the end I was glad for that!

We had a pot of English Breakfast and a pot of Earl Grey. Traditional crustless sandwhichs. Scones with creme and jam. Dense chocolate cake. Strawberry cream puffs.

And three types of cookie, not including my husband.

Rocky Mountain Tea Festival

2005-08-01T08:14:00.000-06:00

I had the pleasure to hear David Hoffman, Founder of Silk Road Tea Company, at his Pu-erh lecture and tea tasting during the Rocky Mountain Tea Festival held at the Dushanbe Tea house in Boulder, CO this weekend. It was most enjoyable sitting for hours creekside with fellow tea lovers, watching the Boulder breeze carry broad tea leaves off David's display table.

We tasted about 12 Pu-erhs, one more interesting than the next. I admit I have not grasped the Chinese names yet. I just take note when one strikes a taste bud. (Some of you will no doubt be able to name the teas by the photos.)

One of David's preferred methods of steeping black Pu-erh: Get a canning jar with a screw on lid. Put some tea in the jar, then pour the water to the top. Steep to your liking. When the brew gets down halfway where it may be stronger than you like, pour some more water in. And it goes on like that. This is how the Chinese do it, nothing fancy. Another tip: put some black Pu-erh in a thermos, pour boiling water in and steep over night. He says, "In the morning you'll have a nice Pu-erh Espresso!"

I didn't know that he had first tasted Pu-erh with the Dalai Lama. I learned the Tibetin way of tea is to add some yak butter, salt and maybe some grains. Perfect cup for any nomad!

David's main message was Trust Your Pallet. He told us to find our individual preference, and not to be afraid of under or oversteeping pu-erh. He advises that you simply cannot ruin a pu-erh. But you might have to work with it.

Scroll down for some Pu-erh cake photos.

Meanwhile I want to tell you about the Taiwanese Oolong Tasting class I attended, given by Brian Wright of Shan Shui Teas. Here he is scooping oolong.

We tasted about nine oolongs, throwing caffeine caution to the wind! This was especially fun because it was a packed house--or should I say patio--everyone steeping and re-steeping, pouring and warming, sniffing and sipping, and then offering the extra to the creek.

One of my favorites was "Contest Baozhong," which I think should be called "Instant Bliss." This one was infused with jasmine, or was it gardenia? At any rate, it was obvious why it was his award winning oolong. Offically known as "Premium Spring 2005 Baozhong," $30 for 75 grams on the website www.shanshuiteas.com.

Here are some of the tea lovers I had the pleasure to hang out with.

Who ever said men are not into tea?

Now for some photos of David Hoffman's display table.
I wish I had a little more of a close up. Are these cakes not beautiful?

To the left notice the small round cakes, which David said are pu-erh chess pieces. They are the size of a very large checker.

We each received one of these to keep on our tea shelf, but he said, if we wanted to drink the tea "Good Luck!"

Ok one more...

Most Glorious Fourth of July

2005-07-05T20:03:00.000-06:00

I spent the Fourth in an unconventional way (surprise surprise) taking part in a Japanese Tea Ceremony, led by Michael Ricci, who studied at the Grand Tea Master's complex in Kyoto. (Check out my interview with Michael, at http://www.switchtotea.com/JapaneseTea.htm.)

Did you know that we (in Boulder, CO) have a tea house on the Naropa Universtiy Campus? Now I have been to many a Naropa event over the years, and never knew about this lovely tea “hut” on the west end of the original campus. What a find!

Michael graciously walked me through the very elaborate tea ceremony, along with some of his students and newcomers. I only made about 8 faux pas! Not bad for my first time :-)

I found myself blissing out as I sipped bowl after bowl of Matcha (Japanese green tea). For me, this experience was a 4-hour meditation. One is fully present as the host prepares the tea with extremely choreographed and precise movements.

Here we are in the tea house: Back left to right: Tristan, Michael

Front left to right: Yoko, Michelle, Cloe, Minori, Joe

Who needs fireworks when you have tea?