This morning I got right into a frenzy of fall cleaning right after breakfast so my usual morning tea has now turned into my noontime tea. After all of that deep scrubbing, I was in the mood for something very light. I chose a China green tea called “After the Snow Sprouting”. The full leaf sets are plucked in the early spring. That’s a short 4 months away from now…I can dream…

As the leaves steep (3 minutes in 180 degree water), they lighten to a beautiful sage green color. The aroma is fresh and vegetal and the liquor is a light greenish yellow with a taste of fresh asparagus. There is a slight tang in the aftertaste.

Today I am using a blue and white gaiwan (traditional covered teabowl) I found at a flea market years ago. In China, people will toss some leaves into their gaiwan and then keep adding hot water to the leaves as needed, never removing them. The lid helps strain the tea as you drink it. I prefer to use my little glass teapot with infuser basket for steeping the leaves.

This past week I kept coming across the mention of tarot cards in my daily wanderings. I have a couple of decks which I used years ago to help me access my inner wisdom during a tough time in my life. Even though this is not a tough time in my life, there are challenges here and there and I feel like the universe is sending me a clear message that it is time to dig my cards out and listen to my inner wisdom again.

Now, let me see what that fortune cookie says…