My first full day in my new place started out bright and early with a visit from the Verizon man. A little bit of wiring magic, actually a couple of hours of plugging, unplugging, testing, and I now have an internet connection. Morning has turned into afternoon as the snow dances and swirls outside my window and I’ve finally got the chance to sit down and quietly sip a cup of Chinese green tea called Bing Yin Zhen.

Downy leaf buds, the tender new growth, are plucked and processed. The leaves are then artfully hand twisted which shows off the fine quality of the leaf to perfection.

I steeped the leaves in 180 degree F water for 3 minutes.

The hot water steep doesn’t even touch the shape of the leaf. What gorgeous handcraftmanship!

I know that Yin Zhen translates to silver needle. I couldn’t find the translation for Bing though. Does anyone know?

The aroma of the ecru tea liquor is soft and fresh, very reminiscent of a white tea. The tea settles in my mouth with a silky feeling and then releases faint flavor notes of tobacco that linger in the aftertaste.

The rest of this weekend will be spent organizing and decorating my new place. Stay warm!

“Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist

but the ability to start over.”

~F. Scott Fitzgerald