Saturday Morning Tea

Jul19

The air is completely still this morning with hardly a whisper of a breeze. Temperatures are supposed to soar well into the 90s this weekend with the humidity level just as high. It’s a good day to be inside with the AC or next to a fan, relaxing with a good book and a cup of tea.

This morning’s tea is a unique white Assam from the Mothola estate. Usually when one thinks of an Assam tea, it is of a hearty, rich black tea. That is what most Assam teas are. This tea, however, is a unique production, entirely handcrafted which shows in the gorgeous full leaf covered in tiny white hairs.

The tea plant is called camellia sinensis, named by the father of modern taxonomy, Carl Linneaus, a Swedish botanist from the 1700s. There are several different variations of the tea plant. Assam teas, grown in the lowland district of Assam in northeastern India, are harvested from the Camellia Sinensis assamica variation. I have read that this particular variation has a higher caffeine level than the Camellia Sinensis sinensis or Chinese varietal. Perhaps this is why many folks enjoy Assams for breakfast . The name Sinensis actually means Chinese in Latin.

I know that it is such an artist cliche to say “I love color” but I truly, truly do, ever since I was very young. In fact, my favorite childhood book called “The Color Kittens” by Margaret Wise Brown, was all about colors and mixing them to create other colors. The words and images of this book filled my little person world well before I learned to read. From that time on, color spoke directly to my soul on a very deep level. I talk about that here. Anyway, I was captivated by the color of the liquor of this tea. A gorgeous dark honey, its aroma is sweet and malty. The flavor is also sweet and light but full of flavor that fills your mouth with a hint of nuttiness.

This is definitely one of my favorite teas!

Saturday Morning Tea

Jun21

Thunderstorms moved through our area last night and swept everything clean and fresh. It is a perfect day to be outside so I will bring my beadwork, my books and my drawing pad out to the back deck and enjoy some much needed Being time.

This morning’s tea is a Chinese white tea called Fuding Silver Needles. The name Fuding is for the coastal city on the East Sea in China. As you can see in the photo above, the name fits the tea perfectly. Grown in Fujian province, this tea is described as representing a cultural art form where each leaf is hand processed and carefully rolled so as to keep it intact.

Because the leaf is so big, I used 6 heaping teaspoons in my 12 ounce glass teapot and steeped for 3 minutes in 180 degree F water. The liquor is very pale with a hint of green and a sweet aroma. The taste is smooth and quite sweet with delicate toasty herbaceous notes. The subtlety of flavor is best enjoyed when you rid yourself of all distractions and immerse yourself in the moment. A good meditation tea.

“Attention is selectivity applied to perception. It is an inward decision, usually made unconsciously, about what is worth perceiving and what isn’t. Attention both finds meaning and creates meaning. When we adopt the principle of “separate the subtle from the gross”, we are deciding on purpose where we want our attention to go, temporarily withholding it from what is obvious and bestowing it instead on what is inconspicuous and elusive.” -On Becoming an Alchemist by Catherine MacCoun

Saturday Morning Tea

May31

After a cool very springlike May, temperatures have started to slowly creep up this past week so now mornings are in the 50s when I leave for work. With temps in the 40s every morning for the longest time, I was beginning to feel that I had put away that winter jacket way too early! Last week I tried a first flush black Darjeeling from the Arya estate. This morning I am continuing with my Arya theme by trying their white tea called White Pearl. Its processing is as precious as its name. The full leaf sets are plucked at dawn when the dew is still wet on the leaves. After drying in the sun for several hours they are then carefully rolled in silk cloth and then allowed more drying time. This is truly a very unique artisan tea.

The beauty and quality of the leaf is apparent in this full leaf set I extracted from my steeped leaf. Guidelines call for an 8-11 minute steeping time in 180 degree F water. As I only had a precious 4 grams of this tea, I wanted to be able to resteep the leaves so my first steeping was at 3 minutes. The resulting liquor is a pale straw color with crisp delicate vegetal notes. It was very light tasting.

I decided to resteep the leaves for 8 minutes and lowered the water temperature to 170 degrees F. The resulting liquor is stronger with a more pronounced crisp fruitiness that reminds me of a light crisp white wine. This tea would be fabulous iced with a floating slice of lemon in your glass and a wedge of melon on the side. Summer is coming!

Sunday Morning Tea

Dec30

After all of the cold, wintry weather we experienced here in the northeast before it was officially winter, we have been enjoying a stretch of milder weather during the holidays. With my windows opened wide, I can almost feel a hint of spring in the air.

This morning I am savoring a cup of China White Paklum Tips. From looking at my photo above, you can see why it is called white tea, with all of the downy white hairs on the leaf. These leaves are the newest growth on the plant, gentle and fresh.

In honor of the white tea, the winter and also the milder weather, I am sipping from my tea mug entitled “Snow, Spring, Earth”. I like to choose my tea mug, cup or bowl with the feeling I get from the particular kind of tea I’m going to brew. This mug is beautiful in the simplicity of its design much like white tea is beautiful in the simplicity of its processing. After the leaves and buds are plucked, they are laid out to wither and then roasted/heated to stop the natural oxidation which would occur.

The liquor is a muted yellow, sweet and silky on the tongue. The taste is mildly vegetal with light fruity, toasty notes. There is also a slight suggestion of cocoa in the aftertaste. The aroma is warm and comforting. As with all white teas, I steeped the leaves in 180 degree F water. Depending upon how delicate or strong you like it, you can brew the leaves anywhere between 3-5 minutes. I like a milder cup so I brew for 3 minutes. Mmmmmm…

A big congratulations to our boys from Foxboro, MA, the New England Patriots, for finishing their season last night undefeated. Go Pats!