Hi again folks.
This article will be mostly about using tea as a tool for introspection and reflection, and about how much better tea tastes when the semester has finally ended!
I recently watched in a mixture of pleasure and discomfort as several of my comrades and associates in college marched across the stage, and received a college diploma. I didn't know whether to be sad that they were leaving, or happy that they were being successful and productive members of society. I resolved to feel a little bit of both.
Jasmine tea has a long-lived reputation of promoting introspection and reflective moments. So when I returned home from the commencement ceremony, I sat down in front of my french press, and prepared an infusion of Jasmine, Silver Needle (A mild form of white tea, so as not to take away from the Jasmine), and a bit of rose hip. I went through the usual routine of watching the water boil (I always do this, even though superstitious folk will tell you a watched pot will never boil), pouring into the press, and watching the herbs swirl around as they impart of their flavour and colour to the water around them.
I poured myself a particularly large serving (16 ounces, where I usually drink 6-8), and sat down to ponder. I pondered about how next term would be different with some of my favorite friends missing. I pondered about how potential new friends would likely come into my life, not to replace the old ones, but to make life for fun and interesting in their absence. I pondered about what sorts of grades I would be receiving, hoping for the best. And then I had a realization: I realized that no matter how much I pondered, wondered, or hypothesized about the situation at hand, it would largely be the case that nothing would change on the basis of that alone.
As I sat in introspection, I began to think that, while it is appropriate to miss friends who have moved on, it is perhaps more appropriate to live not in the past, but in the current moment, realizing that each moment I spend not making the most of whatever situation is at hand is a moment poorly spent. Rationality over emotion. While I won't discount the value of introspection and emotional adaptation, I definitely further promote the value of rationality over these things, and attempt to proport the most logical and reasonable alternative.
As the sweet aroma of the Jasmine teased my senses, I resolved to pursue the rational alternative that is to live my life as if I were to see my missed friends tomorrow. As if they hadn't actually left at all. And while there might be some semantic differences, it would largely be the case that life would continue as it had before.
Tea tastes so much better when you don't have schoolwork to do - When you don't have these lingering nags that you really should be doing something other than drinking tea. Like writing an essay, or studying for a test, or preparing a poster. Instead, the opportunity arises to sip your tea, and simply enjoy it. To revel in the moment, and allow yourself to relax and unfold completely, without any lingering worries about forgotten duties. What sweet joy.
Sorry of this post is more of a personal one than a topic-focused one, but I think you'll enjoy it anyway.
Cheers, and enjoy the tea,
Relznuk Zero Relznuk
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Hoi-tea-toid.
'Sup tea peoples?
Since the time of the last posting, It has been brought to my attention on numerous occasions that I might, in fact, be hoity-toity. I find this topic so important that I feel it necessary to write a full posting on my hoity-toitiness, discussing just what it might mean to be a hoity-toid, and why that just might be a thing of importance for a tea connoisseur such as myself.
In the various discussions that were had about hoity-toitiness, the definition that seems to have been settled on involves declaring that there are varying quality levels that exist in things, and that the hoitey-toid simply recognizes these differences in quality, and actually heeds them to such an extent that he/she feels compelled to seek only the highest quality things.
This is in contrast to the popular definition of hoity-toitiness, which refers to someone who is pompous and does certain things (like using large words) only to flaunt ones status or intellectual merits. I suppose this distinction is, effectively, between an "utility hoitey-toid," and a "synthetic hoity-toid," where the utility hoity-toid uses hoity-toiteyness to achieve a purpose, or serve some specific cause, such as finding the highest quality chocolate, or gaining the ability to detect subtle flavor characteristics in fine chocolates, and the synthetic hoity-toid is a hoity-toid only in the sense that they want to appear overly important, intelligent, or sophisticated.
Largely, the people that actually *are* more sophisticated, intelligent, and important in society are those who have learned how to use utility-based hoity-toiteyness in their favor (although this may not always be the case, as there are certainly plenty of examples of people who are smart and important but fail to be hoity-toids.)
The importance of this sort of utility-based hoity-toideyness to the subject of fine tea is apparent. Without this awareness of the varying quality levels and various, often subtle characteristics that make a certain tea what it is, one could hardly make any sorts of claims regarding actual wisdom or knowledge regarding tea. It seems necessary to be aware of and to be able to make distinctions between these subtle characteristics in order to properly describe a tea, in order to properly rate a tea for quality, and in order to not be conned like mad when purchasing high-quality teas.
In one sense, the utility-based tea hoity-toid is in a better position than most tea drinkers and purchasers, in that the hoity-toid will be able to make better, more informed decisions on the matter, and will ultimately end up with the superior cup of tea at the most reasonable price.
Additionally, it seems preposterous to me to suggest that someone could bring themselves to a point where they could be aware of these varying quality levels and subtle characteristics without admitting to some form of hoity-toitiness. Doing so would require that they simply didn't apply the skills that they have at their disposal, and would result in them being largely ignorant (in the sense that they are simply neglecting known quality concerns) of actual tea-quality.
A similar situation would be for someone to become aware of all of the things that make a football player a good or bad member of the team, and then go to the games, disregard this awareness, and simply cheer for the player who's last name they like the best.
So, that's it for my rant on hoity-toitiness. This probably wasn't your favorite post, but I'm OK with that.
Over and out,
Relz
Since the time of the last posting, It has been brought to my attention on numerous occasions that I might, in fact, be hoity-toity. I find this topic so important that I feel it necessary to write a full posting on my hoity-toitiness, discussing just what it might mean to be a hoity-toid, and why that just might be a thing of importance for a tea connoisseur such as myself.
In the various discussions that were had about hoity-toitiness, the definition that seems to have been settled on involves declaring that there are varying quality levels that exist in things, and that the hoitey-toid simply recognizes these differences in quality, and actually heeds them to such an extent that he/she feels compelled to seek only the highest quality things.
This is in contrast to the popular definition of hoity-toitiness, which refers to someone who is pompous and does certain things (like using large words) only to flaunt ones status or intellectual merits. I suppose this distinction is, effectively, between an "utility hoitey-toid," and a "synthetic hoity-toid," where the utility hoity-toid uses hoity-toiteyness to achieve a purpose, or serve some specific cause, such as finding the highest quality chocolate, or gaining the ability to detect subtle flavor characteristics in fine chocolates, and the synthetic hoity-toid is a hoity-toid only in the sense that they want to appear overly important, intelligent, or sophisticated.
Largely, the people that actually *are* more sophisticated, intelligent, and important in society are those who have learned how to use utility-based hoity-toiteyness in their favor (although this may not always be the case, as there are certainly plenty of examples of people who are smart and important but fail to be hoity-toids.)
The importance of this sort of utility-based hoity-toideyness to the subject of fine tea is apparent. Without this awareness of the varying quality levels and various, often subtle characteristics that make a certain tea what it is, one could hardly make any sorts of claims regarding actual wisdom or knowledge regarding tea. It seems necessary to be aware of and to be able to make distinctions between these subtle characteristics in order to properly describe a tea, in order to properly rate a tea for quality, and in order to not be conned like mad when purchasing high-quality teas.
In one sense, the utility-based tea hoity-toid is in a better position than most tea drinkers and purchasers, in that the hoity-toid will be able to make better, more informed decisions on the matter, and will ultimately end up with the superior cup of tea at the most reasonable price.
Additionally, it seems preposterous to me to suggest that someone could bring themselves to a point where they could be aware of these varying quality levels and subtle characteristics without admitting to some form of hoity-toitiness. Doing so would require that they simply didn't apply the skills that they have at their disposal, and would result in them being largely ignorant (in the sense that they are simply neglecting known quality concerns) of actual tea-quality.
A similar situation would be for someone to become aware of all of the things that make a football player a good or bad member of the team, and then go to the games, disregard this awareness, and simply cheer for the player who's last name they like the best.
So, that's it for my rant on hoity-toitiness. This probably wasn't your favorite post, but I'm OK with that.
Over and out,
Relz
Monday, March 19, 2007
Cool Tea Topic: Tracing Tea
Greetings, readers.
It seems there have been an unusually high number of entries to this in the past month or so. I hope this makes up for the long periods of inactivity that this blog has sometimes seen. :) You might also notice that the contributor list of this blog is growing. There is a specific purpose for this. More on that later.
First of all, I must make a note to thank the Mellow Monk for his very enlightening entry about green tea and caffeine. It was great to have him write for us here, and he was oh-so-willing and eager to do that for us, so thanks to him for that.
I now have a fascinating topic to tell you about, which I was quite thrilled to learn about, and which I feel deserves a great mention here. People sometimes wonder about the legacies or history behind the things they enjoy. Very few people, however, go to such great lengths to unearth this history as the group of seven students who have launched an international project called "Tracing Tea."
Tracing Tea (tracingtea.org) is a large-scale project involving a 15,000 km journey in small open vehicles known as "Tuk Tuks" or "autorickshaws." The journey traces many of the old trading routes, and also tracing the history of tea in a semi-academic fashion from Calcutta, India to London, England and everywhere in between.
The end product of this massive journey by seven ambitious college students will be a book detailing their research findings and travel adventures, which promises to be a very fascinating reading experience.
The primary motivation for this journey of discover is nothing more than a deep and lasting love of tea - one which inspires them to do great and marvelous things. To paraphrase a comment from their website, they really love a good cup of tea, and find it appropriate to travel thousands of miles to get one.
So, I encourage you to take a look at the website, and follow the team's progress. I also encourage you to take a look at the finished book once it is published. I am sure you will find this a very interesting tangent from your everyday dealings.
Have a Marvelous Monday,
R 0 R
It seems there have been an unusually high number of entries to this in the past month or so. I hope this makes up for the long periods of inactivity that this blog has sometimes seen. :) You might also notice that the contributor list of this blog is growing. There is a specific purpose for this. More on that later.
First of all, I must make a note to thank the Mellow Monk for his very enlightening entry about green tea and caffeine. It was great to have him write for us here, and he was oh-so-willing and eager to do that for us, so thanks to him for that.
I now have a fascinating topic to tell you about, which I was quite thrilled to learn about, and which I feel deserves a great mention here. People sometimes wonder about the legacies or history behind the things they enjoy. Very few people, however, go to such great lengths to unearth this history as the group of seven students who have launched an international project called "Tracing Tea."
Tracing Tea (tracingtea.org) is a large-scale project involving a 15,000 km journey in small open vehicles known as "Tuk Tuks" or "autorickshaws." The journey traces many of the old trading routes, and also tracing the history of tea in a semi-academic fashion from Calcutta, India to London, England and everywhere in between.
The end product of this massive journey by seven ambitious college students will be a book detailing their research findings and travel adventures, which promises to be a very fascinating reading experience.
The primary motivation for this journey of discover is nothing more than a deep and lasting love of tea - one which inspires them to do great and marvelous things. To paraphrase a comment from their website, they really love a good cup of tea, and find it appropriate to travel thousands of miles to get one.
So, I encourage you to take a look at the website, and follow the team's progress. I also encourage you to take a look at the finished book once it is published. I am sure you will find this a very interesting tangent from your everyday dealings.
Have a Marvelous Monday,
R 0 R
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Mellow Monk Talks About Green Tea and Caffeine.
Hello!
First of all, I’d like to thank Relznuk for the opportunity to post here. This is a great venue to talk about green tea—and put in a plug for my own tea, which of course is the finest in the land. (Who says monks have to be modest?)
One topic I’m asked about a lot is green tea and caffeine. Java junkies are worried it doesn’t have enough, and caffeine-sensitive folks are worried it has too much. But the fact is that green tea, magical drink that it is, is in the Goldilocks Zone when it comes to caffeine: not too much, and not too little, but just the right amount. Not only that, but you can adjust the amount of caffeine to suit your own personal tastes—to feed your need for speed, or to let you sleep soundly at night.
First of all, a cup of brewed green tea contains roughly one-third the caffeine as the same amount of brewed coffee. Some people say they’ve heard that green tea contains more caffeine than coffee does, but that’s true only if you’re talking about dried tea leaves versus coffee beans. By weight, dried green tea contains more caffeine than coffee, but tea goes a lot longer than coffee does: A pound of dried green tea leaves would brew enough liquid tea to fill a hot tub, whereas a pound of coffee wouldn’t come close. In other words, you use a lot less green tea by weight to brew a cup of tea, which is why an infusion of green tea ends up containing roughly a third of the caffeine.
If you really need a caffeine fix, you can always brew your tea on the strong side. Simply use more tea leaves—say, two teaspoons per 8-ounce mug instead of one. One of the many nice things about green tea is that it’s not acidic like coffee is, so a strong infusion won’t upset your stomach the way coffee can.
Green tea, mellow beverage that it is, is also a gentler way to get your caffeine fix. That’s because green tea’s oh-so-healthy polyphenols regulate the body’s uptake of caffeine. Consequently, the caffeine load is spread out more evenly and over a longer period. That means no jump-out-of-your-chair jolt, but it also means no crash-and-burn, either. Like a gentle lover, green tea lets you down easy.
But let’s say you’ve been restless lately and are worried about getting a good night’s sleep for a big interview tomorrow. What you can do is decaffeinate your green tea yourself. That’s right: There’s no need to buy industrially decaffeinated green tea, which can contain trace amounts of ethyl acetate, and who wants any of that in their body?
All you need to do is let your green tea steep for about 30 seconds, throw out that infusion, and then re-steep the tea as you normally would. Since caffeine seeps out into hot water much more quickly than the tea's "good stuff," the second infusion will contain 80 percent less caffeine than normal. Since green tea already contains about 66 percent less caffeine than coffee, that comes out to less than 7 percent the caffeine in a cup of coffee, if my math is correct.
(And if you let that first infusion steep for a full minute, you will have removed essentially all of the caffeine from the tea leaves.)
Also, instead of throwing away that caffeine-rich first infusion, you could save it to drink later, or water your houseplants with it, or even store up a pitcher full in the refrigerator and then give it to someone whose body runs on caffeine (we all know a couple of those).
If your tolerance for caffeine is very low, you could also try hojicha, which is simply green tea that has been roasted briefly. The roasting not only imparts a smoky aroma but also eliminates a lot of the caffeine. Oh, and Mellow Monk happens to sell some, too.
Well, I think I’ve written enough, so I’d like to wrap this up by thanking Relznuk again for time in his forum, and by inviting you all to try our authentic Japanese green tea. Mellow Monk buys directly from small, family-owned and -operated tea farms located in the foothills of Mt. Aso—an ideal tea-growing environment, with its volcanic soil, clean air, and natural spring water. Our growers are also certified environmentally responsible under the local “Eco Farmer” program, and they vacuum-seal their tea on site for freshness. For more info, please visit us online at MellowMonk.com.
Sincerely,
Mellow Monk
First of all, I’d like to thank Relznuk for the opportunity to post here. This is a great venue to talk about green tea—and put in a plug for my own tea, which of course is the finest in the land. (Who says monks have to be modest?)
One topic I’m asked about a lot is green tea and caffeine. Java junkies are worried it doesn’t have enough, and caffeine-sensitive folks are worried it has too much. But the fact is that green tea, magical drink that it is, is in the Goldilocks Zone when it comes to caffeine: not too much, and not too little, but just the right amount. Not only that, but you can adjust the amount of caffeine to suit your own personal tastes—to feed your need for speed, or to let you sleep soundly at night.
First of all, a cup of brewed green tea contains roughly one-third the caffeine as the same amount of brewed coffee. Some people say they’ve heard that green tea contains more caffeine than coffee does, but that’s true only if you’re talking about dried tea leaves versus coffee beans. By weight, dried green tea contains more caffeine than coffee, but tea goes a lot longer than coffee does: A pound of dried green tea leaves would brew enough liquid tea to fill a hot tub, whereas a pound of coffee wouldn’t come close. In other words, you use a lot less green tea by weight to brew a cup of tea, which is why an infusion of green tea ends up containing roughly a third of the caffeine.
If you really need a caffeine fix, you can always brew your tea on the strong side. Simply use more tea leaves—say, two teaspoons per 8-ounce mug instead of one. One of the many nice things about green tea is that it’s not acidic like coffee is, so a strong infusion won’t upset your stomach the way coffee can.
Green tea, mellow beverage that it is, is also a gentler way to get your caffeine fix. That’s because green tea’s oh-so-healthy polyphenols regulate the body’s uptake of caffeine. Consequently, the caffeine load is spread out more evenly and over a longer period. That means no jump-out-of-your-chair jolt, but it also means no crash-and-burn, either. Like a gentle lover, green tea lets you down easy.
But let’s say you’ve been restless lately and are worried about getting a good night’s sleep for a big interview tomorrow. What you can do is decaffeinate your green tea yourself. That’s right: There’s no need to buy industrially decaffeinated green tea, which can contain trace amounts of ethyl acetate, and who wants any of that in their body?
All you need to do is let your green tea steep for about 30 seconds, throw out that infusion, and then re-steep the tea as you normally would. Since caffeine seeps out into hot water much more quickly than the tea's "good stuff," the second infusion will contain 80 percent less caffeine than normal. Since green tea already contains about 66 percent less caffeine than coffee, that comes out to less than 7 percent the caffeine in a cup of coffee, if my math is correct.
(And if you let that first infusion steep for a full minute, you will have removed essentially all of the caffeine from the tea leaves.)
Also, instead of throwing away that caffeine-rich first infusion, you could save it to drink later, or water your houseplants with it, or even store up a pitcher full in the refrigerator and then give it to someone whose body runs on caffeine (we all know a couple of those).
If your tolerance for caffeine is very low, you could also try hojicha, which is simply green tea that has been roasted briefly. The roasting not only imparts a smoky aroma but also eliminates a lot of the caffeine. Oh, and Mellow Monk happens to sell some, too.
Well, I think I’ve written enough, so I’d like to wrap this up by thanking Relznuk again for time in his forum, and by inviting you all to try our authentic Japanese green tea. Mellow Monk buys directly from small, family-owned and -operated tea farms located in the foothills of Mt. Aso—an ideal tea-growing environment, with its volcanic soil, clean air, and natural spring water. Our growers are also certified environmentally responsible under the local “Eco Farmer” program, and they vacuum-seal their tea on site for freshness. For more info, please visit us online at MellowMonk.com.
Sincerely,
Mellow Monk
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Brewing the Perfect Pot of Tea
The following is a guest post written by Veralicious, a new contributor to the blog who lists the steps required to make a perfect cup of tea. I find this to be quite informative. As you'll note, it supports my long-held notion that loose-leaf is the way to brew the best possible cup of tea. So, a big thanks to Veralicious for this fantastic entry, and on that note, please enjoy the entry.
- Relznuk
Brewing the Perfect Pot of Tea
note - quality tea can be steeped more than once, save the leaves and re-steep, adding one minute for each additional brew.
black tea and herbals:
- bring your water to a full boil and remove from heat.
- allow tea to steep approximately 3-5 minutes and strain.
green teas:
- bring your water to a pre boil.
- when little bubbles start to form on the bottom of the kettle, remove from heat.
- allow tea to steep 1 1/2 - 3 minutes and strain.
oolongs and white teas:
- bring your water to a pre boil.
- when little bubbles are coming to the surface (a bit hotter then you would need for green tea) remove from heat.
- allow to steep 4-6 minutes and strain.
* when using a tea ball, fill only half way to allow the leaves room to expand *
- Relznuk
Brewing the Perfect Pot of Tea
- begin with your favorite loose tea.
- add cold water to your kettle and bring to a boil.
- fill your teapot with hot tap water to warm it.
- before pouring in the boiling water empty the hot tap water from the pre warmed teapot.
- add 1-2 teaspoons of tea leaves to your infuser, for every eight ounces of hot water
- pour the boiling water directly onto the leaves and steep the tea according to the directions below.
note - quality tea can be steeped more than once, save the leaves and re-steep, adding one minute for each additional brew.
black tea and herbals:
- bring your water to a full boil and remove from heat.
- allow tea to steep approximately 3-5 minutes and strain.
green teas:
- bring your water to a pre boil.
- when little bubbles start to form on the bottom of the kettle, remove from heat.
- allow tea to steep 1 1/2 - 3 minutes and strain.
oolongs and white teas:
- bring your water to a pre boil.
- when little bubbles are coming to the surface (a bit hotter then you would need for green tea) remove from heat.
- allow to steep 4-6 minutes and strain.
* when using a tea ball, fill only half way to allow the leaves room to expand *
Thursday, February 1, 2007
The Origins of Mr. T(ea).
Most of you have probably noticed that I have not posted in a while. I could give you excuses, but I think that you're probably ultimately not interested in excuses, and besides, they aren't even all exciting. So, I pretty much blew that new years resolution all to hell, didn't I? Oh well. Those are just creative ways to lie to yourself anyway. But, for all your waiting, you're going to get something interesting at worthwhile to read. At least I think so. And if you don't, feel free to print it off and use it as toilet paper or cat box liner or something. Whatever you wish. So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to my latest article, "The Origins of Mr. T(ea).
Tea. What is it? Where does it come from? And how the hell did it get such a funny name? Today I will try to answer those questions, using a mixture of things which I am absolutely not qualified to talk about, including mythology, tradition, linguistics, and some other stuff that may or may not be really cool. By the way, if you think my title is terrible, you'll just have to deal with it. I'm just that way.
Question one. What is tea?
Tea is defined as the usable portion of the plant Camilla Sinensis, and the liquid made from those portions. As a beverage, it is aromatic and slightly bitter, and highly entrenched in Asian and English customs and lifestyle. As a plant, it is a short shrub with medium sized leaves that differ in appearance at different levels of maturity. As a dried herb (leaves), it takes a needle-like shape and has a fragile and brittle texture. Goddamn. I really hate defining things. I never do it justice.
Question two. Where does it come from?
Well, you see, first you get a seed, which is a whole bunch of genetic information in a tiny little package, and then you plant it, and then providing that it gets an adequate amount of nutrition, water, and sunlight, and remains within the proper temperature range, it will eventually develop into a mature plant. If you have the right type of seed, it would form into a tea plant, and if you picked the leaves of at just the right amount of time, dried them, and brewed them in water, then you would have some tea. That's where tea comes from.
JUST KIDDING.
What you want to see here is how tea was discovered as a beverage, and that is exactly what I am going to attempt to give you. That's how nice I am.
The discovery is supposed to have occurred in ancient China more than five thousand years ago. As the story goes, Emperor Shen Nung, an early emperor, creative scientist, and appreciator of the arts, had many ideas that were ahead of his time, one of those being the requirement that all drinking water be boiled for antiseptic and hygienic purposes. One day while visiting a distant part of his domain, he and his court stopped for a rest. He ordered some servants to boil some water for the court to drink. As the water was boiling, some dried leaves from a neighboring bush fell into the water, and a brown liquid resulted. Being a scientist, the emperor found the liquid interesting, drank a bit of it, and found that it had a very refreshing and pleasant flavor. So, according to legend, tea was created.
To this day, this myth remains so practical and reasonable of an explanation that a good number of mythologists believe that it might be very close to the way the events actually took place, which events are now long lost in the vortex of the past.
Question three. How the hell did it get such a funny name?
The actual word "tea" has it's origins in China, in the Minnan dialect, which was spoken by the people living in the area around the port of Amoy in southern China. Around AD 350, both the plant and the beverage were called "tu." This was adopted and altered a bit to become "tea" or "te" by such languages as Danish, French, German, Spanish, Polish, and others.
Another very popular word for it is "cha," which appears in languages such as Japanese, Portugese, Korean, Thai, Swahili, Hindi, and others. This originates in China as well, but mainly in the southern and the norther regions where Mandarin and Cantonese dialects are spoken. It is thought by some that "cha" was coined around 780 AD in the T'ang Dynasty, when Lu Yu published the book Cha Ching regarding the beverage. "Cha" is also sometimes used in English as a slang term.
So there you have it. Now you know what tea is, where it came from, and how the hell it got it's funny name. I could have written a great deal more regarding the history of tea, but then what the hell would I write about later?
So, I hope you enjoy this bit of information. I know I enjoyed writing it. And if you didn't enjoy it, please don't complain. The world already has too many complainers.
Over and Out,
Relznuk 0 Relznuk
Tea. What is it? Where does it come from? And how the hell did it get such a funny name? Today I will try to answer those questions, using a mixture of things which I am absolutely not qualified to talk about, including mythology, tradition, linguistics, and some other stuff that may or may not be really cool. By the way, if you think my title is terrible, you'll just have to deal with it. I'm just that way.
Question one. What is tea?
Tea is defined as the usable portion of the plant Camilla Sinensis, and the liquid made from those portions. As a beverage, it is aromatic and slightly bitter, and highly entrenched in Asian and English customs and lifestyle. As a plant, it is a short shrub with medium sized leaves that differ in appearance at different levels of maturity. As a dried herb (leaves), it takes a needle-like shape and has a fragile and brittle texture. Goddamn. I really hate defining things. I never do it justice.
Question two. Where does it come from?
Well, you see, first you get a seed, which is a whole bunch of genetic information in a tiny little package, and then you plant it, and then providing that it gets an adequate amount of nutrition, water, and sunlight, and remains within the proper temperature range, it will eventually develop into a mature plant. If you have the right type of seed, it would form into a tea plant, and if you picked the leaves of at just the right amount of time, dried them, and brewed them in water, then you would have some tea. That's where tea comes from.
JUST KIDDING.
What you want to see here is how tea was discovered as a beverage, and that is exactly what I am going to attempt to give you. That's how nice I am.
The discovery is supposed to have occurred in ancient China more than five thousand years ago. As the story goes, Emperor Shen Nung, an early emperor, creative scientist, and appreciator of the arts, had many ideas that were ahead of his time, one of those being the requirement that all drinking water be boiled for antiseptic and hygienic purposes. One day while visiting a distant part of his domain, he and his court stopped for a rest. He ordered some servants to boil some water for the court to drink. As the water was boiling, some dried leaves from a neighboring bush fell into the water, and a brown liquid resulted. Being a scientist, the emperor found the liquid interesting, drank a bit of it, and found that it had a very refreshing and pleasant flavor. So, according to legend, tea was created.
To this day, this myth remains so practical and reasonable of an explanation that a good number of mythologists believe that it might be very close to the way the events actually took place, which events are now long lost in the vortex of the past.
Question three. How the hell did it get such a funny name?
The actual word "tea" has it's origins in China, in the Minnan dialect, which was spoken by the people living in the area around the port of Amoy in southern China. Around AD 350, both the plant and the beverage were called "tu." This was adopted and altered a bit to become "tea" or "te" by such languages as Danish, French, German, Spanish, Polish, and others.
Another very popular word for it is "cha," which appears in languages such as Japanese, Portugese, Korean, Thai, Swahili, Hindi, and others. This originates in China as well, but mainly in the southern and the norther regions where Mandarin and Cantonese dialects are spoken. It is thought by some that "cha" was coined around 780 AD in the T'ang Dynasty, when Lu Yu published the book Cha Ching regarding the beverage. "Cha" is also sometimes used in English as a slang term.
So there you have it. Now you know what tea is, where it came from, and how the hell it got it's funny name. I could have written a great deal more regarding the history of tea, but then what the hell would I write about later?
So, I hope you enjoy this bit of information. I know I enjoyed writing it. And if you didn't enjoy it, please don't complain. The world already has too many complainers.
Over and Out,
Relznuk 0 Relznuk
Saturday, December 30, 2006
A Bloomin' Good Cup o' Tea.
Today's post is made possible by and done by the request of Mr. S. Kuperberg of FullBloomTea.com
It was absolutely beautiful. Scarlet flower petals uncurled and expanded, and as they did, they slowly released a stream of scarlet color into the water. As the pips on the flower head begun to stand up and get more color, they, too, released streams of scarlet into the water, slowly trickling down. The tea leaves themselves - silver needle white tea leaves - also began to expand outwards, appearing as if they were the base of this lovely flower which was blooming right before my eyes. Floral scent was wafting up from the mug, causing my mood to life. I allowed the tea to bloom for about 5 minutes before I 
drank it.
The tea itself was absolutely delicious. Perhaps some of the best tea I've ever had. This is, no doubt, because it is white tea, which is prized above all teas for it's rareness and delicate flavour.
The tea was almost as good after the second brewing (you can brew each bloom 2-3 times), but I opted not to chance it for a third.
After I had finished drinking the beverage, I took the bloom out of the mug, and was stumped at what to do next. The idea of throwing such a beautiful flower away was painful, but the idea of not being able to use the mug for the next time I wanted a bloom was even worse. I should have placed it in a clear glass and put it on display (yes, they really are that remarkable), but instead, I tenderly placed it in its final resting place.
So, to review the entire experience here, I'd have to say that the most common element here is theatre and show. Everything through the whole process is show. The shipping box, the product packaging, the brewing of the beverage, and even the drinking of the beverage are all very visual experiences, and necessarily have a certain theatrical element to them. Everything about this is carefully planned out. IN fact, even the packaging took months to decide on - They wanted packaging that would brighten your day. And they got it.
A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Mr. Kuperberg which stated that he'd come across this blog, had recently launched a new specialty tea company, and would like to send me some of his products to review complimentary if I'd like.
If any of you know me very well (and I'm not sure that you do), you'd know that I very rarely turn down the opportunity to try something new, very rarely turn down something that doesn't 
cost me, and very rarely turn down the good-natured invitations of other people. Since Mr. Kuperberg's email offered all three of these, it was a no-brainer for me, and I told him that I be oh-so-happy to write a review of his products.
I promptly sent him my mailing information and awaited the arrival of what I thought perhaps two or three, but certainly no more than a half dozen samples of his products.
Several days later, the postlady knocked my door and handed me a rather large package with nice sticker on it that said "FullBloomTea.com" I almost didn't know what to think. I certainly hadn't expected such a large box. Perhaps two or three samples, I had thought. However, when I opened the box, I found a nice card written in fancy emerald green handwriting stating the contents of the box and perhaps some of the cheeriest packaging I'd seen in a long time (see picture.) Also included was his full line of 12 blooming teas, a clear travel mug, and a beautiful glass teapot. I was thrilled. It was like Christmas come a
few days early!
I then set out, over the next few days, to sample some of these teas. In this review, you'll be hearing about the 14 ounce travel mug, although I assure you that a review covering the lovely class teapot will be up within the next couple of weeks. The very first bloom (which is called the friendship bloom) was utterly breathtaking - as if something magical were occurring right there in the mug. I set the water to boil, dropped the bloom in the travel mug, and when the water was boiling, poured it over the bloom.
It was absolutely beautiful. Scarlet flower petals uncurled and expanded, and as they did, they slowly released a stream of scarlet color into the water. As the pips on the flower head begun to stand up and get more color, they, too, released streams of scarlet into the water, slowly trickling down. The tea leaves themselves - silver needle white tea leaves - also began to expand outwards, appearing as if they were the base of this lovely flower which was blooming right before my eyes. Floral scent was wafting up from the mug, causing my mood to life. I allowed the tea to bloom for about 5 minutes before I 
drank it.The tea itself was absolutely delicious. Perhaps some of the best tea I've ever had. This is, no doubt, because it is white tea, which is prized above all teas for it's rareness and delicate flavour.
The tea was almost as good after the second brewing (you can brew each bloom 2-3 times), but I opted not to chance it for a third.
After I had finished drinking the beverage, I took the bloom out of the mug, and was stumped at what to do next. The idea of throwing such a beautiful flower away was painful, but the idea of not being able to use the mug for the next time I wanted a bloom was even worse. I should have placed it in a clear glass and put it on display (yes, they really are that remarkable), but instead, I tenderly placed it in its final resting place.
So, to review the entire experience here, I'd have to say that the most common element here is theatre and show. Everything through the whole process is show. The shipping box, the product packaging, the brewing of the beverage, and even the drinking of the beverage are all very visual experiences, and necessarily have a certain theatrical element to them. Everything about this is carefully planned out. IN fact, even the packaging took months to decide on - They wanted packaging that would brighten your day. And they got it. 
This is the most artful tea I've consumed – and I must say it's been the most artfully presented as well.
Now, that being said, I think that most people would not find this an everyday tea. This is the sort of beverage that one might drink when entertaining company, or when celebrating something, or perhaps to give as a gift. Each bloom retails for about $3 a piece, and for the commuter teacup pictured here, the cost is $12. Not a huge cost, but not something most people could afford everyday. It also may be a bit over-elegant for the everyday, unless you're like me, and live on elegance whenever possible.
FullBloomTea.com now has a special offer available, in which you can obtain a free sample for just the cost of shipping ($2.) The sample includes one tea bloom. You can find the link at the top of their home page.
Also, new to their website is a list of all locations that retail their teas. If you are fortunate enough to have one of these in your area, you can skirt the shipping charges on their products by purchasing them at a retail store.
If you're a radio person, you might soon be hearing an advertisement for this company come over the air. These will be valentine-related advertisements. Tea blooms, much like roses, can be used to incite wonderful feelings on a special occasion, and can be used to let someone know that you love them and are thinking about them. Since these blooms have flowers as an integral part of them, what more appropriate gift might one give for valentine's day? "A flower to warm them from the inside out."
Well, that's a wrap for this entry. That's it for the year, and I look forward to having you all read my entries next year as well. I wish you a happy and prosperous 2007, and bid you adieu.
-Relznuk
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