Huo Shan Huang Ya is a yellow tea that comes from Anhui province. Yellow tea is a class of tea that is similiar to a green tea, but processed in a different manner. The method of processing involves wilting, heating, covering in cloth to allow the tea to reabsorb its essential aromas and flavors, then […]
Ethical tea is important to us. Whenever we eat and drink, we are making a choice about the world we want to live in. Do we want to live in a world that is poisoned and relies on underpaying laborers on behalf of rich corporate interests? Or do we want to live in a world […]
The Holiday season is upon us in the west and we are moving into a time when we have friends and relatives visit and stay with us for conversation and celebration. In China it is common to offer guests when arriving a warm cup of supreme Jasmine tea. Jasmine tea is very refreshing and not […]
Some plants are ancient companions of humanity. They have become so connected with what it is to be a human, to think like a human, to experience like a human, and to be a vital human, that they are part of the human story itself. Of these plants there is one called tea. It so […]
Be smarter, drink tea. Modern life is incredibly stressful. The plant Camellia Sinenses, tea, is an extraordinary ally for humans in journeying through modern life. The health benefits of tea in dealing with many of the illnesses that plague our health are quite extensive. There is research on how it prevents and helps fight cancer […]
How to judge tea If you have discovered the marvelous drink known as tea, you have joined a great tradition thousands of years old. Drinking tea is like stepping into a great ocean. The tea world is vast. It is a challenge to know how to explore tea well. It is also a challenge to […]
Iced Tea Iced Tea is perhaps a perennial all American drink. Yet, it is these dog days of summer, when fireworks grace the skies and fireflies flutter the fields eve that most reminisce of Iced Tea. The origin of this sacred Americana is shrouded in myth, but here I shall retell the tale. The Setting […]
Old Trees Old tree black tea is a black tea that comes from, wait for it, old trees. You might be wondering what is special about that. Old trees are no longer cultivated. They may have been cultivated a long time ago, but they are now growing without the aid of man. These trees are […]
Zen A cup of tea. Meditative absorption. Becoming a cultured human being. Zen comes from the word 禪 (dʑjen), which is a Chinese version of the word Dhyana. The English can be wrestled with, over tea, but rather than be boring let’s call it “meditative absorption free of subject and object.” You know, being in […]
Tea, the plant, camellia sinensis, is a small flowering shrub that is perhaps the most diverse single plant leaf in the world. You can prepare tea in so many refreshing ways because of its diversity. The preparation methods of the leaf before tea touches the water which will grace your lips results in the different […]