Drinking tea is pretty special, and when I say special, I mean it helps us reduce stress. Not only does tea have a little zip that puts a bounce in our step, it also has an amazing and magical component called L-Theanine. L-theanine is like a moment of zen for your brain. It's an amino acid found in tea leaves. What's cool about it is that it helps promote relaxation and reduce stress without causing drowsiness. It does this by promoting the production of alpha brain waves. It’s also known to enhance focus and attention, so it’s great for tasks that require concentration. Say goodbye to stress and hello to relaxation and improved focus. Congratulations! You’ve found your remedy.
However, moderation is key. Too much tea might have the opposite effect. If you are feeling over-caffeinated you might want to shift to an herbal tea, such as tulsi or mint. Personally, I recommend our mint tea with honey.
Keep in mind that the caffeine in tea has a much different effect than the caffeine in coffee or in an energy drink. It is the same substance, but its effects are different, especially as we age. We get a rush from coffee, but then the ride suddenly comes to a halt. I’ve heard it described as “falling off the edge of a cliff”. With tea, it’s more like a magic carpet ride. We get that important rush of energy, but in the end, the magic carpet that we were flying on, gently guides us back to earth, the way nature intended.
Tea is more than just a drink, it is a peaceful and zen ritual. Create a designated tea brewing area at your workstation, complete with a tea brew tray to keep all of your tea tools organized. Embrace the gong fu cha brew style, a meditative process reminiscent of the zen rock gardens. The sounds, the sights, and the smells can wash away stress, not just of the moment, but also accumulated stress over time.
Ancient poets have dedicated verses to tea, praising its effects on our state of mind. For centuries, people have marveled over how tea seems to have the ability to shift our perspective, allowing us to appreciate the deeper meaning of situations. Perhaps this shift helps us maintain perspective and ask ourselves, “Is this really worth getting upset about?” In the grand scheme of life, it is a reminder that life is short, drink good tea.
]]>When we make tea, we are doing more than making tea. We are relaxing. It is important to take time to relax. Confucius said, “We have two lives, and the second one begins when we realize we only have one.” This quote means that once we realize that life is short, we start to live with a greater sense of purpose and appreciation for each moment. I love this reminder to live more consciously and make the most of the time that we have.
The act of making tea is a meditative practice. Tea enhances self reflection. It helps us to observe our condition more clearly. This act of reflective observation is similar to meditation and has the power to encourage growth.
One of my teachers in Taiwan who was responsible for getting me into tea was an acupuncturist. He was very skilled. He healed many people and word spread. As a result, he became very busy. He had little time for anything outside of work. He confided in me that he only wanted excellent tea because if he was going to go to the trouble of making tea he didn’t have time for anything else. This is how the saying, “Life’s short, drink good tea.” came to be.
Here is an assignment. Choose two times per day to make tea. I recommend one time in the morning and one time after lunch. Allow for twenty to thirty minutes to make and drink the tea. Not only have you done something healthy for yourself, you have also completed a mindful activity. The benefits of a mindful activity such as making and enjoying tea are stress reduction, improved mental health, enhanced concentration, and better decision making. Enjoy!
]]>“The Book of Tea”, by Okakura Kakuzo starts, “Tea began as medicine and grew into a beverage. In China, in the eighth century, it entered the realm of poetry as one of the polite amusements.” In my mind, there is no better way to start a book about tea. Right in the beginning, the author acknowledges China’s very early involvement in tea and tea culture.
It’s not true that tea from Taiwan is better than tea from China. Comparisons like this are ridiculous and in no way help us better understand tea. One of the things that I am drawn to when I seek out tea is tea quality. Tea quality is difficult to understand and it is even more difficult to teach. When people ask me, “What is your favorite kind of tea?” My honest answer is that my favorite tea is good tea. The characteristics that are present in a high quality tea transcend tea type. For better or worse, I love tea. What I mean by this statement is that I can often find redeeming qualities in a tea that might not be that great. I still love it because there are some elements of quality in that tea.
Another one of my favorite quotes: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” When choosing which tea to buy, I often compare several teas side by side. But my favorite way to enjoy a tea is to spend time sipping it, on its own. I like to brew it when the mood strikes, or when the feeling of that tea comes to me. There doesn’t need to be a reason, other than the mood is right. This is the experience of enjoying tea in the moment.
I lived in Taiwan as a student for about one year in the late 90’s and then for five years from 2000 to 2005. It was at this time that I was exposed to tea. I’d unsuccessfully tried to like tea prior to that. I had read about tea and I had wanted to like tea. Unfortunately, with what was available at that time (mid 90’s) there wasn’t access to high quality tea. It was in Taiwan that I was exposed to high quality tea. Tea that smells good, tea that tastes good. Tea that makes you feel good through and through. Tea that seemed to have the power to lead me on a magical journey of the senses. Tea that captivated mind, body, and soul. I mean, that’s not too much to ask for of a tea, is it?
Since moving back to the states in 2005 and after starting J-TEA, I returned to Taiwan, year after year, sometimes several times a year, staying for close to a month per visit. The focus of these trips was tea education and tea sourcing. I continued to develop meaningful relationships with tea farmers, tea crafts people, and tea culture enthusiasts. Each time I returned to Taiwan, my love for Taiwanese tea grew. I already loved Taiwan tea, and after learning, discovering, and being exposed to more of it, I loved it even more. I also had a great appreciation for the people that helped me along the way. I still hope to do what I can to support them. They’ve become trusted sources whom I rely on.
Hopefully this account gives some perspective on why I focus on tea from Taiwan, but also seek out high quality tea from other regions, such as China, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, and more. Taiwan is where I was kissed by the dragon for the very first time. And so it is, with regard to tea, Taiwan caught my heart.
]]>SEE: What color is it?
Look at the tea leaves before they are brewed. Is the color of the leaves consistent or is there a high ratio or leaves that vary in color. We are looking for consistency here, but often there are a few that will have a lighter or darker color than the others. One or two off in a tablespoon isn’t so much of a big deal. What we are looking for is consistency.
Look at the tea soup after the leaves have steeped. Notice if the tea is clear and brilliant or cloudy and dull. A tea’s color is better judged by putting it against a white background. That is why we recommend white porcelain tea cups. Colors give the taster clues of the tea cultivar, processing style, and the degree of roast. Typically lighter oxidized teas are greener and more heavily oxidized teas are redder. Tea that has a light roast is more transparent, while teas that have a heavier roast are browner. Keep in mind that a roasted oolong is typically also oxidized so a roasted oolong will be both red and brown.
SHAKE: Give it air.
This step is if you want to make amazing iced tea. Brew the tea at triple to quadruple strength. Ice it at a one to one ratio, so for a cup (230ml) use 230g of ice. Once this ice is mostly melted, add another 230g of ice to a cocktail shaker and shake it like you are trying to break it. This airates the tea making it very lively and giving it a creamy texture that is both frosty and frothy.
SNIFF: What do you smell?
When evaluating the smell of high quality tea, we smell the scent that the tea leaves behind rather than smelling the actual tea soup. This can be done by dipping a porcelain spoon into the soup, or using a tall cylindrical cup known as an aroma cup. After dipping the spoon in the tea, smell the aroma. Is it floral? Is it fruity? How long does the aroma last before it fades away?
You can also smell the aroma left behind after finishing the tea from your cup.
SIP/SLURP: What do you taste?
Slurping the tea lets you both taste the tea when it is hot, but it also airates the tea and lets it reach deeper into your palate. It is here that the complex taste experience and characteristics of tea actually happen. Look for sweetness, fruitiness, umami, acidity, bitterness, and unique flavors. What is your overall impression? Does any component overpower the others or is the tea balanced?
And finally,
SAVOR: Does the taste linger?
The finish is the sensation you get after swallowing the tea and it can be different that the taste you get on your palate. What you want to look for is the length of time the tea taste stays with you. This length of time is called the finish and some teas can linger for as long as a few minutes. What are the sensations? Does it feel cool? Is there a sweet aftertaste? Is it smooth? How does it change? Does it transform your palate?
Now that you’ve learned the 5 S’s of tea tasting, why not throw a tea party and share your new knowledge with a friend!
]]>To start, we will talk about the main ingredient: Ginger. At least when I make this, I think of ginger as the main ingredient, and it certainly contributes the majority of the flavor. In Taiwan, people told me that you want to use old ginger when you make this. Old ginger is just ginger that was allowed to grow longer in the ground. It is more woody in texture than younger ginger and it is spicier. I have trouble finding old ginger in the local supermarket, so I usually just use normal ginger. But now that I know what old ginger is, I am seriously considering growing a patch starting in the spring.
The amount of ginger you use can vary depending on how spicy you want it. I usually just eye it, but I’m estimating I use a chunk about two thirds the size of my thumb. I slice the ginger or chop it or smash it with the side of a cleaver. I then add to a pot with about 48 oz of water. I boil it down until it’s reduced to 12 oz plus or minus.
At this point I get about 5g of high mountain oolong. I usually go for the greenish stuff. Something like Ah Li Shan. I’m usually drinking this at night, so I don’t want to go too crazy with the tea. After the ginger has cooked down for something like thirty minutes and I have about 12 oz of strong ginger tea, I turn off the heat and throw in the tea leaves. I let this steep for five minutes. Then I strain it and sip it. That is usually how I do it. These two plants combined are enough for me. The ginger has a heating effect and the high mountain oolong has a cooling effect. And the two together create a balanced effect that does wonders for health.
Adding a little black sugar is a bonus. Black sugar is considered healthier than refined sugar and black sugar is basically sugar that didn’t have the molasses removed. It is said to have many minerals such as calcium, potassium, and iron. I like the Wholesome brand dark brown sugar and then there is dark muscovado. There is also Okinawa black sugar.
This drink is pretty dang spicy and some people just cannot tolerate it. I love it, but it does burn. It makes me feel great and does wonders for my digestion. I said that there were two variations and one is with the sugar, as I mentioned. The other is to add a splash of bourbon. In times of prohibition, bourbon was considered a cure all. You had do get a prescription, and interestingly enough, the doctors of Kentucky issued more prescriptions than there were residents of Kentucky. Go figure. Happy sipping!
]]>Gong Fu brew method
Gong Fu brew with a small clay pot or porcelain cup with a lid (gai wan). I like this method because it is a higher level of interaction with the tea, and teaware and it fully brings out the teas characteristics.
The main difference between gong fu brewing and western brew methods is going to be how much leaf you use vs how much water you are using. For tightly rolled oolong in a yi xing pot, I recommend starting with the small pot (roughly 120 - 180ml).
I had one tea teacher tell me that cupping tea is like doing your homework. You have to know what 5g of tea is, you have to know how long three minutes is, and you have to know the temperature of the water when the kettle is at varying degrees of boil. The way you get to intuitively know these things is by repeating over and over the brew process in this cupping format. Now let’s go over the cupping format. I have brought three different teas, so we will be doing a vertical tea tasting. I will pass around samples so we can look at what exactly 5g of tea looks like and as you can see, 5g of cooked puer looks a lot different in volume than a tightly rolled oolong, or a twisted leaf oolong for that matter. So these teas are processed differently resulting in different types of tea. The first one is a tightly rolled oolong from Taiwan. It is the Li Shan Winter Glow. I really like this tea for a few reasons and one of the reasons we will be examining after brewing is the radiant color green that this leaf produces. Now evaluation of the tea color is important, but it is given less importance than flavor, aroma, and mouth feel. These elements all combine, but we can do our best to evaluate them separately. Aroma… This is the most alluring as it can reach across the room. How do we evaluate the Aroma? I am so glad you asked. With orthodox tea… Tea that is made from the tea leaf and that is not scented or flavored we do this not by smelling the actual tea soup, but the residue that it leaves behind. Often this is done with a porcelain tool such as a spoon. The aroma of the tea sticks to the porcelain long enough to do this. While holding the spoon close to our nose, we inhale deeply. One of my favorite explanations of this process that I’ve heard (either using a spoon or an aroma cup) is the one on which we are transported to the very fields where the tea was grown. This works if we are in a shop of a crowded city of Taiwan, or all the way over here in North America. Smelling the tea takes us to the pristine natural environment of the tea field so that we are amongst mountains shrouded in mist. This alone is worth the price of admission and not just to this talk, but as a means of relieving stress of everyday life through the practice of brewing tea.
Let us turn our attention for a moment to the tea evaluation sheets. This grid format helps me immensely as I am creating the flavor notes for any particular tea and especially when cupping teas side by side. The sheet with examples of words that we can use was mostly borrowed from various flavor wheels, such as wine tasting flavor wheels or dare I say coffee flavor wheels. What is most exciting to me about this process is that this is a skill that we can improve at over time. Admittedly I am not the best in the world at putting a name to the crescendo of flavors or aromas that can occur after a series of sips. But I have sat with some of the best as they have done so. I have paid chefs and learned from them while tasting teas. One thing I have learned is that words matter. Especially when the goal is to sell tea. I try not to overthink it. I just go as quickly as possible to the best possible familiar association. Armed with this knowledge that we are going to be expected to name certain flavors associated with a wide array of tea, as we go through life, we can do our best to try new things, and to catalog the flavor experience. For example, next time you have a chance, compare the difference in aroma of a fresh flower with a dried flower of the same kind. You will see that they are very different. So keep in mind that this is a skill that we can improve over time, no matter how good or bad you are at it currently.
]]>A lot of times when we are talking about a Li Shan high mountain oolong the preferred method of brewing is gong fu brewing. What do we mean when we say preferred? There are a number of characteristics present in an yixing style pot that exalt its tea making ability. The clay body, the content of this clay and how it is structured and put together is what allows us tea brewers to really get the temperatures up. The clay contains iron, and some of the clays more iron, so I would use the metaphor of cooking in a cast iron skillet or that old seasoned pot. Seasoning is part of the appeal with these pots, but it is also the iron and the high temps that draw me in. We can always reach a lower temperature to brew with… but the clay allows us to reach a higher one. The porous nature of the clay makes it preferred over metal in case you were wondering why not use a metal pot. Throughout our personal history of tea, the consumer has been shaped by the market and vice versa. In one case, a company, well known, that I will not mention, promoted and sold these enamel coated cast iron kettles for decades. To this day, I still am asked about these kettles to be used as brew pots. I’m not a fan, after pulling one out of a commercial dishwasher in New York, lifting it to give it a sniff and surprised by the aroma of cigarette butts. Don’t put your clay yixing pots in the dishwasher!
“Do your friends in America know how to use these kind of pots?” “No…”
“What a shame…” And there you have it friends… What a shame!
But certainly not every tea occasion is an occasion for yixing clay teapots. And porcelain certainly is nice! So here we are at the cupping vessel. Jian Ding Bei. This device is very convenient when setting a set of standard parameters by which to brew tea…everything is uniform as long as everything is done the same.
]]>Depending on how we do it tea cupping is also a method of extracting a slightly intense flavor profile of the tea, with the purpose of pushing the tea a tad, so that the tea feels comfortable confiding in us and revealing some of its flaws. We hold it close and it whispers its secrets to us.
Some examples of tea flaws (these are things that we don’t like about the tea):
There is a lot of dust in the bowl, the color of the tea soup is lackluster, the aroma is unpleasant, the flavor is off, the mouth feel is too acidic, too astringent, too tannic.
A tea with a flaw isn’t excluded. All teas have flaws, and on some of the best teas it is the elusive nature of such “flaws” that keeps us enraptured as if in a trance. A bit of tannins and astringency are good, because they provide the backbone for the flavor to set on, the mouthfeel it creates a visceral reaction, drawing us back for more.
Cupping is also a good step to take with a tea before brewing in the gong fu style for the first time. If you are not sure how a tea will perform while using the gong fu method, cupping first provides insight as to the nature of a tea and how it will respond with adjustments in leaf volume, temperature, and brew times.
]]>