Patience is NOT my middle name. But it is the name of this cup. I procured it (from J-Tea International in Eugene, OR) nearly three years ago. I haven't used it until this week. The cup and I were patiently waiting for the right time and the right tea. I've dedicated the cup to shou pu-erh. The cup is a delight to hold. It's textural and the glaze makes a very interesting shiny pattern. Rocks are visible in the form, giving it a very earthy feeling.
Over the years, I've been working on the patience thing. While not my nature, it is something I'm trying to cultivate. Tea is a good teacher. Some teas are "patient" in that they do well when steeped multiple times. They open themselves, give more, blossom. Pu-erh teas and may oolongs tend to be very patient. These teas ask me, "How do you respond when you are repeatedly 'steeped'?" Do I get better with each trial?
Oh, tea, I am your student.
7 comments:
Oh what a lovely cup. How I would enjoy holding it in my hand. Yes, tea does teach us patience and not always an easy lesson.
I learned something new here. Patient tea - cool.
Your answer is, of course, most important. But mine is yes, Steph; you definitely do! :)
What a fresh way of looking at this topic! (You probably won't be surprised to hear that "Patience" is not exactly my middle name either!)
Beautiful!
Great cup from Eugene potter Jayme Allen. He uses Facebook for business: https://www.facebook.com/FirebugPottery?fref=ts
Hey, Josh - Thank you for supplying the name of the artist!
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