Tea Sage Hut

It's so hard to believe it's been a year since I was at Tea Sage Hut in Miaoli, Taiwan.  I think it's taken a year for me to unpack my experiences from the Taiwan trip (and I'm not done!).  The official tea tour with Floating Leaves had come to a close.  After saying our goodbyes, two tea-loving friends and I made our way by train to the Tea Sage Hut.

Miaoli is located in the area of Taiwan that grows my beloved Bai Hao oolong (Oriental Beauty).  That tea was the first to open my mind to the exquisite nuances accessible in tea.  I was excited to be here!  My friend L had been living at the center as a student for several months.  I remember hugging her for a really long time when she and the other center residents came out to greet us.  When a friend lives far away, there is a special joy in reunion. 

Once we had been settled, we were  invited to a tea session in the gorgeous space above. We drank many rounds of raw (sheng) pu-erh.  This tea was from Laos.  It was organic, and from the same forest as Yunnan (humans making the dividing lines, not nature).

Tea Sage Hut offers tea and meditation instruction/experience, lodging, wonderful vegetarian meals, trips to nearby cities, and bowls and bowls of tea.  One of my favorite things about my time there was the tea sessions held in silent contemplation.  

Staying at the center is free. There are dorm-style sleeping quarters and meals are made communally.  You are welcome to make a donation, with the idea of paying for future travelers, as others have already paid for you.  

My experience of life at the center:  The day starts with a meditation session about 7 am.  Next, there is a healthy breakfast (we had oatmeal with  cacao nibs and pumpkin seeds, and fruit).  After that, there is often a tea session (this can last a good hour or two or more!).  Daily tasks are attended to until the lunch time.  Lunch is the largest meal of the day and is made with much festivity.  After lunch, perhaps another tea session and other business.  About 4 pm, the permanent residents head out to the English language school where they work.  Dinner is light and there are often evening meditation and tea sessions.  Sometimes, people take day trips to nearby towns or tea farms.  We visited San Yi.

Around Miaoli

Drinking tea mindfully is an experience offered in abundance at the Tea Sage Hut.  It's something I value tremendously. While there, I had the opportunity to encounter a place of my own tenderness.  During one tea session, tears streamed down my face.  It was OK. I had friends to give me hugs.  It was a gift to learn more about myself.

I Can't Get Enough of Tea Photos...

A year later and I'm still sorting through Taiwan Tea Tour photos.  

This one, from Pinglin Taiwan, just showed itself.  My hand and such beautiful leaf.

Meatless Monday: Salad Bar and Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

My version of a salad bar

I invited some friends over for lunch recently and we had a "salad bar."  It was fun, colorful and delicious.  I provided the green salad and toppings and my friends brought other side dishes.  The greens (red leaf lettuce; collard greens; brocolli leaves, a special kind for the greenery and sprouts; parsley), chives and radishes all came from the DH's garden.

Chive blossoms

We finished up with rhubarb upside down cake, also courtesy of the DH.  Oh, yummy!  By the way, everything shown here is vegan.

Rhubarb upside down cake

More on Bowl-Style Brewing

Preparing to brew bowl style

Sometimes things just come together. I had been thinking about my time in Taiwan and experiences with bowl-style brewing (also sometimes called "Grandpa" style, at least in the US). Shiuwen of Floating Leaves had recommended bowl-style for the  Hong Shui (red water) tea  I had been drinking. Then I received some tea from Global Tea Hut that also recommended bowl-style brewing!

Today I had the opportunity to share tea with friends and tried out this style of brewing again.  It's fun and straight-forward.  However, I learned an important lesson.  Use LESS tea than you would if brewing gong fu style.  I overdid it on our second tea and we had quite robust brews.

Some tips for brewing this style:
* Prewarm the bowls by pouring in hot water and then pouring off.
* Have a waste water bowl (any large bowl will do) nearby for the pouring off.
* Use less tea than you think you might need!  A trial run in the bowls you plan to use will help with this!  I got it half right.  I had done a trial, but in different bowls.  I had the proportions way off.
* Engage all your senses.  This type of brewing is very intimate with the tea.

Here's more on this topic from those who know far more than I:
Floating Leaves (blog)
A Tea Addict's Journal (blog)
Global Tea Hut (video; Please note that the brewer, Wu De, has brewed thousands of bowls of tea.  Use this as a general guide and don't compare yourself.)
"Big Bowl Tea" pictures and a bit of history (news article)

Let me know if you give this style of brewing a try.  I'd love to hear about it!

Hong Shui (Red Water) Tea, Bowl Style

I recently re-opened some tea that had been resting for several months. I brought it back from Taiwan about a year ago.  It's called Hong Shui (Red Water).  This tea is highly oxidized with a bit of a roast (to increase the shelf life). I think it's yummy!  Shiuwen, of Floating Leaves Tea suggested that I try brewing it "bowl style".  Good timing, as this brewing style had been on my mind.

"Bowl Style" is very  simple.  Choose a bowl (a rice bowl works great) that you can drink from directly, but isn't giant.  Add leaves in the bottom, pour hot water, let steep for a bit and enjoy.  Repeat.  Above, I'm using a summer-style Japanese tea bowl.  It doesn't have to be a special tea bowl.  Find something you have that works.

This Red Water tea is rolled into a ball during processing.  The leaves open as they steep.  It's fun to watch, and this brewing style allows for a great view.  Above, first steeping after a minute.  The leaf is still fairly tight.

 Second steeping, just after pouring hot water. Notice how much the leaf has opened.

One of the things I love about this brewing style is the intimacy with the leaf.  It literally engaged all my senses.  Visually, I get the best view of what's happening during the steeping process. When I drink the tea, my nose is deep in the bowl and the aroma envelopes me.  The taste of the tea changes from steeping to steeping, and I even got to chew on a few leaves as they slipped into my mouth in the early steeping.  (Once opened fully, they stick together in the bottom of the bowl.)  That counts for touch as does playing with the leaf to unfurl it fully. You can't see it very well, but in the last photo, I'm showing some unrolled leaf.  And finally, most surprising was the connection to sound.  It was magical!  After the leaf unfurled, when I would tip the bowl up to sip, I heard this little gurgling sound, like the movement of a gentle spring, as the water navigated the leaf terrain and made it to my mouth.  I loved it!

Our Collaborative Poem

Tea from Pinglin, Taiwan

Here is our Collaborative Poem.  Any suggestions for a title?  This is comprised of the first lines of the poems you submitted on "Poem in Your Pocket Day."  Thank you!  I made a few grammar changes and added a few transition words, but that's it.  Enjoy!

I thought that I would never see a poem as lovely as a tree
But then once upon a cool path I did tread... the ferns, they spoke to me
The lotus flower opened and closed every day in a ritual of renewal

The grip that swung the ax in Illinois
Was on the pen that set a people free
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom

We, who with songs beguile your pilgrimage and swear that beauty lives though lilies die
Will not play at tug o' war but rather play at hug o' war
We give up sighing for what might have been; Yesterday's gone, never more to be seen

We had a kettle: we let it leak
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not
The moon's the North Wind's Cookie, he bites it day by day

But anything can happen, child, anything can be
If you think that you'll find true understanding
There is this tea I have sometimes

Grow old along with me
And the only way is
To drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves

Giveaway Winner....

Tea farm in the midst of the hills in Pinglin, Taiwan

Congratulations to Amanda who has won the giveaway!!

I will post our collaborative poem tomorrow. 

Happy May Day!  Today I am joyfully remembering that a year ago, I was en route to Taiwan!  Read about the Taiwan Tea Tour here.

Tea Party with Grandpa

 

Haiku for Grandpa

 

Grandpa comes to tea

Tho he'd rather be fishing

With you by his side

 

 

Check out the missing front two teeth - she's so proud!

 

Poem in Your Pocket Day (and Giveaway!)

Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day!  Here's my poem that I will carry with me today and share:

I slept and dreamed that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life was service.

I acted, and behold, service was joy.

-          Rabindranath Tagore

To enter the GIVEAWAY drawing, please enter in the comments the first line/s of a poem or quote that is special to you!  (I will make another poem with these.)

The winner will be announced next Thursday, May 1st.  The prize includes tea (of course!), something to nibble, an original poem and a surprise!  Good luck!

Get Ready! And A Prayer in Spring by R. Frost

Tomorrow is Poem in Your Pocket Day!  I hope you'll play along!  I'll be ready.  I'm also hosting a GIVEAWAY!

A Prayer in Spring by Robert Frost

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends it will,

But which it only needs that we fulfill.

Come back tomorrow to enter yourself in a GIVEAWAY drawing!

Wisteria by Lady Ise

My neighbor's wisteria, seen out my back windows this morning.  Thank you Kind Neighbor!

We benefit from the Japanese concept of "borrowed views."

Wisteria by Lady Ise

 

Of wisteria blooms

I caught sight, today, and ever since

As violet

Of the deepest hue, my passion,

Grows ever more profound!

Ise (875 - 938), was a female Japanese poet in the waka style.  

And for the oolong tea lovers reading, see a picture here inside of the famous Wistaria tea house in Taiwan (yes, spelled differently).

Thread of Pearls by Lady Ise

Hanging from the branches

of a green willow tree,

the spring rain

is a

thread of pearls.

In Tea by Tim Maxwell

The spring tea harvest in Alishan, Taiwan
May 2013

In Tea...

I have glanced into tea leaves,
and found a forest.

Tea is all in a moment,
and a way of life.

It is recollection,
and attention to Nature.

A murmur of the breeze through the trees of Autumn,
and the warm of the hearth.

Silent mornings at home,
when rain streaks the windows' panes.

If you analyze tea, you'll find chemical components,
but not a hint of Life.

Analysis is achieved through concentration,
Synthesis arrives through relaxation.

Tea relaxes the stomach,
but it revitalizes the Heart.

~Tim Maxwell

Enough Time

Wherever you are drinking your tea

Whether at work,

in a cafe,

or at home, 

it is wonderful to allow

enough time to appreciate it.

~Thich Nat Hahn

I take this writing to heart.  Over the past few years, I find that I don't drink tea much at work anymore.  The reason is that I don't have time to be with the tea.  The flavor and subtleties are lost on me as I focus on the screen and my tasks.  Instead, I drink an herbal brew and reserve my special teas for when I have the space to appreciate them.  Oh, if I really need a caffeine pick-me-up, I may pull out something.  And I have a few nice teas for the rare times when I'm chatting uninterrupted with a colleague or taking a quiet break.  But mostly, I wait to drink tea when it can have more of my attention.  

Has your tea drinking changed over time?  How so? 

Halfway Down, AA Milne

Stairway in Alishan, Taiwan

Halfway Down by A.A. Milne

Halfway down the stairs
is a stair
where i sit.
there isn't any
other stair
quite like
it.
i'm not at the bottom,
i'm not at the top;
so this is the stair
where
I always
stop.

Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up
And it isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head.
It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!

Sylvia Plath: Tulips

Listen to Sylvia Plath read her poem, Tulips

(Scroll down about half way at the link above to find the audio controls)

This is a poem that reminds me to be gentle with people, not to assume that I know what is under the surface.

Tulips by Sylvia Plath

The tulips are too excitable, it is winter here.
Look how white everything is, how quiet, how snowed-in.
I am learning peacefulness, lying by myself quietly
As the light lies on these white walls, this bed, these hands.
I am nobody; I have nothing to do with explosions.
I have given my name and my day-clothes up to the nurses
And my history to the anesthetist and my body to surgeons.

They have propped my head between the pillow and the sheet-cuff
Like an eye between two white lids that will not shut.
Stupid pupil, it has to take everything in.
The nurses pass and pass, they are no trouble,
They pass the way gulls pass inland in their white caps,
Doing things with their hands, one just the same as another,
So it is impossible to tell how many there are.

My body is a pebble to them, they tend it as water
Tends to the pebbles it must run over, smoothing them gently.
They bring me numbness in their bright needles, they bring me sleep.
Now I have lost myself I am sick of baggage —
My patent leather overnight case like a black pillbox,
My husband and child smiling out of the family photo;
Their smiles catch onto my skin, little smiling hooks.

I have let things slip, a thirty-year-old cargo boat
stubbornly hanging on to my name and address.
They have swabbed me clear of my loving associations.
Scared and bare on the green plastic-pillowed trolley
I watched my teaset, my bureaus of linen, my books
Sink out of sight, and the water went over my head.
I am a nun now, I have never been so pure.

I didn’t want any flowers, I only wanted
To lie with my hands turned up and be utterly empty.
How free it is, you have no idea how free —
The peacefulness is so big it dazes you,
And it asks nothing, a name tag, a few trinkets.
It is what the dead close on, finally; I imagine them
Shutting their mouths on it, like a Communion tablet.

The tulips are too red in the first place, they hurt me.
Even through the gift paper I could hear them breathe
Lightly, through their white swaddlings, like an awful baby.
Their redness talks to my wound, it corresponds.
They are subtle : they seem to float, though they weigh me down,
Upsetting me with their sudden tongues and their color,
A dozen red lead sinkers round my neck.

Nobody watched me before, now I am watched.
The tulips turn to me, and the window behind me
Where once a day the light slowly widens and slowly thins,
And I see myself, flat, ridiculous, a cut-paper shadow
Between the eye of the sun and the eyes of the tulips,
And I have no face, I have wanted to efface myself.
The vivid tulips eat my oxygen.

Before they came the air was calm enough,
Coming and going, breath by breath, without any fuss.
Then the tulips filled it up like a loud noise.
Now the air snags and eddies round them the way a river
Snags and eddies round a sunken rust-red engine.
They concentrate my attention, that was happy
Playing and resting without committing itself.

The walls, also, seem to be warming themselves.
The tulips should be behind bars like dangerous animals;
They are opening like the mouth of some great African cat,
And I am aware of my heart: it opens and closes
Its bowl of red blooms out of sheer love of me.
The water I taste is warm and salt, like the sea,
And comes from a country far away as health.

Song of the Flower

Camellia leaves, downed by the rain, on the verdant green grass

Song of the Flower XXIII by Khalil Gibran

I am a kind word uttered and repeated
By the voice of Nature;
I am a star fallen from the
Blue tent upon the green carpet.
I am the daughter of the elements
With whom Winter conceived;
To whom Spring gave birth; I was
Reared in the lap of Summer and I
Slept in the bed of Autumn.


At dawn I unite with the breeze
To announce the coming of light;
At eventide I join the birds
In bidding the light farewell.


The plains are decorated with
My beautiful colors, and the air
Is scented with my fragrance.


As I embrace Slumber the eyes of
Night watch over me, and as I
Awaken I stare at the sun, which is
The only eye of the day.


I drink dew for wine, and hearken to
The voices of the birds, and dance
To the rhythmic swaying of the grass.


I am the lover's gift; I am the wedding wreath;
I am the memory of a moment of happiness;
I am the last gift of the living to the dead;
I am a part of joy and a part of sorrow.


But I look up high to see only the light,
And never look down to see my shadow.
This is wisdom which man must learn.

The Stronger Pull

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love."

~Rumi, 1207-1273

I could have cleaned the office, folded the laundry or washed the dishes.  Instead, I made tea.  A far-away but near-in-heart  friend had sent some Fenghuang Shuixian.  I wanted time to taste this tea, sit alone with it and write a long letter to this friend. 

Delicious tea made exquisite by the moment.

Though I drank alone, I poured two cups: One for me and one for my friend.  I love that tea can connect us at the heart level when we open to it.

PS - Happy National Poetry Month!  Each post this month will include a poem.

Hello, Red! And After the Party

I've been adding red (in various shades including red-orange and red-pink) to the home color palette.  These red chairs and plates are the most recent celebrations of color. And it just so happened that a friend was stopping by.  A perfect reason to use the new stuff!

We had enjoyed lunch at a nearby restaurant and came home with baklava. I made tea.  I had this lovely golden saffron sugar (a Persian treat, used to sweeten tea) and noghl (almond slivers covered in rose sugar).  The sweets came with love from a friend's parents in Iran.  This tea time became an unplanned Persian celebration.  Serendipitous timing as we neared Persian New Year. Welcome Spring! 

Can you spot the barely domesticated creature below?  That's my DH - dear hubby.

The photo below is my favorite image of this post, as it captures the peace that comes after hosting a friend for tea.  That moment, that glow, that quiet lingering of sweetness before the dishes are done and life's routines resumed.



Teapot (Head) Under Here

I think he's found his look!

That's my good friend D. I think the look suits him to a "tea"!  I love that he wore this and owned it, and not for a few seconds, either.  For a good long while!  

The tea cosy itself is a project that's been half finished for over a year.  I'm so glad that I can add it to the "done" list.  Every time I look at it, I smile.  I love the whimsy.  The idea came from Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol.  It's linen fabric with a vibrant turquoise flannel lining inside.  I sandwiched thermal batting in the middle.  The bias tape binding on the bottom was made by sewing goddess CO Tea Lover. I really love how the tea cosy turned out, and especially how it's worn!

Billy Connolly — "Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cozy, doesn't try it on."

Two Fun Tea Sandwiches

Beet-Gorgonzola-Walnut tea sandwich

While this pretty-in-pink sandwich above might look to be on the sweet side, it definitely falls within the savory category.  Its pink color comes from beets, blended with Gorgonzola, walnuts, cream cheese and garlic.  It's an Elmwood Inn recipe found here, the top one only. I have a friend who cannot eat walnuts and so I used 2 Tbsp of tahini instead and that worked well.

Egg salad in flower cups

Before going into the oven.  On the next batch, I rolled the bread out to be even thinner.

I got the idea for the flower cups from a book that Angela had recommended.  I modified the recipe to have less bread bulk.  You will need a rolling pin and a mini-muffin tin.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*  Take a slice of bread and flatten it with a rolling pin.  

* Using an ~2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out three circles.  (You will use only two of them for one flower cup.)

* Using a pastry brush, generously coat both sides and the edges of the rounds with oil.  

* Take one round and press it firmly into the bottom and up the side of a mini-muffin tin.

* Take the second round and cut it in half.  Arrange each half in the muffin tin to make the second and third petals.  Press these firmly into the other pieces of bread.  This firm press is very important!  That's what holds it all together. 

* Toast until the tops of the petals are golden brown.

* Let cool in the muffin tins.  Store in muffin tins until it's time to use.  This ensures the flower cups won't fall apart prematurely.

* Stuff and garnish, serve and enjoy!

Grandma's China

I recently had the joyful experience of hosting a friend for tea, to celebrate Spring, Persian New Year, and March Birthdays.  I pulled out the china set that came from my Grandma T.  I know that she would have loved to join us. 

My grandmother was a very skilled yard sale shopper.  In fact, I believe that's where this china set came from.  A few years ago, I picked up this teapot at a consignment shop.  While not the same pattern as the other china, it blends beautifully.  It's a nice size (6-8 cups) and it pours well.  I can see Grandma T smile at my finding this treasure (for not much money).  She wasn't a financially wealthy woman and she had many hardships in her life.  Yet her life was rich with the things important to her.  I remember her playfulness; her laugh; her funny sayings; her biscuits, dumplings and fried chicken; her sewing; her creativity; her resourcefulness; her walks; her sweet tooth and her love and dedication to family. 

I didn't start out to make this post about my grandmother.  But there you  have it.  Sometimes we write what's in our hearts. 

Treacle Scones

Treacle scones

Ah, a slow Saturday morning!  The DH is out already and I slept in, then arose to nothing hurried.  I turned on Weekend Edition on NPR and made treacle scones.  Why do I make these only in March each year?  They are so delicious, I need to make them a regular treat.

For those of you thinking of St. Patrick's Day teas, here are a few additional ideas:

• Guinness soda bread scones
• Irish-themed tea party
• And another St. Pat's tea party
• Matcha brownies (gorgeous green and brown)
• Matcha jelly role (bright green!)

Do you have any fun St. Patrick's Day plans?  I'll be working, but plan to enjoy these treacle scones until then!

Robin's Egg Blue: Japanese Tea Sweet

I've been having so much fun playing with Japanese tea sweets!  This is one of my favorites.  It's made from a center of red bean paste, surrounded by white bean paste for the nest.  The little blue eggs are white bean paste that I colored.  (The bean pastes are sweetened.)

The naming of sweets is an important part of the process, as the guests may want to know the story of the sweet.  I'm learning what makes a good sweets name.  Generally, it should be something suggestive of the season, and poetic.  Do you have ideas for a name for this sweet?     

Matcha Brownies

OK, these were really, Really, REALLY good!  And easy.  And green.  :-)

Take your regular brownie recipe.  Pour the batter into the pan.  Spoon the filling (recipe below) in dollops across the top and blend with a knife for the swirl effect.  Bake as normal - it may need a wee bit longer.  I also keep them refrigerated, due to the cream cheese.

Matcha Filling:
*4 oz cream cheese
*1 egg
*2+ teaspoons of matcha, depending on how green you want it
*2 tsp sugar

Blend in mixer until smooth.

By the way, use food grade matcha for this.  Matcha can be expensive and you want to save the more expensive tea grade for drinking.  The less expensive food grade is perfectly fine for cooking. 

Frustration or Compassion? In Tea and Life

When I brew tea poorly, my first response is frustration with myself.  "I've wasted this pot of tea!  I've wasted my time!"  I scold myself.  I'm quick to frustration and slow on patience.  But I'm trying a new approach... I ask myself, "Frustration or Compassion?"  

When I approach my poor brewing (a metaphor for life) in a compassionate way, I have permission to go a little deeper and explore slowly.  I'll ask myself why I was in a hurry, not paying attention, or lacking skills.  Do I need to make space for the tea and put aside distractions (be in the moment?)  Do I need to prioritize and focus on the other tasks and return to tea when I have the proper time for it?  Do I need more practice?  Is this a new tea, a new pot/bowl/gaiwan, a new brewing technique, etc.?

 

With compassionate thinking, I give myself gentleness.  Surely, if I can learn to do this with myself in my tea brewing, I can expand it to the rest of my life.  And from there, it's an extension to the world.

Bouchon (Vegas)

One more reason to convince you that there is more to Vegas than gambling... Bouchon.  A friend who travels frequently to Vegas for work emphasized that I must visit this French-style bistro. I'm glad I heeded her advice!  I sat here leisurely on a Wednesday morning for an hour and a half, enjoying the food, the view and the people around me.  The tea was in a bag, but the hot water came in a pretty pot and I enjoyed the simple white and blue china pattern.  (Tip:  Ask for an extra plate on which to put your teabag.)  

The food was excellent! I had a three cheese plate, served with toasted raisin bread and a fruit compote. (Look for it on the dessert menu.)  I also had a side of brioche and jam.   I didn't really need the brioche, but it was a treat.

In the summer, there is patio seating in the rose garden.  On this day, I was happy with my indoor seat and a view of the sunshine.

Bouchon is definitely worth a stop!  My friend (and now I) recommend breakfast.  The prices are reasonable and the restaurant is less busy at this time so you can sit and take it all in.