Ilha Formosa, Taiwan

Dear Blog Readers, I can keep this quiet no longer!  On Thursday this week, I'm boarding a plane to the tea mecca of Taiwan! This island country, south of Japan and east of China, produces some of the world's best oolong teas.  For an oolong lover like me, this trip is very special. 

You've probably heard of "Formosa" oolong.  Formosa is a former name of Taiwan, so named by the Dutch when they first laid eyes on the mountainous and forested heaven.  Ilha Formosa means beautiful island.

We will be visiting tea farms and meeting tea makers in several regions. In addition to tea, we'll be eating yummy food.  Taiwan is quite well known for its cuisine, influenced by native customs, China, Japan and others. 

Map of teas grown in Taiwan, from Wikipedia

Thanks to my sweet DH (dear hubby) for encouraging me to go. He'll be keeping the house and garden while I'm drinking my weight in tea. Thanks to Shiuwen of Floating Leaves for organizing this tour! I feel very fortunate to be able to visit tea farms and see Taiwan through her eyes. And thank you to my tour mates, a small group of us inquisitive travelers and tea lovers!

I will be blogging from Taiwan, and I hope you'll follow along!  I'll keep it streamlined with photos and a few thoughts, and save the detailed accounts for when I return. 

A List of Tea Times

A List of Tea Times
~Hsu Tzu Shu

In idle passing

When poetry fails to inspire

Thoughts confused

In time to a song

When the music is finished

A life in seclusion

Enjoying the scholarly life

Conversing late at night

Studying on a sunny day

In the bridal chamber

In honor of favoured guests

As host to scholars or pretty girls

Friends return from far away

In perfect weather

When skies are overcast

Watching boats sail by in the canal

Amidst trees and bamboo groves

When the flowers blossom and the birds sing

On hot days by the side of a lotus pond

Burning incense in the courtyard

After tipsy guests have retired

When the children are out

On visits to remote temples

Near a spring or scenic landscape

Excerpted from Scattered Leaves, A Book of Tea-inspired Poetry

Happy National Poetry Month!

Book Review: Sweet Tea Revenge

A cup of tea, a cookie, and a good book. What could be better?  I was so excited to be asked to review Laura Childs' new book, Sweet Tea Revenge.   Other tea bloggers have also had fun in reviewing this book. 

For me, it's total indulgence. I've read all the books in this series and they are perfect for a weekend getaway, right from the couch. Each story is similar in its progress, yet unique. Theodosia Browning owns a tea shop and has interesting staff and friends. She's got a reputation as an amateur sleuth and invariably finds herself solving a mystery. Throughout it all, she serves pots of tea and trays do delicious tea foods, many which have recipes in the back of the book. In this story, Theo helps solve the murder of her shop neighbor and friend Delaine's fiancé. A very good read to go with tea!

Have you read this one?

Salt snd Straw Tea Ice Cream

Lotus Seed Matcha Ice Cream

The DH and I checked out Salt and Straw this week. It's a locally famous ice creamery. Salt and Straw has partnered with another local celeb, Steven Smith Teamaker, to produce some tea based ice creams.  

The Salt and Straw menu is very creative in general (pear and blue cheese anyone?). I had the matcha ice cream in the photo. It was yummy and with a very interesting texture. I couldn't say the matcha flavor was at the forefront. The sweetness softens that strong flavor. That's probably good for most ice cream lovers. Me, turning into a serious matcha drinker, would have liked that flavor a little more prominent. Nonetheless, I enjoyed and would recommend it. 

My favorite flavor wasn't ice cream at all. It was the Brew Dr Kombucha Sorbet. Oh wow it was good. The Kombucha flavor really shined!  This is what I'll enjoy next time.   Check it out!

Portland friends - have you tried these?  

Kevin and Afternoon Tea at the Phoenix Biltmore

Please allow me to introduce you to Kevin.  He's the Tea Sommelier at the Phoenix, AZ Biltmore. I met Kevin recently when I took myself to tea for two precious hours while on a business trip.  It was a magical experience for me, mostly because Kevin made me feel so special.

He had a little help from grand Arizona Biltmore herself.  This stately building opened in 1929.  Architect Albert Chase McArthur, a Harvard graduate, had studied under Frank Lloyd Wright and the latter's influence is visible throughout.  More info here for you FLW lovers.

The "Jewel of the Desert" has played hostess to many a famous person.  For example, Irving Berlin wrote White Christmas while sitting by the pool.  ;-)

I arrived at the lobby at my appointed tea time.  I wanted a private, special tea to do some reflection on my life (I'd just hit a major milestone).  Kevin greeted me warmly, talked about how he also loved having tea alone, and then seated me in the best seat in the lobby.  Tears welled in my eyes, I was so touched.

Then Kevin walked me through the tea menu, helping me to select a tea that would pair well with the first course of savories and sandwiches.  I chose the white ginger pear tea to begin, and it worked beautifully with the food.

I had the opportunity to observe Kevin interact with the other guests and I was very impressed with how he gently guided them through the tea selections and experience of afternoon tea, providing tidbits of tea history, information on tea's growing and processing, and plenty of encouragement and smiles...all the while ensuring our teapots were hot and full and our courses served in a leisurely but yet timely manner.  He exemplified the professional server. 

Over the warm raisin rum scones, I shared with Kevin my love of tea and this blog.  It was then that we became friends.  I do hope to keep in touch and plan to visit every opportunity I have.  (More trips to AZ, please!)  I'm showing the jam and real clotted cream below because he suggested I try a generous serving of cream with lemon curd and a dollop of raspberry jam on the scone.  Delicious!

Desserts were amazing and plentiful!  At this point, Kevin suggested I switch to another tea and I tried the Chai.  By the way, teas were prepared as they should (in my opinion): Loose leaf, steeped to perfection and then the leaf removed, and hot. Tea Forte is the brand.

I want to say thank you to Kevin for making my afternoon tea experience one that I will never forget.  His thoughtfulness and enthusiasm for afternoon tea were true gifts and I was pampered from beginning to end.  In fact, when he discovered that it was my birthday, he left me with a gift...extra scones and a container of tea. This was a 5-star afternoon tea experience.

A few more Biltmore pictures...Sprites, originally designed for Frank Lloyd Wrght for Chicago's Midway Gardens.  They've had a perilous path to the West.  They were found in a farmer's field, restored and now grace the entrance to the hotel.

This gorgeous stained glass panel greets you as you walk inside.  Frank Lloyd Wright designed the panel and called it Saguaro Forms and Cactus Flowers.   Wright originally created this work as one of twelve covers commissioned by Liberty magazine in 1926-1927.  Unfortunately, the designs were rejected as too radical by the publisher.

Busy Week! Stop for the Flowers

It's been a busy, busy week at work for me!  I've worked hard to avoid letting the frenetic pace around me suck me in.  I want to stay centered.  One way I do that, and it's small but mighty, is to look at flowers.  Seriously - flower power to the rescue! 

I took flowers into the office and for a few seconds, mere seconds, twice a day I admired them and took deep breaths.  It helps.

Hanami (Flower Viewing)

Cherry petals floating in the breeze

Cherry blossoms floated in the air last weekend as we enjoyed hanami, the Japanese tradition of celebrating flower blossoms.  Friends gathered at the Japanese American Historical Plaza to admire the lovely avenue of cherry trees in full bloom.  A very special thank you to MK for coordinating the event!

Senpai (senior students) and Sensei (in the center), dressed in beautiful kimono

We enjoyed a picnic, tea sweets and bowls of matcha as the petals continued to shower down.  The day was heavenly - sunny and mid 70s, quite a special thing for March in Portland! (Now we're back to the rain, but we need it.)

Below, a tea sweet made by Margie-sensei.  She named it hana yuki, flower snow.  The sweet was made with sweetened bean paste and a pickled cherry blossom on top.

When cherry blossoms
scatter...
no regrets
~Issa

We had the opportunity to share bowls of tea with others who came out to admire the flowers.

A great day!

Yak Butter Tea

Tibetan nomadic woman making yak butter tea

We had traveled four hours through the plateaus and mountain passes in Tibet to arrive at Lake Namtso.  On our way home through wide open spaces, giant skies and yaks lounging across the road, we stopped at a random nomad tent to offer cross-continent greetings.  There is a custom of hospitality in Tibet, and we were assured to be offered the mysterious yak butter tea. 

Tibetan nomadic family's tent, made of woven yak hair

The nomadic life is closely tied with the yak.  The nomadic travelers use yak hair for tents, the yaks work the ground for seasonal farming, and the yak milk and meat are crucial protein and caloric sources.

We were welcomed inside the tent where a fire was going.  The weave of the yak hair allowed for the dispersion of the smoke. 

Grains of barley

Barley is another staple of the Tibetan nomad's diet, and barley flour is the main ingredient in tsampa, a paste or meal commonly made with yak butter and roasted barley flour.

I carefully observed our surroundings as our hostess made tea.  Set amidst the rustic home that blends into the landscape were things of value, color and beauty. 

Yak butter tea has many variations, but generally includes a hot and strong dark tea (often pu-erh), yak butter and salt.  Our hostess placed these ingredients into the churn (see image at top) and used it to emulsify the beverage.  (Given that water boils at a lower temperature at such elevations, the churning assists in the melting of the butter and the blending of the beverage.)  Along with the tea, we were served some cheeses (yak and perhaps sheep) and a handful of tsampa.  Our tsampa tasted a little sweet and so I think sugar was added to the barley flour and butter. 

The tea was brothy and salty.  It reminded me of a vegetable broth base.  I sipped my cup slowly and let the oily texture and flavors play in my mouth. 

Tsampa

Curiosity about one another ran in both directions.  ;-)  I saw very few people in the vicinity when we first arrived.  By the time for us to leave, the family had assembled.

I felt honored to be treated so kindly as a stranger.  I was nearly euphoric in this moment - the crisp mountain air and skies, the exchange of smiles and customs, the children behaving as children do, the colors and textures.  I still can hardly believe I had this amazing experience! 

Potala Palace

The Potala Palace in Tibet sits amidst dramatic skies

It felt a little (OK, a lot) surreal to be climbing the steps to the Potala Palace, the former home of the Dalai Lama and seat of government.  Today the building is a museum, an assembly space for the Buddhist monks and a World Heritage Site (along with one of the "new" Seven Wonders of the World).  The complex has over 1,000 rooms and rises 1,000 feet above the valley floor. 

Construction began on the Potala Palace (more commonly called "Peak Potala" by locals) in 1645, under the fifth Dalai Lama.  He died before construction was complete and his death was kept a secret for 10 years in order to ensure the project was finished.

Reflections of Potala Palace

An interesting tea connection...it's thought that the current structure is built upon the grounds of another palace, that of King Songtsen Gampo.  In 637, he had a special building constructed to greet his bride Princess Wencheng of China.  She is sometimes given credit for introducing tea (pu-erh) to Tibet, having brought it in her dowry.  This is most likely untrue.  Scholars believe tea had already made its way from China to Tibet via trade routes centuries earlier.  Moreover, our Tibetan tour guide very strongly believed that tea grows natively in Tibet.  Nonetheless, the presence of tea in the princesses dowry shows the value placed upon it at that time.  (The story reminds me of one that would repeat itself many years later, when Catherine de Braganza brought tea to England.)

That's me on the left in the striped hat

It was a long climb to the top.  The flight of stairs above is one of many we ascended.  Every 20 steps or so I would stop to catch my breath and take in the view.  Given the effects of the high altitude, the intense sunlight and the necessary physical exertion, we felt like champions when we reached the "summit".  We were invited into the "highest restroom in the world," which I will always remember because it makes me chuckle (though I don't think it's true).  Most of us didn't require the facilities as we were having to work hard to stay well hydrated.

One of my favorite photos

As you can see from the images at the top of this post, there are two parts to the complex, the red and the white.  The red portion is devoted to religious pursuits.  We saw beautiful murals, religious art, large gathering spaces and more of the dark narrow hallways I wrote about here.  We were not allowed to take photos inside, and I think that is a respectful policy.  The white portion was home to the Dalai Lama and administrative/governmental offices.  (Since 1959, he no longer lives in Tibet.)  We were allowed to visit only a portion of the complex.

In order to visit the Potala Palace, our tour guide secured tickets for us the day prior.  Only 1,600 visitors are allowed per day and we were given an exact time of entrance.  Once inside the building we had a time limit of one hour. 

Religious devotees

Across the street, Tibetan Buddhists perform various forms of religious practice.  These people are doing what I would call a movement meditation or prayer.  They stand, kneel, then lie prostrate on the ground, and repeat that over and over.  In a plaza nearby, others walked backwards slowly while reciting prayers or meditations.

Our world is so beautiful and rich with variety! 

These Amazing Faces (Tibetan Women)

Tibetan Women

I have been taken with these women ever since I first met them in Tibet.  Our encounter was brief, but memorable.  I was coming down the path from the Drepung monastery.  These women were waiting along the side, offering slices of fruit to passersby in hopes of a trade or a monetary gift I presume.  I stopped, a little shy to approach them.  Encouraged by our tour leader, I offered them some hard tea candies and they gave me an apple slice.  I watched as the woman on the left tried the candy and removed it from her mouth.  It was not to her taste, too sweet I imagine.  :-)

I know so little about these women.  Their faces fascinate me.  How old are they?  What is their daily life?  What do they eat?  What do they enjoy?  Do they think we look interesting in our unusual clothing and jewelry?  Do they want to study our faces? 

During her recent visit, my mom and I reviewed my photos from Tibet.  This one captured her, too.  She thought these women looked similar to Native Americans and that the jewelry looked like coral and turquoise.  I had similar observations while in Tibet.  It's fascinating how cultures so far apart share such similarities.

I will never see these women again, but I send them my gratitude for our shared moment.

Inside the Drepung Monastery, Tibet

Drepung Monastery, Tibet

Our group became subdued as we entered the dark halls of Drepung monastery.  Most of the people here, as you might expect, were Tibetan Buddhist monks and their followers who made offerings and prayers.  Some of the people were spiritual pilgrims who had come from very far away.  Perhaps it was the majestic scenery outdoors or the altered state I experienced inside the building, but I felt like a spiritual seeker rather than a tourist.

Inside, monks came to collect the excess offerings of yak oil and white scarfs.  They were polite, trading smiles with us.  I wonder if they were as curious about us as we were them.

We were allowed to take photos only in certain locations if we paid a fee.  Given the dark lighting, a few of these images are fuzzy, but they accurately capture my experience in the moment.  I was a little fuzzy, too.  The dark and quiet inside was illuminated primarily by large containers of burning yak oil.  Some of the spaces were open (like below), but much of the space felt like a maze with narrow, one-way-only hallways.  Combine the burning oil, the heavy aroma of incense and the many spiritual pilgrims in the narrow hallways and you have even less oxygen than 'normal', which was already lower due to the altitude.  I found myself dizzy-headed and mildly claustrophobic.  A couple of times, I had to put my head between my knees.  Yet I persevered!

One of the young, stylish pilgrims mentioned in my last post, making a yak oil offering

Yak oil lamp

We saw spaces for prayers and chanting, the Dalai Lama's study room, the kitchen with giant copper teapots for making tea for the monks, and various depictions and busts of important historical figures.

After wandering the dark halls, we exited to the intense sunlight and color, color, color!  The door pull below is one of my favorite photos.  I love the combinations of color, patterns and texture.

Door pull

Building post decorated with the colors of Tibet

Another favorite image, from a doorway

My next post, in a day or so, will be brief but stunning with some of the most amazing faces.