Wu Yi Shan yan cha

We are thrilled to be able to offer tea enthusiasts a distinguished grouping of 2009 Wu Yi Shan oolongs. It is not often that such a fine selection of these teas can be purchased from one well-sourced place in the West.

Those in the know will recognize these teas: they are the four most famous Wu Yi Shan teas ( which are known as Si Da Ming Cong ) and one lesser known but delicious selection as well. As is the custom in the Wu Yi Shan, the teas are named after their singular tea bush varietals:

• Da Hong Pao ( Royal Red Robe )
• Bai Ji Guan ( White Cockscomb )
• Tie Luo Han ( Iron Arhat )
• Shui Jin Gui ( Golden Water Turtle )
• Jun Zi Lan ( Lady Lily )

For lovers of Chinese oolongs, Wu Yi Shan oolongs hold a special place. Also known as cliff teas, rock oolongs or more specifically, yan cha,  these teas (as a family of oolongs within the oolong class ) are easily recognized by their appearance. Unlike semiball-rolled-style oolongs, the leaves of yan cha are not connected – they are plucked and processed individually, which yields long, thick, strip-style single leaves.

Yan cha are dark in appearance, and are at the extreme end of partial-oxidation: 70-80%. They are traditionally  given a light, medium or heavy  roasting over charcoal ember fires. Yan cha represent the best in traditional, old-style Chinese oolongs, and were the favorite of emperors and Chinese scholars.

The flavors of these teas, while filled with nuance and character, are strong, powerful and mouth-drenching, and not for the faint of heart. Prefer bourbon over gin ? Steak over chicken ? Espresso over latte ? Then Wu Yi Shan oolongs may be the tea you have been searching for.

These teas are perfect for drinking now, and have a good amount of cha-qi. Set some aside for aging and maturing and you will be richly rewarded later.

Click here for more information about these teas: http://www.teatrekker.com/wuyi_yan_oolong.htm

Chinese ‘12 Flowers of the Months’ Tea Cups – February/ Peach Blossoms

This is the painting on the front of the 2nd cup in my set of 12  Chinese Flowers of the Months tea cups.  The lovely painting depicts a gnarly yet elegant peach tree festooned with flower buds and open blossoms. 

The calligraphy on the back  reads something like: ‘the fragrance of small peach blossoms in spring’

 

For detailed information on the history of Chinese 12 Flowers of the Months tea cups, please read my post from January 1st, 2010.

The Politics of Bottled Green Tea

I recently discovered this hand-out titled The Politics of Bottled Green Tea . It was written by Korene Schmitz from the Sociology Department at St Cloud State University. I was thrilled to find this piece, and would like to make Tea Trekker readers and tea enthusiasts aware of what this author has to say.

Much has been discussed in the food world about the pros and cons of bottled, RDT ( ready-to-drink ) tea. Generally, most who understand the composition of foods, and more importantly, those who understand what tea is and isn’t, know that there is very little ‘tea’  in a bottle of RTD tea.  Beyond providing some simple liquid hydration, consumers who think that they are drinking a beverage that will give them the same benefits that they would obtain from drinking a cup of plain, natural tea are mistaken. 

Consider this quote from Schmitz’s piece: ” Often bottled teas have more additives and sweeteners than actual tea as an ingredient.”  The potential benefits from the presence of tea ( albeit a small presence ) in these drinks is called into question when sweeteners and additives are added.  The significance of this is echoed in the following sentence:  ’ these added ingredients have potential adverse side effects on a consumer’s health. ‘

Please read this document which is posted below. It raises important issues not just about tea but those surrounding larger consumer issues such as:

• the necessity for self-education regarding food awareness
• learning about positive choices we can make in our diets to maintain health
• recognizing misleading or deceptive advertising practices
• understanding what food labeling and ingredient listings really mean and how to read between the lines

We are pleased to note that our book, The Story of Tea, is listed as one of the information sources that the author used to research her piece. While we do not directly address the topic of RDT in our book, we do have a comprehensive Chapter on the Healthful Benefits of Tea that explains in detail why drinking tea is beneficial to human health.

click here to view a PDF of this handout: The Politics of Bottled GreenTea

Also, I am adding below a segment of an article on the same topic that was posted by Kristie Leong, MD, March 2008 on HealthMad.com. She addresses the same topic thusly:

‘ Can you just grab a bottle of cold, bottled green tea and drink away to get health benefits? Unfortunately, it may not be that easy. Bottled green teas were found to be woefully deficient in catechins when compared to tea brewed at home. The average glass of green tea brewed at home has about 30 milligrams of catechins. When bottled green teas were tested for catechin including such well known brands as Lipton and Snapple, scientists found them to be extremely low and in some cases zero.

Why would bottled green tea have less healthy catechins than brewed tea? When brewed green tea is bottled, it tends to become cloudy in appearance giving an unappealing appearance to the tea. For this reason, bottled green teas need to be reformulated to give them more buying appeal. During the reformulation process, many of the catechins are removed along with some of the health benefits.

The other problem with bottled green tea is the high sugar content. Most bottled green teas you find on the store shelves of your local supermarket are laden with sugar and are not for the calorie conscious. Many store bought, bottled teas are as calorie rich as your average sweetened soft drink. Certainly not a recipe for health.

The bottom line? If you’re drinking green tea for health benefits, you’re best brewing your own at home where you can get the full health benefits. Plus, you can control the amount of sugar you add to your tea which helps to decrease the calorie load.’

So….. when you want to drink tea……drink plain, natural tea,  not bottled, sugared tea beverages.

Korea Tea and Tea Ceramics Trip

For those interested in learning about Korean tea and tea ceramics (and experiencing the non-commercial side of both in South Korea) take note that ceramic expert Arthur Park is leading a trip to South Korea in May.  I have been in contact with Arthur about this trip for quite some time now, and Bob and I are both signed up to go. (In the spirit of full disclosure, we are both paying full-price for our places on the trip).

From the minute I heard about this trip I knew it sounded terrific, and for us it presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about an ancient country with a tea culture little known in the West.  In fact, we changed the dates of our tea sourcing trip to Japan so that we could join this trip. 

The tea tour will begin in Seoul with an introduction to Korean tea presented by Brother Anthony of Taize ( another of my internet buddies) and co-author of the book The Korean Way of Tea.  Then it will travel to the International Mungyeong Tea Bowl Festival where you will see the work of international and local tea ware artists.  Mungyeong has a thousand year history of producing tea ware.  Three ceramic Human Cultural Treasures live in Mungyeong among many other excellent tea ware artists. 

For the rest of the details, which are numberous, you must visit the website that Arthur has created for the trip. Please visit: http://teatourkorea.com for everything you need to know and to sign up. 

A few openings are still up for grabs but Arthur has had a lot of interest in the last few weeks. Remember, there is still time to arrange flights to and from Seoul for spring travel and this is the perfect time to capture good deals on flights before prices go up. 

You can see some nice pictures of Arthur’s website, and there are links to Brother Anthony as well. I suggest you make a cup of tea and plan to sit a spell with this site – there is a lot to read and absorb.

Those of you who follow my blog and our website know that we usually feature images of tea and teawares. Well, this time I don’t have any images as I have not been there yet !  If you are unfamiliar with Korean tea wares, please view one of my favorite tea blogs, http://mattchasblog.blogspot.com to get an idea of the beauty and gracrful nature of these distinctive ceramics.

See you in Korea !

Chinese ‘12 Flowers of the Months’ Tea Cups – January/Plum Blossoms

The first time I saw a set of 12 Flowers of the Months Qing dynasty ( 1644-1912) tea cups was when I visited the Flagstaff House Museum of Teawares in Hong Kong. I was in porcelain heaven in Hong Kong, but these little cups captured my fancy and I made notes from a sign posted in the display case as to what each of the flowers depicted in this set are:

1. plum blossom ( January )
2. apricot blossom ( February )
3. peach blossom ( March )
4. tree peony ( April )
5. pomegranate ( May )
6. lotus ( June )
7. rose ( July )
8. osmanthus ( August )
9. chrysanthemum ( September )
10. cymbidium orchid ( October )
11. narcissus ( November )
12. wintersweet ( December )

These cups appealed to my weakness for elegant Chinese porcelains ( tea wares or otherwise). I admire both hand-painted pieces as well as shapely vases simply adorned in rich, monochrome glazes.  I find the designs and images on hand-painted pieces to be particularly enticing and have come to know that there is much to learn about the history and evolution of Chinese porcelains during the imperial years. Art historians, museum curators, antique dealers, auction houses and wealthy collectors have written in great detail about the different porcelain styles favored throughout the dynasties, as well as the use of motifs, animal, flower and symbols as  representations of harmony, blessings or wealth. 

Before porcelain was produced for the average household in China, much of it was made exclusively for imperial use. Monochrome glazes of dfferent colors denoted the rank or ‘value’ of the person for whom the piece was made or given, and the meaning of the colors was well known to those in court. Protocol was also established by the hierarchy of certain colors at state functions: yellow enamel glazes were reserved for the Emperor and his immediate household. 

Porcelain was given to visiting dignitaries and reflected the growing prosperity, worldliness, and technical virtuosity of  Chinese artisans. The formula for making porcelain was discovered by the Chinese and it was Chinese artisans who elevated porcelain to one of the highest forms of  Chinese art. Porcelain allowed many of the arts that the Chinese Emperors held in high esteem - poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal marks- to be incorporated into one art form, thus blending and drawing inspiration from various art forms into one.  

Sets of 12 flowers/months tea cups came into favor during the Qing dynasty ( 1644-1912) the last imperial dynasty and are especially attributed to the Emperor Kangxi ( r. 1661-1722). Usually the Emperor too his meals alone in his chambers, and dined from porcelain wares that were especially commissioned for his pleasure. Teacups depicting the flora of the 12 flowers/months of the year were used by the Emperor each one month period to celebrate each of the four seasons and the esteemed flowers associated with those months.

These cups are still made today in the porcelain workshops in Jingdezhen, China. Intact sets of 12 flowers/ months tea cups from the Kangxi period are extremely rare and stratospherically expensive. I purchased my new set of these charming cups in China after much searching. Each cup is made from extremely fine and thin porcelain of the whitest white. The shape of the cups is that which was made during the Kangxi period, and the cups are decorated with overglazed enamel colors.

One side of each cup depicts the flower in a naturalistic setting and the reverse side is inscribed with a poem fragment in praise of the flower.  My cups seem to match the listing from the tea cup set in the the Flagstaff Museum with one exception: I have a hibiscus cup instead of an apricot blossom cup.

I asked a Chinese friend to translate what was inscribed on the back side of each of my cups. She said that they seemed to be snippets of poems and that the words made sense as individual words but the abbreviated phrasing made the meaning hard to decipher.

So, this is a rendering of the meaning of the inscription in the photograph below:

counting the many fragrances in the air

At the beginning of each month I will post the next cup and translated poem. I hope everyone enjoys this little story about the Kangxi Emperor’s tea cups and Chinese porcelain history !