Basil Magazine.com features Tea Trekker

We want to give a shout-out to Basil Magazine (
http://basilmagazine.com/
) for featuring a story about Tea Trekker on their website. Stacy Cox got right to the heart of our approach to seasonal teas, and does a great job illustrating which teas come to market during what season of the year.

Read her article bellow:

Tea Trekker

by Stacey Cox

For most of us, tea is something that sits on a cupboard shelf. It’s there year-round. Tea may be iced in the summer and hot in the winter, but other than that it doesn’t change much with the seasons.

Robert and Mary Lou Heiss, the duo the New York Times called “The Professors of Tea” are committed to changing all that by bringing seasonal teas to America.

The Heisses , co-authors of The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide ( Ten Speed Press, 2007 ) and The Tea Enthusiasts Handbook: A Guide to Enjoying the World’s Best Teas ( Ten Speed Press, 2010 ), frequently travel to China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan to source premium, seasonal, artisan-made teas for their shop Tea Trekker

Teas of this distinction are prized by tea aficionados, and should be thought of in the same manner as fine wines, aged cognacs, hand-rolled cigars, and craft cheeses. As with wine, tea is influenced by terroir and weather. The weather patterns of each season contribute flavor and aroma characteristics to the tea that cannot be duplicated other times of the year.

Seasonality in tea refers not just to the particulars of the four seasons, but to a more precise timeframe of days and weeks within each season.  In essence, all tea has a time at which its flavor and aroma is best, and many of the most distinctive teas are made just once a year.

Premium, seasonal, artisan-made teas such as those selected by Tea Trekker are highly anticipated by tea connoisseurs worldwide for the tea drinking pleasure they provide. Thanks to the Heisses, tea enthusiasts here in the United States can now enjoy tea of the same high quality that tea connoisseurs in Berlin, Hong Kong, Kyoto, Paris, and Singapore are drinking.

High-quality teas such as these provide an important, viable economic resource for the experienced tea artisans who produce them, while supplying a delicious, culturally-rich beverage of modest cost for the consumer. On a cup-by-cup basis, premium tea can be enjoyed for less than 75 cents per cup.

Here is a listing of some of the seasonal teas you will find offered at Tea Trekker:

Summer Tea – not the season for premium tea!

Fall Tea:

China: Autumnal Oolong and Yunnan Black Teas

• Oolong plucking begins anew, with fall crops that deliver teas with breathtaking and complex floral aromas: Fenghuang Dan Cong; Tieguanyin; Wu Yi Shan Rock Oolongs ( yan cha )
• Buttery smooth Yunnan black teas (Golden Needles, Golden Tips) that deliver stunning flavor and aroma.

 

Winter Tea:

Taiwan: High Mountain Oolong (gao shan )

• These are the teas of primary significance during this season in East Asia. Tea gardens that produce gao shan oolongs are located at altitudes of 6,000 feet or higher, and produce just two tea harvests each year: one in the winter (the most prized) and one in the spring. Gao shan is very difficult to obtain outside of Taiwan.
• The cold, thin air of this high-altitude environment produces teas that are chewy, juicy and that are a delicious combination of sweetness and slight astringency. Gao shan oolongs are intensely floral and mouth-filling, yet they have an austere, slightly ‘chilled’ aspect to their flavor.

Spring Tea:

• India: 1st flush Darjeeling Teas
• These teas are from the first spring plucking, the most anticipated ( but smallest ) harvest of the year.
• 1st flush Darjeeling is highly prized for its clarity in the cup, outstanding crisp flavor, and distinctive spicy aromas.
• China:  1st Spring Teas
  • Mid-March ( Pre-Qing Ming): the arrival of early spring weather in mid-March begins the plucking season for several premium green, white, and yellow teas such as Longjing, Tianmu Shan Snow Sprouts,  Mengding Mt. Huang Ya, and Yin Zhen.
• China: 2nd Spring Tea
  • Early to Mid- April to Mid-May ( Before the Rains tea): green tea production continues for teas such as Lu Shan andTai Ping Hou Kui; black teas such as Bai Lin, Golden Monkey, Keemun Congou, and Yunnan Curly Golden Buds.  This is the season for distinctive Puerh tea, as well as oolong tea ( the single malt scotches of the tea world ) that are celebrated for having the finest flavors: Fenghuang Dan Cong, Tieguanyin, and Wu Yi Shan Rock teas.
• Japan: Shincha
  • Shincha is plucked in May and is the first tea of the new tea season in Japan.  Shincha is vivid green in color, intensely vegetal in aroma, and pleasantly balanced between sweetness and astringency in taste. The Shincha plucking season is short, approximately 10 days, so tea lovers who await the production of this tea each spring must act quickly!

Tea Trekker was the first tea vendor in the US in 2011 to announce the arrival of Indian and Chinese spring teas. In some instances these teas were only several weeks old when they arrived at the Tea Trekker tea shop.

About Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss:

Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss are adventurous tea trekkers, tea educators and retailers of premium artisan tea.  They are the co-authors of: The Tea Enthusiast Handbook: A Guide to the World’s Best Teas ( 2010, Ten Speed Press); The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide ( 2007, Ten Speed Press ) which was nominated for a 2008 James Beard Foundation Book Award and a 2008 IACP Cookbook Award; and HOT DRINKS ( 2007, Ten Speed Press).  When they are not traveling the world sourcing tea, Mary Lou and Bob are often found teaching tea classes in various locations, or at work in their premium tea shop Tea Trekker in Northampton, MA.

For more information, visit Tea Trekker (www.teatrekker.com)

For more in-depth information on Tea Trekker’s blog about seasonal teas, please click here.

Book Review: TEA HORSE ROAD: China’s Ancient Trade Route to Tibet

TEA HORSE ROAD: China’s Ancient Trade Route to Tibet

by Selena Ahmed and Michael Freeman, River Books Press (2011)

340 pages, 276 photographs,

“The Tea Horse Road is a narrative of politics, economy, culture and health. It is about ascending empire, a desire for the exotic and a more humble quest for energy, well-being and livelihood.”

So begins the tale of this book. As the title of this book suggests the topic is about an extensive network of physical pathways and small local routes that came to be collectively known as the Tea Horse Road. For centuries, this road carried tea out of the forests of Yunnan Province, China to the faraway lands of Tibet, Nepal, India and Burma.

Astonishing in its feat and staggering in its abundance of perils and danger, the importance of the Tea Horse Road was so great that a former trade route–the Southwest Silk Road (Xi’nan Sichouzhilu)-connecting China with neighboring countries (and carrying such goods as silk, jade, wool, furs, tobacco, salt, and silver from east to west and back again) was renamed the Tea Horse Road (Chama Dao) after tea became the most sought after commodity traveling along the route.

Beginning in the 7^th C the Tea Horse Road transported tea up over the Himalaya by caravans of men and mules. This road served this essential duty until the mid-20th C when paved, motorized highways made the transport of tea faster and easier and rendered the perilous old routes obsolete.

This book is imposing in size (340 pages) and considerably heavy. At first glance it appears as though it might be just another pretty coffee table picture book. Indeed, wonderful black and white photographs appear throughout and offer stark contrast to vivid color images of the rugged landscape and hearty people who live in this area of China and Tibet.

But readers who sit and linger with this book will find that it contains riches. Well-written, concise text effectively introduces us to this colorful part of the world and the importance that both the Tea Horse Road and the tea have to the people who have populated this region for generations.

Yunnan Province has a wealth of natural resources, a grand history, unique cultures, and one of China’s most treasured teas. For me, what sets this book apart from other books that I have read on the topic of The Tea Horse Road is the author’s use of the present to help us understand the past. In the spirit of the meandering local side paths of the Tea Horse Road that brought traders and tea to small pockets of local populations, the author, too, brings us along divergent paths and into the lives and cultures of people in Yunnan, Sichuan, Tibet, Burma and India who were and still are affected by the Tea Horse Road.

I like the layout of the book and the chapter designations. The story moves from place to place, adding this and that bit of relevant information, rather than just following a historical timeline. And I am especially pleased to see the full-sized map positioned in the early pages of the book that clearly illustrates the routes of the Tea Horse Road. I think that maps are essential, and I like editors and publishers who understand how helpful maps are to readers.

Selena Ahmed, co-author with photographer Michael Freeman, is an ethnobotonist (someone who studies human-environment interactions and how plants are managed and used in different cultures ) who has conducted research in Yunnan for years. Her particular interest is in the villages of Yunnan and the tea production systems in place there.

As such, she understands that the Tea Horse Road did not exist in isolation from its surroundings and that it’s location was not happenstance, but that it developed because of many factors particular to Yunnan. By taking a long and wide look at the history and culture of this place, she breathes life into her narrative by discussing much more than just the history of the tea road itself.

For instance, we learn about the tea that traveled over the Tea Horse Road –what we call pu-erh today. Since earliest recorded time, tea has been made in Southwest China with leaf plucked from large leaf varieties of tea trees. From those early days until now, tea has evolved from a crude, simple food to a medicine, to a tonic, and ultimately to a pleasurable beverage. How the tea was back then and how the tea is today is a story too long for this review ( please read the book! ). But let me suffice to say that the tea underwent profound changes brought about by dramatic weather as the tea moved along its journey over the Tea Horse Road, and those changes most certainly influenced how the tea was processed after that fact became known.

Readers learn the story of pu-erh, and why its importance to the people of this region continues today. The best pu-erh is still made using traditional processes and by following certain criteria in leaf plucking and tea manufacture, and storage of the tea after production.

Yunnan’s teas (yes, there are green and black teas, too, in addition to pu-erh) are unique because of many variables: terroir (place) of the region: climate, geography, soil conditions, humidity and rain patterns, etc , and also because the Mekong River has played a pivotal role in keeping this area vital. Over time, many cultural groups have navigated along this waterway mingling tea seeds and tea culture with them as they traveled from the old homelands to new ones in both upland and lowland areas.

Many of these ethnic groups (Akha, Dai, Hani, Jinuo, and others ) trace their roots to ancestors who have lived in these forests over centuries. The 12 Tea Producing Mountains (a reference to the most famous tea growing mountains where many of these ethnic groups live) still maintain old-growth tea tree forests (multi-generational descendants of long-ago wild-growing, indigenous tea trees). This is in contract to the large tea factories and cultivated tea gardens (once operated by the Chinese government in the 20th century but are now privately owned) that are located low down the mountains near the cities.

photograph by Selena Ahmed

For some of these people and their villages, the old tea trees are their patrimony and their children’s inheritance. These trees are a link to their ancestors who took care of the tea trees and made distinctive tea of their own cultural preference from these large-sized tea leaves. This region claims the oldest association between man and the Camellia sinensis tea bush–ancestors of these ethnic groups grew and nurtured ancient tea trees, and consumed tea before China existed as a unified state.

The biodiversity in Yunnan’s tea forests stands in opposition to the intensive mono-cultural practices of modern tea farming. The message here is that much can be learned from the tea farmers in the old growth tea forests, and that intensive tea growing practices, in its haste to bring more product to market faster, can lead to the destruction of land, genetically diverse plants and in some cases, cultural practices.

The authors introduce us to some of the mountain and hill-dwelling ethnic people that populate this region; compelling photographs bring us into their lives and we feel that we are experiencing a small measure of their culture and the hardships they face living in these stunning but remote places. These are the faces of many of the people who make these incredible teas by following traditional, learned practices.

In addition to the story of the tea, the Tea Horse Road is the story of the men (muleteers) and their mules that traveled long and perilous journeys from Yunnan and Sichuan over dangerous roads in hostile weather conditions with their precious cargoes of tea bound for  Tibet, Nepal, and later, India and Burma. It took many months for the caravans to make a round-trip journey, laden with goods for Tibet one way and goods bounds for China on the return journey.

As the author writes: “the task was strenuous and the terrain unforgiving.”  The stories of these perilous journeys defy belief, yet some of these men are still alive to tell their stories. Michael Freedman’s photographs of some of the few men still alive from those days and the terrain over which that they traveled give proof to wary disbelievers.

By the end of this book, we have been treated to a story with many intertwined and nuanced layers, and that has elements worthy of an epic novel: an astonishing commodity, stunning and dramatic geographic locations, rugged people and traditional ways of life and cultures that survive today.

I have traveled in Yunnan Province learning about tea, and I am still in awe of everything about this province. From the link between the tea and the tea plants; the plants to the environment and the environment to the ways of the people; and the people to their culture, religions and their tea drinking habits, I can honestly say that there is no other tea place in China quite like it. Reading this book and luxuriating in the photographs brought me back to tea producing villages in Yunnan Province that I have visited. I am re-inspired to return, and to learn even more about this epic chapter of tea culture.

Ethnobotanist Selena Ahmed studied tea and culture in the mountains of Yunnan for 4 years for her doctoral study at The New York Botanical Garden and City University of New York. Selena is currently a National Institutes of Health TEACRS (Training in Education and Critical Research Skills) post-doctoral fellow at the Antioxidants Research Lab at the Jean Meyer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. Her research seeks to understand the role of phytochemicals from plant foods in promoting health and reducing risk of chronic disease.

Award-winning photographer and author Michael Freeman has made a specialty of documentary reportage on Asia over the last 3 decades, for the Smithsonian Magazine, Time-Life, the Sunday Times Magazine, and GEO, among many others. He has produced more than 30 books on Asian subjects as diverse as the ancient Cambodian temple complex at Angkor Wat, other sacred places, contemporary Chinese design, and ethnic minorities. He lives in London.

Oh, No…Lip-Picked Tea

A friend sent me this link to one of those strange, World of the Weird-type news bites that is funny, stupid and pathetic all at once. This one is about tea and it appeared on London’s Daily Mail Online.com.

I pass  along a link to the Daily Mail  in  the spirit of all things ridiculous and shameless. And no, Tea Trekker will not be selling this this tea so don’t even ask !

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1378870/PG-Lips-Chinese-tea-plantation-seeks-virgins-pick-leaves-MOUTHS.html

Korean Celadon Teacups

When we visited Korea in 2010, the food, culture and tea production delighted and astonished us. Ceramics and pottery production, too, was distinctive and impressive, and we returned home with many treasured tea cups and tea bowls.

For years we have been familiar with modest but lovely Korean green tea infuser cups such as the one pictured here. We sell these tea cups in our store, and hoped to learn more about Korean celadon during our visit. As with much about Korea, we were not disappointed.

We learned that the Gangjin area in the southern region of Korea is where 90% of Korean celadon wares are made. In fact, there are 9 or 10 areas in Korea that are dedicated to the production of regional ceramics. Celadon has been made in Gangjin from the 9th century to the present day, and as many as 180 old kiln sites are claimed to be scattered throughout this area. Today, approximately 16 operative kilns produce celadon wares in several different styles. While other sites in Korea made celadon wares in the past, Gangjin was always considered to produce the finest celadon, and was the most widely exported.

So we were overjoyed when our friends Arthur and Mary Park invited us to join them for a visit to Gangjin to learn about the artistry and methodology behind the production of these gleaming, jade-green pieces.

First we toured the Goryeo Celadon Museum, where visitors learn the history of celadon and view displays of historic pieces. Just a short walk from the museum – but within the museum complex -visitors are welcomed into the museum-run celadon workshops. Here, artisans create masterpiece works that are sold at auctions throughout the year to raise funds for the museum. (No worry, there is a gift shop, too, where celadon items can be purchased!)

We stayed in the workshops for a long time, absorbed in watching these skilled artisans at work, and marveling at the extraordinary detail and precise, intricate steps involved in the crafting of these fine pieces.

This gentleman is beginning to carve a design in a large vase with a sharp metal tool. Vases of different shapes are made and some of them are quite large in size. The shapes of Korean celadon vases bear some similarity to the traditional shapes of Chinese porcelain vases, but over time Korean potters have tweaked the details of the shapes so that today these pieces are uniquely Korean.

Not only are the carvers required to be skilled in their technique, but their designs must flow gracefully with the curvature and complement the form of the piece.

After each piece in carved, the incisions are carefully filled in with colored clay slip that will change to the final colors during the firing. If you look closely at the photographs above and below, you can see where the colored slip has been added. All of these pieces are awaiting the final glazing and firing steps.

Some pieces are hand-painted, too, which adds to the sophistication, beauty and value of the piece.

Here is a magnificent piece in all its glory on display in the museum.

We learned that Korean celadon is made in three colors: blue, green and yellow (a tone that is more grey-blue than actual yellow). The pieces are given a translucent glaze, while Chinese celadons receive an opaque glaze. There are 6 steps in the process from potters wheel ( or mold ) to finished piece, but the three most crucial steps in celadon production are: throwing, carving and glazing. The carving and inlay process was developed in Korea during the 12th century, which is considered the pinnacle of celadon development.

After we visited the museum we were invited to visit the Department of Ceramic Crafts at Munkyung College. After a tour of the facility, Professor Yoo Tae Keun showed us how to make a carving tool out of an old metal umbrella rib.

Celadon carvers make their own tools and use three variations of tip for cutting and incising. Afterwards, he showed us how to incise a piece of copper, which, unbeknownst to us, was going to be used as a clapper for the celadon bells that his students had made for us to take home.

Such a thoughtful remembrance of our visit!! Our bells are hanging in our sun room where we can enjoy them everyday.

For those visiting Korea, Gangjin holds a Gangjin Celadon Festival each August which celebrates all things celadon.

The only sour note to this story is that we were just informed that the Korean celadon tea infuser mugs pictured at the top of this post have been discontinued. We are saddened by this news as they have always been popular. For those interested in owning one of these cups, we only have 12 pieces left. Click here to find them on our website

2011 Nepal Silver Tips Oolong

Our Nepal Silver Tips Oolong is grown at an impressively high altitude in Eastern Nepal from tea gardens whose leaf is primarily manufactured into black tea.

Tea leaf grown in throughout the Himalaya requires a long growing season, which stretches well into autumn. Because of the south-facing orientation of these tea gardens, the flush often starts in February (though more normally in March). This long growing cycle, coupled with the high elevation location and clear air, ensures tea that has clarity, richness, and body that is smooth and rich.

In terms of style, the tea artisans in the Himalaya (Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Nepal) often manufacture black tea at a reduced oxidation level that sometimes encourages roughness or sharp astringency in the cup. While this style of black tea is not favored by everyone, this inclination toward partial oxidation of the leaf becomes very desirable in this oolong. Several Nepalese producers are now introducing open leaf style oolong production as a perfect class of tea for their delicious, high-altitude leaf.

We are very excited to have this oolong. Usually we do not pay much attention to teas made by tea producing countries trying their hand at manufacturing new types of teas outside of their usual production style (which they are not skilled at making and for which their tea bush varietals may not be exactly suited!).

So it is nice to occasionally be surprised by how good one of these new teas can be. Our Nepal Silver Tips fills a niche in the ‘trinity of oolongs’ that is becoming difficult to fill as Taiwanese and Fujianese tea producers focus more on semiball-rolled and strip style oolong manufacture than on this classic, lighter and softer open leaf style. This tea is slightly reminiscent of Bai Hao or Oriental Beauty from Taiwan, and we recommend it to those who prefer this style of oolong.

We think that this tea is simply delicious and very satisfying!

http://www.teatrekker.com/shop/nepal-silver-tips-oolong/