Tea Adventures - At Home with Chung-Hao


 

Although my latest tea adventure takes place at home, it's no less satisfying to me. Today, I traveled to China via Upton Tea Imports and their Chung-Hao Special Grade Jasmine Green Tea. When I opened the bag and took a sniff, the tea welcomed me into its embrace. Rain kissed jasmine introduced itself to me and I knew I was in for a treat. I brewed the tea for three minutes (the bag stated 2 minutes) and then I poured a cup. The tea rolled around in my mouth like velvet as the jasmine lingered. I then decided to do a tea meditation with the music of The Wong Janice playing in the background. Spring is finally here in Colorado, and a cup of Chung-Hao Special Grade Jasmine reflects a desire to be alive. This tea also reminds me to slow down and appreciate what's in front of me.



Sometimes, I like to place brewed tea leaves in my hand to enjoy their texture as well as connect with what I am about to consume. The founder of Being Tea does this very practice and I can see why. My hand smelled of jasmine and I wonder - could people rub tea leaves all over their body to give them a natural fragrance? 


I'm glad that I was present for this tea. 














Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Crows

Image
  (tea leaves photo by me) The old crow flew down from the skies and perched next to me. Of all the times when I flew, he said in a gravelly voice, I wished to be on the ground. He cocked his head at me and waited for my reply. Instead, I set a small tin cup before him and filled it with my morning Tea. He cawed once, then lowered his beak into the warm liquid. Conversations are always important, I replied while he drank. That's why we are lost without them. The crow continued to drink the Tea. Just then, a woman with red hair and dressed in all black, walked up to us and sat down on the other side of me. I've forgotten how to think, she said in a singsong voice. The crow raised his head and cawed - then how are you talking now? His black beady eyes focused on her crooked smile. She closed her eyes and transformed into another crow. I stared off at the clouds and wondered if our thoughts betray us, or if we are the result of them. I then poured Tea into another cup and gave it
Read more

Tea Is A Good Friend of Mine - Celia Carmen Aceae

Image
Here's another great interview - meet Celia Carmen Aceae! What’s your name and what part of the world do you live in? Hi! My name is Celia Carmen Aceae and I live in Montreal, QC, Canada How long have you been drinking tea? What’s the story, morning glory? I’ve been drinking tea since I can remember. In my house, we never drank water and there was no rule against children consuming caffeine at all! I’ve only recently realized that the reason my sister and I were always labeled as crazy, wild and hyper at school, was probably because my mom sent us to class every day with a giant jug of tea. We were constantly caffeinated! Tea also means more than just Camellia sinensis for me. I’ve been reading about medicinal herbs since I was eight. My mother forbade all forms of medication in our household, so I learned at a young age how to cure small ailments with plants and tisanes. My sister was very prone to headaches and anytime she started to get one, I would hop on my
Read more

A Flash of Jazz - Acoustic Bicycle

Image
  When Abby declared that she was now the proud owner of an acoustic bicycle, I rolled my eyes and congratulated her on finally getting that last badge that would claim her to be a Black Hipster. She looked at me as though I had just told the funniest joke. You're just jealous that you didn't know the term, she laughed. At that moment, I wanted to leave but instead replied with - I've heard that snarky ass term before, thank you very much. In fact, I added with my own spoon of snark as I leaned forward on the table, I first heard it when I hung out with that really cool singer-songwriter, you know the one? Now she rolled her eyes at me, giving me full permission to continue on my soapbox. Yeah, yeah, the one who talked about planting wildflowers every time someone purchased her CDs. THAT one. So, Abby replied, I guess you're now going to save the planet, stop eating burgers, and plant a fucking tree every time someone farts? How very original, Wendell . The way she said
Read more