Thursday May 29, 2008 | 2 comments
Wildfire. Tornado. Hurricane. Earthquake. Imagine having five minutes to pack up what you value – as well as what you might need – as you prepare to be a refugee. Everyone grabs the photo albums and the poodle. Those items go with you without thought. What else would be essential? Medicine? Comb? Blanket? 
You’ve just five minutes, and you need to be able to carry the stuff without assistance. This is the worst-case evacuation scenario, played out often enough that if you live in an area prone to one or more of these disasters, it makes sense to have a bag packed and at the ready. It takes just a second to grab the photos and Fido.
If you are a hiker or enjoy the wilderness, sooner or later you will develop your own “ten essentials” for travel. Most everyone agrees on extra food, clothing and water; pocketknife; fire start . . . you get the picture. The idea behind having the ten essentials in your pack is that you could survive a night out in the elements if necessary. While some hikers travel with just a water bottle and an energy bar – an ankle sprained a mile from your car can be a serious calamity.
For the tea drinker . . . what are the ten essentials? I would have to say the first three are sencha, my cute little matcha kit, and King of the Pearl. Never leave home without them! After those, what else should the tea drinker have in her/his portable kit of ten essentials? I am looking forward to your lists! (And I expect that your essential teas will vary!)
A disc (beeng) of pu’er tea or a container of pellet-shaped oolong are easy to travel with. The leaves are packed tightly so you get a lot of tea out of them without much needed space. And then the cumbersome small traveling tea tray, at least two small gaiwans (one to brew the tea in, the other as the drinking cup), and a thermos of hot water.
Most of the times, though, I take only the leaves with me. I can ask for a pot or a glass of hot water from the restaurant / coffee / tea shop to brew my tea. I am not a stickler of brewing parameters or methods when traveling. I much rather travel light.
Michelle and I always travel with our traveling gaiwan set. It’s very small and portable and easily carried anywhere. With that obviously comes a few sample size bags of our favorite teas from each category. You just never know what you might be in the mood for. We often keep a few ready and waiting in one or both or our carrying bags.