10.31.07
TRAVELS WITH PAUL: THE JOURNEYS OF A TEA NOVICE
posted by Anonymous | 7 comments
It all started one crisp October morning in 2003, when I discovered that a cup of coffee was not what pleased me anymore.
So, it was off to a friend’s coffee and tea store where I purchased my first four ounces of Assam loose leaf. Of course, I had to add a tea ball infuser. From thence forward I added an array of open-faced tubular infusers of different varieties. That first tea was more towards institutional “CTC” types. As time passed, I moved to Yunnan and other black teas, staying away from those I considered wimpy and weak-kneed: the Chinese and Japanese greens and whites. My introduction to British style Yorkshires - complete with lots of milk and sugar - further reveals how much I had to learn.
From here starts Paul’s real journey into the art of real tea appreciation. Watch this space for tales of the growing tea experience and education of a novice. While you are enjoying your own tea journey, won’t you please comment here about your first time with real tea?
October 31st, 2007 at 5:47 am
Sounds a little too much like my first time… One day it occured to me in a momment of complete clarity… If you can have an amazing shade grown, organic, hand ground, full bean coffee… why, Ohhh why, would you still use a tea bag?!? I haven’t used one since…
October 31st, 2007 at 5:56 am
I think a lot of people in America and Canada actually do this, especially younger people. They expect such a high quality coffee but when they feel like tea they just reach for a bag. It’s only a matter of time before the Starbucks thumpin’ youngins demand the same quality in their tea cup as they do in their coffee mug (not to pick on Starbucks, but they still sell bagged tea). It’s only a matter of time.
October 31st, 2007 at 3:00 pm
My first remembered “real” tea was as a child in suburban north California; I was given orange pekoe bag tea mixed with honey, lemon and bourbon as a cold remedy. Yum!
Then, believe it or not, the British boarding school I attended in the early 70’s actually used looseleaf tea in huge stainless-steel infusion balls for our afternoon “low tea” (I’m working on a post of that experience)–probably not the highest quality though.
Then I remember as a college student in the mid-70’s using all kinds of tea strainers in lieu of bags: stainless steel “spoon” types, woven bamboo “cup” styles, hand-made ceramic pot strainers, and just throwing the leaves in loose, and reading the leaves that came out in the cup. Of course, a lot of what we called tea was not actually real tea, but herbal concoctions. Even my die-hard tea-lovin’ Mom went through a 70’s lemongrass “tea” phase (she’s long been back on the real stuff).
Guess I’m a child of my times!
November 1st, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Being married to an herbalist, I first drank Traditional Medicinal Golden Green Tea and actually liked it, much to my surprise. I was never a coffee drinker so I was always eager to discover a warm beverage that I could enjoy. Unfortunately my hot chocolate just couldn’t be perceived as a “healthy” beverage. As I began to read more about green tea, I decided a trip into New York City’s China town was in order. I chose a huge market on Canal Street, in the heart of vibrant China Town, with hundreds of Asians scurrying in and out throughout the time I was there. The tea area was overwhelming but after seeing many Asians select from one
very large tea canister, I decided to follow suit. I came home with my 1/4 pound of whole leaf green tea. The actual name was in Chinese and to this day, I haven’t a clue what I was drinking specifically. I proceeded to boil water and steep for 5 minutes, throwing in what I considered enough tea………As you can imagine, it was undrinkable. I don’t believe I ever drank another cup of that green tea. I immediately went back to Traditional Medicinals and continued to think of myself as a green tea drinker…….until my first trip to Southeast Asia.
November 4th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
OK time to chime in here. I guess if you count my first actual experience with what the American Supermarket variety would call “tea” would have been my mother who offered to make me one as a child. She was fond of drinking tea as she wasn’t a coffee drinker (although she did brew it for my father and did enjoy the smell of brewing coffee made in those old fashioned electric perculator pots but that’s a whole other posting) nor did she much care for alcoholic based beverages she drank tea, specifically your typical bagged and tagged square flow through type of bag, you probably can guess the brand. I remember mom always brewed it till it was nice and dark and then she’d place lemon and honey into it. For my childhood this is what I thought tea was, something that was to be enjoyed with “doctoring up” additives and in the event of a cold an “extra special ingredient” that usually came from Canada (sorry for those of your from Kentucky and Tennessee) as an agent to help make the cold bug pack its bags.
When I left home for college, across the hall in the dorm I befriended another student from England. His father was working for a large corporation here in the United States and he was pursuing his studies in his newly adopted country. He was the one who introduced me to the beauty of the afternoon cuppa, British style — no longer with added sweetening and lemon but with MILK! At first, the strong brew (even steeped longer than my mother’s) with milk seemed a bit different but it did tend to grow upon me. While I still enjoyed a cup of coffee in the morning, this new afternoon delight seemed like a wonderful mid day pick me up.
Hmm, now that I think about it, it seems as if when I’m enrolled in academic pursuits, my “tea education” also gets expanded. My next really big epiphany came about in seminary when I found the joys of the internet and decided to try a few loose leaf teas. I had always enjoyed the oolong tea served at the Chinese restaurants that I remember from many years of going to them (some better than others) but one restaurant in particular which had openend in our small town just prior to my seminary career made us some special Jasmine tea that was reserved for regulars whom the proprietor considered friends. Maybe this is where I developed the taste for the love of loose leaf teas which seem to release the full flavor (and of course aren’t the fannings that you may find in some of those commong mass produced bagged grocery store teas). Now, I’d call myself a self avowed tea geek (see this link for previous TChing posting http://www.tching.com/index.php/2007/10/22/are-you-or-arent-you/) and I must admit I LOVE TEA!!!!
I regularly search the web for different varietals to taste and I’m so glad that in one of those searches I discovered TChing and this web community of tea lovers from various cultures, tea drinking habits and varieties of teas. In short, while I mostly enjoy the Japanese greens and the Chinese whites (althought I have been known to drink a really good Darjeeling — usually STRAIGHT these days, no milk, sugar or lemon) I say drink whatever variety you find fits your palate where your palate currently resides. IF you like lemon, sugar or milk in your tea, drink it…you may be surprised that at sometime later you may like it straight (or maybe not) just keep drinking.
As always, blessings upon you all!
Fr. Patrick
November 5th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
Good Evening Good People, We’ve been away, and I was pleasantly surprised to see some wonderful responses to my “musings”.
Matthew, Star Bucks I believe is already offering ‘loose leaf” in selected locations, so your predictions are right.
Father Patrick, You should write some feature articles for several of our Specialty Beverage Publications.
Stay tuned for the next installment.
Thanks to All…..PJF
November 6th, 2007 at 12:24 am
Paul, Regena keeps trying for that too, I’m considering it. Peace Fr. Patrick