Dragonwell comfort

Oh dear, in addition to allergies, I seem to have the summer stomach flu - not conducive to tea drinking. It is hard to concentrate on nuances in tea when one worries if this will occasion a quick trip to the bathroom. Sorry to be so graphic, but there it is.

The picture at the right is an indication of how I've been feeling. It actually is either an obituary or biography on the wall of a church in Germany. I think earlier church folk were more comfortable with death being a part of life, or they were a lot grimmer about it.

However, I did feel recoverd enough to try a green tea - it sounded soothing to the ole tum. I had some Andrews and Dunham Dragonwell that looked good, so I brewed it up. I love the look and feel of the dry leaves - I want to play with them, they are so shiny and slippery. Lovely green leaves that look individually ironed with the greatest of care. This, by the way, is an indication of a quality Dragonwell tea. Dragonwell is one of the "Fifty Famous Teas" of China - teas that have been recognized, perhaps for centuries, as the best. These leaves smell of hay and cocoa. Brewed for 2 1/2 minutes with water about 180/90. The tea brewed into a light brownish/greenish liquor that now smells a bit fishy, as well as of hay. The cocoa smell is gone. This has a fine vegetal taste,with a bit of sweetness, kind and gentle to my aching belly. Thankfully the taste doesn't carry over the fishy smell or I'd be sunk! Still not likely to be a favorite tea, but certainly a good quality. I should let it be known that it would be very difficult to be a big favorite, as I am not really a green tea person, but I am working at expanding my horizons. So far, I am up to 3 that I will probably continue to buy and this may be one of them.