Monday, April 25, 2011

Oh Bother

Oh Bother! As a certain rotund, honey loving bear would say. Oh Bother indeed. It is raining again. The standing water has standing water on it and every inch of ground squishes. The cats rub their cold wet fur on us, muttering under their breath about being forced out the door, the umbrellas never dry out and I think moss is growing on my clothes. Thank God for goldfinches and daffodils whose brightness doesn't fade. On the plus side, we can now play Pooh Sticks in the ditch in front of the house. As a certin rotund honey loving bear might do.

Or, since I am not a bear, I might just have a nice cup of tea. I received a beautiful sample of Organic Uji Superior Matcha from Aura Teas in my last order, just enough for a nice bowlful. Matcha is powdered bright green tea that is made from the same plants as the carefully tended ones that produce Gyokuro, a fine Japanese tea. Matcha is used in their tea ceremony, although lesser grades are used in cooking, as in green tea ice cream or cookies. The ceremonial matcha can be very expensive.

I brewed this with water that was only about 130 degrees, whipping it up into as much of a froth as I could without proper utensils. You do not brew it, really. You add the water, beat it up and drink. It is very brothy and vegetal, fresh and Spring-like. I really like Matcha and this was excellent, comforting, pleasant, conveying peacefulness. At some point I may have to invest in some utensils for its proper brewing.

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