Winter Warm

Winter, what does that word conjure up for you?  Coming into the warm after being in the cold.  Growing up on the farm, it was a warm cow barn, new calves, molasses on the feed, and sneaking a little bit for myself from the barrel. It was a slow time, time to dream, time to fix what you didn't have time to fix in the summer or fall, the aroma of silage in the silos.  The light was different then, too, with a gentle golden pinkness towards the end of a day.

Winter was also harsh, walking a mile to the bus stop, digging out after a storm, trying to keep the ice out of the ditches.  Even fun was cold and often wet with sledding and ice skating to do.  But there was always  the knowledge of warmth waiting for us; warmth, hearty food, cats and dogs on laps and feet, the heat from the big black wood-burning stove, something warm to drink, generally  chamomile tea, gathered in the summer and carrying with it the scent of warm July days.

It is winter and I am warm.  There is tea to drink, which warms from the inside out.  There are still cats to warm my lap.  Life is good.

Today's tea is from one of my favorite companies, Upton Tea Imports.  It is ZY64 - China Yunnan, Select Dao Ming.  The dry leaves are long and twisted, brown and black with golden buds.  They give off a kind of woodland aroma, laced with spice.  The dark brown brewed tea smells more of roasted acorns or squash.  This organic tea has a lot of body to it, so it feels like it is more than just colored water.  As it cools only a little, more spice is apparent in the aroma.  The taste has a floral edge to it.  I tried it with milk and I think I liked it better.  It seemed to have zoomed into a freshness stratosphere.  Very interesting.  I brewed it for 4 minutes with boiling water.  I am a big Yunnan fan and this is one I will get more of, as it is quite different from the usual.

We're still in Durlach, Germany, as you can tell from the yellow sign on the right.  This is not a perspective problem with curving lines, the houses and street are following the inside curve of the ancient city walls.  Hopefully I will be able to find a picture of the outside curves of the walls.