Bedraggled Summer

Have you noticed that summer is beginning to wear out? The trees are no longer bright green, but are coated with the presage of orange and yellow and crimson to come. The first acorn drop has happened, the golden rod and wild purple asters are blooming. It makes me a little sad. And a little mad - I haven't caught up to August yet - I haven't finished Spring planting! I haven't gotten my fall crop of beans in! Sheesh, this is too much, I'm not ready for it. But nature marches on. It's one of those truly lovely days - bright sun, reasonable temperature, even a nice breeze. Perfect Tea-On-The-Porch weather. However, someone is here with a really, really, really noisy machine who is dealing with the stumps left from the trees that fell 2 years ago. I am sure the mowers will appreciate it and maybe I will, when it's quiet. The cats are most annoyed. We've been doing lunches for a local Habitat for Humanity. What wonderful people they are to give hours and hours of work to help someone into a home of their own. The future home owners put in a lot of sweat equity as well. I haven't had opportunity for afternoon tea in a while, so I am so happy to be able to sit down and have it today. It's another balck one from Upton's - Yunnan FOP Select. The leaves are chopped up fairly small, but even so, the suggestion is for 4-5 minutes of brewing. Dry, they have a strong tobacco/wine aroma, very pleasant. The 4.5 minute brewed tea is a lovely, fairly light amber, more yellow than red. There is still a faint tobacco aroma and the taste is a quiet but assertive tobacco/wine, with just a hint of astringency at the end.

Snails For Tea

Today's tea is Upton's "Season's Pick" Yunnan ZY07  Black Snail.  When I opened the packet, I was greeted with a winey, moist earth aroma, with an understory of tangy floral.  Already I am intrigued.  The little tightly rolled almost balls of greenish black tea resemble the "snail" Oolongs, but are not as carefully and tightly rolled.  They seem a good transition into Spring teas, and the smell is intriguing.

I brewed the tea for 4 1/2 minutes, with boiling water.  The result is a very dark liqueur and even with the extended time, many of the fairly large leaves have not unfurled, so I brewed them again, this time for 51/2 minutes.  We'll see how it is.  As it brewed, the first lot smelled wonderfully fresh, still with that sweet undertone.  The tea is a tad sweet, tasting somewhat spicey and nutty and of wet bark in the spring.  It takes milk really well, which rounded off some of the tannic edges.  Four minutes and a little less tea would have made this ideal.  The second wash is nowhere near as good as the first, but it will water plants just fine.

The Season's Pick teas are ones that Upton's packages for retail.  Bigger packages mean a somewhat lower price.  This one for which I would gladly pay full price.

Today is Maundy Thursday in the Western Christian world.  It is part of Holy Week, the time from Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem through his "trial", crucifixtion and resurrection, celebrated on Easter day.  This will be my last post until Monday, as I spend much of this time in prayer, meditation and worship.  I hope that all of you will have a blessed and meaningful Easter and that you will also experience your own resurrection and re-birth.

This is the main altar in the Hapsburg Chapel in Vienna, Austria

China Tea Book, China Tea

Of all the things I do, I love reading the most.  I love to learn new things, love stories about different cultures and people, really love mysteries, and learning about tea.

My latest book is absolutely stunning visually.  Luo Jialin  in his The China Tea Book, has truly wonderufl photos of tea gardens, tea rooms, mountains, forest, rivers and a few people.  There is not a great deal of history or the mechanics of tea manufacture and there are only a few teas discussed in detail.  I am not sure if these are personal favorites or one of the many lists of 10 Best Teas of China.  It doesn't matter.  He discusses briefly not only how they are made, but what spiritual significnce each has, as well as how and when to drink them, according to time of day and time of year.  Somehow, it is a very peaceful book that takes me away to a calm and gentle world.

The second half of the book delves more deeply into the spiritual and aesthetic senses of tea.  I haven't read that far yet, but I'll get back to you.

My only quibble is that fairly often a paragraph is repeated twice in succession.  I think the editors need to sharpen their skills a bit.  I am finding that many books have just huge errors in them, as less careful editing is done, often mechanically. 

Today's tea comes from China, specifically Yunnan.  It comes to me from a tea swap and is Yunnan Imperial from the Wabi-Sabi shop in Taos, New Mexico.  The dry leaves have no particular scent, just fresh tea (Not to be sneezed at).  There is some gold dust in the packet and golden tips on the leaves, which are relatively small.  I brew it my standard 3.5 minutes for teas new to me.

It brews up into a lovely smelling golden brown brew.  There is a hint of wine barrel and one of floral to the aroma.  It is brisk and full bodied, with some spice and some floral, but no chocolate.  Drat, I do like cocoa in my Yunnan.  Nevertheless, it is a decent cup of tea.

This is in the very tiny village of Dickshied, Germany looking across a valley to Hilgenroth.  In the Great Palatine Migration of 1710-12, some of my grandparents left these villages to sail down the Rhine to the "promised land" of the British Colonies in America.  They soon broke with the Brits, who treated them like slaves, and moved from the Hudson River Valley to the frontier of Schoharie Valley (New York State) where they could own their own land and prosper.

Prayers For The People

It is a sad day for many on the coast.  We've been there and believe me, you have our thoughts and prayers and any help we can send you.  We do know what you're going through - the fear, the despair, the worry, the numbness.  We only hope that things can quickly get back to normal for you.

Having said that, it is hard to return to the more mundane topic of tea.  However, I am reminded that during WWII, tea kept many people going and throughout London, there were tea canteens to lift people's spirits.  There are pictures of even the King and Queen, whom we knew as the Queen Mum, in the canteens, handing out and drinking tea with those suffering in the Blitz.  Tea is not only a ritual and a pleasant moment in the day, it is life-sustaining.  When we were going through the flood and its aftermath last year, a cup of tea really made a difference.

I think in honor of brave people everywhere, I will indeed lift a cup of tea.  It is from Verdant Tea, their Wild-picked Yunnan, Jin Jun Mei.  It is very interesting.  The packet is coated with gold dust and the dry golden leaves smell like sugar cookies!  The leaves are about medium long and twisted.  There aren't many brown or tan ones.  They are very fluffy so I am using about 1.5 teaspoons per cup, with almost boiling water for about 3 minutes.

The brew is a lovely golden amber and smells very fall-ish.  There are dry leaves, a hint of nuts, and a hint of tobacco, but there is a nice edge of sweetness as well.  Perhaps there is also a touch of green in the mix.
The tea has some dryness in my mouth and the bite of walnuts.  At the end, there is a feeling of smoothness left in the mouth.  There is a hint of caramel, which is enhanced by the addition of a bit of cream.  I know many people consider the addition of anything sacrilege, but I like my tea that way, on the whole, although less so than before. 

The pitch pines are now all green and we have a lawn full of tiny gold soldiers, standing ever so erect and at attention.  I didn't realize the wind blew straight down last night.  It sure did howl.  I love storms and we don't get many here.  I know they can cause infinite trouble, but I appreciate their sound and fury anyway.  I even like blizzards, even if I have to shovel.  That said, I would like to see some sun in the forecast.

Trekking Along

Oh yes, Autumn is definitely here.  I went out for the mail and there it was, that first whiff of dying vegetation, ripe acorns and wild asters!  Summer simply smells differntly.  Our days may be hot, but the nights are cool and getting cooler - perfect for good sleeping.  Today, however, is quite cool, perfect for tea, for long walks, for garden clean-up.

My tea is from the tea trekker, Jingdong Wuliang Golden Threads from Yunnan Province, China.  It is a fluffy tea, with long thin twisted leaves and an ample amount of golden bud.  It has a fine aroma of hay, silage and a whiff of citrus.  I brewed it about 200 degrees for nearly 5 minutes.  As it was brewing, the scent shifted somewhat into leather and chestnut, with touches of the other.  This is a very dark amber tea, shading towards old gold at the edges.  It seems to evoke a definitrly autumnal mood

The taste is on the autumnal side as well, with some chestnut and hay, but there is some acorn and oak wine barrel there as well.  A tiny bit of cream serves to round it out, if you are so inclined, but I am very happy with it straight.

I have brought all my plants in except one.  Most are not happy with temperatures in the 30's and I don't feel like doing the old move them in, move them out dance as temperatures and sunlight fluctuate.  The hibiscus are in bud, with some red, apricot and deep red flowers already blooming.  They are such rewarding plants - feed them, water them and your flowers are bountiful and beautiful.

I bought myself the Kindle that was on sale quite cheaply and have discovered a huge list of books on tea, many of them very inexpensive.  Oh dear, time to crank up the old will or perhaps I should say, won't power.

Ranting Tea

Here it is, Monday again.  I shouldn't be surprised, it happens every week.  I guess I am just surprised I haven't written anything in a week.

A.C. Cargill wrote an interesting blog on the English Tea Store Blog a few days ago.  It was about choosing a tea for when you go on a rant about something.  It was quite good and I took it to heart.  As I remember she recommended a good strong black you didn't have to think about too much to accompany you as you raved.  Well, I have been ranting about the weather - too hot, too dry, too bright, just tooooooooooo.  And my perennial hatred, politics, which is also toooooooo.

I think I have found a "ranting tea", at least as I brewed it and for the moment.  It comes from Verdant Tea and is Zhu Rong Yunnan Black.  I will tell you right up front I  did not brew it as suggested.  I think I used one scoop too many and hence, it is very strong.  They suggest multiple 1-3 second infusions, but if you are having a fit, that is far too much fuss.  A straight 3.5 minutes and it better like it.  Aah, something I can control.

The dry leaves were quite attractive, twisted and dark, with a few golden buds for color.  Some were almost in little rings, really pretty to look at.  The dry aroma was interesting as well, carrying the scent of roasted squash, acorns and something sharp, like fresh peas, perhaps.  The brewed aroma was a bit simpler, being dark and woody with a strong tone of acorns or dried oak leaves.  (Perhaps autumn really is coming, hooray, hooray!)

To be honest, I mixed my cup with about 1/3 straight water, as I knew I would hate it otherwise.  Therefore, it is only a dark brown instead of almost black.  There is a pleasant forest woodsiness to it, but there is something sweet there as well.  This sweetness carries through after you sip, a pleasant bonus.  I like it very much.  Verdant Tea needn't worry about its quality.  The only problem is that this tea simply doesn't taste much like Yunnans I've had previously, which I am very much in love with.  I am going to brew it at a proper strength next time and see what it's like.

Some grand old Swiss Pike staffs at Schloss Spiez.  Maybe I could borrow one to puncture a few egos.

There, I told you I was on a rant.  But the tea seems to be working its teaish magic and I am feeling calmer.

Easy Does It Summer Dessert

Julia Child has a note on her pound cake recipe - which makes a lot - that if there is some that's stale, you can toast it and use it as the base for an ice cream sundae.  Well, I have found, if  you have some left over summer fruit, say strawberries or blueberries, you can make a sauce for your sundae as well.

You wash and cut up the fruit , mash it a little, add some sugar and some water, over medium heat, cook until it looks right - about 5 minutes or so, add a pat of butter, stir and there you have it.  Don't add too much water, just enough to come halfway up the fruit.  If it is too runny, cook it a while longer.  You can add a liqueur or a spice if you want or mix your fruits.  I made some blueberry sauce and stirred it into some vanilla ice cream - best blueberry ice cream I ever had.  It keeps about a week in the fridge and warms in the micro quite easily.

This cake and sauce or cake, ice cream, and sauce is a nice thing for a tea dessert, especially if someone stops in.  The sauce you can have on hand or just make up while you're getting the tea ready, which is what I did the other day.  A dessert that looks special but you can just whip up in 10 minutes or less - my kind of summer cooking.  If you have no cake, but you have a scone that needs to be eaten, that also works or a sugar cookie.

I had this with some of that lovely Yunnan tea from Tea Vivre I reviewed a few days ago.  I didn't drink the whole pot, so I had it in the fridge - it's really good iced.

Elderberry Tea

Are you all ready for the Olympics?  I am.  It is the only sports I watch.  Well, perhaps a bit of football  once in a while.  I don't even really care who wins, I just like to see people who are the best of the best struttin' their stuff.  I would love to see more dressage, as I love horses, but it's not a popular sport.  Here's to all of you who have come so far!

Is there an official tea for the Olympics?  I know McDonald's is the official restaurant.  Although it is awful food, it is pretty world wide.  I guess Subway is, also.  They could use a bit of an upgrade in their choices.

Official or not, my tea is from Tea Vivre - Yun Nan Dian Hong, golden tip.  The suggestions on the sample call for water at 185 degrees for 2-3 minutes.  I did 2.5.  An unusually low temp and short brew for a Yunnan.  However, we'll see.  The small packet had a lovely typical Yunnan aroma with a hint of fruitiness and was primarily golden buds and tips, nice big ones.  


As the tea was brewing, it smelt very fresh with a hint of corn that was immediately taken over by the scent of elderberries or concord grapes, if you will, but I think elderberries is much closer.  The liquor was a lovely medium copper color with a bit of a nutty flavor, but mostly elderberry, some grape and a bit of something roasted.  I tried some with a little cream and that brought out a very nice caramel flavor.  A lovely Yunnan. I think I'll keep this brewing method in mind for some of my other Yunnans I wasn't so taken with and see what happens. 


Our little downy and hairy woodpeckers have gotten braver and really give the piggy jays a talking to for being so greedy.  I wish someone would do the same for the squirrels, of which we now have 7.  Too many greedy critters.


The Ernster is over his flare-up of EOS granuloma and is now feeling sociable.  He has parked himself on top of the couch, where a fan can blow cool air over him all day.

More church balconies.  I really like the way German churches are painted.  Ours seem awfully staid.  This morning was our organist's last day with us and he pulled out all the stops on the postlude.  There is something majestic about the floor and you shaking from the power of the vibrations from the big pipes of the organ.  It was wonderful!

Happy Mother's Day

A Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas.  Love your children extravagantly and let them go into the big world, knowing you did your best.  I learned that with our kids - that my parents did their best, for who they were and I did my best for who I was.  Not perfect and not always wonderful and maybe, at times, not my best.  But we all learned to forgive each other and go on.  Love covers so much that isn't perfect.

It's a good day for having some celebratory tea.  I am having another of Upton's teas.  It is Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe China Yunnan, ZY40.  I haven't ever seen one with the Golden etc. designation, as that is usually Indian or Ceylon teas.  They consider it the best of the commonly available grades.

 I am making it in one of my two new Mother's Day teapots.  This one is pottery from a local potter and is shades of blue and purple.  I am in love with it's colors.  I hope to buy some matching cups.  The other is Sheffield silver.  That is, an English silverplate over copper.

The dry tea has a mild, sweet aroma.  I am brewing it with water just off the boil, for 4 minutes.  The tea is a light yellow-amber, still with a mild sweet smell.  It is indeed a mild tea, a bit on the brisk side, with some of the characteristic Yunnan taste, with just the barest hint of spice.  It would be an easy introduction to this type of tea for those who might be hesitant to think outside the bag.  It is not at all astringent and goes nicely with cream.  I would not hesitate to serve it at a tea party.

The wild phlox and the buttercups are blooming!  Our woods are such lovely greens - I was beginning to despair of their ever being anything but gray.  I finally got all the bird feeders up and have been rewarded with a myriad of songs and tweets.  The woods are filled with them and with the sounds of so many, many woodpeckers, drumming away.  One is so fast and low, it sounds just like a cat purring.  The catbirds are crying, too and I am often running to see what's up.  Just a bird.  Our lone turkey is moving further afield and getting closer to the big flock - I hope he finds them.

Terraced vineyards just outside of the town of Forio, Ischia Island, Italy

Spring is Sprung, No Grass is Riz, But I Know Where the Birdies is!

I saw snowdrops blooming today!  And the "dawn chorus" of birds isdefinitely swelling.  My neighbor is planting peas tomorrow - he has real soil and the air temperatures have been in the 50s and 60s.  I am going to try some "Tom Thumb" peas in one of my containers, we have quite literally 3 inches of topsoil over gravel and I will try to plant perennials, but I am not doing a full fledged garden..  I guess we are having an early spring.

I got some Yunnans from Upton's and today's is their ZY47 China Yunnan Imperial Gen Ben Shi.  It is billed as a "classic" Yunnan.  The dry leaves are very crinkled, mostly black, with some gold buds.  It has a deep, nutty, woodsy smell, with a bit of roasted eggplant thrown in.  I brewed it for 5 minutes with boiling water, which yielded a very dark brown brew, which again smelled wonderfully nutty and toasty.

The tea has some spice in it, as well as the nuts and toasted/roastedness.  There is also a definite vegetal edge - almost an autumnal edge to it.  It is hearty, but delicate, you really have to close your eyes and concentrate on the subtle nuances.  This is a little difficult to do, as it is a very smooth tea.   It is only when I held the tea in my mouth for a bit that I noticed there was also a bit of astringency - just enough to be piquant.  An altogether very nice tea indeed.

My cousins are coming for a few days and I need to really scrub my house - one is quite allergic to cats and we have 4 of the little darlings.  Wouldn't you know that the kitties who never sleep in the guest room, have all gone in there to sleep all this week?  Cats, who can figure?

A very old church in Ravenna, Italy, which has the most creative parking I have ever seen.  If there is a space, no matter how small, use it and climb out the roof.  If not, park in the sidewalk.  Our hotel room, including the nightstands and all the doors was beautiful pink veined marble.  No window screens, but NO bugs.  Why are we so blessed with bugs?

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.

My Lovely Yunnan



Swiss valley and Mountains

 Ta Da!  I am back to tasting tea!  I've been longing for some new tea and finally feel like I have enough brain to give it the proper attention.

I was down in Owego this morning and while outwardly, much has returned to normal there are still many closed stores, a lot of stuff on the street sides to be taken away and lots of repair trucks of all sorts.

I got today's tea from Upton's before the flood.  It is their ZY84, Yunnan Rare Grade.  It has a lovely aroma in the packet, like fresh hay with a spicey twist.  The leaves are gold and green and brown, with lots of buds.

I brewed if for about 4 minutes and 15 seconds.  It gave off a complex aroma of roasted sweet corn, cocoa and earth.  The liquor is a nice bright brown.  The tea is somewhat sweet and slides down as smooth as silk.  It is hard to describe, as there are elements of spice and cocoa, but it seems as though there are other nuances as well, but they disappear before I can put a name to them.  I think I will just enjoy it.  It's not the absolute best I've had, I can only afford that once in a while, but it is a pleasant everyday Yunnan.

Testing the Waters

More bits of the 800AD church.

Aaah, a cool day. It is not even supposed to hit 80. My kind of summer day. I know I am in the minority, but there you have it. Morning was further enhanced by seeing a doe with her fawn, who is pretty well-grown by now, but still spotted. I have temporarily foiled them by tying plastic bags to my new plantings, which blow in the breeze and scare them. Putting up fencing is one of our next projects.

If you like reading tea blogs and wonder what ones are on line, go on over to http://www.teapages.blogspot.com/ . Katrina has a long list of them, just above her blog writing. She also has a book coming out this fall.

I have heard of mixing wine and tea and have had some myself, but tea and beer is a new one. The Stone Brewing Company from California has worked with some Japanese companies to produce Green Tea IPA (India Pale Ale). All proceeds will go to the Japanese Red Cross to support aid efforts of victims of the earthquake/tsunami. I am not much of a beer drinker, so I won't be reviewing this, but it is a nationally distributed company, so if one of you would like to do a guest blog about it, let me know and we'll arrange it.

Calling all West Coast tea people! There will be a tea festival in Los Angeles August 13-14, sponsored by the Japanese American Museum. For more information, go to http://www.teafestivalla.com/ .

Speaking of festivals, there just was one in Bratislava, Slovakia. Michal writes about it in http://poetryintea.blogspot.com/ . Lots of nice pictures, too.

I have 3 successful ice teas sitting in my fridge at the moment - Tie GuanYin from Dream About Tea, Hajua Sessa Assam from American Tea Room and that lovely Yunnan from Upton Tea I reviewed earlier this week, which is the least tasty - the cold seems to have eliminated the spice and sweetness.

My tea today is an experiment. If you remember, I had a very unhappy tea experience on vacation, trying to use bottled water for my tea. Today I got 2 kinds of water from the grocery store, Fiji, which was recommended in a tea magazine and Poland Spring, which is readily available everywhere in the Northeast. I am using Culinary Teas Lady Londonderry for the experimental tea, as I like it a lot and know what it tastes like. I brought both waters to a boil and brewed the tea for 3 minutes.

Wow, what a difference in color. The Poland Spring (PS) was a nice bright amber. The Fiji, a very dark brown, almost black. The taste was also heavy and dark and had a bit of tannin, it actually didn't taste much like Lady L, but was pretty flat - more like a not so hot teabag. The PS tea was lighter and more nuanced, much more true to the taste and aroma of this particular tea. I am going to try some others, just to make sure, but if PS works across the board, it will definitely be my tea traveling water. It is also much cheaper, which is an added plus. This was a blind test, so I wouldn't know which was which.

Yunnan Rules!

The back of a Swiss choir stall.


Steepster, that very good "peer review" tea site, has added some new things, as well as updating their site. One of the newest is "Steepster Select". For $19 a month, you will be sent 3 different teas to taste and review or at least, enjoy, along with appropriate tasting notes and some information about tea. From some of the "tea of the month" offerings I've seen, this is quite inexpensive. Go to http://www.steepster.com/ to check it out. The initial offering only has 100 spots, so you might want to hurry. I signed up and I'll let you know all about it.


It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. All the windows are open, the cats are running in and out, the sun is shining, back lighting the trees at the edge of the lawn. The chicory and golden rod are making a wonderful blue and yellow show, along with some milkweed and Joe Pye weed to add their pinks to the mix. In my garden, I am especially proud of my 7 inch yellow spider daylillies that look so good next to the maroon ones with yellow throats.


The tree people are here with their giant clawed machines, clearing away our 90 poor, dead and dying trees. My favorite tree is gone - it had a lovely configuration of branches. I'll miss it. I hope they take the one that is so cosily leaning against the sugar maple. Shade is a wonderful thing, welcome cooling in the summer's heat.


Have you noticed how many new tea books have been coming out? More than ten in the past year. Surely this is another indication that tea drinking is here to stay and on the upswing! Maybe even more civility in general life. We could all use some of that, and the time to slow down and appreciate the world around us, no matter how busy we are.


I just made German potato salad for our supper. it is from my friend Gerta, who would make 100 pounds of potatoes plus the other ingredients, for our church's strawberry festival. There was never any left. The recipe is for 5 pounds, but it is easily halved or doubled. If any of you want it, let me know, and I'll put it up here, it's easy and sooo good., but not for the super dieter.


Today I am having some more Upton's. It is ZY84, Yunnan Rare Grade. The sample is just enough for my 8 cup pot at 1.5 teaspoons at 212 degrees for 4-5 minutes. Oh my, the dry leaf smells so good, like a flowery, spicy meadow. There is a lot of gold dust from the abundance of fat yellow buds. The brewing aroma is spicy, with a honey twist to it and the tea in the cup - ambrosia! It is sweet, smooth, spicy, with a great hint of cocoa at the end. This is the best Yunnan I've had in a while and I will run right over to their site and buy me some more. Yunnan, as you may know, is one of my all time favorite teas and this one is super.

A Grace-Full Tea

In front of those gorgeous buttresses is a stone sarcophagus.

Our friend Marcel shared a "tea" recipe with me that I will share with you. There are no measurements, so a bit of trial and error will be needed, but it sounded delish! Make some strong chamomile "tea" and boil it down until it is very, very reduced. Combine this with a recipe of Creme Anglaise or Bavarian Cream and serve over fresh figs. Or one could make a tart with it. I am going to try it and see how it works. At least the cream part. We don't get fresh figs around here very often.


The grackles have brought their children to the feeders and the robin young are all over the lawn. The training of them to learn to eat on their own consists of example and a fine ignoring of their open mouths and loud demands. At least it is a bit gentler than bluebirds who give their young a sharp peck on the head as an inducement to independence. Our solitary turkey is also back. Very odd, as you always see them in flocks. We have one new fawn, although I haven't seen it. Most of the deer are not visiting us - they probably don't want to deal with the downed trees and the cacophony of the power saws. I must say I agree with them.


On vacation, I bought 4 teapots - I know, I should be ashamed. One was antique - the blue and white "Phoenix" pattern from China - a whole set for so cheap, you wouldn't believe. Another gently used, the replacement for the one I broke, and a new one by Bodum in bright purple. It comes in other cool colors like turquoise, red, yellow, and a funky green. It looks very modern - a straight glass cylinder with plastic fittings. The parts all fit together by means of nooks and crannies. You pop your tea into the infuser, add water and the lid and when the time is up push down the plunger as you do with all Bodum presses. The tea goes into the bottom of the infuser, which has no holes. You can find a picture on Amazon.com if you put in "Bodum tea press".

I am trying out this new toy with some tea from a new-to-me tea seller - Gay Grace Teas, http://www.gaygraceteas.com/ . It is run by a woman, in Natick MA, who decided to open a "MobileTea Shoppe" she takes to events. Apparently she has met with great success. It's nice to know that civility and grace are making inroads.

My selection for today is China Yunnan Black, which is my all time favorite, at the moment. In the packet the leaves smell fresh and vaguely spicey. They are on the small side, with an abundance of gold tips. Brewed they have that wonderful characteristic Yunnan aroma, earthy, spicey, with a touch of cocoa and fresh wash. The brew is very dark and deep looking. Oh my, this is nice tea. A good full mouth feel, quite earthy, but not a bit like Pu-erh. A touch of sassafrass, hints of spice. Altogether very, very tasty, worthy of favoritism. The Bodum did an excellent job.

Happy Mothers Day

All inlaid marble. Amazing craftsmenship. The Amalfi cathedral.


It was very foggy this morning. When the cats woke me up, you couldn't see our one puny tree in the yard. By 10, it had burned off. I'm not sure why we had it. It's sunny today, but, of course, it is supposed to rain later. In April we had 5 more inches than normal. That's a lot of water with no place to go.

I finally have put up my Christmas bird feeder. For a while I lost the directions and couldn't figure out how to hang it, but now it is open for business. The housefinches are checking it out. It is designed to keep out squirrels and big birds. Ooh, a rosebreasted grosbeak just landed on it. They are such lovely birds, black and white with a rosy bib. It's been joined by a tufted titmouse, a downy woodpecker and another finch and now a grackle. Lots of life.

For all your mothers, I hope you have a wonderful day.

Another tea today from Life in Teacup - Frosty Spring Yunnan Roast Green. As one might expect, this comes from Yunnan Province in Southwestern China. These teas all come from small harvests, carefully controlled and processed. I use Gingko's instructions and use water just off the boil for 1 minute or when most leaves sink to the bottom of the gaiwan, refilling for a second time when one third of the tea is left. These leaves are a grayish black and smells of popcorn or barley. When they are brewing, there is a scent of something like squash. The tea calls up a memory, but I cannot identify it. Perhaps the taste of something straw like. The second infusion is more woodsy smelling is ia now a pale yellow green, instead of pale yellow. The taste has moved into a more spring like vegetal greenishness. This tea is unusual in that it is both green and roasted, which is why I would it calls up things like popcorn and barley. Perhaps the woodsiness isa hint of its Yunnan origins. It is a very nice drinkable tea.

Peep, Peep, Peep

I wonder where this knight traveled - notice the monkey crouched at his feet. There aren't many monkeys in Germany.

Spring has had such a stop and start mentality this year. Just a small example - last night, for the first time, I heard the peepers calling for a mate - today it is snowing. If you don't know, peepers are tiny brown or green frogs that raise a racket competing for mates by calling for them. They are one of the true signs of early Spring

We went to get maple syrup from our friends, the Bakers. This is a good year for sap, as already they have 1,600 gallons done and the season is not over yet. Last year they only had 800 altogether.

Supercat Ernie very nearly caught one of the marauding squirrels, missing him by about 6 inches. If he had been a little more decisive, chomp - one less squirrel.


This is a great month, as the early teas are beginning to arrive. You might want to check with your preferred tea merchants to see what is coming in with them. Some of the Pre Qing Ming (before the Spring rains) are due the end of this week. Even some of the lovely Yunnan buds are due the middle of the month. Prices should be fairly decent, as China has had good weather in its tea-growing areas.

I have some tea I just got from the Tea Trekker that is last year's Yunnan Golden Tips, Dian Hong. Now remember last year, a lot of Yunnan had weather problems, so it is different from this years. The dry leaves were a surprise, as they were smaller and greener than I am used to seeing in Yunnans. However, they did have a characteristic smell. The aroma of the brewing tea was very soft and smelled of old wood, with a touch of spice. The brewed cup was quite different from the Yunnans that I have had, in that it almost tasted like those plain English biscuits. There was the barest hint of any spice, but a bit of nuttiness. Altogether it was a very gentle, soothing cup. I am really eager to see what this years will taste like.

New Yunnans

More detail on yesterday's tomb.




Y'all know I really love Yunnan teas. To me they are unique and I have been waiting for this year's crop to arrive. I ordered a few from Uptons Teas and today I am trying their Huang Jin Yunnan. The long twisted leaves are a greeny brown with a goodly portion of silvery buds.
The aroma is that of a floral spice, with some cotton candy thrown in for good measure.

I brewed it up with boiling water for 5 minutes! Yikes, but those were the directions. It gave off a lovely scent of old wood and chocolate. I had high hopes for the taste. Sadly, this was not to be. There was some definite spice and a bit of chocolate, but it was overshadowed by the bitterness of too long a brew. I put some half and half in and that made a huge difference to the good, as it smoothed away the edges. Then I brewed some for only 4 minutes and it was a great improvement, as I could better taste the spice and chocolate and that indefinable something that says "Yunnan" to me. However, this too was improved with the addition of a bit of cream.

I have to note that 2 days ago, when I had no time or inclination to think about tea tasting, just time to enjoy tea, I brewed some of this for my usual 3.5 minutes and my memory is that it was so wonderful, even my husband commented on how good it was. So, I am going to take my own advice and do it 3.5 minutes in the future.

This illustrates something we need to be aware of when having tea - finding the one that suits you. Individual taste is unique to each of us. The folks who reccommend a certain temperature or length of brew may only be giving you a broad outline, however skilled they are in tea brewing. Often you can find someone equally skilled who disagrees completely. Case in point - most people say you should brew Oolong with water at 185 degrees and put a lid n your pot. Gingko Seto says to use boiling water and leave the pot uncovered. Who is right? Both work. You need to experiment for yourself and see what suits you the best.

I do reccommend that your first cup of a new tea should follow the merchant's suggestion, or go with what is generally suggested for a certain typeof tea and then play with it until you like it. Again, you need to bear in mind that merchants and their staff are people, too andtheir suggestions come from their tastes, which may not be yours.

Tomorrow will be my last post until next Monday. We are going to visit friends on our way to a family wedding. The men will all be in kilts, the women in clan dress of some sort, there will be a piper and this all will be in the Adirondak Mountains of New York amidst beautiful fall color. Such fun!

Early or Late, it's Spring

More of those snazzy swords. The schloss museum had armor from the same period [around 1500] in another room and man, they were short people! The swords must have been 2 feet taller. I guess they would have been used on horse back.


I'm back in business. I got a filter that works and uses my old filter pods. I tried it last night with some decaf Red Rose and wasn't too thrilled – it's the teabags, I think, although as a pot, not a cup, it's not too awful.


Today, however, I am trying Life in Teacup's Frosty Spring Yunnan Roast Green, that was picked in January of this year. The dry leaves are very pretty, a mix of almost black, green and pale tan. Most of them are quite large and they smell like cut alfalfa that has just begun to dry or maybe somewhat dry lawn grass. The brewing leaves almost immediately sink to the bottom of the pot and very slowly unfurl. The scent is kind of odd, smelling very vegetal, but also meaty and the liquid is a very attractive pale green, with a slight lemon tinge. I did two infusions, both about 2 minutes at about 175. The second is darker and more yellow, and the leaves are all unfurled. I should have read the directions on the site, as I used too cool water for too long. So I'll do it tomorrow or Monday the way Gingko recommends.


In spite of that, I find this to be a pleasant tea. I can't pinpoint its taste, as it seems to change with every sip. It seems like a hearty tea, in spite of its delicate color. As it cools, it smells a tad flowery, although it is vegetal all the way. Now, which veggie? I am leaning toward roasted asparagus, but I'm not sure.


The second infusion is much lighter in taste, but also clearer. It just tastes of fresh green spring. I think I prefer it. Whatever, the next infusions, done “correctly”, will be the real test.

I was really pleased by the teas I ordered from Life in Teacup. For one, you can order in small amounts of 1 or 2 ounces. Secondly, they are not too expensive. They come in those handy metallic resealable pouches and lastly, but not leastly, she sent a number of free samples. You might want to check it out at www.lifeinteacup.com