Spring In My Cup

One of my favorite places - a monastery in Sorrento, Italy.  The pillars are all reclaimed from other monasteries that closed, some are quite ancient.

Yesterday was a beautiful day in every way.  Some good friends called and wanted to play hooky - of course we would join them.  Downtown Owego was having a "Grand Reopening" of all the stores that are able to and there were sales and music and jugglers, cats and dogs all prettified and the streets crowded with shoppers, not repair trucks.  The shop keepers looked worn, but happy to be functional again and people, including me, were buying presents and other stuff.  It is wonderful to have our town coming back.  There were also a raft of benefits for various churches, the theater, etc. who still need renovation.  The sun shone on a happy day. I noticed in our very local paper, that the Briar Patch, home of some very nice teas, has also re-opened, sadly not here, but she is open and for that, I am thankful

Speaking of tea, Tea Sommelier Cynthia Gold has received a top award from the organization of Women Chefs and Resterauteurs for "Women Who Inspire"  Cynthia has written a cookbook using tea, developed a tea program at one of Boston's big hotels and teaches about tea extensively at culinary schools and conferences.  She was thrilled to receive this award, which usually goes to women in the wine industry.  She feels this is a recognition that tea has come of age in the food and drink world, receiving the recognition we know it deserves.  I am impressed and excited and I hope you are, too.

Alex Zorach has made major changes to his website over at http://ratetea.net/.  You might want to go over there and check it out.  This is a really good site and if you haven't checked it out, go and read up on your favorite teas.

Oops - I described yesterday's tea as green, but it really is an Oolong.  I shouldn't make assumptions.

On tap for today is Serendipitea's Forever Spring Oolong.  These tightly wrapped little green pellets give off an orchid aroma, crossed with a whiff of white kindergarten paste, so I know right away this will be a comforting tea. lol  It is from the Song Bo region of  Nantou, Taiwan, where it is harvested on a nearly year-round basis.  I brewed it with water about 190 degrees for about 2 minutes.  As it brews a more lilac aroma comes out.  This is one of those teas you should use a glass container to brew in - it really is fun to watch these little pebbles stretch and unfold into long stems and leaves.  You find yourself unable tobelieve such big leaves could ever be rolled into such tiny-ness.

The liqueur is a very pretty pale yellow green and after 2 minutes the leaves are not yet fully unfurled.  Oh gosh, I'll have to do a second brew!  The first is a lovely delicate sip, but no clear flavors discovered yet.  I think I will let it cool a bit.  Hmm, that is worth it.  It is subtle tea, honey like with a bit of an astringency, like you might get from eating fresh pineapple.  I think there is definitely some lilac flavor there as well.  The orchid seems to have disappeared.  It is one of those teas that keeps beckoning you onward, to have more and more, as each sip seems to be a bit different from the last.

The second cup has brewed for 2.5 minutes and is a pure, clear, light green, with a faint orchid scent, combined with a plain steamy one, which I can't describe.  There might also bee the barest hint of rose on the far edges.  It is a subtler, more orchid rendition of the first cup, and like it, it calls you onward to have more and more.  So I am going to leave you all and go indulge myself.  If you would like to, go to http://www.serendipitea.com/ and get some, it's worth it.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

I still can't taste things too well, so I will share some tea news with you and maybe a tea review I have on file. The first piece of news is the good folks at Golden Moon Teas http://www.goldenmoontea.com/ have offered me some samples to review. I am thrilled, as I am beginning to really appreciate Oolongs, after some unpleasant experiences. Also, almost all of the reviews I have read about their teas have been positive. I think black tea will always have a special place in my heart, but the world of tea is so wide!

SerendipiTEA is re-publishing their book SerendipiTEA: the Varieties, Origins and Rituals of Tea , written by the company's co-founder Tomislav Podreka. I remember reading this when it was first published and it is a well-written, worthwhile book. It is being published by the Old English Tea House and will sell for $16. I couldn't find the company on line, but I did find the old edition at Amazon. So it is perhaps not out just yet.

If you are a big fan of teapots, you should check out the blog http://teapotsteapotsteapots.blogspot.com/ . Some of the most unusual ones I have ever seen can be found there. My two biggest questions are: Can they pour? And do they drip? I ask these from the perspective of much sad experience. I recently bought a very pretty teapot I hoped to be my new everyday large pot, but you could only fill it half-way or it would cascade all over everything! I have a number of pots that are lovely, pour well, but alas they drip all over! I do have some drip catchers, but after a while, they look rather disgusting. Why can't manufacturers make dripless pots? It is possible, I have the pots to prove it.

I am hoping for a teapot with violets on it for Christmas. I have managed to acquire 4 different violet cups and saucers and I would like a teapot to go with them. None of them match, so the pot doesn't need to either. My favorite is a handleless one, which in spite of not having a handle, doesn't seem to be that old. I was very fortunate that several years ago a friend was moving and gave me a large portion of her teacup collection. My favorites are ways the ones that feel so extra smooth. I am not sure why, but the china feels like satin against my skin. We are on a kick of “lightening our load” so some of the ones that are not particular favorites will probably go.