I have always enjoyed a nice, hot cup of tea. Ever since I was little and wanted to be more grown up than siblings and cousins, giving up the customary mug of milo (hot chocolate) in favour of the slightly bitter tasting tea. It wasn’t easy to give up the sweet, milky drink though and for a long time my tea always had lots of milk and sugar in it. Until the day when I decided to wean myself off the milk and sugar side. It wasn’t until then that I developed a true appreciation for the delicate flavours of tea.
Tea is an infusion made by steeping processed leaves, buds, or twigs of the tea bush, Camellia sinensis, in hot water for several minutes. The processing can include oxidation, heating, drying, and the addition of other herbs, flowers, spices, and fruits. The four basic types of true tea are black tea, oolong tea, green tea, and white tea. The term “herbal tea” usually refers to infusions or tisane of fruit or herbs that contain no Camellia sinensis.
Over the last few years or so that appreciation for tea increased as I broadened my tea horizons and began tasting new types of tea, both “true tea” and “herbal tea”. Although I will confess true tea is what I prefer. In recent months this appreciation has been slowly bordering on a passion. Almost an obsession. Currently my favourite teas are green tea, infused with the flavours of mango (so hard to find!), Chai tea, a spiced tea made by brewing tea with a mixture of aromatic spices, and my Dragon Pearls, a white tea. Possibly of the three, the Dragon Pearls is the most enjoyable to drink as the tea leaves have not been ground up. Instead, two-three small tightly rolled balls made from the leaf buds themselves are placed in the drink and they slowly unfurl.
I’ve even tried the blooming teas, or flowering tea. An artistic form of tea wherein hand sewn balls of tea open and unfurl in the hot water to form a floral display. They’re expensive however, and not something I do often.
So today, for no real reason other than I was thinking about a nice hot cup of tea at the time, I googled tea. After some time spent browsing through the wikipedia articles on the subject an email arrived in my inbox from Notebook; a magazine I’ve recently begun reading and acquired a subscription to. Imagine my surprise upon opening it and quickly skimming through for articles that might be of immediate interest to find an article on tea. Not only that, but the editor had decided to dig out an article from last year on the subject and direct readers towards it. Finding the coincidence somewhat surprising, I eagerly devoured the article.
And now find myself feeling a desire to spread my wings further into the subject of tea. Now I have a desire to study it, to learn all that I can about it and the art of drinking tea, to immerse myself in the culture surrounding it. And much culture there is to be had! Just this morning I’ve been reading about the Japanese Tea Ceremony (soon to begin on the Korean Tea Ceremony); known as chanoyu (茶の湯 “tea hot water”) or chadō/sadō (茶道 “the way of tea”) and found myself with an aching desire to learn more. I’m completely and utterly fascinated!
I want to learn, I want to study, I want to practise… I’ve developed a passion for something, and I’ve never felt so alive. Maybe I’ve finally found something I’m truly interested in, rather than it being a topic I dabble in and know some, but not a lot about. Right now the desire to learn is overwhelming me, and I almost feel a little silly for getting so excited over something like tea! Of all things!
*takes a deep breath*
Right, peace… I’m going to go brew myself a cup of tea, possibly Dragon Pearls this time, and contemplate life, peace, dreams… whatever comes to mind… as I gaze into the depths of the cup. Immerse myself in tea, and the company of my thoughts.
And then? Then I shall study. And provide the result of my study for people to read. Yes. This sounds good.
Edit Below
