March 4th, 2010
Many people, excited about their new-found passion for tea, are on the look out for comprehensive guides and reference material — some of them just want to understand the stories behind this ancient and wonderful beverage. If you’re the type that needs a book to sit down with and digest the material, then look no further. And let’s be frank, books can be really handy when it comes to tea. There’s just so much material that getting a truly comprehensive grasp of the subject online is very challenging. Below are my top 5 picks for essential tea reading material, from culture to connesseurs:
img via rogue drone
Tags: the chado of tea, the classic of tea, the harney and sons' guide to tea, the new tea companion
Posted in Resources | No Comments »
February 12th, 2010
Sjschen at Wikipedia created this great visual illustrating how the different tea variations are processed from start to finish — click to enlarge:
Tags: black tea, green tea, oolong tea, oxidation, processing, white tea, wilting, yellow tea
Posted in Varieties | No Comments »
February 2nd, 2010
Situated on the southeast coast of China, the Fujian province is an ancient land with a rich history. Fujian is a mountainous country, but due to it’s coastal proximity it’s also a country overflowing with lush vegetation (i.e. tea). In fact, the English word for tea is borrowed from the Min Nang language, a Chinese dialect spoken in Fujian.
The mountains in the northwest have historically served to isolate Fujian — lowering the population density and slowing the economic growth of the province. However, it would appear that the slow growth gave Fujians the opportunity to do more thinking and tea-growing than most. In the Chinese Academy of Science and the Chinese Academy of Engineering there are more students from Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian, than from any other city, and a number of noteworthy Chinese scholars and philosophers called Fujian home including: Zhen Qiao, Lin Zexu, Yan Fu, Lin Yutang, Zheng Zhendou, and Go Seigen — reputed to be the best Go player of all time.
In addition to birthing these legends, Fujian is also the origin of Oolong tea and was a leading pioneer in all other varities, except green. Notable Fujian specialties include Lapsang Souchong and white tea.
Where does your tea come from? There are many things that go into a good cup of tea, but being grown and harvested in Fujian is a good start. When you buy Fujian tea from Teaflection you can enjoy your cup knowing that it’s been steeped in the rich history of this amazing province.
image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/fonzhou/3852618428/
Tags: China, fujian, lapsang souchong, oolong, tea, white tea
Posted in Geography, Origins | No Comments »
January 15th, 2010
Tea is a world-wide drink, but in the West no country’s society has been more deeply permeated by the leaves of Camellia Senensis than Britain. In fact, the Brits have quite a tale to tell when it comes to what they went through to get their hands on a hot cup of tea.
In the early stages of Britain’s romance with tea, you might say they were having a bit of a struggle winning over the legal guardians — a.k.a. the Chinese. They tried trading average goods, but China wasn’t interested. They tried trading silver bullion, but that was an economical blunder. They tried trading opium (which was illegal in China) and did fairly well.
But the real breakthrough was made by the British East India Trading Company, with the assistance of the Scottish botanist Robert Fortune. Instead of trading for tea, Fortune went deep into China (deeper than was legal by Chinese law) and stole tea plants. He brought the plants to India and started what would eventually mature into a plethora of Indian tea plantations, giving the British easier access to what had transformed from a drink of the aristocracy to a national beverage.
So, the question is: does this story surprise you? If sneaking, stealing, and conniving all seem like perfectly reasonable options for getting a cup of tea in a bind, well, you’re in good company.
Welcome to the Teaflection blog, a little lounge of ours where we’ll discuss taste, history, origins, mythology, health, and varieties of tea.
image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/andreasnilsson1976/1479948874/
Tags: Britain, China, opium, Robert Fortune, tea
Posted in History | 1 Comment »
