Tang, Song, or Ming - Prep Your Tea in Dynasty Style

The way we prepare a cup of tea has evolved over the centuries according to the style of the times.  Professor Tadahiko Tadahashi of Tokyo Gakugei University teaches that there are three distinct trends in the early development of Chinese tea preparation. Here’s what I learned from his lecture at the 2013 Ocha Zanmai Conference on Chanoyu and Tea Cultures held at San Francisco State University.

In the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD), the style was to boil tea. The Tang era is when tea came into its own as a cultural tradition in China and when Lu Yu wrote, circa 760 AD, the book “The Classic of Tea” 茶经, the first book ever about tea.  Yu detailed the Tang dynasty method of preparing tea. The style was to grind a dry tea cake into a powder and boil it in salted water.  The tea preparer carefully watched the size of the bubbles to know when to add the salt, when to stir, and when to add a reserve cup of cool water to bring down the temperature.  The preferred tea color was green, hence the teacups were made green to augment the liquid color.



Photo credit: Mason Bryant

In the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD), the style was to whip the tea.  The 1049 AD book “The Record of Tea” 茶录 by Cai Xiang describes the technique.  Tea preparers ground a compressed tea brick into a fine powder, mixed the powder with hot water and then whipped it with a whisk to get a frothy consistency.  The ideal color of froth was white and they liked to serve it in dark teacups to bring out the contrast.  They created artistic patterns in the froth just like the lattes served in coffee shops today.  This frothy whipped drink was the precursor to the matcha tea so popular in Japan today.




Photo credit: Miya

In the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD), the style was to steep the tea and strain it.  In this period, the Chinese moved towards the use of the whole leaf tea as opposed to ground powder from compressed cakes.  The tea was prepared by pouring hot water over the leaves.  The Chinese took more pleasure in the variations in the color of the tea liquid than in the past. White teacups were used to better view the subtle color variations.  Towards the end of the Ming dynasty, Europeans discovered Chinese tea, adopted the Ming style of preparation and adapted it to their own pleasures.  Now you know why white colored porcelain cups are popular at British tea service!

Tennis Champion Serves Up Tea

When I was a teenager, I worked at an exclusive golf / tennis club. The tennis ladies always drank tea after their tennis games. They never guzzled it like a Gatorade power drink and ran back to the courts. Rather, they would relax, sip tea and socialize.

Author:  robbiesaurus , license:  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike

For tennis champion and tea lover Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan, tea is more than a social drink. At 43 years old, Kimiko is the oldest player in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). The majority of her competitors are half her age, the second oldest WTA competitor being Venus Williams, who is 10 years younger than Kimiko.[1] After winning over 200 tournament matches, the Japan Open four times, and WTA ranking of number 4 in the world, Kimiko retired in 1996. She announced her comeback in 2008 and has since become the fifth-oldest player ever to win a Grand Slam singles match, the oldest player to beat a top-10 opponent and the second oldest to win a WTA Tour title.[2]

What is the secret behind Kimiko’s longevity? In regards to her diet, Kimiko says she drinks a lot of tea.[3] “I like Chinese tea. Sometimes Japanese tea. I drink a lot.” When asked about her tea consumption during an interview at the Wimbledon this year, she pulled a tea pot out of her bag and stated “always I carry it.” Laughing, she explained that she doesn’t carry the tea pot onto the court because it’s “too hot.”[4]

Author:  brez66, license:  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike

Can tea really help keep you in prime physical shape? Well, tea is reputed to have health benefits. The antioxidant polyphenols in tea have been linked with anti-cancer activity. Certain teas -- like green tea -- are also believed to have benefits for the heart. According to the Mayo Clinic, a renowned non-profit medical research group, modern science has confirmed potential health benefits of tea for fighting problems such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, and even cavities.[5] So whether it’s for health or pleasure, it’s always a good idea to serve tea.


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  [1]Life Begins at 43 for Tennis Star, Mailonline, October 9, 2013, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2450755/Laura-Robson-beaten-older-Kimiko-Date-Krumm.html
[2]Tea Time for Golden Oldie …, Mailonline, June 15, 2013 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2348352/Wimbledon-2013-Kimiko-Date-Krumm-tea-lover--beats-Carina-Witthoft-just-44-minutes.html
[3]Tennis: Chinese Tea Fan … Global Post, June 25, 2013 http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130625/tennis-chinese-tea-fan-kimiko-tells-japans-flops-buck
[4]ASAP Sports Interview at Wimbledon, June 25, 2013 http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=90403
[5]Tea: Enjoy a Cup for Health and Pleasure, November 10, 2010, Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2010-mchi/6046.html

David’s Tea

I just had a David'sTea experience!  I’d been hearing about this Canadian tea company for a while and I’ve even passed it a few times in the mall.  I had been pretty disdainful about going in because I suspected it was something of an irreverent fast food nation version of a tea shop.  David’s is a retail store selling only dry leaf tea and it is a fast growing chain from Canada with about 100 stores there and over 10 stores in the U.S. so far, in California, Massachusetts, New York , Connecticut and Illinois.[1] The company was founded in 2008 by a 28 year old tea lover and his business retailer cousin.[2]

David’s tea is tea shop with white and blue decor and brightly lit display shelves.  This and even the unusual names of their teas seemed a little odd to me.  But it happened that I was passing by the store and the staff handed me a sample.  I tasted it and it wasn't bad at all, not at all. Then what really caught my attention was their Red Velvet which I saw in an open container someone next to me was smelling.  I took a smell, too.  It reminded me of a birthday party.  So I spoke to the sales clerk a little and she asked me about what teas I liked.  I was still skeptical as I was telling her about my favorites.  She brought out a few different dry leaf mixes in tins for me to sniff.  I was impressed that a pretty high percentage of what they have is organic.  The tea mixes also smelled good.

Actually, they smelled sooo good I kind of got carried away with smelling different mixes.  They had the Red Velvet which smells like cake; they had a Pumpkin Chai; they had a Very Berry that had dried super berries in it; they had a roibus; they had a yuerba mate with chocolate in it; they had another flavor that had tiny balls of sugar that looked like gold but dissolved in water.  What a surprising number of creative ideas!

The Cream of Earl Grey, which is heavy on the bergomat and with essence of vanilla, caught my fancy.  I was sold…I couldn't resist buying.  My tea was packed for me in a little plastic satchel.   I think what really reels people in is you can buy any amount you want.  It’s sold as loose tea by the weight, not in tea bags.  I just bought a small amount which I'm going to have at breakfast.  I can tell already I'll be won over… we'll see how it goes in the morning.

…time passes…

It’s now the morning and I’m ready to report my findings.  The Cream of Earl Grey had layers of flavors and was more sweet than I’d expected.  It had a long lingering after taste.  Maybe a little too much personality for a morning wake-me-up, my more meditative, introspective moment.  It seems perfect, though, for a more social time, like after a lunch with friends or a celebration.  With so many tea options, David’s Tea just may have a flavor for every occasion.

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[1] http://www.davidstea.com/store-locator

[2] https://www.davidstea.com/about-us

Tea in a Genie Bottle

I always imagined that a genie lived in comfort with plush pillows, vibrant colors, ornate patterns, and warm lighting. My tea experience at SiTea was like having tea in the intimate and relaxing ambiance of a genie bottle. SiTea is a spice boutique and a vegetarian and vegan tea cafe in Takoma Park, a town on the border of the U.S. Capitol and the state of Maryland.

SiTea is a true tea lounge, a place where I wanted to spend hours just sipping my tea and indulging. SiTea smelled of exotic spiced tea and the décor was just as exotic. The ambiance is designed to whisk the customers away to a realm of imagination or maybe the days of ancient royalty in Eastern countries. Rich soothing colors of gold and eggplant adorned the walls. The lounge was filled with a pleasing plethora of colors in the carpets, tapestries, drapes and even in the large bouquet of roses that were peach, purple, yellow, red and white. There were intricately carved teak wood sofas, chairs and panels and alluring stone Hindu statutes. There were lavish ottomans and stuffed cushions with playful patterns and textures, including faux leopard skin. Music of beloved classic jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong played softly in the background adding to the soothing mix of colors, smells, sounds and sensations.

And the tea service! Our tea was beautifully presented on a wooden tray in gorgeous cast iron tea kettles, each warmed by matching small cast iron burners containing tea light candles. Delicate small tea cups in shining white porcelain were arranged on the tea tray along with our food order of vegetable samosas (stuffed pastry snack from India) and a potato curry soup. I had the house recommended tea of the day, almond milk chai. The tea and food were delicious. While there was ample seating, there was a noticeable lack of tables and our order was served on an ottoman.

SiTea sells its own blend of dry loose leaf teas that its customers can take home. SiTea loose leaf blends to watch out for include “Sweet Georgia Brown,” which is peach-ginger black tea, and “Idris,” which is chocolate chai tea.  The cast iron kettles and burners are sold along with other tea accessories and seasonings inspired by Middle East and the Caribbean.

Whimsical Tea at T-We Tea

Have you ever had a tea cocktail?  The night I stopped by T-We Tea for its monthly after-work happy hour, I had an iced tea called “Scandalous Manfriend” mixed with actual moonshine liquor. [1]  This blend of darjeeling, spearmint and peppercorn combined with moonshine, made the best iced tea I’ve ever had.  Scandalous indeed!

It was just a week ago that I came across T-We Tea, a small startup business in downtown San Francisco, created by tea specialist Christopher Coccagna.  Coccagna is a self described “TEA Gentlemen,” according to his website, whose goal is to bring “charm and whimsy into this world one pot at a time.” [2]   He does that at T-We Tea creating small batch hand blended tea mixes.

T-We Tea’s blends are as unique as the names - Oolong Rouge, Hipsters in Wonderland, Flailing Princess, Cuddle Bug. I bought a few to try at home and they tasted great.  They included surprising ingredients like carrot chips and even coconut.  I found the flavors complemented the tea, not overwhelmed it.  At the shop in the center of the space is an interactive display…no, not digital!  It’s where customers can browse samples of the product to see what the blends look like and smell them, too.  There’s no seating as the product is sold as dry blends for use at home.

T-We Tea stands out for its ability to share a sense of adventure.  Playful names, unique and tastey teas, and yummy cocktails at an after-work tea social…I was charmed.
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[1] Legal nowadays and also known as un-aged white whiskey.
[2] www.christopherstea.com

Chai Wallah: Coming Soon to a City Near You

Photo credit: Arian Zwegers

In India, chai wallahs are everywhere.  Chai is the word for tea in Hindi and a wallah is the person who makes or sells it.  In busy cities like Delhi, chai wallahs call out, “chai! chai!” and sell tea in their make shift cafes at markets, train depos, bus stops, and street corners.  Ritwik Deo, writer for the New Statesman, describes the chai wallah phenomenon, ”The tea-boy (chai wallah) is to Delhi what the cab-driver is to New York.”[1]

Photo credit: Pratheeps

The chai wallah meets the enormous demand for India’s favorite beverage – spiced tea with milk, known in the west simply as “chai.”  Spiced chai is primarily made with black tea, strong spices, and sugar mixed in milk.  Flavors vary but one of the most traditional and well known outside of India is masala chai.  Here in the U.S., when people use the word chai without specifying a flavor, they are usually referring to masala chai.  Masala chai can include spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorns or cloves, although recipes vary regionally, kitchen to kitchen, and even wallah to wallah.

Will chai wallahs set up shop here in the U.S. to meet the U.S.'s growing demand for tea?  I found these chai wallahs selling in the streets of San Francisco.  The Chai Cart began to sell cups of chai from a bicycle trailer in 2009.  It's about time!

 

 

[1] New Statesman, November 28, 2012 - http://www.newstatesman.com/world-affairs/2012/11/things-are-different-india-starbucks-vs-chai-wallah

Precision Tea Steeping in Indianapolis

“This is your kind of place,” my husband said, “the tea list is longer than the food menu.”  While visiting Indianapolis for a wedding, we had a cup a tea at Tulip Noir, a breakfast and lunch café that Indianapolis's Examiner dubbed an “Indianapolis Tea Temple”[1] and that Indianapolis's Metromix rated as a best brunch spot.[2]

 

For me, it’s not Tulip Noir’s over 70 varieties of tea that makes it stand out. It’s not their creative blends like “I Dream of Maui” - a green tea with pineapple, mango and blue corn flower or “Almond Oolong” - an oolong with a taste of almonds, or even their “Sweet Peach” - a white tea with a crisp peach flavor. It’s not even its organic, gluten free, vegan and allergy-friendly food and beverages. It’s Tulip Noir’s precision in the steeping time of its teas that sets Tulip Noir apart. I simply had never seen a tea establishment give customers timers with their teas.

 
When you order tea at Tulip Noir in Indianapolis, you are never left to wonder when the brewing of your tea is done. Each tea order comes with its own hour glass timer matched to the ideal steeping time for the ordered tea. What makes the perfect cup of tea, according to Tulip Noir, is not just the quality of the tea leaves, but the timing of the leaf brewing process. This is why each customer is armed with a timer and the recommended steeping time for their particular tea.
 
My order of loose leaf black tea (a mix of caramel and lavender, called “Serenity”) arrived at my table in its own clear glass steeping cup along with a 5 minute hour glass timer. I could see the hot water and the tea leaves through the clear glass. “When the timer runs out,” the waitress told me, “your tea is ready.” Among the tables, I could see other tea drinkers had 3, 5, or 7 minute hour glass timers at the ready.
 
I was mesmerized by the steeping, I could smell the tea flavor strengthening and watch the color of the hot water gradually deepen into a beautiful coppery brown. When the last few grains of sand fell to the bottom of the hour glass, it was time to remove the strainer – this did prove to be a bit messy. But it was worth it to savor the steeping as well as the taste of the tea at its optimal flavor. Shouldn’t we all have hour glasses?
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[1] September 12, 2010, http://www.examiner.com/article/the-tulip-noir-an-indianapolis-tea-temple

[2] September 12, 2010, http://www.examiner.com/article/the-tulip-noir-an-indianapolis-tea-temple

Tea History Documentary on the BBC

Click image to see a preview.

English comedian Victoria Wood presents a two part documentary about the history of tea. In Victoria Wood's Nice Cup of Tea, Wood travels the world to explore Britain's love affair with tea. She visits chai wallahs, opium smokers, Assam tea pickers and grumpy elephants, and explains how the little exotic tea leaf both united east and west and triggered wars.

This entertaining documentary aired on the BBC in April 2013.  It provides a good deal of insight into the question: just how did tea from China become England's national beverage?

Some Like it Hot

We brew (a.k.a. steep) our dry tea leaves in water to bring out flavor and create the drink we like.  If the water is too hot, the tea will taste bitter; if too cool, the tea flavor won't fully come out.  Yet, the ideal water temperature for one type of tea is not necessarily the same as for another type of tea. There are different water temperatures that work for different teas.  How do you know what temperature to use if there is no suggested temperature when you purchase?  As a general rule of thumb, green teas do well in 150 to 175°F (about 65 to 80°C), oolong teas do well in 195 to 205°F (90 to 95°C), black teas and tisanes do well in 212°F (100°C).  But how do you know what temperature your water is?

The traditional Chinese method is one answer.  For hundreds of years the Chinese have used a technique for estimating water temperature based on visual cues in the water such as air bubble size and water convection.  This technique was documented in the famous 1049 AD treatise on tea known as The Record of Tea (茶录), which was written by Cai Xiang, a Song Dynasty politician, calligrapher, and tea connoisseur.  The visual cues for identifying water temperature are as follows:

虾眼 Shrimp Eyes - 155° to 176°F (70° to 80°C)

蟹眼 Crab Eyes - 176° to 185°F (80° to 85°C)

鱼眼 Fish Eyes - 185° to 194°F (85° to 90°C)

珍珠绳 Rope of Pearls - 195° to 205°F (90° to 95°C )



騰波鼓浪 Raging Torrent - 212°F (100°C)

These days, thermometers are easy to come by and getting the water to the right temperature is simple.  There are even electric tea kettles that will bring the water to the precise pre-determined temperature.[1]  Whether by electric kettle or simply Cai Xiang’s observations, the right temperature brings out the best characteristics of the tea.
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[1] Breville, Fetco, Bonavita, et al.