Fame and the 700 Year Old Tea Jar

The "Chigusa", Antique Tea Jar

How did this modest jar get bestowed a name and why is it so famous that it has its own exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.?  Tea is the answer. 

On display at the Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Art, is a 700 year old tea jar named the Chigusa.  I went to its exhibit, the “Chigusa and the Art of Tea,” which is showing in the Sackler Gallery of Art through July 2014.  This big brown ceramic jar (16.5 inches tall) with no extraordinary decorative design or etchings was created in China as a mere storage jar during the Southern Song or Yuan dynasty, 1260 -1368.  [1] 

The jar was shipped to Japan where tea masters used it to hold loose leaf tea.  In Japan, the Chigusa held precious Tencha (sweet or new leaf tea) used for making matcha during the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The tea ceremony in ancient times was reserved for royalty, high Samurai, visiting dignitaries, and influential tea merchants.  [2]  This humble tea jar rose to become one of the most revered objects of Japan’s chanoyu (art of tea) culture. 

We know this because not only did Japanese tea masters keep tea diaries detailing every aspect of their tea ceremonies, including centerpieces, flooring and the jars that held their tea, they named their tea pieces.  The first record of the Chigusa is in a 1586 diary.  Since then, records show that the Chigusa’s “surface has been admired and caressed by a who's who of Japan's cultural giants from the 16th century forward,” said James Ulak, deputy director of the Freer and Arthur M. Sackler galleries.  [3]  

By virtue of the tea fans who have used it, seen it and written about it over the centuries, the Chigusa has become in essence a celebrity tea jar.  If I name my own personal tea box and blog about it, will my box be as famous as the Chigusa in 700 years?  Here’s a photo of it…its name is Joey.

"Joey" the Tea Box

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[1]  .http://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2014/02/20/chigusa-art-of-tea-sackler-gallery/

[2]  http://www.domatcha.com/news/northamerica/Smithsonian%20Press%20Release.pdf 

[3]  http://www.asia.si.edu/press/past/prTea

Green Tea Ice Cream ... Sam I Am

Green Tea Ice Cream

It ain’t easy being green, if you’re ice cream in the U.S.  In most American supermarkets, you’ll find that ice cream doesn’t tend to be green.  I decided to do a little test – and ask a few Americans if they could name me just one green ice cream.  Silence for a long time usually occurred and people thought long and hard.  Then the only one they could name (if any at all) was chocolate chip mint ice cream.  But even that isn't completely green – it’s green and brown.  (I bet some seniors may think of pistachio ice cream, my grandma liked that one.)  



Posters in Scoop Shack. Edgartown, MA

Green tea ice cream is green in color and is made from matcha, the Japanese ceremonial green tea powder.  While this flavor is extremely popular in Japan and other East Asian nations, the color green in an ice cream, however, does not appeal to everyone.  My husband, for example, when asked exclaimed “Yuck! That’s a crazy flavor.”  “But you’ve had green tea”, I replied, “and you liked it, why not green tea ice cream?  “No way! I don’t like green ice cream, Sam I am.”  Despite the lesson to be learned from Dr. Zeus’s Green Eggs and Ham, I am unable to get my husband to try green tea ice cream, neither here nor there, not anywhere.

Scoop Shack, Edgartown MA

Despite the color, I’ve noticed two indicators that green tea ice cream has made some head way in the U.S. market in recent years.  For one, as of 1996, one of the most popular ice cream companies – Haagen-Dazs – started selling green tea ice cream in the U.S..[1]  None of the other top U.S. ice cream sellers make green tea ice cream.[2]  
 
Secondly, I recently found home-made green tea ice cream selling in the Scoop Shack, a Mom and Pop ice cream shop in a small town in New England.  Mom and Pop shops tend to sell only the most popular flavors.

I’ve visited plenty of U.S. ice cream parlors, particularly in the summers, every year of my life and have never seen green tea ice cream sold in them before.  In Edgartown, Massachusetts, the Scoop Shack makes ice cream daily.  They currently make and sell green tea ice cream with mint and honey.  That sounded delicious to me and I bought a scoop and loved it.  My husband just doesn’t know what he is missing!

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[1] Haagen-Dazs website as of June 19, 2014 http://haagendazs.com.my/company/hd_story.aspx

[2] http://blog.fooducate.com/2012/06/19/americas-top-10-favorite-ice-creams-are/
http://www.breyers.com/product
http://www.edys.com/
http://cdn.bluebell.com/what_were_crankin_out/our_ice_cream.html
http://www.bluebunny.com/Products/Default.aspx

http://www.benjerry.com/flavors

The Passing of a Master Tea Blender

I had just finished my tin of Harney & Sons' Earl Grey when I read the sad news that is making its way through the American tea industry.  John Harney, the founder of Harney & Sons, has passed away.  Mr. Harney was a master tea blender and businessman who began his company in 1983, a time when tea was much less popular in the American market than it is today.  His success is attributed to his appreciation of fine loose leaf teas and his efforts to teach the art of tea to restaurateurs and consumers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/27/business/john-harney-missionary-who-spread-the-gospel-of-tea-dies-at-83.html 

High Tech Tea Bar in San Francisco

In the chicest of chic San Francisco neighborhoods has appeared a chic and tech savvy tea bar.   Opened just since June 12th, the Samovar Tea Bar is located on Valencia St. in the Mission district.  This shop combines precision machines and computer technology with high quality teas and a zen-like decor.   I’ve been in three times since its opening and each time had a perfect cup of tea.

Everything about the bar is minimalist - its airy contemporary interior design, the simplicity of its clean white finishes, its natural wood and stone surfaces.  There’s not much seating to be found, what little there is is essentially a stone bench – not exactly conducive to lingering.  There are only 9 tea options, each as single servings.  Even the food menu is concise – just two scone options, sweet or savory.  This minimalism along with the technology used to prepare the tea, heightens the focus on the tea itself.

Innovative tea technology is used at the brewing stations.  A series of Android tablet controlled Steampunk machines by Alpha Dominche line the bar. These machines (a.k.a. crucibles) are sleek, elegant, glass and steel devices.  The customer can watch the precision brewing in action as steam is injected into water from below to heat it to the correct temperature before brewing to the precisely allotted time.  It was fascinating to watch the machines in action.  And here’s a photo of my freshly brewed English Breakfast.

This tea bar should not to be confused with the tea lounges in other parts of the City by the same owner since the Samovar Tea Bar is a distinctly different experience.  While the lounges promote a lingering intimate tea experience with cushioned plush seating, a long list of teas served brewing in pots of several servings, and a food service; the bar distills the essence of a tea moment into a streamlined, single serve, no meal operation that taps into the artisanal yet tech savvy clientele of the Bay Area.

Click here to find a unique Samovar Tea Lounge

organic green tea blend on Amazon.com

Sweet and Stellar at the World Tea Expo 2014

Last weekend I had the pleasure of touring the convention floor at the 2014 World Tea Expo in Long Beach, CA.  There were all kinds of wonderful products related to tea – tea pots, packaging, books, cozies, porcelain tea sets, tea brewing machines, and of course a huge variety of teas.  One sweet idea and one stellar idea caught my attention.

 

The sweet idea was literally icing on the cake.  Just about every celebration includes a cake. How about decorating it with tea inspired icing flavors?  That’s what the folks at ModernTea Girl do with their Matcha Latte, Lady Earl Grey, and Chocolate Chai and more.

 

Then there’s the stellar new concept from JusTea.  Their tea star is a cluster of oolong tea leaves tied to a string and dried in the shape of a star.  Such a clever way to provide loose leaf tea that’s as convenient as a tea bag!  It’s so pretty I think it could double as a Christmas ornament.  It certainly brings attention to their orthodox handcrafted teas from Kenya. I bought some to try at home and found the tea stars make a wonderful cup of tea rich with complex flavors.

Pretty Things for Holding Tea at the World Tea Expo 2014

Part of the fun of exploring the convention exhibitions at the World Tea Expo is getting to experience the plethora of beautiful tea objects. Here are photos of a few that were especially beautiful.

Air tight containers for loose leaf tea by Kotodo Takahashi Corporation [1].  They’re wrapped in handmade Japanese washi paper.  Washi paper is a traditionally made from kozo, mitsumata, or gamp plant fibers [2].  These bold colors and prints in distinctively Japanese style really make a lively statement.

Click image to find on Amazon.com

Grace Tea Ware classic fine china from Coastline Imports. Coastline Imports had delicate bone china tea sets with flower decoration and soft pastel colors.  These tea pots and cups are in a style that I imagine my grandmother, her grandmother, and of course I too, would love to use to serve tea. 

Click image to find on Amazon.com

Heirloom tea sets for children by Reutter Porcelain.  I’ve never had a Peter Rabbit tea set, but somehow looking at these, made me nostalgic.  Reutter Porcelain is of German-made miniature craftsmanship. [3]
 
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[1] US contact: Focus American Corporation  http://www.focuscorp.us

[2] http://www.papermojo.com/washi.html

[3] http://www.reutterporcelain.com/content/AboutUs.as

 

Beauty and Serenity at the World Tea Expo 2014

Tea Master Yoon Hee Kim at World Expo 2014

Today at the World Tea Expo 2014 in Long Beach California, tea master Yoon Hee Kim demonstrated the beauty and serenity in the traditional Korean tea ceremony.  Yoon Hee Kim is a certified tea master with the Tea Culture Association of Korea and she teaches and performs the traditional art of the Korean Tea Ceremony.  Yoon Hee is also an instructor for the U.S. Tea Association’s SpecialtyTea Institute (STI). [1]

[1]  http://www.nwteafestival.com/Speakers/YoonHeeKim.php

Chai Mookie

I love chai, so when we passed by the Chai Mookie stand at New York City’s 2014 Coffee and Tea Festival, I had to stop.  It was hard to reach the stand because of the crowd gathered around it, sampling and buying the tea.  My friend and I sampled their Coco Mookie – it was clearly a favorite with the crowds.  In just one sip we both knew why and we immediately bought some to take home and enjoy.  The stand sold out just as we bought the last two bags of the day.

Click here to find a blend on Amazon.com

My Coco Mookie chai tea blend came in a neatly folded and crisp brown bag with the name of the company, Chai Mookie, written in large letters.  Chai Mookie, I soon discovered sells exclusively organic and fair trade chai and has created so far about seven signature blends.  Chai Mookie expands upon the tradition of masala chai from India, which is typically made with black tea and spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom.[1]  

I met the founder of Chai Mookie, Martin Fitzpatrick at the festival.  My first question for this striking, over 6’2” inches, dirty blond and blue eyed American man, raised in a small town in Vermont, was:  how did he get into the business of India style tea?  He told me that he grew up with Indian spices because his parents just liked to cook Indian food.  Later, while working in Brooklyn New York City as a barrista for a coffee shop, one of Fitzpatrick’s customers kept asking him for decaffeinated chai, so he decided to make some for her.  She loved it and encouraged him to start selling it.  He launched Chai Mookie in 2011 and mixes his spices in Brooklyn.

Fitzpatrick told me that his nickname is Mookie.  Like his unusual nickname, Mookie makes unusual chai.  The “Dirty Mookie Blend” combines ground espresso beans and chai tea.  “Coco Mookie” has no tea in it at all and instead contains raw cacao beans (the chocolate bean) ground to a fine powder.  Even though traditional India chai has black tea, Chai Mookie’s “Classic Mookie” version as no tea in it at all but does have the traditional chai spices.  “Wake Up! Mookie” has Assam black tea in it, for those traditionalist chai drinkers. 

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[1]  http://coffeetea.about.com/od/teaandtisanebasics/a/Masala-Chai-101.htm