My Blooming Tea Experience

I hope everyone is having a Blessed Sunday today! As Sunday is usually a Sabbath of rest and rejuvenation I thought it would be a perfect day to tell you about my Blooming Tea experience.As you know, I just finished reading my lovely book Meditation with Tea by Diana Rosen. One of the chapters was on conversation over tea and understanding the ones you love in this bonding experience.

A tea that was recommended was blooming teas. This is because it takes an estimated 30 minutes to completely bloom and give you a proper steeped tea.  From my earlier Classic Savory Tea Haul, I got the Sprinkled Stars. After a long day I took out my mini tea cups and put the bud into my French Press. I had my regular teapot filled with hot water to keep adding water to my French Press.

I picked this tea because of the beautiful floral notes in the description.Easter Lilies, Jasmine, and more recently Osmanthus have been favorite flowers of mine. As Eugene and I sipped the tea in it's different stages, we really appreciate the variety of flavors it gave. It really did put us in a good mood and made us comfortable enough to talk about deeper things like our future plans and ambitions. It was a nice break from our current busy schedule and emptied wallets. At the final stages of the bloom, the Othmanthus blossoms rose out blending it's floral creamy taste to the mix.

I know that most people dread having blooming teas because they're a bit showy and need special pots to enjoy them completely. But I have to tell you not to be afraid of it, anything thats clear will do, life a glass mug or in my case my $4 mini French Press from Ikea. Treat yourself to the pleasure of relaxing with tea and try something different by partaking in conversation with a loved one over a blooming tea. Its great to meditate alone, but every now and then meditating with others is empowering and rejuvenating.

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Classic Savory Tea Haul

Its been awhile since I did a tea post. That's because I've been occupying my tea hobby reading my Meditation with Tea book which I just finished today (Huzzah)! I've learned quite a bit as to what each tea was specifically created for, which in turn has gotten me to appreciate certain teas that I never would have before. Now that I know what notes of flavor I'm looking for, I can can venture into more traditional teas and taste the entire bouquet and appreciate it. I've started to venture into two types of teas which I wasn't really into for years until I read this book: Oolongs and Blooming Teas.

I started getting into Oolong because I learned that Oolong has such a wide variety of ways that they are prepared. Oolong is a tea that is not completely oxidized to a Black form, but what I didn't know was that percent can range from 2% to 80% depending on the desired flavor. This gives you hundreds of options with flavors, notes, and texture. I don't think that a tea lover could get tired of Oolong for this simple fact alone.

As for the Blooming variety, I used to think that it was all for show. But after reading the book I now understand that most blooming teas were created for social occasions. Because they are tied together they take longer to bloom, making them a slow steeping tea easy to wait for the water to cool over a conversation. Taking this concept I realize that I can get a good pot of tea that doesn't get bitter when I'm working, or into a good read. As the weather is cooler I thought that blooming teas would be perfect those long cozy reads and painting sessions on the couch.

All these teas are from Bird Pick:

 
Super Grade Oolong: This tea is actually the tea of the month and when we had a sample of it Eugene fell in love with it. It carries a very traditional floral bite to it thats a desired characteristic of Oolong, but it had hints of a citrus zest as the finishing note. When I brewed it it came out a very golden color brew, so I assume that it has been half way oxidized. The leaves are also fairly tough, giving for a strong but fresh brew.


Osmanthus Milky Oolong: Confession; I'm on my second bag of this stuff. Lately this has been my go to tea. It's a traditional flavor with a modern twist. Milky Oolong is a fairly new type of tea on the market in the way that it's grown and harvested. No one is sure exactly how they do it, but the Oolong is a very green Oolong with a sweet milky after taste. The Oolong alone is phenomenal, giving way to very complex intense flavor, but the delicate bits of Osmanthus flower give it a sweet finish. I love this tea! I love how you just get hit with sensory overload the minute you open the packet and smell it while the water boils. Please get some if you can, you won't be disappointed!

Royal Red Peony Organic: One of the teas recommended in the book, I gave it a shot from the description of it being a good tea for entertaining. It was recommended as a perfect tea to take out on walks as it takes time to steep. I am so happy that I gave it a chance, as it is growing to become a new daily favorite of mine. Since it's a blooming tea there is no fuss with strainers and it comes out perfect every time. Another thing I love about this tea is that there is no such thing as over or under steeping it. So far my favorite steep of it is less than a minute freshly poured. It keeps its sweet dewy, light woody taste through the entire pot. People say you shouldn't brew more than one pot, but so far I've gone as far as two pots out of this one blossom.

Sprinkled Stars Blooming Green: I have yet to try this Blossoming Tea, but I got it because it's made of fragrant Jasmine Green leaves and shoots out bits of Osmanthus giving it its name. I also thought that the Easter Lily is a wonderful pairing between the two.

If any of these sound interesting to you please check them out on the web as they have been a great part of my tea exploration.

Cheers!




P.S. I wanted to do a shout out to Rachele from Nearsighted Owl for having me as a sponsor and featuring me and other talented bloggers in a post. Please check her blog of cats, fatshion, and everyday brilliance.

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Crossing Fingers: November Update

 Hi everyone,
Hope that everyone's been enjoying their November. As the weather gets cooler it's hard not to contemplate the change that has occurred through the years. The past weeks I've been blogging has been a blessing for me, so if there's one thing that I'm grateful for this year it's that I get to share this bit of my life with all of you. So all that have stumbled across my blog and have stayed, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Well, without further adieu, here are my updates for my Crossing Fingers November challenges:

1.NaNoWriMo:  I'm not in the best of position, but I'm not giving up. Its been a strange experience this time around. I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine that succeeded in NaNoWriMo. We talked about the Ups and Downs in cramming a novel within a month. We both concluded that it truly depends on the novel and the person. I'm beyond grateful that it kicked me in the pants to pick up my novel writing again. However, I've been enjoying filling out the pages with honest quality words. I'll keep writing and doing my best to catch up by simply spending more time with it. The month is still to early in to tell if I'll finish or not; I usually figure it out about five days before the end. I love building my writing community! Please feel free to friend me under the name healingmercy. I'd love to read your novel and give feedback! Nothing better than community support.

2. Meditate Daily: I was inspired to do this challenge because of my first meditation class.So far I've been doing it daily with or without the book. My daily tea breaks in the morning allow me to clear my mind and get my day started the way that I want it to. So much can be learned in each chapter that I take the points that Rosen mentions to heart and apply them to my daily life. So far its creating an efficient schedule and task managing to balance your life to equalize your energy. This has given me more time to breathe and get more physical activity in my day to calm my nerves. So far, this challenge has been a wonderful success!

3. Spend less: My bills are paid for this month! It wasn't as hard of a challenge as I thought it would be. Keeping this challenge in mind I recently went on a mini holiday to the beach where I spent on hardly anything. It felt absolutely amazing! I can't wait to write all about it in a near future post. I've been taking this challenge and eating at home more often as well. It couldn't have come at a better time as I had some unexpected out of town friends visiting and I had enough of a budget to spend the whole day with them as well as pay the bills. It doesn't get better than that, my life feels so much more well rounded now.

I look forward to seeing how the end of the month plays out. *Crossing Fingers*

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Morning Cup Series 1

Hello everyone,
As one of my Crossing Fingers this month is to meditate daily, I've been spending some of my morning taking in a fresh brewed cup of tea in my office and letting the warming sun spread over my skin. It's been a great experience that has allowed my senses to linger more than they normally would.

It's said that ideally it's best to let your tea leaves go freely in the water for maximum flavor, and since I haven't been drinking much black lately I've just been throwing my tablespoons in a pot and letting them loose with no concern of small pieces to filter. This has been adding to my meditation, as they make such beautiful patterns. I wait to a certain time in the morning to enjoy my cup so I can see the light glide over my tea pot to illuminate the brew.

When I look into the pot I get the same feeling of watching leaves fall from trees; except they're held weightless in water. Occasionally I'll get bubbles, which adds to the beautiful little landscape. So... I decided to share them with you and create the beautiful photographs.

Here's what's in my collection so far:

Lovers Cup: One of my all time go to teas from Chado. It's a white tea heavily perfumed by rose petals. It also has raspberry leaves for a hint of sweetness. Such a delicate beautiful blend.

Premium Silky Green: A tea from my earlier Tea Haul from Bird Pick. I love the rustic texture of the leaves. And look at the little bubbles adding to the composition.

Orchid Oolong: Named for the fresh scent similar to Orchid's when steeped. This tea is heavenly in its deep golden hues and subtle floral taste. I got this batch from Chado as well.

There will be more photos of these to come. Enjoy!

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Crossing Fingers: Nov/Oct

 October was absolutely phenomenal! I would say that this past month was a time of self understanding and growing in my young adult life. Taking the challenges for myself did wonders to me that I never thought would be so good for me. I wake up these days with a spring in my step to what tasks are in store for me. There's something beautiful about creating simply for the sake of doing it. When I do work as a profession, the love often disconnects from it. So it was refreshing to spark that interest and my creative juices.

If you're not familiar with Crossing Fingers, I pick three goals for the month and I focus on them.

Results for October 2012

 

1. 750 Words October Challenge: As you can tell from the letter I got from buster, I DID IT! It started to come natural after the first week, but I must say there were days of complications, I got headaches or was out late. Somehow I found a way to finish, quite a few times I did my entries on my mobile phone. It was worth it! Every last bit of it! Now I'm ready for this month...

2. Do Art Daily: This was not as successful as I had hoped it would be. Where I did create art this month, most of it was done within a week interval. The great news is that I did do art, which I was hoping I would. I opened a renewed passion for painting and my web designing. So the goal at hand did the trick, even though it wasn't done to its fullest.

3. Show Goodreads Up: Ok, this was a love hate task for me. Where I did catch up on my reading, I didn't get ahead of it. There were plenty of books that I wanted to finish this month, but life got in the way. I would call this a half successful goal...

 It's time to go forth boldly into the month of November! 

November 2012

1.NaNoWriMo: I've been trying to succeed at this challenge for about 4 years now. Always I've been so close. I was either distracted by Finals, Productions, or family issues. Where I can't control the last one; I made sure to clear my season for my theatre company and I'm no longer in school. I want to focus my heart into getting a descent hunk of my novel series done for finally treating and publishing the thing. This will be my biggest goal yet! I've gotten off to a good start today, please feel free to friend me under the name healingmercy.
2. Meditate Daily: After my first meditation class, I feel that it's important for me to continue the feeling of being grounded. This month I'll be reading Diana Rossen's book: Meditations with Tea; and continue with the exercises. A good balance to NaNoWriMo I say.

3. Spend less: What can I say, I love to go out! I love living a full day out in the city which usually pinches my pocket to the bone. I'm used to living check to check, and I think that this needs to give. I saved for my visit to the Tea Festival and absolutely loved it! I want to have many more awesome days like this. I also want to stop whining about paying bills because I have no money from going out so much (guilty as charged!). I have a few more Out & Abouts to finish, but they will soon be growing not so frequent; for this month at least. This is only because I eat out practically everyday and I want to change that. What had me convinced was getting food poisoning TWICE this past week from eating out. Funny thing is I'm a pretty good cook, so this is all about to change. Who knows? I might be sharing some of my scrumptious recipes this month.

There it is, another month of challenges...
*Crossing Fingers*

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My First Meditation Class (w/TEA)

This weekend I finally came around to trying meditation. This is something I've been wanting to try for quite sometime. When I was looking over the program of the Tea Festival and I saw the class, I knew that I had to take the class Meditation with Tea. The thought of anything for the first time with tea is something that I can easily dip my toes into. Think of it like your teacher holding your hand as they lead you to recess when you were younger, scary but comforting...

I was led to an open forum in the Japanese American Museums Resource Center just across from it. The walls were curvy and aided to a soothing water like feel. People were already gathering in a circle and I dived right in with a little courage (it helped me of course that Eugene was with me). The classes started and to my surprise it wasn't structured at all. I enjoyed that the Instructor felt the way the crowd was an slowly took her time getting to the points.

I got to learn breathing techniques and how to ween the mind from distractions and worries. The techniques were simpler than I thought they would be, which was opposite to the way my brain normally functions with it's task and competitive nature. We moved on to meditating on the blessings in our lives, something that everyone was happy to reflect on. We even did a writing exercise where we listed three things: what was on our mind that instant, what we were grateful for, and what people in our life we couldn't live without. She suggested we keep the poems to reflect on the next time that we do our meditations. She finished this exercise by handing us haikus and explaining how to meditate with them and poetry.

As for the tea, we reviewed how to be involved in the process of tea. We started with understanding the importance of meditation as the tea brews and being present with the pot and not to be distracted. Next we went over the idea of savoring the notes of flavor in the tea and using it to hone in on our senses. Her choices were a Keemun and a Green Darjeeling; both I felt were perfect since they are underrated for their complex notes and natural unique flavors.We also lightly discussed food pairings to add into the meditation of the tea process. The one highlight I took from the whole thing was the importance of taking a Sabbath for ones self. This is attained by picking a day out of the week just to relax and unwind. This way your soul and body are rejuvenated and ready for life's busy tasks.

Overall I really loved the whole experience. On a personal level, I adored learning from the wonderful Diana Rosen. She was so positive and enchanting and had a way of grabbing your attention softly but gracefully. As an advocate of body acceptance, I loved that she was bigger woman that didn't care about her image and ran the class with a balance of love and assertiveness. I hope to grow up with as much poise as her through experience and age.

I bought her book and I look forward to reading it. Just from flipping through it I can tell that she has an amazing directory and glossary from her personal tea journey. I look forward to further practices of meditation. I am starting with her breathing exercises every morning which have given me a burst of energy. I have yet to try tea meditation on my own, but I'm looking forward to it. Anyone curious about meditation, don't be scared to try even the simplest for of it. It's wonderfully beneficial.
-Stef

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