Tea Traveler Finds Quality Tea for the Road/Air . . .

The 2013 tea travel season is gearing up to attend Tea Festivals and Expos, Specialty Food Shows, and Gift Shows around the world as well as the many opportunities for tea education  through tastings, cuppings, processing, and networking. A concern for many tea enthusiasts while traveling to and from these events is how to enjoy quality tea while experiencing any and all issues provided us by the travel industry.

We know it is not always possible to steep loose tea while on the go and to purchase tea from a coffee cafe does not always end with a tasteful cuppa. Therefore, I am always on the lookout for a way to enjoy quality tea. That is why an ad and article in the recent issue of Tea Magazine (http://teamag.com/) interviewing Thomas Smith and his tea business caught my attention.

An open Tea Sachet for Blend No. 18 (Indian Assam teas paired with Ceylon teas).

As a result I wanted to know more about Thomas Smith -- his teas, tea experiences, and specifically his tea sachets. Wow, imagine my surprise when I was shopping at our local "artisan" grocery store and found them stocking Thomas Smith tea sachets. I viewed this as a message that I was meant to try them. I immediately purchased several boxes. (As I always listen to my inner Tea voice.) I am thrilled these tea sachets are not ordinary "tea bag." The tea selections are of prime  specialty teas -- no tea fannings or dust here. As the tea steeps you can watch the "agony of the leaf."

One of my tea travel woes has been solved, now if I could only convince airlines that having "hot" (not boiling) water is good for tea and that it is okay to serve a full cuppa water. 

Wishing you happy tea travels,

The Tea And Hat Lady 

An Aha Moment -- So That's Tea!

 A week ago I was in San Francisco to expand my tea knowledge and Experiences (That is, Experience with a capital “E”) by attending Level 4 STI (Specialty Tea Institute) class while sampling the many tea cultures of the City. STI and the Level 4 instructors surprised us with providing fresh Hawaiian tea leaves to process into white, green, oolong, and black teas. Absolutely an outstanding opportunity for those of us who have not had the opportunity to visit a country of origin – yet!!! Being a participant in the processing of these tea-leaves provided me an “Aha Moment.”

All of a sudden, all I had learned and read about the where’s, what’s, and how’s of tea made sense. To actually witness the oxidation of the leaves is miraculous. We have all witnessed the oxidation of an apple or banana and perhaps a leaf but I actually watched a leaf oxidize while knowing that the degree of this process determined the level of the tea’s essence. Interestingly, my most favorite part of tea is watching the “agony of the leaf” where the tea gently opens releasing its stored oils and flavors. Being an active participant in the leaf becoming tea was a natural happening that complimented my awe of the “agony of the leaf.”

Join me while I return to this process through photos. I hope you will be as amazed as I was with the transformation from leaf to tea. These pictures are a sampling of the stages of the tea producing process and should not be considered to reflect the stages of the entire process.

This photo is fresh tea leaves as they arrived from Hawaii. At this stage the leaves are still stiff with very little, if any, oxidation. The browning you see on some of leaves is the beginning of oxidation. These leaves were plucked several days before we received them in San Francisco so oxidation had begun. The withering (softening and reduction of moisture) process is beginning.

The following photos prThis tea is processed to be a green tea. Heat is being applied to stop oxidation.ovide a sampling of the changes the leaves experience as they go from fresh leaves to tea. Each step reflects a greater reduction of the moisture content of the leaf.

 The leaves are continuously stirred to avoid burning while reducing the moisture content.

These leaves have been rolled to encourage oxidation. This became an oolong tea.Oolong tea is rolled and pan fired several times to create the desired taste.

Tea Thought for the Day

Hot water is the sap that reinvigorates tea with the blush of new life in the teacup or teapot. The leaves become deliciously drinkable thanks to the flavor and aroma that was coddled and tamed into being by skillful tea-processing hands. The Chinese can be counted on to create the most poetic allusions in this regard. For instance, how much more lovely it is to think about this process as they do -- the breathing and stretching of the leaves . . . Think of it as a rebirth from a hibernation of sort. . . . Mary Lou Heiss

Release all the stress that has built up over the week by steeping a cuppa of loose Specialty Tea in a clear glass teapot. The glass pot is your ticket to watch one of Mother Nature's most incredible ballets. These amazing tea leaves will gently float through your pot while breathing , stretching, and unwrapping in their dance to release their vailed oils, fragrance, and essence for your pleasure. Pour your cuppa and savor all the tastes these extraordinary leaves are offering. Refill your tea pot to watch the second act offered by the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis. 

Until we share a cuppa again,

The Tea And Hat Lady