Supporting an Artist
So I'm not one for shameless plugs, but I want to recommend you to this artist. In some ways art is a part of my tea blog, just as some people can consider blog writing an art. Tea and art... what a perfect combination.
Really though, I want to support my friend and add a little class to my site. I'm thinking about having her design the art for a tea website I'm working on. I want to get beyond the blog constraints and get a little more freedom with what I do. Coming soon!
No, she's not my girlfriend, so it's not one of those kind of deals. I just think she's good and you should check it out. If you need more of a reason to go, or maybe you need something to "class-it-up." Well I've got just the thing. The artist is a native born Icelander. I met her in the USA at a Uni and now she's living in Spain. How cool is that!
Anyways, checkout her site and even if you're not into the stuff there perhaps you'd like her to custom design something for you. She's good. I've seen it first hand. So go on and be a patron of the arts. And yes, it's her logo design. Now go get a cup of tea and click on the picture or link.Labels: art, artist, clothing, design, designer, friends, Iceland, logo, plug, review, SEV, Spain, support, tea
I let the delicate spring rain graze my head and nose as I walked to work on this calm morning. I would normally let this setup float the thought of coziness and comfort in a daydreamer's romanticized vision, like a painting titled Peace in Solitude, but in actuality it only irritated me... slightly. Perhaps it was the piercing presence of my new urban jungle I call home. I was quite heavy with sleep still, so when I got to work I made sure to pour some piping hot Earl Grey into my faithful mug.
Seoul may not be gentle, but at least I was set.
My morning was now officially underway when I finally realized my folly. I should have used my umbrella. Luckily I had a spare in my drawer for times of sudden downpours, being that winter's grip is all but gone. I really didn't like that my hair got a little wet because of the sniffles of a cold I'm trying to get over. If it was still raining after work I would definitely use it.
Of course it is at this moment that I really felt the dawn. It only took seconds of chatting with my Korean coworkers to remember.
The radiation.
Korea is really close to Japan. Was I just radiated? How much got on me? Will this give me problems in the future? Should I even worry? I researched. I discovered. I learned. I'm OK.
This got me thinking. It got me thinking about tea of all things. Specifically, what will happen with the tea culture of Japan? I know it's really small on the list of priorities, but if it's in the rain it will get into the tea, among other things. Tea is very much a way of life as is anything else in Japan. I know the current crop of Japanese tea is most likely safe, but I highly doubt the next batch will be publicly trusted.
As trivial of a thought this might be, I feel it's important to focus on these details that make us human. It makes us civilized. It defeats the primal urges that often make us animalistic and primal. Primal knows fear. Fear knows danger.
Labels: Japan, rain, South Korea, spring, tea
Land of Morning Calm
I find it quite fitting that the phrase describing the land of my new residence also describes the way I have been enjoying my tea. After a long night of new and dizzy wanderings, I find myself needing a recalibration. I do this with my favorite Starbucks cup filled with a tasty brew of herbal tea.
I must admit that my recent methods of making tea have been a bit on the crude side. I haven't had the time or money to purchase the proper equipment for fine tea making, but then again I haven't exactly been finding fine tea either. I suppose I'm being a bit snobbish with my desire for perfection, as my kettle is absolutely fine. It's sturdy, it works, and it gets the job done.
I must admit that there is something I enjoy about the crudeness of my new tea methods. They may not be so "full flavored" anymore, but they have their own unique pleasantness about them. Perhaps it's the fact that my new location in the world is giving my tea an extra spark. Along with these new methods have come some new tools. Such as my new extra large cup. I really like it, as I have an interest in Chinese astrology and it displays the year of the ox in bright red - my favorite color. The yellow is neat on the inside too because you can still see the color of the tea.
Some other news about tea tools in my world are not what I have aquired, but rather what I have lost. I no longer have a thermometer, timer, teapot, ceramic tea holder, electric kettle, and certainly no crystal sugar. Although, I have found much delight in plain old cane sugar shaped into cubes. It's the first time I've ever though to use a sugar cube only because it was all I could find. A wonderfull discovery.
In case you're like me and have only been acustom to broken English, I'll bring in the translator of what my point is. Actually, it's a lot like this article - crudeness. My adventures these days have me traveling and packing light and loose leaf tea is a rare treat to get. I'm learning that even though methods change and availability diminishes, you can still sqeeze out a cup of quality and enjoy that morning calm.
Labels: location, methods, News, South Korea, tea, tools, update
Reawakening and Tea
It is amazing how quickly time passes when we aren't paying attention; all the details that get lost in two years. That is about how old this tea blog is - two years. Wow.
During that time many things have risen to their peak and yet those same things have all died and disintegrated. Among them would be my love for tea. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved tea, but my desire for it went away with distractions and the hustle of life. It was a beginning to an ending to a way of life that we all must experience in some form or another.
Now I have transcended. No longer am I the amateur I was in all senses. Tea becomes me.
It is beyond a love, as tea is now a part of me. I understand; I know; I am awakened.
Okay, so perhaps I get a little carried away with my metaphors, but being a writer makes it hard to resist them. So what I was saying if you couldn't figure it out above is that I have rediscovered my lost passion for tea, and coming back to it now I know so much more than when I started. I don't need to spend as much time proving to myself that tea is worth it. I already know it is worthy and this becomes my base reality so now I can start getting into more advanced topics. You will see what I am talking about in later posts to come.
- Beating Around the Rooibos Bush
So let's talk about tea shall we? We can start with the classic that is bringing me back into what I love about tea - rooibos. Not just any rooibos either, but green rooibos. I find irony here that I chose to reawaken myself to tea with a non-caffeinated herbal brew that really isn't a true "tea" at all. We will save that for another discussion under tea crimes.
Anyways, I ordered some Green Rooibos Strawberry Peach the other day from Dragonwater.com. Not really what I went looking for, but apparently no one makes Green Rooibos Oasis anymore. I'm saddened by this, but that's what happens in an ever-changing world. This was the closest I could find to my favorite (aka Best Tea in the World).
It's not the same, but it's pretty darn close. There is more of a lingering taste of strawberry and mellowed orange than anything else, but it isn't too noticable to be overbearing. It still mixes very well. Goes great with chocolate pretzels.
Labels: awake, phoenix, Rooibos Articles, tea
