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
PsycholoTea
It usually comes about that when I'm going to sit down and write a long paper or need to get my creative juices flowing with words I make myself a pot of tea. I find that it stimulates my mind and makes me feel good, as ideas seem to flow together.
This has me wondering on a larger level of what effect tea actually has on the mind and if there has been research on this. I'm very intrigued by the notion and will most likely be conducting an investigation on my own. If anyone has information about this specific linking of ideas or topic feel free to add you comment.
I love studying psychology and anything with the mind. My fascination with learning is so much that I'm interested in learning how we learn. That knowledge is golden and I would be delighted to find a new aspect of tea in this area.
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
Coming Soon
I am back again, after another long hiatus.
Thank you to all the people who still come to this blog and write me messages. It is always enough to inspire me to continue my writing despite an ever increasingly busy life. My weekends are even booked a month in advance now. I almost cherish the times I would get bored just so I can catch up on my reading. I am not complaining though, as it's getting so good for me these days even when the rest of the world is not. I feel blessed and I am doing all I can to share my fortune with others.
So don't fret (I know how you tea drinkers can be) because I have penciled
Tea Blogging into my schedule once again. There will be many more postings to come with a little more emphasis on the
niche part.
Until next time.
Labels: News, update
Almost A Year
WowIt has been almost a full year since my last posting, and boy what a year it has been. The Chinese called it the Year of the Pig. I guess I wont disagree with that; although, while some may have been living a lavish and gluttonous year I have been living the opposite.
I don't want to get into politics because that is not what this weblog is about, but the current state of the economy is making money a scarce thing lately. I haven't been able to find time and relax either to do the things I enjoy, like drinking tea. I shall not whine another word though, because this is a bloody tea blog! So let's talk tea shall we?
Sadly, I've been limited to the vile and unworthy tea bags that disgrace the very shelves they sit on. In other words... grocery store tea. I must confess though that I do enjoy just about any type of iced tea. It's the warm version that I am so picky about. Therefore, the best teas I have had over the course of this year in their respective categories are:
- Iced Tea - Raspberry Nestea (in the cartons)
Neither are high class products, but they aren't the bottom-of-the-barrel brands either. I would say that each is a mid-class product that supplements a need for tea without a great sacrifice in taste. Not only that but they are both very convenient products.
Anyways, that's all I want to say for tea for now. I am a bit disappointed in myself for not updating this blog and my lack of tea experimentation this past year so I will leave it at that.
I have also notice a bunch of changes within Blogger itself that I need to brush up on. It has been so long I have forgotten many of the basic codes to tinker with my template and to organize things. HTML has slipped away from me. Good thing I'm an English major so I can go and read up on the whole subject again... that's sarcasm by the way, as reading about HTML is as dry as skin on a harsh winter day. For all of you Southern folks, that equates to itchy, flaky and painfully annoying.
Okay then, that's all from me for now. I wont promise any resurgence in updates, but I think I might be able to squeeze one more in this month.
Labels: News, update
Red and Green Rooibos Christmas
After a two month break I have finally returned. Well, I never really went anywhere, but I was in the process of graduating from college. So now I am official - a Bachelor in Fine Arts, Creative and Professional writing degree holder. Yay for me. Now let's see if my writing gets any better.
Okay, enough of that - and onto the tea.
I know what you're thinking, "another post about Rooiobs?" Yes, and I'm proud of it. I mean, what not a better way than to spend the holidays with a cup of rooibos. It's the perfect tea. I know this season normally brings the spiced flavors out, and the Chai is pretty big this season as well. I guess I'm just different. I prefer the sweet melow taste any day over the spicy pepper taste.
Lately, I've been drinking three types of rooibos teas, and they are all red teas. Mostly because I haven't had the time or money to spend on green tea. Not that it's rare or expensive, it's just that the area I live in only has red teas. I'd have to order online if I want green rooibos tea.
Anyway, the types of tea I've been drinking include the straight up - plain red rooibos tea. It may be simple and plain, but boy is it smooth and good. The perfect accompaniment to any cookie combination you might try.
The next tea in my cupboard rotation would be Montana Gold. It's a red rooibos tea with a strong flash of cinnamon along with other Christmas like flavors. All the other flavors they added to this tea are basically keeping the cinnamon at bay. A cup of Montana Gold is perfect with any kind of nut, which you may have roasted over an open fire.
Lastly in my Christmas cupboard of rooibos teas, there is the Egyptian Licorice. The essence of this teas' flavor is a lot like black licorice, which is a taste that you find more accepted in the Northern parts of our country. In Minnesota it's pretty big. I don't really enjoy this tea all that much, but every once in awhile I find myself in the mood for something different.
I'm hoping that I can get some green tea delivered before New Years eve rolls around, as the sweetness of the tea is something I'd like to kick 2007 off with. If I don't get any then I guess I'll be forced to go with coffee, and it better be the best damn coffee I've ever tasted.
Thats all from me for now. I can't say when I'll be posting next, but I hope I can get some in soon. If everything goes right I will be moving to Georgia in 3 months so it might put a damper on updates for a good while again. If it isn't one thing it's another right? There is also this new blogger which I've just switched over to. That means now I'll have all my rooibos articles separated into their own catagory and you and me both can see just how much I post about it.
Have a Merry Tea Drinking Christmas
Labels: Rooibos Articles
International Tea Party
It has been awhile and I must admit that I do feel a bit sheepish for not updating this weblog like I said I would. But now I'm back again with some interesting news about my favorite tea.
Rooibos TeaThe untea if you will. The reason why is because this is an herbal brew that is made out of a Red Bush in Africa.
That's besides the point though. The real news is on how tasty this tea actually is. Ok, so the story is this:
I'm currently renting a room in a house from a guy who use to live in Iceland, which would make him an Icelander. Anyway, I meet a lot of foriegners through him, as he is part of an international organization at the University I attend. So at the house tonight we had 1 man from El Salvador named Piero, 1 woman from Hungary named Kata, an Icelander named Jon, and me the American (or North American as they would call us from central America). We were all chatting and having a good time and then Jon asked if I could make some tea. He was refereing to the Rooibos tea that I had made the day before.
I said, "sure" with a glee in my eye. I love exposing this wonderful tea (Rooibos) to any new person I meet because I've yet to find someone who drinks tea to think badly of it. And now I have an assembled international group of people to get an opinion from, and guess what? They all thought it was a great tea. In fact, they thought it was an excellent tea. So it's official,
Green Rooibos Oasis is possibly the best tea in the world. I just thought I'd share that with you all.
It's such a forgiving tea to make too. You can follow the steeping directions very loosly and still come out with good tea; although, the way I make it is perfect in achieving optimum taste. We all are experts on our favorite teas.
So what I'm getting at here is that if you haven't tried this tea yet you are doing your tastebuds an injustice. You don't have to buy it at the link I've provided, as I believe it is sold elsewhere under a different name, but if you want to get the exact stuff I was drinking then that link is where you want to go.
I also mentioned to my international friends (yeah that's right, I'm global) that I have some rare and expensive green tea that I haven't tried. So in a soon to come post I will update you on that. And yes I will try to get the post in before another month goes by, but no promises as I am enormously busy. Yeah, I know, excuses.
Some Overdue News
It's been awhile, but I finaly have a reason to post, and it's even good news. Imagine that!
Anyways, the summer is comming to an end and I am relocating my living quarters. That means I will once again have high speed internet and time to update and post and post some more. So in a week or two you can expect more frequent content.
Yippy Skippy! Well maybe you're not that excited, but maybe you should be.
