For All The Tea In China - a good read

For All The Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History, written by Sarah Rose.  This is the dramatic story of one of the greatest acts of corporate espionage ever committed. Sarah Rose recounts the fascinating, unlikely circumstances surrounding a turning point in economic history. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the British East India Company faced the loss of its monopoly on the extremely lucrative tea trade with China, forcing it to make the drastic decision of sending Scottish botanist Robert Fortune to steal the crop from deep within China and bring it back to British plantations in India. Fortune's danger filled odyssey is magnificently recounted and reads like adventure fiction.

For those who like a good read in the company of a nice cuppa, this is it.
Tea recommendations to accompany this book:  A lovely malty Assam 'Mokalbari' or perhaps a light First Flush Darjeeling 'Jungpana'

Milk In First?

The tortured question was put to rest in 2003 by Britain's Royal Society of Chemistry. MIF (milk in first) creates a cup of tea that's smoother and richer; MIL, a cup that's more tannic. The chemical explanation involves the degradation of milk proteins. ''If milk is poured into hot tea, individual drops separate from the bulk of the milk and come into contact with the high temperatures of the tea for enough time for significant denaturation to occur. This is much less likely to happen if hot water is added to the milk,'' it reported. There are additional cultural and historical factors fuelling the MIF/MIL debate, but ultimately it comes down to a question of taste

LEAVE MY TEA ALONE

Of all the nasty ways we've invented to avoid life's simple pleasures, the subverting of real tea, in trembling dread of caffeine, is among the least forgivable.

I've drunk tea gladly since I was a tot, with milk and sugar to ease me into the habit. I flourished on it in my high chair, and poured it over the lino. I drank it at the table when I could barely see over it, and I carried on until I was big enough to brew a pot myself. Civilised people do. Smart people have their coffee; tea drinkers have our civilisation.

I dropped the sugar, but I still drink tea, and think it's a fine thing to get it in an English-style teapot, brown pottery with a band of some pleasant colour painted round it. Unfortunately, these usually leak. There's an art to teapot making, and even the Poms don't always get right.

I have no truck with teabags, which I know, from the taste of them, are the dusty sweepings from the factory floor mixed with lint and grit and moth wing. Teabags are a domestic laziness based on the belief that they mean less washing-up to do, and valuable time will be saved thereby to read your emails.

There is just as much to do, teabag slobs, because you still need a little dish to put the soaked dust bag on after you've dangled it. Or do you put it in the ashtray to soak up the butts? I wouldn't put it past you.

So using a mug saves washing up? Consider the saucer, your little sworn enemy. All you have to do is swish it through the same lathered water as the cup, or – here's a Herculean task – you can stack it in the dishwasher.

A cup and saucer are the proper way to drink tea, and they shouldn't be clunky but reasonably thin on the rim. Yes, they may chip, but they're preferable to the clunky tankards that now hold sway. Ugly is ugly. It's even uglier with a smiley face or dumb motto on the outside.

And here's the thing: you don't need the sacred-sandal-flavoured tea, tea from Madagascar, or those ghastly old-socks-flavoured herbal teas they tell you have magic powers. You need a decent brown-making tea, is all, a lacing of Earl Grey in it, and a bit of fresh milk. Excellent.

As for ghastliness, the Poms have just come up with a range of herbal teas for dogs.

It comes as teabags – points off for that – and benefits claimed are a healthier coat and fresher breath, which we could all do with. One variety is called "adult" (dandelion and ginseng), and another "performance" (with fenugreek and lime flower). This for creatures who roll in dead sheep for fun? But makers Woof & Brew are on to something big here, because dog-owners are a bit mad.

Young Japanese do. Two years ago a memorable report told us that 36 per cent of Japanese males aged 16 to 19 had no interest in sex, or outright despised it. Japanese girls aged 16-19 thought the same, three out of five said, and a refusal to breed is trending upwards, to the point where Japan's Government is encouraging match-making parties to throw reluctant young people together for baby-making.It's their "adult" and "performance" flavours that intrigue me – the term "adult" implies sex toys and grim kinky frolics, and "performance" has connotation of anxiety. Do dogs have a problem?

Why would Japan lose its libido? Manga comics can be explicit, if not truly obscene. Yawn. Unwashed schoolgirls' knickers can reportedly be bought from street kiosks. Double yawn. Attitudes are frank and relaxed toward porn, sexual violence, even images of sex with kids. Yawn again.

So much titillation, you see, but why bother? They're like those weird people who choose to drink plain hot water instead of tea. No good could ever come of it.

Source:  Rosemary McLeod, Dominion Post, 29/5/2014

TEA WITH A VIEW - THE LONG WALK

This photojournal shows the trip that is necessary to get to the teahouse  on the southern peak of Mt. Huashan in China.   The base of the mountain is called "the Heavenly Stairs"

Continuing up the Heavenly Stairs

Below, you will see "towns" that sprang up to support the temples at the peaks.  This area is still fairly safe, and doesn't require much caution.

Now for the exiting part. First you take a gondola ride to the base of the southern peak.

After the gondola drops you off, there is a short distance of path.  The path gets tighter and tighter, until the only way to continue is by sections of planks put together to bridge the gaps.

The railing is a series of chains and carabiners, padlocked to metal stakes that have been hammered into the mountain face.

When meeting someone going the opposite direction, the only possible way to pass is by backing up to the closest landing, then letting the other person pass.

I can't imagine constructing this path. Flags mark which path you're on. There are several paths, which go to other locations; mostly landings that have larger standing areas.

After moving around the side of the mountain, the mountain begins to slope, so we can stop going around, and start moving in a more direct line to the peak. You can make out steps on the left side of this picture.

The final stretch goes straight up the mountain face. Toe holes have been hammered out

Once you make it to the top, there is a long path that saddles the mountain top. This path brings you to the peak.

And finally, the peak! Atop of this peak is the the southern temple, a teahouse which is  probably more revered for its location than its tea.

The teahouse is one of the many Taoist temples to be found on each of the five peaks that  make up Mt. Huashan. As the original inhabitants practiced asceticism, and didn't make a  habit of traveling, they daily meditation was heavily accented by drinking tea.  For this reason, over the years, this temple has turned into a teahouse. When seen on a map,  the mountain range forms a sort of flower shape. The temple was built here because each of  the five peaks needed to be populated in order to complete the flower. Mt. Huashan is located in Huayin, a city 120km east of Xi'an in the Shaanxi Province of China.  For reference, Xi'an is the location were they unearthed the Terracotta Warriors and the  cradle of Chinese culture extending some 3000 years into the past.  This particular teahouse is on the South Peak, which has an altitude of 7,087 feet.

Eating Tea in 2014

After reading the tea leaves to see what new food trends we'll be tasting in the coming year, those in the know predict tea itself is the trend.  Apparently tea leaves will be big in entrees and deserts as well as a whole host of beverages other than tea as we know it.

Take beer - the Yeastie Boys in Wellington are doing a brew with Earl Grey, another Wellington brewer uses Rosehips while Iki Beer in Asia brews with green tea.

Masu restaurant in Sky City make a variety of cocktails with a tea base and many restaurants are using both fruit and traditional teas as a base for smoking food or in deserts.

Try this simple tea based cocktail made with our Earl Grey Special

ROYAL TEA
2 parts gin
2 parts brewed and chilled Earl Grey Special
Squeeze of lemon juice
Spoonful of sugar or to taste
Garnish with lime slices

Tea Breaks Are Good Business

 

Some time ago there was concern in New Zealand that the Government might 'force' employers to give rest breaks.

What Robyn Pearce can't fathom is why employers would need to be 'forced' to do it! Perhaps they and many of their employees don't know about the health and productivity gains we all get from regular breaks in our daily routine.

Robyn Pearce works with people around the world - both face-to-face and via webinars. Because 'sanity breaks' are part of her message she almost always ask her audiences if they take a regular lunch break, and how many take tea breaks - not just the 'grab a cuppa and take it back to the desk' kind of tea break, but a real one where they give their brain a rest, away from their desk. Typically more than 70% of the room don't do either on a regular basis. The next questions are 'how effective are you in the afternoon?' and 'how tired are you at the end of the day?' The look on most people's faces is classic - a kind of bemused 'why didn't I notice that connection before?'

Here's the explanation. Various biological rhythms flow through our body all day, all night. Ultradian rhythms are some of them. Loosely translated ultra = many and dian = day - the many rhythms of the day.They cycle continuously through our body like rolling waves - 90 - 120 - minutes up; 20 minutes down - repeated day and night.

The down cycle is not a negative thing - instead it's the rest cycle that our body needs to recharge, rebuild and to grow. If we keep pushing through these down cycles, if we don't give our body a chance to recharge, we push the poor old thing into flight or fight.

The consequence? Stress, burnout, and eventually sickness - sometimes very severe.

Without exception, every person she's challenged on this has agreed that when they push through down cycles of tiredness, thinking perhaps that they're being lazy or that it's not 'ok' to slow down for a short while, they become less effective in the afternoon and end up dragging their weary bodies home at the end of the day - not much use to themselves or loving family waiting for their share of time.

So what to do about it? Morning and afternoon tea breaks and a lunch break away from your desk - they're some of the simple solutions. And what about Winston Churchill's famous technique - the one that kept him operating at full steam through all those tough war years? He was famous for his power naps. When tired he'd pop upstairs (when he was working at Downing Street) and hop into bed for about 20 minutes.

This may not be feasible in your situation but a cup of tea is always at hand.

Not only will employers get higher productivity by making it appropriate for people to slow down but fewer mistakes will happen.

Pyramid Sweepstake

Our in-house hobbit, Tea Baggins, took it upon himself to run the sweepstakes this year, as he's done the last couple.  He arrived in the lunch room with our horse names encased in tea pyramids!  Apart from the flexibility of controlling our own production, an in-house pyramid manufacturing plant allows us to be a little creative from time to time.

Tea, Sympathy and Home Baking

I have spent many hours at home recently, contemplating the choices of tea in an alcove we had made specially for the purpose when renovating some years ago.  Shoulder surgery to my right arm has rendered me somewhat useless at the day to day tasks I take for granted, driving being one of them, hence the time spent in the confines of our house.  Fortunately I have been blessed by a stream of visitors who have helped pass the tedium of home detention.  They're all tea drinkers and excellent bakers.  My luck.

I can still fill the kettle one handed and with a little help, get the lid off the tea caddy, fill my chosen teapot and generally go about tea making duties.  As I contemplate the various offerings in my tea alcove it has become painfully obvious my tea choices are of a narrow focus.  No longer do I house an array of flavoured black teas, greens and the odd herbal to round out my preference for traditional single estate black teas. Over the last eighteen years as The Tea Lady my tastes have morphed from drinking anything and everything to a preference for the subtle nuances of grade, country of origin and time of picking.  In the afternoons I might add a pinch of Lapsang Souchong to my Ceylon tea or branch out wildly and have a Vanilla Rooibos after dinner.

My visitors are perplexed at the lack of exotic choices but they're unfailingly polite about the tea proffered, either with milk or without but rarely with sugar.  It would seem a shame to detract from the flavour of home baking that is bought, shared then left behind for our consumption.  Pumpkin and date cake, coconut and coco rounds, fruity slices and an assortment of biscuits all lovingly baked, artfully presented, unfailingly delicious.

The time honoured tradition of tea, sympathy and home baking as a way of nurturing and caring for friends resonates strongly with me.  I relish a rainy afternoon dedicated to baking, inviting friends to join us for a slice of something and cup of something else.  The bestowing of these blessings in return has lifted my spirits and no doubt aided my recovery.

The power of tea, sympathy and home baking should not be underestimated.
Anna Salek

Tea and Tanks

The news out of Syria has been one long, terrible stream of horror and atrocities. But even in the midst of war, the country's fighters have been captured putting aside their weapons for an afternoon tea.  READ MORE below for a startling collection of images from Reuters.

Free Syrian Army fighters use poster of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to start a fire for heat and making tea in Aleppo.

 

 A group of unemployed Iraqi men drink tea in Sayydeh Zenab, an Iraqi neighbourhood near Damascus. Since the start of the U.S.-led war on Iraq in March 2003, Iraqi refugees, who fled the country, have started to create their own community inside the Syria. An estimated 1.4 million Iraqis are now living in Syria..

 A member of the Free Syrian Army blows a fire under a teapot, as he stands near curtains used to provide protection from snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in Deir al-Zor.

Bespoke Teapots

In my opinion there is nothing more beautiful than a bespoke teapot.  I'm not a great collector of teapots preferring function over form when it comes to tea making although there are a few meaningful pieces dotted around our house.  A blue and gold whimsical piece given to us for our wedding, a gnarly old fairy astride the spout of another made for my fortieth and a teapot entitled 'The Lovers' which I paid off over a couple of months having just started in the tea business.  All have significant meaning not just for their beauty but also for the sentiment behind the piece and yes, they all brew nicely.  Obviously I'm not alone in my love of bespoke teapots as I happened upon a New Zealand blog entitled Pots and Tea.  Below are photos from their site.