Creating ceremony or a bond between those engaged in tea ceremony does not need to be complex in its process. It can be simple and intimate. According to Sen Soshitsu, Ura Senke Grand Tea Master XV in his booklet on The Urasenke Tradition of Tea he describes, “Chado, the Way Of Tea, as based upon the simple act of boiling water, making tea, offering it to others, and drinking of it ourselves. Served with a respectful heart and received with gratitude, a bowl of tea satisfies both physical and spiritual thirst.”  Sharing a bowl of freshly whisked matcha can add a deep sense of renewal with one’s nature and strengthen their commitment to greater satisfaction of union with oneself, universe, and ceremonial host. Through mutual respect, purity and a deep sense of peace we can personalize ceremony with raw elements of artistic beauty that can only be obtained from careful attention over time.  The first step is to find the occasion that resonates with you. The reason could be the change of seasons, sealing a momentous decision, or simply as an art of completely engaging the senses. The lineage and tradition passed on with tea from various regions all specify these simple acts as an art of self mastery, although it is important to note that even Tea Masters started somewhere so don’t let the goal or status that one would achieve be the determining factor over creating Chado. Explore varying ways of producing Chado with an open mind. Through trial and error you may begin to break free of mundane techniques and design your level of enjoyment in the way of tea.   

Want “in” on one of the best new green tea blends in the nation?! Well, allow me to introduce you to one of Art of Tea’s latest creations: Green Pomegranate.

This delectable fusion took 2nd place in the Green Tea category at last week’s World Tea Expo in Atlanta, GA, and is blazing a trail of devotees across L.A.

Steve Schwartz, our inspired leader and master-blender, has combined fresh, fragrant green sencha tea with raspberries, rosehips and essence of pomegranate. The fact that pomegranate is America’s current culinary darling for its anti-oxidant benefits is just icing on the cake. Combined with the already lauded anti-oxidant properties of green tea, this blend provides a power-punch of both healthful benefits and amazing flavor.

Then there’s the aroma - just opening the container and taking in the bouquet will send you over the edge. And if you thought indulging in this prize-winner hot was as good as it could get, then you’re going to flip over what you and all your friends are going to say was the highlight of 2007’s summer: Green Pomegranate iced tea!

For a fabulous and fun way to enjoy Green Pomegranate iced, use our Iced Tea Shaker Set to make hand-shaken iced tea! This is a great way prepare iced tea in fresh, individual batches, as well as when entertaining guests. And if you’re feeling adventurous one of these hot summer nights, try mixing Green Pomegranate into an exotic, specialty cocktail! My favorite is mixing chilled Green Pomegranate with pomegranate liqueur – Pama makes a wonderful one.

Combine two parts Green Pomegranate tea with one part pomegranate liqueur and shake it up with ice in a shaker, or serve on the rocks, for a light and refreshing cocktail. If you prefer yours a little tarter, try using equal parts tea and liqueur. For added yumminess, throw in fresh, crushed strawberries.

With the limitless possibilities of tea, feel free to experiment. And if you come up with any winning combinations, please share the joy with us. But be sure, laced in liqueur or not, with Green Pomegranate in hand, you’ll be beckoning the burgeoning summer sun to “bring it on” with the coolest drink in town.

In Japan and Europe there have been recent studies on the effectiveness of a particular tea called Fucha (Fu Cha). Fucha is a fully fermented dark tea that has undergone a double fermentation process, twice as long and time intensive as the cycle for producing Pu-erh tea.

Fucha is relatively new to the Western world, however, it has been consumed for centuries as a staple part of the Nomadic people’s diet in North Western China, Tibet and various regions in the Himalayas where high ratios of meat, mutton, and cheese are part of their standard diet.

Recent studies have shown that great progress has been made in weight management and lowering blood sugar in molecular levels via two new found active substances which have been named Fucha Su A and Fucha Su B. Case studies are in action on the benefits of Fucha’s ability to effectively aid in digestion, metabolize fat, lower blood sugar, and adjust cholesterol and blood pressure.

During the last 40 days of the fermentation process a natural enzyme is produced, the Chinese refer to this enzyme as the Golden Flower. This enzyme is researched for its abilitiy to help the body to digest heavy meat and dairy based foods. In our next posting on Fu Cha Tea we will elaborate more on the Golden Flower.

Begining July 1st 2007 Art of Tea will be honored to launch in North America Vintage Dark Tea. Vintage Dark tea is a 2003 Fucha tea as part of the TNT Teas and Tisanes line of products.

Damn it’s getting hot! I don’t know where you are while you read this but if you are in the northern half of this ball we call earth you are probably getting ready for summer. As the world tilts and the sun returns to spend more time shining on this half, the temperature rises and I want more cold beverages. Which brings me to Iced Tea.

At Art of Tea we offer several teas that we custom blend to serve iced. What makes them different from the teas we offer to be enjoyed hot? Many of the iced teas we offer have the same names and ingredients as our hot teas but they are made differently. With a tea that will be served iced we need to increase the delicious and natural additives to make sure the flavor comes across. Think of it like a white wine. Coming right out of your refrigerator a chardonnay has only so much flavor that you can notice. Let that wine warm up to cellar or even room temp and you will detect more of its true character.

Tea is the same, so our flavored iced teas have a little more kick added to them so that you can still enjoy all of the subtle nuances that you would find when served hot. It is still tea and we never forget that fact. Whenever we flavor a tea we view it more as a compliment than an additive. We never want to overwhelm the unique character of the leaf.

Back to the iced tea thing since it is summertime. You don’t have to use a tea made for “iced tea” to enjoy a refreshing beverage. It will surprise you how much you might enjoy making an Iced Tea from a tea that you enjoy hot. And you may find that you don’t need to add any sweeteners, citrus, cream, etc. One of my latest favorite iced teas these days is our Earl Grey Crème. A little citrus, touch of vanilla and still definitely a black tea - absolutely great chilled.

HOW TO MAKE AN AWESOME SHAKEN ICED TEA:
Here’s a little trick for you. If you don’t have a martini shaker set, pick one up at any restaurant supply or get our Ice Tea Shaker Kit which is cool because it comes with some great free samples to try out. Brew a pot of your favorite tea, a little on the strong side. Pack the pint glass full of ice. Pour the tea over the ice. Put the stainless steel shaker firmly on top. Hold both halves, put over your shoulder and shake hard. It’s not worth the mess in your kitchen to try any fancy Tom Cruise moves during this step. You will feel it get cold in you hands. Once well chilled set the shaker down so that the stainless steel part is on the counter. Lift the glass off the shaker. This step keeps the tea from running down your hands since the glass is nesting inside the shaker. Pour the tea back into the glass so you can look at it. Most of the ice will have melted. Add fresh ice to a clean glass – you can probably do two servings. Use the strainer to pour your now chilled tea into your glasses of ice. Sit back and enjoy the dog days of summer.

Tai Ping Hou Kui -Wong Quay Chen (Old Man Monkey)

There is only 1,500 kilos produced of this hand made tea every year.

Legend has it that monkeys were destroying a village so the villagers got together and moved the monkeys away. One monkey remained and an old man felt bad for that monkey so he took care of him and in exchange the monkey harvested these rare and wild leaves for the old man. Today they are still hand crafted not machine pressed or processed.

Also they are only spring harvested and crafted by hand which is seen on the fold of the leaf.  Most commercial Tai Pong Hou Kui shows large imprints from a machine compacting and processing the leaf.  This is 100% hand crafted and stored at very cool temperatures to preserve its freshness.  **This is the largest and longest produced green tea leaf. Larger than any other Tai Ping Hou Kui that is in the market place.  Smaller harvests generally denotes a Fall harvest.

This tea benefits from 5 grams per serving. To serve place the leaves in a tee-pee shape in a tall glass or teapot. Pour a small amount of hot water to create a gentle steam from 190 F at the bottom of the glass. This allows the leaves to open more fully. Then completely fill the glass with the remaining water.

This is also the tea that Nixon was given on his trip to China when China began to open it’s doors to the world.
The tea is light and refreshing with a slight floral finish. If you would like to try a sample Art of Tea is offering samples of their limited stock and we suggest that you ask for a sample in the comment section of the checkout with your order at www.artoftea.com. Just let us know your comments on the blog when you get the samples. Look forward to sharing this wonderful tea with you!

Legend has it that a monk summoned a dragon to save a village from a drought. The rains came and a well is still present today delivering fresh spring water to the meadow. Our Organic Dragonwell is cultivated in the Spring time in the West lake of Zhejiang, China. The leaves drenched in morning dew make this tea a prized modity. A favorite of the tea connoisseur with its four unique characteristics: flat sword shaped leaves, jade green color, fresh aroma, and a gentle mellow flavor.

In Yunnan, Xishuangbanna China the Sanctuary Management Bureau set up the first wild butterfly sanctuary in the China mainland region famous for puerh production. The butterflies come out annually for ten days once a year. Here butterflies visit various tropical zones and help to pollinate wild and cultivated tea trees.

Blend of organic flower-scented white teas, wild roses, organic peppermint, and seasonally selected botanicals. Great for an after meal pick up or late night elixir used to refresh the mind and enhance the mood. One pot can make the night sweet and reminiscent. Share it with someone you love.

Mengyang, China, also known as land of plenty and land of the song and dance. Mengyang enjoys all four seasons and is a prime source of raw tropical land rich in fertile soil.  In the whole town there governs 8 village meetings, 50 different ethnic villages, 58 village groups in a national territorial area of nearly 100 square miles.

There are natural springs in the area boasting water temperatures up to 185 F. These waters cross into the a powerful river called Dragonriver which provides electricity reserves for the city center and neighboring villages.

 Recently governmental funds and fair wages on the production of tea have created such an infrastructure for modern construction such as clean water, electricity, paved roads, telephone communications, and cultural education. Mengyang is setting a new pace for rural parts in China creating a five tier system which includes education, sustainable living, governance, a blend of natural sciences and technology, and a balance in the ecosystems environmental construction.

The simplest way to understand how oxidation works is to compare it to taking a first bite out of an apple. Than imagine your best friend called you and wanted to tell you all about how his/her date went last night. Twenty minutes later you hang up the phone and before you realize, something has happened to your apple. What is the color of it now as compared to before? With tea, oxidation refers to how and when the oxidation occurs, and how and when the oxidation stops.

The process of white tea is quite minimal which includes drying and withering almost immediately after picking. Some refer to white tea as a “raw” tea. The secrets of the teas withering process varies from region to region in Fujian China and depends on climate conditions and family traditions. White tea gets its name from a silvery type down that cover the leaves and buds, known as “Hao.”

Green tea leaves are plucked then immediately cooked to prevent oxidization. Japanese greens are generally steamed resulting in a bright green infusion while Chinese greens are pan, or wok roasted to neutralize the natural enzymes, rolled, then dried which results in a pale green color. 

Full leave Black Tea leaves are produced through a rolling and cooking action resulting in 100% oxidization process. As a result, black tea generally provides a robust and brisk flavor and as the juices are brought to the surface from the rolling action the effect contains more caffeine than the teas in other categories.

Finally, Oolong Teas are hand tossed in baskets to bruise the leaves and release essential oils that initiate the oxidation process then withered between 2-8 hours depending on moisture, climate, and results the artisan is looking to achieve.  Oolong teas being partially oxidized can be categorized generally in between a Green Tea and Black Tea in terms of length of oxidation, strength of flavor and caffeine content. Oolongs can be between 1% oxidized which would be closer to a green tea up to 99% oxidized closer to a black tea.