Friday Knows Tea

We talk a lot about blends here, due to my unique process and how fun they are. Today I'd like to focus on my real passion: beautiful single-origin leaf. If you've ever chatted with me about tea, you no doubt know how worked up I get about ethical sourcing and ingredient quality. I'm sure you wouldn't be following my blog if you didn't have at least a passing interest in drinking The Good Stuff, so let's take a minute to look at one leaf from one estate that does one style. Today we'll delve into Dianhong, aka Golden Yunnan .   (Thanks to www.thechineseteashop.com for image!) Yunnan (in purple at the southwest of the above map) boasts a reputation as the birthplace of tea, and began cultivating tea trees over 2,000 years ago. The low altitude and mineral-rich nature of the soil in this region contribute to its rich, earthy flavor and full-bodied mouthfeel. Yunnan is lauded for their pu-erh production to be sure, but we'll get to that another day....

With planting season coming up (we typically get our first round of seeds planted mid-February), now is the time to start planning what to do with your garden space. TeaChild and I live in a small apartment with super limited growing space for fresh herbs and limited kitchen space for dried herbs, so prioritizing the most efficient and low-maintenance crops is always important for us. Today I have compiled for you a list of our ten favorite multitaskers to keep on hand in our garden and pantry.  What fresh and dried plants do you always like to have around for health and wellness? Share your picks for useful herbs below! Love, Friday

So a bit over a year ago I published a post on my synesthetic experience with the feeling of passionate, romantic love. You all seemed to really dig that one, so I guess we'll make it a series! Today's flavor concept is Ambition. I refer to that determined, deep-gut desire to make something happen for yourself. In my world, it's typically career-based, but has also applied to my personal life and education. You know that feeling when you've really made up your mind to do Great Things and you won't hear otherwise? Let's taste that. Ambition is as much a physical feeling as it is a flavor. It's a firm, tense rectangular prism deep in the bowels and a steel rod at the core of your sternum. The prism tastes tart and green with a hint of a bitter edge. I'd best compare this to citrus peels with plenty of the pith intact. The steel rod tastes warm and orange-yellow, like a late summer in a grassy meadow full of star thistle. That hot sun meets dry grass with...

So here's a Fun Friday Fact for ya: I absolutely LOVE Oscar Wilde. His snappy witticisms and unique turns of phrase delight and enchant me. I know I'm not remotely alone on this one. Oscar has been a long-time favorite of so many people. My particular favorite work is one I would classify as his second-most chilling and macabre piece: The Picture of Dorian Gray. This novel inspired a tea blend which has become very popular with our literary-minded clientele here at the tea shop. Though frequently mistaken for an Earl Grey variant, this blend is completely lacking in bergamot. (I considered it, but it really didn't fit the scene I was trying to recreate.) Are you ready for some synesthetic magic? Buckle up. It's alchemy time. The Tea of Dorian Gray Most of my blends are inspired by specific characters or archetypes. This one is unusual for me in that it was inspired by a pinpoint moment in one scene midway through the novel. Dorian is wandering the wharf at nigh...