Friday Knows Tea

     One interesting component of Lexical-Gustatory Synesthesia is the difference between word flavors and feeling flavors. What I mean by this is that the word "happy" tastes one way, but the feeling of being happy tastes entirely different. When I read the word "happy," my tongue is coated with sweet orange oil and the sensation of catching a snowflake on the tip of the tongue. Pops of effervescent coriander make themselves known here and there like very quiet pop rocks. The feeling of happy, however, is the smell of lilac in the back of the throat and a warm wet cloud pressed against the hard and soft palates. It's a bit earthy-fatty on the sides of the tongue, like a very rich cacao nib.     I commonly experience both the feeling and the word flavors simultaneously as a double exposure (like trick photography, but in my brain-mouth), as emotions are at least a little replicated when they are being discussed or described. Humans are super into empathy ...

The shiny cut jewel that is the tea industry has many many beautiful facets. We see plants as art and have hearts open to the new and unusual. Science and innovation intrigue us and a connection to the earth drives us. We are in a line of passion that naturally lends itself to compassion and hospitality. Overall, tea people are wonderful!  Unfortunately, there are also flaws in the jewel of our community, the most glaring of which is a tendency toward gatekeeping. The art of tea can be intimidating to new explorers, and many shy friendlies have come into our shop sheepishly admitting that they are "bad tea drinkers" or apologizing for not already knowing everything about every way that every tea has ever been brewed. Please allow me to assure you first and foremost: If you enjoy your tea, you are doing it right. That being said, allow me to impart what I hope will be valuable guiding points to begin your tea journey. I'll outline here the baby basics (and throw in a few p...

  Before we get into this dreamy perky explosion of teen magical girl flavor, a word about synesTEAsia:      Synesthesia is a neurological cross-wiring of the senses that leads the individual to experience sound as color, numbers as personalities, words as flavors and so on. There are a lot of different forms of synesthesia, and it is not uncommon for synesthetes to experience multiple forms to varying degrees. Polysynesthetes such as myself make up 2-3% of the world's population.      My dominant form is called Lexical-Gustatory Synesthesia (I literally taste words) and is the root of my blending work. While being a tea blender certainly requires skill and knowledge of ingredients, flavor and texture profiles and palate matching, it doesn't hurt to have an intimate relationship with flavors and the stories they evoke. I imagine a word, an idea, a lyric, a feeling or a memory, then pick apart what I taste in my brain-mouth using my decades of experie...

Tea Legend Time! Ti Kwan Yin (also spelled Tieguanyin) is commonly called "Iron Goddess of Mercy," as it's named for Guanyin, a Chinese deity of kindness and compassion. The story goes that a poor farmer named Wei Yin spent all his days in back-breaking labor, but still found moments to tend to a dilapidated statue of Guanyin in a run-down temple he passed every day on his way to and from the work fields. One night, an exhausted Wei Yin fell asleep in the temple while tending to her statue. In a dream, Guanyin led Wei Yin to a cave behind her temple, where she told him he would find a gift. When he awoke, he followed her guidance and found a small tea shoot. Wei Yin was delighted, and vowed to treasure this gift. He took the tea shoot home and replanted it, where it grew strong and healthy, with large glossy leaves! This beautiful tea plant was a sight for sore eyes, as the region was arid and the farmers had little success. Wei Yin, being a kind and loving soul, shared c...

 My hands have been freezing like a damn corpse for the entirety of Fall, I've had multiple stress nightmares every night this week and a persistent right lower eyelid twitch for nearly a month. Time alternates between zooming past and sluggishly progressing at a glacial pace, neither of which thrill me. When I ask my friends "how are you doing?" I can't help but say it in the "I already know the answer and I wish I could give you a hug but I can't because of a global pandemic that is showing no sign of slowing down" voice. Despite the glimmer of hope for positive change on the horizon (and flip tone aside here, I genuinely do believe there's hope), these are truly the shittiest of times and there's only so much that positive thinking and Zoom therapy sessions can help. Clearly I have no insight into every individual's response to this year's ever-increasing shittiness factor, but I do have a big heart and the ability to make an easy-to-s...

     Have you been harboring a curiosity over the small statues in Chinese tea shops? Do your friends, with their fancy slatted trays and rare oolongs, have a little friend who frequently graces their tea table? Are you super super into tiny cute animal figurines and delicious teas? You, my friend, are ready to get hooked on tea pets.     These little buddies date back to the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368 AD) when pottery artists began playing with teapot scraps, fashioning whimsical figures out of the spare clay to entertain themselves and their clients. The practice caught on and soon there was demand for intentionally fashioned statues designed to represent household spirits and mythological guardians such as dragons, great turtles and luck-bearing dogs. A bed of coins under the pet (or one in the mouth as pictured below) represents a pet that will bring financial prosperity to a household. Birds are thought to bring wisdom and happiness. Some are fashioned to...

  'Tis the season for thoughtful gifts and quality time spent with friends and family! We at Friday Afternoon are firm believers in the uniting powers of tea. What better way to show love than with one of the world's oldest social beverages? Cozy, flavorful and dripping with personality! I have taken a bit of time as we move into the holiday season to personally curate for you a list of delicious gifts. Treat the myriad characters that doubtless surround you this season, and don't forget to pick up something tasty for yourself! Happy sipping! Ok, potty mouth. This one's for you. Clean it up with this rich and creamy dessert tea. White tea with toffee and fudge will chill your vulgar tongue and convert your "What the F*ck" to a more socially-acceptable " WTF !" No more side-eye from Grandma. You're welcome. Got a wild one in your life? This spicy-sweet black tea bites back and is sure to delight the daring gourmands. The war...