Monthly Archives: February 2012

Once You Go Black, You Never Go Back

I feel like it’s pretty safe to say that one of the most common teas in the Western world is black tea. There haven’t been the same kinds of concerted studies into black tea as there are into green tea, so I guess it’s not really in the news as often, but it seems to be the most likely to be found in the cup! Whether taken with milk and sugar or served iced, when in the US or the UK, black is what you’ll most readily find.

Interestingly enough, while black tea has really come to the forefront as the favorite in Europe and the US, it is probably the least consumed type of tea in China, where it (and all other tea) originated. Black teas in particular are produced in a number of different countries including China, India, Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon), and even the US in more recent times.

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Making Tea: Almost as Complicated as Making Babies

“All there is to making tea is to pick it, steam it, pound it, shape it, dry it, tie it and seal it.”
    -Lu Yu, The Classic of Tea

The first time I read that sentence, I started cracking up. It implies that making tea is a simple process, then contradicts itself immediately with the number of steps involved (few of which are easily or quickly explained). Making tea is clearly a process. There are multiple steps to follow and, depending on your intended outcome, they must be performed in specific orders and some steps may even be repeated.

This is an excerpt from the first ever book on tea, called the Ch’a Ching, or The Classic of Tea. Written in the eight century (yes, that means in the 700’s AD), it’s remarkable how little has changed regarding the growing, plucking, and manufacture of (orthodox) teas. To be fair, the process described by Lu Yu above is no longer exactly right, so I’ll take a little time to talk to you about how tea is made today.

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Tea: More Than Just a Really Large Breast Size

What exactly is tea, anyway? It seems like you just put any plant or herb put into hot water and – VOILA! – tea!

Unfortunately, that’s not exactly how it works. I know that would be an easy answer, but such is life!

Officially, tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, a tree native to China. The coolest thing about tea, in my personal opinion, is that all different teas (white, black, green, oolong, pu-erh) are made from the same plant. The only difference is how the leaves are prepared for use. It’s a pretty remarkable plant, if you think about it that way. Most tea trees are kept small, in more of a bush size, to make it easier to pick the fresh shoots that are used to make the final product.

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Monday NovelTea!

I Pity the Fool Who Doesn’t Drink Tea!

I’m the first to admit I’m not quite old enough to have grown up watching the A-Team. Despite this, I have always known who Mr. T was and how he had a tendency to “Pity the foo’!” A family friend even had a classic Mr. T action figure (it’s not a doll!) that he would take pictures of with people he was acquainted with. Here’s one of those shots with myself and all of my brothers (he’s the wee little one in the middle):

Today’s Monday NovelTea has two items. Unfortunately for myself and the rest of the world (tea drinking or otherwise), the first one is only available in the UK at a bit of a high cost and the other one isn’t available any longer! So I invite you now to behold the glory that is Mr. Tea!

Above is the limited edition Mr. Tea. Lunartik, who created Mr. Tea, also has a line of other pretty awesome tea items, so definitely check this out!

The Mr. T Tea for One is found in the Etsy shop of Lennymud. Unfortunately it’s been sold, but Lennymud has recently re-opened shop with a number of other items, some Mr. Tea related!

A Hearty “Whaddup!?” from Fun and FlirTea

Welcome to the beginnings of the Fun and FlirTea blog! What you’re seeing today is just the first incarnation of what this is going to become. As will be experienced at the beginning of any new venture, there have been a few technical difficulties to overcome, so I am using a temporary blog design to get things rolling!

What Fun and FlirTea is really about is sharing tea, a love of tea, and just how freaking awesome it can be. Each week, I’ll be posting some NovelTeas, quotes about tea, and at least one more detailed article on a tea-related topic. So drop on by periodically or subscribe to your feed of choice! Either way, I’m happy to have you here and reading!

And now, for my next trick… one of the raddest videos about tea in recent months: