V5 (5 Things 1 Topic)

Tea is one of life’s simple pleasures, it connects people from around the world through one of life’s simplest pleasures.  

I have yet to experience a culture that isn’t seeped in the tradition of enjoying a cup of tea.  Not all cultures experience tea in the same way, and not all cultures experience the same tea, but a culture that has no experience with tea is a culture that I’m yet to visit.  I for one am not cut from the fabric of high society, but memories of sipping hot almond tea with my dad before bed on the weekends connects me to those who are.  That experience also connects me with people of all classes and locations around the world who have shared in the practice of sipping and embracing the comfort provided by a simple cup of tea.

Whether it’s black tea, green tea, sweet tea, almond tea, sleepy time, or any of the other of the 3,000 varieties, tea needs no defense or reason.  Tea serves an array of purposes from medicinal to hallucinogenic, but chief among those purposes, tea is meant to be enjoyed.

Tea is the epitome enjoyment through simplicity, and as the Mad Hatter once stated, “it’s always tea time”.

There are an exponential number of facts about tea, here are five of them.

1. The most expensive tea in the world is called Da Hong Pao.  It is priced at over $1,000,000 per kg.  The name literally translates to big red robe.  There are a number of different explanations for the name, perhaps the simplest comes from a story about the emperor of the Ming Dynasty donating his red robe for a jar of this tea which is said to have healing powers.  With the tea in hand the emperor was able to save his ailing mother’s life.  Most of this story’s iterations center around an emperor giving his robe in gratitude for the tea.  Forget the legend, what makes this tea so special?  It has healing powers that can save people!  Not really. The truth of the matter is that it is scarce.  There are only six trees in existence that produce Da Hong Pao.  These trees are referred to as mother plants and they grow in the Wuyi Mountains of the Fujian province of China.  The last time they were harvested was 2005.  These trees are national treasures!  Fun Fact: In 1972 Chairman Mao gifted then President Nixon 200 gm of Da Hong Pao upon his official visit to China.  The opportunity to acquire 200 gm of Da Hong Pao might be the only reason I would ever consider being the President.
2. Every culture has tea centric traditions, such as teatime in Great Britain, morning tea in Iran, and tea with unhealthy amounts of sugar in the southern United States.  A tradition in Japan, however, might be my favorite.  During a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony there is a custom of rotating one’s tea bowl 90° in two turns before taking a drink.  The reason being is that traditional tea bowls usually have a decorative side (front) and a non-decorative side.  The host sets the tea bowl in place with the decorative side facing the guest.  Not wanting to put one’s lips on the artwork and wanting to share the beauty of the tea bowl with others, two small turns are initiated, thus making all parties happy!
3. Great Britain… Despite some British thinking they have a monopoly on tea etiquette, they don’t.  They go hard on tea, but that doesn’t disqualify opposing connoisseurs a seat at the table!  The British do have some great things to offer when it comes to tea though.  Afternoon tea and high tea are two completely different approaches to tea.  Afternoon tea is what most imagine when they think of British tea ceremonies.  The sandwiches, the scones, the pastries, the milk the fine teacups, that is bougie side of tea.  Afternoon tea is served on low tables between 3-5pm.  As a quick heads up, when a three-tiered food tray comes out, go from bottom to top.  Sandwiches, then Scones, then Pastries in that order.  High tea is more proletariat.  High tea was a little later in the evening, during mealtime for the servants.  They would often be on the clock and forced to eat at a high table, in order to move quickly if needed. High table, thus “high tea”.
4. It turns out that The Boston Tea Party wasn’t really about raising taxes on tea.  It was more of a response to being told what tea could be purchased, namely the tea of East India Company which didn’t actually sell tea from East India, their tea came from China.  I learned this while trying to find out if the ocean tasted like tea after The Boston Tea Party.  And while I never did find out if the ocean tasted like tea, I did learn that the only thing damaged was tea.  The “American” ships carrying the tea (The Beaver, The Dartmouth, and The Elenore) and the crew weren’t harmed at all, only the tea.  The ruined tea did amount to the equivalent of two million dollars in losses by today’s valuation (nearly the price of two kg of Da Hong Pao).  There were other lesser known “tea parties” around the same time, including The Philadelphia Tea Party and The Charleston Tea Party.  I also learned that no one called it The Boston Tea Party until the mid 1800’s.  It was originally called something along the lines of ‘The Destruction of Tea in the Boston Harbor’.  Not much better than the original name ‘Men who hopped aboard three ships with the intent of putting tea in the Boston Harbor as a means to share with the British their displeasure with the Tea Act of 1773, but they have no intention of harming anyone physically at this time Party’ (That was never in the running for the name, but it is almost as bad as ‘The Destruction of Tea in the Boston Harbor’).
5. For those of you unaccustomed with the concept of sweet tea in the southern United States, allow me to share an anecdote.  I am from way up north and I grew up with no association to sweet tea.  My first time attending a conference in the south included a catered dinner event where, among other things, I learned about some southern culinary norms.  This was a beautifully catered event, and it was a charming experience.  That said, when one of the waitresses asked for my drink preference, I just asked for water.  She returned with glass of sweet tea.  When I mentioned that I asked for water, she replied very politely that I would be drinking sweet tea.  The caterers didn’t even bother bringing water, it was sweet tea or something other than water, and sweet tea was more like water than pop, so sweet tea it was!  Sweet tea is an art-form in the south, although regrettably, I think it’s terrible. However, I do find the arguments over the proper way to make sweet tea charming.  I have no idea how to make sweet tea or what is the best sweet tea, but here is a popular recipe for anyone interested. 

Whether you are sipping sweet tea in the south, hiking the tea fields of Malawi¹, classing it up for afternoon tea in London, or admiring the tea bowl art at a Japanese tea ceremony, you are part of a tribe of tea drinkers.  Near or far, as Uncle Iroh, one of the most beloved tea drinkers of all time once said “sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life’s true delights”.

V5 (5 things, 1 topic!)

1. My dream climbing destination.  Absolutely in my top 5 places to climb in the world, maybe #1.  If someone offered me a cup of Da Hong Pao or a climbing trip to Malawi, it would be a tough decision, but it wouldn’t take long for me to start packing my gear.  For anyone looking for more info on this beautiful destination here is a link to Climb Malawi.