Evolution Of A Tea Drinker

My Tea Journey

[jinandtea]

It started as one of us reaching out to the other. What can I do? What is my role?

The more we talked (and drank tea) together, the conversation shifted to, “What can WE do? We’re just a bunch of tea nerds.”

Then it clicked. While tea can be a way to escape the chaos of daily life, it also creates space for conversation. While the current climate of the world may seem daunting, we have to believe we all play a role in making change and claiming our future. We cannot stay silent.

We created this space to raise awareness and encourage open dialogue. All we ask is you come with an open mind and a cup full of tea.

From our cup to yours,

Jin, Jess, Marco & Rie

Follow us on IG @activist.teahouse and join us as we fight for a better and brighter future.

Interested in learning more or how to join us at the virtual Teahouse send me a message.

[jinandtea]

Cooking with Tea.

Here is a rice dish I made using my Shu Infused Vinegar. Scroll down for recipe on the rice....

The tea I used was a 2006 Menghai Lao Shu. I tend to use this specific tea from my stash for cooking more than drinking on its own.

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Jin’s Shu Infused Vinegar

- 2 cups white vinegar

- Approximately 20 - 25 grams puer (or to taste)

1. Bring vinegar to boil, than add tea leaves

2. Let steep for approximately 30 minutes or until cool

3. Strain through coffee filter.

Suggested Uses:

Perfect as a salad dressing, particularly with fresh mushrooms. Just drizzle infused vinegar over salad followed by olive oil, fresh cracked pepper and sea salt.

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Jin’s Shu Sauce

- Infused Vinegar

- 1 Onion, thinly sliced

- 1 Carrot, julienned

- Half Bell Pepper, sliced

- Fresh Thyme sprigs

- All Spice

- (Optional) pinch of Sugar and salt, to taste

- Mason Jar

1. Fill mason with chopped vegetables, spice and herb.

2. Bring infused vinegar to a simmer. If adding sugar and salt, add to vinegar and stir until dissolved.

3. Pour vinegar over vegetables in jar, let cool and store in fridge, up to 1 month.

*Great over fried or grilled fish/poultry/vegetables .

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Infused Rice

This photo showcases a rice dish I put together with sautéed dandelion greens and portobello mushrooms, topped with this infused sticky rice.

You can use this vinegar as a broth for rice.

1. After making infused vinegar, replace strained leaves to pot and fill with water (measure based on amount of rice you would like to prepare.) Bring to a boil to steep the leaves.

2. Strain tea leaves and add rice to cook.

3. Finish rice with a sprinkle of salt (I prefer smoked sea salt as it makes for an extra flavorful rice and great paired with this particular tea)

[jinandtea]

☕️ TEA TOGETHER TUESDAY

Question of the day: “Your favorite tea company & the first tea/tisane you ever tried from them?” #TeaTogetherTuesday on IG

➡️ My favorite tea company is @White2Tea - this is the company that introduced me to really great raw puerh, prior to them I had tried this type of tea but it was hard for me to stomach. It was a combo of totally brewing my tea wrong and just not getting really good quality sheng. When I discovered #White2Tea and #White2TeaClub I was introduced to a variety of raw puerh and receiving a bit of education, a bit of history and suggested brewing parameters.... the club was a gateway for me to deep dive into puerh. 🍃

As far as the first tea I ever had from them, it is long gone and I surely cannot remember what it was exactly..... but I do remember it being a huang pian - which to this day is my go to raw puerh. Huang pian is a favorite tea amongst tea farmers. However, many tea producers do not find these large leaves visually appealing, so this tea ends up being a fairly affordable tea. The thing is... this tea is absolutely delightful, smooth and calming.... and as it ages it gets even better 🤗 This is a fantastic daily drinker, wonderful alongside a heavy meal and can even be a great nightcap. 🍃

From the first time I tried this type of tea, nearly 5 years ago, the shift and understanding of how extraordinarily delicious a good cup of sheng (for me) feels like, was instant. Noticing the slight honey sweet and smoothness of this tea took me on a journey to exploring this large leaf puerh from many other vendors.... and I continue to love each and every session 🥰

My photo is the last chunk of a 2017 200 gram blended huang pian tea cake. This was an exclusive tea cake offered in the White2Tea Club. I am so sad I only have a few more sessions with this particular tea.

[jinandtea]

🍲 LUNCH 🍴 I love taking my tea the extra mile.... often after tea sessions I will use my spent leaves in cold brews or in my cooking.

For an easy cold brew I just plop the leaves in a jar and top it with cold water and toss it in the fridge for an iced tea another day.

When it comes to cooking, I love to take the leaves for a hard boil then use the liquid for broths in rice or noodles. When it comes to certain green teas like Sencha I will add a bit of soy sauce & lime for a quick salady snack. And speaking of salads the tea liquid is also fantastic to use as part of a salad dressing 😋

When it comes to a salad dressing all you will need is to infuse your tea with white vinegar (instead of boiling in water you will bring to a simmer in vinegar) Then strain and mix infused tea liquid with olive oil and fresh herbs or citrus zest.... you can add honey or Dijon mustard...go wild with the combos ☺️

Then up another notch, there is BAKING!!! Totally next level!!!! So many ways to infuse tea liquid and leaves in baking 🤗

So do you use tea in your cooking? I would love to hear about it, please comment with your favorite infusions ☺️

[jinandtea]

🍃 C H A X I 🍃 Another challenge I am excited about is hosted by @teacurious the #ChaXiChallenge ➡️ setting the stage for our tea sessions. Many of us in the #communitea will be sharing our beautiful tea tables and the stories behind them, follow the hashtag and join the fun ☺️

Here is my first of 3 for the challenge:

This morning I wanted my tea table to embody spring... First things first, I cleared and cleaned my tea table .... then I thought about things that felt like spring or at least things I had in my tea collection. I really wanted flowers but currently do not have any, so I chose a tea runner I recently sewed and my favorite tea jar. Flowers ✅

Next up, picking the teaware, I chose this Ruyao teapot and cup because they matched 😂 and went well with my spring theme and the colors on my mat. ✅

Now, I want to add that this challenge is pushing me out of my comfort zone a bit, I love using a tea tray, but I decided for this session to move away from the tray and try a tea boat style .... which I actually enjoyed and will be adding to the rotation ☺️ (this of course means adding to my teaware collection 💵 😂 but I don’t mind 😜)

Finally, the tea chosen, I wanted to drink something that would warm me up, but maintain a warm chill feel. I had a taste for something dark, woodsy and slightly sweet - and it just so happens this teapot is my shou pu pot, so I chose a 2009 Nan Jian 801 Ripe Tuo Cha ✅ perfect tea to bring this whole post breakfast morning session together 😋

Just to complete the feel for this session, the music in the background was the Blippi soundtrack 😂 my daughter was playing and singing around me the entire time of this morning session. The sounds of a happy toddler added to a beautifully bright & warming session 🥰 It truly was a glorious start to a wonderful spring day ☺️

[jinandtea]

🤗ZANGPING SHUI XIAN 😋

So I wanted to get in on the action with these cool weekly prompts hosted by @teawithjann & @teaisawishblog ☺️ The question of the day is:

If you could only have one tea/tisane for the rest of your life, what would it be?

#TeaTogetherTuesday

🤔 I will be honest and say, this is HARD!!!! 😫 I love so many teas and honestly I drink teas that go with my current mood.... BUT!!! I guess if I must....

I will choose Zangping Shui Xian, a Chinese Oolong. I was first introduced to this tea about 3 years ago by @unytea.store , when Jeff, the owner, hosted a NYC meetup, he hooked me up with two of these bricks.

These pillowy soft bricks - that I exclusively brew gong fu - have a light roast and wonderfully floral aroma and flavor. This tea is soothing and smooth and ALWAYS makes me feel good. I could most certainly drink this everyday, no problem ☺️ ✨

[jinandtea]

JAPANESE WHITE BENIFUKI

What a treat @UNYtea 😋

I have been looking forward to trying this tea for a while now.... hearing whispers of its deliciousness and recently realizing how exclusive it was (this tea is made solely for #unytea)

After searching my collection of tea books and a google search ... I quickly realized that this Japanese White Benifuki is a UNICORN ..... What is much more well known, is the Japanese Black Benifuki (also available at UNYtea)

BUT, my friend, the Unicorn that is White Benifuki can only be found from @UNYtea!!! 🤩 The story is.... the owner of UNYtea convinced a Japanese farmer to produce this ABSOLUTELY lovely tea - and baby, it does not disappoint 🙌🏽

Looking forward to many session with this goodness 🔥

My initial session, tasting notes ➡️

Wet leaf aroma: Mild sweet floral perfume

Liquor: Mildly Sweet Earthiness

Tastes like Spring ☺️ ✨

[jinandtea]

🍃 TEA IN NATURE 🍃 During the warmer months (or days) I tend to take my Tea Time outdoors. ☀️ The entire process is a mindful practice for me. From packing my bag with essentials for my outing, to the long walk I take to my location, to finding the perfect spot, to setting up, to tea preparation and meditation! 🙏🏽 My favorite teas to take outdoors are usually aged white. However, I occasionally will bring a tea that I may be currently into that I want to explore in nature... I tend to get a different experience with these teas.... such as deeper aromas and flavor. I find that I am so much more calmer and able to dive deeper into the tea. Perhaps it is because I have no distractions and being out in nature allows for a more blissful experience. ❤️ Do you enjoy your tea outdoors? What are your ‘go to’ teas to enjoy outdoors? ✨ ✨ ✨ #JINandTEA #teaaddict #teaenthusiast #tealover #teahead #teatime #gongfucha #gaiwan #teasesh #teaoftheday #traditionaltea #teaceremony #tealifestyle #teafreak #tearitual #teablog #mindful #meditation #gratitude 🙏🏽 #grateatude ==================================== 🍃 Follow my Tea blog JINandTEA.Tumblr.com 🍃 https://www.instagram.com/p/B9RIQC7gwvr/?igshid=1vceyuv2oaw7a

[jinandtea]

HAPPY NEW YEAR 🥳 First tea of the year arrived from @white2tea & #white2teaclub and this cake is gorgeous, I can’t wait to dig in (giving it a few days to rest)... one of my big tea goals this year is to take my time and work on my tea notes... pay close attention to my teas as they age and make (detail) note of the differences... I have done this in the past but it has been sparingly and when I do have notes I am like “what you talkin’ bout” so I am upping my tasting notes game, for myself and to share with you 😜 In general, I go more for the meditative experience and just indulge in the tea moment.... but I want to share more with you, not only that aspect of it, but also a little more about the tea itself... especially the ones that I get really excited about ❤️ Looking forward to epic tea sessions, with my current stash and new goodies to come this year ☺️ ✨ ✨ ✨ #JINandTEA #teaaddict #teaenthusiast #tealover #teahead #teatime #gongfucha #gaiwan #teasesh #teaoftheday #traditionaltea #teaceremony #tealifestyle #teafreak #tearitual #teablog #mindful #meditation #gratitude 🙏🏽 #grateatude ==================================== 🍃 Follow my Tea blog JINandTEA.Tumblr.com 🍃 https://www.instagram.com/p/B7DoH-HAWvF/?igshid=11dvn0mc4i91q

[jinandtea]

COLD BREW IT!!!! I often cold brew my Puerh after my sessions…. I find this to be the perfect way to get every bit I can out of those precious leaves. This also allows for me to enjoy nice cold beverages with meals, when I don’t want just water. 🥰 Recently, I read a book, that was the December read for the #teabookclub I am a member of - Timothy d’Offay “Easy Leaf Tea” - filled with a little bit of history, featuring great tea spots in London and most of all tea recipes. This book inspired me to develop my own tea drink, that also incorporates my favorite sweet flavors of the holiday season. ☺️
The flavors behind my drink incorporated my homemade candied oranges, I made for Christmas, along with the cooking syrup I saved to add to various baked sweets, tea & coffee. The tea I chose was a 2005 ripe Puerh with beautiful notes of bittersweet dark chocolate. When I thought about this combo all I could think about, were the chocolate oranges you typically see in the shops during the holiday season 😊 also a favorite chocolate I buy every Christmas. 
======== Jin’s cold brew Chocolate Orange Puerh (Inspired by Tea Book Club)
- 15 year old Shou, cold brew 12 - 24 hours - Orange syrup (to taste, by the teaspoon) - Candied orange, garnish
1. Prepare cold brew. I used spent leaves from a gong fu session (of 10 steeps), cold brewed for at least 12 - 24 hours. 2. When brew is ready, strain and stir. 3. Add a splash of simple syrup and pour over ice. 4. Top with garnish. Cheers! 😋 ✨
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#JINandTEA #teaaddict #teaenthusiast #tealover #teahead #teatime #gongfucha #gaiwan #teasesh #teaoftheday #traditionaltea #teaceremony #tealifestyle #teafreak #tearitual #teablog #mindful #meditation #gratitude 🙏🏽 #grateatude


[jinandtea]

Today I decided I would embark on a little experiment 🧫 
I have a 500g cake of a 2006 Yi Pin Tang “Menghai Lao Shu” Ripe Pu-erh Tea - this has not been my favorite tea in my stash and I have only brewed a handful of sessions of this tea over the years. 
Today, I have decided to revisit this tea while trying a different brewing method… western style, bringing it to a rapid boil for about 5 minutes. Now I understand that this can make the tea way more concentrated but I wanted to give this method a try specifically on this tea because it needs thorough cleaning lol or sterilization rather… as this is the type of tea you may find other particles that ain’t tea 😳
RESULTS!!
I must say, this method has definitely allowed for a much more delightful tea, surprisingly. I truly could not manage drinking this tea gong fu style… but this version is lovely … smokey, woody with a very light sweetness at the end. Prior to this brewing method, in the past everything was just way to overwhelming and just not pleasant to me. I am pleased ☺️what ever I don’t finish I will chill in the refrigerator and see how I feel about this over ice. ☺️ BREWING PARAMETERS
9g shou
.5 liters of water
- bring to a boil on stovetop for approx. 5 minutes.
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#JINandTEA #teaaddict #teaenthusiast #tealover #teahead #teatime #gongfucha #gaiwan #teasesh #teaoftheday #traditionaltea #teaceremony #tealifestyle #teafreak #tearitual #teablog #mindful #meditation #gratitude 🙏🏽 #grateatude


[jinandtea]

#GraTEAtude Every November I take the time to create a gratitude jar for myself and my family. Each day we have to write down something we are grateful for that day and have a moment of reflection on whatever it is for the day. 💜 I thought it would be fun to bring a similar activity here virtually and share it with you all ☺️ I wrote out different teas to enjoy each day of the month and thought it would be nice to use a little tea time to reflect on something I am grateful for. 🙏🏽 Join me as I share my tea prompt each day and maybe you can sit and have a similar tea (or any tea or your favorite hot beverage) with me virtually ☺️ If you join me please tag me and use hashtag #GraTEAtude so that I can share the love 🥰 ✨ ✨ ✨ #JINandTEA #teaaddict #teaenthusiast #tealover #teahead #teatime #gongfucha #gaiwan #teasesh #teaoftheday #traditionaltea #teaceremony #tealifestyle #teafreak #tearitual #teablog #mindful #meditation #gratitude 🙏🏽 ==================================== 🍃 Follow my Tea blog JINandTEA.Tumblr.com 🍃 https://www.instagram.com/p/B4SzD6GgbL-/?igshid=wjra3vpsfp7m

[jinandtea]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! Clutch my &@€£#% pearls!!!! So I started with this bad boy this morning and was taken aback by the sweet, smooth flavors….This is a white tea that was packed in bamboo and roasted! Lordt 🙏🏽……. So after my morning tea sesh and mind blowing experience …. I left the wet leaves on my tea table for a good 9 hours to go about my day and business…. to return to another late afternoon session of goodness!!!! @white2tea BRUH you did it again, adding this tea to your repertoire was indeed one of the greatest decisions you made for my tea life 🙌🏽 Seriously, I think i’m in love ❤️ this tea is giving me life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After my first session with this tea I am so loving this bamboo roasting process WOW 😮 ✨ ✨ ✨ #JINandTEA #teaaddict #teaenthusiast #tealover #teahead #teatime #gongfucha #gaiwan #teasesh #teaoftheday #traditionaltea #teaceremony #tealifestyle #teafreak #tearitual #teablog #mindful #meditation #gratitude 🙏🏽 ==================

[jinandtea]

This morning I woke up with the full intention to go overboard with my tea drinking .... how many grams will I steep through this lovely Sunday??? 😜 This morning I am starting with 6 grams of a raw Puer ➡️ White2Tea’s Poundcake 2016 ....

Yesterday I went through about 8 steeps of a huangpian (7 grams).... this is pretty normal behavior for me, but I really want to get through several teas today and see what level of tea drunkenness is achieved .... LOL

Let the marathon commence!!!!! 🏃🏽‍♀️

[jinandtea]

The importance of RITUAL!

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For me it cultivates mindfulness, LOVE for self & living in present tense!

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For a long time I thought happiness existed in things.... or outside of me... it took time for me to understand that what I truly seek is within me. And the best way for me to dive into my spirit is through ritual.

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So what does ritual look like for me? Ritual, for me, is Spiritual and involves a safe and calming space. It involves the practice of Cha Dao or “The Way Of Tea” more specifically through Gong Fu Cha. This, for me, allows me to create a space of focus & stillness. The flavors and textures of the tea are soothing, relaxing. It allows me to tap into all of my senses - which in turn opens me up to be vulnerable and open to receive. The art of the tea ceremony is such a calming practice, it helps in my goal to achieve inner peace.

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Every time I sit down for these moments, the approach will vary. Sometimes it is outdoors in nature, other times it is taking place in my sacred space that I have created in my home, and then there are times it is at my kitchen table. The intent is always the same.... to create a moment of stillness to dig deep, reflect, observe and absorb.

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The tools that I usually have available are very simple - my teaware, a journal and depending on my mood I will transition between various methods of meditation, prayer, breathing practices and yoga.

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The more I take the time to practice this very personal ritual... the more I pour into myself, the happier I will be 🥰 Because of this I am deeper in love with myself which allows me to give so much love to my family and loved ones and to the world that surrounds me. 🙏🏽

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#JINandTEA #teaaddict #teaenthusiast #tealover #teahead #teatime #gongfucha #gaiwan #teasesh #teaoftheday #traditionaltea #teaceremony #tealifestyle #teafreak #tearitual #teablog #mindful #meditation #gratitude 🙏🏽

[jinandtea]

PEACEFUL MONKEY LEADER 🍃 TAI PING HOU KUI ➡️ This morning I went through my tea stash to look for something that I hadn’t had in a while and also perfectly matched my mood. I hit the jackpot when I dug up this beautifully calm & peaceful green tea. Everything about this tea speaks to my mood this morning…. the mouthfeel is incredibly light & delicate… hints of sweet grass & barley… the leaves are mesmerizing as they swim so gently in this glass brewer 🙏🏽 I forgot how lovely this tea is…. an absolute beautiful start to my day. 😋 
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[jinandtea]

Morning Tea - This quiet time I give myself early in the morning before everyone in my home wakes, allows me to have peace and the freedom to journal and meditate. During this time I feel FREE & OPEN! This time allows for deep self reflection and sacred space to pray 🙏🏽 My personal gong fu practice, has truly developed a spiritual space that I am truly grateful for.

#JINandTEA #teaaddict #teaenthusiast #tealover #teahead #teatime #gongfucha #gaiwan #teasesh #teaoftheday #traditionaltea #teaceremony #tealifestyle #teafreak #tearitual #teablog #mindful #meditation #gratitude 🙏🏽