The Dharma Force

Sipping cool tea on a warm spring day

I love tea. I like coffee, but I love tea.

I am not talking about those teas made from tea bags, but the original individual tea leaves that you have to grab a handful and put in a teapot.

Anyway, let's talk about tea and how to make tea and stuff, since I got nothing to do. And from the look of it, since you are here, you have nothing to do either.

Making tea and drinking tea can be an art.

First thing on our list is the water. Not the tea leaves yet, but the water. Tap water just won't do! Ancients have used spring water, rain, snow, snow from the flowers of a plum tree, etc ...
Let's go with a nice bottle of mountain spring water sold in any retail store.

Then it is the tea leaves. Hot to pick tea leaves? Most of the teas, especially the green tea, need to be as fresh as possible. Don't try anything older than a year for the green tea, you may grow mold in your stomach,
The Oolong tea can last a little bit longer. Jasmine tea are considered part of the Oolong family.
Then there is the eccentric Pu-Erh Tea. That is like a bottle of fine wine, the older the better.

Ok! Now that I covered the water and the tea leaves, I can talk about teapot (clay is better than everything else), the boiling of water (Let it come to a boil, but never boil too long), and pouring of tea (With Oolong tea, do not drink the first round. That is for washing the cup. ) The key to drink a cup of nice tea was to drink it while it is hot, very hot!

A hot sip of tea need to be rolled in your mouth, burning your tongue, your throat and your stomach on its way down. Then, only then, the flavor, the heavenly aroma will rise and fill your body and quiet down your soul.

It is better then therapy and cheaper. And for your married folks, your spouse will think less about arguing with you, if you have a boiling teapot in your hand.

Anyway, here is a cool tip I found on one of the Chinese websites. For those of you that do not like the hassle of making tea, or if you do not have the patience to drink hot tea in summer, here is the best way to drink a cup of cold tea.

Get a pot, a jug, or a cup, (I use my trusty 52oz X-Treme Gulp Cup from 7-Eleven), put in some tea leaves (depending on your taste. Usually a thin layer covering the bottom. Oh, by the way, try jasmine tea with this technique), and put in COLD water. Put the whole cup in the fridge. Let it sit over night, and it is ready the next morning.

It is cool with a faint tea flavor and it really hits the spot. Do not let it sit for more than 12 hours, as the tea will start to get bitter. And I will not recommend put ice or lemon or sugar into it. It ruins the flavor in my mind.

All these talk make me thirsty. My Gulp Cup is waving at me. See you later!