the Art of tea...

when living in northern japan in a town called misawa, i became acquainted with the art of tea. I also learned about keeping warm with cans of coffee in coat pockets, eating sushi, sumi-e (brush and ink painting) and living in a 900 sq. foot japanese build house. Learning key words in their language was most difficult, as pronunciation staggered my tongue and the kanji letters only conjured up confusion! Most of all i loved tea. the tea houses, tea with my japanese & american friends, and the tea ceremony.

there are many choices when it comes to tea. tea leaves are black, green, white, flowered, sprinkled with flavors, tiny popped corn. and oolongs just to name a few varieties. then there are tea pots, cups and spoons all part of the lovely ritual of tea. i like my tea sweet and use plain sugar. in japan we used liquid sugar which was also excellent for iced tea. so tea is sweetened or not, filled with cream, hot or cold, in a cup with or without a handle.

my greatest pleasure was sitting with friends, sipping tea, sharing stories as we poured not only from the endless pots of tea, of our lives and ideas. to me having tea, coffee and being social is quite a lost art today. with all the social networking online it's easy to forget tking smell the aroma of jasmine teas, fresh brewed coffee with one another. but all isn't lost - even online one can sip tea while chatting and writing on facebook, yahoo or any other messenger. simple never forget to make it to real places with real people as the core of your socializing.



the best treat of all is the blooming tea. Place the roundish ball of wrapped tea into a clear pot, add semi hot water and it unfolds into a delightful floral wonder! Not only that but the tea is delicious....

Imagine the surprise of your guests when you bring this out to them and serve each a cup of tea with this blooming wonder... so for today, order some tea, then host a tea part with freinds in house or online...
so---- SHARE this post to everyone --- learn to love the art of tea...