One Moment, One Meeting: A Japanese Tea Ceremony

One Moment, One Meeting: A Japanese Tea Ceremony

I went with my family on Sunday to the Sakuru Matsuri festival at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.  We had a great time appreciating the cherry blossoms and doing a series of activities. And as synchronicity would have it, we ended up at a presentation and demonstration of a Japanese Sohen style tea ceremony by Soukyo Shimizu. 

Soukyo described the principals of the tea ceremony being harmony (wa), respect (ken), purity (sen) and tranquility (jkaku). These guiding principles are based on wabi sabi.  Wabi is serene intentional beauty and sabi is transient, imperfect external beauty.

The green tea used is called Matcha tea.  It has many benefits including fat-burning properties, it combats aging, aids relaxation, stimulates brain activity, aids skin health, prevents heart disease and may lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol.

It amazed me how every detail of the tea ceremony was thought through.  As a newbie I probably missed a lot of it but I hope to bring you some of the basic highlights and then you can contact Soukyo and take her classes for more. 

The tea ceremony was originally from China but it came to Japan by way of monk Eisai in 1195.  The tea house is a beautiful little house with a small opening so that people have to kneel to slide into the room, which may be a sign of humility and respect.  It’s also a metaphor for going back to the womb.  The 5 senses are used in the tea ceremony: eyes (to see the beauty), nose (to smell the aroma), touch (to feel the tools), taste (to eat and drink) and hearing (to hear the water steeping).

The host or performer invites a guest, who in turn may ask to invite others.  Tea ceremonies can often be 2-3 people or in a large space 20-30 people.  The ceremony can last 15 minutes or all day long.  It’s often done in the morning or can be done at midnight, depending on the host.  Guests either wear kimonos or nice clothes that are comfortable because they may be kneeling for a while.  People take off their watches to forget about the time.  If there is conversation it is usually about the tea, the tea tools or a beautiful flower or scroll.  Politics or daily life is put out of the tea room. 

The host prepares the tea in an intricate process of purity and respect.  First, the tea tools are admired by each guest.  Here are a few of the tools:  chawan (tea cup), chashaku (tea scoop), chasen (whisk, suiko (cold water jar), kama (hot water kettle), kensui (holds waste water), tea caddie (to hold the powdered green tea), tokonoma (add beauty to the ceremony like a flower), a hanging scroll (which sets the philosophical tone), a ladle (to pour water), a water jar (to balance the temperature) and more.  Every tool has a purpose and place in the tea room.

First the host offers the guests some sweets to prepare the stomach.  Tea is like medicine so it’s best to eat first.  The sweets offered can’t have a strong aroma or they will compete with the aroma of the tea.  Likewise, if there is a flower in the ceremony space it should not be a rose or a smell that will overpower the aroma of the tea.  Things like dark chocolate work well.  Guests do not eat the sweets until they are told to do so and even the eating the sweet is done in a very specific manner.  Afterwards, the host tells the first guest that she will give them a cup of tea.  When making the tea the host  takes a handkerchief to clean the tea caddy and a white cloth to clean the cup and then she centers herself.  This is an important moment.  If the first guest says the tea is, ‘very good,’ then the others guests will drink tea.  If the first guest doesn’t like the tea, then the tea ceremony is over! Also, according to Soukyo, the first guest sets the tone for the conversation.  At the end of drinking your tea, it’s okay to slurp it because this shows the host that you are enjoying your tea to the last drop.

Volunteer participants in this tea ceremony reported feeling serene, tranquil and balanced.  This is an important achievement in this day and age and it is needed.

My 5 year old daughter and 7 year old son sat through the demonstration.  My son spaced out on the floor towards the end but my daughter Sera was quite taken with the whole thing.  She ran up to get Soukyo’s card at the end.  Soukyo does tea ceremonies for families with kids on the upper west side in Manhattan.  My daughter wants to take a class with me as a ‘girls day.’  Soukyo says that some people have learned to perform a basic tea ceremony in a year-long period but that you can keep learning about it for a lifetime.  

To reach Soukyo about her Sohen Style Tea Ceremony classes, contact her at : Soukyo Shimizu; 917-202-2001.

My upcoming book, The Book of Sacred Baths has a simple tea ritual at the end of every sacred bath with a tea that matches that bath’s intention.  This simple tea ritual is meant to relax you, center you and bring you into the moment in purity and harmony.  It was nice to discover a new ritual (other than my daily sacred baths I do) that also brings peace and well-being into our daily lives.  You can get my book here:  http://amzn.to/1KbnMwb or go to www.sacredbathing.com to learn more.

Turmeric Tea

 There has been much information available on the benefits of turmeric.  Research supports the benefits of turmeric for several chronic conditions: inflammation and pain, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, diabetes, various forms of cancer, anti-inflammatory helps with skin issues, and because it increases oxygen intake to the brain, it helps with memory.
Trying a Turmeric Tea seemed a logical experiment. (If you don't think turmeric is a common spice, check the label on any plain yellow mustard.)

Before making an online purchase, I decided to check at Wegmans and was happy to see one Turmeric Ginger tea available from Rishi Tea.

I was eager to try it and made a cup immediately after arriving home.  This gave the added benefit of an excuse to stay in the kitchen and put the groceries away.  The scent of the tea leaves is pleasant; although, I cannot describe it in specific terms.  The first few sips were enjoyable, if not memorable.  I noticed that taste did not come from the tongue but rather from the throat.

 But I discovered something with that first tasting: it had to be hot.  As it cooled, I truly did not enjoy it at all.  It left a spicy taste in my mouth, which was more of an after taste.

Because I did not want to write about a tea in such a negative way, I made another cup while writing.  I do enjoy it hot but did not give it time to cool.  I also added honey this time, which enhanced the flavor while toning down the spicy taste.  It has a marvelous light amber color.

This is a tea I will drink again but only hot.  As I tend to drink tea hours after making it, I will need to remind myself to drink this one immediately.  I also found the Rishi boxes to be informative both on brewing and tasting the tea and the origins of it.

Added bonus:  I found this recipe that I will try when I have a fresh jar of turmeric available.

Turmeric Tea Recipe

Total Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon turmeric (powder or grated root)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour coconut milk and water into the saucepan and warm for 2 minutes
2. Add in butter, raw honey and turmeric powder for another 2 minutes
3. Stir and pour into glasses.

The recipe and other information for this article was found on Dr. Axe - Food is Medicine.  But there are many sites with the same information.

Please Welcome Dr. Paulette Kouffman Sherman Author of The Book Of Sacred Baths

The Magical Energy of Herbal Teas:

There is a magical energy to herbal teas.  Each one has its own vibration so I decided to match an herbal tea to each sacred bath that I wrote about, in my new book, The Book of Sacred Baths.  The tea ritual relaxes us and lets us consume the energy of that plant.  I advise taking your sacred bath for guidance and self-care and then drinking your tea and journalling about your experience.

In Japan, the tea ceremony is a sign of respect, harmony and a full investment of your heart. 

So, for example, if you intend to do a sacred bath for your self-care and self-love; you can put in essential oils, a rose quartz crystal, light a pink candle and then drink some Rosehips tea.

Rosehips tea attracts unconditional love for self and others.  It is also a great source of vitamin C, renowned for its anti-ageing and rejuvenating properties.

In, The Book of Sacred Baths I have specific intentions, prayers and meditations that you can do for self-love and for many other areas of your life. So, check it out, and happy Self-love!  Take great care of you!

You can also visit me at www.sacredbathing.com

The Story of Lapsang Souchong

Today I'd like to share the story behind my favorite tea, Lapsang Souchong. This tea has a distinctive smoky aroma and taste that people generally either love or hate. I love this tea which is smoky because the tea leaves are actually dried over smoking pinewood!

One day the villagers of Tongu in the Wuyi region of China were drying their tea leaves near the forest. During the night soldiers marched through the area and, not seeing the leaves, trampled them. When the villagers awoke they saw their tea leaves ruined. The villagers decided to try to save the leaves by drying them over an open wood fire. They then took the tea to sell, without much hope, so they sold it cheaply. Imagine their surprise when they returned to the market the following year. Instead of their regular teas, people were clamoring for their special smoked tea! Not only that, they were willing to pay more than they ever had for tea from the Tongu Village! Thus the tradition of Lapsang Souchong began.

I'd like to thank my friend, Niraj Lama, who not only introduced me to Lapsang Souchong, but told me its story as well.

The photograph is the Wuyi Mountains copied from http://silverneedleteaco.com/wuyi-mountain-china/.

Pippin's Lady Grey Black Tea

Karen here, my birthday was yesterday and a dear friend sent the most wonderful tea themed birthday gift (and most perfect card! I love the Witches tea party/Welsh Woman's Tea photo! )  The adorable tea party to go set in the photo above  fits in the tin is one of the sweetest tea accessories I have ever seen! Worth mentioning this Tea Party In A tin has four cups and saucers, a table cloth, 4 teaspoons and tea pot. You can find one for yourself by clicking here.  A selection of Pippin's tea that included the tea I am reviewing today called Lady Grey.

Lady Grey tea is a black tea that is lightly scented with bergmot oil and lemon and orange peel. This blend by Pippins includes rose petals . Lady Grey tea gets it's name from the wife of the most famous Charles Grey (the 2nd Earl Grey). Mary Elizabeth Grey was born in march of 1776 and married Charles at age 18  in 1794. Mary Elizabeth Grey went on to have 16 children! Truly someone I can lift my teacup too, having only had three children myself!

Pippins blend has a lovely color, a light and bright citrus flavor with a heavenly floral scent.
It is fruity and perfect for an afternoon spring tea.
You can learn more about Pippins Tea by visiting their website by clicking here. 
Learn more about Lady Grey and her life by clicking here. 

I would love to have you join me for tea daily by visiting me at www.acupofteaandacozymystery.com 

The Queen locked up her Darjeeling. She loved it so.

This is not about Queen Elizabeth. A happy belated birthday to her majesty, but today we talk about her grandma, Mary of Teck who was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress consort of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V, (1867-1953). Queen Mary loved her favorite tea so much she kept it locked up in a cupboard.

If you are wondering what tea that could possibly be, I will spare you the suspense. Open the book The Tea Lovers' Treasury by James Norwood Pratt, which many of tea lovers must have if not should have, and there you will see the author disclose that it was nothing less than "a fine Darjeeling with a pronounced muscatel flavor." According to Pratt, who is the demigod of American tea devotees, Twinings later marketed this tea as "Queen Mary Tea" describing it as the personal choice of the late Queen Mary.

A bit of internet "research" shows that Twinings launched Queen Mary Tea in 1916 and discontinued it only in 2007, after a 91 years run! It is amazing the brand lasted so long. Wonder why they did not go for the centennial. Seems like there was quite a bit of followers after all: we found a Facebook page called Bring Back Twinings Queen Mary Tea, Please.

According to the posts in this page, some of which seems to come from informed sources, Queen Mary Tea was actually a blend of Darjeeling and Keemun. The latter is a robust tea with a smoky and honey flavor, used in the traditional English Breakfast Blend. We can imagine it brought more depth and sweetness to Darjeeling's floral spiciness.

But where did the knowledge of the Queen locking up her tea actually come from? Pratt finds it the book Dinner at Buckingham Palace by former royal chef Charles Oliver. Notably, Oliver credits Queen Mary for bringing the English tea-time to perfection.

Queen Mary with her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth.

Talking about the tea tradition within the palace, Oliver notes: "The ritual of English tea-time was brought to perfection by the late Queen Mary, for whom it was the favorite time of the day. Everything had to be fully ready by 4pm punctually, with sandwiches, cakes and biscuits invitingly set out on gleaming silver dishes upon a smoothly-running trolley. The teapot, cream jug, hot-water jug and sugar bowl were always the same antique silver service which had been a favorite of Queen Victoria...[Later] Queen Mary would take over and meticulously measure out her favorite Indian tea from a jade tea-caddy she kept locked in a cupboard. Then she would pour on the boiling water and complete the tea-making ritual by snuffing out the spirit stove before sitting back for the footmen to pour tea and hand round sandwiches and cakes. But before Queen Mary gave the signal for this to begin she would always let exactly three minutes elapse from the moment she poured hot water on the tea leaves so that the tea leaves so that the tea would be perfectly brewed."

Queen Mary was known to have exquisite taste in all things and she obviously had one for tea - that she liked Darjeeling, referred to as the champagne of teas by tea connoisseurs around the world, is no surprise.

But this story does make one curious about the state of the royal security. For the Queen to have to lock up her favorite tea in her own palace is a rather unfortunate situation. Guess the Queen figured that a good Darjeeling was worthy of her own personal protection!

 

 

 Alas, there is no more Queen Mary Tea. But there is still Darjeeling!

Thinking like an English teacher?

While pondering my entry for this week, my thoughts went from when did I first try tea to why I drink tea at home far more often than coffee.  And here lies the irony.  Traditionally, drinking tea has a certain formality.  Whether in Japan or England, drinking tea is often part of a ritual.  It is not required, but we are aware of the formality surrounding tea.  However, I have only been to a formal high tea once.

For me, the joy of tea is in the anticipation that comes in the few minutes it takes to prepare.  The minute the water boils, I pour it over the tea bag in a mug.  A good strong black tea doesn't need five minutes of steeping: two or three minutes is long enough.  Making a pot of coffee takes longer.

And there you have it...my love of tea is certainly influenced by how quickly my impatient, sometimes desperate, self is satisfied.  I want that cup of tea, and I want it now!