We had a great meeting this week featuring our guest speaker Professor A. Lee, otherwise know as Ashley Lee ('11). Ashley brought in Tung Ting Jade Oolong tea for her presentation on Chinese Tea.
For those of you who don't know (including myself), Oolong tea is mainly manufactured in China and Taiwan. According to "The Tea Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide" by Jane Pettigrew, there are many unique characteristics of Oolong, including:
- Referred to as "semi-fermented"
- Must be processed immediately after plucking
- Always whole tea leafs (never broken by rolling)
In addition to this, the manufacturing process is quite fascinating:
- Leaves must not be picked to soon
- First wilted in direct sunlight
- Shaken in bamboo baskets to slightly bruise the edge
- Shaken and spread to dry until turns slightly yellow
- Edges turn reddish as bruised leaf reacts with oxygen
- Oxidation period is halted through firing.
All this information can be found in "The Tea Companion", specifically on pages 29-30. This book is fantastic and will prove educational both about different types of tea and how different no two geographical locations provide the same exact tea.
Ashley gave a great presentation on the history of Chinese tea, and some useful tips for brewing the leaves. She informed us that the oldest type of tea comes from China, and that there is a myth that places the introduction of tea around 2737 B.C.E. The myth says that there once was an emperor (Shen Nung) who only drank water that had been boiled. As he sat in his garden one day, a leaf from a wild tea tree fell into his pot of boiling water and began to steep. When he noticed it, he decided to try it and declared it to be delicious and revitalizing. The rest is history. ("The Tea Companion" p. 10)
On a side note, I'm glad I hadn't been in the emperor's position, because I would have said "GROSS!" and dumped my cup out if tree bits fell in it.
Ashley also explained how the Opium Wars were fought over tea. In addition to this, she explained how Oolong is a tea in-between green and black tea. In order to get a good cup of Oolong, you should let the leaves steep for about 3 minutes. Remember, these tea leaves can be reused! That way you can get more bang for your buck.
China is still the center of tea today, producing over 200 different types of tea to this day.
A huge thank you to Ashley Lee for all her hard work this week, to Teavana for recommending the Tung Ting Jade Oolong tea, and the lovely members of In Too Steep who make our meetings so enjoyable each week.
Coming up next week:
- Hippie Shake: Iced Herbal Tea Week
- Allison Kwan (Beebe RA) and Lina Heitmann (Beebe APT) will host our meeting
- Board games and snacks will be provided for this low-stress session
- As usual, I will provide an array of coloring books for your entertainment
Have a great week and remember: "Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world" -T'ien Yiheng
Just brew it,
Claire
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