Monday, January 05, 2009

The Mandarin's Tea


Having a tearoom at home is like having a painting studio for artists. A space to be inspired and a place to practice. This blog started only because of this red room. It is too often that the little space was not used to its fullest or even neglected. Paging through old Qing's painting, scholar, hermits and mandarins was usually illustrated into the composition, so why so empty here?

As a new year resolution, I will invite more and more like-minded tea scholars to gather and waste an afternoon in it. My first victim was MarshalN, I was lucky enough to steal him out of his hectic schedule and prolong jet legs from Asia, to join me for a couple of hours of a tea adventure. Although I miscalculated my poland spring water delivery dates and we ended up with filtered water, it ended all our tea in sour notes. The time we spent was certainly sweet. Here was the menu:


1. Puerh Worm Poop Tea from Hong Kong wet storage (courtesy of Mr. M).
2. My wet storage pu poop tea, fresh off the bing.


3. 2005 Feng Xing High Mountain 2300m brick
4. 2005 Wuyi 200 yrs old brush SX
5. 2008 Anxi high fired TGY


6. 30 yrs Lui An (from the day before)

While drinking, we shared a book on the facts of aging cigar: Min Ron Nee's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post- Revolution Havana Cigars, which encourages lots of interesting points in the way pureh could be aged. My next step is to convince him to smoke one... and that already being proven a very challenging idea. I am very thankful and happy that this Mandarin's tea room started off with a good company, and what will be more appropriate than to end the day with a Montecristo Edmundo.


Michael from the tea galley could be my next victim.... hmmm.

4 comments:

LaoChaGui said...

I love the light coming in through the window in your tea room. It is so refreshing this time of year. Thanks for sharing these beautiful photographs of your personal tea room with all of us.

Bret said...

Tis indeed a beautifull tea room. And to think when the weather is nice I enjoy a cup on the back porch overlooking the alley, dog poop and all. I,m not sure I would know how to act in that kind of environment.

toki said...

Thanks LaoChaGui - The winter light always make the room more bluer, the contrast between the cooler light and the warmth of a cuppa is always inspiring.

We have to get our puppies together one day while we share a cup, Bret. So they can do their "Business" and we can do ours : P

corax said...

toki, i loved reading about your session with marshaln, both here and on his blog. but i almost love this photograph more. the room is just so gorgeous. one can imagine a thousand splendid afternoons there. you have created a magical environment -- so replete with beauty that i don't know how you can bear to tear yourself away from it.

 
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