 I don't know where my time went; it is already February. I have been very busy with many things. I am moving the website to a new platform. I have always wanted to give my customers a discount code but I could never do it on my current platform. New version will also give me a full e-commerce basket capability. So, you don’t need to leave the website to checkout your products elsewhere. I hope to roll it out soon. How about you? What fun activities have you been doing? My daughter was reading her magazine about Hina matsuri, Dolls Festival, or Girl's day festival. I thought it might be interesting for some of you. It is on March 3rd to pray for girls 'growth and happiness. What a nice festival specifically for girls? People display dolls just like above in their houses. Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls called hina-ningyo representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period (794 to 1185), when the custom of displaying dolls has began. Families with female children generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down immediately after the festival. Superstition says that leaving the dolls past March 4th will result in a late marriage for the daughter. Awww...  Houjicha is a type of green tea. It is roasted thus changing its property from fresh grassy aroma to earthy tone. It generally is served in Japanese restaurants because it is more neutral to go along with all dishes. Unfortunately, after being roasted, antioxidant level has been reduced but it is not disappeared. Our Houjicha is directly from a family tea farm whose has been producing tea for 7 generation (approximately, 600 years of production!). It is also USDA certified organic.
Valentines Special Our Chocolate tea has always been popular because it gives such a good aroma. Recently, a customer said it smells just like"Godiva" Chocolatier. Yum! Treat yourself with a good Chocolate Tea or buy for someone you care. High in caffeine with black tea to help you energize. It is 10% discount until the end of month. Do you know our shipping fee is always $5 for MN residents? Spend more than $60 is free shipping within the US. Click on this link: http://www.greattearoad.com/special.html  Hello from Great Tea Road. I am happy of having the first newsletter published. It starts a new year again. This year is a Sheep year in Asian Zodiac. In Japan, we would say Akemashite Omedeto gozaimasu. A Happy New year!
My daughter and I have been practicing many Japanese dances. We will be a part of Japanese-American Society to perform in the Festival of Nations at St. Paul River Center on April 30 - May 3. Please stop by to see our performance if you have a chance. It should be fun to watch the show from many countries as well as to try new food. This month special: Recently, a friend of mine was telling me how to get maple syrup from our own tree. It may sound silly but I feel an attachment and do not want to damage our tree since I planted it myself. After thinking about it for awhile, I thought we could do a special on our USDA Certified Organic Black Maple. It has been cold in Minnesota with many sub-zero days. A good hot cup of tea would be nice. It is 10% off a regular price of $11.95 until 1/31/15. Here is our link: http://www.greattearoad.com/special.html A Japanese stamp with sheep knitting a scarf started 12 years ago. If you look at them closely - one is knitting a scarf (left) and one is wearing a finished scarf (right). The price of the stamp is also increased by 2 yens! I just thought it is an interesting stamp to collect. Wouldn't you agree? Lastly, many of my family members and friends are sick from this cold weather. Please take a good care of yourself. Best wishes for this year with a lot of happiness and prosperous year a head of you. Come by to say hi or just send a short note is always appreciated. www.greattearoad.com  Our last blog for 2014 but it is our new beginning into a new journey. Over the year, we usually don't talk about our decision on creating Great Tea Road. From the concept, the name of the company, the slogan, its packaging design ... and everything else has been evolving from day the first day to today. We want to say "Thank you" to all our supporters and customers who give us today. Thank you!
When we looked back at Great Tea Road (GTR) mission statement, we have always wanted our customers to have a trust in the company's products. As mentioned in "Who are we?" page, GTR's mission statement is based around Chanoyu (Japanese Tea Ceremony); purity is a big part of the ceremony. Many times, as a practitioner, we symbolize it by cleaning our utensils (several times during a procedure). Tea Ceremony is also based on Zen. Purity, to us, means more than just cleaning utensils. It also means cleaning our hearts, bodies, and souls. It is an intention - a good intention. Today, we are proud to say that GTR is now offering USDA Certified Organic in several products. We finally fulfilled one of our dreams. It is to have a good intention by ensuring our customers with our high quality teas and directly from tea farms for its freshness. Again, thank you so much for being here with us.  With a fellow tea associate, we provided a tea demonstration to Knight of Columbus group. It was 56 ladies. To be appropriate with season, we did Tsuki Chabako, Autumn picnic tea. We were unable to provide 56 tea bowls in the room. Only way they could get their participation was to provide tea sweet and let them eat with me (as a guest in dark blue Kimono, in picture). It all turned out well. After we did the tea ceremony, the question and answers went on for a good fifteen minutes or so. One of the participants was wondering about tea and its calming property. Tea started its journey off as medicine but later on it has become a beverage. Here's what some studies have found about the potential health benefits of tea (credited to WebMD):
Green tea: Made with steamed tea leaves, it has a high concentration of EGCG and has been widely studied. Green tea’s antioxidants may interfere with the growth of bladder, breast, lung, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers; prevent clogging of the arteries, burn fat, counteract oxidative stress on the brain, reduce risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, reduce risk of stroke, and improve cholesterol levels. Black tea: Made with fermented tea leaves, black tea has the highest caffeine content and forms the basis for flavored teas like chai, along with some instant teas. Studies have shown that black tea may protect lungs from damage caused by exposure to cigarette smoke. It also may reduce the risk of stroke. White tea: Uncured and unfermented. One study showed that white tea has the most potent anti-cancer properties compared to more processed teas. Oolong tea: In an animal study, those given antioxidants from oolong tea were found to have lower bad cholesterol levels. Pu-erh tea: Made from fermented and aged leaves. Considered a black tea, its leaves are pressed into cakes. One animal study showed that animals given pu-erh had less weight gain and reduced LDL cholesterol. Contact us if you want to have a wonderful experience with Japanese Tea Ceremony.
All content and images are the property of Great Tea Road (R). No copies allowed without our permission. All right reserved.
Tea is quiet and our thirst for tea is never far from our craving for beauty. ~James Norwood Pratt This is my last volunteering event of the year at the Como park. I was pretty busy taking care of our guests such as showing the way, how to wash hands, changing their shoes, going into the tea house, making tea, etc.
I totally forgot to take photos of the atmosphere within the tea house itself. Unlike British tea party, the event is quiet and calm. You would emerge yourself with the surrounding and feel truly somewhere else, not St. Paul, Minnesota. Unfortunately, with the 100th year anniversary of the carousel, we could hear the music playing all day long. Totally wrong theme of music for the day! Despite all the noises and music, please enjoy the nice pictures of the tea house itself. All content and images are the property of Great Tea Road (R). No copies allowed without our permission. All right reserved. From Bangkok, we flew up north to Chaingmai and drove up the mountain to Angkhang. It is a border small village between Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) with an elevation of 1928 m. (6325 ft.) above the sea level. The area is called "Little Switzerland of Thailand" due to cool climate and mountain scenery. It was not easy to go up there with lots of 120 degrees turns.
We visited a tea plantation and tasted our tea to make sure they are high quality. After I tasted their Oolong, I felt in love with it. It was very smooth, no bitterness, and its aroma is like a flower. Moreover, I trusted the tea from this area because it is under the the Royal King Foundation. This Oolong tea is Thailand's certified organic as you can notice some dark spots on tea leaves at the tea farm (picture above). A little history about the Royal King Foundation was that King Bhumibol Adulyadej was visiting the area in 1969 and noticed a lot of Opium growing by hill tribes back then. He purchased the land and set it up as the first research for agriculture. He turned the Opium village then to a beautiful fruit, vegetable and tea farms as we see today. There is no more Opium growing in the area- if that what you are curious about. All content and images are the property of Great Tea Road (R). No copies allowed without our permission. All right reserved.  This week, I had a chance to help out with Japanese Tea Ceremony at Como Park. Standing inside the garden, I felt I was in a different world. It was very peaceful and I could leave all my worries behind. It gave me a sense of purpose and "be in the moment".
The Japanese Tea Ceremony can be considered as art or discipline. As an art, The Tea Ceremony is an occasion to appreciate the simplicity of the tea room’s design, the feel of the Chawan (Tea bowl) in the hand, the company of friends, and simply a moment of purity. As a discipline, aesthetic contemplation of flower arranging, ceramics, calligraphy, and the roots of the Tea Ceremony which go all the way back to the twelfth century is required. The ritual preparation requires the person hosting a tea party to know how to cook a special meal (Kaiseki), how to arrange the flowers which will be placed in the above (Tokonoma). When choosing utensils and other vessels, the host (Teishu) has to consider the rank and type to make sure that they will stand out. From the picture above, one of my friends asked me why I didn't put on any makeup. In fact, I did but it could be a "discipline part" that kicked in. As a host, one should not be wearing any jewelry as it draws guests' attention away from its purpose during tea ceremony. My thought was based on this rule, I decided to put on make up lightly. My guests should be the ones who gain all my attention, not me.
We love meeting with our customers and learning about them. It seems there are a lot of customers who do not know what "tea" is.
In a nutshell, it is from a plant call Camellia Sinensis. All teas come from the same plant. Herbal teas are not from Camellia Sinesis plant, just from other plants such as herbs, flowers, etc. What makes each tea type (White, Green, Oolong, Black, Puerh) different is how to process them. Of course, how each country production style and its climate make a big different on its taste and aroma. It is rare to grow tea in the US. Ones that we know: North Carolina, Hawaii and Washington State. Tea plants love hot days and cool nights for them to grow and of course they love high mountain climate for the best result. Here is a basic tea type: White White tea tastes as close to a freshly plucked leaf as you’ll get, since the leaves are never oxidized, just withered and baked dry or air-dried. White teas have a delicate flavor and can be expensive, which is why they’re not often used for blending. Green After the leaves are picked, they’re steamed to retain their green color as well as their trademark vegetal flavor. After that, the leaves are withered, then rolled and twisted, and then either re-steamed (the Japanese favor this method, which preserves vegetal quality) or pan-fried, which can sometimes give the tea a yellowy-tinge and smoky aroma. Oolong After harvesting, oolong leaves are withered and then gently tossed manually or by machine in a basket in order to bruise the edges of the leaves and oxidize them. This, however, can create a range of styles with some oolongs with less oxidation that can taste like green tea, and others with lots of oxidation that can taste more like black tea. After being tossed, the leaves are then gathered in a cloth and rolled under metal plates until they form tiny nuggets. Black Black tea leaves are completely oxidized by processing them through metal rollers, which break up the leaves, stems and opens the veins (which is why black tea tends to be so tannic). After the leaves have fully oxidized for up to 18 hours, they go through hot-air heaters to cauterize the broken veins. As a result, we do not grow tea plants in Minnesota. (I don't think they love our lakes or snow like we do). Finally, the weather is much better in Minnesota - barely any snow on the ground. My kids start to go out and bike around the neighborhood. As a mother, I want my kids to enjoy their treats without taxing their health on sugar. Today, I decided to make Green Tea Ice Cream. Here is my recipe:
2 tbsp matcha 2/3 cub sugar (standard but you can reduce if you want it less sweet) 3 egg yolks 3/4 cub milk 3/4 cub heavy cream 1. Dissolve Matcha with hot water 6 tbsp 2. Add sugar with egg yolks and mix them well. Cook them with Medium-low for about 10 minutes until you see it starts bubbling 3. Add Matcha green tea from step#1 4. Strain it for a smooth batter. Then refrigerate until cool. 5. Add green tea mixture to heavy cream and combine them well 6. Put in the ice cream machine for about 20 minutes (or put in the refrigerator afterward). Ta-da, enjoy your ice cream. Many of my friends know how much I love anything about "tea".
What is Japanese Tea Ceremony then? "By these words, Sen Rikyu established an essential concept in chado (Japanese Tea Ceremony), the way of tea. Chado has developed over the more than four hundred years since the time of Rikyu so that host and guests might share a bowl of tea in a comfortable atmosphere conducive to mutual exchange. Based upon a prescribed set of movements, unique utensils, and Japanese traditional history and culture, participation in tea gatherings can certainly appear daunting. However, as long as the guests can appreciate and enjoy the moment shared over tea with the host, then the tea gathering is a success. From four hundred years ago until today, all over the world, such gatherings occur. The exact method and style varies depending on the host, location, and season, yet the fundamental purpose remains unchanged". I am writing this blog because I am so honored to be a Teaching Assistant for a Japanese Tea Ceremony class at University of Minnesota (Extension course). In class, we discussed on how tea ceremony being developed, its concept, its influence, and how to perform it. Students then got a chance to perform a mini tea ceremony. Though, one cannot be a master in just one practice. Like everything else, it is a life-long learning. Why should we spend time learning Japanese Tea Ceremony? Or how does practicing Japanese Tea Ceremony enhance our lives? It is a communion between host and guests, in an environment designed to still the mind. The tea is served ritually, and the participants appreciate the aesthetics of the setting and the unique utensils. Besides an art of hand movement in tea ceremony, throughout all of the ceremony are four guiding inspirations: wa, kei, sei, jaku — Harmony, Respect, Purity and Tranquility. Hidden within the relative simplicity of these words is a subtle and profound philosophy that can facilitate great transformation in our lives. Chanoyu is beneficial for all aspects of our being: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Chanoyu heightens our awareness of the sacredness of our daily activities. It helps us to focus on the details of our life with wonder and freshness. Similar to what we believe at Great Tea Road: Your Journey begins with Our teas. "In my own hands I hold a bowl of tea; I see all of nature represented in its green color. Closing my eyes, I find green mountains and pure water within my own heart. Silently sitting alone and drinking tea, I feel these become part of me. What is the most wonderful thing for people like myself who follow the Way of Tea? My answer: the oneness of host and guest created through 'meeting heart to heart' and sharing a bowl of tea." - Dr. Soshitsu Sen, Urasenke Grand Tea Master XV
Credit: Urasenke organization, Japan. Green star Co-op.
Disclaimer: We are not associated with any tea organization. I always feel guilty for throwing good tea away after brewing especially Oolong tea. Unlike many of other teas, our Jade Oolong tea is handpicked. The best pick would consist of top 3 leaves; they are young leaves. You can also see they are full leaves (photo below). So today, we are making Jade Oolong Teapura. It is easy to make and it is good for snack. Noted that after 1st brewing, 75% of caffeine has been eliminated. We are using 3rd brewing, so there is practically no more caffeine in the tea. Things you will need: Jade Oolong tea 4 teaspoons Tempura batter 1 cub Water 3/4 cub Tempura flakes 1 cub Cooking oil about 1 cub Salt and sugar to taste 1. Brew Jade Oolong tea at 180F for 3-4 minutes (your first brew). Our Jade Oolong tea is a high quality tea, you can do multiple infusions. The tea leaves will expand because they were hand-rolled into balls. You might want to do it twice separately unless you have a big tea pot. I recommend you to brew at least 3 times before cooking this dish. No need to let tea leaves dry. In a meantime, enjoy your Jade Oolong tea but don't discard your tea leaves; we can use for next steps. 2. Mix tempura batter: 1 cup per 3/4 water. (Please also read cooking direction on your batter bag, it may give a variation of water needed). 3. Put tempura flakes in a separate bowl 4. Heat oil in the pan at medium heat. 5. Dip Jade Oolong tea into batter and tempura flakes, deep fry in the cooking oil until it is golden brown. Remove to a plate. 6. While it is still hot, dash salt and sugar on to Jade Oolong teapura. 7. Repeat step 5 and 6 until you cook all your tea leaves. 8. Voila, you got yourself a snack. It is crispy with floral aroma in your mouth.
1. Put a bowl of dried tea leaves into the refrigerator to absorb bad odors.
2. Use steeped tea to clean windows and mirrors. 3. Use scented, dried teas as potpourri. 4. Soak your feet in a bath of steeped tea. 5. For used tea, sprinkle damp tea leaves on a wood floor; when swept, the leaves catch dust better. 6. Sprinkle dried tea leaves on charcoal barbecues to add flavor to grilled meats and vegetables. 7. Use moistened tea bags as a cold compress for swollen, tired eyes. 8. Soothe a sunburn or insect bites by soaking a towel in cold tea and then laying it on the sunburn or bites. 9. Light dried tea leaves as a mosquito repellent. 10. Put uses tea leaves into the disposal to combat odors. 11. Mix dried (black) tea leaves with flea powder to increase the powder's potency. 12. Put some tea leaves into your shoes and socks to act as a deodorizer. 13. Dye fabrics by placing them into a cup or bucket of steeped tea. Vary the colors with the different types of tea (black, green, oolong). 14. Combine teas with white vinegar in a cup and dye hard-boiled eggs. 15. Another usage of used tea, spread them around your garden to improve the soil. |
Disclaimer: We are not associated with any local or oversea tea organization.
AuthorStaff at Great Tea Road Co Archives
March 2023
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