Japanese Tea Ceremony
Now the Japanese are even more fanatical about tea than the Chinese. They have an incredibly intricate Tea Ceromony developed around the practice of tea drinking. This ceremony is often performed to guests and lasts upto 4 hours. It’s influenced by Zen Buddhism and in Japanese is known as Cha No Yu. Traditionally a practitioner would dedicate their entire lives to the perfecting the tea ceromony and although this is still the case in modern Japan it is often performed at night classes for the busy workers of Japans industrial cities.
This reminds me of a book which went into some detail about the Japanese tea ceremony called Shogun. Its fiction but is EPIC fiction at its finest. An incredible historical saga which includes everything you could possibly want from a story. Including the descriptions of the Cha No Yu!!
What also sets this book apart from the rest is the fact that although fiction it accurately portrays many of the broad historical events and even some details. Too such an extent that Toranaga (one of the main characters) is based on a feudal lord known as Tokugawa. The similarities in their stories is uncanny although areas of romance and personal relationships are clearly artistic license its an incredible opening into a world that is so foreign to our own. Shogun is well worth a look.
Futher Information: Japanese Tea Ceremony
history, methods
books, ceremony, japan, ritual, tea ceremony
The Chinese have known tea for many years longer than we have in the west and so have a vast culture and history built up around it. The traditional Chinese tea drinking method can be seen at this website.
history, methods
Gray for the Americans I believe?
A FINE tea with a definate citrus twist. Often goes nicely with a bit of lemon or on its own. Milk is a definate no-no but sugar is a little more acceptable but not by much!
Its very similar to Earl Grey tea but has extra orange and lemon zest in it – hence the citrus.
I always feel a little self concious (as a man) drinking Lady Grey. It feels worse than buying a gin and tonic! At our office I keep a box of Lady Grey on the shelf with the cup. When I shuffle in there for some I look like your average anaorak-clad flasher grabbing it quickly form the shelf and shuffling about with it as discreetly as possible.
Alas I am rewarded with a fine brew. I recommend it to all those brave enough to give it a go!!
Indcidentally. My foray into the world of tea began with Lady Grey so it has a special place in my heart.
facts, history, review
black tea, lady grey, tea, varieties
I was doing my usual tea based research recently and came across a quite horrifying find!
Now I’m aware a number of ‘partys’ were had in America during the colony era but I never knew that anyone would stoop so low as to have a Tea Party!!
Now for those who don’t know. The Boston Tea Party of 1773 was an event in which a number of American ‘patriots’ boarded a ship of the East Indian company and threw all of the tea onboard into the sea!! When I read this I was literally moved to tears. To think all of that tea mercilessly dropped into the ocean left to rot in COLD dark waters, possibly being nipped at by fish with no respect for teas natural beurty and essence. Clearly something you’d expect from a land of coffee drinkers and rebels.
The Boston Tea Party has quite clearly got to be one of the most tragic events of the 18th Century.
Now although the reason for the Boston tea party’s occurence is quite inconsequential, I suppose an explanation is worth giving, however I am not the best story teller so I shall borrow a quote from a nice site you can find here
“The Boston Tea Party was a reaction to the Tea Act of 1773 that was passed by Parliament to save the British East India Company from bankruptcy. The Tea Act essentially eliminated all taxes on tea except the three pence Townshend tax. More importantly, it offered Americans tea at a lower price than that of the colonial smugglers. Hence, the British East Indian Company would be saved from bankruptcy, the colonial smugglers would be out of business, and the principle of parliamentary taxation would be upheld.”
Now I dont know about you but I don’t feel that is a good enough excuse to vandalise such a wonderful, almost omnipotent plant that provides such joy for millions of people worldwide.
I shall light a candle for the lost tea and I shall begin campaigning here in the UK for sanctions to be placed on the US for such a brutal display towards tea.
history, horror, life, news
history, horror
