Dangerously organic!

The Book of Tea

I was reading "Dharma Bums", by Jack Kerouac in which Japhy mentions "The Book of Tea", and I discovered it is freely available on the web!

This morning, I, in a moment of compulsive reading, read the instructions on the packet of green tea I planned to brew. It said to boil the water, wait 5 minutes, then brew the tea for 1-2 minutes. Easy. I tried it. Now, to me, green tea is pretty good, if subtle, and enjoyable. This technique works well.

I still have not come to an appreciation for white tea. Tastes too weak for me.

And, the aged green tea I discussed in another post, the 2005 Dian Hong organic tea well, I don't get the greatness of it just yet, even after brewing it several times. The best experience was when our fellow Zoobirder Carla Van Arnum brewed some. It was, in fact, very good. But, I'm cuncluding that brewing tea is a simple, yet complex procedure.

And, the Book of Tea makes many analogies between tea and aspects of life. Hope you enjoy reading it, perhaps along with me. And, please, if you have comments, post them here.

0 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Carla Van Arnam on December 27, 2009 at 11:06pm

Mike,
So glad I was able to prepare a good cup of tea for you.

I had a wonderful lesson from my friend Junnon. I'd made some green tea with boiling water, instead of slightly cooler (180 F) and she asked me, "can't you smell how it smells a little burnt?" And then I could smell a faint scorched scent. After that I've cooled the water a bit before pouring if over the leaves.

That Temple of Heaven brand gunpowder green you found is "house favorite" at my office for me and acupuncturist Charles Burnell.
Happy new year! Wishing you many lovely cups of tea.
Carla

Permalink Reply by Michael Levin on December 28, 2009 at 10:28am

Hi Carla! Thanks for the holiday wishes! Hope yours is going well, too. Yes, the temperature seems to have a great effect on the green tea. It's such a subtle taste. I like it best with soy milk. The Book of Tea looks interesting. I LOVED "The Dharma Bums". I looked up every word I even vaguely didn't recognize. It's all about Buddhism. I want to read "On The Road", also by Kerouac, because it was written before "The Dharma Bums". Did you know Kerouac wrote "The Dharma Bums" in Orlando? His house is now a place for writers to gather. There's a writer in residence program there, too. It's in College Park. I've ridden my bike by it many times. It's a favorite direction to take once Ive had super bike mechanic and Zoobird BikeZoo member Jeremy Millner work his magic. Wow, I see sunshine and blue, blue skies out there. I think I'll make some green tea and then ride out to the garden. See ya! All the best, Mike

RSS