Simply in Love – Time with My Sweet(tea)

A new Valentine’s Day idea: Sharing tea with the one you love

If you’re anything like me, you like the idea of Valentine’s Day: the affections, the romance, taking extra time with the one you love, but don’t really care about the hype: the build up, the expectations and particularly the eventual but inevitable letdowns of the day.

Even if you’re not like me, what I am suggesting is something that you can do with anyone you love. Be it your partner, your husband or wife, your best friend, whomever it is that you want to spend time with this Valentine’s Day, do it, over a cup of tea.

On this holiday, it is hard to think outside of the box, the chocolate box if you will. We all know the standard scenario: a darkly lit restaurant, a small candle and maybe a rose between you and your loved one, an expensive dinner not without champagne or a bottle of wine, and the hope that something extraordinary will come of the night.

This year, instead of doing the typical Valentine's Day celebration, why not surprise the one you love with a new holiday celebration. I’ll paint the scene: A cozy blanket, some soft music (be it classical, jazz, meditative, etc.), a semi-lit room (maybe one light on), a cushy couch or bed with lots of pillows, a warm soothing cup of tea and you and your loved one. A recipe for one of the most romantic, memorable and possibly even soulful Valentine’s Days you’ll ever have.

Take this time with your loved one to enjoy each other’s company and conversation. Realize that you are simply sitting down to take in life, to take time for each other and to give into relaxation and comfort. Talk about anything and everything, laugh a little, cry if you need to, listen to your love's thoughts, dreams, hopes and desires. In this space, in this frame of mind, you will then find that what you really want on this day of love, quality time with each other. A cup of tea in hand, someone you love by your side, and just for a night, the rest of the world--gone.

(photo from http://fc65.deviantart.com)

What is this "Pu-erh" You Speak Of?

Pu-erh trees. Image courtesy of rishi.com .

You may or may not have already heard about "Puerh" tea, an ancient form of Chinese tea that is carefully aged and fermented over time. "Puerh" is the name for the tea in Mandarin, and "Bolay" or "Polay" is it's name in Cantonese. The tea itself is named after the Pu'er province in Yunnan, China. The best and true Puerh teas come from extremely old, wild tea trees. These teas are highly sought after and valuable, due to the increasing scarcity of these trees as well as an increase of faux puerh production utilizing other types of tea leaves. The tea plant itself, if left to its own devices, will indeed grow into a large tree. However, since plucking tea leaves off of anything that is higher than your own body is extremely difficult, the tea plants are kept pruned to a more managable height.

Puerh has long been considered a healthy tea by the Chinese, and medicinally, is believed to invigorate the spleen, relieve dampness, counteract alcohol toxins (ie, hangover cure), release stomach heat, and descend stomach qi (or chi). Puerh has also been considered a weight loss supplement due to its ability to aid in fat metabolism. So next time you roll through the line at McD's, do yourself a favor and wash it down with some puerh!

There are two types of processed Puerhs: Raw (aka green), and ripened or (aka cooked). Raw puerh is converted into "maocha," which means "rough tea." This is done by spreading the leaves in the sun to remove some of the water content and to wilt the leaves a bit. After that, the leaves are pan-fried in a wok to arrest all enzymatic activity and stop further fermentation. The leaves can then be rolled and shaped, and are given another sun bath. Once it is dry then voilá, you've got your green puerh.

Ripened puerhs undergo an additional process that imitates bacterial and fungal fermentation by controlling humidity, temperature, and the aging process. The process itself is very similar to composting. (Think hot, humid foodstuffs churning in the sun. Yum!) This takes 6 months to a year (and up, sort of like wine), and if it isn't carefully overseen, then you could end up with a not-so-pleasant tasting tea. The older the puerh, generally the more revered it is.

After the fermentation, some puerhs go on to be compressed into small cakes or bricks called "touchas," typically using a hydraulic or lever press.

Hey Beavis, this looks like a cow-pie, but really it's a Puerh brick.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Puerh is certainly an adventure for your taste buds if you have never tried it before. The first time I tasted Puerh, I thought it tasted like garden dirt in hot water, and I vowed never to drink it again. However, after continuing to hear about its many health benefits (mostly when I would explain them to customers) I figured I would give it another go. While traditional puerh certainly has an extremely earthy flavor, it is a flavor that grows on you, much like beer and mustard do after the age of 12. ish.

MA! This dirt tastes like puerh!
Image courtesy of onlysometimesclever.wordpress.com.

Green puerh, according to TeaSpot founder Maria Uspenski, tastes like "bacon and eggs."
"Most green puerhs are smoky," she says, in comparison to black puerhs. And I will have to take her word for it because I am certainly green myself when it comes to tasting these teas.

Green Puerh. So, so good. And good for you!

Whether you are new to puerh or not, the best way to learn what you like most is to get out there and try them. Our downtown store carries two varieties: a black, 7-8 year Aged Puerh that is very lovely and smooth, as well as a Green Puerh Chrysanthemum Toucha, which is, now that I think about it, rather smoky. Another great thing about puerh is you can re-steep it many times and still have a great cuppa. Our Bolder Breakfast Blend also incorporates pu'erh in the mix - inspiring its "Bolder" name!

So get thee out there and drink puerh! Immediately!

Cradle to Cradle

The TeaSpot is currently working on ways to make our company more environmentally friendly. In a town that is blinded with green propanganda and progressive ideologies on how companies and individuals can help save the planet, you would think this would be relatively simple. Despite our green technicolor schemes, this is definitely a much bigger project than anticipated! I recently finished a book called Cradle to Cradle, written by William McDonough (an architect) and Michael Braungart (a chemist), who explain that our world's economic system, since the industrial revolution, supports a cradle-to-grave approach. That is, when something that serves its purpose is finished (for example, your computer or TV or couch), it too is finished, and usually ends up in landfill or in a burning pile of garbage somewhere in Africa. They propose a cradle-to-cradle approach, which utilizes patterns found in nature to replicate a circular, ecologically friendly use of industry. For example, planting a garden on your roof creates natural insulation while releasing ozone-friendly oxygen into the air. Perhaps one of the most sobering things I read in this book is the concept that recycling isn't always the environmentally friendly action we think it is. The plastic in some materials was never meant to be downcycled, which means that in some instances, a plastic that is melted down with the intention of recycling, can actually change the chemical structure of said plastic into something that actually releases toxic gases or chemicals. So companies that are using recycled plastic to make clothing, while having the most noble of intentions, could actually be placing something harmful or toxic next to your skin. Oh, the tangled web we have woven! In any case, the point is that there are any number of things we can be doing to alter our procedures and choices for a more sustainable planet.

So what is the TeaSpot's downtown location going to do about it?

*We are currently working on developing a compostable to-go cup. Of course, this means we will also have to implement a way of making sure that a large quantity of those cups actually makes it into a compost bin! Something compostable that goes into the trash or recycling pretty much eliminates its purpose altogether.

*We will be turning our fountain (though we will certainly miss the calming sound of running water!) into a planter full of oxygen-releasing ivys and foliage.

*We can feed our compost to our plants.

*We will be looking into how to replace our harsh dishwashing chemicals with environmentally friendly alternatives.

*We will even make small changes like bulk sugar dispensers rather than paper-wasting individual sugar packets.

*We are working with a food bank to distribute any un-sellable, leftover food to the homeless or hungry.

*We are also working to eliminate the need to order our products from distributors across the country, and purchase from local vendors whenever possible.

*We will continue to recycle bottles, plastic, and paper as much as possible.

*We will offer a discount to any customer that comes in with their own travel to-go mug.

If anyone has any suggestions on ways we can improve our operations to reduce waste, then by all means let us know! We want to do everything in our power to become a legitimate, zero waste company rather than just utilize clever marketing to make it look like we are!

Long live (we hope) the planet!

New Store Hours!

Greetings, fellow tea snoots!

GOOD NEWS! Our downtown retail location will have NEW, LONGER hours starting April 1, 2008 for the Farmer's Market. Our new hours will be as follows:

Monday - Friday: 7 AM - 7 PM

Saturday: 8 AM - 7 PM

Sunday: Noon - 6 PM

Come visit us at 1801 13th Street, Suite 170. We are located on 13th Street in the One Boulder Plaza, between Canyon and Walnut. We have a huge wall of tea, premium espresso drinks, fresh salads and sandwiches, biscotti, pastries, cookies, gourmet chocolates, free wireless and of course, our entire line of Steepware and Loose Leaves. There is cozy seating inside, and outdoor seating for when the sun is shining. We've got it all! Why wouldn't you come check us out?!