The Melting Teapot

How beautiful the Earth is still
To thee–how full of Happiness
Emily Brontë

Clouds gave way to blue sky here, and the sun made the afternoon quite pleasant.  As the day became more and more gorgeous, it was definitely time to get myself outdoors. So, I made some oolong tea for a stroll around the yard, where I sniffed and enjoyed the many spring blossoms and new leaves.

I could hear the Bald Eagles that nest in a nearby tree, as well as various small birds trilling their intricate songs.  I listened to them and took a sip of my oolong.

2009 Spring Mu-Zha Tie Guan Yin, Hand-Harvested, from Hou de Asian Art & Tea

This tea was a light rusty-orange color.  The sweet aroma of the roasted oolong led into beautiful caramel notes when sipped, but this was tempered by a firm sense of citrus. Although it is a heavy-roast tie guan yin, the tea was not very smoky.

I was overly cautious in the first brewing and didn’t let it steep long enough, so the second steeping got an extra minute.  With the extra time, the citrus became more pronounced, moving toward a refreshing citrus peel as the taste extended for several minutes.  A creamy texture at the back of the throat was further evidence of a high quality oolong.

I sniffed again, this time catching the essence of blossoms on top of the caramel, quickly followed by the zing of citrus.  It reminded me of the orange caramel toffees that were one of my favorite candies as a child. This was a wonderfully complex cup of tea, one that was perfect for sipping and contemplating my world.

In the spirit of Earth Day, I began to wonder just how environmentally friendly my cup of Tie Guan Yin was.   Recently, I was pointed toward this blog post “Conversations About Organic Cultivation of Tea,” from Life in a Teacup, by Gingko.  If you click through to the blog, make sure you read the comments because they are as interesting as the original post.  It is good to know the tea agriculture community in China is becoming more aware of the need to control pesticides, and to respect and nurture our earth.

One last note: if you'd like to celebrate Tea on Earth Day, click over to Adagio Teas' Plant a Tea Tree-Reap the Harvest.  No purchase is necessary, and you get to choose your plot for a tea tree (and eventually sample tea from it!).