Tag: teaware

Posts about the tea ware I use

Five March Favorites

I always seem to start these posts by writing something along the lines of, “I can’t believe [insert month here] is already over. How did another one slip through my fingers?” But alas…here I am…wondering how another month flew by. This is absolutely a reflection of how present I am each day. I’m always looking forward– forward to better weather, forward to when we can feel safe in public again, forward to when my tea budget resets again… Perhaps April should be an exercise in intention and being present. Until then, let’s take a look back at some of my March Favorites.

The Tea Thoughts Countdown to Spring box focuses on the casual practice of bowl brewing tea

Tea Thoughts Countdown to Spring Box

I’ve raved aplenty about Tea Thoughts over on my YouTube channel and my Instagram feed, but I’ve not yet dedicated any space on my blog to Nazanin’s wonderful creations. Nazanin is one of my favorite tea-adjacent creators…nay! She is one of my favorite creators, in general! She designs tea-related stationery and apparel, and she also crafts tea accessories like coasters, teacups, and tea pets. And while I wear my gaiwan t-shirt or sweatshirt literally every week (depending on the weather), it’s her curated tea boxes that have stolen my heart.

The 2020 Countdown to Spring box was Japan-themed, so we sipped through Bancha, Kukicha, Matcha, and even sakura blossoms! This year, the Countdown to Spring box centers around bowl brewing tea. Day One was an adorable bunny and sakura printed bowl– a chawanmushi, actually– and the following days were teas that we could experiment bowl brewing with.

I cannot recommend the Tea Thoughts boxes enough. If you haven’t experienced one, I recommend signing up for the Tea Thoughts newsletter, so you can be among the first to be alerted of their arrival in the shop. These boxes sell out quickly, and I believe her Countdown to Spring box was sold out within 24 hours.

Sipping Yin Rising from Wuji Tea Co. accompanied by my Totoro tea pet

Springtime Weather

Speaking of Springtime, I feel as though it has arrived early this year! It’s not uncommon for Michigan to see snowfall in April. I supposed snow could still “grace” us with its presence, but I’m holding out that the clear skies, sunshine days, and 60-degree weather is here to stay.

I mentioned recently that one of my unofficial New Years Resolutions was to enjoy a cup of tea outdoors at least once a day, but frigid February temperatures kept me indoors all month long. The weather has been so nice recently that I’ve finally been able to enjoy a cup of tea on the back porch again. Lately, I’ve been enjoying oolong teas and green teas while listening to morning birdsong.

Tea Mail from Masters Teas

The first of the 2021 harvests are arriving at Masters Teas, and a few were sent my way to sample. Last year, I was lucky to try the 2020 Rohini First Flush Darjeeling, and this year I get to try the 2021 Rohini First Flush Oolong and the Rohini Gold Wire, which is an Autumnal Darjeeling. I also received some 2020 harvests to sample such as Qimen Caixia, Jun Shan Yin Zhen, Ma Liu Mi, Shi Feng Long Jing, and another tea from the Rohini Estate– a first flush white tea! I’ve never tried a white tea from India before, so I’m pretty excited about that.

I’ve already dipped into the Qimen Caixia because I was certain I had never tried this tea before. Turns out Qimen = Keemun, which I’ve only ever had in breakfast blends. I always thought this tea added a smoky element to breakfast blends, but after trying this tea on its own, I realize it’s more complex than I realized. It offers toasty and honey aromas followed by soft florals on the finish. In later infusions, I notice something that reads as lemon and pine.

Inaugural sips of 2020 Moon Waffles from White2tea in my new, new Blood Moon Light & Shadow Gaiwan from Crafted Leaf Tea

My New, New Gaiwan

I treated myself to a new gaiwan earlier this year. It was a Blood Moon Light & Shadow gaiwan from Crafted Leaf Tea. These kaolin clay gaiwan are fully handmade, and the kiln and firing process creates unique designs, so no two gaiwan look the same. It pours like a dream, and the cup doesn’t become scorching hot like my porcelain gaiwan, which means I don’t burn my fingers. Unfortunately, after about two weeks of owning this gaiwan, I dropped a watermelon on my tea tray, and it crushed the lid. (Everyone gets really curious about the logistics of this one because who drops watermelons on a gaiwan? But, the tea tray and gaiwan were sitting on my kitchen counter waiting to be dumped and rinsed).

I loved this gaiwan so much that I turned right around and bought a new one less than an hour later, and it finally arrived! I don’t love the design of the new gaiwan as much as the original. The original was a lovely purple color, and my new one is mostly grey with some faded purple along the lip of the cup. It still pours like a dream though! (Also, the cup of my old gaiwan survived, so I imagine I will pair the new lid with the old cup like the heathen I am).

P.S. The 2020 Moon Waffles from White2tea was the first steep.

Jon and Ollie enjoying snack time at the park!

Oliver, of course!

I mean, of course Oliver makes this list every time. He’s my favorite Favorite!

Toddlerhood has challenged me in ways I did not expect and did not want. Early on, I learned that I have about as much patience as my two-year-old, so we’ve both been working on that these last few months. As a result, we’ve become really good at counting to ten as a way to cool down rising tempers. We also count to ten to help with waiting for me to switch gears from working to giving him a snack or playing a game with him. The downside is, I can’t give him “until the count of five” to do a task he doesn’t want to do because he just counts with me and continues to ignore my requests.

He’s becoming more and more himself though, and that’s been exciting to watch. He loves playing outside, sliding down the big kid slides, playing hide-and-seek, drawing all over my notebooks and work folders, reading the Narwhal and Jelly Bubble! book, talking to grandparents over FaceTime, singing along with music, playing Toca Blocks, and as always, trying all of my teas.

I also love hearing from his teacher that he’s a sensitive boy and that his favorite activity is going on walks around the school. She said they push all of the toddlers in strollers, but he’s the only one they let walk because he insists on it. I’m not surprised though– walking to and from school is a big part of our weekday routine. Also, when I dropped him off at school recently, one of his pals ran up to him greet him and hugged him. (Oh, my heart!)

Honorable mentions

The Earl Grey chocolate bar from Crow and Moss • My new, yellow fingernail polish • Waking up early to enjoy a cup of tea and a chapter of the Lord of the Rings before the family wakes up • Staying up past my bedtime to sneak in some time with Mass Effect Andromeda • The exciting news that the release of the Mass Effect Legendary edition is a few weeks away, and news that a Mass Effect 5 may be on the horizon, soon

I hope you had a happy March! Let me know about your March favorites in the comments.

April 1, 2021
Since I Never Formally Introduced My Gaiwan…

There are a couple of moments during my tea journey that forever changed the way I experienced tea. The first was circa 2009 when I randomly asked for a tea kettle and tea for Christmas. I was a heavy coffee-drinker during this time in my life (because college), so I must have wanted one just for aesthetics. But, when I received a shiny, red stovetop tea kettle and some Celestial Seasonings fruit tisanes for Christmas, I immediately became obsessed.

The second was when I discovered Adagio Teas, which would have been circa 2012. They made better tea more accessible and less intimidating when I was ready to step out of the grocery store aisles. And clearly, my love and sentimental attachment to the brand has never waned.

The third was when I discovered the Tea Leaf Project on YouTube as well as the tea community on Instagram, circa 2018. They inspired me to become more active in the tea community, and they challenged me to step out of my comfort zone to drink things I had never heard of.

The fourth, and most recent moment, was when I started brewing with my gaiwan. This blue-and-white, rice-patterned, 120mL beaut comes from CraftedLeaf Teas, a vendor I’m only slightly obsessed with right now because they also introduced me to unsmoked Lapsang Souchong.

It makes me a little braver

I know this may sound silly, but there are teas that I find downright intimidating— largely puerhs, anything (intentionally) aged, or anything compressed into coins or cakes or tiny tea mountains. In my mind, these are the teas for people who know what they’re talking about when they talk about tea (ie. not me). I challenge myself to drink these teas anyway even though sometimes I feel like an imposter. And, because of my gaiwan (and the encouragement of others in the tea community), I think I’ve explored more tea in the past four months than I have in the past decade!

It makes me slow down.

When I brew tea Western-style, I plop an infuser and tea leaves in my cup, and most of the time I’m lucky I don’t get too distracted by working or baby-wrangling that I end up with an over-steeped cup. It’s how I prepare my tea when I’m attempting to be productive or just trying to infuse my bloodstream with caffeine because #momfuel.

When I brew tea with my gaiwan though, I slow down. Like, way, way down. I weigh, observe, and smell the dry tea leaves. I slide them into the warm gaiwan and give them a shake to release more fragrances that I would have missed otherwise. And then I start steeping, taking breaks between each infusion to smell both the lid and the wet leaves, to note the color of the liquor, and of course to taste the tea. These sessions easily last an hour, sometimes longer if Oliver is preoccupied enough by puzzles and books. Okay…fine…and Sesame Street; let’s be real and transparent here. Practicing with my gaiwan becomes almost meditative– a lesson in being present and in mindfulness, where I drink tea with all of my senses.

It lets me taste tea in ways I’ve never tasted it before

Shou puerhs, which previously tasted funky and like how the animal pens at the county farm smelled, suddenly tasted like petrichor and baked bread and the vanilla-smell of old books. Bi Luo Chun, which (dare I say it) I was largely indifferent towards, revealed layers of honeysuckle florals, a delicate nuttiness, and buttery edamame. Mi Lan Dancong, which had always been an interesting blend of malt and floral, suddenly tasted like a spoonful of honey in early infusions. And, don’t even get me started on the Jin Jun Mei I tried for the first time a few weeks ago– honey, malt, cocoa, honeydew melon, and grapes all packed in one tea. How?!

My love for this vessel was immediate. And although I am still a novice at practicing gongfu cha (or drinking tea, in general), I am now one of those people who always encourages others who are showing interest in using a gaiwan for the first time. (Do iiiiiiit!)

What are some of the tea experiences in your life that greatly impacted your relationship with tea?

June 30, 2020