The blooming tea I chose for today is Cranberry. As soon as I opened the package, its fragrance touched my nose. It only takes a couple minutes for the tea to bloom and a delightful tea broth is created. This Cranberry tea is light with a hint of natural sweetness. Very enjoyable.

After brewing the tea for about 3 minutes, the tea bloom should be removed if the tea is not going to be drunk all at once. This will eliminate the tea from becoming bitter because it is over brewed. Tea Bloom says that these flowering teas may be stored in an airtight container and reused up to 48 hours.

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Today’s tea was a delight for the nose, the eye, the taste and a gentle calmness to start the day.

I found the label interesting with its Georgian script. I located a website for Mil Mar Tea Production Company on the package but when I visited the site, it says it is still under construction. The country of Georgia is known for its 8,000 year wine making tradition but it has only been growing tea since 1847. When Georgia was a part of the Soviet Union, it sold 95% of its tea to Russian tea drinkers thus having a ready market. But after the fall of the Soviet Union and Georgia declaring its independence in 1991, the tea market collapsed. The Georgian people are now trying to rejuvenate the old tea plantations. 

A quick note on this tea pot, it is only special because my husband gave it to me. I do like the bird and birdhouse motif. It is from Home and Garden made in 2001.

White tea originated in Fujian, China and is picked when the young buds are still covered by fine white hairs. The name “white” tea alludes to these white hairs. The handpicked buds and unfurled leaves are only harvested a few days each year making this one of the rare teas. White teas, like all tea, comes from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The minimal processing of white tea gives it a delicate, floral or grassy flavor with essence of fruits, chocolate, honey and is delicate and sweet. After picking, it is allowed to wither and then dried

to so there is a minimum of oxidation. (Black teas have the most oxidation.)

Silver Needle can be brewed multiple times with the first brewing having a very light broth. I like the second brewing better since it is a bit bolder. This Silver Needle is from Art of Tea.

The pot I am using is from Japan with blue Japanese motifs. It is unique that it has a porcelain infuser, which allows the loose-leaf tea to expand and brew properly.

 

 

My high school classmate, Nancy Chrisman Henderson, reconnected with seven classmates in

the summer of 2018. She had terminal cancer and one of the items on her bucket list was to get together with us. We had such a good time at her “Fiesta Party” (she collected huge amounts of Fiesta Ware) that we were able to get together three more times before she journeyed home to heaven on February 8, 2019.

I began sharing morning tea with Nancy by texting a picture of the tea I was making and a little note about the tea or the teapot I was using. She was not able to do much physically those last two months, but she expressed to me how much she enjoyed looking at the text over and over. I so enjoyed “sharing” tea with her each day that I decided to start blogging about the plethora of teas that are available and which I enjoy.

In the summer, my favorite place to drink my morning tea and enjoy breakfast is in the apiary. The sweet scent of flowers and the hum of busy bees; there is no better place to be. I invite you to come along on this blogging journey and enjoy a cup of tea with the bees and me.