This is bloody brilliant.
http://www.illimms.com/narnia.html

If you are reading this, you are a beginner to teamaking or you’re trouble shooting. I offer some basic guidelines, a recipe so to speak. And with all recipes, they are good to follow in the beginning to understand measurements and ratios. Be sure to break away and experiment when you are ready.

Tea Making 101:

Teapot. If you don’t already have a teapot, find one that you will love to use everyday. Look for how well it pours (test it). What size works best for you? How easy is the lid to remove? Does it have a strainer? Is the strainer large enough for the leaves to open?

I recommend using a smaller teapot, rather than bigger, for better tasting tea. Often, tea brewed in a large teapot can taste “stewed” and you’ll have to use a lot more leaf.

Water. Spring or filter water is best. Tap water has chemicals that can add a tinny, chemical taste that the tea cannot overpower. Don’t use water that has been sitting in kettle on your stove for a month either. Fresh, unboiled water has the oxygen tea needs to release its best flavor.

Tealeaves. The magic ratio: 3 grams of tea to 6 ounces of water. Tealeaves vary in shape and size. The bigger the leaf, the more you will need to use. For example, brewing a black tea (leaves are smaller), use 1 teaspoon to 6 ounces of water. For a white tea (leaves are larger) use 2 tablespoons to 6 ounces of water.

Brewing. Following the 3 grams of tea to 6 ounces of water ratio, it will take 3 to 5 minutes to brew a loose tea. Black and oolong teas like very hot water (205 F), while green and white teas like it a bit cooler (160-185 F). Taste your tea as it brews and remove the leaves when you like the taste. Re-steep!

There’s a “front” to every teabowl. You can find it by looking for the indentation or marking or painting on the bowl - that is the front.

If someone makes matcha for you, they will hand you the bowl with the “front” facing you. To show respect to your host, turn the bowl (spin it on your left palm, in 2 even turns), so the “front” faces them (it’s not polite to put your lips over the design). If there’s not a design to give you a hint, turn the bowl 2 turns anyways. Then drink.
How to hold the bowl:
1. Cup your left hand directly under the bowl (all your fingers are underneath)
2. Curve your right hand around the right side (no fingers pointing above the bowl)
3. Let your elbows be loose and out to the side

Raise the bowl to your mouth in this position. It should feel very comfortable and relaxed.

Drink all the matcha, in 3 1/2 sips, with the last 1/2 sip making a slurping noise to show your enjoyment of the tea. Then examine the beauty of the bowl before setting it down.

Matcha, in Japanese, means “powdered tea.” It is whipped, not steeped, using a whisk made of split bamboo. Its’ origins date back to the Sung Dynasty (960-1279), China, where monks used it in Zen rituals. Visiting Japanese scholars, wanting to continue this Zen ritual at home, carried the first tea seeds to plant in Japan. This tradition would take it’s own form in Japan and evolve into the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Meanwhile, powdered tea dies out in China, being replaced by a new invention: steeping the leaves in a teapot or gaiwan.

Matcha is the heart of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, a four-hour event where the ideals of harmony of man and nature are practiced. You can participate in several versions of the ceremony, ranging from 20 minutes to the full four-hour, depending on how well you sit on your knees. I can’t make it more than an hour, but I think it’s an incredible beautiful experience. Be sure not to wear jeans.

Health Benefits
Matcha is very good for you. Instead of just drinking the steep of tea leaves, you are actually injesting the tea leaves themselves. Matcha contains vitamins A, B-complex, C, E and K. It is known to be rich in catechin polyphenols compounds with high antioxidant activity, said to protect from many kinds of cancer, increase cardiovascular health and slow the aging process. Besides that, it gives you a nice, smiley rush.

Making Matcha
Matcha predates teapots. You will need different tools to make it.

You will need:
teabowl (chawan in Japanese)
bamboo whisk
filtered water (heated to just under boiling)
sifter (optional)

1. Sift matcha powder (this step is optional - but will make a better froth)
2. Warm your teabowl by rinsing it with heated water
3. Dry it with a towel
4. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sifted matcha to the center of teabowl
5. Add 3 ounces of heated water
6. Quickly whisk in a back and forth motion (not circular)
7. Drink

In NYC, have it made for you at: Cha-An and Kai by Ito En

Find matcha online at: Matcha Source

With the first sign of daffodils sprouting in the City’s parks, I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s the arrival of spring announced so sweetly. I started really noticing the City’s flowers a few years ago. I’ve learned the daffodils bloom first, then the tulips, and then the roses. Every year they return and inspire.
In addition to enjoying the beauty of flowers, they are delicious to drink. While the bloom of a flower is short, you can drink its brew all year around.

There are two different definitions of flowers teas. The first is a term to describe the infusion of flower blossoms. These infusions are naturally without caffeine and have their own unique health benefits.

Chamomile
One of the most popular blossoms for drinking, it has a light apple taste and is famous for soothing, relaxing and helping us sleep. It’s also has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. A strong brew of chamomile, let to cool, can be used as a mouthwash.

Chrysanthemum
In China, this blossom has been said to “attract the soul of the sky and earth,” for it’s ability to endure cold weather. It represents nobility and elegance. Health benefits: improving eyesight, neutralizing toxins and protecting the liver.

Elder Flower
Most often found in Europe, it is becoming popular in the US as well. These very tiny star-shaped blossoms yield a yellow color and taste of sweet apricot. It is known to help the respiratory system, especially in easing coughs, and increase perspiration.

Honeysuckle Flower
This flower is often found it herbal blends, but can be enjoyed on its own as well. You can find it stores that carry Chinese herbal remedies. It is sweet smelling and tasting. Health benefits: soothe sore throats, reduce fever and rid toxins.

Lavender
The word lavender comes from the Latin word lavare, meaning, “to wash.” How fitting for this lovely aromatic blossom which is often used in scenting baths and soaps. As a brew, its taste is very similar to its aroma. It’s known to aid in sleeping and relieving nervous tension. You can also apply it as a cool compress to help sunburns and skin problems.

The second type of flower tea comes from China. It describes a tea (made from the Camellia sinensis tea plant) this is scented or blended with flower blossoms. Typically, jasmine, osmanthus and chrysanthemum flowers are used.

Flower Display Teas
China, the birthplace of tea, has cultivated more ways of making teas than any other country. A great signature of Chinese tea making is the display tea – handcrafted out of tealeaves. Traditionally, only the finest tealeaves are used and blossoms are often “sewn” together with the tea. The shape of the display tea changes when steeped in hot water – enjoy the show that unfolds.

Jasmine Tea
Jasmine teas are teas scented with the jasmine flower. The tea can be a black, oolong, green or white tea. Traditionally, the tea is scented by placing it with jasmine blossoms overnight - and then removing them the next morning. Jasmine blossoms are known to calm nerves and help headaches.

Osmanthus Tea
Osmanthus blossoms are often used to scent oolong, white and pu-erh teas. They are small yellow flowers that grow in Southern China and Taiwan. They add apricot and subtle peach notes to the taste of the tea. The blossoms are known to aid digestion.
________________________________________________________________
By Karen Dunlap, published in Asian Food & Lifestyle, March/April 2006

Oolong Tea Cocktail
4 ounces Vertical Vodka
2 ounces Osmanthus Oolong
2 ounces simple syrup
1.5 ounces fresh lemon juice

Shake, pour and drink.

Last summer, at Cibar in Gramery Park, I hosted with friends the first of a new style of tea parties in New York City. The party, the first of an on-going experiment in creating a new American tea culture, was an attempt to introduce people to the pleasures of tea.

The party focused on oolongs (since that’s what hooked me). Guests enjoyed a tea tasting of oolongs served cold brewed, gung-fu style and in a cocktail. The party, free to the public, was graciously sponsored by In Pursuit of Tea and Vertical Vodka.