Tea Friend 茶友 (cha you)

New tea friends at U of O!

I am so excited because I've met so many tea friends here in Eugene. After participating in the ASUO Street Fair at the University of Oregon. It happens twice per year, in the Fall and the Spring, on 13^th Street in the heart of campus. I say all of this because I feel that, as far as fairs go, to this point (October 12, 2012), it is poorly marketed. Why? It actually doesn't have to be well marketed due to its location. It actually blocks students path, distracting some and feeding more than a few, as they try to get to class.  But still, as a business person, who enjoys the concept of marketing, it seems like an oversite.

I graduated from the U of O in the Summer of 199? Wow, that's a bad sign. But, here I am, back on campus, just outside of Friendly Hall. After all of my education, I turned out to be the street vendor that students can boss around if they don't understand manners. And I am here to tell you, if you really make it in life, you will be a street vendor, right here on this very campus, where you currently go to school. Well, I guess that's what success meant to me because there I was...a campus street vendor of tea. Actually that has a nice ring to it.

What does it mean to have a tea friend? Is a tea friend someone who you sit around drinking tea with all day or night? It might be, but here is one version of a tea friend. It can be compared with poet friend or, 詩友 (shi you). A poetry friend is one who you take turns sharing poems with. A common interaction between poet friends might be that one of them would read or recite a poem that had a particular theme. Then you would continue on that theme or expand upon it, leading to something else. Tea friends share infusion after infusion of tea. There are no rules about sharing, and this is not a normal way of drinking tea with friends. I see behavior most like this when I drink tea with other tea vendors. It is almost as if we are taking turns sharing the tea and sometimes it is relaxing, but sometimes it is competitive, as if to see who has the better tea. Some play to win, others play to participate and share. It is usually with the aim of a mutual enjoyment of life. Say one person has a nice Yunnan black tea 滇紅 (dian hong), there are many quality levels available (see Tea Matrix 1A) and some are harder to find than others. So part of the fun is if you have one or someone else has one that is of exceptional quality, it is almost as if the game is called to a halt and everyone just takes part in fully enjoying that tea. Like a tasting format, going from lower quality to higher quality is more enjoyable.  

What's your favorite kind of tea?

Some Answers to an Impossible Question by Josh Chamberlain

People often ask me, “What is your favorite tea?” When I look puzzled, sometimes the question is rephrased as, “If you could only have one kind of tea for the rest of your life, what would it be?” I always thought that was a hard question to answer. But recently, I

have figured out a way to answer this somewhat impossible question: I would choose only the good kind (see the Tea Matrix 1A comparing tea type and quality below). 

I've noticed that quality and type can often be confused. There are so many types of tea.  Even excluding herbals, which I often do, we are left with thousands of choices. The type of tea is not so important, but the quality of the tea leaf is of upmost importance.  Do you like bad iron goddess oolong?  Hardly. Do you like good, great, or amazing iron goddess oolong?  Yes, of course. I love it! Teas of high quality have a common thread even if they are different types.  

I definitely get on tea kicks and become obsessed with a particular tea for a period of time. It is like I cannot get something about that tea out of my head and find myself compelled to brew it again and again. This is not unlike having a favorite song and wanting to hear it over and over again. Making that tea again is the only logical choice because its characteristics are what I am relating to at that particular moment. It is not unlike choosing a person to discuss an important matter with. You choose that person based on what you know of them already, what you think they are going to say, availability, closeness and so on. You could say that the same is true for tea.  

Imagine this: If you could only talk to one person for the rest of your life, who would it be? Now we have the answer. If I could only talk to one person for the rest of my life, it would be a person of high quality. When deciding on favorites, I focus on quality over type. 

That being said, I don't mind the question. Let's talk about tea. Know tea types and subtypes; know the seasonal variations; know farms, regions and elevations; know processing methods; learn how to properly brew tea. Tea is an agricultural product; all of these factors affect the quality of the final product, each creating subtle variations. After you know about this and more... you’ll discover that there really is no favorite. I love you tea!

October Tea Classes

Oregon Grown: Introducing Minto Island Growers' Tea Project

Minto Island Growers is situated southwest of Salem, Oregon on the edges of Minto Brown Island Park. Summers bring ruby-red strawberries, bright bunches of rainbow chard, and sunny orange-blossom tomatoes. Co-owned and operated by Elizabeth Miller and Chris Jenkins since 2007, produce grown on this 40-acre farm is certified organic by Oregon Tilth.

A surprising crop occupies two acres of this bountiful organic vegetable farm—tea. More than 200 varietals of Camellia sinensis thrive in a mature block that stretches north, up a gentle hill.

This agricultural anomaly arrived in Salem as the result of a collaborative venture between Rob Miller, Elizabeth’s father and tea expert John Vendeland. Miller purchased the Salem in the 1970s, as part of Mt. Jefferson Farms, a family farm and nursery operation that included forestry, large-scale mint production, and research plots. In 1988, Mt. Jefferson Farms partnered with Vendeland to research the cultivation of Camellia sinensis in Oregon.  They selected a wide range of cultivars to evaluate both growing and flavor characteristics with the goal of establishing an Oregon grown tea product.

Miller and Jenkins inherited this project when they took over the farm 5 years ago. The now-mature tea block presents both a challenge and an opportunity: Is Oregon-grown tea a viable product?  Miller is optimistic, “The Tea Project really fits into our business plan, which is direct marketing of local agricultural products. We really feel like there’s a market for tea here.”

To this end, Minto Island hosts tea classes in conjunction with fall and summer tea harvests. On the hottest day of the year, 15 enthusiasts fanned out across the tea plot, gently plucking tender tea leaves under the sweltering August sun.

J-Tea is excited to have the opportunity to visit Minto Island during the Fall Harvest

Oolong Tea in the United States

Tea Farm, Minto Island Growers, Salem, Oregon 

Truth be told, we Americans love tea. Intertwined with America’s history from the beginning, tea consumption has evolved in pace with the nation’s cultural climate. We went from hopped up rhetoricists drawing the concentrate from a samavar to microwaving water and adding a teabag, and sipping sweetened iced tea. Tracing the roots of America's tea culture, inevitably leads to the Boston Tea Party.

However, tea culture in America has evolved considerably since the Colonial and wartime eras and now embraces a wide spectrum of cultural traditions, including those of Taiwan and China. What are the marketing barriers for high end tea such as Taiwanese oolongs in the US? Are you excited about growing and producing tea in the US?

Take a Tea Class at J-TEA

Puer class in session at J-TEA

Tea Education: Summer Classes at J-TEA 
by Mical Lewis

In the last month we've had three classes at J-Tea: Tea 101, Puer Class, and Oolong Class. They have all been great successes, not to mention a lot of fun. We would like to extend a huge thank you to all of the customers who attended these classes. This is the first time we've attempted to streamline our curriculum and we appreciate your assistance as we refine our methods. Our classes can only get better from here.

With all of our classes thus far, our goal is to demystify the process of making tea by sharing our one easy method to make a great cup of tea anytime and with any tea. We're also dedicated to teaching you skills to help you navigate the tea world in general, so that no matter where you are you can find and make yourself a good cup of tea. Bottom line: we want to help you discover your own personal likes and dislikes about tea and to give you a real feel for this amazing beverage. After all, taste is a personal thing that you develop over time. And the only way to develop a taste for tea is to drink more of it.

There are more classes headed your way so stay tuned.

Coming up in July and August:

Dong Ding Class: Learn what makes tea grown on this Taiwanese mountain so awe inspiring

Formosa Class: Discover how leaf-hoppers make this tea so amazing and why

Tea Stories: Learn the fascinating histories behind the names of our teas

Tea on the Road: Reuniting with the Guywan

On a recent road trip I was happy to reunite with an old friend, the guywan. I hadn’t planned to be reunited with this vessel in such a way. In fact, I didn't have much of a plan for how I would be drinking tea on this particular trip. I was making a solo journey of about 1,660 miles and I brought a minimal selection of tea tools: a guy wan, a thermos, and some tea. Somehow, I knew that this would be enough. Yet, I didn't connect the dots that I would be drinking straight from the guywan. Or I guess what I didn't imagine is the positive impact that this reunification would have on the trip.

I enjoyed many simple elements about this process. First on the list: how well the guywan fit into the vehicle’s cup holder. This particular cup holder was thoughtfully placed on the end of the wide central console armrest. I never thought I would refer to a car’s cup holder and a guywan in the same sentence, but this just reminds me that life is never actually how we think it is going to be. But let's not digress. After a few practice brew sessions, I had it down. I was drinking brew after brew, switching the leaves by scooping them out of the little bowl, tossing them on the floor mat, doing a quick rinse using as little water as possible, and then using that to water the leaves I had just dumped on the floor mat. Then I added a different type of leaf and started again. In this way, I would brew tea for hours at a time.

Lessons from Brewing on the Open Road

Use less tea; about 5 grams is enough. If the tea starts to get too strong, you have two choices. Drink strong tea or add hot water for a milder version. Sip the hot infusion and as it cools a bit, drinking will become easier. I find I can take sips from very hot things and if you feel comfortable doing this, I totally recommend it. Sipping away, I noticed that the tea cooled as time went by. Eventually I was down to the last drops. Sometimes this would be very strong. For the first couple of brews, I didn't relax enough to realize that instead of drinking such a strong infusion, I could just add water. But eventually I did have this revolution. Then I could choose. I could either drink the strong stuff if I was feeling tired and needed a boost, or I could add a bit of water and keep it going.

I have a large thermos with a tight seal because I feel that this is one of the tools that really helps me enjoy tea on the go. Regarding the thermos, I recommend purchasing a brand new thermos and using it for hot water only. Never put anything other than water in this thermos. I filled it up before I left and the hot water flowed for a full 24 hours following. In fact, I found that I enjoyed the tea for the second 12 hours even more. By then, the water temperature had dropped and it was more tolerable for drinking (tea) and driving.

Speaking of hot beverages on the road, there is some danger involved in brewing and driving. If possible, train members of your travel team to assist in driver's tea preparation. Added risk aside, I felt as though I benefited greatly from this miraculous tea rediscovery. Instead of feeling bored as miles loomed ahead of me, I felt both alert and relaxed. The miles faded away as I enjoyed whole leaf oolong tea of various types and strengths. Really, tea is the perfect driving companion.  

Leaves sit dry in cup, hot water is added, leaves unfurl and open and are happy to be in water, as if coming back to life.   

Contemplating Gold-Medal Tea at the Olympic Trials: Go for the Gold

Five cups of tea

On my recent trip, I learned about a new gold-medal tea coming out of Taiwan—just in time for the commencement of the Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, aptly known as “Track Town USA.” Does tea really make you run faster, jump higher, or throw further? It just might.

Competitive theories aside, the release of this new tea is due in large part to China's demand for Taiwan's competition-winning tea. China's economy is strong and China has a gift giving culture; tea is one of the most common gifts given in China. Taiwan has revolutionized its relationship with China, creating direct flights, postal service and new shipping routes between Taiwan and the mainland. With China's new found wealth, the trend in gifting is that it should be big and it should be the best, making Taiwanese competition winning tea an ideal choice. But this recent trend has people in Taiwan's tea industry talking.

“They don't want toudeng first through tenth, they want regular toudeng,” said He Lao, an artist and tea culture expert. He and many other Taiwan tea industry insiders are surprised by this because everyone in Taiwan's tea world knows that tedeng is first place. Toudeng first through tenth come next (ranking second through eleventh) and then comes toudeng, the remaining teas in the first-tier. “In the mainland, they don't like 1-10 because it implies that there is something else, or there could be something better. They just want the one that says 'the best',” he explained. Toudeng is still considered excellent tea by tea experts in Taiwan and throughout the world.

Traditionally, teas ranking below toudeng are categorized as erdeng, or second-tier. Second-tier is by no means inferior tea. It is still considered to be some of the best, and ranked in the top three. Such high quality tea rarely makes it to the U.S. and is only handled by very specialized vendors. Due to the overwhelming demand for tea that is considered “the best” some competitive ranking organizations have taken the leap, changing what was formerly known as second-tier ranked tea, to “jing pai” or gold- medal winning tea. Let's face it, “gold medal winner” sounds a lot better than “second-tier.”

The organizations that oversee and hold the competitions to rank teas are fighting it out—for sales. And, this is not the first time the organizations have changed the naming system. Two well respected organizations based in Nan Tou, known as He Zuo Shi and Lugu Nong Hui, battled it out years ago—in plum flowers. One organization boasted three plum flowers on their packaging, as an indicator of high quality; not be outdone in floral decorations, the other added five plum flowers to their packaging. Thus, we dissolve into the minutia of Taiwan's Olympic rings of tea. This all reminds me of what my amazing grandmother, Lisl Waechter, used to say, “I just don't understand...why everyone is trying to be the best?” In fact, these teas are quite spectacular on their own, gold medals and plum flowers aside.

Calligraphy and Haikuesday by Josh Chamberlain

One of the greatest things about my most recent trip was my exposure to and experience with calligraphy. This age-old art form is still very much alive in modern Taiwanese culture. Though entirely unplanned, calligraphy proved to be a recurrent theme during this trip. I've been thinking of practicing calligraphy for some time now, but never have found a teacher. On this trip, I was encouraged to learn on my own, and by chance, I met a teacher that was willing to give me a few pointers.

One of the reasons that Chinese has English beat for cool language category is that the Chinese character is an image. Thus, the words in Chinese and Chinese writing can be considered art. This might be true with English too, but it is much more accepted as a current form of art in China, Taiwan, and whereever Chinese is spoken.

I was encouraged to write some poems in Chinese, and I felt free to do so. Something about writing a poem in this language that I have studied for a number of years now seems somewhat less intimidating than writing one in English. I am drawn to poetry, but have been intimidated by it. That is why writing Haikus has been great. They are a playful way to write poetry, that is mostly just a lot of fun. Haikus are also popular in Taiwan. My friends there were excited to hear about our haiku writing Tuesdays at the teabar.

Below are the two haikus that I wrote for this week’s Haikuesday:

Haiku 1 translation:

Filial American

Most Americans are not considered to be filial, so this presents a contradiction.

After returning from the mountain, you return to your hometown

Coming down the mountain refers to “leaving the monestary” or leaving a school after some great learning has been achieved, in this case, leaving Taiwan and moving back to Eugene, Oregon.

Tea leaf many bridges

We do not know the course that life will lead us down. There are many possibilities, but in my case, I have followed my nose, and tea has openned up a world of possibilities.

Continuing the tea bridge theme, Haiku 2 translation:

Tea is like a bridge

Tea is a great tool for communication and enhanced creativity.

Training in order to pass through the loneliness.

Accomplishing goals can sometimes take a long time. Once the die is cast, sometimes we have to wait until we get the things we need. This period of waiting can be painful in the moment, often experienced as loneliness or hunger.

Seeking the joy that lives in the moment

The last four words refer to the joy of doing. Even though the process might be arduous, one looses oneself in the joy of doing, and is fullfilled with a meaningful life.