Tea InfusiastAs I write, there are two flavors of tea ice cream at Van Leeuwen that I love.
Van Leeuwen is an ice cream chain that started in New York City. Now, you can find scoop shops across a large swatch of the United States and in Korea. According to their website, in the U.S. their name is pronounced “Van (like the car) Lou (like the name) Inn (like the hotel).”
This post shares a story about tea served as a cup full of compassion.
In July, a beloved member of our family was hospitalized, then moved to hospice care. It was an emotionally and physically tense time all around.
The day she moved from the hospital to the hospice was especially stressful. For several days, we didn’t know when the hospital would transfer her or where she would be placed. Then, it was suddenly happening.
This post shares, from an accessibility perspective, a T handle mug review. The mug is made by Carter Designs. I share my thoughts and a loved one’s experience.
Swelling, strength, mobility issues with fingers or hands–among other things–can make it very helpful to have a mug that works for your body and circumstances.
This T Handle mug is the third type of mug that I’m reviewing for accessibility on the blog. I bought it, paying retail price, from The Wright Stuff.
There are many reasons you might find yourself drinking less tea. Here’s mine…
In recent years, normally I enjoy one full tea session a day (about 3g of tea). Sometimes, I creep up to double that. Recently, however, I’ve radically reduced my tea consumption due to an acid reflux flare. Tea is usually mildly to moderately acidic. Also, caffeine can “loosen up your lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a ring of muscle between your esophagus and stomach,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.
So, I’ve worked my way down from the higher end of my caffeine range to less than half a gram a day. I’m sincerely hoping this reduced tea consumption will be a temporary measure and I am consulting with doctors. But, while I’m here, I still want to enjoy drinking less tea.
Cold brewing tea usually involves putting tea leaves (or tea sachets) into room temperature or cold water. Then, you store it in the refrigerator from a few minutes to 12 hours to allow it to steep. You never use hot water. This method is called mizudashi (水出し) in Japanese, according to the Global Japanese Tea Association.
I’m delighted to share my experience using the Starry Sky tea set from Umi Tea Sets.
On the Umi Tea Sets website, the full name of this teaware is “Chinese Starry Sky Jian Zhan Tea Set.” The version I am reviewing includes a teapot, six teacups, a fairness cup (sometimes called a fairness pitcher), and a two-piece ceramic tea strainer. It arrived in a beautiful deep blue “gift box” with multicolored fabric on the top.
A tea practice poem? Have you ever heard of a gatha (pronounced GAH-tuh)? It’s a short poem used in some Buddhist traditions to redirect our mind to the present moment. Think of it like a “[meditation] practice poem.”
In honor of national poetry month, I thought I’d share Thich Nhat Hanh’s practice poem, or gatha, for mindfully preparing to drink tea. I use it a lot! In fact, if you have attended any of my Tea Mindful Together virtual meditations, you may have heard it before. (Subscribe to my newsletter to find out about these events and more.)
This post reviews a Zojirushi Stainless Mug (basically a Zojirushi thermos) that I bought and used for outdoor and traveling with tea.
Preparing for a trip during which I knew I’d be drinking tea mostly outdoors, I decided to take a good thermos. That way, I could fill it with water to drink or hot tea–one vessel would work for either. This was going to be a more rugged trip than my usual traveling style, so I didn’t pack as much teaware as I usually do.
My old thermos leaks, so I wanted something better. I’d heard good things about Zojirushi, so I bought their 16 ounce “stainless mug.” I don’t know why they call it that and not a thermos!
A post about preparing–and why I haven’t been posting more on the blog lately.
Tea things are in the works, but not ready to materialize yet.
Life has been very busy as a professor and personally. Tea things, of course, are in the mix, too.
Here are a few things in the works to share in this post about preparing.
I’ve been thinking about how to enhance your tea tasting.
There’s an underappreciated way to improve your ability to have a fuller tasting experience and clearer communication about tea. Simply put, it is increasing your exposure to a wider range of foods!
