Andorra
The first thing I learned about Andorra when searching for tea is that it is snowy at least part of the year. I had to find a map because I had no clue where it was. Turns out, it is small coprincipatlity between France and Spain, and is in the southern Pyrenees mountains. Almost 90% of the population lives in urban areas, and about half of the population are foreign nationals. While Catalan is the official language, Spanish and French are often spoken by the inhabitants.
Andorra is not part of the EU, but they do use the Euro for their currency (although they are not allowed to issue that currency), and the description of them being a small country is highlighted by the fact that a small regional airport in Spain provides service to this country. Apparently they do not have a railway system, and depend on their roads to link them to other countries. I didn't see exact dimensions given, but a rough estimate from the scale on the map reveals that the country is less than 16 miles across, and less than 16 miles vertically.
Now I understand why there is virtually no information about how people in Andorra drink tea. The only video I found on YouTube was someone trekking across a snowy landscape, then brewing some sort of very pale tea in a gaiwan. So for today's post, I decided to explore the use of the gaiwan.
This is my gaiwan. It is actually quite tiny because it is part of my gong fu brewing set. There are 2 different ways to use a gaiwan. You can put the tea leaves inside, brew your tea, then use the lid of the gaiwan to keep the tea leaves inside while you pour your tea into another vessel. The other method is to drink straight from the gaiwan. You still use the lid to keep the tea leaves in, and you hold the saucer underneath so your hands are not holding the hot gaiwan. I haven't tried this yet. All sources I've read recommend starting out with cold water until you have perfected the technique. That said, I really didn't find any videos about people drinking straight from the gaiwan. Everyone seems to want to pour it into another container.
The gaiwan was invented in China during the Ming dynasty. The lid is domed to represent the sky, the saucer represents the earth, and the bowl represents life.
Gaiwans are loved for their simplicity, and making the brewing tea more accessible. They also afford more control over the brewing of the tea. You can pour your water from higher distances to allow the water to cool, you can easily assess the strength of your brew because the tea is more visible in a cup than in a teapot, and it is faster to pour all of the tea out of a gaiwan than a teapot, so infusion time is more accurate. Gaiwans are great for drinking teas with multiple infusions. You can really appreciate the change in the appearance and smell of the leaf over multiple brewings. This attention to changes in the leaf also helps the taster appreciate the changes in the tea flavors with each subsequent brewing. I will admit that I only use my gaiwan when I am doing a gong fu brewing. I would need a larger one for recreational drinking with a regular cup.
Andorra is not part of the EU, but they do use the Euro for their currency (although they are not allowed to issue that currency), and the description of them being a small country is highlighted by the fact that a small regional airport in Spain provides service to this country. Apparently they do not have a railway system, and depend on their roads to link them to other countries. I didn't see exact dimensions given, but a rough estimate from the scale on the map reveals that the country is less than 16 miles across, and less than 16 miles vertically.
Now I understand why there is virtually no information about how people in Andorra drink tea. The only video I found on YouTube was someone trekking across a snowy landscape, then brewing some sort of very pale tea in a gaiwan. So for today's post, I decided to explore the use of the gaiwan.
This is my gaiwan. It is actually quite tiny because it is part of my gong fu brewing set. There are 2 different ways to use a gaiwan. You can put the tea leaves inside, brew your tea, then use the lid of the gaiwan to keep the tea leaves inside while you pour your tea into another vessel. The other method is to drink straight from the gaiwan. You still use the lid to keep the tea leaves in, and you hold the saucer underneath so your hands are not holding the hot gaiwan. I haven't tried this yet. All sources I've read recommend starting out with cold water until you have perfected the technique. That said, I really didn't find any videos about people drinking straight from the gaiwan. Everyone seems to want to pour it into another container.
The gaiwan was invented in China during the Ming dynasty. The lid is domed to represent the sky, the saucer represents the earth, and the bowl represents life.
Gaiwans are loved for their simplicity, and making the brewing tea more accessible. They also afford more control over the brewing of the tea. You can pour your water from higher distances to allow the water to cool, you can easily assess the strength of your brew because the tea is more visible in a cup than in a teapot, and it is faster to pour all of the tea out of a gaiwan than a teapot, so infusion time is more accurate. Gaiwans are great for drinking teas with multiple infusions. You can really appreciate the change in the appearance and smell of the leaf over multiple brewings. This attention to changes in the leaf also helps the taster appreciate the changes in the tea flavors with each subsequent brewing. I will admit that I only use my gaiwan when I am doing a gong fu brewing. I would need a larger one for recreational drinking with a regular cup.
Drinking straight out of that could easily be a disaster!
ReplyDeleteI don't have any plans to try.
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