Panama 2

In spite of its small area, there are many different landscape regions in Panama thanks to the mountains. There are low lying tidal areas on the coast, tropical rain forests, savannahs, and cool montaine forests. They also have a wide variety of plant and animal life as it was the only land bridge for species to cross the continents. One sixth of the nation's land area is designated as national parks. The uniqueness of some of them have earned UNESCO's designation on the World Heritage List.

While the canal zone is known for cosmopolitan urban culture, the rural culture of the savannahs focus on Hispanic traditions of folk songs, and handicrafts. Some groups have a strong tradition of storytelling including epic poetry.

Today we are exploring oolong tea - a tea that straddles the line between green tea and black tea. This is a tea of contrasts, just like the different regions of Panama. Oolong is described as being well-rounded in taste and preparation. It is said to tame saltier and spicier meat dishes while boosting flavor of stuffed buns.

As you can see, the color of the tea is still quite delicate, but the leaves have darkened edges with green centers. This particular Chinese oolong tea is another type that I only like when brewed in a gaiwan. Longer brewing times bring out strange, almost fruity notes in the oolong that I don't particularly care for, but gaiwan brewing brings out a perfect tea flavor.