Global Tea Time

Those who are not into tea may not realize that there are lengthy discussions about what type of water for tea brewing. Some nomadic tribes melt snow to make their tea because that is the most readily available source of water. Most sources recommend filtered tap water, which is what I drink on a daily basis anyway. Some people say that you should not brew tea with hard water because some of the flavor gets caught in the hard water mineral scum that ends up on your cup. Filtered tap water does not eliminate the hard water minerals, but it does get rid of the chlorine in the water. Since my local utility is upgrading the water system and digging new wells, chlorine is a major problem in our water some days. Spring water, artesian water, reverse osmosis water are all waters recommended for brewing (as long as the spring water doesn't have too many minerals in it). Distilled water contains no minerals, and is not recommended for tea brewing saying that it makes for a flat brew. Me be...

The tea pet that I ordered in April finally came! It was on back order. While cats don't normally like water, they are featured as tea pets in the form of the waving or beckoning cat. Things all look fine and good until I show you that kitty is supposed to be holding a fan. While my good luck bat (yes some countries consider bats to be good luck) arrived with a broken ear having been shipped wrapped in bubble wrap and a big envelope, kitty came inside of bubble wrap in a box with more bubble wrap inside of a larger box with bags of air! Still broken! Time to check out my return options, and quite possibly bust out the tube of super glue again.

Thanks to a mother's day discount code, I ordered yet another box of tea. I currently have a stack of 10, yes 10 tea menus on my table. I was cleaning house a couple of weeks ago, and kept putting the tea menues in the same place. I keep reminding myself that booze and associated accessories cost a lot more. That said, I did order some of the more expensive teas I like because I got 10% off. So I got an old favorite, Ryokucha. This is a pan fired Japanese green tea. It has a bright, grassy scent, and is a beautiful bright yellow color. I've had a rough couple of weeks, so I also did a little online retail therapy and bought a tea pet I've been eyeing for about a year. I found it at a good price. Unfortunately it arrived broken. Since I was too tired to deal with sending it back, I opted for a refund and some super glue. I may opt to replace it with a new one that is not broken at some point, but a bat with a broken ear seems to be emblematic of my life right now. So what ...

I have some books about the history and science of making tea that would be fun to explore for this blog. I'm just feeling a little too overwhelmed by life to explore those right now. In the mean time, enjoy a picture of my new tea pet, and a lace doily that I'm working on. The doily is for a lace contest this summer. We are to make a piece of lace depicting the moon. If all goes right, I will be tatting the 8 phases of the moon to go around the edge of the doily. I made the center black with a gray stripe for the Milky Way. I have some silver seed beads to sew onto it for stars. Making the new moon, full moon, and quarter moons are straightforward and easy. I'm still working on methods to make the gibbous and crescent moons. Attempt #1 is a no. I'll keep working on it. Meanwhile, I hope that my bad doesn't poop on my work. Life is already pooping on me enough.