Brewing

To those of us in the the tea world, spring means a new crop of tea. Just about now, early crops are being plucked and processed throughout Asian tea fields, and the coming months will be busy with further processing, auctioning, packing, and shipping.  In this part of the world, we will be eagerly awaiting the availability of new teas for sampling and ordering, excited to share them with you, our customers.    In the photo below, you are seeing freshly plucked tea leaves which I helped to pick on our Tea Tour to  China in 2007. The step seen here is a brief withering on a woven grass tray prior to being pan fired to make green tea. That experience is one of the most treasured memories I have, right up there with my feelings for and experiences with family, my husband, children and grandchildren, dear friends. It has to do with seeing a fresh leaf plucked, but then used in the same way it has been used for thousands of years to convert into a delicious beverage enjoyed by people the world over. Just knowing that across the world, all sorts of new beginnings are occuring should bring us all closer together; perhaps the politicians of the world need to give this some thought.      

Fresh tea leaves

  As our own gardens begin to put forth new shoots, peeking up out of old dried leaves and brown soil, or budding on bare branches of shrubs and trees, one can’t help but feel the thrill of new life. Greens seem greener, colors more vibrant, and that wonderful scent of moist bare soil fills the air.

Before we know it new graduates will be looking ahead to the next chapter in their young lives, young winter/spring puppies and babies will be out toddling about, kids on training wheels will be trying their balance, going from wobble to steady on the sidewalks. I often think this is the time of year for new resolutions; what about you? Welcome to Spring!

January 2013 has provided me personally with some great reminders of the link between tea, the greatness of our American Patriots, and the legacy they left us in the freedoms we enjoy on our home soil. Here at Nellie’s, since there are only my one part-time employee and me, rather than holding a company Christmas party, we go off on some sort of adventure after the holiday season is over. This year, we decided to travel to Boston on the DownEaster and visit the new Boston Tea Party Museum and Ships. Arriving on the waterfront via the T, the museum and ships were a lovely site to take in as we approached.

   Greeted by the museum staff, dressed in period costumes and speaking completely in character, we continued to enjoy the hour long museum tour and re-enactment of the night of December 16, 1773. This museum is not at all stuffy, the staff are engaging and dedicated to their roles, and the tour is extremely interactive, even to the point of our participation in throwing chests of tea overboard!                                     

After our tour we enjoyed a cup of tea in Abigail’s Tea Room (that’s Abigail Adams, of course!) A trip here is highly recommended and would be great for children. The events of that crucial  period in the history of our great country are really driven home as we experience some of the passion, anger, and risks these patriots endured for our future freedom.

All of this was driven home even more last week while watching the inaugural activities on TV. Although I was visiting family in the DC area at the time of the festivities, I participated only via the big screen. But as I watched, I was truly struck by the legacy of the Patriots of so long ago, and the fact that we still are the nation with the most personal freedoms in the world, that our leaders are elected by the citizens of this country, guaranteed the right to vote through a secret ballot protected under law, and that despite our problems and disagreements, we continue to be the greatest country in the world. I have always been convinced that if our country’s leaders and world leaders met over cups of tea rather than highly caffeinated coffee or inebriating wine or spirits, more would be accomplished, agreements could be reached more quickly, and the world would be a much more civil place. So, in celebration of our newly elected president, our great Patriots both past and present, and the unmatched freedoms which are ours, I raise my teacup to continuing the full circle of tea in our history.

As I settled in to sleep last night after a busy day, it suddenly struck me that the day which had been in my thoughts becuse  it was coming up soon and we should be sure to mark it in some way…was here! December 5th marks the 9 year anniversary of the opening of Nellie’s Tea & Gifts. Nine years ago, after returning from a long weekend, intensive “Tea School” in  Connecticut held in early November, I contacted the two young women who owned Pot de Fleur in Biddeford and asked if they were still interested in having me join them in their shop. Tea School was organized and run by  Pearl Dexter of TEA, A Magazine and John Harney, founder of Harney & Sons Fine Teas. From these two icons of the modern day Specialty Tea industry, my classmates and I learned the basics of Specialty Tea as well as starting and operating a tea related business. I came home so enthused that I quickly pursued my budding plan of joining in an already established shop, since I knew I wouldn’t be leaving my day job just yet, by contacting Kelly Decker and Erin Donovan, two of the most creative and talented young women I’ve ever met. I became the weekend shop keeper in exchange for a very low rent and the chance to start my tea dream with baby steps. Our location at 265 Maine Street in Biddeford was in a  architecturally gorgeous space with lots of windows and light, but very little heat or other amenities. We didn’t care.

My original space was a corner of one room in the larger shop in which I displayed my wares on a counter I brought in, some built-in shelves, and a lovely window space on the rounded corner of the building. Over time I gradually added more space and more hours, other co-tenants came and went, and I became more knowledgeable and confident about my abilities to be a business owner. Please enjoy the photos shared below as Nellie’s has grown and evolved over the last nine years. It could not have happened without you, and we are so grateful for your support and business. 

Enjoy these pictures of my window at 265 Main St, the back room of our shop, ready for a Red Hatters group, and some of our artists during a Biddeford Art Walk. More to come.

Pu-what? you say! If you follow Dr. Oz at all, you may have heard of this mysterious tea which he touts for help with weight loss and general good health. As with all types of tea in recent years, there are many health claims being made as to the benefits of drinking tea. Now, all of us who have enjoyed tea for years would tell you anecdotally that tea is good for us. But does the research really support those claims? The answers are long and complicated; the short answer is that well done studies are very promising in supporting those claims, but the hard evidence is still at bay in most areas. Within the next  few weeks, the Fifth International Symposium on Tea and Human Health will be held in Washington, D.C. The most current research on the topic will be presented and those of us in the tea industry look forward to hopefully having more information from the numerous studies which have been ongoing.

But, to go back to Pu’ehr, this is an aged tea whose popularity dates to ancient times when it was “discovered” accidentally that tea which was exposed to certain conditions in its long journey from tea growing areas of China to its destination in far away mountainous regions of Asia developed characteristics which were extremely appealing in flavor and complexities. In subsequent centuries, tea producers began purposefully recreating those conditions to create Pu’ehr for its followers. In recent years it has become a popular and valuable commodity among collectors in China and to some status concious and wealthier citizens of the Western World. Prices of high quality Pu’ehr teas aged from 5 to 30 years or more have sky rocketed, and to keep up with demand producers have developed processes to stimulate conditions which will develop some of the characteristics of aged tea at a much faster pace right in the factories. The availability of these teas has made it affordable for the every day consumer who wants to have it. Thus, Dr. Oz’s followers have begun requesting it.

We’ll soon be offering a class on Pu-ehr teas; stay tuned for the date and cost. It will be interesting, I promise you.

Wow! If this hasn’t been the summer for iced tea, I don’t know what would be. Did you know, you can ice any of your favorite teas. It’s so easy: just make your tea a little stronger than you would for hot tea (i.e. add more tea, not steep longer). Pack your glass or pitcher with lots of ice, and pour the tea over it. A few stirs or shakes, and you have fresh tasting, icy cold heaven in a glass. Shown here is a caffeine-free Blueberry infusion made with organic Highland Farms Blueberries.

I know a lot of people who swear by sun tea. Sun tea is made by filling a container with water, adding your tea and letting it sit in the sun for a day or so. Although I have never heard of anyone becoming ill from drinking sun tea, this practice would harbor the growth of any bacteria present in the mixture. Perhaps a more hygienic way of producing the same result, an iced tea without bitterness or cloudiness, is making a cold steep tea. To do this, simply measure your tea or tea bags into a container, fill with cold water, and place in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. By using cold water, the tea leaves do not produce the bitterness which steeping with hot water for such a long period would.

Our most popular iced tea this summer has been Moroccan Mint. This blend of Gunpowder Green Tea with Peppermint is flavorful and refreshing either hot or cold. But as an iced tea, it is just heavenly on a hot summer day. We would love to hear what your favorite iced tea is. Feel free to e-mail us and let us know.

Next week marks the opening of the long awaited Boston Tea Party Museum, featuring the three ships involved in the 1773 dumping of tea chests into the Boston Harbor, the two only remaining tea chests from the ships, and historical tours of the new facility. On hand for the Gala Opening on Monday June 25th  will be Bruce and Shelley Richardson, two of the premier tea importers and blenders in the U.S.A. Founders of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas in Perrysville, KY, and authors of numerous books on tea, Bruce and Shelley are the perfect fit for this historic occasion.

The new museum will feature the restored and retrofitted original ships The Beaver and Eleanor as well as the reproduced third ship, Dartmouth. It will also feature a tea room and a gift shop where teas specially blended for the museum by Bruce Richardson, will be on hand. Rising up out of the center of Boston Harbor, this new attraction will be a must for tea lovers, lovers of history, ships, and colonialism. I plan to visit very soon and I hope you will as well.

Last weekend, we had the privilege of providing tea and helping to serve 96 guests at the Irish Heritage Center of Maine where volunteers from the Victoria Mansion in Portland put on their annual Doll Tea. Children and their adults arrived in beautiful splendor with a favorite doll or teddy bear in tow. I saw many American Dolls, baby dolls, and other loved and favorite companions. The event hall had been transformed by the volunteers with festoons of tull draped from pillar to pillar, beautifully decorated Victorian hats on each table, vintage china and tea cups at each place, table linens and chair festoons, and a corsage for each guest on their plate. Everyone received a bag full of wonderful goodies to take home, and door prizes were out of this world.

Six Tea Princesses were crowned, and the highlight of the event was a demonstration by dancers from the Portland School of Ballet, followed by all the guests having the opportunity to try some of the basic steps taught to them by the dancers.

The event was sold out, and with good reason! I predict that next year the Tea will be sold out well in advance; perhaps a second seating will have to be added. I do know that it is an event we always look forward to being asked to help with.

Continuing our celebration of Japanese Culture for the month of April, the Japanese Tea Ceremony, or Chado (translated, The Way of Tea), perhaps epitomizes the collectively precise, demure, and gracious core of Japanese culture. Based in centuries old tradition and history, the ceremony today is studied at length in various schools which have evolved and been passed down from Tea Masters of centuries ago. Those who study Chado commit to months and years of tutelage and practice under the direction of a Tea Master, enduring hours of learning to sit on mats in kneeling position, rising from the floor and kneeling again, and performing the elements of the ceremony in a graceful, gracious, and welcoming manner.  Months are devoted to learning the names of the tools used during the ceremony, arranging the space in a just so manner after carefully choosing the simple decor, learning to prepare and present the very special Matcha tea along with the traditional sweets that are served with it. The steps of the ceremony are as a carefully choreographed dance or tightly directed stage presentation. In our more casual lifestyle of the 21st century, slowing down to partake of this lovely traditional enjoyment is like taking a weekend vacation to a quiet mountain lake from which one returns refreshed, calmed, and reminded of all the reasons it is so important to occasionally slow down the hectic pace of our lives.

As an invited guest, there are expectations for us when we attend the ceremony, sort of like Emily Post lessons of etiquette. As we arrive at the tea house, we are first struck by the quiet clam of the surroundings outside the tea house. As we leave the noise and bustle of our everyday lives, we stop to notice the quiet trickle of water nearby and the whisper of wind through the pines. Further along we admire the stone basin, perhaps well aged by its moss cover, where we stop to wash our hands, and all the flora surrounding our walkway. As the stone path brings us to the entrance of the tea house and room, we remove our shoes and enter to quietly admire the carefully chosen scroll placed just so, and the simple, seasonal flower arrangement carefully chosen for the day. Our thought and conversation turn only to the here and now, leaving all worries and frustrations at home. Here we are focused only on the present, the graciousness of our host, and the delicious traditional sweets and tea which we are served. Lovely tea bowls have been chosen especially for our enjoyment on this day at this time, and our thoughts and comments turn to the artistic soul which crafted and decorated our beautiful bowl, to the bright green deliciousness of our sips of foamy tea, and to the delightful intent of such an invitation from our gracious host. Although it is expected that guests will know how to behave, just as  civilized Western society is expected to know the rules of Emily Post or Amy Vanderbilt etiquette, the role of the host is to honor the guest by making the tea service as pleasant and comfortable as possible. As we leave the tea room and return to our usual life, we can carry with us the feelings of being in the moment and one with our surroundings. Chado…The Way of Tea.

There is perhaps nothing more beautiful than the fleeting season of Sakura, Japanese cherry blossoms, in the spring. The delicate colors, the papery thin petals, and the sweetness of their blowing showers to the ground, all come together for a brief period every spring. In Japan the season is celebrated with festivals and colorful pageantry. Spring kimonos are brought out of storage, the cherry blossoms are incorporated into foods, beverages, and preserved in salt for later use. Branches of flowering cherry tree are displayed in vases, and illustrated on fabrics, scrolls, and ceramics. We’ll be featuring our Japanese teas this month, so be sure to stop by.

When we think of St. Patrick’s Day, most of us envision a lively pub where the Guinness is flowing, the music and singing are rousing, and perhaps people are enjoying their favorite Corned Beef and Cabbage or Irish Stew. But tea is an important piece of Irish culture as well. Did you know that Ireland is the largest per capita consumer of tea? It is enjoyed strong and black, with perhaps some milk and sugar added. The tea most often consumed comes from India, usually a malty, bold Assam black tea. Sometimes the Assam will be blended with a bold Kenyan black tea as well. Favorite accompaniments to tea might be a tasty Irish Soda Bread, warm from the oven; or perhaps a  nice hot pasty, a hand  held turnover filled with savory meat, potato, and onion baked in a lovely pie crust. Mmmmm, I can just smell it and taste it. And don’t foget the lovely scones, the perfect accompaniment to tea.

Be sure to stop in and see us; we’ll have a nice assortment of Irish treats on our menu for your enjoyment, along with our own blend for the holiday, our Top O’ the Morning Tea!