The Ties That Bind - Flowering Teas

Being an unapologetic tea aficionado means sometimes being considered the friendly neighborhood cupbearer. A cupbearer is the person who sacrificially risks tasting a beverage to guard others against potential poison. It is a distinct honor and great responsibility since everything that comes in a bag is not necessarily tea. Furthermore, loose and/or organic tea does not automatically mean better tea. The proof is in the cup.

Surprise Gift Boxes

Recently I received a premium tea gift box with a caveat that both the tea's quality and taste were unknown. Well, this sounded like music to a tea lover's ears. As a result, my  cupping sets went on high alert. I gratefully received the box and calming opened it. An assorted box of flowering teas, also known as display teas, teas greeted my eyes. This was a most pleasant surprise in spite of my non-zodiac personal guidance system. I put away the cupping sets, pulled out the glass teapot and prepared myself for the another tea discovery.

Becoming Blossoms

It's deceptive to dismiss anything or anyone based upon present circumstances. This is true whether it be a grain of sand, a cocoon, or, in this case, a tea pod. That is the beautiful reality: we are constantly crafting the outcomes we desire.

Flowering teas are created primarily with the end in mind, regardless of how they look. The tea pods are many individual tea leaves bundled and tied together. Flowering, or display, teas are so called because it takes time to them to open up, i.e. blossom, and show outwardly what was inside the whole time. Rather than the agony of the leaf, it's the opening of the leaves.

Tea in Motion

Encountering hot water and being turned totally upside down does not seem like a becoming start, does it? Yet, watch what happens over time...

 

We now see what the Montreal-based tea company My Cup of Tea Inc. originally designed. I bypassed the packaging and associated health claims to taste the tea itself. The outcome? Watching the tea blossom and reveal green tea, jasmine and globe amaranth was the highlight. However, there are eleven (11) more left in the box. So, there is more opportunity to drink tea. Until the next tea adventure, let's all keep our cups full of great tea. Cups up!