The Magical Mysteries
of Tea Blossoms ...
This is the tea that goddesses drink ~ harvested by fairies and pixies, the visual presence of TEA BLOSSOMS delights young children and grown adults alike ...
Then there's the flavours, which are truly for the sophisticated palate - tea blossoms exist outside time and ultimately when infused, outside space too, as they fill your glass pot like a phoenix, rising to show off their beauty and colours once again.
A flowering tea, also known as blooming tea or tea blossom, is a small bundle of dried tea leaves and flowers bound together with cotton thread into a ball. When steeped, the bundle expands and unfurls in a process that emulates a blooming flower. It's usually Chinese tea companies who produce ranges of tea blossoms, most often sewn by hand by artisans.
Flowers commonly used in tea blossoms include globe amaranth, chrysanthemum, jasmine, lily, hibiscus and osmanthus.
Flowering tea is preferably served in glass teapots or containers, or other transparent material, so that the flowering effect can be visually enjoyed. After flowering tea has been brewed, it can usually withstand two to three additional brewings, although the flavor may weaken. Also if the tea is high quality, the bundles can be reused two or three times without the tea becoming bitter. Tea blossoms should be stored in a cool, dry place for the best shelf life.
Here's the Chinese characters for "tea blossoms", even they are beautiful and harmonious together:
As the tea steeps, the tea blossom "rosette" performs what you might call a burlesque act, coyly unfurling its leaves to reveal a demure white of jasmine or a voluptuous violet of amaranth.
Most tea blossoms expand into reincarnated flower shapes when brewed, with the tea re-forming the leaves and the dried flowers unfurling slowly. It's also possible to create delicate little scenes - when the tea blossoms are handled by someone who is skilled with flowering tea, they can be manipulated to reveal a sailing ship or other creative arrangement. Seeing what manifests inside the pot is often part of the excitement and surprise and my five-year-old son gets genuinely thrilled as the flowers unfurl! To add to the intrigue, many tea blossom companies leave their blossoms unlabeled so customers won't know what to expect. Certainly tea blossoms can be appreciated as one of the "mysteries of the orient" albeit in humble domestic form.
Ironically, however, although Westerners assume that tea blossoms are an ancient tradition given the Chinese affection for both tea and flowers, tea blossoms appear to be a creation of the 1980s. We can be sure at least that they originated in China, and they became popularised in the West in the early 2000s, around the same time that the more elegant end of Asian-style foods and décor started to become de rigeur with the cogniscenti.
We steeped four of the tea blossoms provided to us for review by our friends at WorldParTea, and enjoyed meditatively watching them reconstitute and relax in the hot water. It was a visual reminder that I need to soak in the comfort of a quiet moment, sipping green aromas and allowing the calm to blossom. Time for a long aromatherapy bath - with a tea blossom pot next to me so I can luxuriate myself inside and out!
As is our habit nowadays, we turned also to our friends on social media to find out if they know anything about tea blossoms and the response was very positive ...
On Twitter:
@miss_om ~ They're awesome cos you can put one in a teapot or mug in the morning, and keep refilling ALL DAY and they don't lose flavour.
@5pandas ~ if you have a glass tea pot, you can see them open up quite dramatically. very pretty. #teablossoms
@missjessbyrne ~ I've had rose tea before with real rose buds. I've also had wild hibiscus flowers in sparkling wine that open up, then eat them.
@finefoodpages ~ I've tried an amazing blossom tea called 'jasmine dragon eyes'. Beautifully fragrant.
And on Facebook:
Tanja B ~ Organic Lavender Flowers - digestive aid, good for insomnia, calms one down. Also Chamomile flowers...relaxing, good for digestive problems, menstrual cramps and skin rashes.
Brian K ~ We have some Princes Malia tea blossoms in our office which we drink when having a meditation break. Symbolic of luxury & refinement, help get us in the zone.
Paloma T ~ passion flower is super relaxing
Tasha O ~ They are awesome! I love them :)
Claire F ~ dried flowers that you stick in a glass teapot & they swell up, look pretty and then you drink the tea - they are fab.
Worldpartea's finest Tea Blossoms:
1. Camellia Flower Tea Blossom
2. Chloe's Pink Carnation
3. Blooming Tea Balls
8. All of their Tea Blossom Range
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To find out stacks more about Tea Blossoms, check out the WorldParTea website www.worldpartea.com which has heaps of highest quality tea blends in stock 24/7 and guarantees secure delivery around Australia and even the world. Get yourself a slice of that WorldParTea vibe! Or follow Gina on Twitter via http://twitter.com/worldpartea
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Sydney Exhibition Centre
One thing that makes Sydney winters so adorable, apart from all the glorious climate-change sunshine, is the abundance of food expos and festivals that not only brighten the horizon, but make it warm and yummy. We popped into the recent Sydney Good Food & Wine Show at Darling Harbour and it was a vibey mass gathering of gourmet luxury. We tried everything in sight and managed to snap an array of shots of the very welcoming people who occupied each booth. Here's a selection of social snaps - we have 1000 other pics of the event - wish we could publish them all ... ..
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Sydney and Melbourne are profoundly different cities, inhabited by considerably different people. A typical Sydneysider is brash, a little overconfident and loud. Whereas Melbourne people like to think of themselves as more demure, intellectual and culture-conscious. Then there's their love of food, cafe and bars. Based on the quality of the cafes reviewed by Lara McPherson, in this instance they have a just a tiny right to feel superior ...
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