12/16/2018

As I continue to make myself more at home here in Oregon, I find myself becoming more and more interested in Tea and Herbal Medicine in general.

I currently work at a high quality Tea House, and it has been quite the learning experience! I sometimes call it “Tea College” because of how in depth the study of tea goes. And because of my new job I get to work daily with such medicines, and have to study pretty hefty amounts to be knowledgeable on the 100+ teas that we offer!

I’m not exactly sure where my love of tea even stems from. I grew up in a household of coffee, and tea was always a fun thing we had in our shelves but rarely ever drank (Teavana Christmas gifts). And if we did drink it 9 times out of 10 it was just iced green tea from a tea bag. Not that there was anything wrong with that mind you, I just always had a urge to know more about it. I knew that there were thousands of different kinds of tea, and that it was a very ceremonious thing in most places…

But where I lived I didn’t know of any such places to even go to, to experience such a thing. So I looked up tea places (back in Florida) near me and only could find one place dedicated to such an experience. It was an English Tea House (traditional tea party status). Meanwhile what I wanted was a Chinese or Japanese style Tea House, but English tea was better than nothing, I just wanted the experience.

This Tea place was my first real experience with a formal tea setting.
I loved it so much that I encouraged my friends to return multiple times with me for their big event on weekends called “High Tea”.

It was set in an old Palm Beach home with the homey touches all around. And High Tea cost around $25 per person. It came with home made soup, salad, and a three tiered tray filled with all kinds of delicious food (fresh baked scones, finger sandwiches, and tiny desserts on top!) There was also an impressive Tea List we were presented that I had no idea what to do with, but it made me excited to have a selection larger than the basic variety. So we each got our own full pot of tea along with a glass of champagne, and needless to say, I LOVED it.

I even brought my family one time because it just felt like such a nice gathering place to spend time with loved ones. I think why the idea of why Tea Houses are so attractive to me stems from the fact that I always wanted a place for people to gather and have fun WITHOUT alcohol or a meal always having to be involved. And even though High Tea was technically a meal, it was still way more fun that going out to eat at a usual place for me.

So having the English Tea House spark my intrigue, when I moved to Oregon I had decided that I really wanted to work in a Tea House if I could so that way I could learn more. Lucky for me, where I landed happened to have one of the best Tea Houses on the West coast!… And the day I was looking for jobs they so happened to post an add for hiring. Like I said in my last blog post “Moving Across The Country”, it all happen to fast and effortlessly. Next thing I knew I got the job and began to dive deep and steep into the world of tea.

I quickly learned that Tea Study is almost at the same equivalent as Wine Study (believe it or not). So much about the tea and it’s subtle flavors stem from elevation, the terroir (environment of the tea such as the soil), the type of tea leaf variety it is, the year, and not to mention what type of preparation method was used for the making of certain kinds of tea. For example, did you know that there is a NINE STEP PROCESS involved in making Oolong Tea???? I sure had no idea. But for my current job I was tested on the memorization of all the steps for EACH kind of tea, including good ole ‘too long Oolong’ nine step process. Very thorough like I said. It’s truly incredible.

Also on the job perhaps the most exciting part of all for me currently is having to try out EVERY SINGLE TEA, and get paid for it (swoon). I didn’t even KNOW what Pu’erh Tea was until I started working there (in case you’re wondering long story short it is fermented black tea that is aged and amazing). There’s just so much to learn.

You’re probably wondering WHY? Why tea? What’s the big deal?

Not only is tea a great coffee replacer, and super high in antioxidants (among various other great medicinal properties depending on the tea), but I’ve found a more mystical side of tea. One that was probably known thousands of years ago when tea first came about.

The energetic side of Tea.

When we look back how long Tea has been around, the first Tea use was in Yunnan China around 2700 BC. Back then the had much more of an awareness of energy, and how it works with all forms of life. For example there are rules with the water in which you make the Tea in.

1. It had to be water from a fresh spring, for there was more life, more energy in such sources.

2. It could old be heated ONCE. No more. Because heating the water brought out all the energy and life, to boil again would bring far less energy.

3. (This is newer knowledge) Not to add any ice to cool down tea. For this disturbs and shocks the energy of the water creating it less harmonious.

How cool is that! I never knew any of these things, yet when I learned them I felt that they made a lot of sense.

And that’s just for the water!
So they had an awareness way back when, that Tea is an offering from the planet to help us heal in multiple ways.

I’ve since decided to take it a step further and investigate the energetic properties of as many different kinds of tea as possible.

To dive into the study of where it’s from, how it’s made, and (my favorite part) how it makes you feel. Because not all teas are created equal, and they each make you feel differently believe it or not. I’ve found Tea to be of great aid whenever I need a lift, a boost in creativity, grounding, compassion, contemplation, cleansing, and much more.

I highly recommend you stepping out and trying some new tea! Not all tea has to be black tea, there’s such a wide selection out there that there’s bound to be one that you will absolutely love.

Here’s to herbal exploration!