Liu Fang Yuan - Garden of Flowing Fragrance

I visited the Chinese Garden in Huntington Library yesterday with my older niece. We haven't been there since 2007 after I opened the store. It was under construction at the time. Watching it happen in LA is absolutely sentimental for me, a subject close to heart and close to home.
I took almost 350 photos yesterday before we got escorted out at 4:30. Its beauty is astonishing, every step you take, every degree you turn is a new picture in sight. Looking up, looking down, everywhere you look is a picture. I don't think I have ever taken so many picture at one place.
Look at the details of the floor! Amazing.My niece watching the fishies at a bridge called Fish Joy Bridge, the only bridge she's tall enough to sit on.
Each circle is a picture frame in every direction, creating a picture within a picture effect. Brilliant ideas by our ancestors centuries ago. Sometimes I wonder if we have digressed as human race by making everything happen fast via short cuts.


Left column: Beautiful mountains must be seen as pictures.
Right column: Flowing water can be heard as music.
Ai Lian Xie - Lotus love Pavilion, only if I could make tea here! I'd do almost anything for that. :P

Entrance to Liu Fang Yuan.
When I visited China the first time in the 90's, I was amazed how beautiful traditional architectures are, but had no idea what the details meant. After reading a few books in recent years, I began to understand and appreciate the culture and meaning behind it. One of the books was written 1960's by a scholar at age of 90+ studied Chinese gardens all his life, the title is You Yuan - Wander the gardens. It's a guide of centuries Chinese work of gardens, entailing why the see through windows and where they should be placed, why not the straight bridges and corridors, what material and color to use for season's changes, southern and northern styles, structure location, function of structures, theme, naming, mountain back ground, stones, plants for all seasons, water flow of ponds, air flow in the compound, sun direction at each hours that affects the view, etc.
This garden is a typical Southern China style, water feature is a must for this region, due to the abundance of water ways and canals, fair weather allows 4 season ever green and blooming plants, fishes can also survive outdoor. Although this pond/lake is man made, it's a job well done. Liu Fang Yuan is finely made as a modern creation, and it continues to build out. It makes me want to move to China sooner than later. I think I'll call my tea master to find me a few more books on Chinese architecture tonight.

I have been staring at these pictures all day today. Stunning! Stunningly Beautiful!

Photo shoot

Today is photo shoot day with LA Times, we also took the opportunity to take a traditional family photo of our own, since Sarah is leaving soon for college in Chicago.
Something like this might show up on LA Times. Not sure when tho.

Chao Zhou clay pots, why, what & how

What is Chao Zhou Clay Pot?
Chao Zhou red clay pots are made of clay from Feng Xi located on the Feng Huang (Phoenix) Mountain. They are hand thrown on wheels with fine grains of red clay imitating YiXing style. Walls are made very thin. The locals also call it Zhuni although not the same clay as Yixing Zhuni. 2 most famous makers are the Wu's and Zhang's families, generations of pot makers followed traditional techniques, also innovated new styles and techniques. After more than 100 years of making Chao Zhou clay pots, the outstanding current generation makers are now hired by YiXing factories as consultants. What a turn around!


Why use a Chao Zhou clay pot?
For Dan Cong teas, Chao Zhou is preferred over Yixing, because it's made to enhance Dan Cong for number of reasons:
1, clay has the same composition of minerals as the tea trees are grown
2, the wall is thin so it doesn't simmer the leaves
3, shape is also made to accommodate the leaf shape of dan cong
4, spout is medium to big that is easy to control pouring speed since dan cong is extremely sensitive to timing and temperature.
5, size of pots are small, makes 3 to 4 little cups of tea, just enough to drink it fast while it's hot.
6, it's also a timer, after pouring hot water over the exterior, when dried, the tea is also ready for the first 2-3 brews.

How to break in a Chao Zhou clay pot.
Rinse under room temp running water, scrub off the dust inside of the pot. Then soak in room temperature water for 20 minutes. You can now add off boil water to rinse. Then add teas you don't like and hot water into the pot, soak for a few hours. Change tea and make another pot to soak over night. The pot is now ready to be used. In case there is still clay smell, soak another pot of tea over night or until you are satisfied. Do NOT boil them like the YiXings!

For normal usage, soak the pot in room temperature water for 20 minutes before adding hot water. Else it can crack. (It's not always the case for every pot, but I don't think you want to take the chance.) They are very thin, so more prone to easy breaking. I cracked half a dozen pots myself, it took me that many times to figure out what to do. For speedy raising the pot, take out tea leaves and empty all the tea after brewing, leave the lid off and let it dry without rinsing. With some old bush Dan Cong daily brewing, you'll have a very nice pot in a couple of weeks.


Recommend use of Chao Zhou clay pots
1 for old bush DCs (any aroma)
1 for light roasted commercial DCs (any aroma),
1 for heavy roasted commercial DCs,
1 for aged DCs

For current year Dan Cong, gaiwan is better for maximizing the aroma, while Chao Zhou clay pot can smooth and deepen the flavor and texture of tea.

You should also try brewing young green Sheng Pu-erh with a Chao Zhou clay pot, you might find surprising outcome.

Eventful Weekend July 09

Ah! The aliens are coming!!! :P On my way to Palm Spring. Wind mills are everywhere along the free way.
This is an alien looking bird escaped from the jurassic park movie.. Lots of these creatures running around the resort compound. Cute butts!
Duckies and turtles in the pond, fishies too...
Aaawh... this is what I come to the hot desert for in a 112 degrees hot summer day, hot spring spa among trees and flowers.....
There was a giant tall tree in front of my kinder garden school back in the days that is the same specie as this fiery orange flower. During summer time, the flowers crowned the tree top covering a large area can be seen a couple blocks away. I remember it's called Huo Feng Huang-Fire Phoenix in Chinese. These are gorgeous looking flowers. Some how Phoenix keeps popping in my life (or has always been in my life?). I also own a company named 7 Phoenix Tea before I decided to dive into Phoenix Dan Cong. My dearest friend and I sitting on tree trunk table and stumps, perfect place for tea, but I didn't take my gears with me. Perhaps next time.
Nice little treat, was upgraded to a private one bedroom with a front yard and a court yard by the bedroom. Many thanks to the Two Bunch Palms staffs.
My birthday cake.. :D
My birthday egg! When I was little, my mother made me an boiled egg on my birthday every year. My girl friend does the same thing for me now. My life would be drastically different in LA without her.
This year's birthday keeps going and going. Today HL showed up with a giant cake and flowers! She's such a sweetie with the most genuine generous heart. Tea has brought me good luck and good people. I can't express my gratitude enough to all those whom care for me!

I'll be on LA Times!

I am secretly jumping in joy! This morning, I received a call from the editor of LA Times. They want to write a story about my tea shop and feature it in the Food section. AAAAAAAAAH!

It's the best birthday present ever! This turns out to be the most eventful birthday I have ever had. Having one of the best teas in the world Da Wu Zi Dan Cong (I thought that was all I will have for this year's birthday), going away for a weekend at one of the best resorts (Two Bunch Palms - adults only resort) in Palm Spring for 1/2 the price (can't get any better than that eh?), now my tea shop will be featured on LA Times! Wow, that tops it all.

Why do I like Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea?

During the blogradio conversation with host Steven Knoerr of 39steeps.blogspot.com, he asked why/what do I like about Dan Cong teas in particular. Today while drinking tea with friends, this question came up again, which made me think further on reasons why Dan Cong is able to capture my attention for so long and I'm so intensely in love with it.
Aside of Dan Cong teas are great in flavor with a wide varieties of aroma, having the right mentor is probably the greatest force that guide me through the learning process, which opens the Pandora box of Dan Congs, hence allows me to explore and discover Dan Cong teas in great magnitude.

At this point, I realize my love for Dan Cong is beyond knowledge, flavor or aroma. It's how they make me feel beyond my palate. Dan Cong has the perfect balance of Yin and Yang energy to me. Using Steven's terms, it's aromatic, illusive, seductive and beautiful. These are qualities that representing femininity. It also has a wild side in Qi, long durable steeping sustainability and prolonged after taste. These are qualities representing masculinity. When both parts are equally powerful yet harmoniously married, it's the most desirable pairing one can hope for. These qualities are ever evolving from infusion to infusion. Each infusion is a live Chinese painting on a silk scroll, be it an old man drinking tea under a pine tree with a tea boy fanning the stove, or an elegant young maiden holding a gaiwan of tea amongst blooming cherry trees with a bamboo forest back ground. Each tea session is a mini old movie, frame by frame slowly unfolds itself and keeps moving forward, each infusion is a still of moment just long enough, then lead toward the next. Its eternal beauty has captured my soul....

An afternoon at my favorite tea spot

Looking to the far left
to the left
looking out

Looking to the right


Looking downLooking up
I brought tea, snacks and a book with me to my tea spot. End up not reading more than 2 lines, most of the time it seemed as I was unloading my brain. Didn't come up with any brilliant business strategies or the newest inventions that bound to make me rich quickly. Just zoned out with an empty mind for a whole day. I'm truly grateful and am very fortunate to be able to drink tea in PV as part of my regular life, the serenity, the beauty makes one wonder what more does one need in life, unrealistically. Let it be is my new motto.. :P

一铫清泉净吾心
一海浪涛壮吾志

That's something to brag about

I got a big box of surprise yesterday! 9 Zhou Yi (I-Ching) books, 2 large bags of Song Zhong #5 and a box of Dan Cong tea samples. This box of tea samples are signature single bush Dan Cong teas in the Phoenix Mountain tops, designed to complement the book. They are composed with special trees introduced in the book of FengHuang DanCong Oolong Tea. It's as near as one can get to the trees you are sipping while looking at pictures of them in the book. Faaaabulous!

I carry 13 out of 20 from this list of trees. I think my tea master is very partial to this student of his.. :D He has accepted only 4 students that call him Shi Fu - Master, I am the last of 4 and the only one not in China. Everyone else can only call him Lao Shi - teacher. I am soooo honored!

First time on blog radio with Steven

Steven at 39steeps.blogspot.com and I had a long chat over the phone last night. We talked quite a bit about Dan Cong Oolong Teas and teas in general. Steven is an eloquent host whom made my first appearance on the blog radio appeared with little trouble. If you were interested in listening to the recording here is the link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/39-Steeps

Steven is a tea enthusiast who reviews various teas on a regular basis. You can find him at 39steeps.blogspot.com.

I apologized for being nervous with public shyness. Hopefully I'll get over it and perform better the next time. :D

Thank you again Steven!

Feng Huang, a boy and a girl

Did you know Feng is a boy and Huang is a girl? So Feng Huang is actually a pair of Phoenix birds with both sexes. The traditional Chinese representation of a couple, Long Feng - Dragon and boy phoenix is actually a gay couple! HAHA

My goof ball

Nothing represents traditional Chinese tea shop better than a goofy Jewish girl in a Chinese dress! My girl's been with me since I open the shop and she's leaving for college in Chicago in a month. I will miss her.

She made a remark yesterday as she's packing the Ni Wei Yi - passionate tail ant Dan Cong tea: this tea is twisted and tangled up like Jewish hair, gonna take me a long time to pack them. I am so going to miss her!

Slope direction can change the taste of your tea

Slope direction: climate and soil contents vary greatly for slopes facing different directions.

Phoenix Mountain has wide range of topography, surrounded by high mountain tops in all 4 directions, crisscrossing mountain ranges with steep and pointy mountain peaks. These mountain ranges run from Northeast toward Southwest. It’s also slanted from Northeast toward Southwest. Phoenix Mountain is the center of the range, creating multiple valleys. There are over 10 mountain peaks are over 1000 meters above sea level. Wu Dong Mountain runs Northwest toward Southeast. Northwest side is connected with Southwest hillside, Southeast side is connected with Northeast hillside. Slope facing Northeast direction is better than slope facing Southwest direction. Cold air from the north will impact slopes facing Northwest slopes, Northwest hill top protects Southeast facing slope, also traps ocean humidity blown from Southeast in the valleys, heavy marine layers provides humidity and protects tea trees from direct sunlight, greatly benefits the growth of tea trees. Southwest facing slopes is subject to strong direct sunlight, humidity is low causing dry soil condition, less ideal for tea tree growth.

Translate a tea book vs write a tea book

I just got off the phone with a friend who suggested me to write a book about Dan Cong. Because a business associate of hers decided to write a book about Dan Cong after spending 2 months in China learning this tea. He learned of the existence of Dan Cong through my friend a year ago whom also learned of the tea from me. So she felt I am more qualified to write a book about Dan Cong than he is. I feel a bit insulted to my teacher.

I suggested to her the book of Fenghuang Dancong Oolong Tea. I told her I am translating the book and I am not anywhere near qualified to write a book about Dan Cong myself. Even I learned every thing of my teacher's, still does not make me qualified to write a book myself.

Many tea books written outside of tea regions are mostly by passionate drinkers/sellers whom spent a quantity of time learning it without any growing or processing practice. Witnessing the process makes great entertainment material, in a book form it's also what it is.

For this reason, professionally I am not qualified to write a book about tea, any tea. My profession is to sell tea, not to grow and process tea. I chose to translate a tea book, because translation dose not include my own opinion, contents of the book are as they intended by the original author whom is well qualified with decades of experience in the field, also educated formally in the field (Master degree in tea cultivation, professors/researchers teaching the subject.). It's unfortunate that most of these books are not written in English. I feel these valuable information should be made available to the rest of the world without any personal interpretation. No misleading information, no guessing, no misinterpretation, no misrepresentation. Straight from the source written by those whom farm those lands, pluck those leaves with their own hands for many many years. That's what makes them qualified to write books of their beloved teas.

Best tea?

A couple came in to my store and whipped out this tea bag (without a cover), and said to me this is the best tea in the world (he runs a tea business). It's the best because the company is owned by a Chinese, Lipton buys from them, McDonals also buy from them. He then asked me to make him a cup with boiling water, and asked for milk and sugar. I am shocked and speechless. So I asked to have one, not sure if I want to drink it, because it has no cover and he just whipped it out from his pant pocket. I am so darn curious to see what "best tea in the world" taste like. Curiosity usually kills them cats. I don't think I have many lifes left after being killed a few times. Any volunteers? ;P

Tragedy if best tea in the world comes in this form.