Simply complete

A session of tea can be elaborate with many cups, dishes, fancy toys. Simple as it can be for one, an afternoon for tea with all the essentials, tea's awe to be good. All I ask for is a cup of tea that soothes the soul....
This stove is one of the very first batch came over sea, one of the few arrived broken with minor cracks. It's been 6 years! It's still in tack, still working well, still handsome~ :P

It has been a hectic two weeks. My mother broke her hand/arm and running around town visiting doctors can be exhausting. Tomorrow is her surgery day. Hope the healing will take place quickly afterward.

If your email is not answered fast enough, please excuse me. I will follow up as time permits. Thank you!

Cherry flowers of South Coast Bontanic Garden at PV

Pink Hand Made Tea Bowl

Pink Hand Made Tea Bowl

Brown Spot Cup

Poker dot cup

Brown Splash Glaze Cup

Brown Splash Glaze Cup

Work out routine

Hunan Fu Zhuan brick tea in the cup. Not really my favor~
Living in an area with easy access to one of the most beautiful coast lines, I should be ashamed not to take advantage of it often enough. A stroll along the rocky cliff or the sandy beach both within a couple miles distance present itself as the most attractive work out play ground. After new year, I am going to force myself to take an hour long walk at least twice a week. There are benches and tables in the light house St. Vincent park for picnics and whale watching. It would be a great place for tea as well. The small museum has restroom facilities which you don't have to worry about over propagating your body cells with tea. Years ago, my mother and I would take a book, a large blanket, two umbrellas, a set of tea were, alcohol burner, fruits and snacks, drove almost an hour to lay by the beach for an afternoon. It was lovely in between those 9 to 5 working days.

Teas I am drinking today

Having a cup of 2009 Gui Hua Xiang- osmanthus flower fragrance Dan Cong Oolong next to my valentine's gift from a friend, a white with slight pink trim dandrobium orchid. White orchids have the most clean, pure and magnetic fragrance compare to the same specie of a different color. I also find that is true for other flowers as well. Pure white rose smells more pure while a red rose has a sweeter and stronger aroma.

Being busy with cupping 2011 teas repeatedly, I forget some of the older teas although I know they can't be bad after a couple of years. The rich honey characteristic must be easy to detect compare to new crops. Bo Jai Ye is also very nice now, deep and rich.

Palos Verdes Sunday

Sunday walk by the shore cliff of Palos Verdes. An afternoon of sunshine, breeze, peace, rainbow, whale watch, painters, and a good mood to match. Just want to share my sky with you~ :)

Articles that might be useful

Since 2006, tea obsession has marked baby steps of my tea journey through the years. There are some useful info and some not. It's time to sort them out and select a few that I feel useful.

This is a rather large tasks for me, so updates will be made continuously in several categories: Phoenix Dan Cong, brewing tips, equipments, understanding of tea beyond leaves.

To start with, information relates to Phoenix - Feng Huang Dan Cong Oolong:
http://tea-obsession.blogspot.com/2007/12/get-to-know-phoenix-dan-cong-1.html
http://tea-obsession.blogspot.com/2007/12/get-to-know-phoenix-tea-2.html
http://tea-obsession.blogspot.com/2008/01/get-to-know-phoenix-dan-cong-3-naming.html
http://tea-obsession.blogspot.com/2008/02/get-to-know-phoenix-dan-cong-4-seasons.html
http://tea-obsession.blogspot.com/2008/02/get-to-know-phoenix-dan-cong-5-old-or.html
http://tea-obsession.blogspot.com/2008/05/get-to-know-phoenix-dan-cong-6-kung-fu.html

New teas arrive today!

Today is tea day! The little "bite" size tea cookie is the most innovative tea product in recent history. Asians can handle loose leaf teas especially broken leaves rather well, perhaps we aren't as fussy with spitting out the leaves while others find it absurd to show such ill manner particularly in public. :P Well, that's one of the reasons why tea bag is invented right?! There is a need for improvement, then ought to be an innovation to meet the demand. Today we are much more conscious about our health, what we eat and drink become the first and most important issue in our lives today. Myself do not like tea bags, the main reason being the bag rather than the content that's in it. A trend started a few years back, nice loose leaves are fed in those plastic pyramid bags, god knows how much plastic is steeped into that cup of tea! Tea bag is like sex with a condom, pardon me! :D Sorry for being vulgar, I can't think of a better analogy that makes a more impeccable statement. HAHA
A couple of new flavors came in today in addition to the existing 5 flavors, TGY (roasted) and Gardenia Dan Cong Oolong. I am having a cup of TGY now, only one cookie and I am on my 3rd cup. It's a much better TGY than the green pallets. The flavor slowly sip out of the powdered tea cookie, so it is not too strong being in the hot water the whole time, and it keeps on releasing flavor in the second and third cup. The slow pace keeps the tea flavor just right, unlike tea bags overwhelm you the first cup and leave you short of taste afterward. These tea cookies are engineered to make tea drinking easy and pleasant with out any effort! They perform just as nice with cold water with a little waiting. ANYBODY can brew a good cup of tea with these cookies, even a 2 years old, no kidding! You can't mess it up. No matter what level you are at the tea connoisseurship, everyone can use a cup of convenient flavorful decent tea that cost very little, on the road, working out, working, whatever you do when you are not sitting down to Kung Fu your favorite tea. If you don't poke it with a spoon or shake it violently, the powdered tea cookie stays whole at finish. Yes, they do, and not flavorings, preservatives, and additives are added. Laboratory examined to meet European standards.

I have yet to come up with a nice name to call them. Any suggestions guys? :)

Orchid in bloom

Flower is a must have decor for the Chinese New Year. Visiting the flower market after new year's eve dinner is also a popular activity. In the southern part of China, flowers are plenty even in the winter, chrysanthemum, peony, peach flower, plum flower, orchids, kumquats are the most popular. This yellow dandrobrium is one of the favorite orchids I have. It is the first rebloom in 3 years and bloomed on Monday, the first day in Chinese calendar!
Charcoal was burning in stove, spring water is boiling in Shao Diao - clay kettle, my mother and I drank some Zhi Lan Xiang and Cha Wang - King of Tea Dan Cong Oolong. My mother is not much of a tea drinker as it distract her sleep. She drank one little cup while I had 6, at this ratio, I drank about 1.5 littler of tea in one sitting. It was a peaceful afternoon to have tea with full set of tea gear.

Spring water is from the Santa Barbara area, thanks to K walked 6 miles round trip to fill up bottles of water from a water fall. This kid is considered ruined by tea! :P

Chinese New Year Special

Every Chinese New Year we offer a special deal to show our appreciation. A special gift of antique cup with purchase of Wu's Chao Zhou sandy clay teapot for the year of dragon 2012. One free cup for each tea pot purchased. Hand made antique cups with small imperfections. Only 6 available, first come first pick. Offer is only good for purchase of the named teapots.

Happy New Year!

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An afternoon at the temple

Today is my mother's knitting day at the Xi Lai Temple. She joined a group of women whom share a common hobby knitting. Every Thursday afternoon, all the members meet from 1 pm to 4 pm with their projects to share knowledge, skills and tricks. My time is well spent with a book at the reading room or strolling around.

As Chinese new year is approaching, Monday the 23rd, Xi Lai Temple is well decorated for the holiday.
Yu Lan Hua-Chinese magnolia flower, a flower I remember as a child. It can be bought occasionally for a few pennies, tuck in hair behind ears, a symbol of femininity in the most natural and environmentally safe way, perfume in the most original form as the universe intend it to be. I love this Chinese magnolia varietal, I love the ever green foliage colored like jade, I love the small white flowers simple yet enigmatic, a humble tree yet outstanding. I will bring a thermo cup of Yu Lan Xiang - Magnolia Flower Fragrance Dan Cong to the temple next time.
As for today, I brought a thermo cup of Quin Ti - Osmanthus Flower Dan Cong with me today. Osmanthus tree is not commonly found in the US although it is one of the most common fragrant floral trees in China. It is a must have green in any and all Chinese garden. It is well praised for its fragrance as it drifts with light breeze. The flowers can be consumed as herb in medicine, teasane or pastries. Half a doze osmanthus trees are blooming in the temple garden near the stair cases of the main hall. If you wonder what an osmanthus tree is like, you can smell them here this season. You may also find it in the Huntington Library inside the Chinese Garden.

Time flows like water

似水流年

一叶轻舟

有茶有你
有悲有喜

Chinese New Year is coming! Time goes by, water runs by, tea flows through, life moves on. Wish for the better, live for the moment!

Happy New Year to all! 2012 is the year of Dragon, the most powerful and symbolic zodiac. With this sacred power, may everyone reach your goal this year!