REVIEW – Arya Tara Wonder by Himcoop Nepal

Description of tea
The dry tea consists of slightly rolled leaves with scattered downy tips. The ample splashes of fresh green and brown leaves, add color and elegance. Aroma is impressive – strong, grassy, herbal with sweet notes.

Infused Tea/Unique Characteristics
The leaves brew a pale-golden color liquor with an amber hue. Aroma is foresty. The flavor is crisp, clean, complex and engaging. The top notes are predominantly grassy, floral, woody and grainy. Vegetal, muscatel and unique undertones, like the taste of crispy burnt ends of a cookie, build in the back of the mouth. Something is special about this one! Texture is thick/cloudy and has a wonderful buttery mouthfeel. The finish is more tannic than astringent, and has the expected high-mountain black tea’s ever-so-classic dryness and lingering aftertaste.

Infusion
I brewed 4 tsp of tea leaves in a 500ml glass teapot for 5 mins. Preferred water temperature was around 90C. The lighter-toned fresh-green wet leaves reflect the quality and delicate nature of the tea. There are a lot of flavors and character in the infusion, but I feel this tea’s winning trait is its new-wood freshness. I refilled my teapot once and a cup after 8 minutes was refined, balanced and totally enjoyable!

Arya Tara Wonder is a tea that reflects the skill of its grower. It’s a delicate, fine black tea that would give you the love of both white and green tea. Personally, as a wine lover and a fan of praiseworthy high-mountain first flush teas, I recommend this tea for its intricate personality and beautiful palate experience.

Flush – First/Spring 2018
Region – Arya Tara tea garden
Website – Himcoop Nepal

Six Serious Life Lessons from Yoga and Tea

Yoga and tea are ancient spiritual disciplines and therapies that work on creating harmony between mind, body and spirit. In the aaaah!… good stretch of the muscles and steeping of the tea leaves in hot water, lies an entire philosophy that is inspiring the world to change the way we live and think.

The principles of yoga are parallel with the art of tea. They both are addictive practices that alter the very way we feel, think, understand and experience life – a life beyond the good and the evil. I believe my tea journey wouldn’t have reached this present if my fifteen years with Ashtanga yoga, hadn’t morphed the confluence of my asanas into something more personal.

Yoga has so much to give us beyond its science of asanas. In the subtle moments of deep self-connection and introspection, it’s transformative powers inspire us to embrace change and grow to new heights. In case you are on a path to achieve modern day enlightenment and are in search of living a more deliberate life, here are six lessons that have helped me trust in the practice and in the answers that arise from it.

1. Alignment – One of the best lessons you can learn from yoga is to master the art of staying calm and not give a F. Yoga emphasises the most on the importance of correct body alignment, to hold an asana and do it correctly. This is a prerequisite for all the good energies to generate and flow, and bring us to a meditative state that we are seeking. Yoga teaches us how to live in harmony with life’s asymmetries, by subconsciously making us understand the significance of our health and well-being.

2. Courage – Off the mat, yoga teaches us our capacity to build strength and withstand life’s obstacles. Asanas are not exercises. They are very subtle methods of manipulating our energy in a certain direction. If practised correctly and mindfully, yoga can break down all the negative thinking patterns, psychological, emotional and physical barriers that inhibit us from thriving and feeling bulletproof.

3. Consciousness – The longest journey is the journey inward. Yoga helps to develop a connection with our soul, and it makes us experience the spiritual energy that is a pathway for higher awakening, consciousness, intuition and healing. Yoga and tea are forms of meditation and they make us realise, that mindfulness does not have to be complicated. Just ending a yoga session by lying down still and deep breathing in Savasana, followed by a cup of tea, simplifies the whole concept of “mindfulness”.

4. Feel less pain – Letting go and moving on is the hardest asana. In yoga, we are taught to “let go” when we are sitting calmly, deep breathing on the mat and even when we are trying to nail a headstand effortlessly. Releasing all the tension and breathing through the noise of it all, is the smoothest take-off. Yoga, just like tea, shows us that we have the power to silence the chaos within. Both the practices help us comprehend the true reality – that just as pain compounds with time, so do positive thoughts.

5. Evolve – Once you get into yoga and tea, you are a student for life. The science of asanas and the history of different kinds and styles, make our bodies limitless. Awakening our senses and opening our minds to receive information is the mantra that creates the “zest” factor in our lives. Yoga teaches us how to open to the world and stay receptive to all its possibilities and opportunities.

6. Self-love  – Yoga makes us sensitive and helps us listen to our body’s messages and emotions. It forms the connection that we are looking for. Right from what we should and shouldn’t eat, how we must deal with toxicity, to serious decisions about what we want and do not want in life – the practice of yoga creates a sacred foundation within ourselves, where there is more acceptance, freedom, love, peace, joy and light. It’s a total upgrade!

Inspired to read more about the uplifting effects of yoga and tea? Here are 5 reasons why Rangsaa is your best post-yoga drink.

Illustration credit: Erika Lourenco

REVIEW – Ceylon Silver Tips by Premier Pearl Tea

Description of tea
The dry tea is stunning  – unbroken, downy silver and grey needles, with young fresh-green hue. Aroma is an intriguing mix of sweet, earthy and toasty notes. Shape and texture are beautiful and inviting. Buds taste pure and natural.

Infused Tea/Unique Characteristics
The tea brews a mild pale-yellow liquor that’s delicate, clear and bright. Aroma is rich and has a woodland feel. Taste is endearing with vivid but gentle notes.  The top vegetal, toasty flavors, with faint melony and malty undertones, commingle with brilliant grassy, mild-floral, hay-like sweetness. Infusion feels thick in the mouth but doesn’t settle heavily. It coats the mouth effortlessly and has a dry, tannic mouthfeel and a lingering aftertaste – like a white wine.

Infusion
I steeped 1 1/2 tsp of tea in 250 ml glass of pre-boiled water (85C) for 5 mins. After the first steeping, the needles are unfettered. The first infusion is soft, subtle, foresty with exquisite complexity. I chose to steep my second infusion for a longer time and at 10 mins I was stunned with it’s changed personality. The hidden woodsy-nutty characters were at the forefront. The infusion was fuller, rounder and had more depth. I definitely recommend brewing this tea for a longer time, for its eminent flavors to completely bloom and heighten.

I like adventurous teas and this one is fun. From the color of the liquor, the tea seems exceedingly gentle but it’s flavor experiences surprised me. I initially chose to brew my first sample for 3 mins. It was almost colorless yet flavorful. This one is a keeper. It’s personal, quietening and stress relieving. And I feel it will be instantly liked by anyone who has a special heart for delicate teas.

Website – premierpearltea.com

RANGSAA TALK – Marathi Literature Festival

I recently got invited to be a part of the panel at India’s first Marathi Literature Festival organised by Dainik Bhaskar Group in Nasik. The theme of the event was “From Tapri to Cafes: Exciting Days Ahead”.

It was an honour to join the fellow panellist Ankit Bohra, founder of Tapri Cafe in Jaipur and Priya Kapoor, founder of Roli Books Publication and CMYK stores. While Ankit represented the love for traditional chai in India and Priya highlighted the growing trend of cafes in bookstores, Rangsaa was there to introduce people to the new culture of tea and the Global Tea Movement that we have initiated.

It was a great opportunity for me to speak about our incredible Rangsaa journey. I was deeply humbled and honoured to share my knowledge, insights…and of course love for tea in the company of esteemed authors, writers, creatives and visionaries. The hospitality and kindness of people in Maharashtra always fills my heart. And I thank Dainik Bhaskar group with all my heart for this opportunity.

INTERVIEW – In Conversation with Jeff Fuchs, The Tea Explorer (Part 2)

8.Being from the west, you’ve good access to superior tea varietals. What did you feel was missing and what drove you curious?
JF: All of my tea instruction and mentorship began in Taiwan almost twenty years ago and I learned Mandarin primarily so that I could understand more tea vocabulary, so for me everything has its base close to where the tea has been growing for centuries..  Asia was my great instructor and remains so, and the culture and efforts surrounding tea are embedded so when I began to read and hear how tea was taking off in the west there was a kind of excitement in me.

Throughout the years I met with, sat with, sipped with…and sipped some more with locals who were bound to the leaf and cultivated, harvested and created teas and one thing that came through consistently was the lack of pretension and fanfare when they communicated about tea. Though many haven’t got the data, or the scientific names for flavours’ origins, they knew the soil and could explain the history that tea has had with mortals.

For me, I found these stories vital in any talk of tea but there was very little of it really being made available. You learn a lot from the people involved in creating a tea. Every good tea has a great tale, and great people that participate in making it available and those tales and people need some reverence and some recognition and that is, I suppose, one of my main drivers…and a driver that will continue motivating me…and my palate.

9. What is your ‘way of tea’ and how it is an important element of your life?
JF: Ahh….now into the belly of it all. My life is largely on the road so having rituals is vital for me to keep time and space relatively grounded. It is a way that is simple, repetitive and it is a time that I guard voraciously. I cannot do a lot of talk and ’stuff’ until I’ve quietly gone about my tea making and taking.

I’m never without either a flared cup or a clay tea pot, and of course the accompanying leaves. More often than not I’ve got two teas with me. One is inevitably a cake of ancient tree Puerh. This is my morning ritual and it is usually spent alone with a thought to where the tea is from and the hands and personalities behind it.

The preparation of the tea (and my prep is inevitably very simple) is a kind of meditation of sorts. I wake, stretch and then there is my first morning tea and then a second and then I’m ready (or convinced that I’m ready) for whatever the day brings. If I’m at home I tuck into my tea storage and decide which tea will merge me into the day and I prepare it on an old bamboo tea table that is stained with years’ of offerings.

10. What do you think is the biggest issue/challenge in the current global tea industry?
JF: a) There needs to be ways in which the little family run tea zones have an ability to get and continue to get their teas out to a wider public and profit. It is most often the teas produced by such little gardens that I consider to be ‘rippers’ – absolute stunning teas, who are not under the threat of minimum yields or over-harvesting schedules.
b) If hand-picked teas that are carefully made are to have a future, then the workers who pluck and produce the leaves need to have fair compensation and treatment, particularly by tea companies.
c) Changes in the climate are causing many huge alterations in the way food is grown and where it is grown. I’m a huge advocate of the principles of permaculture and bio-dynamics and allowing nature some time to adapt rather than us humans dictating through sprays, GMO’s and adulterations. Tea too can benefit from this kind of foresight.

11. How are the rare teas from the remote parts of Asia that you’ve discovered different from the mainstream commercial teas?
JF: Biggest difference is that with some of these small yield, small production harvests is that they are a kind of beautiful one-off that exists once in one vintage and then is gone. You’ll have a small hand-crafted yield that is unique for Spring, and then one unique for Summer, rather than huge industrial amounts of teas.  Yes consistency is great but I’m a fan of some of those little productions that exist in a small brief offering.

Another stunning part of these off-the-grid teas is that when you sample and sip, you can – after a while – start to feel and taste a master’s hands and preferences. One is able to begin to determine flavours that are inherent to a specific region’s soil, precipitation and to a specific set of hands and preferences. This for me is something that touches the soul aspect of a tea. The same principles can be said of other foods and consumables.

Trying to negate an inconvenient flavour isn’t the right of any industry. Trying to funnel the masses into consuming or enjoying the same family of flavours isn’t something I see as good, though perhaps it might seem more convenient for some mass producers. It is in the slight differences and nuances that the magic happens and that the palate can develop.

12. Tell us about some of your favorite high mountain teas that you’ve discovered.
JF: I’m a big fan of a few teas, with raw Puerhs being my favourites so I’ll start there. Naka produces some wonderful ancient tree tea offerings from southern Yunnan. Fresh vegetal bite that ages beautifully.

He Kai is another favourite of mine from the Bulang Mountains of southern Yunnan Province and it is one of my go-to teas to take on expeditions into the mountains. It never fails to keep me zinging and it grips the teeth with its force before gently letting go. Though I’m astounded at the prices being charged, a good Lao Banzhang always seems to impress, though it depends on who is producing it. There is a Mr. Gao who taught me much who makes teas that spoil the palate.

My formal tea education began in Taiwan, and I’ve always loved the teas from Dayuling in the mountains of central Taiwan – true high altitude Oolong that is not always simple to find. Gorgeous tea. As for Darjeeling, though there are many stunning teas, I’m partial to Jungpana for its utterly warmth and butter.

13. Which are some of your favorite teas and your personal morning favorite?
JF: The above teas I mention are all favourites but right now I’m really enjoying a He Kai old tree raw (Sheng) Puerh offering that was produced in 2008. Seven years has developed it into something absolutely wonderful and I can drink this tea all day, every single day…anytime.

Another current masterpiece is a 2010 Bang Pun raw Puerh from ancient trees that again, has hit some wonderful notes. Jing Mai Mountain also seems to offer up sumptuous Puerhs season after season.

The latest favourite though is a new Spring 2017 He Kai from Man Mai Village – it is a potent fresh and almost explosively green Puerh that lights up the blood and system. It is a beam of light every single morning for me. I wake, do some breathing and then prepare a Man Mai every single morning and for the last months it has been this raw He Kai.

14. The tea culture globally is way progressive and advanced than the tea culture in India. What tea experiences do you feel people are missing on?
JF: What has always shocked me about Indian tea culture is how so very few Indians I’ve met are able, or have access to, their own wonderful teas. Darjeeling was built up to export but we’re so far past those days that I think that India could well develop a real domestic love of its very own Darjeeling brews. Assam teas dominate the spectrum of what is available but there are so many aspects that could be built into a new Indian chapter of tea enjoyment of its very finest. The leaves are present, the skill sets are available and the terroir exists so why not develop some white teas, more Oolongs, and some greens or heavily roasted offerings even. The industry in India I think could do with some re-evaluating of values and perhaps some young blood to take a few risks. Tea can be taken in new directions directed by and influenced by Indians with some risks.

Having just said the above, the first thing I do when arriving to India is track down a potent offering of Masala Chai….I’m entirely hooked when in India and I do understand the love of a traditional cup local chai. But, I’d love to see India enjoy some of its very own superior teas and have it available to a wider range of people.

15. Being in the industry for so long and having explored the unexplored, what would you like to share with the urban generation of tea lovers?
JF: Ultimately a deep wish is that more people realize that great teas are and can be very ‘simple teas’. Simply made, with a minimum of manipulation where the leaves taste not of something concocted or synthetic but of the soil and the minerals themselves.

One thing that has always encouraged and delighted me with tea is that the great teas are never far from the hands, nor should they be. Great teas need human hands and touch at every stage. They need the intimacy of the masters and dedicates who don’t simply shove the leaves in one end of an industrial machine and collect it at the other. Teas should be the domain of the small curators and the large and there should be enough audience and sippers for all models. We shouldn’t expect that every single year a tea will be consistent – we should expect and encourage characteristics that are unique to seasonal variations. Though I like consistency, for me the magic in tea always lie in variations and experiments.

16. Travelling gives us liberty and making new friends on the way makes it enriching and worthwhile. How have your experiences changed you as a person?
JF: Experiences can and should, I believe, refine and develop the mind and heart and in my own time I’ve edited down the ‘basics’ in my life and learning to enjoy with less. To enjoy a moment deeply, the mind needs to be ready and willing to open and receive, so in preparation, I suppose I try to be as mindful and present as I can.

My life has been particularly affected and moved by many of the elders of the Himalayas, and those who still live in communion with the land and who haven’t forgotten how to live with and within the elements.

I’ve learned too, that there are very few moments that do not improve with a good cup of tea and the mountains nearby.

Don’t miss the Part-1 of the interview

INTERVIEW – In Conversation with Jeff Fuchs, The Tea Explorer (Part 1)

Jeff Fuchs is an award winning Himalayan tea explorer, entrepreneur, author, mountaineer, ambassador of The Ancient Tea Horse Road, ambassador of The North Face, Asia traveller, documentarian and ‘the pursuer’ of rare teas grown in the ancient, remotest routes on the planet. In an exclusive conversation with LoveforTea Jeff talks about his intimate relationship between mountains, indigenous cultures and tea and the experiences that have fuelled his purpose to search beyond. Recently named one of the top ten “tea influencers” in the world, Jeff’s most awaited work with award-winning filmmaker Andrew Gregg,“The Tea Explorer”, that experts are calling the “documentary of the year” airs on CBC documentary channel, on 23^rd of July, at 9:00 pm EST.

1. Jeff, tell us about your journey from an entrepreneur to an award-winning explorer of far-away lands. Where, when and how did it all start?
JF: Not sure I can point to a beginning point so much as a pathway that has continually led me from one mountain world to another, from one character to another, from one tale to another…and of course from one sip to another. Mountains and tea have long held me and I cannot imagine being without or away from them for any amount of time. My father once said to me when in my mid-teens that he didn’t expect me to do anything I didn’t care about, and these words coming from an ex-professor to my ears at a very impactful time in my life lit up the fires even more and allowed me to wonder about a life of wandering and following paths.

The idea of exploring the trade routes and trying to find the last travellers and traders of these routes was important to give some context and lifeblood to their vital influence on culture, economics and the world of faith. It was like a kind of karmic circle where each thing led me back to the other. These journeys that traders and pilgrims took, required weeks and months and the characters along the routes have in many cases maintained their oral narratives and tales of the life. From my perspective documenting these tales and characters (which remain one of the least told aspects of the Himalayas) is vital to understand the mountains themselves.

2. You’ve explored the rare routes in China, Tibet, Nepal and India. How did you decide the destinations, routes and manage to travel to some of the most undocumented routes?

JF: There is a wonderful saying on the Tibetan Plateau about travel and life, “There are no straight lines through the mountains”. This sums up my motivation: to participate in this movement and record how life is/was lived in such landscapes and spaces. Mountains are nature’s editors and through them, one must pass – and survive – in order to thrive. My wish has always been to track as many of these great routes as I can to access the stories, the precious people and the landscapes and spirit of the heights. What struck me was how little was written or taken down about the old trade routes of salt and pashmina and tea, and so interviewing people and finding them became the journey itself. I realized when interviewing these wonderful characters that they too needed documenting. Once there was a vision to seek out these routes, it was a question of engaging with the “ancients”, the remaining traders and muleteers and travellers who remember still when the only way to move was by foot.

With deciding on the routes, came through discussions with the elders. Once recalling their journeys, they would point out another route that they had travelled hauling yet another item. I remember one old grizzled trader in Tibet explaining that he did seasonal work and often shifted what it was that he traded and sold. “One year I only traded salt and the next salt and tea. Then I traded pashmina and tea because of the value. But always tea was the most valued of all commodities”.

3. What specific routes have you explored so far? Please share some tea experiences that you’ve had which are memorable.
JF: One of the beautiful aspects of the trade routes is that there was seldom a set finish point. Lifetimes would be needed to find the ultimate destinations of every wandering trade…and it seems fitting that way. These routes were in large part only found out about through repeated visits I made to interview elders or old traders.

The Tea Horse Road (known to the Tibetans as Gya’lam, or ‘wide road’), has long occupied me with its various strands. Some of these strands completely leave the main trunk and act as access routes for valleys, regions and even different cultural hubs. A decade was spent travelling as many of the passages of it as I could track down. Another of the great journeys I was part of was a 40 days trek following a long forgotten salt route in southern Qinghai (Amdo) Province that was used by nomads. It was simply called ‘Tsa’lam’ or Salt Road, and though there were many such routes, this one was particular because of two vital elements. It circumnavigated the sacred Amye Maqin mountain range and thus was a also an important pilgrimage route, and secondly, it cut through the lands of the fearsome Golok nomads, who, even for the hearty and strong were a risky threat to risk encountering.

Most recently there was a trade route I followed that hauled tea through the magnificent kingdom of Mustang along the Nepal-Tibet border. These trade routes were lifelines and news-pipelines rolled into one. Post, migrants, villains, armies, pilgrims and commodities all followed these paths, while culture and traditions, as well as DNA, all found their way from leagues away. Nothing though would have any colour or vibrance without the elders and their oral narratives and memories of such journeys.

4. Tell us about your most awaited documentary ‘The Tea Explorer’. What do you plan to share through your film?
JF: The film is peek into the journey tea took from the tea bastions of southern Yunnan province onto the Tibetan Plateau – a journey that must rank as one of the great underrated adventures of the world with its passage through the Himalayas and beyond.

It also delves a little into some of the magnificent characters of the Tea Horse Road. The film too seeks to shed some deserved light upon the odysseys that tea was part of on the overland trade routes. The tea that travelled by schooner from India and China to western Europe is relatively known, but the great routes through the skies and the endeavour necessary to make those journeys are the stuff of legends. I suppose the film is immersed in tea’s origins, part re-tredding along the routes themselves and part mountain lore of one of the great unknown routes of history with a delicious little bit of time with an old trader.

5. Tell us about your book ‘The Ancient Tea Horse Road’. What experiences inspired you to write about the oldest trade route in the world?
JF: The book is a kind of combination of journaling and a leap back into history of this great trade route. One huge driver for the book was to introduce the Tea Horse Road to a wider audience, and the vital role it played in building not only the Himalayas but to Asia broadly.

The book is largely based on my own 7.5 month journey along the route and the characters who filled my ears and heart with their tales. Woven into this narrative is some of the experiences with the origins of all tea, Yunnan. Ancient tea tree forests, wonderful tea-stained and tea-fueler characters that served and preserve so much of the tea culture….all of them fill the book.

Lastly, the journey and book focus on the last generation of traders that we could track down and speak with. Their memories are the lifeblood of the route and without their words, and thoughts there would be very little flavour to the stories. A book of mountains, memories, and a green leaf.

6. Tell us about your recent exploration in Nepal and what teas have you brought back home this time.
JF: Journey was along an old trade route along Mustang’s eastern flank. Extraordinary isolation and a space very much consistent with so many of the landscapes along the trade routes, with nature ruling with her moods.

One of the pleasures of the journey was based on a promise I had made to an old tea trader two years previous. I had me this man, Konga, when we were filming the documentary and I loved his spirit and passion for the days of trade. We ended up filming him speaking of his past days of trading and of the risks of travel along these routes through the sky. He became like a kind of uncle to me. When our trek finished in northern Mustang I tracked him down and we had time for tea, to reminisce and of course to present him with a brick of tea I had brought from China. It was a very warm reunion for me because he personified so much of what made the traders and muleteers special.

I brought back some Jun Chiyabari tea, which is wonderful….though I’m a happy slave to my raw green Puerhs still.

7. How do you prepare yourself to travel at such high altitude?
JF: These routes are all about the land and the precious souls who live upon them and within them every single day. Preparations are wonderful segments of time. Training is usually an enjoyable thing with weighted packs and ascents with the odd bit of up hill sprints. Ascending anytime is something delicious as it forces the tendons and lungs into a kind of enjoyable stress.

Living well is a training of sorts and I don’t really change too much before a trip other than to make sure the tendons and joints are stretched well and mobile with isometric exercises and long easy stretch sessions in quiet places. There are some visualization exercises that I’ve started that I’m enjoying as well as much for to prepare the mind for long slogs.

Most of my journeys are around a month or more so what one needs is an ability to “enjoy the experience” as a whole. Living 24/7, where one is sleeping, eating, day-in-day-out requires some passion and love of elements rather than just being outside for temporary bursts.

A lot of Tibetans refer to the idea that they see the mountains not necessarily as barriers and walls and challenges but as guardians and corridors. They don’t force themselves on or through the mountains and I try to be very mindful of that philosophy both when in the mountains and when in preparations for them.

Interview continued in Part-2

RECIPE – Instant Firebird Whisky Cocktail

Tea-time meets happy hours with this classic instant tea cocktail that is straightforward, well-balanced and boasts myriad of refreshing flavors that you are bound to enjoy!

KEY INGREDIENTS
1/4 tsp Instant black tea powder
50ml JW Red Label
4 mint leaves
Lemon slices
1 inch ginger
2 tsp honey

PROCEDURE
Pop 3–4 mint leaves into a shaker. Add instant tea powder, Johnnie Walker Red Label, ginger piece, a lime slice, honey and muddle them together. Add ice and shake vigorously until cold. Strain into a glass with 2-3 ice cubes and 3-4 lemon slices. Garnish with mint leaves.

FOOD PAIRING
Caramelised scallops, smoky steak or bbq veggies – preferably brussel sprouts.

Drinking Tea And The Art Of Doing Nothing

The Italians have a beautiful concept signifying the pleasantness of inactivity – ‘La Dolce Far Niente’, which roughly translates to ‘the sweetness of doing nothing’.

Well, the concept seems easy as taking a break doing relaxing activities gives us lot of options to chose from. But the challenge here is to cultivate ‘mental silence’, which isn’t just about getting respite from the distractions of office chatter or deadlines. It’s about the real sustained silence that quietens inner as well as outer chatter and takes us beyond the noise. A state that can be easily attained through the ‘Art of Tea Meditation’.

A recent Harvard Business Review states that the busier we are, the more quiet time we need. It emphasises on the need of structured periods of silence as important factors in achieving success. In our modern lives when our day begins running on a treadmill of duties and ends with exhaustion, taking a silent break is a luxury. Tea is the modern day meditation and a simple solution to effortlessly embrace the art of doing nothing and experiencing mental silence.

Tea masters and monks have been practising the ‘art of tea way’ for more than 3,000 years – an art that consists simply of boiling water, preparing tea and drinking it. Embracing the traditional goodness of tea in modern times by upgrading our tea-time can help to reprogram our thoughts, manage the non-stop information flow and cultivate periods of deep silence. It can condition our minds to be more adaptive and responsive to the complex environments in which so many of us now live, work, and lead.

Our lives can be a lot different if we take a deliberate pause by just giving 30 minutes of our day to the process of making our cup of tea. This pause declutters our mind, bringing about a sense of calmness and tranquillity.  You can chose this time to unwind, plan your day, read a book, think about what you love, admire the view from your window or think about nothing at all. You make your tea, absorb yourself in the process, sit and sip with no particular agenda, letting yourself go wherever your mind takes you. You could also use this time to think about what kind of life would be worth living, rather than simply living the life you live.

With each passing day, we feel more tired, hoping for a reboot in the form of a break, a pause from the daily hustle. And this idea usually translates into a quarterly vacation – travelling to a far off land to get away from the madness for a while. But we don’t need to postpone that idea any further because the elusive ‘relaxation’ that we yearn for is not just found in the scenic landscapes of our ideal vacation spots. It exists within each one of us and is ours to claim if we learn to embrace it with a tea lifestyle. So instead of fantasising about that one big vacation, brew your tea, find that perfect spot in the house, and reboot your life with a simple tea meditation.

The world is getting louder. But silence is still accessible. It just takes commitment and creativity to cultivate it.  Make your cup of tea mindfully, take a deep breath, relax and let your brain move away from the abstract and the distant towards the tangible and the near.

INTERVIEW – In Conversation with Carne Griffiths

Infusing the beautiful colours of various teas in his artwork, Carne Griffiths, a UK based Artist, swaps paint for a cuppa to create intriguing portraits, working primarily with tea, vodka, whisky, brandy and calligraphy ink.

Carne’s approach to painting, which often includes drawings of faces that break down at the edges into floral motifs and exuberant painterly marks and stains, has captivated viewers globally, with his work being exhibited from Milan to Hong Kong, as well as at The Royal Academy in London. Griffiths’ celebrity subjects include Heidi Klum and Kate Beckinsale, and his illustrations of Donald Sutherland and Jesse Eisenberg can be found in recent editions of The New York Observer.

In an exclusive conversation with LoveforTea, Carne takes out some time during his recent solo exhibition at Westbank Gallery in London, and shares his inspiration and vision behind his emotionally-driven work and why he adores painting with tea.

1. Carne, you paint with tea, ink, alcohol, gold leaf powder and diamond dust. How did such unique elements land in your work and how did it all begin? 
CG: Alcohol was the first unusual material to appear in my work, and it appeared merely by having a drink of brandy nearby – sometimes when I am working I do so in a very chaotic way so if there is something nearby that can be used to create I will use it. The water I was using was dirty so I used the brandy instead – not quite an accident but utilising something as a replacement.  The brandy had a very subtle but interesting effect on the work – so I decided to pursue it further but using a non-alcoholic alternative – and tea seemed to be the ideal way to reproduce the colour.

This led to the exploration of using different teas, different hues and colours and also different strengths.  It had the effect of providing an earthy palette to my work and I was able to build confidence using colour – I liked its chaotic nature and the way it could be steered around the page gradually becoming darker in tone as it dried. Tea became a key component in my work and certainly helped in raising awareness of my work as it created an unusual story.

2. What types of tea do you use in your work and which are your personal favorite?
CG: Early work focussed on using chai and jasmine teas – I worked mainly with Twinings but every time I travelled I would collect unusual teas – basil tea from India – different chais, wrapped teas and loose leaf teas, herbal teas such as sage and rose hip teas both from turkey – it was interesting to see the subtle differences in each and also – various teas would change dramatically in colour as they dried.

3. Which are your favourite teas and the time of the day you enjoy drinking them?
CG: I mainly drink the teas as I am using them but as I leave the teas to steep indefinitely they become bitter, as a side I normally have a cup of builders tea to hand! My favourite summer tea is Jasmine and it’s also a fine tea for painting – it has a honey like colour on the page and can give very subtle effects.  It also combines really well with turquoise inks to form a palette of blues and greens.

4. Your portraits are an amalgamation of different elements and art forms. How do you approach the blank canvas?
CG: I approach each piece of work with a very open mind – quite often the particular theme or collection of elements evolves slowly through the process of creating – I begin with a sketch which will form the basis for the composition but then the process involves layering marks and then building up and destroying areas using the hot teas or sometimes just plain boiling liquids.

5. Tell us about your ongoing solo exhibition at Westbank Gallery.
CG: My solo opened on the 8th of June and will run until the 14th – it is a collection of works on paper using teas and inks but also a small collection of newer works on canvas.  I want to try and develop my style of painting to using a more versatile media – teas and inks work very well on paper, I use them almost exclusively on bockingford watercolour paper from St Cuthbert’s mill which I always stretch before working – this helps to keep the surface flat and prevents pooling of liquids in areas you wouldn’t want.

6. How has your work matured over the years as an artist?
CG: My work evolves very slowly and subtly – as an artist I have found that interesting projects will steer the direction of the work and force you to think how you can combine your main message with the subject of say a group exhibition.  I also work as an illustrator and with some brands through my agency Beautiful Crime, these projects bring new elements into the work and often result in changes to the overall style.  I have a passion for detailed observational drawing but I also have a passion for the abstract and the act of automatic drawing or drawing from the subconscious – I try to fuse these two areas in my work as it keeps me interested and excited about the subject.

7. Which are your favourite works from your journey so far?
CG:I always find it difficult to select favourites but there are pieces of my work which have been key to progressing a style, the early piece Rose, was the one that defined my work as a combination of nature and portraiture, then there was the piece Strength which broke boundaries with colour and gave me a real platform to showing my work.  Following this was a piece from a triptych series called Eleven, that series had a lot of meaning for me – it was based around numerology and was created at a real junction in my life.

8. Is there an artist you admire. Tell us who and why?
CG: I spent my college years working alongside artist Dan Baldwin, when we went our different ways after college I worked the 9-5 but he painted constantly and now is established as one of the most exciting contemporary artists of today.  I always admired his drive and energy – there was barely a time when he was not an artist and I think this sort of drive and creativity are what result in a truly authentic creative.

9. How is your ideal day when you are not painting?
CG: I enjoy spending time in nature, cycling or even just in the garden – it’s small observations about the natural world that influence the work and it’s the main message in my work – returning the importance to the natural world.

Carne’s entire gallery can be seen on his website and Behance.

RECIPE – Insignia Tea Créme Anglaise by Robert Wemischner

Pastry chef and culinary educator Robert Wemischner, adds complex wonderful flavors of Rangsaa tea to the popular Créme Anglaise in this vibrant Rangsaa Insignia Tea Créme Anglaise recipe, that finds it’s use in versatile desserts. Thank you Robert Wemischner for creating this wonderful recipe and sharing the Rangsaa love.

KEY INGREDIENTS
Yield: approximately 1 cup
1 generous tbsp Rangsaa Insignia
240 ml whole milk
3 egg yolks from large eggs
50 gms granulated sugar

PROCEDURE
Place the milk and tea in a heavy saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Once ready, remove it from heat and let it stand for another 5 minutes. Pour through a fine-meshed sieve and set aside. While your mixture is getting done, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the sugar dissolves and the mixture has lightened in color. In a clean saucepan, reheat the infused milk to the simmer. Pour gradually over the egg yolks and sugar mixture, stirring to combine. Return that mixture to the saucepan and cook until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (180 degrees F.)  Do not overcook or the mixture will curdle. Once thickened pour it through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl set over ice water. Stir to cool quickly. Store in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 2 days.

RECOMMENDED USE
As the basis for an ice cream, as a dipping sauce for brownies or other rich cookies or bars, as a sauce over the ice cream of your choice, as a plating sauce for a seasonal fruit tart or as a pour over fresh berries.

Check out the original recipe here.