Tea from A to Z

I was invited to a Chinese Tea Tasting at Goldfish Tea, an independent tea house in town.

Five of us sat on seats at a wooden tea bar (imported from China) and listened intently to the who/what/when/where and why of tea.

The star of the show was camillus sinensis, the plant from which all tea is made. Over the course of an hour, we steeped a white tea called "Silver Needle" (quite grassy and clean), an oolong tea called "Ginseng Oolong" (with a sweet aftertaste that surprised me) and a black tea called "Keemun A" (that I would have liked with milk, but that's another story).

Our guide knew tea from A to Z and took great care in explaining everything from how the leaves are rolled & dried to the proper way to store our tea collection.

I really had a nice time and left with a pouch of Ginseng Oolong, a bamboo tea scoop and some new friends. The next time you are presented an opportunity to learn from an expert, I say do it. It just might be a moment of delight.