Why I Hate Tea Timers
“What time would it be if all the clocks were stopped?”
- Zen Koan
These days I still see people using timers to brew their tea. I cringe when I see this because they are missing the essence of brewing tea. One of the greatest ways to brew a proper cup of tea is becoming sensitive to the tea. Brewing a tea is like getting to know a friend. First you have to get to know each other. You do this by getting to know what color the liquor is that matches the strength and flavor you like. A timer cannot tell you this.
I like to check the temperature of the water by checking the bubbles that are springing up while boiling. You can gauge the size of the bubbles in relationship to the temperature.
When you continue to brew the same tea, you need to sometimes increase the time gradually after each steeping or even decrease the time. A timer cannot tell you this. There are also so many factors that affect the flavor that will also affect the amount of time. For example, the water’s flavor in the area you are at.
Sometimes a different water source will increase or decrease the amount of time needed to brew the tea due to the pH of the water. A more alkaline water will soften the flavor, and you can increase the time if you prefer a stronger flavor.
The elevation you are at can change the amount of time needed to steep the tea as well. I have found that teas taste different stored in the tropics than in the northern, dry mountainous areas. This means you will have to adjust the brew time.
Some people tell me they need a timer because they cannot concentrate on the brew because they are doing something else. I suggest in this case brewing your tea ahead of time. My friend in Fujian, China drank the finest Tie Guan Yin on a daily basis and never went anywhere without it. Before any car trip he would brew it and pour it into a stainless steel to go bottle. He still paid attention to brew it ahead of time.
As you can see, it seems nearly impossible to me to use a timer as a way to get consistent brews. In all my time in China, I never saw a single person use a timer ever. Why don’t we take a few lessons from the culture that has been brewing tea longer than anyone?
For more informations. Please check
• ITA Certified Online Course - Ancient Chinese Science & Art of Brewing Tea
• Tea book 5 Element Tea
Why Should You Drink Pure Wild or Ancient Tea Tree Teas?
There are so many varieties of tea that we have the freedom choose whatever we want, so it never gets boring. It is well known that many teas from China contain dangerous pesticides, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Throughout China, environmental pollution is a massive problem. When you add all the pollutants to the pesticides it compounds the problem.
China is a large country, but Yunnan is a unique province within China.
The environment and landscape is much different than the rest of China. The environment is generally better than most provinces in China. It also contains more ancient tea trees than anywhere else in China. If you aren’t a tea fanatic like me, you might never end up going to Yunnan. To go deep into Yunnan can be treacherous. There are many steep, windy mountain roads and places where they have never seen a foreigner before. Many people ask me about teas that contain pesticides and ones that do not. I always tell them about how ancient tea tree does not. Here are the 8 reasons why you should drink wild or ancient tea tree teas and how you can be sure it does not contain pesticides and or chemicals:
1. Wild or Ancient tea trees have been growing for over hundreds and even thousands of years. Their roots grow deeper and stronger than any other type of tea tree. They usually grow in bio-diverse environments that act as a protective barrier to the tea trees.
2. Many wild or ancient tea treed grow deep in the mountains with very undeveloped roads, making it very difficult for the average person to carry pesticides all the way there.
3. Pesticides damage and can kill wild or ancient tea trees. They cannot handle them like other commercially grown tea trees.
4. The Yunnan government passed a law that banned the use of pesticides on ancient tea trees.
5. The wild or ancient tea trees grow in an environment where they can absorb much more nutrients from the soil, thus supplying your body with more essential elements
Wild Gynostemma the Longevity Tea
Wild Gynostemma, otherwise known as Jiaogulan (绞股蓝) in Chinese, is revered as an anti-aging longevity drink in China and Japan. It is also used as a virtual “cure-all.” In the 1970s, much research was done in China on the benefits of Gynostemma, so much that it drew the attention of Japanese scientists and doctors. When the Japanese arrived in China, they realized that many octogenarians were drinking Gynostemma. They researched not only its health benefits, but also its longevity producing potential. By the 1980s, the Chinese and Japanese had mounted massive investigations into the herb and its saponins.
The Japanese cultivated a sweet variety and then had it planted in China. Now most typical Gynostemma is very sweet because of this. There is still wild Gynostemma. Wild Gynostemma is not as sweet, but its health benefits are superior to the farmed kind. When I first began sourcing Gynostemma, I knew I had to find a wild kind to get the kind of Qi I was looking for. The ultimate life giving qualities lies in its broad-spectrum adaptogenic quality. It has the ability to bring the body into balance under a wide range of stressful circumstances.
8 Reasons to Drink Wild Gynostemma Daily:
1. Contains many amino acids, vitamins and minerals that are essential to the human body, including zinc, magnesium, manganese, calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorus.
2. Has more than 80 different gypenosides, making it more than ginseng, which only has about 36 saponins (gynsenosides). The similarities are close; they now call it the Southern Ginseng because it grows in south China.
3. Has more than 80 different gypenosides, making it more than ginseng, which only has about 36 saponins (gynsenosides). The similarities are close; they now call it the Southern Ginseng because it grows in south China.
4. Used to treat a number of mental and neurological conditions including simple depression, anxiety, and even schizophrenia.
5. Reduces fat, speeds the metabolism, regulates blood sugar.
6. It is been shown that athletes who drink Gynostemma put on more lean muscle than those who do not.
7. Studies into the anti-cancer activity of Gynostemma have shown a significant (20-80%) inhibition rate on a wide range of cancer cells.
8. Since there are no side effects, it is safe and recommended for drinking daily.
For many Chinese who are into a lifestyle that nurtures longevity and good health, they drink 1-2 cups per day of Gynostemma. I personally love to drink it every day. I am a martial artist and a practitioner of Qigong, so I drink it to enhance my practices, as it helps my body adapt to the stress I put on it with my exercises. Although wild Gynostemma is more expensive than the mass-produced kind, it is considerably more potent, making it the connoisseur’s choice whenever possible.
This is one of the greatest health products available today. We wish you stay in healthy, happy and free no matter how much chaotic we have on this world.
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Bart
July 14, 2020
I respectfully disagree with the timer. I can see after one has more experience, but for new tea drinkers it does help not to over brew 😊. Obviously after one has brewed longer they could eliminate it. For me it really helped to get close to the 3 min or whatever tea I was brewing, using my phone timer. Just my opinion. I obviously respect you as my online sommelier instructor. 😊😊😊😊❤️