April: Tea and Sanctuary
-Sue Worthman
Two weeks ago, I sat in a dimly lit café where dark wood tables were filled with jersey-shirted, sinewy cyclists; elderly men sporting thick glasses and suspenders; mothers in jeans tending to young daughters in floral dresses; and tattooed young women checking cell phones and the door. Soccer played on the TV, smoke curled from every corner and conversations floated up in German, Italian, Catalan and British English. It was Sunday and I was in Spain, sipping freshly brewed Pu-erh tea with an English poet named Zeeba. She was on a weeklong writer’s retreat at La Serrania, where I was ensconced as the resident cook. We had shared many pots of tea that week,
talking about the creative life, and constructing lives that supported creativity; each of us seeking sanctuary from the hustle of urban life, and finding community along with it.
Were Zeeba here, I’d bring her to L’Amyx. She’d see light wood tables filled with jersey-shirted, sinewy students; elderly women in chic shawls; daughters in jeans with mothers in floral dresses, and numerous people checking their knitting. There would (mercifully) be no TV or cigarette smoke, but the conversations would still float. She’d appreciate the art on the walls, the lone writers and readers and browsers sipping their ‘cuppa’ in a community of strangers. I’d have her drink Royal Red Robe from China in a contemporary pot from Japan, and talk with people from California who were born in New York. It wouldn’t be Spain or England, but I’m certain she would find it familiar. We would pick up our teacups along with the thread of our conversation. The one begun over a pot of tea, at a large wooden table in the late afternoon, when we were on solitary adventures and in need of company. And in that way she, too, would come to know L’Amyx—a haven for the lifestyle of tea. In good company.
Tea Education: Royal Red Robe
-Marcia Lam
In October, 2002, my business partner Tim Haggerty and I traveled to China on a tea-sourcing trip for L’Amyx. We arrived in Wuyishan in the mountainous province of Fujian, where we were introduced to the pleasures of Royal Red Robe (Da Hong Pao), also known as Wuyi Rock Tea. Nothing had prepared us for the beauty of Wuyishan, or the wonders of this tea.
The Royal Red Robe tea plant has been around for thousands of years. What’s grown in Wuyishan are second generation plants taken from the original. They grow on rocky cliffs above a steep ravine, where the morning mist lightly grazes the leaves as the silver sun slowly rises. The mountain is surrounded by beautiful flowers, lush trees, valleys and streams. In this serene environment, Royal Red Robe is born.
There are various legends as to how the Wuyi Rock Tea was named Royal Red Robe. One of the legends refers to a scholar who was on his way to the Imperial City to take a test but became sick and had to stop at a monastery. The Abbot gave him this tea and he miraculously recovered. He took some of the tea with him to the Imperial City and offered it to the emperor who was not feeling well himself. The emperor quickly recovered and rewarded the Scholar with a Royal Red Robe, which he took back to Wuyishan and draped around the tea plant. Thereafter, people referred to the tea as Royal Red Robe.
Nothing is as wonderful as sipping this sweet, aromatic tea, particularly when it’s been brewed in an Yixing teapot. Yixing clay is known for brewing exceptional oolong tea because the porous quality keeps the temperature even and the flavor constant. Sipping Royal Red Robe reminds me of the beautiful environment where it is produced and the tender care by which it is made.
Tea Recipe: Royalty Truffles
- 8 ounces dark chocolate (semisweet or bittersweet), cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tsp. Royal Red Robe or Earl Grey tea
Place chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat ‘til butter is just melted. Remove from heat, stir in tea leaves and steep 30 minutes. Strain. Reheat cream mixture to a boil. Immediately pour boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until the truffle mixture is firm, but not hard-about 2 hours. Place cocoa on a plate. Remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator. With your hands, a melon baller or small spoon, roll the chocolate into small bite-sized balls, then roll in the cocoa. Place completed truffles on a parchment lined baking sheet or tray. Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm. Keep chilled or frozen until ready to serve. Truffles will last 2 weeks refrigerated or 2 months frozen.
Customer Corner
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Name: Mark
City: Concord, CA
Occupation: Poet
Favorite Tea: Kenilworth Ceylon |
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L’Amyx Tea Bar is a sanctuary for me. I come here to escape the rush of contemporary civilization, the pursuit of money, the tension of daily life. I sample different brews, relax, and write poems that are often influenced by the varieties I’m drinking. Darjeeling, Ceylon, Keemun…even the names have a magic for me, and the tastes please and sooth me. I know of no other place that produces such serenity and joy.
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