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From The Editor: May? Maybe.
- Sue Worthman
Well, let’s see. There’s been sun. And blue skies. It’s been warm enough to bare arms and feet, and even legs. People are out, smiling and happy. Kids are playing on the grass. The roses are in bloom. Hooray for May!, we say. And yet we are uncertain. There’s been fog. May has barely begun. May is nice. Hot even. But there’s fog. As in summer. As in June or July. But this is May.
Sigh. It appears that spring is an iffy proposition this year. We understand if this makes you grumpy. Let’s see what we have to cheer you up.
How about a party, or two? On Saturday, May 6, you could come to the opening reception of “A View of Our World”, an exciting photography exhibit done by El Salvadoran teenagers—a feast for the eyes, heart and of course taste buds. (What’s a party without good food and great tea?) Or May 13th—come to a Blue Hydrangea tea party. The theme’s Asian, there’ll be music, tea ceremonies and a chef-prepared menu of sublime treats. (And all for a good cause. Check the Special Events listing for full details.)
Not in a party mood? Just want some comfort? Try “Mother’s Blend”, our tea of the month. (No need to be a mother to appreciate this.)
Oh, not that? Still need comfort? How about your favorite tea? (Your choice: organic greens, robust blacks, sweet bubbles. You want it iced? Sure. What? Can you have a cookie? Absolutely. We also have cake. And pie. Even mochi. Whatever you like.
There now. Feel better? I think the sun’s even come out again. Why don’t you go outside and play? And then when you come in, we’ll be here. With even more good things.
The Basics: Tea Flush
-Sue Worthman
Tea quality is an alchemical blend of geography, seasonality, plucking and processing. Geography, the region in which its grown—cool/high, warmer/lower—give tea its basic character. Plucking, leaf age and processing provide its true taste and general qualities of tannin and caffeine content. But seasonality produces the range of distinct flavors and character of fine teas, regardless of pluck or processing.
It starts with harvesting the new leaves and buds, known as “flush”. Flavor is in direct proportion to the age of the leaf: the younger, the more flavorful. For ordinary tea, the two smallest leaves and the bud are picked. For a fine tea, it’s the bud and the next youngest leaf. The finest, rarest teas? Just the buds. White teas, for instance, come from the newest buds.
In the world’s finest growing tea regions—India, China and Japan—there are generally two flushes, and for certain teas, such as Darjeeling as many as four. The “first flush” tea is associated with cooler, higher mountainous regions where the growing season is much shorter than the low lying regions. This initial flush is typically small, and the teas produced from it—such as first flush Darjeeling and jasmines—are delicate and light, much like the season. They are also rather expensive, given that they don’t retain their flavor much passed 10 months and the quantities are limited. This flush happens in early February and March.
With each succeeding flush, tea develops more body and color. The second flush occurs in early summer, when hotter, drier weather is the norm. Teas produced from this flush are like the season: bright and fruity.
The next major flush is the early fall, September and October. By this time, the plants have aged and mellowed. Heat has developed the bush, and late summer rains and cooler temperatures produce bumper crops of fragrant buds. Autumnal flush teas are known for their deep flavors, as robust and complex as fine wine.
As to each season, so is the flush.
May Special Events
A View of Our World: a PhotoVoice Project with Children of El Salvador
Date: Saturday, May 6
Time: 3:00pm
What: Opening Reception Party
Where: L’Amyx Tea Bar
Last summer, a group of El Salvadoran teenagers were given cameras and free rein to document their world—families, friends, homes and communities. The resulting words and images are eloquent, moving testimony to these young people, and the values, dreams and hopes for the future that drive them forward.
Please join us for the opening reception and exhibit of A View of Our World: a PhotoVoice Project with Children of El Salvador, and see the world through their eyes and voices. (If you miss the reception, the exhibit continues through May and June, but do try to come for party.)
This project is run by volunteers working with the non-profit organization Asociación Salvadoreña Pro-Salud Rural (Salvadoran Association for Rural Health, or ASAPROSAR). The group returns to El Salvador this summer to continue the teen photovoice project and other community health and development projects.
Blue Hydrangea Tea Party
Date: Saturday, May 13
Time: 3:00-5:00pm
What: A fundraiser for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
Where: L’Amyx Tea Bar
Please join us for a leisurely afternoon filled with fine teas, lovely music, fascinating tea ceremonies and delicious food prepared by chef Janet Monsanto.
Suggested tax-deductible donation is $75. Space is limited, so kindly RSVP by May 10 by calling Marcia Lam at 510-593-8896.
This tea party is a fundraiser, part of a national campaign on behalf of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. For more information about these tea parties and the NOCC, visit www.bluehydrangeateaparty.org.
Customer Corner
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Name: Don F. Gates, L.Ac
City: Oakland
Occupation: acupuncturist and herbalist
Favorite Tea: pu-erh |
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I’ve been a tea aficionado for many years. Apart from the appeal of its warmth and flavor, I appreciate the ceremonial aspect of brewing and serving a good pot of quality tea. My favorite tea is Pu-erh. The earthy, almost musty flavor of a good pu-erh reminds me of something excavated in a pharaoh’s tomb. They seem to steep faster and stronger than most teas, so a little goes a long way in terms of flavor.
When I began to study Chinese medicine, I came to understand what my body already seemed to know innately: that there are significant health benefits provided by drinking tea. In fact, in my clinic I use several herbal formulas that rely on tea as the chief ingredient.
Chinese medicine has long prized tea for its abilities to clear “heat” from the head and calm the spirit. More recently, studies have shown tea consumption to be effective in treating cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, and cataracts caused by diabetes. It seems the West is finally catching up in its appreciation of this fine fare.
Visitors to my home are always offered a cup as soon as they arrive, I also send many of my patients up the street to L’Amyx, with a list of recommendations for first-time buyers. I feel we’re quite lucky to have such a fine tea shop and such knowledgeable purveyors in the neighborhood!
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Kathleen
Tea Tender
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Favorite Tea: Imperial Silver Needles, Jade Spring Oolong, Jasmine Dragon Pearls, Amber Mint
(in that order)
Kathleen is a very tender tea tender, sort of a “first flush”, having been on the job a bare three weeks—but she’s gotten rooted almost immediately. It may have something to do with her intrepid sense of adventure, enthusiasm and her avid tea drinking ways.
About a year ago, she was a newly minted UC Santa Cruz graduate,working at a local bakery cafe to earn money for travel adventures. She set her sights on Central America, and went off on a kind of surfing safari, practicing board skills and polishing her Spanish,and generally having a grand time.That is until she got “really, really sick”.
An extended stay under her parent’s roof and care in Menlo Park put her back on her feet, and she promptly lit out for the “more exciting” environs of Oakland. Jobless but optimistic, she followed up on a tea-loving friend’s recommendation to check out “a really cool tea cafe on Piedmont Avenue”.Which means she quickly found herself at L’Amyx. After meeting owner Marcia Lam, she was behind the bar and in her element in two days.
“It was simply the right fit”, she says. “I love it here!” She didn’t even need to be asked her favorite part of the job, she volunteered “finding the right tea for people.” “I like helping people decide which black or green they might like. And when they’re not feeling well, I really like being able to recommend something from all the great herbal teas we have. I’m a big proponent of herbal medicine, and tea is a big part of that.”
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