Tea Thought for the Day

Hot water is the sap that reinvigorates tea with the blush of new life in the teacup or teapot. The leaves become deliciously drinkable thanks to the flavor and aroma that was coddled and tamed into being by skillful tea-processing hands. The Chinese can be counted on to create the most poetic allusions in this regard. For instance, how much more lovely it is to think about this process as they do -- the breathing and stretching of the leaves . . . Think of it as a rebirth from a hibernation of sort. . . . Mary Lou Heiss

Release all the stress that has built up over the week by steeping a cuppa of loose Specialty Tea in a clear glass teapot. The glass pot is your ticket to watch one of Mother Nature's most incredible ballets. These amazing tea leaves will gently float through your pot while breathing , stretching, and unwrapping in their dance to release their vailed oils, fragrance, and essence for your pleasure. Pour your cuppa and savor all the tastes these extraordinary leaves are offering. Refill your tea pot to watch the second act offered by the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis. 

Until we share a cuppa again,

The Tea And Hat Lady

Avatar Selected For The Tea And Hat Lady

At last, the lady of the The Tea and Hat Lady is portrayed as the aroma, fragrance, as well as the Spirit of the Tea on my business publications. I have been searching for an Avatar that would best depict my tea inspiration -- Leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant and the processing preformed to release the flavors we enjoy . A lot of time has been devoted to my study of these leaves and their processing so that I could accurately share my tea passion with you.

The study of the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant sounds so very dry and uninteresting. When in reality it is a process which produces a beverage that originates from an all-natural and environmentally sound renewable source.

The oxidation of the tea leaf is a natural process. It is the level of oxidation in the process that determines whether the leaf becomes a white, green, oolong, black, or Pu'erh tea.

Now that I have bored you to death, let me present a lighter side of my search. Not long ago I would not have known what an Avatar was or its purpose. Today I know that, at least one, definition of an Avatar is "an image of somebody in virtual reality." How ironic that I should be so concerned with having the perfect Avatar to represent my interest in tea. This historical beverage that has been around for thousands of years represented by a computer generated image is silly, don't you think?