May

10

Art of Life

May 10, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Yixing

Sculpted Yixing pot by Wanfen Chao. Image: Victoria & Albert Museum

“Tea is more than an idealization of the form of drinking, it is a religion of the art of life.”

— Kakuzo Okakura

May

2

Making Tea

May 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Gaiwan

When I’m making tea for customers in the shop, they’ll sometimes ask, “why are you making one tea in a small, lidded cup, and another in a teapot?” And I say, “good question!”

In the shop, our choice of tea-making vessel will depend on the tea’s country of origin and what type of tea it is. For instance, in China and Taiwan, a gaiwan, or small, lidded, porcelain cup, is often used to prepare tea. You can drink the tea directly from the gaiwan, or it can be poured into a serving pitcher and cups after steeping. Not only a nod to tradition, the gaiwan is just such a practical vessel, especially when using larger leaf teas, or clustered leaf oolongs that will expand after multiple infusions.

For Japanese tea preparation, we use a ceramic teapot, called a kyusu. A kyusu has a handle on one end, and a spout for pouring on the other end, and like the gaiwan, is lidded.  The ceramic material is unique in that it will retain the flavor of its teas over many uses. When preparing Matcha, or Japanese ground tea, we use a bowl called a Chawan. Chawans are used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, known as Chanoyu.

For Indian and African teas, as well as herbal tisanes and may scented teas, we use modern western-style handled teapots and pour into mugs in a way more familiar to most.

We find romance in making teas based on cultural traditions, but our stance will always be that you should make tea in the manner you most enjoy. The only “right” way to tea is the way you most enjoy it.

Thanks so much for checking in with us.
Cheers,
Jena

Apr

29

Dragonwell Green Tea

This post was written by Annelise, a wonderful new addition to our tea(m).

I have always loved tea but grew up with the simplicity and convenience of tea bags. It wasn’t until I was given the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Halcyon Team that I discovered the joy of loose leaf teas! My palate has now been awoken and I find myself not ever wanting to take the convenient tea route again. Instead I find comfort and meditation in the ritual of making loose leaf tea. I love making things from scratch, whether it be my food, my clothes, my beer, and now my tea. Creating these items is an art, and the art of tea is something I hope to master in the future while always being open to growing, learning, and evolving. I am so grateful for my coworkers teaching me what I now know and am looking forward to soaking up all of the tea knowledge they have to give me!

- Annelise

Apr

21

Tea Pairings

I’m a carbs guy. Bread. I could live on it. Top it with some spreadable yogurt cheese and locally-made jam, add a cup of malty Assam Mokalbari, and I am very happy. But sometimes I feel like my body needs a break from the breads. If it’s not a bunch of raw carrots I crave, it’s often a bowl of fresh fruit and yogurt. Today’s snack (above) called for a pairing with a light, slightly sweet green tea. Organic Yun Wu was the call. Fruit and green teas just go so well together. Light, clean, sweet…delicious! What are some of your favorite tea and snack pairings?

Thanks for checking in!

- James

Apr

19

Mr. Tea

April 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment

“I pity the fool who misses afternoon tea!”

- Jena

Apr

17

10% off loose tea

Apr

16

Realizations

April 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Assam Mokalbari

This post is by our wonderful tea(m) member, Christina:

Every once in a while, customers say things that illustrate how they relate to tea in their own way, how they see it fitting into their lives even in the simplest manner. Just the other day, a customer was drinking a cup of White Peony. She took several sips, took a deep breath, paused, and said, “I can imagine having this every morning. Yes, I’d like to take some of this home.” I loved that in that moment of drinking tea, she was able to picture incorporating it into her daily life, that this was something she wanted to experience daily. It was lovely to witness.

Tea is a beverage and a culture, but it can be so much more. It can be a daily ritual, part of a meditation, or that little something extra in the morning. What teas are a part of your daily rituals? Do you have one that you tend to drink every day or to you vary between several?

Cheers!
Christina

Apr

3

Halcyon Tea Tasting

Today’s post is from our wonderful tea(m) member, Jena.

I was not much of a tea drinker before starting at Halcyon Tea back in September, and I certainly never dealt with the loose leaf.  I’d have the occasional, once-per-month bag of Lipton black tea.  So, I’ll be honest—when asked to observe the various tea notes and characteristics (e.g. sweet, floral, dry, smooth,  bright, earthy, fruity, etc.), or front-of-the-mouth versus back-of-the-mouth sensations—I felt like I was being asked to speak a foreign language.  I’d take a sip of a tea, and not be able to make a single discerning statement except, “tastes good!”  I wondered if I’d ever be able to appreciate all of our magnificent teas, or be able to help someone find exactly the right one.

Then, over the course of a few months of steady tea drinking, it happened!  I began to pick up on those subtle notes and sensations, and my palate began to transform.  “Sweet” was no longer the teaspoon of sugar “sweet” that I formally connected with that taste.  Notes that are considered “earthy” became more appealing, and I found myself being temporarily transported to a garden, or a grassy field of flowers when sipping from my cup.

To truly understand tea’s subtlety, I needed to drink it more slowly.  I had to take my time, and really search for the various notes and mouth feels (e.g. light or full-bodied, smooth, crisp, buttery, dry, clean, etc.) of each tea.  This conscious appreciation made me realize how interesting tea really is, and also how different one tea is from the next. Tea drinking has even changed the way I eat food!  I now find myself taking smaller bites, and noting the various flavors and textures like I’d never had before.

So, the lesson I’ve learned from drinking tea?  Slow down, take small sips, and be curious. Sounds like one I can apply to every corner of my life.

Cheers!
Jena

Mar

29

Halcyon Tea South Park Walkabout

From last Saturday’s spring South Park Walkabout

That is the longest we have gone without a post since we began this blog over four years ago! Why? I wish we had a really good excuse. I would blame it all on Facebook if I could. We post everyday on our Facebook page because we can do simple daily updates in an instant. Not a good enough excuse, right? Right. It’s time! This blog is near and dear to me as it was our first means of communication before the shop even opened. So, we’re back. Will you join us? I hope so. Our apologies for being gone so long.

Much more to come as we get into the first available teas of 2012, always an exciting time of year for us. We’ll keep you posted on new arrivals, upcoming events, interesting cultural tidbits, and everything else that fits into our Halcyon Tea world.

Thanks very much for checking in.

- James

Jan

11

Halcyon Tea

The Yoga of Eating This Thursday, Jan. 12th
hosted by Stacy Spensley of Center Stage Wellness

In this workshop, Stacy will focus on the ideas of Charles Eisenstein’s book The Yoga of Eating: Transcending Diets and Dogma to Nourish the Natural Self. You don’t have to do yoga to appreciate the information, and while there will not be any yoga in the class, there will be tea and treats!

Topics include:

  • The Fallacy of Willpower
  • Discovering the right diet
  • Distinguishing appetites from cravings
  • Loving the body, loving the self
  • The Yoga of Cooking

Learn how to eat until you’re satisfied, not until you’re full.
Start listening to your body to create your own dietary “dogma” that actually serves you.
Find questions to ask yourself to keep yourself honest when facing a craving.
Eliminate guilt and truly feel nourished.
Don’t reward yourself with food, be good to yourself with food.

Each attendee will receive notes and worksheets to take home, participate in a discussion about the concepts, and take part in a mindfulness exercise using both tea from Halcyon and a snack.

“Change one thing, and everything else will change.” – Charles Eisenstein

Date: Thursday, January 12, 2012
Time: 7:30-9:00pm
Cost: $25 includes class, handouts, worksheets, tea, and a snack
Location: Halcyon Tea, 3009 Beech Street, San Diego
To register: Call Halcyon Tea at 619.450.4224