Today is cold and rainy, so what better thing to do but fix some tea. Tieguanyin or Iron Goddess of Mercy oolong tea is my absolute favorite. We watched a documentary today about how they make this tea which was amazing.
Here is the link
https://youtu.be/CS-KCBmY2pA
(Meileaf YouTube channel from London)
Friday my sister and I took our tea set and made tea for our mom. She too was blown away of how much better it tastes oppposed to the “Western way”. Long brew times and water temperatures of the western way can make tea bitter.
Here is the legend behind this tea from the internet I thought was interesting :
“In Fujian's Anxi County, there was a run-down temple which held an iron statue of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Every day on the walk to his tea fields, a poor farmer named Wei would pass by and reflect on the temple's worsening condition. “Something has to be done,” he thought.
Being poor, Wei did not have the means to repair the temple. One day, he brought a broom and some incense from his home. He swept the temple clean and lit the incense as an offering to Guanyin. "It's the least I can do," he thought to himself. And he did this twice a month for many months.
One night, Guanyin appeared to him in a dream, telling him of a cave behind the temple where a treasure awaited. He was to take the treasure and share it with others. In the cave, the farmer found a tea shoot. He planted it in his field and nurtured it into a large bush, from which the finest tea was produced. He gave cuttings of this rare plant to all his neighbors and began selling the tea under the name Tieguanyin, Iron Bodhisattva of Compassion.
Over time, Wei and all his neighbors prospered; the run-down temple of Guanyin was repaired and became a beacon for the region. From this time onwards Mr. Wei took joy in the daily trip to his tea fields, never failing to stop in appreciation of the beautiful temple.”
Happy Sunday. Thanks for stopping by.
