Skip back to three weeks ago when I was steeping a Wenshan Baochung oolong to celebrate the anniversary of my journey with teaspoons & petals. Serendipitously, this particular oolong was intended to be steeped seven times as I celebrated seven years. I soaked in the peaceful moment while peeking through the window to seek out signs of spring as robins sang hopeful songs. The fragrant floral notes of steeped tea seemed to dance about with a sweetness reminiscent of the lightest honey or sugarcane, and had a mouthfeel that was velvety soft.
It only seemed fitting to steep a Taiwanese oolong with inherent floral notes, considering that I first fell in madly in love with tea when I tasted my way through green/lightly oxidized oolongs grown in Taiwan. Over the course of seven years, oolong teas have done more than make my taste buds jump for joy. Lingering within the leaves were lessons that would slowly be revealed to me as the tea unfurled. Oolong tea has taught me to settle into a moment and take in all of its ever-changing complexities and nuances (as an oolong tea often calls for several subsequent steeps to reveal a wandering path of flavors and aromas).
Oolong tea has taught me the value of savoring a deep breath. I find that the height of the oolong tasting experience often opens up several sips in and with one deep breath, allowing the taste to blossom on my palate. I feel so incredibly fortunate that I found tea and that tea has nurtured my senses and my spirit for over seven years. And many thanks to Tea Ave for sharing their prized oolong teas along with the beautiful cup and wooden tray that made my celebration so very special. And, yes, that beautiful gold packaging made the afternoon glimmer that much brighter.
Happy blogiversary! I'm right behind you at six years old this year. You picked the perfect tea to celebrate. Your love for high mountain oolongs is practically legendary :)
I haven't dived into the Wenshan Baochung yet but it sounds like I might have saved the best for last. The aroma cup sets they sent out are perfect. Aren't they?
Posted by: Nicole Martin | April 3, 2015 at 05:16 PM
Thanks Nicole! And congrats to you as well. I can't wait to hear what you think about the Wenshan. It so perfectly captures what I crave about spring. And yes, I guess I do wax on and on about high mountain oolong teas. ha!
Posted by: alexis | April 4, 2015 at 07:39 PM
Beautiful way to celebrate your blog anniversary! I just stumbled upon Teaspoons and Petals, and it is such a lovely site! I am always talking about how I wish there were more places here in Philly to really learn about the nuances of tea and to celebrate it. I had no idea, for example, that a tea could require 7 steeps! Thanks so much for sharing the moment!
Posted by: Emily | April 6, 2015 at 03:06 PM
Thanks for the kind words, Emily. Hopefully we run into each other at an upcoming tea event in philadelphia soon.
Posted by: alexis | April 13, 2015 at 10:00 AM
Hi, congratulations on the anniversary. I love reading your blog, please continue the great work. I love drinking tea, I really like Puer tea as it keeps me healthy especially Puer tea from MistyPeakTeas.com
Posted by: Susan Taylor | September 12, 2015 at 09:14 AM