Blooming Flower Tea
One of my clients brought me a delightful gift of blooming flower tea from a recent trip overseas. It was a pleasure this morning to sit quietly and watch the leaves gently unfurl. For the occasion—truly enjoying a cuppa tea is an occasion—I delved into the pages of one of my favorite tea books: Tea Here Now: Rituals, Remedies, and Meditations by Donna Fellman and Lhasha Tizer.
While I’m enjoying this delicious morning cuppa blooming flower tea, I’d like to share with you a small passage from page 142 in their book:
“Tea has enhanced our own lives in many ways. It has refined our way of moving, teaching us to carry ourselves with grace, dignity, and precision—helping us to develop a newfound sense of our bodies. We tread gently, aware of our personal impact upon the world and respectful of all that we encounter along the way. Learning to make tea becomes an exquisite and personal art.
It’s also a way of being and doing that can inform our entire lifestyle. It allows us to do whatever we do well, take time to pause and reflect, and contemplate our actions deeply. Tea does not tell us what do, or what to reflect on, or what actions to take. It only encourages us to pursue our endeavors mindfully, thoughtfully, with integrity and consideration—all the qualities that we learned through making a cup of tea well apply to doing anything well. The spirit of tea invokes a sense of caring and attention, a feeling for excellence that can have a positive influence in every part of our lives.”
“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
– Laurie Buchanan
www.HolEssence.com
Copyright © 2010 Laurie Buchanan — All Rights Reserved.
Tuesdays with Laurie 
Tea is the BEST!!! Tea is wonderful… There is nothing more enjoyable than a cup of tea, especially in the afternoon. Green jasmine tea tastes sublime. Have never had one of those flowering beauties like you pictured here, but have a jar of lotus tea that my son’s girlfriend sent for my birthday. It kind of expands into its flower essence. I am trying to really limit caffeine these days and am looking for delicious options.
Kathy – Lotus tea? Wow! That sounds excellent. There are lots of naturally caffeine-free teas out there; some taste great, while others leave you wondering what crawled into your mouth. It’s worth the search 🙂
Laurie,
I have not as of yet been inspired by tea. I have been to a tea ceremony a few times which was wonderful shared gift by the tea maker and the space that it was offered…
Jeff – I’m going to have to see if I can find a particular website that I have in mind. It’s about a silversmith who has a building on her property for the specific purpose of hosting tea ceremonies. When I find it, I’ll come back here with the link.
As for not being inspired yet by a tea … your time will come, I’m sure of it!
Laurie. What a beautiful and delcious way to enhance my morning. Today, I began my morning, as a I always do, with a cup of tea. Not a visually inspiring as yours, however. I discovered “YAMAMOTOYAMA” green tea with roast brown rice, last night while enjoying a memorable Japanese dinner a dear family friend. http://www.yamamotoyama.com. Enjoy, Sheila
Sheila – This is a great link, thank you!
Oh very nice Laurie. What a great photograph. I love teas of most varieties. This morning will be a local oat mint blend. I stopped drinking coffee for awhile and this has been my next morning beverage choice. A pleasant day to you!
Terrill – I’m glad you enjoyed the photo. Surprisingly, it only took two shots to get it. Oat mint blend — that sounds like it might be “earthy” tasting. I know how serious you are about your coffee, so for you to set it aside for awhile is more-than-impressive! I love the smell of coffee. I love the taste of coffee. I don’t have it very often (maybe a cup a month), so when I do have it, it’s extra special — like Crème brûlée.
Have a fantastic day!
Good Morning Laurie,
A nice cup of tea sounds great.
I reccently ordered a Jananese tea called
Gyokuro
gyokuro is from Japan. This tea has a wonderful aroma and a crisp, luscious taste.
I have been trying to substitute my coffee habit for teas. But not so successfully I fear, I allow myself 2 cups of coffee in the morning while I write in my journal and read, after that it’s on to teas and water.
~Jean
Jean – I like your description of Gyokuro tea, “crisp, luscious taste.” Please keep working at your morning substitution of tea for coffee. Coffee (not caffeine, but something inherent in the coffee bean/plant itself) triggers the production of cortisol. This is commonly referred to as the “death hormone.” The five main triggers for it’s production are: 1) stress, 2) coffee, 3) sugar, 4) some anti-depressants, Prozac is one of them, 5) certain environmental pollutants. Cortisol contributes to sub-optimal performance, accelerates aging, and is degenerative to health. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol contribute to the accumulation of abdominal fat. Coffee contains a number of organic acids that affect blood sugar and cortisol levels. Three 6 ounce cups of coffee—regular or decaffeinated—keep elevated cortisol levels in your body for 18 hours. If you drink your coffee with sugar, there’s a 200 percent increase. All good reasons to switch to tea 🙂
I saved this comment in email to re-read several times. This is very valuable information. I know coffee is not the best for me…but still struggle to completely let go of the habit. I remember hearing a study several years ago that coffee drinkers actually live longer. Have you heard of that study, Laurie? When I heard the results I was actually suspicious that it might be some quality in coffee drinkers rather than the coffee itself.
Kathy – When I Googled “Do coffee drinkers live longer?” I received a wonderful host of returns, thinking ” Oh Boy Howdy – Now I Can Drink Coffee!” When I Googled “The Health Hazards of Drinking Coffee” I received an equal amount of returns. Hmmmmm, that sends the message: “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” It’s definitely a personal choice. I’ve opted for hot water and hot tea, with the occasional indulgence of a fantastic cup of hot coffee — enjoying it down to the very last drop, and then licking out the cup!
Ah, tea. I grew up not drinking anything hot. Big deal or so I thought. Well, it seems that it is a big deal. My doctor has recommended I drink tea and she’s not even British. ; ) I have a digestive disorder and tea will help. All I have to do is drink it.
Tea does help mind and body.
Leanne – Not knowing what your digestive order is, have you considered adding Aloe Vera juice to your daily regimen? It’s like a miracle for the gut/stomach and all of the associated plumbing (intestines and colon).
Laurie — just you describing what it is like to drink tea makes me want to go get some! I don’t drink it very often (like most things that will hold me in the present moment such as massage, Reiki, etc.). I tend to always be in motion, but today your post reminds me of what a friend said to me while we were playing tennis. She said to just pause and enjoy the moment . . . how privileged we both were to be enjoying this game of tennis at this point in our lives. It was like a drink of tennis tea.
Barbara – “It was like a drink of tennis tea.” Ahhhhh, I like how that sounds. Drinking a hot cuppa tea does tend to cause one to slow down a wee bit. Good for the body, mind, and spirit.
Oh my gosh I have never heard of such a thing. It’s truly BEAUTIFUL! I will have to share on my blog also. Thanks so much guru Laurie!
I found this:
http://www.wholelattelove.com/teaposy.cfm?CMP=KAC-Google-teaposyBT&gclid=CKfSoZqr06MCFdLV5wodkkVyvQ
Beth – I followed your link and went over to Teaposy — cool! Thank you for the link. So far I’ve learned about three new types of tea from you, Jean, and Sheila. This post has certainly broadened my tea horizons!
OMG
The Creme Brulee sound absolutely delicious!
Let’s have a tea partyB
Beth could be coordinater…
I am in!
Everyone bring their favorite cup!
Kim