Wednesday, September 8, 2010

My tea life

I was born and grew up in a city named Hangzhou which is famous for Longjing Tea, a branch of Chinese green tea. A cup of tea is a very nice and elegant way to start a brand new day, isn't it?
Hey, friends, what kind of tea do you often enjoy?
Having been back to KAIST for a week, I feel used to the tough academic schedule here. Tea is my great friend in my busy life. I will share two of my favorite tea recipes in my first post.
The first one is Jasmine + rose: my favorite jasmine tea is actually a combination of green tea and jasmine flowers. During stir-drying process, people placed a layer of jasmine over a layer of long leaf green tea then another layer of jasmine and so forth. The pleasant scent of jasmine can effectively remove bad smell in your mouth, therefore it is perfect for breakfast tea. Roses are called flower king and can be freely added to many kinds of teas. They help us enhance blood circulation and contain anti-oxidants that prevent cancer diseases and keep skin healthy.
The other one is Pu Erh +chrysanthemum. Pu Erh is kind of 'black tea' and it is really black in color. Different from green tea whose price is in accordance with its freshness, Pu Erh becomes more expensive as it becomes older like some wines. So it might be a good investment. Pu Erh has a good fame in Korea too probably since many of its benefits were studied recently. In Yunnan province where Pu Erh tea originated from, traditionally people cook rice with Pu Er tea. Nowadays, we prefer a cup of Pu Erh after a meal. It not only helps digest food in stomach, prevents constipation but also aids for deep sleep. Chrysanthemum tea adds a light aroma to Pu Er tea which makes the tea more refreshing. Chrysanthemum is beneficial for liver and eyes. I like drinking a cup of Pu Erh chrysanthemum tea after dinner.
So...do you like my recipes???
The first post was not supposed to be this long. I just cannot stop advertising my favorite teas. If you also like tea, we can talk more about that.

9 comments:

  1. Hi! Ling! Thank you for introducing many types of tea! I love Jasmine tea! It really help you digest Chinese food after or during you eat it, and adds nice aroma in mouth.
    I wanted to try chrysanthemum tea, actually i had it, but before i realize it, it was outdated. T.T. I guess chrysanthemum swells to bigger volume when hot water is poured?

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  2. To Gee Yon,
    you need keep an eye on their expire date,since the fresher the more tasty they would be. Chrysanthemum 'blooms' when hot water is poured into.
    One thing I found interesting is every country's food is best digested by that country's own after-meal drinks and in a country specific food are traditionally matched up with specific drinks.

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  3. I will have to try the rose and jasmine tea. I think my favorite kind of teas are Chai and Moroccan mint, but now that I am in Asia I should try some Chinese and Korean favorites!

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  4. Jasmine tea is my favorite tea. It makes me feel relaxed and at the same time energetic.
    I've read that jasmine flower opens only at night, filling the air with strong,pleasing aroma and its petal falls in the morning.
    Actually, one of my niece's name is Jasmine.You can check out her photos here: http://www.karimov.org/

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  5. Your niece is a pretty dancer^^
    I have the best Chinese jasmine tea in my dorm and I almost drink it everyday to refresh:D love it!

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  6. Thank you, I do believe that she's a pretty dancer too. ^^.
    p.s. Now I know why you always look so fresh~^^.

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  7. Jasmine + Rose in the morning
    &
    Pu-erh + Chrysanthemum at night-

    Sounds so good!

    You are a young well-being master I guess...

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  8. @redbybeing: not a master yet, but i see the 'drive',hahahaha

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