Hohhot train station

We arrived in Hohhot, the capitol city of Inner Mongolia, early in the morning and transferred from the train to a tour bus. The plan was to freshen up in the hotel before breakfast and then venturing out onto the Steppes.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Inner Mongolia. But like much of my tour experience, I was amazed at how new and modern the major cities are. Friends who had gone before me just a few years ago described a very different experience. Of course, this was true in Beijing because of the Olympics. But it was also the case in more remote areas.

Hohhot Hotel

Hohhot isn’t one of the international hot spots for tourism so there are no 5-Star hotels. Restaurants are also a bit limited. But I would say that it is comfortably modern. And, as in most of our tour through China, we were treated with great kindness.

The buffet breakfast at this and most hotels was surprisingly generous and stocked with many local specialties. There were trays of fresh fruit and large pitchers of juice. Rice for breakfast is a given along with fresh vegetables and soup. There were also various kinds of steamed buns and unusual sweets. I wish now that I had taken notes of the names of some of the more unusual foods. But they also served the traditional milk tea. And while it wasn’t served with ceremony at the breakfast buffet, it was delicious.

Mongolian Milk Tea is called Suutei tsai, made from brick tea that has been boiled with salt, milk and water. Frequently some grains will also be cooked into the mixture.

More on Suutiei Tsai and the Naadam Cultural Festival!

But I leave you with the photo of our hotel room tea service. Aaaah . . . .

Tea in Hohhot

Tea Ladies On The Night Train to Mongolia

One unexpected delight to the China Tea Tour was the overnight train from Beijing to Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.  It was this part of the trip that I first started to appreciate the expertise and commitment of our national guides. I started to realize how many things can go wrong in a schedule as full and tight as ours which could have seriously disrupted the plan.

Managing a dozen people and luggage on and off buses, in an out of hotels and arranging meals is one thing. But having those same dozen travelers nearly miss a completely full train was a challenge that will never be adequately translated. We were all too busy trying to man-handle our own luggage through a complex and crowded terminal to fully appreciate the delicate negotiations Mr. Wu demonstrated on our behalf.

“What did you do?” we all asked once safely through the chaos and on board the train in our compartments. He just shrugged and smiled. One of many times he worked magic to make travel flow seamlessly from one adventure to the next.

We all fit into three compartments. Luggage filled the overhead rack and the isles between bunks as each of us claimed a “rack”. Then there are always the toilet stories. But I can leave most of the details about “squatties” on a moving train to your imagination. What my camera missed were the signs at squatting eye level. One was a caution not to let your cell phone fall down the hole. The other was a reminder not to jump off a moving train. (Not about tea but I still laugh out loud when I remember the moment.)

Buying Tea on Lui Li Chang Street, Beijing

Quick Photo Flashback:

Being the tea devotees we all were, the plan to have tea on the train had been calculated that afternoon as we cruised an amazing tea and antique area called Lui Li Chang Street (Beijing). Several of our group spent the afternoon in an amazing tea store and found an Oolong worthy of celebration. But two elements – in addition to the superlative tea – were critical to properly enjoy tea on board a Chinese train.

One was a travel gaiwan set. A very generous companion on our tour team found an excellent mini-set in a clever travel pouch. She shared her brewing expertise, her travel set and an unforgettable tea she found on Lui Li Street!

The second was the fact that there was hot water available on our train.  At the end of the car was a small cabinet in which there was a kettle with a constant supply of hot water. Tea Land!

There we had a Train Tea Party.  We were a giddy group, jostling our way through multiple infusions. I think we lost count. But, finally, we were rocked to sleep on board our train.

End Of Non-linear Moment

There’s just something about taking tea in unusual surroundings . . . probably one of my reasons for going on this trip. New tea experiences. New life experiences. I had ridden trains before. I had slept on trains before. But I had never watched the gradual dawn over the gentle hills of this kind of countryside. As the light came up, I could watch from my upper berth – the pastures, the farms, unusual rock formations. An entirely new part of the world. But it could have been my home state. It could have been the grasslands of Western Texas. Except for the tea.

Factory Display of Puerh Cakes

Have you heard of Puerh tea?  It can be spelled multiple ways but it’s all the same tea.  People tend to think that only green tea is healthy for you, but studies are showing that other teas, especially this one, are just as good for you.

Puerh and Cholesterol

The most eye opening of these studies was conducted in France several years ago. A blind study was conducted with 500 hyperlipidemia patients (individuals with advanced cholesterol conditions, usually controlled with medication). Half of the controlled group consumed 3-4 cups of Puerh daily, while the rest of the participants were given something else. After a 30-day period the results showed that drinking Puerh on a regular basis could significantly lower cholesterol and further research confirmed that Puerh was as effective as the most advanced cholesterol lowering medications available.  (source: http://www.innteas.com/teas/puerh.htm)

Is it a black tea?

So what exactly is Puerh? And how did it get its name? The name “Puerh” comes from the name of the town in Yunnan Province in China where the tea is processed and sold, not from where the tea is actually grown.  Because the transportation of goods in the mountainous area was very difficult, it took a long time to transport the tea out of Yunnan by horseback.  The tea was transported inside burlap bags.  It began as “Sheng cha” green or raw tea and after the long journey often times a year or more, it naturally evolved into “Shou cha” or dark finished tea.  The high moisture content in the raw green leaves naturally promoted fermentation inside the burlap bags.  The result is a dark tea with a full bodied, deep red liquor with many layers and complex flavor (Puerh information obtained from Roy Fong of the Imperial Tea Court’s OMG Tea Class).

Puerh can be found in both loose leaf and compressed forms. It is not a black tea but rather its own type.  When you think of tea on a spectrum with green being the least processed to the most processed, Puerh falls at the end of the spectrum.  To find out more about this fascinating tea, stay tuned for Babette’s upcoming blog posts on Puerh teas and her experiences picking and processing her own tea cake.

Cinnamon Apple Scones

• 12 c. self-rising flour
• 2 c. sugar
• 1 lb. unsalted butter
• 4 c. apples, chopped
• 2 T. cinnamon
• 4 c. buttermilk

Topping:

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1 c. oatmeal
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 1 c. pecans, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar.  cut in butter until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
3. Add chopped apples and cinnamon.
4. Fold in about 3/4 of the buttermilk into the flour mixture to make a soft dough.
5. If dough is too dry, gradually add more buttermilk.
6. Turn out on a floured board.
7. Form into a circle which is about 8″ in diameter.  Press down lightly to about 1 inch thick.
8. Cut dough into 8 pie-shaped wedges.
9. Place scones on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
10. Mix together topping ingredients, place 1-2 T. of topping on each scone.
11. Press down topping lightly.
12. Bake until lightly browned about 10 minutes in a convection oven (all ovens are different so baking time can vary widely.)

Makes about 40 scones.

Tea at the White House?

The tea industry enjoyed an huge endorsement during this past year’s election. Whether you vote Red or Blue, if you’re a tea lover you can’t help but feel proud to know that the current White House residents are stocking up on tea. Even the LA Times noticed the Obama staff keeping him stocked with favorite RTD  (Ready to Drink) blends. And we’ve had confirmation that those same companies keep the First Family well supplied with TEA. His current favorite, Black Forest Berry & Green Dragon, ready-to-drink by Honest Tea.

To enter the contest, answer our tea question of the month, (hint, answer found somewhere in the newsletter).

How did the tea Puerh get its name?

C&C Front

Crown and Crumpet celebrate their 1st year anniversary!

We had the pleasure of meeting Christopher and Amy Dean in June of 2008 at the World Tea Expo, only a few months before they opened their lavish new tearoom in Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco. The ‘lavishness’ refers not only to the décor, but also the view and the rent. Amy fondly remembers, “Christopher was so excited showing me his pictures of the newly designed teapots with their logo on his mobile phone.  You could tell this tea room was his baby.  His excitement was infectious. It reminded of me when I opened my own tearoom.”

We all were impressed that they were choosing such a challenging market with the high-profile tourism. It’s an expensive piece of real estate with high demands by the landlord but they have the opportunity to make teatime much more visible. People will come to their door that may never have considered a cuppa in the afternoon. Christopher, Amy and their will trained staff will often be the first to introduce a tea menu and serve a pot of loose leaves. On the other hand, those of us with closets full tins love the opportunity to sit on the terrace and savor a fine Darjeeling while feasting on the visual flavor of fog dripping over the Golden Gate Bridge.

But the blessing of such an amazing view and brisk tourist trade is challenged by some of the leasehold demands. They are required to be open 9 AM-9 PM, seven days a week.  In addition to their tearoom menu, they must be open for breakfast and stay open late. And to the evening crowd they offer sherry and aperitifs along with tea and their fine food pairings.

Amy and Babette toasting tea at Crown and Crumpet

We were there on the day they first opened and celebrated by returning for their first anniversary. It was going to be an unusually hectic day so we snuck in before the crowds. The annual Chocolate Festival. Crown & Crumpet had already sold out of their seatings for special chocolate-themed teas. So, we accepted our bit of view and wished them well for a busy day and a successful year.

Crown and Crumpet

Dan: “I went to one tea house too many. It was in Wuyi Shan. A pretty girl took 15 minutes to make me a cup of tea. I watched as she meticulously brewed the tea and thought that it could have been done exactly the same way in this same place a thousand years ago.”

Dan Robertson picking tea in Yunnan, China

A common questions to ask a tea professional is how they chose this as their life’s work. One thing that seems to be universally true is that there are many experiences and then there is a single moment. For Dan Robertson, an interest in the culture of tea drew him more deeply into the love of the brew itself and his tea related businesses: The Tea House and World Tea Tours. And, in conducting his daily tea businesses he recreates something of what became his inspirational moment in tea. Tea is served at a traditional Chinese tea table. Your tea selections can be made after tasting teas and savoring bit of tea talk. Fifteen minutes? Maybe more, if you get Dan started on his stories? The pretty girl?

He can tell you about bamboo tea, pocket tea, and other more extreme methods of processing the rare leaf. He even shares a tale of one Chinese tour guide who picked a large amount and transformed the bus into a mobile drying room – bus tea.

Dan has also studied Chinese culture and language for many years, teaches Tai Chi and delights in an evening of fast-paced Mah Jong. Tea conversations can quickly drift into many other areas. Learning about the art and craft of fine teas is so much more interesting when we know the stories of the people and life in other countries.

Drinking Bamboo Tea

I’ve had the good fortune to be his next-door-booth-neighbor at World Tea Expo, to attend his classes, to enjoy several lengthy tea chats by phone and to be part of his 2009 China Tea Tour. Dan’s tea education, like many of the pros we will feature here, is the result of a personal journey. Most are not just self-taught but had to write their own curriculum. They started before STI (Specialty Tea Institute) and other tea schools. They traveled to the countries of origin, observed the complete process, talked with the manufacturers and the exporters. And they know the world history and literature as well. It’s a big picture. And most of these great teachers emphasize knowing culture to know the leaf.

Beginning as a documentary filmmaker in 1989, Dan has traveled throughout Tea Land meeting tea growers and manufacturers in the main tea producing countries. His film, For All The Tea In China, focuses the lens on the history, evolution and culture of tea. But it wasn’t until 1995 that The Tea House opened. Then, in 1997 World Tea Tours led their first tour to China. Since then there have been tours to both China (including Inner Mongolia and Tibet) and India with plans to expand into Japan, Ceylon and Vietnam in 2010 and 2011.

Lecture and tasting with Fujian Tea Manufacturer

Dan Robertson is also a tea educator and everyone who visits his shop becomes a student. Like many of the tea people in the early days of importing tea to the U.S., he realizes the importance of sharing the picturesque background of tea with newcomers. From small school groups who visit his shop to the larger venues at World Tea Expo – he customizes the message of tea. His topics vary from a basic Tea 101 and legends of tea to more specific growing and manufacturing techniques. But to every tea conversation, he brings an authenticity built on an investment in time and study of the people and places of tea as well as the leaf.

≈ ≈ ≈

With the rapidly growing interest in premium teas, there is also an increased need for experienced teachers. One of the most frustrating aspects of the US tea industry now is how to qualify the expertise of our industry spokespersons.

Some of the most experienced tea people, our mentors and icons, tend to shy away from the Expert label. It may be that the more you know, the more you realize you don’t yet know. And someone who might seize the label to draw media attention could have done very little to develop true expertise.

Here in our Who’s Who in Tea Land section, we are seeking out the people who have invested time in study, travel and tasting. But there will also be features on the local tearoom owners and creative writers. Each will have an interesting story and a bit of wisdom to share. We will to point to their particular areas of expertise and help you come to know the people of passion in tea.

Babette and Amy at the Samovar

On September 13th, I had a wonderful day of tea in San Francisco.  It started early in the morning.  Babette picked me up at the Ferry Building.  We went to Ghiradelli Square to the Crown and Crumpet Tea Room to take a picture for the International Tea Sipper’s Society newsletter.  From there we went to the original Samovar Tea Lounge.  It was wonderful!  I had a delicious Phoenix Oolong.  After Samovar we stopped by Lovejoys, a traditional tea room to drop off some of Babette’s Emma Lea books for them.  We spoke briefly with the owner and had hoped to have afternoon tea there, but they were packed!  From there we went to Japan town for a quick stop and picked up some Genmaicha Tea before going to China town.

In China town we went to Red Blossom, a wonderful tea shop filled with rare teas.  I bought a package of Ancient Wuyi Oolong for myself and a package of Silk Oolong (similar to our Milk Oolong) for my son Jacob.  He’s 10 years old and absolutely loves tea, especially oolongs!

After China town we walked to James Norwood Pratt’s apartment for afternoon tea.  Many of you may know him.  We were fortunate to have him on 2 different occasions at my tea room.  He’s a wonderful man and knows absolutely everything there is to know about tea.  Valerie made us English Scones and we drank tea all afternoon and talked.

Roy's OMG Tea Class

In the early evening, we back down to the Ferry Building to take part in Roy Fong’s OMG Tea Class. Roy is the owner of the Imperial Tea Court.  His class was absolutely amazing!  We tasted 5 different teas from his private collection.  They were all superb but my favorite was his Imperial Purple Puerh from 1989. The leaves were exquisite and the taste was amazing! What a wonderful way to end the day! I didn’t get home until 11:30 that night but I had no trouble staying awake due to the amount of tea I had drank all day

Class @ Roys

To date, I’ve been recounting our group’s meandering through Beijing. These few articles barely do it justice to the great city of history, culture and the world of tea but I’m anxious to move on. We’re still a long way from the most famous tea provinces. While I’m committed to keeping the tour on schedule, I’m chomping at the bit to tell some more tea-specific stories.

The upcoming post will have our group boarding the train to Inner Mongolia. Some of the highlights will include the overnight train trip, teatime on the train and the capital city of Hohhot. From here we went by bus to a music festival on the high grasslands – the steppes. The tea aspect here is a milk tea made from compressed bricks. One is the traditional tea served with our meals and the other was the tea prepared at a more remote site. Mode of transportation for this adventure was horseback.

Following the adventures in Mongolia we fly down to the Yunnan Province. Think Puerh tea and some amazing experiences. We made our own teacakes and hiked into the jungle to pay our homage to the King of Tea Trees. We may not have uncovered the secret ingredient but we all learned more as we experienced the process first-hand. Bamboo Tea? Stayed tuned.

So, I invite you to stay tuned and live vicariously through my experiences. Feel free to comment, ask questions or press delete if I go on a bit too much.