Blooming Art part 1: A Series Of Fashionable Teas
It's quite simple if you think about it, that tea is this gorgeous, perfume like, colorful substance that you add to water and miraculously it has a way to heal, entertain, warm, and form relationships. In my home growing up we always had pouches of tea and nothing more. It was then how I viewed tea as a white pouch that turned brown once saturated where I figured the in-complexity of it. It was when my dad and I bought my mom loose tea leaves in this 2 oz tin can for her birthday one year, that I first started liking the idea of tea even more. There are cultures that swear by it too, like England and their clocked in routine tea time. The stores I visited while spending time with a friend in London all made sure their teas were prominent above all other specialty food items sold around. Even India, China, and Japan find a greater importance for this dainty sipping drink, that does wonders for our bodies and mind.
Besides the healing properties and mental wellness it provides there is something more physical to tea. There are teas mixed with dried flower petals or citrus rind, grassy textures, and herbs and then there are those that sprout like flowers and create the idea of an underwater garden. Harney & Sons, Seven Sons Congratulating tea is this pinkish red flower, surrounded with jasmine petals. The tea grows in the Fujian Province, China nearest Taiwan which is one of the largest regions in China to produce tea . It's a beautiful combination of dainty meets feminine meets chic with touches of the color pink and jasmine. Jessica Haryanto and I spent some time thinking about how we could portray tea in a modest yet fashionable way. Jessica has spent some time in the fashion world and helped me collaborate on how to make this blooming art tea the perfect look for mid- summer. While we feel that pink is floral, feminine, fragrant, and loving, it allows us to create a tea scene that fits all these characteristics in any setting.
Tasting Notes
While this tea is especially delicate, the raw tea sphere- before it flourishes in water- smells of Fig Neutons. Steep the tea ball in hot water off heat and wait for its reveal in only a few minutes; the water should turn a pale yellow. With the addition of sugar or honey it's mild jasmine flavor is just as good either room temperature or hot. Some opinions my say it's not a hearty tea you drink with milk, especially because you don't want to hide its beautiful bloom. Seven Sons Congratulating Tea is refreshing and fashionable for any evening or morning sip in July.