This weekend on Saturday was the third annual Victoria Tea Festival 'Revival'. For a small donation of 5$ and your own cup from home you could sample some of the local tea companies in town, as well as from the Mainland. We weren't quite sure what to expect, as there used to be a tea festival that took place in Victoria that had been cancelled due to lack of funds. It was one of the major reasons why I wanted to move to Victoria. The tea culture on the island seemed so diverse, full of life and passion. It was intoxicating, and while my interest in tea was still budding at the time, I was disappointed to hear the year that I landed on the island I now call home was the same year the tea festival had been canned. When I was surfing around on Facebook about a week ago I just so happened to stumble across a targeted advertisement for the tea festival. I immediately got jittery and fired off an all caps text to my roommate. Date. Time. Place. A giant grin on my face. Check, check, check, aaannd check! We had to go. Based on the photos they had on their Facebook page, the outdoor venue was much smaller then what my roommate was used to. They had previously attended a festival that took place at the Crystal Gardens that had lots of different classes, covering various topics related to tea. There were demonstrations on how to hear the temperature of the water without needing a thermometer, as well as proper tea ceremonies that you could learn about and take part in. This festival was small. There were roughly seven different booths, not including the Tea Symposium inside the JagaSilk Tea Bar. Each of the booths were unique in what they had to offer. The first offered samples of their tea. All I could see was a bright green-blue, and thanks to the butterfly pea flowers we talked about in our Howl's Moving Castle blog post, I knew right away what we were looking at. They were showcasing their personal blends that included the special transformative flower. The one on sample was butterfly pea flowers, lavender and peppermint (sourced from Washington State; a popular place for quality mint, if you were curious). The next stall was a woman who did tea readings (which Astra will touch on in a bit), and another made tea infused jellies. Of course I had to ask why all their bases were with grape jelly to satiate my own curiosity, though I was certain of the answer already. Grape is a surprisingly versatile flavour that pairs well with many profiles, all while not interfering with other flavours in the dish (or in this case, jelly). Case in point, the grape was like a step ladder for the tea infusions. Some were more subtle then others -- like green tea jellies versus the earl grey infusion. As we moved down the line, we came across a man selling more medicinal teas that were inspired by Chinese medicine. They had their own blends as well, focusing on specific themes; Remedy for cold and flu; Sleep for peaceful rest; Cleanse for a light detox. We sampled the Cleanse tea, which had a really lovely roasted flavour to it. We had expected a far more medicinal flavour to the tea and were extremely thrilled when we sipped the tea and found it far more enjoyable then medicine should be. But, hey! We're not going to complain. After all, it's good for you! My roommate and I shuffled down the line, and found ourselves at a kombucha stall. For me kombucha is really hit or miss, especially considering that the kombucha we know here on the West Coast is not the kombucha many Asian countries are familiar with. But we're not here to talk semantics. All things considered It was some of the best kombucha I have had so far living on the island, and Unity Jun's products are made in Canada! It made the experience all the more special. Our last stop was at the JagaSilk booth where they were making a sample of their lovely matcha (or maccha if you prefer) right at the table for all those interested! Recommended at 65°C, the thing you need to understand about matcha is that it is very delicate (do you see a recurring theme? Take notes! Take care of your tea). You really need to control the water flow and pour of your spout. If you follow us on our Instagram you will have most likely seen the video that was posted. The attendant's kettle had a very fine, small spout to it. She added the water very slowly, pausing every now and again, and once ready to whisk she used a specific wrist motion in order to get a nice froth with her matcha. A good matcha will be extra creamy, and if you can appreciate some of the more umami flavours that matcha can have, then I highly recommend popping by the JagaSilk tea bar if you're ever in Victoria! It was a quick walk through, but rather intimate. While it was over sooner then I would have liked it was a nice break from ordinary life. It was a reminder to take a deep breath once in a while, but also a nudge to attend some of the smaller events in your town or city. You never know what you could be missing! I would gladly go again next year, and hopefully next time with even more tea! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Astra's Tea Reading Review: Rather than a book pairing for this special additional post, I'm going to focus on a different kind of reading--a tea leaf reading! At the Victoria Tea Festival, a woman named Nicole was offering Tea Leaf Readings. Having never had my leaves read before I was very curious to see what it was all about. I've read Tarot cards for years, and have always had a fascination with various forms of pattern-reading, clairvoyance, and fortune telling. How did this particular method work, what was involved, and what kind of response would Nicole read in my tea cup? At first, I was attracted to the table by all of the adorable teacup-and-saucer sets. These were British style vessels, not the small Chinese porcelain cups I had expected. One in particular caught my eye: with a lattice-like rim to its saucer, a shimmering opalescent lacquer inside the porcelain, and a short wide cup. There were also four teas from our local Silk Road Tea company to choose from, and a number of small silver spoons for us to brew our own cups. Asking to sign up for a reading, I found that there was an empty slot starting in 4 minutes, and taking it, I was encouraged to pick, brew, and drink my tea as soon as possible so we could begin. I selected Philosopher's Brew, which is one of my favourites from Silk Road (a lemongrass, chamomile, rosehips blend that provokes introspection and relaxation), and one we've been out of stock of at home for some time. Since Nicole was still learning the art, and because I was the first of the day, I think I caught her off-guard a little, as there were a few instructions she forgot to give me while I was stirring the loose tea in my cup--like the fact that I'm supposed to focus on a specific question, or topic (much the same as one focuses when shuffling Tarot cards). Instead, I watched my tea steep, trying to cool it quickly enough to drink. As the residue must be left behind on the rim and bottom of the cup, the tea is brewed loose. One is meant to use their teeth against the edge of the cup to strain as they drink. If one has rabbit front teeth, like me, this proves less than satisfactory, so once my tea cooled enough to be a tolerable temperature to stick my lip into, I began sieving through my lips instead. All in all, I ended up eating quite a bit of my tea (so glad I chose a herbal)! One drinks their way around the rim of the cup, each sip progressing bit by bit. With a handled cup, this does make for some awkward last dregs, as the handle was tucked up against my chin, but I managed it. I was requested to be sure to drain every last drop, before passing my cup to Nicole. Discovering at this point that I was meant to have been meditating on a theme, I decided to pick a general topic that would tie in with where my head-space has been lately. If any whirring subconsciousness was influencing the patterns my lips made in the leaves, it would like be on this theme: The Path Ahead. I won't go into the minutiae of my reading, nor the interpretations I took from it. Instead I want to highlight what the experience was like, in case you are interested in having your leaves read. Nicole smelled the tea first, cupping the bowl of the teacup in both hands. Beyond the scent of the tea itself, sometimes a person leaves behind their own scent that mingles with the tea and imparts a theme to the reading. Next, she rotated the cup between her palms, inspecting the shape of the clump of leaves at the bottom of my cup, and also inspecting the trail of patterns and gaps made by the dregs trapped along the rim of the cup. She appeared to be rotating the cup in the same direction I had rotated it to drink. Then she began reading with the "high level" pieces, that is, each of the clumped shapes around the rim. Each cluster represented different symbols, which have meanings (much like the symbolism of images found in dreams). The more tangled or complex each cluster, the busier that segment would be, sometimes with more to juggle or more at stake. The gaps between clumps acted as pauses between events or stages of the coming weeks. Sometimes there would be a simple symbol (at one point I had perfectly crossed lemongrass filaments, like an x in the midst of a gap, which implied introspective discovery, rather than direct action). After reading each of these, Nicole then moved on to the conclusion to my question--in this case, my destination in the path ahead--which revolved around the larger clump of leaves at the bottom of the cup. These sink and settle while drinking, and so are considered anchoring--the result of all of the action and choices represented on the rim. Their configuration also seemed to explain the timeline of this reading, and provide some guidance to keep in mind while facing the path ahead. I tried to look up some of the symbolism she mentioned afterwards, and there seems to be a great deal of complexity as to when certain symbols hold certain meanings, though I'm not sure if this is to do with placement, proximity, or other techniques. As with any soothsaying endeavour, I try to provide as little feedback to the reader as possible, allowing them to give me a "clean" reading unaffected by leading responses. This allows me to go over the notes I made and meditate on their guidance on my own later. I use these sorts of readings not as "what is my fortune?" but rather as "what should I put some focus on in my life right now?" and in that context, the Tea Leaf Reading was very much on point. It was an interesting experience, and I would be curious to do another in the future. That's it for now! See you on Friday for our regular steep.
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Ember's Tea Review: Venus Sophia's Cherry Blossom green tea has to be one of my absolute favourite teas of all time. All the way from Japan, Venus Sophia's tea has such a lovely and complex flavour. A great sign of a high quality tea is how the temperature of the tea impacts the flavour. In this particular case I am not referring specifically to how hot your water is at the time of steeping. Instead I am referring to how the different notes layer over one another as the beverage naturally cools. There's something so inviting and nostalgic about this tea for me. My first time trying it was actually during the spring time as well. The city was bursting with pink flowers, and my roommate and I had decided to try Venus Sophia for the very first time. They had just opened their doors in the heart of Canada's oldest China Town, labelling themselves a vegetarian eatery and tea room. We were definitely intrigued! We made reservations, and upon arrival we were walked to our seats and given our menus. When I saw Cherry Blossom on their tea menu, I knew right away that I had to try it. The cherry blossoms were lining our city streets outside and it seemed all too appropriate. Since then, Venus Sophia has swiftly become one of my favourite places in all of Victoria, and it has wiggled its way in to mine and my roommate's heart as one of our favourite places to go to eat. Almost every time I leave Venus Sophia I buy more Cherry Blossom. How could I not constantly want it in stock on my tea shelf? The minute you begin to prep your water and put the loose leaves in to a strainer, you become very aware just how magnificent this tea really is. The tea leaves have such a deep, rich green hue and the rose petals add such a lovely pop of pink! Wait, did I just say rose petals? I did! Despite its name there are not any cherry blossoms actually in Cherry Blossom. It instead masterfully pairs a sour cherry and rose flavour profile. Both of these flavours paired with the green tea get your mouth really salivating as soon as you smell it. If I had to hazard a guess, I would bet this particular green tea was shade grown based on the dark colour and aroma, but I can't say for certain. Venus Sophia has not listed its exact source or ingredients. It is also worth noting that the "sour cherry" aspect of the tea is actually quite delicate and sweet. It does, however, have a very subtle but enjoyable tang to it. This is one of those teas that almost tastes exactly how it smells. There's nothing more disappointing then a tea that smells so scrumptious yet tastes like nothing, no matter how you steep it. Another thing I really love about this tea is how it tastes amazing hot, and even better cold, which isn't always the case with green teas. When still warm, you notice the green tea flavour and the cherry considerably more. Once the tea begins to cool, it really transforms. It becomes more floral and its natural sweetness comes out. This is personally my go-to drink of the summer, and the first tea I crave in the spring. For this particular tea I would recommend under boiling water and only steeping the tea for one to one and a half minutes. Any hotter or longer and you risk ruining the flavour of this very sensitive tea. You'll definitely get that very dry-mouth feeling I referred to in an earlier blog post from burning the tea leaves. You definitely need to pay attention to your steeping temperature and times for this tea. I would recommend Cherry Blossom to anyone who is unsure if they'll like green tea or not. It's a great starter green tea if you're wanting to start with something flavoured, or if you want all the health benefits of a green but hate the flavour and bitterness typically associated with a green tea. I would not, however, recommend this tea to anyone who has a habit of steeping their tea and walking away from it for several minutes or hours at a time. I would also suggest this tea to anyone who prefers organic teas, or to those who prefer as few ingredients in their tea as possible. It's a simple tea, yet has so much personality. If you have an interest in purchasing this tea, or want to check out Venus Sophia yourself, you'll have to plan a trip to our lovely city of Victoria in British Columbia! They are a local business, and an amazingly good one with fantastic and caring staff. If you're still curious about them, you can check Venus Sophia out here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Astra's Book Review: As Spring is blooming in lovely Victoria, hope returns—a perfect time for something refreshing and delicately sweet. This book pairing is none other than Persuasion, Jane Austen’s shortest novel, but my favourite. Unlike most of Jane Austen’s work featuring young, plucky heroines who make fantastic matches that are both advantageous and acceptable to their families, Persuasion is more emotionally driven. Its protagonist, Anne, is nearly in her 30s by the time the story opens. Her bloom of youth has been so dimmed by nearly a decade of broken-heartedness and resignation to becoming an old maid, that she is plain and forgettable to nearly everyone around her. The reason for this melancholy? Why, Anne Elliot let the love of her life slip away because her dearest friend, Lady Russel disapproved of the match. Thus, due to someone else’s persuasion, Anne lost her chance at true happiness. Her paramour, one Captain Frederick Wentworth, perceived her willingness to break off their engagement as a sign that, at best, she was a silly little girl that had no will of her own or, at worst, she never truly loved him if her heart could be so easily persuaded. Thus he ships off to fight in the navy. With deft skill and subtlety, Jane Austen reintroduces these two nine years later, in the city of Bath, when both of their fortunes have much changed. Told tightly from Anne’s point of view, our protagonist realizes she is still as in love with Captain Wentworth as ever. At his initial chilly disdain, she accepts her punishment for having spurned him. Anne finds herself repeatedly thrown into awkward social situations, often surrounded by younger, bubblier women throwing their affections at Captain Wentworth, and she suffers in silence. Though Anne wallows in her regret, she offers nothing but kindness, grace, and service to the people around her. This, she decides, is her rightful lot in life and she will face it as admirably as she can. It’s this quality that prevents Anne from being weak or whiny; she soldiers on even under the most painful circumstances. Of course, this is a Jane Austen novel, and romance does come searching for Anne. From the morose booklover, Benwick, whom Anne builds an affection for, to the dashing Mister Elliot, Anne’s cousin, who seems quite determined to woo her—all the gentlemen of Bath all seem to be on the lookout for wives. Yet, through all this, Captain Wentworth is never far from earshot, and Anne’s heart remains fully devoted to him alone. Truly a story of devotion, steadfast love, and learning to hold to one’s convictions—no matter what--Persuasion is an artfully crafted romance. For those who have never read a Jane Austen novel, it is perhaps the most accessible, with a smaller cast and compact plot. The language is fitting to her time, with insinuation and turns of phrase that do require some knowledge of the era, but if her longer works have been daunting: start here. Persuasion is deeply touching, and contains some of the most stirring lines in classic literature. I’ll leave you with these words: “You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's it for this week! Oh, wait -- it's not? That's right! We'll be taking a trip down to the Victoria Tea Festival tomorrow and will be doing a blog post about the different tea they have on sample. We'll let you all know how the festival goes and will likely have the post up before the weekend is over. If you'd rather just wait for our next tea and book pairing then we'll see you next Friday! Ember's Tea Review: Magic Potion was a tea I tried last October when I heard about David Tea's Halloween collection. Due to the popularity of Magic Potion it swiftly became a year-round favourite. We got it in a sample kit with many of the other seasonally renamed and Halloween exclusive teas (packaged in a cute haunted house box complete with ghosties). When I first tried it I had no idea that it was going to be purple, or that when you added lemon juice it changed colour! I missed that memo entirely. The first time we made it the tea was steeped rather lightly. I was stretching it out between three different cups and only had a very small portion of the tea to make it work, so when my roommate and I started discussing book ideas I was eager to give Magic Potion another shot! Astra already had a short list of some books she wanted to review. One of the books on that list was Howl's Moving Castle. I had seen the movie but had yet to read the book myself ( it's on my to-read list ), but was excited to find a pairing that worked. Trusting my roommate's knowledge of the book I asked, "What about Magic Potion?" So, here we are, a few cups deep. This time around I steeped Magic Potion correctly, and even tried adding the lemon juice after my initial tasting was over. Here are the things I noticed about the tea overall: The dry look of the tea wasn't much to write home about. It looked like a bunch of dehydrated raisins (I knew they were black currants, though), some sad looking flowers and a looooot of apple pieces. I sifted through the hoards of dehydrated fruit to try and find the rosehips they were talking about. They looked so similar to the apples I almost couldn't tell they were in there. The smell prior to steeping was quite fragrant, though! It definitely made up for the somewhat initially lacklustre appearance. The smell was quite sweet, and the stevia used to sweeten the tea was one of the big contenders, alongside the smell of the black currants. I couldn't really pick up on the rosehips or the butterfly pea flowers. I admit I am not really sure what I was expecting from the butterfly pea flowers. Considering I've never smelled one before, so I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for. The tea smelled delicious, though! The smell after steeping was quite different. If you have never smelled your tea leaves before and after steeping you are really missing out on the fascinating complexities of your teas. Magic Potion in particular became much more delicate after being steeped. The floral notes of the butterfly peas started to come out, and the rosehips were now one of the more distinguishable aromas, the black currants almost completely unnoticeable. I plopped the wet tea on to a saucer for closer inspection, and the transformation was pretty whimsical. The flowers were far more blue and vibrant in colour then they had been prior to being steeped, and the rosehips actually looked more red again. The black currants even looked rejuvenated. I couldn't help but to think of Sophie's constant shifting between her youthful beauty and elderly exterior in the movie. Seeing the before and after of the tea really solidified for me that we had chosen the correct tea to pair with Howl's Moving Castle. For this tea I used over boiling water and let it steep for five minutes. I find a lot of the time David's Tea estimated steeping times tend to be really off for most of their teas, resulting in a burnt flavour. It matters a whole lot less for fruit infusions, seeing as the longer you steep it the more flavour you get. But in the case of black, green, and white teas -- trust me -- follow the 1-2 minute rule for whites and greens, and 3 minutes rule for blacks (you'll get a lot less of the dry-mouth feel). But let's get back on track! Probably the thing I loved most about this tea was it's colour. The deep purple colour was prominent as soon as I poured the boiling water over the infusion. I watched the clear pot fill with a dark red-purple liquid which was magical all on its own. Butterfly pea flowers are what give this tea that magical component, and when mixed with a little bit of lemon juice it turns a lighter shade of violet. Before the lemon juice was added I took a few small sips. Honestly, it reminded me of grape soda (have you ever tried Zeevia? It tastes just like their grape soda). All I could taste was the black currants ( a very raisin-y flavour for those that have never had them ) and the stevia. I am not a big fan of stevia myself, so I added the lemon juice pretty quickly to try and off-set some of the sweetness. Oh man. It tasted just like sour blue raspberry! I was officially perplexed. A tea that one moment tasted like grape soda suddenly tasted like a tart but refreshing blue raspberry drink. It was a real head scratcher, but I was really impressed by how oddly versatile this tea was. If you have a sweet tooth, then I can definitely see where Magic Potion could become a staple in your tea collection. If I were to make any recommendations to people for this tea, I would probably ask a few questions first: Do you have kids? Trying to prevent them from drinking super sugary juice all time? Stevia is a great alternative, and Magic Potion chilled or put over ice would be a great replacement for some of the more sweet drinks kids tend to go for. You can make it in large batches with a leak proof pitcher and stick it in your fridge. Or, are you a fan of tart drinks? Or do you like experimenting in the kitchen? Then add a little lemonade or lemon juice to Magic Potion, pour the liquid in to some popsicle moulds and toss them in the freezer. You now have a delicious treat for the summer that's going to be really refreshing. Personally I am less inclined to drink this tea on its own due to its sweetness ( as I am not a big fan of overly sweet teas ), but I will definitely be making some tea pops this summer with Magic Potion as my base! If you are interested in purchasing this fascinating tea, you can do so here! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Astra's Book Review: I wanted to pair Howl’s Moving Castle with Magic Potion for a number of reasons: they’re both sweet, both have features that can be changed with a little domestic magic, and both are vibrant purple! Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones was brought into the modern public consciousness by Studio Ghibli’s beautiful adaptation. While the film stayed fairly faithful to the bones of the book, some of the most endearing nuances were lost in trying to translate the content for a Japanese audience (example: Cardiff’s excellent involvement in the plot was cut entirely). In a classic fairy tale style, Jones interweaves several different fantastical settings that are familiar despite how deceptively fresh the story is. The main setting is Ingary, a country somewhat Victorian England in its sensibilities, from which the trilogy (The Land of Ingary Trilogy) gets its name. The challenges faced by our heroine, Sophie Hatter—including excessive housework, difficult friendships, breaking curses, and elaborate journeys—require very practical talents. When set upon by the Witch of the Wastes, Sophie is just a milliner. Transformed into an old woman, Sophie goes in search of someone powerful enough to break the Witch’s curse, and is forced to tangle with demons, bewitched scarecrows, and (of course) Howl the Wizard. Yet, Sophie is not the young ingénue seeking adventure featured in your standard Disney movie; she’s the eldest of three sisters, easily the least outgoing of them, and really an old maid at heart from the opening pages. Sophie’s journey teaches her to live for herself through patience, courage, and stalwart support of her friends—even when they don’t deserve her. Many an introverted reader will find a fragment of themselves in our heroine, making this book all the more timeless. Jones’ writing is inspiring and memorable, and I would strongly recommend all young people to read it as a rite of passage. The titular character, Howl, is wonderfully awful. Emotionally stunted, melodramatic, and completely self-absorbed, Jones once stated that Howl somehow remained her most popular character. She also said she spent a good deal of time at readings and signings trying to convince young girls that Howl was precisely the wrong sort of man to moon over, without much success. Howl’s magnetism is undeniable; in fact, its what makes the story work. If it weren’t for the curiosity, allure, and perhaps even pity Howl evokes, there’s no way we could tolerate Sophie’s standing by him. By remaining—somehow—so charming, we root for Howl. Jones’ magic seems reflexive rather than flashy (Howl notwithstanding), and this naturalized sense of curses and blessings highlights how much power we each possess in the lasting impact of our spite, our will to pursue our dreams, and how important our devotion is against the worst the world can throw at us. The style is old-fashioned by modern fantasy sensibilities (such as chapter titles captions by what happens within them, i.e. In Which Sophie Talks to Hats)—but it was originally released in 1986. For those growing wearing of the slash-and-gloom trend of modern fantasy books, you will find a welcome reprieve. Diana Wynne Jones was prolific, with countless books equally worthy of your attention…yet she has not retained the popularity she deserves. There is much to love in these accessible pages. So, dust off Howl’s Moving Castle, just as Sophie would, and dive into its cast of bizarre and memorable characters. And when you go to refill your teacup, you can tuck into the rest of the trilogy: Castle in the Air, and House of Many Ways. Happy reading! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That wraps up this week's tea and book pairing! We hope you enjoyed our reviews and check back next week for our latest recommendations! |
AuthorsEmber and Astra joined forces to blog about their two deepest passions: books and tea! Here you will find information on various teas, and--alongside each tea--a book that will be perfectly paired and analyzed. The full book reviews (containing spoilers) as well as the source for the tea will be linked to in each blog post! Archives |