Cute Tea Pet

Tortoise

Share with you a new tea pet in the shape of a tortoise bought from Taiwan! 

Isn't it cute? :)

Let's travel around the World to explore about tea culture~

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival~~

Pu'er tea with mooncake

Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in the Chinese community every year on the 15th of the eight month in the Lunar calendar. On this evening, the moon is the biggest and brightest of all days of the year. It is also a time for family to gather together and enjoy the festive delicacy- mooncake. Tea is often served along with this sweet and delicious snack, what is your choice of tea to go with mooncakes?

Mid Summer Tea Experience

Tea cup from Taiwan engraved with the Chinese character 'Tiger'

A cup of tea is only perfect when brew and served with fine tea ware.
Treat yourself and enjoy a perfect cup in this mid-summer Sunday.

Zen Painting by Mr. Quenten Lee

A Zen painting by the renowned Taiwanese artist Mr. Quentin Lee 李蕭錕. Mr. Lee often includes tea pot and tea cups in his Zen paintings since Tea is a conventional symbol of Zen Buddhism.

(Photo courtesy: Mr. Quenten Lee's Facebook Page)

Traditional Tea Can from Hong Kong

A traditionally designed tea can found in an old, established tea shop in Hong Kong! It was quite surprising to see this still available in the market, as many of the old tea shops have changed their packaging into a more modern design to cater for the younger generation. The insistent of using the traditional package is much appreciated because it reminds us that tea is a living history that we are part of! 

Tea Meditation

(Photo take from: http://langmai.org/dai-may-tim/thu-phap/mindful-art)

Tea can be used as a tool for meditation, the cultivation of mindfulness and self-awareness. 

Tea Meditation, is a process of full appreciation of the tea from the preparation to the last drop inside the cup and through the experience, one can focus on the presence of here and now.

Below is a post taken from http://silenc.es/teameditation/ (edited) that captures the essence of Tea Meditation practise by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh of Plum Village . Enjoy!!

Meditation can be the act of focusing on something as seemingly simple as a cup of tea. Here is a simple method you can practice around your cup of tea, at any time of day.

1. Choose your tea cup, and set it down mindfully, ready to be filled.
2. Select the tea you are going to brew, and boil the kettle.
3. Whilst the water boils, sit and practice a short breathing meditation, simply observing your in breath, and your out breath, as it rises and falls. Taking even these few moments each time you brew a cup of tea, will calm and refresh you.
4. Mindfully, with full attention, place the tea in the cup, or teapot, and pour the freshly boiled water over it.
5. Allow it to steep for 3-4 minutes, again, sitting beside it, simply following your breath.

When the tea is brewed, drink it, mindfully. 

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves.

Slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

Live the actual moment.

Only this moment is life.

You must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea.

Only in the awareness of the present, can your hands feel the pleasant warmth of the cup.

Only in the present, can you savor the aroma, taste the sweetness, appreciate the delicacy.

If you are ruminating about the past, or worrying about the future, you will completely miss the experience of enjoying the cup of tea.

You will look down at the cup, and the tea will be gone.

Life is like that.

If you are not fully present, you will look around and it will be gone.

You will have missed the feel, the aroma, the delicacy and beauty of life.

It will seem to be speeding past you. The past is finished.

Learn from it and let it go.

The future is not even here yet. Plan for it, but do not waste your time worrying about it.

Worrying is worthless.

When you stop ruminating about what has already happened, when you stop worrying about what might never happen, then you will be in the present moment.

Then you will begin to experience joy in life.”

Click here to watch a video, where Thich Nhat Hanh does tea meditation with Oprah Winfrey.