#teahut

TEA

As the apple trees in the orchard near the hut begin to blossom, I sit with an old friend. This teapot I use only for Yiwu sheng puer, regardless of age (I don’t have anything older than 2003, anyway.) I know very little about this pot other than its shui ping shape. It makes a great cup of Yiwu. 

Hello Again...

Welp, it’s been a while since I’ve written on here. Payton has written a few things here and there but mostly my voice has been absent from this blog. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been living the tea life. Quite the opposite. If you follow my instagrams (Chaxicollective and Settingsunteahut) you will notice this past year has been full of market, classes, tastings, workshops and Japanese tea dinners! I wrote an article about my hut that appeared in December’s Global Tea Hut, I was also featured along side my friend John, from Stone Leaf Teahouse, In a Seven Days article. I’ve had visitors from near and far, some as near as next door, some as far as Estonia! (Pictures are from Steve Kokker’s Visit last Friday)  It’s been great sharing tea with new people as well as familiar friends of me and tea. 

I could update you all on these specific things but that seems much better suited for an in person chat, so come visit! instead I’d like to focus on an interesting time for tea that I haven’t seen many talk about recently: 2007.

2007 was the year I really got into tea and Puer in particular. This also happened to be a a time when there was a huge boom in the market of tea, an explosion of new factories, random origin teas and crazy wrappers. This was also a difficult time to sift through reputable sources to find accurate info about quality vendors, translations of pinyin, or even just anyone else who might be drinking similar teas outside of the local teahouse. 

There were small breadcrumbs here and there that led me to various blogs (some of which are not publishing anymore) others were just beginning or at least building on their tea practices and therefore not yet go-to places in the internet. Various forums, tea-clubs and curated puer vendors were not yet commonplace so buying tea was also a bit of a gamble. 

You can read the book Puer Tea: Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic to learn a bit more about how the landscape of tea production changed thanks to certification updates. 

Part of the mystery about buying teas around this time was that they were new recipes with new materials made by new manufacturers. In the world of tea for aging, this was unfounded. Most teas on the market before this had some level of familiarity. This meant we needed to develop new tastes, learn to store tea well and then be patient that it would turn out better in a few years. 

Though I do not have any of the first puer I bought from back then (not having many teas in your budding collection means you drink through them really fast) I have tasted my fair share of teas from 2007 and have a few cakes that I’ve been storing since 2010. Now, in 2017, we can see how many of these teas from the unknown era (as I’m calling it..) are turning out. Both in the 10 years of their life and also more specifically in the 7 years in my own storage (two houses but still in Vermont climate) 

I’ve talked before about noticing changes in puer in 7 year increments. Generally speaking, the first 7 years being the most sweet, energetic, and fruity, the next 7 being the time where the dry, woody flavors come out and the tea mellows but also the chaqi becomes both more intense but also grounding. the 7 after that is when the first inclination of the “aged” tea flavors and qi will be apparent. The old book aroma and flavor, the lucid-dreaming type qi and the viscous and also earthy flavors start to really show their true colors.  This is of course just my experience with the teas I’ve had from the vendors and storage that have purchased from. These 7 year change thing has been pretty consistent for me though, only a few teas haven’t really fit that mold (no pun intended) 

With those parameters in mind, and comparing with teas before 2007 at the 7/14 year mark, My ‘07 cakes are tasting great! Not only have they continued to taste good, they have also aged nicely in my storage. This means I have some assemblance of how a young tea will do under my care. And hope that my tea will have a bit more than personal value in years to come. This by no means makes me a puer expert or even an accomplished collector. Most of you out their hoarding tea in your “pu-midors”  likely have way more tea than I do. What this means is that I can make more informed decisions about which teas I should buy. Many years ago I would have steered people away from buying teas from 2007-2010 and instead directed them towards older teas or at least teas from established brick and mortar vendors like Camellia Sinensis. 

Now that we’ve had enough time and distance from that “Boom” there is plenty of info available just about everywhere. Lots of blogs, English language books, Instagram, great tea-clubs, and a plethora of vetted puer curators. This is also enough time to look at weather patterns tea see how tea was affected. if you liked tea from 2005 (which I do, fantastic year for puer in my experiences) check the rainfall etc in Yunnan and compare to another year. Chances are if the storage is similar, investing in a youngish (under 7 years) puer that was produced with weather the same as your favorite year, the return in the future will be quite good. You don’t have to be an expert at deciphering meteorological data, just know that if you liked how the tea tasted when there was well above average rainfall or well below average temperature, chances are you’ll enjoy the tea with the same weather parameters from a different year. 

I haven’t gotten fully into that realm yet. I enjoy most puer I taste at every age shift so maybe I’m an easy sell. I have had a few teas that tasted great young, then petered out for a few years and only this past year have really developed into something special. So don’t give up either. 

Old Ways. Simple Living

Many of us gravitate towards tea as a way to slow down. If we are moving too quickly and not aware, we can often lose sight of the our state of home, relationships and health.  Tea can help reign that in as we need to take care while making tea. 

In addition to the mindfulness Tea brings out in us, it also serves as a reminder to what can be created the “old-fashioned way” by hand. A teapot made by hand, a scoop carved and finished by a single person with a single chisel or even a tea that is picked and finished many miles away from the nearest machine, all remind us. Here in Vermont, there are still many things done entirely by hand. From syrup, cheese and bread, to beer, pottery and especially gardens. 

Being able to grow and create from scratch is not only self sufficient but also more rewarding. Your hard work pays off in a more immediate sense then say getting a paycheck 2 weeks after you did the work, then driving to the store to spend the money on food and gas. 

When I look through books about tea history or really any long standing culture, I don’t necessarily look at it through nostalgic eyes. I don’t feel that far removed from it. I think, yep that makes sense, “we could do that” or “that seems like a good tool to use” Building the “Setting Sun Teahut” with my dad using wood from our land and minimal tools feels better than paying someone to build from a kit and coming back from working somewhere to see the daily progress. 

Going to the orchard, garden or blueberry bushes to pick and eat food feels better than being in place without land and garden space, having little money or no transportation and not knowing where your next meal is coming from. 

That’s not to say modern amenities aren’t useful. I am writing this on a computer and you are no doubt reading this on a similar computation machine. These things are great but not necessary to live a fulfilling life. Most people still have heroes and role models that grew up and survived without these things. 

If tea reminds us that we are capable of learning another culture, another way, then perhaps it really does mean we can learn to cook new foods, learn to grow vegetables and learn to paint or make pottery. 

Think about that the next time you sit down with some leaves and your teapot.  

-Your humble tea-hermit Ben

Shifting Focus

For many of us, the summer was a whirlwind. I was going back and forth between catering weddings and serving tea at the Farmer’s Market. The off days were filled with other jobs, lots of tea drinking and glorious but too dry weather. As the seasons change, we prepare ourselves not just for the coming winter but to slow down and finish tasks we have accumulated over the summer. Some of you make music, write stories, create children, go hiking, ride bikes or just take some breathing room between your busy work schedules. 

About a year and a half ago, I woke up from a dream and scrawled down on some paper a rough sketch for a Japanese style teahut. The last month and a half we have been building this teahut in my field. The summer has been filled with gathering cedar from my woods and planning the build with my Dad ( in between all the other stuff I mentioned) Last week was my last market for the season, and only one wedding remains so the teahut takes center stage. 

When we shift focus, there is a cathartic release of energy that for some makes it easier to create new things. Sort of like a musician writing a whole bunch of songs in one night. You get in a rhythm, on a roll, whatever you want to call it. After a few weeks of the markets, I had a good system for setup and breakdown and that made for a smooth day (the chaos of tea things all over the house after the market was not so smooth) Now that the market is over, have put my “tea shop” back in order. My focus has shifted to finishing the teahut. 

The hut (which I will write more about in a future post as well as for many years to come) is almost ready for visitors. during the entire construction, only a few people have seen it. I have only showed pictures to anyone who has come to see and help out in person. This will make it that much more special when people come to see it. 

As the teahut nears completion, I can feel my brain churning with ideas. Not necessarily tea related but of course some of the ideas are. Most of the ideas would provide a similar sense of accomplishment and pride once completed. 

I made a Teahut, what else can I do?

I can’t wait to share pictures, stories and tea at the new hut. Some of you will be joining me and I am so excited! Everyone else will have to wait to see the pictures (and then maybe you will book a trip to Vermont to see it in person!?) 

Stay Tuned.