Tea has practically become synonymous with England. The Brits do more than their share to keep those tea gardens in other parts of the world very busy growing and processing tea. Two of those places are China, where tea growing and drinking is said to have originated, and Japan, where tea is so important to their lives that it was part of their emergency rations after a tsunami hit a few years ago. While a Western or British touch to your tea time is very customary, more people are opting for that Asian touch. Here are 5 ways for you to join in the trend:

1 A Tea from China or Japan

Tea time starts with tea. So an appropriate choice is important. And you have quite a few. I focused on the green ones, but in China there are others – black teas, oolong, white teas, and a wide variety of pu-erhs.

Chinese Green Teas to choose from:

• Jasmine Dragon Tears Green Tea
• Jasmine with Flowers Green Tea
• Superior Gunpowder Green Tea
• Shanghai Lichee Jasmine Tea
• White Eagle Long Life
• English Tea Store Chinese Tea Loose Leaf Sampler

Most tea in Japan is green, but they have quite a variety.

Japanese Green Teas to choose from:

• Gyokuro Japanese Green Tea
• Izu Matcha Japanese Green Tea
• Sencha Japanese Green Tea
• Sencha Green CO2 Decaffeinated Tea
• Organic Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose Festival Green Tea
• Genmaicha Japanese Green Tea
• Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose Festival Green Tea
• English Tea Store Japanese Tea Loose Leaf Sampler

2 A Matcha Experience

The matcha tea mentioned above is part of a tea ceremony. You don’t have to go quite that far. But a Matcha Tea Spoon will certainly help. The “spoon” (more of a scoop) is just short of 7½ inches long and made of bamboo, a quick growing member of the grass family. (The spoons are sold separately.) Bamboo is a symbol of longevity in many Asian countries, so you are also adding that image to your tea experience.

3 A Zen Style Teapot

This Zen Style Glass Teapot isn’t really Asian, but it will convey that Asian air to your tea time. It holds a generous 42 ounces of liquid. The body of the teapot is hand blown borosilicate glass, and the handle is bamboo. It comes with a raised bamboo base, bamboo tea scoop, and micro-mesh stainless steel filter. The filter is definitely NOT Asian, but compromises in tea preparation or blending in with your usual pattern some different ways to enjoy tea can be inspiring. The scoop is great for getting the loose tea leaves into the teapot.

4 A bamboo tea strainer

Once the tea has steeped in that glass Zen teapot, you can use a bamboo strainer to keep the leaves out of the cups. Keep a few on hand, so that they can thoroughly dry between uses, and don’t use them for teas with very fine particles.

5 Asian Symbols

A few Asian symbols are a nice touch here. Since we are heading into that colder time of year, include in those symbols the 3 Friends of Winter: Plum (mei 梅), Bamboo (zhu 竹), and Pine tree (song 松). A bit of red here and there are good, too, since it is the color of good luck and happiness. Or go with yellow which is one of the 4 colors of longevity. Combine both red and yellow for double good luck. Chrysanthemums symbolize the tenth month of the Chinese lunar calendar (roughly our October), so have a vase of them on hand. The crane is another sign of longevity, so a picture of one is great to have.

Whatever your particular selections, have a great Asian tea time!

See more of A.C. Cargill’s articles here.

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