Dear Starbucks...

After 12 deliriously caffeinated years together, I'm just not into you any more. I've found a new love...

I'd mentioned that Seven Cups Denver was my new favorite crackhouse; loose tea is my new crack. I went to this fabulous little tea house and picked out my own teas and tea accoutrements last week and have been in absolute heaven ever since...




Bai Mu Dan (Preferred Peony) White


Bai Mu Dan or “White Peony” is named for the shape of its leaves. Its one bud and two leave plucking standard is left in its natural shape without the kneading and shaping usually involved in making a green tea. As other white teas, Bai Mu Dan undergoes a slow sun drying process which can take as long as forty hours to complete. Unlike Silver Needle, the raw leaves of Bai Mu Dan are heaped into a short pile for this drying process. The sun withered leaves are roasted dry at a low temperature...

Imperial Rou Gui Light Roast Rock Oolong

Imperial Rou Gui is a Zheng Yan Cha which means it grows in central part of the Wu Yi Mountains known for its mineral rich soil. Rou Gui, the name coming from the Chinese herb we call cassia, began its fame during the Qing Dynasty, and is now the most commonly grown Zheng Yan Cha. Cassia smells a bit like cinnamon. The smell is strongly cassia with a bit of orchid and honey. When picked in the early spring you will also notice a slight buttery aroma. This tea is lightly roasted over charcoal so you can easily appreciate the aroma compared to strongly roasted tea. The fragrance will last over many infusions, which is one of the tests for quality. Once brewed the tea is clear with light yellowish-green color. Like other famous rock oolong tea, you will notice the mineral flavor which with never go bitter and leaves a pleasant sweet aftertaste.

If you've never tried loose tea, I can't recommend it enough. I don't know if I've posted this before, but the "tea" in tea bags is nothing more than the dust left over from the real deal (leaves like the ones pictured above). Loose tea is typically inexpensive and incredibly economical because each serving (1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of tea leaves) is good for 3-5 infusions - all in all, much cheaper than a box of bagged tea from the grocery store.

Aside from the taste and economic practicality, it's just a lovely and relaxing personal ritual; ohm...

Descriptions, photos and text below: Seven Cups Denver dot com.


About Seven Cups Denver

‘Seven Cups’ is named after a very famous ancient poem about tea. Poetry, history and legend all have an important role to play in Chinese tea culture, and the Seven Cups poem is one of the traditional verses that is still recited today. It was written by Lu Tong (798-835 AD) during the years of the Tang dynasty, and the theory of seven cups of tea still bears Lu Tong’s name. It was written as a response to his friend Mong, a Tang court adviser, who had sent him a parcel of tea.

‘The Seven Cups of Tea’

The first cup caresses my dry lips and throat.

The second shatters the walls of my lonely sadness.

The third searches the dry rivulets of my soul to find the stories of five thousand scrolls.

With the fourth the pain of life’s grievances evaporates through my pores.

The fifth relaxes my muscles and bones become light.

With the sixth I find the path that leads to the immortal ancestors.

Oh the seventh cup! Better not take it!

If I had it the only feeling is the fresh wind blowing through my wings, as I make my way to Penglai.

- Lu Tong, Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907)