Please don’t cringe. It all sort of happened by accident and because of my inability to restrain myself. Yesterday during our bi-weekly “Ladies of Tea Trade” Google+ Hangout I decided to finally partake in an indulgence so graciously provided by @Jopj. It was a vibrant, deep emerald green Sencha. The leaves were thin and almost silky in appearance. Just looking at it I knew I was in for a treat. I should mention the tea was from “Sara’s Tea Caddie.” I had never had the opportunities to try any of her teas until now and I am sorry it took this long. It is as if I had been punishing myself from what could have been bliss all this time. Without a doubt this Sencha was fresh, vegetal and in a “BIG” way which for me is the only way to go.
I decided to steep this beautiful specimen in my new white Magisso Teacup. I place one level teaspoon into the side with the filter. I found this particular leaf works very well with this cup as it does not expand beyond the space allowed in the teacup. At the same time adequate space is available for proper steeping, no leaves cramped in here. On the other side of the cup I placed boiling water. I waited for the water to cool just a touch before tipping the cup over to the steep side and beginning the process of brewing the leaves. Once I got started it was truly a beautiful sight to see. The leaves bled a golden hue into the water. There was a small stream forming where the leaves first made contact with the water then slowly dissipating into the remaining pool of water. Gradually you could see the liquid take on a greenish tinge and then final the water was taken over and transformed into a gorgeous, aromatic, pungent Sencha.
Here is where the eating comes in. As I looked at my steeped cup of Sencha and took a sip all I could think was how deep and rich the flavors were. The leaves were looking back at me in this cup and I feel if I hadn’t used the teacup I had I would have never taken the plunge and eaten my Sencha. At first I played with the leaves siting atop the filter. They were for a lack of a better words, squishy and mushy. I thought, “you know I could eat this.” It look like fine spinach, I do enjoy spinach. What could be the harm in that right? I took a pinch in between my fingers and tossed it into my mouth as the ladies watched. My eye grew wide and my mouth smiled happily and with purpose. The leaves were amazing, delicious, but most of all addicting. I kept on eating them. I couldn’t stop myself. I bet you can guess what happened next. Before I tell you, I should mention that I felt like I must one day cook with this tea. Trust me I will, and I’ll write about it of course. For this Sencha I have planned some good clean tasting olive oil, touch of salt, pepper, sautéed mushrooms, and thin spaghetti. I asked the ladies if they had eaten their Sencha before and @teaformeplease and @jopj said they had. They had cooked with it too which is where I got the idea to sauté the Sencha in olive oil and salt, thanks ladies.
So here is what happened to me at roughly 10pm last night. I had great conversation over my favorite beverage, with my favorite tea friends @Jackie, @Jopj and @TeaForMePlease and discovered eating tea can be an amazing experience but please only in moderation. I ate through half my steeped leaves and I started to experience anxiety and a strange all around sensation. So please only a pinch here and there. Don’t let your addition take hold of you as it did me. I decided to laugh it off and the effects soon wore off. Keep in mind. I am the girl that can drink Matcha before bed and still fall asleep like a little baby.
Moral of the story, experiment with caution.
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