a return to ancient land.
as the flash flush of autumn ceases.
our friends hưng and yen have been here for some weeks, producing an amazing wild oolong and their staple white tea.
recent storms have rendered this side of the mountain without electricity, meaning tea productions for this season will be entirely handmade and finished.
though the idea of an entirely hand produced season is beautiful, it places us at the mercy of nature. smaller yields. a lot of labour. predicting weather patterns, producing tea in the night with hopes of sunshine come first light & a vigilant presence overseeing tea.
waiting for the sun for drying, running everything out.
anticipating the humid shift and the looming rain.
running everything back in before the storm hits.
rinse, repeat.
𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵
as the sunlight necessary to finish this week’s tea production dapples between rolling cloud coverage, we take solace in another round of tea.
tasting the half finished batches of pu’er and white. there’s benefit here to clarify what profiles exist without the coverups of production, to give better direction for how one can proceed with processing and best compliment the natural profile of the raw material.
to listen to the leaf, rather than trying to control it.
it’s like a balance between two forms. the raw essence of the leaf is still very much present at these stages, but there are also signs of how the production method has begun to influence it.
the raw leaf is sweeter than previous years, and a lot more rhythmic so to say. all profiles compliment, moving from one to another without feeling too pointed. it’s so smooth- the hui gan stays with me long into the day, almost as long as the qi it shares with me.
when it comes to sourcing tea for the store, energetics are always what i’m prioritising. and these trees produce my favourite balance i’ve come across so far.
quickly elating on the crown, so meditative. gentle of the body, but blood moving.
the energy feels full spectrum- matured.
𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦
restful days besides old growth tea forests, in care of dear friends and new friends of this beautiful red dzao tribe village.
i feel a return to simplicity with each moment.
this morning’s meditation brings no words, no thoughts- just myself and nature. the sun has emerged for the first time in a little while, meaning the tea will dry just in time.
our breakfast has been sourced fresh on the day from our surrounding landscapes. this will carry us into another lunch with one of the few local families here who can pick from the ancient trees nestled deep in the forest.
to find ways to connect as family feels all the most important on this trip. to kindle deeper relationships with those who protect, pick and/or process the tea we share.
the energetics all inform one another i believe. from land to tree to human to tea.
so we all take a seat on the concrete, share some rice, some wild vegetables and some fermented wine.
hợp điều!
- that’s red dzao tongue for cheers
𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘯
i feel grateful to be here
sitting on the indigenous land of my deepest cultural roots- with people and a history my own mother thought were only of story from old folklore.
it is beyond me, that i can sit, share food and be afforded the gracious opportunity to experience, learn and share tea of the ancient forests they live before.
to discover threads of self that can be traced back thousands of years to this culture, this land and this way of living, to create bridges and build foundations- all astounds me as much as it humbles me.
to consider, that all of this is the way it is for me,
because 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 w𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.
a world that pressured survival through abandonment of what separates me, through the tiring acts assimilation.
yet beneath the oppression and abandonment remains a kindled flame, caught by wind
a will to find to what i had felt missing for my whole life.
i’m grateful that it’s path has led me here.