Tea party, tea and consent, Russell’s teapot...Yes, I love to drink tea, but I also find it intriguing how tea has been used as a symbol in so many ways socially, politically and so on. It's wild that this piece of common crockery has such a history worldwide it can be used like that. I recently discovered a way it was leveraged on the border of philosophy and religion. During a session of sending memes back and forth with a friend I found one of a teapot in space with the name Bertrand Russell on it. Loving tea and being a scifi fan I thought the image was fun, but I realized there was something more. I was surprised that I hadn’t come across this before. A Bit About Bertrand Russell Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher, mathematician, teacher and writer who lived from 1872-1970 (98!). His parents died when he was a baby and he was raised by his grandparents. His grandfather was a member of parliament. He saw both world wars, and their ends. A fierce advocate of humanism and freedom of speech, he was fined and imprisoned for some of his writings that criticized war and government. Yet, he went on to become a Nobel Prize winner for literature. He is known for many thought provoking quotes. Here are a few: “To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already 3-parts dead.” “If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years.” Russell's Teapot Russell was a prolific writer and speaker, but the cosmic teapot is one of his most well known concepts. The idea behind the analogy was that the burden of proof is on the claimant not the detractor. His argument went like this: “If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is an intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time.” This analogy, which has been called the cosmic teapot, the celestial teapot, Russel’s teapot, and Bertram’s teapot, became famous and associated with atheism. However, Russell himself felt that even his assertions should be questioned stating:
“The rational man will not be so sure that he’s right. We ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn’t wish people to dogmatically believe any philosophy, not even mine.” I know enough to know that I don’t know everything. One thing I do know is that I adore tea, the taste of it, how we gather together to share it and how it continues to inspire discourse. This is not a sponsored post If you’re a regular Tea Deviant reader you’ve heard me praise Japanese Green Tea Co. many times. Their award winning teas have become a regular in my tea arsenal and when they asked if I wanted to be an affiliate it was easy to say yes. Kei Nishida who started Japanese Green Tea Co. contacted me when he started his new Japanese Coffee Co. and asked if I wanted to try his coffee. Sounds like an adventure to me! Yes this is a tea blog and I am a tea freak, but I like a good cup of coffee too. I’ve experimented with some fun tea and coffee combos and really enjoyed them. What piques my interest about Japanese Coffee Co. is that the coffee they sell is made with a charcoal roasting method called sumiyaki. Sumiyaki - Japanese Charcoal Roasted CoffeeThis was my first time having charcoal roasted, single origin coffee and it was deep and delicious. Ever curious, I wanted to understand what makes sumiyaki coffee different. There are two main ways coffee is roasted: using hot air or using fire. However, the fire method can be achieved through either gas or charcoal fuel. Much like grilling food has a different flavor than cooking on top of a gas range, charcoal roasting coffee imbues it with a delicious light smokiness and depth. Charcoal fire also produces far infrared rays which means more even roasting and less chance of destroying cell structure (which is more likely with gas heat and causes poor flavor). As an added bonus, this method also increases shelf-life by delaying oxidation. Indonesia - Arabica Typica - Mandheling Berkat Lintong Single Origin Premium CoffeeThe first of their coffees I tried was Indonesia - Arabica Typica - Mandheling Berkat Lintong. A hand-picked, screen sorted, single origin coffee from the North Sumatra province of Indonesia. Roast: It is to the darker side of medium Taste: Coffee with personality, full body, slight smokiness, rich and smooth feel with a pleasant bitterness, but I detected no sourness I really enjoyed this coffee even without milk and I usually have milk in my coffee. With milk the personality of the coffee still made itself known which I think is the mark of a great coffee or black tea. I am a fan of cold brew coffee as it is easier on my stomach and I like the smoother flavor. I also like a warm cup of coffee. As I heard that this kind of coffee is great brewed french press style I gave that a go using the following parameters:
Coffee and Tea - Double the AwesomeIn my previous coffee adventure I mixed tea and coffee together in a few ways. This time I decided to try mixing matcha with this Indonesian coffee. Intense! If you like both beverages, their health benefits and the kick they give this combo is for you. I simply added one teaspoon of matcha to one cup of regularly brewed coffee. If you want to start slower try ½ tsp. matcha in ½ cup coffee. There are no awards given for having to be beaten off the ceiling like pinata if you’ve had too much caffeine. If stomach issues are your thing, I suggest making the coffee as a cold brew. The reduction in acid is amazing. Then add matcha. You can also add milk of choice to further cut any acidity, though you do lose a little of the matcha benefit that way. Decaffeinated - Premium Blend Coffee (Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia)I find decaffeinated coffee, like decaffeinated tea, to taste like punishment, so I avoid them. Most decaffeination methods rob the coffee bean of its unique flavor beauty. I was interested when Kei told me how Sapporo Coffee Kan, their supplier, uses a new German style of decaffeination, liquid dicarboxylic acid extraction. He said this application allows the coffee to retain it’s flavor profile while removing 98% of the caffeine. Hmm. Ok. I’ll bite.
It was probably the best decaffeinated coffee I’ve ever tasted. I would not have known it was decaffeinated had I not been told. My coffee drinking friend agreed. As this is a blend, it brings together the strengths of these regions with a full body, balanced sweetness and bright acidity. If you love coffee but have to reduce your caffeine intake give yourself this gift of flavor sans jolt. The Japanese Coffee Co. site is very thorough. It includes details on the history of this sumiyaki style coffee, the differences between charcoal and gas roasting and tips on how to brew for the best cup. Sapporo Coffee Kan, Japanese Coffee Co.’s supplier, has a 35 year history of charcoal roasting coffee. They introduced this type of roasting to Japan. They source responsibly and have exclusive contracts with the farms that grow the coffee they roast. I love a good taste adventure and this coffee did not disappoint. My relationship with tea is good. Tea knows it is my number one. When I told tea that sometimes I have coffee it didn’t ruin our relationship. So if you are a tea AND coffee enthusiast, I welcome you to this delicious taste rabbit hole! Japanese Coffee Co provided the coffee for this taste adventure I’ve been told I have hyperosmia, an increased sense of smell. Though I haven’t had it clinically diagnosed, having an intense sensitivity to scent is a mixed blessing. When I’m the only one woken out of a sound sleep by the smell of something burning, or my nose is being exfoliated by the smell of a cleaner it’s more of a curse. In regard to tea and other beautiful aromas it is a sensory joy ride! I can smell some of the nuances others miss. I get a jolt of energy from pleasing smells like tea. By that I mean the tea itself, whether white, green, yellow, oolong, black, puerh or a blend. No flavoring needed. Turning to a friend with excitement over the subtleties in a new tea to be greeted with “I can’t smell it,” is a bit disappointing I admit. I wish they could experience the joy I am having, and that I didn’t feel so alone in having it. I wouldn’t change it though. I often choose what tea I am going to have next from my stash by smelling it first. That visceral reaction in the moment tells me what I am most ready to enjoy right now. Perfume, Cologne and Tea This “super smeller” tendency affects how I experience perfumes and colognes. I am much more sensitive to synthetics and intense commercial fragrances. Oils and colognes that are more natural are what I go for. When I discovered Demeter fragrance had tea scents in their library of 300+ fragrances I felt a jolt of excitement. They aim to be as simple and natural as possible. Their colognes are described on their website as:
Demeter is known for their single note scents that can be used alone or layered to make your own signature scent. Tea-wise I was pleased to find their basic Black Tea and Green Tea scents. The fact they have Baihao Yinzhen Tea and a Silvery Tip Pekoe Tea caused me to do a double take and wonder how I had thus far missed out on this awesomeness. I chose to try the Black Tea and the Silvery Pekoe. The Black Tea smelled more like a pleasing blend than a single origin like Golden Monkey or a smokey Keemun. The SIlvery Tip Pekoe, was more nuanced with elements of light grass, vegetal notes and white flowers. It is based on Chinese white teas from the Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. The rabbit hole sucked me in, and after looking through all 300+ plus scents I felt inspired to some layering. I drink more straight tea than flavored ones, but I do love rose black tea. I love rose ‘anything’, really. There is something about roses. They are romantic, timeless, and there are so many varietals I can get lost in the nuances of their fragrance rainbow for hours. So, I also chose Demeter’s main Rose scent going for a blend of it with their Black Tea. The combination smelled so delicious I wanted to steep myself in hot water. The Transporting Nature of Scent
To me scent is not just about how ‘pretty’ I smell but about creating a doorway to an experience. Some scents are more for putting in a special drawer or creating an atmosphere than wearing to a party. I love the smells of plants, forests, and water. Demeter has many such fragrances like Grass, Ocean, and Rain (inspired by “In The Rain” by e.e. cummings). Even more location specific ones like Provence Meadow. Firefly is described as “an early northeastern spring evening at dusk”. Creating the feeling of a memory or experience through scent intrigues me. I layered Wet Garden with Silvery Pekoe and it was like having tea outdoors surrounded by freshly watered flowers. Demeter goes beyond common smells to the nostalgic and imaginative. Spacewalk is inspired by the description of space by the astronauts who have been there. How about some tea in space? Play-doh and Crayon can transport you to childhood memories or memories of your children. There are even such scents as Puppy's Breath, New Baby and one I had to try (and one of their most popular) Kitten Fur. Now I don't think these have any distilled essence of baby or kitten, but I can say Kitten Fur has a bit of that unique smell that healthy little furries have. You know that popular TikTok and IG trend when people sniff their kittens to a pre-recorded sound of someone sniffing something satisfying? It is that idea in a bottle. With all of these possibilities I am interested in trying more layers. The experience of reading a good book while sipping a cup of tea with my cat on my lap, blending: Paperback, Green Tea and Kitten Fur. How about an afternoon tea experience with Scottish Shortbread, Black Tea, and Raspberry Jam? Making it Last Scents that are natural do fade faster. There are ways of extending the experience like layering different products with the same scent. Demeter has body lotions, colognes and perfume oils in each of their scents. I have had success with that kind of layering before and am eager to try it with Demeter. The images in this post are all mini cologne splashes but purse sprays, large cologne sprays, perfume oil rollers and hand sanitizers are also available. This is not a sponsored post, though I wish it was considering how much I have enjoyed these products. I always wish you great adventures in great tea. This time I wish you great tea-scented ones. Let me know if you plunge down the tea fragrance rabbit hole. There are more tea scent encounters coming on Tea Deviant. Let me know if you indulge in the world of tea scents. Cheers! Happy International Tea Day! Tea companies send me tea and tea accessories for review, but for the first time I was invited to an online tea ‘experience’. Arigato Japan is a company that does food and culture tours in Japan. Considering the limitations that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on live events and travel, Arigato has pivoted to create online experiences that bridge the gap for those looking for insight into Japanese culture. They contacted me about their green tea experience. So I joined them via the ubiquitous Zoom, which has been so helpful in connecting us during these crazy times (I’m not sponsored by Zoom, by the way, but I’d welcome it). At 8pm Japan time (which got this musician out of bed waaay too early my time, lol) I joined an international group of tea enthusiasts for a little over an hour of tea immersion. The event was hosted by Lauren Shannon, an American who has been living in Japan for over 20 years. The usual group is roughly 6-8 but we had about a dozen on the call from all over including Australia, Britain, Japan, Singapore, Columbia and the US. Lauren had one screen showing her as she spoke and another screen of her tea table. Part way through her presentation she invites attendees to make tea along with her. If you are a tea fan you might know some of what is shared in the experience. With all of the classes and self study I’ve done I still walked away with new bits of info. However, I’m not going to detail what is covered in this event, so that when you take it you can more fully enjoy it. No spoilers. Spoilers are rude. Aside from the information there are other benefits of this kind of online experience. There are opportunities to contribute to the conversation during the event and there is a Q and A. Also the energy of sharing an experience with fellow tea lovers from across the globe is a unique energy boost during this time of limited contact. You can find out about the Arigato Japan Green Tea experience and other online offerings at arigatojapan.co.jp. Tell them Tea Deviant sent you. Disclosure: Though Arigato invited me to their experience I am not an affiliate for them. Not that I am against being an affiliate. I am for other companies. And not that you would be against me being an affiliate. I don't think you have anything against me actually making money and there being financial value to what I do. I think you would support me in that or you wouldn't be here. I'm just trying to make sure you know what's up. |
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