Green Tea: Xi-Hu Long Jing – West Lake Dragon Well

With more than a thousand years of history, Xi-Hu Long Jing is the most famous green tea in Chinese tea-drinking culture. Its irresistible flavor and aroma rank it as number one tea in China. Dating back to the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qian Long was amazed by the delicate, green, spring-fresh taste of this green tea and conferred 18 tea bushes as the Special Imperial tea which only tribute to the royal family once  every spring.

 

This video shows the steps to brewing a great cup of Ming Ching Long Jing.

 

 

The best grade of all Long Jing is “Ming Ching Long Jing” (Before Spring Dragon Well). It is only harvested and produced around the official date of spring. Its processing techniques include withering, pan-frying, steaming, drying and packaging. The best Long Jing processing technique is slowly disappearing due to lack of training. The Long Jing that we taste nowadays is said to be less tasty and less aromatic compared to those earlier in history. In the hope of keeping the traditions of producing this great tea, Xi-Hu is listed as a protected area and the Chinese government launches different programs to attract youths to join in the training of Long Jing tea processing.

 

If you want to learn more about Long Jing, come and visit us! We will be pleased to tell you more!

 

 

The Best of Montreal

 

It’s been more than a year CHA GUAN La Maison du Thé established in providing high quality products and services to the great neighborhood of Monkland Village and the rest of Montreal. Our objective is to introduce and educate our community the Chinese tea drinking culture in respect to well-being, tranquility and experience.

 

Please vote for CHA GUAN La Maison du Thé as the “Best Teahouse in Montreal”!

 

Simply click on the image above or the following link:

http://www.montrealmirror.com/bom/

 

We appreciate your votes!

 

 

Tais & friends

The high school moment is often some of the best ones. It’s no different for Tais and her friends from St. George’s School. “CHA GUAN is our spot to reunite after school and we are always welcomed with a smile!” said Tais. She loves the warm feeling of hot tea; it fills her soul and relaxes her mind.

 

At CHA GUAN, we do our best to focus on our objective: well-being, tranquility and experience. Tais and her friends appreciate a lot the Zen ambience of CHA GUAN and so the Chinese tea ceremony experience. “I really love the smell of the Chinese incense, the decoration, the peaceful music and the floor-cushioned window seats. Adding tea leaves to plain hot water is like adding magic to your life!” she said. It feels good to see these youths gathering at CHA GUAN once in a while and sharing their joy of life by appreciating the elegance and the discipline of The Art of Tea.

 

 

This is the girls’ last year of high school. Soon they will going to different colleges to pursue their own dreams. CHA GUAN will remain a place where fond memories were created, keeping that bond of friendship alive in their hearts. Tais once said that her dream is to travel the world and experience different places and cultures. She wants to write for an art magazine some day. We hope you will realize your dream not far in the future!

 

CHA GUAN La Maison du Thé is pleased to have support from the students at St. George’s School!

 

 

Tea & Caffeine

Besides water, tea is the second most consumed brevage in the world. With its soothing flavor, fragrant aroma, and most importantly, medicinal health benefits; it has become a very common habit to replace water drinking with tea on a daily basis. White teas help boost the immune system, green teas help to prevent cancer, wulong teas help to loose weight, and black teas help regulate the digestive system. Depending on the caffeine content, some teas can act as a very good energy stimulant, whereas others have very efficient soothing and relaxing effects.   

 

Although tea is one of the most natural and healthy brevages, caffeine is always a concern to a lot of people, especially to women. Studies have shown that women are more sensitive to caffeine than men, for it takes a longer period of time to rid their bodies of the caffeine. Other studies have also found that too much caffeine consumption can increase the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, decrease female fertility, miscarriages, increase symptoms of menopause, heart disease, and insomnia. The amount of caffeine in a cup of green tea is approximately 20% of that found in a cup of coffee. So what can we do if we do not want to consume caffeine but only take advantage of the health benefits in tea?  

 

There are few alternatives to avoid the caffeine content in teas.  

 

1.      Decaffeinated Teas

Just like decaffeinated coffee beans, the caffeine is extracted from the leaves through various natural and chemical processes. The advantages is you can enjoy a cup of decaffeinated tea without trouble sleeping. The disadvantages is that a lot of the positive nutrients are washed off during the decaffeination process. Please note that not all decaffeination processes can succesfully remove 100% of the caffein content. It is not an absolutely “zero” of caffeine content on products labelled “decaffeinated”.  

 

2.      Decaffeinate Your Own Teas

More than a thousand years of history, “tea rinsing” is a very important step in Chinese tea drinking culture. Due to the fact that caffeine is highly soluble in water, discard the first 30 to 45 seconds of infusion. This extracts up to 85% of caffeine content from tea leaves, then start over again with a desirable infusion time. Every proceeding infusion extracts 1/3 of the caffeine left in the previous infusion. You can decaffeinate your tea, however, it also decreases the loss of the good nutrients in it.   

 

3.      Caffeine-Free Flower Teas

Flower teas are simply produced from natural flowers that are dried under sunlight. Compared to coffee and wine, it is created in a more natural and healthy way. Flowers in nature are rich in vitamins, dietary minerals, and proanthocyanidin. The most common flower teas are Jasmine, Red Rose Buds, Lavender, Crysanthemum, Camomile and Peppermint. Not only are they CAFFEINE-FREE, they are also very good in moisturizing skin, loosing weight, detoxification and relieving stress. Take a cup of flower tea before you sleep; it relaxes your nerves, soothes shoulders stress, and it eases your mind and brings you into a comfortable sleep.  

 

Health Canada reports that a cup of roasted coffee has 179mg of caffeine whereas a cup of non-rinsed green tea has 30mg of caffeine. On the other hand, for women who are planning to become pregnant, pregnant women and breast feeding mothers, it is recommended that the caffeine content should not be more than 300mg per day. Take care of yourself by consuming the least caffeine possible! It’s your health!

 

 

Taste the Joy of Spring

Waking up in the warmth of sunshine this morning, it finally feels that spring is here. The temperature is rising and snow is melting. Do you remember the beautiful summer we had last year? Do you remember holding a cold iced tea and walking with your loved one and your kids under the great summer heat? Yes! Iced tea is something you have to have in summer! Yet, who actually decided to put an ice cube in a cup of hot tea to make it cold?

 

“Iced tea debuted in 1904 at the Louisiana State Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Mo. According to the Tea Council, “The temperature was soaring and the staff in the Far East Tea House couldn’t get any fair-goers to even look their way, let alone sample their tea.” So they poured the hot tea over ice cubes and the drink quickly became the exposition’s most popular beverage.” — Tea: A Story of Serendipity/U. S. Food & Drug Administration

 

Most of us believe this is how iced tea gets popular around the globe. However, a further research on the origin of iced tea shows a surprise discovery. The first iced tea recipe was published in Buckeye Cookery (1877). Recipes in the book Iced Tea and Lemon Iced Tea are delightfully written. Since then, varieties of bottled iced teas are available on the market.

 

Iced teas are easy to make but not so easy to make well. The proportion of tea leaves and water, the different mix of tea leaves, the choice and quantity of a sweetener used, and steeping time all have to be blended well for it to have a refreshing and non-bitter aroma and taste.

 

This year CHA GUAN La Maison du Thé is being even more creative in its iced tea recipes! We are introducing two newly created iced teas infused with flower teas to celebrate the joy of spring: Magnolia Flowers Red Iced Tea & Jasmine Flowers Green Iced Tea. Will the fresh strawberries fruit red iced tea and the peppermint green iced tea still be available at CHA GUAN this year? Definitely YES! STAY TUNED!

 

Purposes of used loose tea 1

Did you know that used tea leaves can be used again for other purposes? Instead of throwing them in the garbage, they actually can be reused in our daily lives and we will show you how.

One of the purposes, and it’s the most common one, is to use them as an odor absorber. All you have to do is to drain the used tea leaves and place them into a properly sealed tea bag.  Then, place this tea bag in the fridge to absorb any bad odors. This technique works very well and lasts quite a long time.  When the leaves dry out, simply replace the bag with another.

To be continued for other purposes…

 

A Message from Spring

This week’s tea post features details and pictures of the 12 steps tea brewing method that brings you on a journey of peace. By using a transparent glass Gaiwan set, you will be able to experience the complete beauty of a famous green tea: Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun.

 

 

1. The Spiritual Connection

Our great teachers once said “tea needs to be tasted in tranquility; incense is to connect and reflect your own spirit”. When the smoke of the incense floats freely in the air, it brings you to a state of relaxation. Only in tranquility will you discover the great message of our nature through the tea experience.

 

 

2. The Bath of the Fairies

Chinese tea culture often talks about respect and appreciation. By rinsing the Gaiwan once with hot water, it shows the respect towards your guests and also to the spirit of the tea ceremony. On top of that, it brings the Gaiwan to the same temperature as the hot water and prevents further heat loss.

 

3. The Rising of Hot Steam

Water temperature has to be around 85°C to infuse green tea in order to have the maximum result in taste and aroma. Therefore, after rinsing the Gaiwan, leave the water pot uncovered. Let the hot steam rise up in the air and the hot water cool down naturally.

 

4. The Appreciation

Tea appreciation makes up an important part of the tea ceremony. By having a closer look at the form, shape, and color of the tea leaves, you will appreciate not only the tea itself but also the hard work and knowledge of the people from behind the scene to produce such great tea.

 

5. The Pond of Autumn Rain

It is autumn, the rain is falling together with dried leaves from the trees, floating on the pond without direction. How poetic! Pour hot water into the Gaiwan, two-thirds full. Using the bamboo tea utensils, slowly put 1 teaspoon of green tea from the lotus leaf to the top of the water. Do you see it? The pond of autumn rain?

 

 

6. The Snow Flake

Do not shuffle the tea, let the leaves naturally absorb the hot water and sink to the bottom of the Gaiwan, just like a snow flake slowly falling on to the ground. Let them naturally release their fragrant aroma to embed your tranquility.

 

 

 7. The Message of Spring

As the tea leaves sink to the bottom of the Gaiwan, the message of spring is slowly revealed. The great nutrients are being extracted by hot water and melt into the tea. It’s a message of joy and happiness.

 

 

8. The Fragrant of Spring

Tea leaves are floating in the jade-colored tea liquor. The fragrance of spring fills up the air of your surroundings. It brings your mind to a heavenly state. Drain out the tea to the serving pot before serving. This will prevent the tea from over-brewing and produce a bitter taste.

 

9. The First Sip

Enjoy the tea with three small sips. First sip feels light, refreshing, and elegant.

  

 

10. The Second Sip

Have a second sip, an even greener and more profound tea taste start to linger between the tongue and the throat.

 

11. The Third Sip

Having the third sip, it is not the tea that you taste; it’s the joy of spring that you taste, the green and high mountains that you taste, and the positive energy of the nature that you taste.

 

12. The Journey of Peace

Our great teachers once said: “Tea should be tasted quietly, slowly, and thoroughly”. After taking the first three sips, you have already traveled around the world, you have already seen the world, and you finally found the peace in you.

 

 

 Without going out of your door,

You can know the ways of the world

Without looking out a single window,

You can see the Way to Heaven.

The farther you go,

The less you know.

 

Thus, the Sage knows without traveling,

Sees without looking,

And achieves without action.

 

-Lao Tzu- Dao De Chung 47