Live Like Water » Tea Farm

Tea Stains and Korean Pottery

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:19:09 +0000

Over time tea will stain the pottery that you use. Oolong and black teas will stain your tea ware more quickly, especially if you allow the tea to sit in the cup for extended periods of time. Personally I like a well stained to cup; its like a well worn leather jacket, it has character and is a testament to heavy tea consumption. However, every so often it is a good idea to scrape off the old and start over. I suggest using steal wool and gently scrubbing, using hot water. I do not use soap on my pottery, as I do not want to contaminate the expensive pottery that I have bought. The tea cup in this picture is from a famous Korean Master potter. His pottery has been wood fired.

tea stained cup

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White Tea Farm:China

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:09:15 +0000

Burnt Tea Leaves

Here are some pictures from the ghetto like white tea farms we visited during our tea buying expedition.

Tea Farm China

Ghetto Tea Farm

Tea Picker

Un-healthy Tea Leaves

How Korean Green Tea is Processed

admin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:45:10 +0000

Korean Tea Leaf: 2nd flush

How Korean Green Tea is Processed.

It all stems from here; this leaf called Camellia Sinensis, whether you drink Green, Oolong or Black Tea. It is just that the leaves are non fermented for green tea, semi fermented for Oolong tea and 100% fermented for Black or Red tea. And once the leaves are picked it doesn’t take much time for them to begin to wither and ferment, so to make green tea they are processed quickly.

Baking the tea

Korean green teas are usually baked, whereas Japanese green teas tend to be steamed. The tea leaves are put into a large metal cauldron and gently tossed and turned.

rolling the tea

tea ready for drying

From there they are placed on a mat and rolled by hand. This process is repeated over and over. Approximately 3 times before the leaves are ready to be sorted and then packaged.The whole process is done by hand: picking, rolling, sorting and sifting.

Work for the Village
By using human hands the tea industry provides work for the villagers and helps to support healthy relationships amongst it’s community members. The tea industry provides and sustains a viable eco-economy and a stronger identity. Unlike factory work, the work they do is part of the natural environment that surrounds them.When harvesting tea there is a different relationship to time and the perspective of time. By following the seasons they live closer to nature and the earth. Time is not dictated by watches. There is no need. Day is day. Night is night. When it’s time to harvest they work until the job is done. It’s the task that’s important. There is not need for a punch clock to dehumanize and regulate their labor and production.

Human hands means love and sacrifice.The fact that they do this work allows us to take pleasure and enjoy the distinct flavor of hand processed teas: and our enjoyment helps to support and maintain their traditional way of life: this way we all remain connected to the earth.