We had a guest speaker today. She was a tea manster and the only one in Texas. She had her own Tea shop called The Path of Tea and her shop only serves organic tea. She had samples to try out and we tried out five driffent kinds of tea. Organic Butterscotch (Rooibos tea) had an amazing scent and is very good for the digested system. Organic Coconut Assam (Black tea) was kind of bitter and its great for people who have asthama. Organic white peach (white tea) was smooth and tasted like peach. It is used in a lot of cosmetic and dental medcine. It smooths down wrinkiles and helps control cavaties. Organic Oolong (Oolong tea) was something I really didnt like. In my opnion it was too strong and needed sugar. It helps relieve stress and helps with fighting dieseases. The last one is Organic Strawberrey Enchia (green tea) and is great great for memorizing things and helps with a lot of cancers. All these tea had one thing in common it nnedded sugar. I peffer my tea with milk but to get all the vitemines in the tea you need to drink it with water is something I learned. Soumya Srivastava 200 words
Ivonne Benitez 12/4/11 TOTAL AMOUNT OF WORDS:204 Today a tea master from the tea shop called The Path Of Tea came to vist it us and talk about the diffrent types of teas and their health benefits the one that intrestead me was the health benefits of green tea that it can help with memory and help prevent alsaimers and minimize the chances of getting breast, prostate and other cancers.She also brought us some teas to taste and she gave us a porcelin tea cup,my favorite tea was the Organic Coconut Assam because it had a coconut taste to it and it was the most sweet out of all of them the one that i liked the least was the Organic Citrus Oolong tea because it was bitter and it had a weird after taste which i didn't like but overall i liked all of them but they all need sugar or honey to sweeten them up.Also she told us that if you mix in milk with your tea all the tea health benefits are gone in other words not recived by our body.Also liked how the black teas help increase your bone density and minimizes your chance of getting a heart attack.
1/4/11 This time the only Certified Teamaster in Texas who runs a tea shop called The Path of Tea came to talk to us and give us samples of organic tea. The organic teas she gave us were my first experiences with teas that weren’t unknown bitter teas from my mom. My favorite cup must have been the Organic Strawberry Enchia Tea because strawberries are my favorite fruit and it tasted quite soothing. It is also suppose to be good for the memory which would be helpful for my schoolwork. The scent of the Organic Butterscotch Tea was my favorite though since I love candy. It seems like it would be a good after meal tea since its good for digestion. I really appreciated tasting those teas as they all seemed to be expertly brewed. I learned a very important fact today that I need to share with my mom that milk negates any health benefits that tea has since it absorbs poisons. Along with that fact, I learned many health benefits that teas can have if you drink 5-6 cups of it a day. If you have cancer, green tea is suppose to help you fight it and to make it less bitter you need to use water with a high pH and be careful not to burn the leaves. Black tea is supposed to stain your tea like coffee but it was the tea that I was able to drink the quickest even though it was not my favorite which was odd. Word Count: 250
I got to see a japannease tea ceromony today. It was a very driffent thing for me to see. Here we drink tea without any rules and just want to relax. However in Japan they have a tradiations and strict rules which they follow. They also have dress code like (50)socks and kimonoes. They have gesetures and postures for their tea time. In USA we talk while we have tea but over in Japan they are'nt allowd to talk and they dirnk their tea in three swallow. The kids start drinking tea at the age of three and four.(50) They also have something sweet before they even start to enjoy drinking their tea. They bow a lot and are all equal in the tea room and drop their stratus and money. Kimonoes come in all shapes and sizes and all have their own driffent designs. The price depends(50) on the materials of the clothes and it has an obi tied around their stomach. The deseging are all beautiful and the kimones would take hours to put on by themselves if they are an ameture. Japanease focus on the presentation of the food more than the taste so the(50) food are all aranged beautifully. 205 words Soumya Srivastava
1/5/11 Today we got to experience a Japanese tea ceremony. There was a green tatami mat of the floor that was only big enough for around 5 people. The ceremony was very precise and neat. There was a lot of bowing and respect showing such as "osakini" which means "I'm sorry to have sweets/drink tea before you." which I know is very traditionally Japanese. The sweet that was served with the tea looks like a tiny cookie of a Chinese bun and tasted like dry sweet honey. Everyone wore a beautiful kimono or a yukata and socks. It's a shame that you can't buy kimonos here in Houston even if they are very expensive. I learned that these ceremonies originated when the samurai were in power because they wanted to feel some tranquility while the war was going on. The speaker also taught us a little about Japanese culture such as how New Year's is a very important holiday in Japan revolving around new year resolutions. There is also a festival for three, five, and seven year old children which I know is called "san-go-shichi festival." I really liked the ceremony though I thought it was probably perfectly captured from the past. The tea itself did taste like grass but I appreciated the tea it was nice and well made. Word count: 228
1-4-2011 Yasmin Lozano.... The Certified Tea Expert’s lecture was very interesting. She gave several interesting facts about the history of tea, its origins, cultural aspects and many of its health benefits. One of the most interesting things I learned, had to do with the way the tea plants were being harvested. As it turned out people would train monkeys to pick certain teas, specially in areas that were hard to reach for humans. These monkey picked tea is also much more expensive, solely because they weren’t harvested as usual. In China there’s 1000 different types of green tea while in Japan there are only 15 different kinds. Green tea helps with cognitive skills, memory and prevents the onset of Alzeimer’s and Parkinson's by preventing plaque buildup in the brain. Tea carries amino acid that gets brain to produce dopamine and serotonin. Our visitor brought us several different types of tea to taste. My favorite cup must have been the organic white peach tea because it was the least bitter of the tea’s and had a smooth taste. The best scented of the teas was the organic butter scotch tea which smelled like vanilla. All in all it was interesting to try out all the different tea’s and learn a little bit more about them. Word Count: 216
Ivonne Benitez 12/5/10 TOTAL WORD COUNT:296 Today we were working on our maps I just finished and my 10 notes some things that I learned while I was doing that I found out that in Thailand they sell bottled and their tea master produce their own High Mountain Oolong tea and that they sweeten their Thai tea with condensed milk and that you can make the Thai tea in to a frappe and last is that they call Thai tea cha-yen.The other country that I learned about was Indonesia and they give you plain tea instead of water as a free drink because their water is needed to be boiled before being able to drink it and the tea is very cheap over there and that the Dutch settlers established the tea plantations and that 60% of their tea is green tea. We also enjoyed a Japanese tea ceremony it was very interesting how it was performed they had to walk through a tiny door which symbolizes that their are no class difference between them also the must bow before eating anything to show their respect to the others that they’re eating before them also they must drink their tea in three sips and the tea was made out of this powdered thing and it was very green and foamy and it smelled like seaweed and tasted like grass which I didn’t enjoy but I really enjoyed the little dessert that we tasted it was like a Hershey kisses shape and it tasted like a melon and honey and I was surprised how organized they are and they left everything how they found it.
The first day of the World of Tea IIW was very interesting. We had a certified tea master come talk to us, as well as let us sample a couple of the teas she sells in her shop, The Path of Tea. The first tea that we were served was organic white peach. It had a light color and a semi bitter taste, but I could definitely pick out the peach. The peach flavored the tea nicely. The tea master also explained the benefits of organic tea. I was surprised to hear that most of the tea leaves that are imported from foreign countries are often covered with dangerous chemicals and pesticides, such as DDT. I also enjoyed the citrus oolong tea, which was bitter but still had a velvety feel on my tongue that tasted like oranges. Also, I always enjoyed drinking green tea, which she told us a lot about that I didn’t know about. In China, when people are unable to pick the tea leaves from tall trees, they send a monkey to do it. I wonder how they train the monkeys. She also mentioned many of the health benefits of green tea, which include improving memory and cognitive skills. Green tea also helps to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by preventing plaque buildup in the brain. I personally prefer my tea very sweet, so all of the teas I tried were a bit too bitter for my liking, but I still found the flavor enjoyable. It is obvious that the way the tea was prepared was in a very specific way so as to bring out the best flavors.
1/5/11 Today was another fun day in the World of Tea IIW. We were scheduled to watch a Japanese tea ceremony, but I was unable to attend because I was meeting the Consulate General of Pakistan as part of a National Honor Society delegation. Nonetheless, I was able to complete a fair amount of research before I left. Because I am part East Asia, I concentrated on studying tea in China, specifically the historical aspect. In China, at least as early as the Tang Dynasty, occurring hundreds of years ago, tea was an object of connoisseurship. Then, in the Song Dynasty formal tea-tasting parties were held, very similar to the wine tastings of today. In China’s history, there were two phases of tea drinking in China that were based on the form of tea that was produced and consumed. This usually referred to tea bricks and loose leaf tea. Tea served prior to the Ming Dynasty was typically made from tea bricks. Tea bricks were also sometimes used as currency. To improve its resiliency as currency, some tea bricks were mixed with binding agents such as blood. I found this information rather interesting, and it left me wondering what kind of blood was used, and how it was collected. Were there any shady business deals that involved maiming or murdering another human being? As far as tea tasting goes, today we tried the Earl Grey tea, which I am very familiar today and which I enjoyed immensely. I usually drink this type of tea at home, although I must admit I put more sugar into it that what I drank today. WORD COUNT: 270
1/6/11 Today has probably been my favorite day in the World of Tea IIW by far. I spent some time in the morning researching more facts on Chinese tea, and I sampled some tea that was served. I am not sure what the exact name was, I just know that it was black tea. It had a sweet taste, and this was the first time so far that I have found a cup of tea in which I did not long for a spoonful of sugar. My favorite part was when the Korean tea ceremony was performed. This was the first time that I had seen a tea ceremony, and I found it very interesting. The lady who came to present the ceremony to us was not very proficient in English and needed the help of an assistant to translate, which I thought was adorable and make her seem more legitimate. As she was going through the steps of the ceremony, I was captivated by the very precise way she placed and moved her hands. I also thought it was rather interesting how she would first pour the hot water into all the cups, and then pour it back into the teapot, and re-pour it once more. I enjoyed the taste of the green tea very much. It had a pretty light green color and tasted very natural and herb-like. We also tried some green tea from tea bags, and she showed us a neat technique for lifting the tea bag so as not to drip anywhere. Since I usually drink tea using bags, this was a rather helpful tip. Overall, I was very impressed with the Korean ceremony. WORD COUNT: 278
1-5-2011 Yasmin Lozano Today I have spent the day searching up different facts for my map and have learned several interesting facts about tea and its importance in Eastern Asia. In China, at least as early as the Tang Dynasty, tea was an object of connoisseurship and in the Song Dynasty formal tea-tasting parties were held, much like modern wine tastings. one of the weirdest things I learned about was that tea bricks were at one point used as money and in order to improve its resiliency as currency, some tea bricks were mixed with binding agents such as blood! We also got to see a traditional Japanese ceremony something I had never seen before. I absolutely love their kimonos and all the various fabrics and styles in which they come in. At first I didn’t get why the Japaneses process of making tea was so long but now I see how they use it as a form of meditation. I love how much they focus on the guest and showing how important they are to them. One thing i found absolutely amazing was the size of the door. I love the idea that it was a way for them to make sure the tea ceremony was a neutral safe environment. Despite the long and very beautiful ritual, I hated the tea, it was very bitter and it smelled like grass. It wasn’t appealing to my taste buds at all though it was visually pleasant to see because of the vivid green tone it was. Nonetheless, I am happy to have been able to witness an actual Japanese tea ceremony. word count: 268
1-6-2011 Yasmin Lozano Today we had the pleasure of having two Korean guest come give us a demonstration of a typical Korean tea ceremony. The lady was from South Korean, which made me wonder whether the differences between South and North Korean are big. i find it quit fascinating, how they put so much attention to every little detail while serving the tea. Particularly the order in which the tea is poured, how how you first start by serving the guest cup and work you way to yours but never filling the cup completely. One you have done this you work you way back filling up the rest of the cup starting with yours and working your way back to the first one. This allows a even concentration of the tea in each cup. The tea they prepared is by far my favorite tea i have tasted this week. It wasn't as bland as all the other ones or bitter at all, actually it was some what naturally sweet and had a minty feel to it. We also learned how to use tea bags without dripping water all over, which i though was very cool and almost seemed like magic. They were generous to also so give each one of us a instant tea packet for our water bottles. One thing i would have love to have seen our guest speakers wear today, would be the Hanbok (the Korean version of a Japanese kimono). Fortunately for us, Ms. Harelson was wearing hers. word count: 250
Yesterday we watched a Korean tea ceremony. Their pots and teacups are pottery instead of glass like the ones found in USA. They are also smaller in size and have snacks to go with it. WE also leaded that now that techonolgies havs improved and we are getting more lazy ()their are faster ways to make tea without waiting. Thee host served us chocolates instead of rice cakes like they do in Korea. Tea was once again interduced to Korea by the Chinaese. Tea is mostly drunk by the women who want an excuse to socialize. Tea is also important()to their culture. They have their own version of kimonoes but its two piece. I was born in asia but the tea I am use to is similar to the ones in England. I have never drank tea in water its always have been in milk. Most of the families in India drink their tea in milk. Its also the() way I drink my tea. Although in the class we drink our tea in water I am still not used to it. I like my tea sweet not bitter like the Japanease tea. My favorite tea have been Jasmine green tea because it wasnt too strong or bitter. I like the way Korean drink their tea. word 207 Soumya Srivastava
Ivonne Benitez 12-6-11 TOTAL WORDS:227 Today we are drinking jasmine green tea and its very good it taste like honey and chamomille which I really like and we watched a Korean tea ceremony it was really cool who they made the tea and it was better than the Japanese ceremony and the Korean ceremony was more social than the Japanese ceremony and they usually eat rice cakes and other Korean treats but they thought we wouldn't like them so they substituted chocolate. the two lady's were from South Korea and they payed attention to every little detail just like the Japanese and they may substitute tea bags in stead of tea leaves. I also learned that they pour their guest first and then the other and then they pour more a second time to the same cups to keep the same consistency in each cup and they also bow like the Japanese.They also showed us a technique on how to lift the tea bag with out it dripping every where and it was really easy what you have to do is let the bottom of the tea bag touch the tea a little bit and then lift it and nothing drips because the tea bag is leaving all the water in the tea which I found very use full I'm going to practice this technique at home today.
Today our old registrar came to visit us about tea in Iran she brought some mini sugar cubes and she brought novar which is saturated sugar and some cookies and earl grey tea. She started to tells about how that in Iran they just bring you tea and that tea is used for social purposes and that in 1899 they could plant tea and in 1934 the first modern factory of tea was installed they make tea with a pot called samovar which is used to boil the water and when she was born she had to light it up with fire but now they have them where you plug in and you put your tea on top of the samovar.she also told us that they drink tea with dates instead of sugar because its very pure.they also turn on the samovar in the morning and leave it on until they go to bed at night. They also call tea Chaai and they may dilute the tea depending on how strong or light you like it. also they put their sugar cubes in their mouth and sip their tea and that if they give you something to eat and you don't like it then you just take it and put it on your plate and don't eat it and now we are going to taste the tea.
Today we had a person from Iran to show us how iran drinks tea. They drink their tea everyday with more than five times a day. Iran mostly drink black tea. Although Green tea is better Black tea havs plenty of advantages. It can reduce your level of stress, lower your chlolesterol, regulate your blood sugar, stimulates the heart and circulatory system, promote healthy teeth, skin and bones, contains 20% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee, act as an arthritis soother and it also helps burn body fat.I also found out about Iran school system. Not everbody gets to go to college and their future jobs are chozen for them. They have to pass the end of the year high school exam and if they dont pass it they have to retake all their courses. Tea in Iran is very popular and its also part of their culuture. They eat sweet with their tea and offer fruits to their guest and the guest isnt allowd to refuse because its bad mannars. Also they have a samovar which is in every persons house and they use that to heat up their tea. The steam heats up their tea pots. 200 words Soumya Srivastava
1/7/11 Today in the World of Tea IIW we discussed tea from the Middle East. Ms. Ranjbaran came back to Westchester to teach the class on how tea is served in Iran. There, tea is drunk several times a day, and has a big role in social gatherings. She brought in 3 different types of tea: Earl Grey, Darjeeling tea, and a cardamom tea. Since I had already tried the Earl Grey tea previously, I decided to try the other two. The Darjeeling tea had a very strong taste to it, and although I put sugar in it, I did not enjoy the flavor very much. However, I really enjoyed the cardamom tea tremendously. This is the type of tea I drink at home, and when I travel to Lebanon I drink that tea as well. I ended up drinking about 3 cups of it. I love the sweet taste of it, as well as a hint of the musky cardamom. Instead of putting sugar directly into my tea, I decided to sweeten my tea as they do in Iran, by sticking a sugar cube in my mouth and letting the tea filter through the sweet cube. I also sucked on a sugar cube by itself; it’s an old habit that I’ve had as a child. The cookies that Ms. Ranjbaran brought complimented the tea nicely as well.
1/6/11 Today, we got to experience a Korean tea ceremony. Prior to the tea I actually learned how to read Korean on my laptop which was really enlightening. I didn’t know it’s like our alphabet because they have letters and not pictographs like in Chinese where Japanese uses both letters and pictographs. There are many differences from the Korean tea ceremony and the Japanese one. The main one is the ridged rules and procedures you find in the Japanese one where in the Korean one, it is a very social and pleasant atmosphere. It seems the main point of the Korean one is to enjoy the tea where in Japan it is to get it perfect. Though there are some procedures the server and drinker must follow like to wash the cups or warm them with hot water and pour the guest cup first while the drinker must obverse and swirl the tea first. Asian cultures and so into respect and honoring each other it’s so foreign where over here we don’t even have a polite tense for verbs. The two ladies were very nice and the older one showed us how to keep our tea bags from dripping everywhere. They ever gave us some to-go tea bags which tasted really good. Word Count: 211
1/7/11 Today, we got to experience tea ceremonies in the Middle East, specifically in Iran. It was nice to look at tea ceremonies in somewhere other than Asia. Unfortunately, I had to leave for a physical fitness test for a scholarship but I did get a chance to learn a bit. Apparently, in Iran, tea is drunk with every meal and in between, sometimes more than five times a day. Every house has a samovar which is a tea warmer and it is the first thing they plug in in the morning when they wake up. Also, instead of putting sugar cubes directly into their tea, they hold it in their mouth and sip the tea through it. They need to make sure to get sugar cubes that don't melt as easily so it can last longer. The speaker explained that tea in Iran started being used for social purposes in 1899 and they drink tea called Chaai. Only in 1934 was the first modern tea factory made which seems quite recent. The speaker brought cookies to eat with the tea but she said that dates are normally used as well because of their natural sugar. Tea seems to be a big part of their culture as they drink it all the time and serve their guests tea. Word Count: 218
We went to a hight class tea room called Sernity. It was a very pretty place and you can have something called high tea there. Unlike my previous visits it wasnt asian but more like European. We drank more than ten kinds of tea. We also had scones with this ()lemon sauce and a really tasty high class cream. Unlike the whip cream it wasnt really right but hevey and was made by the staff. The owner blends driffent tea and names her own tea which I thought was really nice and creative. She named the tea by their flavour() and the mood or mabey even the arouma. I thought thte scones were really tasty it was also made by the staff and had cramberries in them. We lso found out that tea bags are really low quality tea and its better to just brew your own tea and it ()also tastes better. My favorite was Jasmine tea. It had a very nice arouma that smelled just like Jasmine and it tasted sweet. We learned lots about tea and how they came to be popular to the world all thanks to the Chinaese Emperor. It was a very fun event for me. Soumya Srivastava 201 words
1/10/11 Today, we got to travel to a high tea British tea room restaurant and gift shop. It was called Serenity and was very fancy, fancier than I had every experienced. The tables for four were very small but it helped to enjoy pleasant conversation while we drunk all sorts of tea. The first few teas were good but then I was unable to finish my cups because I've never drunk that much tea before. I liked all of the teas expect any ones that had pomegranate in them. The taste of those fruits made the tea unappetizing to me. The warm scones they brought out were very delightful though. They had some chunks of fruit in them and they were served with some lemon icing sauce and some heavy whipped cream. It was good with both. After a while, the owner came out to talk about tea to us. She was very knowledgeable about tea and tea bags. I learned to never nuke tea and how to decaffeinate tea and how tea bags are nothing but tea trash. She even passed around some tea leaves and a tea brick. The tea brink reminded me of a giant chocolate bar. To finish off our IIW, we took a picture outside the shop, what a lovely IIW this was! Word Count: 218
For our final day in the World of Tea IIW, we went on a field trip and visited the Serenitea Tea Shop in Sugarland, where we were served afternoon tea. We sampled at least 10 different types of tea, all of which were very delicious. I enjoyed the tea very much; it had a very mellow, calming effect. Along with the tea we were served scones, with a lemon custard sauce on the side. The scones complimented the tea quite nicely. The owner of the teashop went on to explain the different types of tea that we were used. She also passed around the tea leaves she uses, and compared the use of tea leaves and tea bags. She explained the health benefits of tea as well, and the amount of caffeine a cup of tea contains as opposed to a cup of coffee. I enjoyed visiting her teashop immensely; it was really fun to engage in conversation over a nice cup of tea. We also learned about tea etiquette; I was really surprised to hear that you are not supposed to stick your pinky finger out when holding a teacup. I have always heard that sophisticated people drink tea like that. We also presented our maps today, and it was fun to hear facts on different regions of the world about tea. We also had iced tea, the first cold tea during the entire IIW week.
Ivonne Benitez 12/10/11 TOTAL WORD COUNT:246 OK so today we went to serenade which is a tea and gift shop all the teas were really good my favorite tea was the fragrant orchid tea it tasted like fruit punch when you add sugar which i really enjoyed and my other favorite was one the called chamomile peppermint because the flavor was familiar ad because the taste was already familiar and it was really good. Also the scones were really yummy and good i also enjoyed the lemon cured and the that i enjoyed the third was the Nantucket breeze it was a black tea that tasted like blueberries and vanilla it was really sweet and the good thing about the tea was that you could add sugar yay!also the owner was talking about the different types and their health benefits of the different teas for example that the teas have a lot of caffeine and that high tea is called high tea because it was drink ed in a high table and their is another tea called low tea because its served in a low table but we don't call it that anymore because it can be offensive also they have afternoon tea or high tea and tea was first discovered when this emperor of china was boiling water under a tea tree and accidentally a tea leaf fell in and he decided to try it and he liked it so he gave it to the rest of his palace.
1-7-2011 Yasmin Lozano Today in our Tea IIW, we had the pleasure of having Ms.Ranjbaran pay us a visit. Her presentation focused on tea from the Middle East, its preparation, the different types, its history, health benefits and its importance. Tea plays a very important role in the Middle East, but Ms.Ranjbaran put particularly more attention to the tea in Iran, for that is her place of origin.. Ms.Ranjbaran talked about how she could remember her mother heating up the samovar since the early morning till the end of the day when it was time to sleep. To me the samovar was very beautiful and a very different piece. One thing I really liked is that unlike most of the other countries tea we have tried, they actually use sugar to sweeten the tea. At out of all the teas from this week, this was the best I’ve had.
Ms.Ranjbaran’s presentation allowed me to learn many new things, I learned about the importance of tea in the Middle East and how it is served along with fruit and other little baked treats. She also talked about how it is rude not to receive the food offered however you do not have to eat it. Tea is a very important part of their life’s and their typical drink of choice, In Iran, tea is drink with every meal and in between, sometimes more than five times a day. word count: 238
1-10-2011 Yasmin Lozano Today was the last day of our World of Tea IIW week, and so we had a field trip to the Serenitea Tea Shop in Sugarland. The shop was a small with various little tables spread out, each neatly set up. Here we got to try various different types of teas, and ever so often one of the ladies would come and serve us a new type of flavor. Along with the teas we had the pleasure of enjoying some delicious homemade scones that came with a lemon and cream dip that was quit delicious. I really enjoyed the time we spent at the tea shop mingling with the people in our tables.
Towards the end of our tea the owner of the shop came and talked to us about tea. I found it interesting that all the teas we had the pleasure of tasting were all original blends. The lady seemed to know a lot about tea and its history. One thing she kept talking about was how tea bags were trash and that it was just best to get the leaves, since they contained all the nutrition's and health benefits.
I really enjoyed this week and all the different teas I tried. One thing i noticed was that drinking tea every morning really did call me down for the rest of the day. Maybe from now on I will start drinking tea and enjoy some of the health benefits I learned about. word count:245
We had a guest speaker today. She was a tea manster and the only one in Texas. She had her own Tea shop called The Path of Tea and her shop only serves organic tea. She had samples to try out and we tried out five driffent kinds of tea. Organic Butterscotch (Rooibos tea) had an amazing scent and is very good for the digested system. Organic Coconut Assam (Black tea) was kind of bitter and its great for people who have asthama. Organic white peach (white tea) was smooth and tasted like peach. It is used in a lot of cosmetic and dental medcine. It smooths down wrinkiles and helps control cavaties. Organic Oolong (Oolong tea) was something I really didnt like. In my opnion it was too strong and needed sugar. It helps relieve stress and helps with fighting dieseases. The last one is Organic Strawberrey Enchia (green tea) and is great great for memorizing things and helps with a lot of cancers. All these tea had one thing in common it nnedded sugar. I peffer my tea with milk but to get all the vitemines in the tea you need to drink it with water is something I learned.
ReplyDeleteSoumya Srivastava
200 words
Ivonne Benitez
ReplyDelete12/4/11
TOTAL AMOUNT OF WORDS:204
Today a tea master from the tea shop called The Path Of Tea came to vist it us and talk about the diffrent types of teas and their health benefits the one that intrestead me was the health benefits of green tea that it can help with memory and help prevent alsaimers and minimize the chances of getting breast, prostate and other cancers.She also brought us some teas to taste and she gave us a porcelin tea cup,my favorite tea was the Organic Coconut Assam because it had a coconut taste to it and it was the most sweet out of all of them the one that i liked the least was the Organic Citrus Oolong tea because it was bitter and it had a weird after taste which i didn't like but overall i liked all of them but they all need sugar or honey to sweeten them up.Also she told us that if you mix in milk with your tea all the tea health benefits are gone in other words not recived by our body.Also liked how the black teas help increase your bone density and minimizes your chance of getting a heart attack.
1/4/11
ReplyDeleteThis time the only Certified Teamaster in Texas who runs a tea shop called The Path of Tea came to talk to us and give us samples of organic tea. The organic teas she gave us were my first experiences with teas that weren’t unknown bitter teas from my mom. My favorite cup must have been the Organic Strawberry Enchia Tea because strawberries are my favorite fruit and it tasted quite soothing. It is also suppose to be good for the memory which would be helpful for my schoolwork. The scent of the Organic Butterscotch Tea was my favorite though since I love candy. It seems like it would be a good after meal tea since its good for digestion. I really appreciated tasting those teas as they all seemed to be expertly brewed. I learned a very important fact today that I need to share with my mom that milk negates any health benefits that tea has since it absorbs poisons. Along with that fact, I learned many health benefits that teas can have if you drink 5-6 cups of it a day. If you have cancer, green tea is suppose to help you fight it and to make it less bitter you need to use water with a high pH and be careful not to burn the leaves. Black tea is supposed to stain your tea like coffee but it was the tea that I was able to drink the quickest even though it was not my favorite which was odd.
Word Count: 250
I got to see a japannease tea ceromony today. It was a very driffent thing for me to see. Here we drink tea without any rules and just want to relax. However in Japan they have a tradiations and strict rules which they follow. They also have dress code like (50)socks and kimonoes. They have gesetures and postures for their tea time. In USA we talk while we have tea but over in Japan they are'nt allowd to talk and they dirnk their tea in three swallow. The kids start drinking tea at the age of three and four.(50) They also have something sweet before they even start to enjoy drinking their tea. They bow a lot and are all equal in the tea room and drop their stratus and money. Kimonoes come in all shapes and sizes and all have their own driffent designs. The price depends(50) on the materials of the clothes and it has an obi tied around their stomach. The deseging are all beautiful and the kimones would take hours to put on by themselves if they are an ameture. Japanease focus on the presentation of the food more than the taste so the(50) food are all aranged beautifully.
ReplyDelete205 words
Soumya Srivastava
1/5/11
ReplyDeleteToday we got to experience a Japanese tea ceremony. There was a green tatami mat of the floor that was only big enough for around 5 people. The ceremony was very precise and neat. There was a lot of bowing and respect showing such as "osakini" which means "I'm sorry to have sweets/drink tea before you." which I know is very traditionally Japanese. The sweet that was served with the tea looks like a tiny cookie of a Chinese bun and tasted like dry sweet honey. Everyone wore a beautiful kimono or a yukata and socks. It's a shame that you can't buy kimonos here in Houston even if they are very expensive. I learned that these ceremonies originated when the samurai were in power because they wanted to feel some tranquility while the war was going on. The speaker also taught us a little about Japanese culture such as how New Year's is a very important holiday in Japan revolving around new year resolutions. There is also a festival for three, five, and seven year old children which I know is called "san-go-shichi festival." I really liked the ceremony though I thought it was probably perfectly captured from the past. The tea itself did taste like grass but I appreciated the tea it was nice and well made.
Word count: 228
1-4-2011
ReplyDeleteYasmin Lozano....
The Certified Tea Expert’s lecture was very interesting. She gave several interesting facts about the history of tea, its origins, cultural aspects and many of its health benefits. One of the most interesting things I learned, had to do with the way the tea plants were being harvested. As it turned out people would train monkeys to pick certain teas, specially in areas that were hard to reach for humans. These monkey picked tea is also much more expensive, solely because they weren’t harvested as usual.
In China there’s 1000 different types of green tea while in Japan there are only 15 different kinds. Green tea helps with cognitive skills, memory and prevents the onset of Alzeimer’s and Parkinson's by preventing plaque buildup in the brain. Tea carries amino acid that gets brain to produce dopamine and serotonin.
Our visitor brought us several different types of tea to taste. My favorite cup must have been the organic white peach tea because it was the least bitter of the tea’s and had a smooth taste. The best scented of the teas was the organic butter scotch tea which smelled like vanilla. All in all it was interesting to try out all the different tea’s and learn a little bit more about them.
Word Count: 216
Ivonne Benitez
ReplyDelete12/5/10
TOTAL WORD COUNT:296
Today we were working on our maps I just finished and my 10 notes some things that I learned while I was doing that I found out that in Thailand they sell bottled and their tea master produce their own High Mountain Oolong tea and that they sweeten their Thai tea with condensed milk and that you can make the Thai tea in to a frappe and last is that they call Thai tea cha-yen.The other country that I learned about was Indonesia and they give you plain tea instead of water as a free drink because their water is needed to be boiled before being able to drink it and the tea is very cheap over there and that the Dutch settlers established the tea plantations and that 60% of their tea is green tea. We also enjoyed a Japanese tea ceremony it was very interesting how it was performed they had to walk through a tiny door which symbolizes that their are no class difference between them also the must bow before eating anything to show their respect to the others that they’re eating before them also they must drink their tea in three sips and the tea was made out of this powdered thing and it was very green and foamy and it smelled like seaweed and tasted like grass which I didn’t enjoy but I really enjoyed the little dessert that we tasted it was like a Hershey kisses shape and it tasted like a melon and honey and I was surprised how organized they are and they left everything how they found it.
1/4/11
ReplyDeleteThe first day of the World of Tea IIW was very interesting. We had a certified tea master come talk to us, as well as let us sample a couple of the teas she sells in her shop, The Path of Tea. The first tea that we were served was organic white peach. It had a light color and a semi bitter taste, but I could definitely pick out the peach. The peach flavored the tea nicely. The tea master also explained the benefits of organic tea. I was surprised to hear that most of the tea leaves that are imported from foreign countries are often covered with dangerous chemicals and pesticides, such as DDT. I also enjoyed the citrus oolong tea, which was bitter but still had a velvety feel on my tongue that tasted like oranges. Also, I always enjoyed drinking green tea, which she told us a lot about that I didn’t know about. In China, when people are unable to pick the tea leaves from tall trees, they send a monkey to do it. I wonder how they train the monkeys. She also mentioned many of the health benefits of green tea, which include improving memory and cognitive skills. Green tea also helps to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by preventing plaque buildup in the brain. I personally prefer my tea very sweet, so all of the teas I tried were a bit too bitter for my liking, but I still found the flavor enjoyable. It is obvious that the way the tea was prepared was in a very specific way so as to bring out the best flavors.
WORD COUNT: 275
1/5/11
ReplyDeleteToday was another fun day in the World of Tea IIW. We were scheduled to watch a Japanese tea ceremony, but I was unable to attend because I was meeting the Consulate General of Pakistan as part of a National Honor Society delegation. Nonetheless, I was able to complete a fair amount of research before I left. Because I am part East Asia, I concentrated on studying tea in China, specifically the historical aspect. In China, at least as early as the Tang Dynasty, occurring hundreds of years ago, tea was an object of connoisseurship. Then, in the Song Dynasty formal tea-tasting parties were held, very similar to the wine tastings of today. In China’s history, there were two phases of tea drinking in China that were based on the form of tea that was produced and consumed. This usually referred to tea bricks and loose leaf tea. Tea served prior to the Ming Dynasty was typically made from tea bricks. Tea bricks were also sometimes used as currency. To improve its resiliency as currency, some tea bricks were mixed with binding agents such as blood. I found this information rather interesting, and it left me wondering what kind of blood was used, and how it was collected. Were there any shady business deals that involved maiming or murdering another human being? As far as tea tasting goes, today we tried the Earl Grey tea, which I am very familiar today and which I enjoyed immensely. I usually drink this type of tea at home, although I must admit I put more sugar into it that what I drank today.
WORD COUNT: 270
1/6/11
ReplyDeleteToday has probably been my favorite day in the World of Tea IIW by far. I spent some time in the morning researching more facts on Chinese tea, and I sampled some tea that was served. I am not sure what the exact name was, I just know that it was black tea. It had a sweet taste, and this was the first time so far that I have found a cup of tea in which I did not long for a spoonful of sugar. My favorite part was when the Korean tea ceremony was performed. This was the first time that I had seen a tea ceremony, and I found it very interesting. The lady who came to present the ceremony to us was not very proficient in English and needed the help of an assistant to translate, which I thought was adorable and make her seem more legitimate. As she was going through the steps of the ceremony, I was captivated by the very precise way she placed and moved her hands. I also thought it was rather interesting how she would first pour the hot water into all the cups, and then pour it back into the teapot, and re-pour it once more. I enjoyed the taste of the green tea very much. It had a pretty light green color and tasted very natural and herb-like. We also tried some green tea from tea bags, and she showed us a neat technique for lifting the tea bag so as not to drip anywhere. Since I usually drink tea using bags, this was a rather helpful tip. Overall, I was very impressed with the Korean ceremony.
WORD COUNT: 278
1-5-2011
ReplyDeleteYasmin Lozano
Today I have spent the day searching up different facts for my map and have learned several interesting facts about tea and its importance in Eastern Asia. In China, at least as early as the Tang Dynasty, tea was an object of connoisseurship and in the Song Dynasty formal tea-tasting parties were held, much like modern wine tastings. one of the weirdest things I learned about was that tea bricks were at one point used as money and in order to improve its resiliency as currency, some tea bricks were mixed with binding agents such as blood!
We also got to see a traditional Japanese ceremony something I had never seen before. I absolutely love their kimonos and all the various fabrics and styles in which they come in. At first I didn’t get why the Japaneses process of making tea was so long but now I see how they use it as a form of meditation. I love how much they focus on the guest and showing how important they are to them. One thing i found absolutely amazing was the size of the door. I love the idea that it was a way for them to make sure the tea ceremony was a neutral safe environment. Despite the long and very beautiful ritual, I hated the tea, it was very bitter and it smelled like grass. It wasn’t appealing to my taste buds at all though it was visually pleasant to see because of the vivid green tone it was. Nonetheless, I am happy to have been able to witness an actual Japanese tea ceremony.
word count: 268
1-6-2011
ReplyDeleteYasmin Lozano
Today we had the pleasure of having two Korean guest come give us a demonstration of a typical Korean tea ceremony. The lady was from South Korean, which made me wonder whether the differences between South and North Korean are big. i find it quit fascinating, how they put so much attention to every little detail while serving the tea. Particularly the order in which the tea is poured, how how you first start by serving the guest cup and work you way to yours but never filling the cup completely. One you have done this you work you way back filling up the rest of the cup starting with yours and working your way back to the first one. This allows a even concentration of the tea in each cup.
The tea they prepared is by far my favorite tea i have tasted this week. It wasn't as bland as all the other ones or bitter at all, actually it was some what naturally sweet and had a minty feel to it. We also learned how to use tea bags without dripping water all over, which i though was very cool and almost seemed like magic. They were generous to also so give each one of us a instant tea packet for our water bottles. One thing i would have love to have seen our guest speakers wear today, would be the Hanbok (the Korean version of a Japanese kimono). Fortunately for us, Ms. Harelson was wearing hers.
word count: 250
Yesterday we watched a Korean tea ceremony. Their pots and teacups are pottery instead of glass like the ones found in USA. They are also smaller in size and have snacks to go with it. WE also leaded that now that techonolgies havs improved and we are getting more lazy ()their are faster ways to make tea without waiting. Thee host served us chocolates instead of rice cakes like they do in Korea. Tea was once again interduced to Korea by the Chinaese. Tea is mostly drunk by the women who want an excuse to socialize. Tea is also important()to their culture. They have their own version of kimonoes but its two piece. I was born in asia but the tea I am use to is similar to the ones in England. I have never drank tea in water its always have been in milk. Most of the families in India drink their tea in milk. Its also the() way I drink my tea. Although in the class we drink our tea in water I am still not used to it. I like my tea sweet not bitter like the Japanease tea. My favorite tea have been Jasmine green tea because it wasnt too strong or bitter. I like the way Korean drink their tea.
ReplyDeleteword 207
Soumya Srivastava
Ivonne Benitez
ReplyDelete12-6-11
TOTAL WORDS:227
Today we are drinking jasmine green tea and its very good it taste like honey and chamomille which I really like and we watched a Korean tea ceremony it was really cool who they made the tea and it was better than the Japanese ceremony and the Korean ceremony was more social than the Japanese ceremony and they usually eat rice cakes and other Korean treats but they thought we wouldn't like them so they substituted chocolate. the two lady's were from South Korea and they payed attention to every little detail just like the Japanese and they may substitute tea bags in stead of tea leaves. I also learned that they pour their guest first and then the other and then they pour more a second time to the same cups to keep the same consistency in each cup and they also bow like the Japanese.They also showed us a technique on how to lift the tea bag with out it dripping every where and it was really easy what you have to do is let the bottom of the tea bag touch the tea a little bit and then lift it and nothing drips because the tea bag is leaving all the water in the tea which I found very use full I'm going to practice this technique at home today.
Ivonne Benitez
ReplyDelete12-7-11
TOTAL WORDS:231
Today our old registrar came to visit us about tea in Iran she brought some mini sugar cubes and she brought novar which is saturated sugar and some cookies and earl grey tea. She started to tells about how that in Iran they just bring you tea and that tea is used for social purposes and that in 1899 they could plant tea and in 1934 the first modern factory of tea was installed they make tea with a pot called samovar which is used to boil the water and when she was born she had to light it up with fire but now they have them where you plug in and you put your tea on top of the samovar.she also told us that they drink tea with dates instead of sugar because its very pure.they also turn on the samovar in the morning and leave it on until they go to bed at night. They also call tea Chaai and they may dilute the tea depending on how strong or light you like it. also they put their sugar cubes in their mouth and sip their tea and that if they give you something to eat and you don't like it then you just take it and put it on your plate and don't eat it and now we are going to taste the tea.
Today we had a person from Iran to show us how iran drinks tea. They drink their tea everyday with more than five times a day. Iran mostly drink black tea. Although Green tea is better Black tea havs plenty of advantages. It can reduce your level of stress, lower your chlolesterol, regulate your blood sugar, stimulates the heart and circulatory system, promote healthy teeth, skin and bones, contains 20% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee, act as an arthritis soother and it also helps burn body fat.I also found out about Iran school system. Not everbody gets to go to college and their future jobs are chozen for them. They have to pass the end of the year high school exam and if they dont pass it they have to retake all their courses. Tea in Iran is very popular and its also part of their culuture. They eat sweet with their tea and offer fruits to their guest and the guest isnt allowd to refuse because its bad mannars. Also they have a samovar which is in every persons house and they use that to heat up their tea. The steam heats up their tea pots.
ReplyDelete200 words
Soumya Srivastava
1/7/11
ReplyDeleteToday in the World of Tea IIW we discussed tea from the Middle East. Ms. Ranjbaran came back to Westchester to teach the class on how tea is served in Iran. There, tea is drunk several times a day, and has a big role in social gatherings. She brought in 3 different types of tea: Earl Grey, Darjeeling tea, and a cardamom tea. Since I had already tried the Earl Grey tea previously, I decided to try the other two. The Darjeeling tea had a very strong taste to it, and although I put sugar in it, I did not enjoy the flavor very much. However, I really enjoyed the cardamom tea tremendously. This is the type of tea I drink at home, and when I travel to Lebanon I drink that tea as well. I ended up drinking about 3 cups of it. I love the sweet taste of it, as well as a hint of the musky cardamom. Instead of putting sugar directly into my tea, I decided to sweeten my tea as they do in Iran, by sticking a sugar cube in my mouth and letting the tea filter through the sweet cube. I also sucked on a sugar cube by itself; it’s an old habit that I’ve had as a child. The cookies that Ms. Ranjbaran brought complimented the tea nicely as well.
WORD COUNT: 227
1/6/11
ReplyDeleteToday, we got to experience a Korean tea ceremony. Prior to the tea I actually learned how to read Korean on my laptop which was really enlightening. I didn’t know it’s like our alphabet because they have letters and not pictographs like in Chinese where Japanese uses both letters and pictographs. There are many differences from the Korean tea ceremony and the Japanese one. The main one is the ridged rules and procedures you find in the Japanese one where in the Korean one, it is a very social and pleasant atmosphere. It seems the main point of the Korean one is to enjoy the tea where in Japan it is to get it perfect. Though there are some procedures the server and drinker must follow like to wash the cups or warm them with hot water and pour the guest cup first while the drinker must obverse and swirl the tea first. Asian cultures and so into respect and honoring each other it’s so foreign where over here we don’t even have a polite tense for verbs. The two ladies were very nice and the older one showed us how to keep our tea bags from dripping everywhere. They ever gave us some to-go tea bags which tasted really good.
Word Count: 211
1/7/11
ReplyDeleteToday, we got to experience tea ceremonies in the Middle East, specifically in Iran. It was nice to look at tea ceremonies in somewhere other than Asia. Unfortunately, I had to leave for a physical fitness test for a scholarship but I did get a chance to learn a bit. Apparently, in Iran, tea is drunk with every meal and in between, sometimes more than five times a day. Every house has a samovar which is a tea warmer and it is the first thing they plug in in the morning when they wake up. Also, instead of putting sugar cubes directly into their tea, they hold it in their mouth and sip the tea through it. They need to make sure to get sugar cubes that don't melt as easily so it can last longer. The speaker explained that tea in Iran started being used for social purposes in 1899 and they drink tea called Chaai. Only in 1934 was the first modern tea factory made which seems quite recent. The speaker brought cookies to eat with the tea but she said that dates are normally used as well because of their natural sugar. Tea seems to be a big part of their culture as they drink it all the time and serve their guests tea.
Word Count: 218
We went to a hight class tea room called Sernity. It was a very pretty place and you can have something called high tea there. Unlike my previous visits it wasnt asian but more like European. We drank more than ten kinds of tea. We also had scones with this ()lemon sauce and a really tasty high class cream. Unlike the whip cream it wasnt really right but hevey and was made by the staff. The owner blends driffent tea and names her own tea which I thought was really nice and creative. She named the tea by their flavour() and the mood or mabey even the arouma. I thought thte scones were really tasty it was also made by the staff and had cramberries in them. We lso found out that tea bags are really low quality tea and its better to just brew your own tea and it ()also tastes better. My favorite was Jasmine tea. It had a very nice arouma that smelled just like Jasmine and it tasted sweet. We learned lots about tea and how they came to be popular to the world all thanks to the Chinaese Emperor. It was a very fun event for me.
ReplyDeleteSoumya Srivastava
201 words
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1/10/11
ReplyDeleteToday, we got to travel to a high tea British tea room restaurant and gift shop. It was called Serenity and was very fancy, fancier than I had every experienced. The tables for four were very small but it helped to enjoy pleasant conversation while we drunk all sorts of tea. The first few teas were good but then I was unable to finish my cups because I've never drunk that much tea before. I liked all of the teas expect any ones that had pomegranate in them. The taste of those fruits made the tea unappetizing to me. The warm scones they brought out were very delightful though. They had some chunks of fruit in them and they were served with some lemon icing sauce and some heavy whipped cream. It was good with both. After a while, the owner came out to talk about tea to us. She was very knowledgeable about tea and tea bags. I learned to never nuke tea and how to decaffeinate tea and how tea bags are nothing but tea trash. She even passed around some tea leaves and a tea brick. The tea brink reminded me of a giant chocolate bar. To finish off our IIW, we took a picture outside the shop, what a lovely IIW this was!
Word Count: 218
1/10/11
ReplyDeleteFor our final day in the World of Tea IIW, we went on a field trip and visited the Serenitea Tea Shop in Sugarland, where we were served afternoon tea. We sampled at least 10 different types of tea, all of which were very delicious. I enjoyed the tea very much; it had a very mellow, calming effect. Along with the tea we were served scones, with a lemon custard sauce on the side. The scones complimented the tea quite nicely. The owner of the teashop went on to explain the different types of tea that we were used. She also passed around the tea leaves she uses, and compared the use of tea leaves and tea bags. She explained the health benefits of tea as well, and the amount of caffeine a cup of tea contains as opposed to a cup of coffee. I enjoyed visiting her teashop immensely; it was really fun to engage in conversation over a nice cup of tea. We also learned about tea etiquette; I was really surprised to hear that you are not supposed to stick your pinky finger out when holding a teacup. I have always heard that sophisticated people drink tea like that. We also presented our maps today, and it was fun to hear facts on different regions of the world about tea. We also had iced tea, the first cold tea during the entire IIW week.
WORD COUNT: 237
Ivonne Benitez
ReplyDelete12/10/11
TOTAL WORD COUNT:246
OK so today we went to serenade which is a tea and gift shop all the teas were really good my favorite tea was the fragrant orchid tea it tasted like fruit punch when you add sugar which i really enjoyed and my other favorite was one the called chamomile peppermint because the flavor was familiar ad because the taste was already familiar and it was really good. Also the scones were really yummy and good i also enjoyed the lemon cured and the that i enjoyed the third was the Nantucket breeze it was a black tea that tasted like blueberries and vanilla it was really sweet and the good thing about the tea was that you could add sugar yay!also the owner was talking about the different types and their health benefits of the different teas for example that the teas have a lot of caffeine and that high tea is called high tea because it was drink ed in a high table and their is another tea called low tea because its served in a low table but we don't call it that anymore because it can be offensive also they have afternoon tea or high tea and tea was first discovered when this emperor of china was boiling water under a tea tree and accidentally a tea leaf fell in and he decided to try it and he liked it so he gave it to the rest of his palace.
1-7-2011
ReplyDeleteYasmin Lozano
Today in our Tea IIW, we had the pleasure of having Ms.Ranjbaran pay us a visit. Her presentation focused on tea from the Middle East, its preparation, the different types, its history, health benefits and its importance. Tea plays a very important role in the Middle East, but Ms.Ranjbaran put particularly more attention to the tea in Iran, for that is her place of origin.. Ms.Ranjbaran talked about how she could remember her mother heating up the samovar since the early morning till the end of the day when it was time to sleep. To me the samovar was very beautiful and a very different piece. One thing I really liked is that unlike most of the other countries tea we have tried, they actually use sugar to sweeten the tea. At out of all the teas from this week, this was the best I’ve had.
Ms.Ranjbaran’s presentation allowed me to learn many new things, I learned about the importance of tea in the Middle East and how it is served along with fruit and other little baked treats. She also talked about how it is rude not to receive the food offered however you do not have to eat it. Tea is a very important part of their life’s and their typical drink of choice, In Iran, tea is drink with every meal and in between, sometimes more than five times a day.
word count: 238
1-10-2011
ReplyDeleteYasmin Lozano
Today was the last day of our World of Tea IIW week, and so we had a field trip to the Serenitea Tea Shop in Sugarland. The shop was a small with various little tables spread out, each neatly set up. Here we got to try various different types of teas, and ever so often one of the ladies would come and serve us a new type of flavor. Along with the teas we had the pleasure of enjoying some delicious homemade scones that came with a lemon and cream dip that was quit delicious. I really enjoyed the time we spent at the tea shop mingling with the people in our tables.
Towards the end of our tea the owner of the shop came and talked to us about tea. I found it interesting that all the teas we had the pleasure of tasting were all original blends. The lady seemed to know a lot about tea and its history. One thing she kept talking about was how tea bags were trash and that it was just best to get the leaves, since they contained all the nutrition's and health benefits.
I really enjoyed this week and all the different teas I tried. One thing i noticed was that drinking tea every morning really did call me down for the rest of the day. Maybe from now on I will start drinking tea and enjoy some of the health benefits I learned about.
word count:245