Yesterday I took notes from a speaker that came. She is the only tea master in Texas (I don't remember her name, sorry). I actually learned a TON about tea that will really help my future tea drinking. I learned that Oolong tea alongside white tea and chai tea is my favorite kind. It tasted kind of silky but interested, and I know that a lot of people actually didn't like it, but it was my favorite out of the 5. I didn't like the Rooibos at all, maybe because it was butterscotch. I thought that the decaf thing was interesting because my mom and I always try to buy decaf tea because we get hyper easily and then get headaches from caffiene. So that's pretty cool that you can make it decaf yourself! Also, I learned to make Chai Lattes (like starbucks, but better and cheaper!) which is chai tea with sugar and milk. And when she said the milk I was like "Oh, whoops". So I am going to start drinking organic, non-milk tea! I've been inspired! Also my Dad drinks coffee everyday, he's one of the addicted ones. He alao has a high blood pressure. I'm going to recommend tea to him, because maybe it will be better for his health. I had no idea that there were so many benefits, maybe i'll write a blog about that too.
Grace l. (forgive me for spelling mistakes as this was typed on an itouch)
Yesterday we experienced a Japanese Tea ceremony I thought I would write about something that we saw again because it's so interesting! I swear the next blog posts will be about something I actually researched. I researched some more information about the ceremony, it was basically the same as what we learned. The most interesting part was the 4 things that they focus on during a tea ceremony "Wa - Harmony, Kei - Respect, Sei - Purity, and Jaku - Serenity". Besides the tea tasting like lawn mower and getting locked out for 10 minutes, I very much enjoyed it. I mean after all, it's tradition and I appreciate it. Tea is a very important part of Japanese culture, I mean all the kids study it and they even have tea clubs. Studying America, it's very interesting that there isn't as much tea as I thought there would be. Sure we have iced tea and tea bags, but we don't have a tea ceremony. My favorite part was probably how precise it was, the specific turning and bowing, they do everything as if they have studied it their whole lives (and they have!). 1/6/11
Yesterday we had some Japanese visitors to show us how the Japanese have a traditional tea ceremony. They had mats that took shape of the a medium size square and it had a small square as an opening so that you would have to bow before anyone could enter that room. This was supposed to signify that everyone was equal in this room no matter what status was the person. They told us that during a ceremony one should respect the host by bowing every time that they entered or exited and when they finished the tea. It is also considered a sign of respect when you slurp the tea. This also shows that the tea was really good. A thing that they do in Japan is that they don't fill your tea cup unless they don't want you in there. If they fill it up its the equivalent of saying "Finish and get out". They also pass out sweets during the tea ceremony and when a person gets the sweet first they say "osaki" which means " sorry for getting a sweet before you". They also clean their utensils even if they are already clean just to show that they respect the guest. Word count:203
Two days ago we had the first day of the tea class. We tried several teas and a tea master came. She own a shop called "The Path of Tea" and told us a lot of information about the types of teas. The ones that she told us about were: green, white, black, rooibos, and oolong. The green tea has many benefits. It is good for your skin and has a lot of antioxidants and it is also good for preventing some of the causes of cancer. It is also a way to get rid of stress and feel happy. White is similar to the green and is used in cosmetics. Black is more velvety in texture and has a lot of the similarity with the other teas. This also applies to the rooibos and oolong teas. All the teas derive from the same type of leaves; the thing that makes them different is in how they are processed. If you dry them or roast them or you do something to them it will affect what type of tea you get. This was a good lesson because we learned how tea can have a good impact on the lives of many people and that, if researched more, it can be beneficial to many cancer patients. Word Count: 215
On Tuesday we had a special visitor, Thia Mckann, she talked about the importance of different kinds of tea and their importance. She also talked about how organic tea is better for you because regular tea usually contain a lot of pesticides that could have a negative effect on your health. We tasted white tea, green tea, black tea, oolong tea and rooibos tea. White peach tea was my favorite of the five we tasted; it was really sweet and had a fruity flavor. We learned that white tea is commonly used in many cosmetics and usually used in tooth paste because it prevents tooth decay. Green tea is known for preventing certain types of cancer, it has a calming effect that helps you focus on your studies, it helps reduce bad cholesterol and it also lowers the chances of you having a heart attack or any other heart related troubles. black tea is know for improving mental alertness even when going without sleep for a prolonged time, because it contains caffeine, its also know for reducing the risk of kidney stones and heart attacks. Oolong tea was another of my favorite teas that we tasted. Its commonly used for weight loose since it helps boost your metabolism and your body reduce body fat. (214)
On Tuesday January 4, we had our first day of Tea IIW. On that day, a "Tea Master" came to speak to us about all the different types of teas, and what it takes to be a Tea Master. She is the only certified Tea Master in all of Texas, and one of fourteen in the country. While the Tea Master was here, we were served five different types of teas: White Peach Tea, Green Tea, Oolong, Black Tea, and Roubis Tea. They were all very great tasting teas, and all 100% organic. The Path of Tea, is the only all organic tea shop in all of Houston. As we drank our tea, the Tea Master talked to us about its picking process, health benefits, etc. Every tea we tasted had excellent health benefits, such as reducing stress, high in anioxidants, helping with memory, some have caffeine, and many more benefits. Surprisingly, adding milk to tea negates from ALL of its benefits. It was a good thing the Tea Master told us this, because it would be a shame to drink so much tea, and get none of the health benefits. This day, made me decide that when I am in college, I will not become a coffee drinker, but a tea drinker. Green Tea has a lot of caffeine to keep you awake, is super high in antioxidants, AND helps with memory! This will definitely help me in college! It was a great expirience and it was so interesting to learn about how much thought goes into making tea. (260 words)
Wednesday, was a very interesting day. We had an actual Japanese Tea Ceremony! Once again, this was a great experience. It was just so interesting to see what a big deal tea is to other cultures, especially the Japanese. When we arrived to the tea ceremony room (multi purpose room), we immediately took a seat and waited for the Ceremony to begin. A Japanese woman, wearing a very lovely kimono spoke to us about the Japanese tea culture, and about how much effort goes into a tea ceremony. It was a very long process, just for green tea. The woman who was making the tea (the host), was very graceful while whiskling the tea, and serving it. It is amazing how much respect the Japanese have among each other. They bow in respect repediately during the ceremony, and the host presents her guests with sweets and the tea in a very respectful manner. What I found interesting, was that with each sip of tea they took, they actually thought about the different things it represented, such as: honour, respect, purity, and......I forgot the last one, sorry! One thing that really surprised me, was that the ceremonies are VERY silent. The host said that they usually are that way, because they only focus on the tea, and not socializing. Anyways, It was all very wonderful, and in my opinion, the tea tasted fantastic. (233 words)
On Thursday, we had a Korean Tea Ceremony. I really, really enjoyed this one. It was amazing to me how differently the Japanese and the Koreans do their ceremonies. Well anyways, when the Korean women arrived, we sat dowand waited for them to begin. The first thing we did, was watch a powerpoint on Korean Tea Ceremonies, and watched a video included in the powerpoint. In the video, it showed Korean women going to a house to driek tea with their friends. As soon as the women enter, they take their shoes off, only wearing socks. In the Korean culture, it is considered rude and disrespectful to enter someone elses home barefoot. When they enter the house, tey all head to the room where the tea ceremony will take place. Once in the room, they begin to carefully prepare the tea. Unlike the Japanese, the Korean women chat with one another while they make the tea. For Korean women, the Tea Ceremonies are for socializing with friends. It is a way for them to connect with each other and just be able to talk with their friends. These ceremonies are not silent, as they are for the Japanese people. It was a very lively ceremony. I actually found it much more fun than the Japanese one! The tea itself was very good as well. It had a lighter colour and texture than the Japanese tea. Another thing I found to be pretty interesting, was that the Korean people think of different things when they drink theor tea. Unlike the Japanese people, they concentrate on three things: The colour, the scent, and finally the taste. (274 words)
Friday January 7, we got to try Iranian tea, called chaai. Well, pretty much any tea in the middle east is called chaai. In my opinion it is the best of all the teas. Maybe I think this way because I am half Iranian. My father is from Iran, and whenever I am with him, he usually makes this type of tea for the two of us. I really like its unique taste. I do not usually enjoy black tea. Actually, I really hate it, but when it comes to persian tea, I really like it! The woman who came to talk to us about it used to work here at the school. She was very kind, and I liked how she explained everything so well to us, and taught us a little bit about the history of the tea in Iran. When she came, we watched a powerpoint she made for us, explaining everything, and how tea is a big part of Iranian hospitality. Whenever you go to an Iranian persons home, the first thing they will do, is serve you chaai. I really loved the tea that was made for us today. It was by far my favourite of all the other ones we have tried. (208 words)
Today, on our very last day of IIW, we got to finally go on our field trip! It was something I had been looking forward too. The field trip was in Sugarlad, which I hadn't been to in a long time. Over there, we went to a little "tea room" called Serenitea. In the tea room, there were several little tables with very pretty tea cups and saucers. We were served homemade scones with creame and lemon sauce, and a variety of teas. They were all really great tasting teas, but I did enjoy some more than the others. After a little while, the owner of Serenitea, spoke to us about the history of tea, all the health benefits, ediquite, and how to prepare a proper cup of tea. Her entire speech was extremely informative and I learned quite a lot. It was a very enjoyable trip and I was very happy to have learned so much. I never would have thought that I could learn so much a bout tea, and how beneficial it is to ones health in only one week! I had a good time, and learned so much. I feel like I am definitely walking away with loads of information that will be beneficial to me in the future. (213 words)
North America tea facts are actually really interesting. To be honest, I thought there would be absolutely nothing about tea in America. I just figured that we copied everyone again or brought the tea to the colonies. I had no idea that it is the 6th most drunk beverage in the U.S., that's not bad since we have a lot of coffee drinkers. I also didn't know about the iced tea and tea bags. I mean hey, we actually invented something about tea, were not all the way useless. I really enjoyed getting North America, it wasn't easy, seeing as I had to draw it on our poster and it looked really bad.. And there aren't a lot of facts about tea. I thought it was going to be a piece of cake. I also learned a ton about the Boston Tea Party, the Tea Act, and of course Arizona Tea. I enjoyed doing presentations and posters because I was clueless about tea, I just knew what it tasted like. Oh and apparently the only tea I have had is that simple kind that's fruity and sweet. Man, I felt pretty good not having to add sugar because the tea tasted perfect. (203)
I decided to do a separate research on tea in general. Not individual countries or continents, just tea. I learned this before, that tea comes from the plant called "Camellia Sinensis" but I keep on forgetting that they are just different flavors, but the same flavor. As for some health benefits it can help you lose weight, and is good for your heart. Also something that I'm very surprised is that it can help fight cavities, and that's something that I need. And it helps you boost your immune system. It's like drinking Tylenol, it's so good for you that it's surprising. I am definitely going to start drinking tea, when I get the right teapot and tea leafs etc., every day. Another interesting fact that I found out is that tea was invented accidentally. A emperor was boiling water and a tea leaf flew in, and he thought it smelled good. That was how tea was discovered, or at least was knowingly introduced. Thanks to the Boston Tea Party, a coffee outbreak occurred and tea is not as popular as before. Hopefully this will change in the near future, a lot of Americans do not enjoy tea (It's not my favorite thing either, but I can live with it) but maybe if they tasted the different kinds of tea and all went through Tea IIW's in their schools they would know about all the benefits of tea.
This is my last blog post as well as the last day of IIW. I'm kind of sad, I really enjoyed it. Today we took our field trip to Serenitea in Sugarland. I have never drunk as much tea as I have in a lifetime. No joke. I ate and drank so much that I almost couldn't take it anymore. My favorite was the Mandarin spice one (not sure about the correct name). I really liked it, just because I like orange flavorings for some reason. The scones were amazing, and probably my favorite part because of the two spreads that we combined. I know it's not tea, but it's still amazing. I would have eaten all of them if no one was looking, but I only ate 2. Still, that was my favorite. Also the woman (can't remember her name, sorry) gave a very interesting talk, I was slightly distracted but nonetheless I learned so many things. Finally I was told how to decaffeinate tea, that is one of things that I need because I don't need caffeine at all. I had such a great time at that place, and will be going back. I already convinced my Mom that it was one of the best places in the world, and she's going to drive all the way to Sugarland for it. And she said yes which is awesome. I will be back soon.
On Tuesday January 4th I went to my homeroom class to see what my IIW was I was excited to see that I got the tea IIW. When I went to the assigned room I found out that my teachers were Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Harrelson, and Mrs. Martin. Well this day they set up a meet with the only certified tea master in Houston who happens to own a tea shop called the path of tea. It was kind of cool because she had a lot to say about the 5 different teas she brought that day. The different types of tea she brought were green tea, white tea, black tea, rooibos tea, and oolong tea. I liked them all, but then again I would drink almost anything. The tea master told us a lot about all the different health benefits that each tea had like the fact that green tea was good for fighting and preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Then all of them were good for preventing some kind of cancers and that the health benefits go away if you put milk in your tea (lol! Mrs. Martin). Then after words we sat down and worked on our North America project and drank some more tea and made conversation in our group. (212 words)
On Wednesday January 5th I walked the wrong way to my IIW I thought it was on the other side of the high school (durp) so felt really stupid after I realized what I was doing. Well when I got to class I found out a bunch of Japanese ladies came to our school to tell us about and show us how a Japanese tea ceremony was preformed. But before that of course we enjoyed some nice hot tea and some cookies then worked on our map a little bit more I found most of my facts about Arizona tea. Anyway we went to the over flow room and I was kind of freaked out I’ve never seen so many Asians in one room in person before I felt like everyone was going to bust out with kung fu or some kind of martial arts. So the Japanese lady told us that a tea ceremony should be very quite and be very respectful to the tea hosts guests. Harmony, respect, purity and tranquility are the codes followed for having a Japanese tea ceremony. I asked the lady why in the tea ceremony do they have to enter through a 2 foot tall door and the answer I got was pretty cool, it was to show that everyone who entered the ceremony was equal and hade to endure the same entry as anyone else nothing special for anyone one important. But my favorite part was drinking the tea it was good. It reminded me of a freshly mowed lawn. Grace refused to drink hers so she gave it me like I said I would drink almost anything. Her tea tasted the same only the grass was decomposed and laid in rain water for a month. Ewww (295 words)
On Thursday January 6th we had more tea (what a surprise) in the morning! I was thirsty and curious so I asked Mrs. Martin to mix the two teas available in my cup it tasted better than the two separated I was surprised. Well we still haven’t finished our poster two of our partners had to finish their facts on North America. Later that day we had another visitor, this time we had Koreans come and tell us about a Korean style tea ceremony. A Korean style tea ceremony was a lot less quiet than the Japanese ceremony. It was a time to show respect but also be somewhat talkative and share your thoughts. A major difference between Japanese ceremony and Korean ceremony is the tea. The tea its self is both green tea but the Japanese use powder, and the Koreans use leaves. This makes the flavor between the two almost completely different. In the Korean ceremony the main concerns about the tea is the first sip you should concentrate on the flavor, then the second sip you concentrate on the color, and the last sip you concentrate on the smell. Overall it was pretty fun to see the differences between to similar ethnicities. (205 words)
On Friday January 7th in the morning we drank tea again, I never get tired of it. Then everyone in my group finished their facts so we finished our entire project. Today our old registrar visited us. I think the teachers were more excited than the students. So she brought this weird bitter tea from Iran that you’re supposed to water down with hot water. It is also customary to drink the tea with a sugar cube in you mouth. I tried to do the sugar cube but ended up swallowing it by accident. That was not very pleasant. Than we pretty much just drank tea the rest of the period and made conversation about the day and stuff. It was fun.
yesterday was alot of fun we went on a feild trip to a tea shop called serenatea(lol very clever). so we went there for a tea tasting. we literally drank eighteen diferent types of tea it was pretty cool. my favorite tea was the nantucket breeze so i bought one before we left. my least favorite one was the apricot because it was absoulutly disgusting but i still drank it, what dosent kill you makes you stronger. so we had tea after tea after tea it was alright untill i had to use the restroom. OMG thats all i can say about that. my favorite part was when the server brought out the crumpet things. they were sooooo good. i ate them with the lemon sauce and creamy stuff. what i thought was really cool was that the lady that owned the place makes her own teas and gives them names thats pretty cool. maybe i can go agian but i doubt i will(too girly).
On Thursday we had the Korean tea ceremony which was quite different from the Japanese tea ceremony. instead of being focused on finding peace whit peace and quite the Korea the ceremony is more like a chance to enjoy the company of other and socialize. the Korean tea ceremony was usually hosted by high ranked people to socialize and just get together. The taste of the tea is a great part in the ceremony unlike the Japanese tea ceremony which just focuses on the color of the tea and not what it tastes like. Out of the three ceremonies we saw this had had to de the best one, I think it’s a great way of enjoying the company of other while tasting some great tea. In this tea ceremony they used tea leaves not powder making the tea taste better than the green tea that was served in the previous ceremony. They also showed and talked to use about they get tea from different parts of the world and what was the difference when getting the tea from different parts of the tea plants. They also gave us some instant tea from Lipton, which proves how tea has changed from boiling water to just putting it in water and shaking it.(212)
On wednesday we learned about the traditional japanese ceremony. We learned that people enter though a small door which you have to bow to enter. This was a custom that forced everyone attending the tea ceremony to be equal they were no longer separated by the differences in rank. The tea ceremony was a way to achieve peace during a time of war, so during the tea ceremony theres not a lot of talking just concentrating on the flavor, smell and color of the tea. When you are ready to enter the tea room you take off your shoes and leave them at the door, going inside whit your socks on. first you place a fan in front of you and bow the you move the fan up and using your fists you slide to the front entering the room through the small door. You then stand once your in the room and go to your place and sit on your legs. once the host enters you bow to the host. the host serves tea by first cleaning the implements used to serve and the poring tea into the cups of the guest first the her own. tea is usually served with a pastry or a sweet. The tea is made from a powder so the color is rich but the taste is kinda sour and not very pleasant.
On Friday our old registrar came to talk to us about tea from were she grew up. She talked about how its not a ritualistic thing to drink tea, its treated like we treat coffee, you could drink it in the morning with your breakfast at lunch, at diner or at any time of the day. She said that they always have hot water going for tea and its only turned off at the end of the day. She told us that when you visit some one they don’t offer you tea they just give it to you out of courtesy, if they asked you if you wanted some fruit or some sort of snack that they usually have with tea, you should always take it even if you don’t want it, just put it aside if your not going to eat it. She also told us a story about how she got to the united states, by convincing her dad to study abroad when she could not study what she wanted because of the way that careers are chosen in the country. After finishing school she stayed here because there was a war going on in her home country.
On Monday we went on a field trip to serenetea tea house. We tastes a lot of different types of tea most of them were really good but only after aiding some sugar to take away the bitter taste . There were scones served whit the tea that were delicious . My favorite of all the teas served would have to be chamomile tea. The owner talked to us about the history of tea which went from how it was accidentally made as tea leaves fell in boiling water to more modern facts on the Boston tea party . She also talked to us about the beneficial qualities of tea and what make tea good and what its just trash. We got to see the different types of tea leaves from which tea is made of . She also talked about how tea bags are basically the trash that comes out of the tea and doesn’t have any nutritional value to it. So its better to buy the tea leaves than the tea bag no matter how more conventional the tea bags are. She told us how to make a proper pot of tea and how to decaffeinate it or just take most of the caffeine out of it.(209)
Yesterday I took notes from a speaker that came. She is the only tea master in Texas (I don't remember her name, sorry). I actually learned a TON about tea that will really help my future tea drinking. I learned that Oolong tea alongside white tea and chai tea is my favorite kind. It tasted kind of silky but interested, and I know that a lot of people actually didn't like it, but it was my favorite out of the 5. I didn't like the Rooibos at all, maybe because it was butterscotch. I thought that the decaf thing was interesting because my mom and I always try to buy decaf tea because we get hyper easily and then get headaches from caffiene. So that's pretty cool that you can make it decaf yourself! Also, I learned to make Chai Lattes (like starbucks, but better and cheaper!) which is chai tea with sugar and milk. And when she said the milk I was like "Oh, whoops". So I am going to start drinking organic, non-milk tea! I've been inspired!
ReplyDeleteAlso my Dad drinks coffee everyday, he's one of the addicted ones. He alao has a high blood pressure. I'm going to recommend tea to him, because maybe it will be better for his health. I had no idea that there were so many benefits, maybe i'll write a blog about that too.
Grace L.--- 231 Words
Grace l. (forgive me for spelling mistakes as this was typed on an itouch)
ReplyDeleteYesterday we experienced a Japanese Tea ceremony I thought I would write about something that we saw again because it's so interesting! I swear the next blog posts will be about something I actually researched. I researched some more information about the ceremony, it was basically the same as what we learned. The most interesting part was the 4 things that they focus on during a tea ceremony "Wa - Harmony, Kei - Respect, Sei - Purity, and Jaku - Serenity". Besides the tea tasting like lawn mower and getting locked out for 10 minutes, I very much enjoyed it. I mean after all, it's tradition and I appreciate it. Tea is a very important part of Japanese culture, I mean all the kids study it and they even have tea clubs. Studying America, it's very interesting that there isn't as much tea as I thought there would be. Sure we have iced tea and tea bags, but we don't have a tea ceremony. My favorite part was probably how precise it was, the specific turning and bowing, they do everything as if they have studied it their whole lives (and they have!). 1/6/11
Yesterday we had some Japanese visitors to show us how the Japanese have a traditional tea ceremony. They had mats that took shape of the a medium size square and it had a small square as an opening so that you would have to bow before anyone could enter that room. This was supposed to signify that everyone was equal in this room no matter what status was the person. They told us that during a ceremony one should respect the host by bowing every time that they entered or exited and when they finished the tea. It is also considered a sign of respect when you slurp the tea. This also shows that the tea was really good. A thing that they do in Japan is that they don't fill your tea cup unless they don't want you in there. If they fill it up its the equivalent of saying "Finish and get out". They also pass out sweets during the tea ceremony and when a person gets the sweet first they say "osaki" which means " sorry for getting a sweet before you". They also clean their utensils even if they are already clean just to show that they respect the guest. Word count:203
ReplyDeleteTwo days ago we had the first day of the tea class. We tried several teas and a tea master came. She own a shop called "The Path of Tea" and told us a lot of information about the types of teas. The ones that she told us about were: green, white, black, rooibos, and oolong. The green tea has many benefits. It is good for your skin and has a lot of antioxidants and it is also good for preventing some of the causes of cancer. It is also a way to get rid of stress and feel happy. White is similar to the green and is used in cosmetics. Black is more velvety in texture and has a lot of the similarity with the other teas. This also applies to the rooibos and oolong teas. All the teas derive from the same type of leaves; the thing that makes them different is in how they are processed. If you dry them or roast them or you do something to them it will affect what type of tea you get. This was a good lesson because we learned how tea can have a good impact on the lives of many people and that, if researched more, it can be beneficial to many cancer patients. Word Count: 215
ReplyDeleteOn Tuesday we had a special visitor, Thia Mckann, she talked about the importance of different kinds of tea and their importance. She also talked about how organic tea is better for you because regular tea usually contain a lot of pesticides that could have a negative effect on your health. We tasted white tea, green tea, black tea, oolong tea and rooibos tea. White peach tea was my favorite of the five we tasted; it was really sweet and had a fruity flavor. We learned that white tea is commonly used in many cosmetics and usually used in tooth paste because it prevents tooth decay. Green tea is known for preventing certain types of cancer, it has a calming effect that helps you focus on your studies, it helps reduce bad cholesterol and it also lowers the chances of you having a heart attack or any other heart related troubles. black tea is know for improving mental alertness even when going without sleep for a prolonged time, because it contains caffeine, its also know for reducing the risk of kidney stones and heart attacks. Oolong tea was another of my favorite teas that we tasted. Its commonly used for weight loose since it helps boost your metabolism and your body reduce body fat. (214)
ReplyDeleteOn Tuesday January 4, we had our first day of Tea IIW. On that day, a "Tea Master" came to speak to us about all the different types of teas, and what it takes to be a Tea Master. She is the only certified Tea Master in all of Texas, and one of fourteen in the country. While the Tea Master was here, we were served five different types of teas: White Peach Tea, Green Tea, Oolong, Black Tea, and Roubis Tea. They were all very great tasting teas, and all 100% organic. The Path of Tea, is the only all organic tea shop in all of Houston. As we drank our tea, the Tea Master talked to us about its picking process, health benefits, etc. Every tea we tasted had excellent health benefits, such as reducing stress, high in anioxidants, helping with memory, some have caffeine, and many more benefits. Surprisingly, adding milk to tea negates from ALL of its benefits. It was a good thing the Tea Master told us this, because it would be a shame to drink so much tea, and get none of the health benefits. This day, made me decide that when I am in college, I will not become a coffee drinker, but a tea drinker. Green Tea has a lot of caffeine to keep you awake, is super high in antioxidants, AND helps with memory! This will definitely help me in college! It was a great expirience and it was so interesting to learn about how much thought goes into making tea.
ReplyDelete(260 words)
Wednesday, was a very interesting day. We had an actual Japanese Tea Ceremony! Once again, this was a great experience. It was just so interesting to see what a big deal tea is to other cultures, especially the Japanese. When we arrived to the tea ceremony room (multi purpose room), we immediately took a seat and waited for the Ceremony to begin. A Japanese woman, wearing a very lovely kimono spoke to us about the Japanese tea culture, and about how much effort goes into a tea ceremony. It was a very long process, just for green tea. The woman who was making the tea (the host), was very graceful while whiskling the tea, and serving it. It is amazing how much respect the Japanese have among each other. They bow in respect repediately during the ceremony, and the host presents her guests with sweets and the tea in a very respectful manner. What I found interesting, was that with each sip of tea they took, they actually thought about the different things it represented, such as: honour, respect, purity, and......I forgot the last one, sorry! One thing that really surprised me, was that the ceremonies are VERY silent. The host said that they usually are that way, because they only focus on the tea, and not socializing. Anyways, It was all very wonderful, and in my opinion, the tea tasted fantastic.
ReplyDelete(233 words)
On Thursday, we had a Korean Tea Ceremony. I really, really enjoyed this one. It was amazing to me how differently the Japanese and the Koreans do their ceremonies. Well anyways, when the Korean women arrived, we sat dowand waited for them to begin. The first thing we did, was watch a powerpoint on Korean Tea Ceremonies, and watched a video included in the powerpoint. In the video, it showed Korean women going to a house to driek tea with their friends. As soon as the women enter, they take their shoes off, only wearing socks. In the Korean culture, it is considered rude and disrespectful to enter someone elses home barefoot. When they enter the house, tey all head to the room where the tea ceremony will take place. Once in the room, they begin to carefully prepare the tea. Unlike the Japanese, the Korean women chat with one another while they make the tea. For Korean women, the Tea Ceremonies are for socializing with friends. It is a way for them to connect with each other and just be able to talk with their friends. These ceremonies are not silent, as they are for the Japanese people. It was a very lively ceremony. I actually found it much more fun than the Japanese one! The tea itself was very good as well. It had a lighter colour and texture than the Japanese tea. Another thing I found to be pretty interesting, was that the Korean people think of different things when they drink theor tea. Unlike the Japanese people, they concentrate on three things: The colour, the scent, and finally the taste.
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Friday January 7, we got to try Iranian tea, called chaai. Well, pretty much any tea in the middle east is called chaai. In my opinion it is the best of all the teas. Maybe I think this way because I am half Iranian. My father is from Iran, and whenever I am with him, he usually makes this type of tea for the two of us. I really like its unique taste. I do not usually enjoy black tea. Actually, I really hate it, but when it comes to persian tea, I really like it! The woman who came to talk to us about it used to work here at the school. She was very kind, and I liked how she explained everything so well to us, and taught us a little bit about the history of the tea in Iran. When she came, we watched a powerpoint she made for us, explaining everything, and how tea is a big part of Iranian hospitality. Whenever you go to an Iranian persons home, the first thing they will do, is serve you chaai. I really loved the tea that was made for us today. It was by far my favourite of all the other ones we have tried.
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Today, on our very last day of IIW, we got to finally go on our field trip! It was something I had been looking forward too. The field trip was in Sugarlad, which I hadn't been to in a long time. Over there, we went to a little "tea room" called Serenitea. In the tea room, there were several little tables with very pretty tea cups and saucers. We were served homemade scones with creame and lemon sauce, and a variety of teas. They were all really great tasting teas, but I did enjoy some more than the others. After a little while, the owner of Serenitea, spoke to us about the history of tea, all the health benefits, ediquite, and how to prepare a proper cup of tea. Her entire speech was extremely informative and I learned quite a lot. It was a very enjoyable trip and I was very happy to have learned so much. I never would have thought that I could learn so much a bout tea, and how beneficial it is to ones health in only one week! I had a good time, and learned so much. I feel like I am definitely walking away with loads of information that will be beneficial to me in the future.
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Grace L.
ReplyDeleteNorth America tea facts are actually really interesting. To be honest, I thought there would be absolutely nothing about tea in America. I just figured that we copied everyone again or brought the tea to the colonies. I had no idea that it is the 6th most drunk beverage in the U.S., that's not bad since we have a lot of coffee drinkers. I also didn't know about the iced tea and tea bags. I mean hey, we actually invented something about tea, were not all the way useless. I really enjoyed getting North America, it wasn't easy, seeing as I had to draw it on our poster and it looked really bad.. And there aren't a lot of facts about tea. I thought it was going to be a piece of cake. I also learned a ton about the Boston Tea Party, the Tea Act, and of course Arizona Tea. I enjoyed doing presentations and posters because I was clueless about tea, I just knew what it tasted like. Oh and apparently the only tea I have had is that simple kind that's fruity and sweet. Man, I felt pretty good not having to add sugar because the tea tasted perfect. (203)
Grace L.
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I decided to do a separate research on tea in general. Not individual countries or continents, just tea. I learned this before, that tea comes from the plant called "Camellia Sinensis" but I keep on forgetting that they are just different flavors, but the same flavor. As for some health benefits it can help you lose weight, and is good for your heart. Also something that I'm very surprised is that it can help fight cavities, and that's something that I need. And it helps you boost your immune system. It's like drinking Tylenol, it's so good for you that it's surprising. I am definitely going to start drinking tea, when I get the right teapot and tea leafs etc., every day. Another interesting fact that I found out is that tea was invented accidentally. A emperor was boiling water and a tea leaf flew in, and he thought it smelled good. That was how tea was discovered, or at least was knowingly introduced. Thanks to the Boston Tea Party, a coffee outbreak occurred and tea is not as popular as before. Hopefully this will change in the near future, a lot of Americans do not enjoy tea (It's not my favorite thing either, but I can live with it) but maybe if they tasted the different kinds of tea and all went through Tea IIW's in their schools they would know about all the benefits of tea.
Grace L
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This is my last blog post as well as the last day of IIW. I'm kind of sad, I really enjoyed it. Today we took our field trip to Serenitea in Sugarland. I have never drunk as much tea as I have in a lifetime. No joke. I ate and drank so much that I almost couldn't take it anymore. My favorite was the Mandarin spice one (not sure about the correct name). I really liked it, just because I like orange flavorings for some reason. The scones were amazing, and probably my favorite part because of the two spreads that we combined. I know it's not tea, but it's still amazing. I would have eaten all of them if no one was looking, but I only ate 2. Still, that was my favorite. Also the woman (can't remember her name, sorry) gave a very interesting talk, I was slightly distracted but nonetheless I learned so many things. Finally I was told how to decaffeinate tea, that is one of things that I need because I don't need caffeine at all. I had such a great time at that place, and will be going back. I already convinced my Mom that it was one of the best places in the world, and she's going to drive all the way to Sugarland for it. And she said yes which is awesome. I will be back soon.
On Tuesday January 4th I went to my homeroom class to see what my IIW was I was excited to see that I got the tea IIW. When I went to the assigned room I found out that my teachers were Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Harrelson, and Mrs. Martin. Well this day they set up a meet with the only certified tea master in Houston who happens to own a tea shop called the path of tea. It was kind of cool because she had a lot to say about the 5 different teas she brought that day. The different types of tea she brought were green tea, white tea, black tea, rooibos tea, and oolong tea. I liked them all, but then again I would drink almost anything. The tea master told us a lot about all the different health benefits that each tea had like the fact that green tea was good for fighting and preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Then all of them were good for preventing some kind of cancers and that the health benefits go away if you put milk in your tea (lol! Mrs. Martin). Then after words we sat down and worked on our North America project and drank some more tea and made conversation in our group. (212 words)
ReplyDeleteOn Wednesday January 5th I walked the wrong way to my IIW I thought it was on the other side of the high school (durp) so felt really stupid after I realized what I was doing. Well when I got to class I found out a bunch of Japanese ladies came to our school to tell us about and show us how a Japanese tea ceremony was preformed. But before that of course we enjoyed some nice hot tea and some cookies then worked on our map a little bit more I found most of my facts about Arizona tea. Anyway we went to the over flow room and I was kind of freaked out I’ve never seen so many Asians in one room in person before I felt like everyone was going to bust out with kung fu or some kind of martial arts. So the Japanese lady told us that a tea ceremony should be very quite and be very respectful to the tea hosts guests. Harmony, respect, purity and tranquility are the codes followed for having a Japanese tea ceremony. I asked the lady why in the tea ceremony do they have to enter through a 2 foot tall door and the answer I got was pretty cool, it was to show that everyone who entered the ceremony was equal and hade to endure the same entry as anyone else nothing special for anyone one important. But my favorite part was drinking the tea it was good. It reminded me of a freshly mowed lawn. Grace refused to drink hers so she gave it me like I said I would drink almost anything. Her tea tasted the same only the grass was decomposed and laid in rain water for a month. Ewww (295 words)
ReplyDeleteOn Thursday January 6th we had more tea (what a surprise) in the morning! I was thirsty and curious so I asked Mrs. Martin to mix the two teas available in my cup it tasted better than the two separated I was surprised. Well we still haven’t finished our poster two of our partners had to finish their facts on North America. Later that day we had another visitor, this time we had Koreans come and tell us about a Korean style tea ceremony. A Korean style tea ceremony was a lot less quiet than the Japanese ceremony. It was a time to show respect but also be somewhat talkative and share your thoughts. A major difference between Japanese ceremony and Korean ceremony is the tea. The tea its self is both green tea but the Japanese use powder, and the Koreans use leaves. This makes the flavor between the two almost completely different. In the Korean ceremony the main concerns about the tea is the first sip you should concentrate on the flavor, then the second sip you concentrate on the color, and the last sip you concentrate on the smell. Overall it was pretty fun to see the differences between to similar ethnicities. (205 words)
ReplyDeleteOn Friday January 7th in the morning we drank tea again, I never get tired of it. Then everyone in my group finished their facts so we finished our entire project. Today our old registrar visited us. I think the teachers were more excited than the students. So she brought this weird bitter tea from Iran that you’re supposed to water down with hot water. It is also customary to drink the tea with a sugar cube in you mouth. I tried to do the sugar cube but ended up swallowing it by accident. That was not very pleasant. Than we pretty much just drank tea the rest of the period and made conversation about the day and stuff. It was fun.
ReplyDeleteyesterday was alot of fun we went on a feild trip to a tea shop called serenatea(lol very clever). so we went there for a tea tasting. we literally drank eighteen diferent types of tea it was pretty cool. my favorite tea was the nantucket breeze so i bought one before we left. my least favorite one was the apricot because it was absoulutly disgusting but i still drank it, what dosent kill you makes you stronger. so we had tea after tea after tea it was alright untill i had to use the restroom. OMG thats all i can say about that. my favorite part was when the server brought out the crumpet things. they were sooooo good. i ate them with the lemon sauce and creamy stuff. what i thought was really cool was that the lady that owned the place makes her own teas and gives them names thats pretty cool. maybe i can go agian but i doubt i will(too girly).
ReplyDeletegladis
ReplyDeleteOn Thursday we had the Korean tea ceremony which was quite different from the Japanese tea ceremony. instead of being focused on finding peace whit peace and quite the Korea the ceremony is more like a chance to enjoy the company of other and socialize. the Korean tea ceremony was usually hosted by high ranked people to socialize and just get together. The taste of the tea is a great part in the ceremony unlike the Japanese tea ceremony which just focuses on the color of the tea and not what it tastes like. Out of the three ceremonies we saw this had had to de the best one, I think it’s a great way of enjoying the company of other while tasting some great tea. In this tea ceremony they used tea leaves not powder making the tea taste better than the green tea that was served in the previous ceremony. They also showed and talked to use about they get tea from different parts of the world and what was the difference when getting the tea from different parts of the tea plants. They also gave us some instant tea from Lipton, which proves how tea has changed from boiling water to just putting it in water and shaking it.(212)
gladis
ReplyDeleteOn wednesday we learned about the traditional japanese ceremony. We learned that people enter though a small door which you have to bow to enter. This was a custom that forced everyone attending the tea ceremony to be equal they were no longer separated by the differences in rank. The tea ceremony was a way to achieve peace during a time of war, so during the tea ceremony theres not a lot of talking just concentrating on the flavor, smell and color of the tea. When you are ready to enter the tea room you take off your shoes and leave them at the door, going inside whit your socks on. first you place a fan in front of you and bow the you move the fan up and using your fists you slide to the front entering the room through the small door. You then stand once your in the room and go to your place and sit on your legs. once the host enters you bow to the host. the host serves tea by first cleaning the implements used to serve and the poring tea into the cups of the guest first the her own. tea is usually served with a pastry or a sweet. The tea is made from a powder so the color is rich but the taste is kinda sour and not very pleasant.
gladis
ReplyDeleteOn Friday our old registrar came to talk to us about tea from were she grew up. She talked about how its not a ritualistic thing to drink tea, its treated like we treat coffee, you could drink it in the morning with your breakfast at lunch, at diner or at any time of the day. She said that they always have hot water going for tea and its only turned off at the end of the day. She told us that when you visit some one they don’t offer you tea they just give it to you out of courtesy, if they asked you if you wanted some fruit or some sort of snack that they usually have with tea, you should always take it even if you don’t want it, just put it aside if your not going to eat it. She also told us a story about how she got to the united states, by convincing her dad to study abroad when she could not study what she wanted because of the way that careers are chosen in the country. After finishing school she stayed here because there was a war going on in her home country.
gladis
ReplyDeleteOn Monday we went on a field trip to serenetea tea house. We tastes a lot of different types of tea most of them were really good but only after aiding some sugar to take away the bitter taste . There were scones served whit the tea that were delicious . My favorite of all the teas served would have to be chamomile tea.
The owner talked to us about the history of tea which went from how it was accidentally made as tea leaves fell in boiling water to more modern facts on the Boston tea party . She also talked to us about the beneficial qualities of tea and what make tea good and what its just trash. We got to see the different types of tea leaves from which tea is made of . She also talked about how tea bags are basically the trash that comes out of the tea and doesn’t have any nutritional value to it. So its better to buy the tea leaves than the tea bag no matter how more conventional the tea bags are. She told us how to make a proper pot of tea and how to decaffeinate it or just take most of the caffeine out of it.(209)