Tea Time

One of the things my mom wanted to do when she visited was have tea in China.  So, on my mom's 6_th birthday, I arranged a private tea tasting in a Hutong in Beijing.  A Hutong is an old, narrow alley comprised of homes or businesses.  The company we went through was Tranquil Tuesdays.  Their website tranquiltuesdays.com gives so much information on tea.   The owner, Charlene, is about my age and started this business herself.  She is originally from California, but has China heritage.  Her entire business, outlook, and demeanour is absolutely brilliant.  She employes female workers from China in hopes of empowering them to work towards their own goals, dreams, and provide future networks.  Isn't that AMAZING?!  We felt every penny we spent on our tour was worth it, just to know money was going to help Chinese women feel more empowered in their society (not to mention the tea was fantastic).  Song Yan was there with Charlene to assist and teach us the proper way to serve Chinese tea.  There's a whole "5 principles of brewing tea" and lesson that went along with our tour.  We had an educational AND flavorful experience.

This is us starting out, practicing pouring cold water with a gaiwan.

Song Yan teaching mom "it's all in the wrist" with pouring correctly.

We were pros in no time.

I think it was a great way to celebrate mom's birthday.



Hope you enjoy your birthday and always remember the special celebration spent in China!