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STAMPS

The colours of the flowers of last summer are gone. What remains are seedpods, which can very well be used as stamps to decorate clay object. This I have done with my yunomi’s. A yunomi is a teacup made for daily or informal Japanese tea drinking. In contrast to a chawan, a teabowl which is used during the Japanese tea ceremony, a yunomi is taller than wide.

A potter once said: ‘Yunomi can be used by anyone, regardless of age, and it is also the last item removed from the dining table. It is there at our sides for many hours during the day and brings us comfort’ (Robert Yellin)

I prepared kukicha, a very balanced and tender Japanese green tea, made of twigs, stems and stalks of the tea plant. Because of the naturally low caffeine content, you can drink it at any time of the day.

My hands print the lost beauty of flowers to remember. The tea keeps it warm in my memory.

Photo’s, yunomi and presentation vessel (stoneware): Iris Weichler

WHITE

When our cherry tree begins to sing because the white blossoms lure hundreds of buzzing bees, than spring invites me to brew a clear and pure tea, to celebrate the awakening of nature.

How could it be otherwise that I choose a white tea with fine, downy leafs: for example, Pai Mu Tan from  the mountains of Fujian, China. 

White tea gets its name from the fine silvery white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea plant. It’s the least processed form of tea, made of select leaves which have been steamed and dried.

The legend tells us that Qin Shihuangdi, the first Emperor of China (259-210 BC), believed that white tea was an essential ingredient of the elixir of life, which makes him immortal. He commands to collect the fragile tea leafs only by virgins who have to use golden scissors for it. No one should touch the leafs after the harvest, except himself, for brewing the tea. 

Unfortunatly, he died when he was 49 years old, despite to have the privilege to drink this extraordinary tea.

Nowadays, it is still a privilege to drink white tea. Although, everyone can drink it, not only the emperor and meanwhile we know that it promises us not the infinite life, it’s always a special experience to enjoy its delicate taste.

To brew this Pai Mu Tan, I use a gaiwan.  It’s a Chinese tea bowl, invented during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and consists of a saucer, a cup and a lid. 

After rinse the gaiwan with hot water, I fill the dry tea leafs into the cup, fill again with hot water (80°C) and let the tea infuse for 4 min. It’s possible to drink directly from the gaiwan, but I have poured the tea into a serving pitcher and than into a tasting cup.

My eyes are blinded by the sight of so many blossoms, the taste of tea let me see the beauty of it.

Photo’s, gaiwan, teacup (stoneware): Iris Weichler