Itty Bitty Bao Zhong

It's time for another blog carnival! This is when I join my friends from the Association of Tea Bloggers to write posts on a common theme. The host for this month's carnival is the fabulous Gongfu Girl. (As I remind you regularly, if you're not reading her blog, you should be. She is absolutely one of my favorite tea bloggers.) As the host, she'll post the links to all of the responses to the month's theme on her site on June 1. Go check them out!

The topic for June: Choose a type of tea and talk about how you brew it.

It seems like such a simple question but I was absolutely at a loss of where to start. I drink such a diversity of teas that I wasn't sure which to choose. I started looking at my teaware for clues. I realized that I often change my brewing method and teaware to suit my mood and the demands of the day.

I decided that I really wanted to write about a tea that's been a favorite of mine for the past year or more -- Bao Zhong. Bao Zhong (or pouchong) is a very lightly oxidized oolong. It is close to a green tea, but sweeter and less vegetal. (I know, I'm supposed to ban that word from my vocabulary. OK, it tastes less like asparagus or green beans and more floral.) Some retailers liken the flavor and aroma to that of lilacs. This struck me as true and helped explain my adoration of this tea. Lilacs are my favorite flower -- I love their look, their amazing aroma, and the fact that they are only around for such a brief time. They feel like a gift we are given, but just for a moment. For me, bao zhong oolong has that same feeling that the beauty could slip away any moment.

This isn't a tea that I drink on a whim. This is a tea that I think about before I brew it. When it comes to mind it gives me a calm feeling, that I have discovered something special. It is as if I am about to experience it for the first time. It is for this reason that I like to make the moment special. I use a beautiful teapot I purchased from Zhong Guo Cha. I place the leaves gently in the upper chamber. I add water briefly and pour it off, allowing the leaves to expand slightly, readying themselves for the moment of brewing. I then add fresh water -- it holds just enough for a small cup. The leaves stand up and dance and swirl in the water as the beautiful tea essences seep into the liquid. The color builds and reveals itself. And then, it is ready.

I lift the chamber and press a small button on the top of the teapot, releasing the lovely tea into the glass pot. The scent is heavenly. I pour the tea into a cup and finally, sip.

The true beauty of this tea is that, at this point, I am not done. Not nearly. I have only begun. I add more water and steep again...and again...and again. Little sips, little cups, itty bitty moments of splendor. It is my itty bitty bao zhong experience and it is always amazing.