Pink Chaxi

It will be that this spring continues to be gray and rainy, it will be that my mood is combined with the time or it will be that I wanted to inaugurate a  Japanese Tengui that was given to me some time ago, the fact is that I organized the Chaxi for the lesson in a somewhat 'unusual pairing with a very romantic pink and white dressing.

A tengui is a simple piece of cotton cloth painted with Japanese traditional designs that can be used in various ways: as dry cloth,  as placemat, as a curtain ...

And it's necessary to pay attention to washing a tengui because the colors are not fixed with industrial techniques and may fade or bleed.

The design of this tengui is a classic spring: flowers of sakura (cherry flowers) and bunnies (which are considered good luck in Japan).

The tools used take up the theme of cherry blossoms in the cups and in the pitcher and they are all fine Chinese porcelain except  saucer dessert that is a gift from Japan.

For tea it seemed appropriate to use a "White Snow Buds," a good quality white tea buds,  full of great taste,  delicate, sweet and fruity soon.

For  sweet I paired a little meringue decorated with pink sugar sprinkles.

Video Gong fu cha cinese - Video Chinese Gong fu cha

Tea tasting - 1990 Grand Yellow Label puerh tea

To celebrate the spring coming I have wanted drink a puerh that I bought 3 years ago: a late 1990 Grand Yellow Label puerh tea. In the last three years I storage it in a medium dry storage (about 55/60% of humidity - 20C° temperature) but before this puerh has a very humid storage (I don't, I'm not sure, but I think 85/90% of humidity).
This is only the second time that I taste a real old puerh (the first time a 1960 humid storage!) and I'm not sure if I really like it.
The first 1960 puerh tasting was really a shock! I payed for it a little treasure but I thinked it smelled of mold. I thinked for the age...
Now, with this more young tea, I have hoped to find a special taste but .... nothing! The same smell of mold...
I have spoke with other puerh taster and they have told me that it's quite normal. Normal?!
Personally now I'm sure that I don't like that smell and taste of humid storage old puerh, I prefer a lot a medium storage (like mine) and a medium age (like 10 years) raw puerh tea.

I arrange for this tea an outdoor chaxi with a little modern chinese chabako (comprehensive of a little tea tray) and a my alcool burner. I have used the little adorable Yixing teapot that I use for aged puerh teas and I have inaugurated new with porcelain set of tea pitcher and cups with plum blossoms. It's very nice the contrast that create with the red liquor.

Sencha-do "the way of Sencha" (English version)

Many know the chanoyu Japanese tea ceremony, but very few people know that in Japan
there is also another tea ceremony, equally complex, which is called Sencha-do.
Sencha tea leaves are a green tea of good quality. It is very popular with Japanese and
drunk often, but usually without any kind of "ceremony".
This tea ceremony combines the formality typical of the aesthetic taste of Japanese chado with
Chinese tools.
For this type of ceremony the study is very long and complex.
I have made only a brief introduction to this, lesser known but equally beautiful, Japanese tea ceremony
and I'll give you a little taste in this photo showing how I made ​​in
my setting.



In the center I used with a tall white brazier which is called "bofuro". The
teapot on the right is quite old and is part of a service that I have inherited much
time ago, but is perfectly for shape and color for the functions of the teapot for
Sencha-do (the equivalent of mizusashi in chado).
In front, on a tray, a tea set that includes Japanese sencha teapot and
mugs. The metal plates are Japanese and I bought them in Tokyo specifically to make this ceremony.