Happy Birthday Little C!

Today is my darling daughter's 4th Birthday! She is a sweet, sensitive and brilliant girl who fills my heart with love and pride.

She loves to brew tea with me and I think this wonderful quote perfectly illustrates why:
"What the adult does, feels, and thinks are all imitated by the child under seven years, so complete attention to the task in hand, with a care, love, and joy in the doing, actually helps in the formation of the child's physical body." - Rudolf Steiner

30 Years Old

My friend John H. recently returned from two weeks in Taiwan. One of the many tea houses he visited, Water Moon Grass (水月草堂), sounds like a particularly posh establishment and has a good reputation for aged teas.

I am a truly lucky guy because John gave me a small bag of 30 year old loose-leaf puer tea that he purchased at Water Moon Grass. The tea is from Tong Qing Hao (同慶號), a business that is said to be 272 years old.

I think this tea is one of the most complex and delicious puer teas that I have ever tasted. It is dark, rich, earthy, sweet and ever-so-luscious. The aroma teases notes of potato, ginseng and soil while the broth delivers ripe stone fruit, cocoa and malt. The aftertaste is clean, sweet and long-lasting and the effect on my body is serene and comfortable.

This ripe old tea and I have already shared 3 wonderful sessions with our friends and family but I did save one last serving just for today. Now I shall toast the start of my thirties with a tea the same vintage as myself.

Happy Birthday BDTB Blog!

生日快樂

(shēngrì kuàilè)

Happy Birthday Tea Blog!

One year ago today I began recording my tea and travel stories in this blog. It has been really rewarding for me and I'm so thankful to all of you who read my tea musings!

Here are a few photos taken at the Chih Shan Garden (至善園) located next to the National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院) in Taipei (台北).

Happy Birthday Black Dragon Tea Bar Blog

Hi (你好).

My name is Brett. Here is a photo of me sharing a cup of tea with Luyu (陆羽) in Pinglin, Taiwan (坪林台灣).

I'm a student of Chinese tea culture living in Seattle (西雅圖). I have a beautiful wife and sweet baby girl.

Thank you (謝謝你) for checking out my blog! I plan to post mainly about tea but please be warned that I easily get sidetracked and may end up posting lots of other random stuff too. Also, all of the photos in this entire blog will have only been taken by me, my wife or a close friend.

To myself and many other people, tea represents an internationally conscious and harmonious lifestyle. Every time we drink tea we are doing something good for our physical body, but just as importantly tea creates peace and cultivates balance.

Here is one of my favorite tea quotes that will help illuminate my profound love of the leaf:

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing towards the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life." -Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese monk, peace activist, and writer)