For All The Tea in China

Hello and greetings from Seattle! I wasn’t kidding when I said I was back in New York earlier this week but I’m off again, this time for work. In my first advertising job I worked on a campaign where the slogan was, “experiences matter more than things” and the older I get, the more I have found it to be true.  I have had the opportunity to travel since I was very young – someday I will have to show my baby passport on the blog – and now that I am my own “self sustaining adult” I have found that while material things are great traveling and exploring new places.  This is something my parents instilled in me from early childhood and they definitely practice what they preach.   Why do I bring this up and what does this have to do with tea?  Let me tell you. 

I have a really, really hard time buying my parents presents and I have found that giving them experiences or help with things is more valuable than golf balls or a new cookbook.  For my Dad, that might be downloading and loading new songs onto the swim iPod my brother and I got him and for my Mom, nearly every holiday she gets a coupon good for photo editing help and ordering.  And holy cow after looking at some of her photos do I have a serious case of wanderlust.  One trip my parents took earlier this year was to China and from their adventures they brought me back Osmanthus Tea, native to east Asia. Not only is this loose leaf tea incredibly fresh and delicious, but I have pictures of where it was made.  Take a look at these three photos taken by my Mom on the tea plantation. 

These pictures make me want to jump on a plane and heading somewhere new and that is saying something seeing as I will be spending the next few weeks visiting six new cities and traveling on nearly every mode of transportation known to man.  That said, I love being able to see where this Osmanthus tea came from makes it extra special when I am able to brew a cup at home! Thanks Mom! 

Do you drink green tea?