micropoetry / culinary poetics
The Secret Behind Beautiful Aging
real aged tea confesses
sunlight treads lightly where humans dare not
five generations seep underground miles
dense. premium wild orchard. mountain north
white wisps. black wood
slow roasting. willing execution
of all bearing life down. down where one was high
on desperate flaunting. cacophonies
now tender heat baptizes
dissipates
in quiet conversation
dialogue with clean air
undisturbed. sees
what earthworm sees
purges in darkness
body barren
year after morphing year
senses activate
L-theanine to glutamates
ah~~the beloved dopamine~~
fragrant lubricant liquid agate
luscious silky swirls sashay~~
mellow warmth rising through inner skin
a euphoric long finish returns~~
calming. knowing
recognizing potent bliss~~
every sip of maturity brings
zero burden
nourishes all partakers of the aged brew
Maillard reaction
purges devils once possessed
gray cloudy leaves. no slick shine
anchored. born anew
© Pseu Pending (Seu) 2024
Aged White Tea
Doing nothing does not constitute aging. That’s wasting. Aging tea leaves requires well-crafted, exacting, slow roasting over extended time. This process prepares the leaves for the quiet years after, before they’re reborn into aged tea.
White tea leaves (of Camellia sinensis)— silver needle, white peony, shoumei — aren’t rolled or pan-fried, as in processes common for other teas. Not for impatient brewers, but maximum natural fragrance is hence intact.
White peony stands out for her rock-rugged appearance. Her stems are strengths of nuanced aromas.
The Chinese legend says on white tea aging,
One year a tea, 3 years a medicine, 7 years a treasure.
Precious species could age 20 years.
Why Aged White Tea?
The lovely L-theanine! Replete with
…plenty of health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anticancer, metabolic regulatory, cardiovascular protective, liver and kidney protective, immune regulatory, and anti-obesity effects.
~L-theanine: A Unique Functional Amino Acid in Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) With Multiple Health Benefits and Food Applications. National Library of Medicine. 2022 April 4
Young white tea is rather cooling. The aged variety dispels cold, nourishes qi, and calms the mind, goes Chinese well-being practices. Plus aged tea flavonoids go skyward with the years.
I love it with aged tangerine peel. Oh the delicate citrus oil~~a whiff lifts the soul~~the marriage takes aged tea to another level of divinity.
let the winter sun stream in~~
