My local tea shoppe is putting on a high tea demonstration for a
cruise ship line. I said that right. Recently the Chinese teas only
shoppe had an author selling a book about monks using tea in
meditation. This month a noted TCM practitioner will discuss the use
of tea in that tradition. I finally visited a tea shoppe mentioned by
somebody on Grant street in SF that isnt Red Blossom or Ten Ren. I
heard some things said in a gongfu session that were an outright
stretch of creduity. It seems the more we learn about tea the more
distortion appears. I dont run a tea shoppe because I would have to
be mostly show. I dont know if any of this starts someone on a
journey. I dont know how people get to the place where they finally
enjoy a cup.

Jim

PS I discovered on the California trip bike shoppes are a miserable
place to rent bikes.

> I dont run a tea shoppe because I would have to
> be mostly show. *I dont know if any of this starts someone on a
> journey. *I dont know how people get to the place where they finally
> enjoy a cup.
>
> Jim

Those last lines are pretty profound and quite accurate. I have always
had a desire to open a shop but struggled with those same things.
Everyone's input is always to just "give the people what they want"
and serve sweetened and flavored "teas" and a few quality teas in the
hopes that people would eventually try them. I disagree with this. I
also have no interest in making wild claims about provenance and
health benefits to tip the scales.

I found my way slowly and personally. No internet, no teacher/guru,
nothing but my own determination and interest. I think others out
there could and would take that same journey. A nice central place
that can be trusted, helpful (but not biased or financially motivated)
staff, and a range of tea from low to mid to high grades. This is not
a way to get rich though, but for me would be the only way to handle
it. I also think it is important to reach out to artistic people,
students, musicians, poets, etc. Their openness and willingness to try
something new and experience it fully is also an important aspect.
From there I believe you will attract others and the curious.

It isn't an instant gratification with real tea, and I think that is
the biggest barrier. It isn't overpowering, or sweet/salty/decadent/
rich, it is subtle and requires a bit of time and effort. A quick
anecdote: At my wedding last July we included some tea leaf and
instruction in our gifts to guests (Bi Lo Chun and Shui Xian) and we
had a few friends/family comment weeks later that they had tried it in
varying levels of success and enjoyment, but not many. Almost a year
later we have gotten more recently where people had been thinking back
to a particular taste or note in those teas that they "just can't get"
in their regular tea or Starbucks tea and are now craving. That one
taste almost a year ago took some time to sink in and make an
impression. I think that is actually how it happens. So basically I
need enough capital to weather a year of no business, and then things
should pick up

Think about a tea you didn't care for or didn't fully appreciate until
much later when it dawned on you how special it had really been. I've
had this happen with foods, tea, music, and film. Never with a basic
food, or tea, or pop music, or a blockbuster movie... but with a
subtle exotic dish, a subtle tea, an indie band or film. All those
things that aren't in-your-face or overly bold up front have that
quality in my opinion.

OK, I've rambled enough... but those couple lines did wake up a
sleeping dragon in me.

- Dominic

wrote:
> My local tea shoppe is putting on a high tea demonstration for a
> cruise ship line. I said that right. Recently the Chinese teas only
> shoppe had an author selling a book about monks using tea in
> meditation. This month a noted TCM practitioner will discuss the use
> of tea in that tradition. I finally visited a tea shoppe mentioned by
> somebody on Grant street in SF that isnt Red Blossom or Ten Ren. I
> heard some things said in a gongfu session that were an outright
> stretch of creduity. It seems the more we learn about tea the more
> distortion appears. I dont run a tea shoppe because I would have to
> be mostly show. I dont know if any of this starts someone on a
> journey. I dont know how people get to the place where they finally
> enjoy a cup.
>
> Jim
>
> PS I discovered on the California trip bike shoppes are a miserable
> place to rent bikes.

I have found that many folks appreciate the information and tea that I
share with them, however those that try to "get into" tea themselves,
usually settle back into their own ways. I think it takes a certain type
of person to fully appreciate the diversity of tea (the beverage and the
plant) as well as tea culture.

--
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/ The Sushi FAQ ...><((((º>
HTTP://www.theteafaq.com/ The Tea FAQ
HTTP://www.jerkyfaq.com/ The Jerky FAQ
HTTP://www.omega3faq.com/ The Omega 3 Fatty Acids FAQ
http://www.probioticsfaq.com/ The Probiotics FAQ

> I think it takes a certain type
> of person to fully appreciate the diversity of tea (the beverage and the
> plant) as well as tea culture.

Maybe that's the problem right there. Perhaps there aren't many venues
or opportunities to appreciate tea fully.