Winter Tea Time

Only if the air were warm and cozy like indoor's, I would love to put a cushion on the bench and sip my coffee (yes, hot coffee) with buttery crescent under this crystal myrtle tree!

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Better sitting in a cozy corner inside to enjoy my tea. A cup of mellow Oolong would be nice.

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How about some snacks to compliment the warm tea.

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Heavenly bamboo and English holly branches are great for bringing winter cheers!

Spring Flower Show in My Backyard

Last week was the most spectacular week for Maryland gardeners. I say it with confidence because I experienced it (with some of my lucky friends) from my own backyard's flower show. The abundant camellia blossoms on the tall bush next to its protective myrtle tree, the happy tulips lining along the pathway, the petite pale pink plum flowers dotted amidst the budding leaves by the gazebo, the light blue ground covering violets........ Well, the show has to end somehow and the spring rain today brought down Kwansan cherry's petals like a fluffy snow shower--another type of beauty in my eyes.
Spring shower brings May flowers. I shall reveal another flower show next month.

Tea Good for the King (and Queen)

Last year I attended a tea talk by Mr. Liu, TenRen Tea's store owner at Rockville of MD . He said that "King's Tea" is a blend of oolong with a touch of ginseng to produce pleasant sweet aftertaste. No wonder I like it so much! He also said that once you recognize the particular sweet aftertaste while partaking a new tea, you can well assume that it contains some ginseng during its processing. I think King's tea's natural sweetness will be helpful for tea drinkers to wean away from the sugar bowl at tea table.

Since the blends become quite popular, there are arrays of King's tea products from TenRen Tea Company. The product number ending in "9" are the blends of dark oolong (longer roasting time, golden color tea brew), and the number ending in "3" are the blends of green oolong (shorter roasting time, greenish yellow tea brew). The price of King's tea varies with the grade of tea used in the blend. If you like fragrant oolong, King's # 403 or #313 would be a nice treat for your tea enjoyment.