This tea is insane

That's what came to my mind with the first sip of my aged Top Oriental Beauty. It's insane how crystal clear the aromas shine on the palate. A heavy oxidation and, yet, such light flavors! The honey notes are all over the cup, but it's a very gentle, light and flowery kind of honey. And it resonates like a piano in Erik Satie's Gnossienne or Gymnopédie.

There's a melancholy in this these slightly aged flavors, but also a lot of lingering sweetness.

Speaking of melancholy and time passing by, it just occurred to me that using one's hand to let the tea leaves glide gently in the gaiwan is somewhat similar to the gesture of letting some earth fall on a coffin when the priest says 'dust to dust, ashes to ashes' at a funeral... It's not a happy thought, but death is part of life and it's what adds meaning to all these joyful moments. And like for a funeral, using our hand is the most gentle, respectful and intimate way we can handle the tea leaves. Or not. You could also throw the leaves down with strength in a very disdainful manner! The hand lets you express many different feelings...

Something else happened this weekend: I changed the pre-filter and main water filter under my faucet! This has improved the quality of my water. While you get kind of used to the slowly decreasing quality of water, it's a wonderful shock when it's fully restored!

This is a useful reminder that water is the mother of tea and that even the best leaves won't shine with all its power if the water isn't cooperating!