Day One Hundred Three, May 5, 2011

China is a country that celebrates tea, lives with tea and integrates it into the its very core of daily life. Every one you see carries a large tea glass or cup around with them, the taxi driver, the office worker, the men, the women, young and old…

They have different tea types for different times of the year, different combinations, a different tea for your age, your sex, your health, your weight….. it is just an incredibly complex science. I love to go buy my tea in the large tea markets where they willingly sit with you for an hour letting you sample the different tea kinds till you find the right one for you. The ceremony is soothing, slow and quite magical. Yesterday I walked around the old town for a long time and when I saw this tea house, it was such a wonderful break to sit there for 30 minutes sampling the tea with this lovely lady. I ended up buying the tea I was missing (oolong ginseng) even though it is not the right time of year to drink it. In the Spring green tea is recommended!