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how could it come to this? i'm really worried about living.

  • Nov. 5th, 2009 at 2:27 PM
loose tea for loose women
I ordered tea from Upton on Tuesday, and it arrived today, as tea from Upton will. (They're only one state over, you see.)

Anyway, I am usually immune to the temptations of fancy display teas, but this one struck my whimsy, and lo, I did order it.

While I was unpacking the rest of the tea, I infused a cup.

It starts like this:

20090406 005

And at first, it floats

20090406 014

but once the hot water (a little below boiling) is added, it begins to ooze bobbles and uncoil its tender tentacles:

20090406 017

until it sinks, and uncoils, revealing the "butterfly" and flower within.



20090406 038

It looks like Cthulhu, and it's quite tasty. The liquor has an aroma reminiscent of artichokes*, of all things, and grass clippings, and the flavor is floral/green tea and only slightly astringent. Quite nice, and I will save the rest of the tin to impress guests with and serve it in nice big wine goblets.

The whole photoset is here.

*it took me most of the cup to place the aroma.
  • Mood: amused
  • Music:Norah Jones - Sinkin` Soon

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Comments

( 43 comments — Leave a comment )
[info]jaylake wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:29 pm (UTC)
I had several teas in China last spring which behaved thusly, including (I believe) lotus flower tea. So, erm, yes.
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:36 pm (UTC)
Upton is a miraculous source of Weird Tea. FYI.
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[info]renatus wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:32 pm (UTC)
I love blooming teas! They're so fun to watch brew. That one is especially pretty.
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:38 pm (UTC)
And you can't beat the name. Upton calls it "Butterfly Loving Flowers," but what it says in English on the packet (I cannot read the Chinese, but I bet [info]tylik can) is "Butterfly With Tender Feelings Toward Flowers," which I find I prefer.

Edited at 2009-11-05 07:38 pm (UTC)
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[info]syaldia wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:53 pm (UTC)
I love that.
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[info]syaldia wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:58 pm (UTC)
Also, I'm not sure whether to thank you or curse you while hiding my wallet. For some reason, I've never looked through the Upton site.
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:46 pm (UTC)
<--bad influence
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[info]renatus wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:57 pm (UTC)
Oh, that's amazing. :D
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[info]pixel39 wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 09:22 pm (UTC)
I love that Flickr says (matociquala is the only person who has used "butterflywithtenderfeelingstowardflowers" as a tag.) when you hit the photoset link.
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 09:33 pm (UTC)
It wants to be a story title.
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[info]pixel39 wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 10:11 pm (UTC)
It does! Also a sculpture of some sort.
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[info]desperance wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 12:15 am (UTC)
Can you post a pic of the Chinese?
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 12:26 am (UTC)
Look in the photoset. *g*
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[info]jhetley wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:34 pm (UTC)
Sister-in-law brought something similar back from Beijing last year -- as I do not read Chinese, I can't tell you what variety. A green tea with jasmine scent, anyway.

It sheds tendrils. I found that annoying . . .
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[info]coffeeem wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:42 pm (UTC)
I love those teas! Not only do I like the flavor, you can watch them open as a mindfulness/meditation exercise. I especially liked the air bubbles that cling to the petals, exactly like beads of dew...but underwater.

A glass teapot is a great way to show one of those babies off for company.
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[info]themaskmaker wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:02 pm (UTC)
Watching tea bloom as a meditation. I love it. Must try.
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[info]harvestar wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:25 pm (UTC)
The Seven Cups Tea Room in Tucson has some of their display teas on sale now. (to make room for new stock, I imagine)

They have a lovely one which is a basket and another that shoots little beads like a fountain.

(and all imported directly from China and the local growers there :) - and one of my all time favorite places to hang out)

http://www.sevencups.com/
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[info]smoemeth wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:58 pm (UTC)
Oooooh, I had no idea such a thing is in Tucson. I'll be out there for Xmas, I'll definitely make a point to stop by.
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[info]harvestar wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 09:56 pm (UTC)
It's such a great quiet place to slow down (and they have wireless, too!), particularly over the holidays. And I believe they still have Friday tea tastings.
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[info]emmycee wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 10:32 pm (UTC)
Hey, I live in Tucson, and had no idea this place existed. I sense a field trip this weekend!
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[info]shekkara wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:48 pm (UTC)
I first saw blooming teas in China in 2004 and of course had to bring some back for a tea-o-phile friend. Now, happily, they seem to be in fine tea shops everywhere!
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[info]halfmoon_mollie wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:52 pm (UTC)
oooh, pretty.
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[info]elmocho wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:54 pm (UTC)
So until the star-- guest list is right, the dead tea will lie in your tea-tin, dreaming?
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:47 pm (UTC)
That is not dead which may eternal dry, and with sweet waters even tea may rise.
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[info]casacorona wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 07:56 pm (UTC)
My supermarket was selling sets of pretty glass teapots and blooming teas last Christmas. I resisted, but I may have to get one this year, if they do it again.
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:47 pm (UTC)
I resisted the Alice in Wonderland teapots in Seattle. Really, between TBRE and me, there are enough teapots in this house.
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[info]otterdance wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:02 pm (UTC)
Ha, I recently reviewed a similar tea and came up with the same artichoke connection.
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:35 pm (UTC)
It was really STRIKING. And unexpected!
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[info]charlieallery wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:33 pm (UTC)
Okay, that is one *scary* cup of tea! :)
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:39 pm (UTC)
mwahahahahahahhahahhaha. My tea has tentacles!
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[info]asakiyume wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:35 pm (UTC)
flower tea! My sister got me some for Christmas last year :D
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[info]la_marquise_de_ wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:58 pm (UTC)
I love that kind of tea. [info]desperance and I made wistful cat noises at about 27 different varieties of blossoming tea in San Francisco Chinatown on Monday.
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[info]stwish wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 08:59 pm (UTC)
I have something similar, tasty.. There is a good Tea shop in Winston Salem, "Angelinas" They do web business. (plug)
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[info]txanne wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 10:31 pm (UTC)
[info]papersky introduced me to Cthulhu tea. The resemblance is indeed striking.
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[info]faymar wrote:
Nov. 5th, 2009 11:19 pm (UTC)
That's so funny - I got similar tea and I did exactly the same thing - post it as a photoset.

But I used a Chimay glass - a wine goblet probably would have been more appropriate.

Mine was called Dragonball tea - I have to admit, I bought it solely for the name.
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[info]jenavira wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 12:26 am (UTC)
Oh, I love those things -- I really need to get some clear teacups so I can justify buying a bunch of them.

Various other loose teas, though, I am prepared for now. Curse you and your tea-enabling!
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 01:16 am (UTC)
*accepts the blame*
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[info]sprrwhwk wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 04:42 am (UTC)
<3 blooming teas. Such a clever idea.

<3 Upton. Getting tea in the mailbox the day after I order is win.
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[info]ken_schneyer wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 05:38 am (UTC)
We order tea from Upton too. Expensive habit, but we're hooked...
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[info]carla_scribbles wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 02:34 pm (UTC)
Good lord, that's pretty. And I say that as an unregenerate reverse-tea-snob.
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[info]phialastring wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 03:16 pm (UTC)
Those have always reminded me of resurrection ferns. Thus, I'm rather wary of them, because the tea ball may come back to life and be... annoyed... about being drunk.

http://plantsincivilization.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/unique-plants-part-1 has an adequate before-and-after picture.
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 03:29 pm (UTC)
neato!
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( 43 comments — Leave a comment )

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