The Tea lifestyle is not a fad. There is surely the physical act of making and drinking tea, but at the heart of it is a philosophy of slowing down – to smell the tea, so to speak. We are passionate about doing things the authentic way, of appreciating tea as something that is cultivated by tea farmers from around the world, of observing the effects of the beverage both physically and mentally. We are sure of the restorative and healing effects of tea (and indeed other Chinese medicinal herbs), that when they are treated and consumed with respect and patience, ties us back to a more authentic relationship with ourselves, and to the world around us.
It is our intention to maintain a space that is a sanctuary from this fast-paced and consumer-obsessed world, where much meaningful dialogue has diminished in favour of things that are loud and diluted and increasingly experienced via virtual means.
It is with this philosophy and intention that Zensation aspires to be “no ordinary tea house”.
We hope that you can come in and share the space with us soon over a cuppa.
One question I’m often posed is “Do you sell coffee?”
People have always been a little surprised that until today the answer has been a resounding no. We’re a respectable tea house thank-you very much. How dare you.
It’s not that I don’t like coffee. I don’t mind the occasional macchiato – about once every 2 weeks or as a matter of habit when in Europe, kinda like smoking 😉
It’s not that I am averse to the taste coffee itself. I love a good ristretto – but tea is my lifestyle choice and I’m not in the business of directly competing with the café saturated market. Tea has a rich history that is embedded in both Eastern and Western cultures much like coffee. On the one hand, Tea is associated with slowing down, becoming aware of your senses; in the moment, in the space – mindfulness, for lack of a better word. Coffee though seems to be both an affliction (to be sub-human, pre-morning coffee) and an addiction that gives people that buzz to get plugged into the daily grind (no pun intended). Personally, that’s not my cup of tea (pun intended).
I prefer things at a more leisurely pace – the scenic route if you will. It’s not a competition between coffee and tea, each has their own merit, but for the sake of the “debate”, tea is a no-brainer. Not only does tea have less calories (especially stacked against the milky versions we seem partial to – Hello Latté !) but also being a better pH level for our bodies means there are a myriad of health benefits from cholesterol reduction to anti-ageing.
Being a tea drinker entails a different thought process altogether. When I drink tea my mind actually feels able to calmly follow thoughts from beginning to end – I can only imagine how skittish I would sound if I were writing this under the influence of too much coffee. For me, tea is both invigorating and calming and can be drunk all day long. Coffee meanwhile is more like a heart starter, and forget about having more than one cup in a sitting! Both have their time and place. But on the whole I’ll happily stick with my fragrant high mountain oolongs, malty blacks, crisp greens and delicately sweet white teas, sipping while contemplating all manner of armchair philosophies.
Tea: so pure, so serene
But Zensation Tea Lady doesn’t forget about you coffee fiends and junkies. For you we now have Vietnamese Weasel Coffee. A smooth drop, owing to the enzymes that break down the coffee beans proteins. A rare, sought after and thus expensive delicacy. I know how I’ll be getting my once a fortnightly fix!
There is definitely room in my life for both tea and coffee to coexist in perfect ying/yang harmony. So I won’t sit on my high horse and judge you quietly if you ask us if we serve coffee. No, as a matter of fact I’ll offer you the very finest coffee that is so smooth you’ll think its been predigested by a small marsupial.
Coffee hungry weasel. Thirsty?
In closing – if you’re at the tea house and you’re after a coffee, we do sell it, however, you may have to pay for it through the nose and it will have come out of a weasels ass.
So, Coffee? Tea? Me 😉 ?
Tea du Jour : I recommend the Jasmine White Rabbit. Do try the dumplings. Xie xie ni.
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Something occurs, I believe, once one reaches a certain age – that the music of your parents generation suddenly becomes terrain that you feel compelled to explore and find your own appreciation (..or further your disdain for that matter – Hello, Julio Iglesias!).
I’ve probably long since reached that age, having pillaged my father’s record collection of his Simon & Garfunkel, Dylan, Fleetwood and Joplin et al many moons ago, but one artist that was brought to my recent attention (by a punk rock loving tea house customer no less), is Teresa Teng.
Since her re-discovery, I admit I have at times been guilty of abusing the Teng, of some days wanting nothing but the Teng (much to my father’s applaud and dismay) – so it only seemed appropriate that I share the joy of Teng here on le blog.
Teresa Teng was a ridiculously popular folk singer of Taiwanese origin who was a recording artist mainly during the 70’s and 80’s. Her style conveyed simplicity and sincerity and her voice was once described to contain “seven parts sweetness, three part tears”.
She is probably the most famous, the most imitated and the most missed of all Asian performers. She was prolific and recorded in her native Mandarin and also Cantonese, Japanese and English. If there were an English equivalent it would probably be Dolly Parton, or perhaps Dusty Springfield (who Teresa did cover once or twice), but such is a comparison between oranges and apples.
She famously entertained the troops and was banned in China for being “too bourgeois”, however, like all contraband, the populace found a way to buy her records and cassettes on the black market and she remained hugely popular.
Rumours and conspiracy theories surround her premature death in 1995; aged only 42 years old she succumbed to a severe asthma attack while in Thailand.
While I won’t dwell on the sudden and suspect circumstances of her passing, it is safe to say that she was mourned by many and left a vacancy in the hearts of music lovers, Asian and otherwise.
For me though, her music puts my nerves at ease. Even though I don’t even understand the lyrics, her melodies are so pleasing – and her voice, which conveys such bittersweet sentiment, is strangely echoed in the lushness of my pot of freshly brewed (and coincidentally, Taiwanese) tea. J’aime le Teng! Vive le musique.
zensationtealady 