Tea Blends: The Gods of Joy and Sorrow

The extra week's delay here was mainly due to my inexperience with herbals and a bit of a stumbling block around the concept of sorrow. Like Moon's blend, I'm sufficiently satisfied with what I ended up with, but I may keep experimenting until I get it right. I'm more than happy with Joy's blend, though, which tastes like soda and jelly beans and a kid's summer holiday. Both were helped greatly by an afternoon browsing the shelves of a local spice and herb shop with a friend of mine, grabbing a number of new and interesting ingredients to experiment with. So here we are!

Faithful Of Joy (a strawberry sassafras blend)

Good Cheer!

The blend:

 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla rooibos
 - 1/2 teaspoon rhubarb strawberry green tea

 - 1/4 teaspoon of dried sassafras root

 - 1/8 teaspoon of orange rind

 - a pinch of something bright and colorful! (blue mallow petals here, but you could try sprinkles or edible glitter or whatever tickles your fancy)
Steep at boiling for ~5 minutes. 

Notes on ingredients:

 - The vanilla rooibos comes from MEM Tea Imports, as does so much of my stash. I don't drink rooibos often, and I can't say that I prefer this particular batch any more or less than any other.

 - The rhubarb strawberry green tea I got from Spices and Tease, and goodness is it strong. Delicious, but it is anything but the "subtle" in its description. I only ever drink it cut with other teas, but fortunately the rooibos does the job nicely.

 - The sassafras and blue mallow I picked up at my local spice shop, and I proceeded to spend a week sorting out the proper amount of sassafras to add a bit of flavor and not overwhelm everything with the taste of root beer.

Notes on design:
I knew that I wanted to start with either rooibos or honeybush as the base for Joy, as two of the sweeter and brighter of tisanes I'm used to, and fruit and sweetness seemed a natural addition, so once I remembered the strawberry tea I save for mixing I'd already almost finished. The two paired well, but it still wasn't everything I wanted. Wandering through a spice shop looking for ideas for Sorrow, I encountered some dried sassafras root and that clenched it. I've never played with sassafras root before (I had to look it up at first to remember its connection to root beer), but it's definitely a flavor I associate with joy. A few pinches of orange brighten everything up and help blend it all together, and throwing in something colorful (and edible) is just for fun. These pictures don't fully capture the sunny orange cheery brightness, and the flavor manages to be soda and jellybeans in a way that isn't nearly as overwhelmingly sweet as it sounds. 

Faithful of Sorrow (a lemon balm blend)

Reminisce

The blend:

For every teaspoon of lemon balm, 

 - one or two petals of dried hibiscus

 - three cardamom pods

Steep at boiling for at ~5 minutes. 

Notes on ingredients:

 - Nothing terribly interesting here. The flowers and cardamom came from a spice shop, and a friend of mine grew more lemon balm than she could use.

Notes on design:
What I wanted for Sorrow was something soothing more than tasty. Bonus points for any known or folkloric health or calming properties. I tried chamomile, but so far I've yet to find any chamomile blend that doesn't taste terrible to me. I don't even find them particularly sleepy or calming. Lavender was my next bet, but it worked too well at making a blend calm and relaxing. The followers of Sorrow in this universe are dispensers of justice and judgement, and I couldn't imagine any blend for them being entirely comfortable. Lemon balm hit a good middle ground of soothing without being decadent, with a fairly mild flavor but a hint of sharpness. Playing with dried hibiscus for the first time, I immediately knew that I wanted it in the blend as well, though primarily for its appearance. It bleeds so prettily as it steeps. But those alone left the tea with a tangy medicinal taste, which wasn't bad, exactly, but wasn't anything terribly interesting. Cardamom added an earthier sharpness that balanced the two, but something still feels missing. Which is, perhaps, appropriate to a sorrowful blend, but I'm likely to keep experimenting.

Joy is an absolute delight, though too sweet for me to want very often, (I don't have much of a sweet tooth), and Sorrow isn't meant to be an every day blend, but both achieved what I wanted them to, and will likely enter our general house rotation.

Bonus blend! Discarded Sorrow

Ponder Your Crimes

The most sorrowful herbal tea I've ever encountered is, by far, ku ding cha, or "bitter nail tea". There are a couple variations, but the only one I've ever had was made from rolled, dried broadleaf holly leaves. It is traditionally known for its health benefits and its extremely bitter flavor. Unfortunately for my boyfriend and I, we didn't know any of this on our first encounter. We were gifted with a set of teas with very little English on the labels, and after slowly savoring the lovely pu-erh in the group, we started looking at the others. We didn't think much of the holly mention on the label, and decided that given all the other teas in the group were black teas, we'd be safe enough to brew it like a black tea. (Our first mistake, ku ding should be brewed at a temperature closer to green tea.) Then, distracted, we allowed the tea to steep longer than advisable. (Our second mistake, as it only needed a minute or two.) When we eventually poured the tea, it looked as pale and unassuming as an under-steeped green, but I managed only a sip before horrified surprise set in. I tried a second, to be sure, but couldn't make it any further. The boyfriend, who at least enjoys coffee, and so presumably has more tolerance for unpleasantly bitter drinks than I do, managed about half his cup. It tasted like road tar, and not in the delicious lapsang souchong way.

It looks so unassuming....

Today, to verify that it wouldn't be a good base for Sorrow after all, I tried again with a proper steeping. Not too many leaves, water the proper temperature, no over-steeping... And still, no. One taste made me instantly regret half my life choices and ponder my own mortality. My boyfriend, who makes worse life choices than I do and hates wasting anything, stubbornly tried to finish his glass, but didn't make it any further than the previous time.

It's fascinating, and I'll likely try it again off and on to see if I can see how one acquires a taste for it, and absolutely if I see ku ding available in other places I'll have to try it, to see how other leaves compare to the ones we were given and if there's anything wrong with my steeping method. But for the time being, I can't recommend it.

Poetry of the Week: John Keats

This blog is undergoing some adjustments, but as it is Wednesday, please take a few minutes to enjoy some Keats!

When I Have Fears That I May Cease To Be
When I have fears that I may cease to be
      Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain,
Before high-pilèd books, in charactery,
      Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain;
When I behold, upon the night’s starred face,
      Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
      Their shadows with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
      That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
      Of unreflecting love—then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.

On The Sonnet
If by dull rhymes our English must be chain'd,
      And, like Andromeda, the Sonnet sweet
Fetter'd, in spite of pained loveliness;
Let us find out, if we must be constrain'd,
      Sandals more interwoven and complete
To fit the naked foot of poesy;
Let us inspect the lyre, and weigh the stress
Of every chord, and see what may be gain'd
      By ear industrious, and attention meet:
Misers of sound and syllable, no less
      Than Midas of his coinage, let us be
      Jealous of dead leaves in the bay wreath crown;
So, if we may not let the Muse be free,
      She will be bound with garlands of her own..

To Sleep
O soft embalmer of the still midnight,
      Shutting, with careful fingers and benign,
Our gloom-pleas'd eyes, embower'd from the light,
      Enshaded in forgetfulness divine:
O soothest Sleep! if so it please thee, close
      In midst of this thine hymn my willing eyes,
Or wait the "Amen," ere thy poppy throws
      Around my bed its lulling charities.
Then save me, or the passed day will shine
Upon my pillow, breeding many woes,—
      Save me from curious Conscience, that still lords
Its strength for darkness, burrowing like a mole;
      Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards,
And seal the hushed Casket of my Soul.

Poetry of the Week: Christina Rossetti

Christina Rossetti is one of the most well known and highly regarded female poets of the Victorian period, and yet I'd barely heard of her until a friend recommended her. At the time I was collecting pre-20th century poetry for a project, preferably of a playful or irreverent nature, and her poems fit in perfectly. She's most well known for her poem Goblin Market, a longer, fantastic work involving goblin fruit and the dangers thereof, which you should absolutely read, but for today I'm sharing a few others. Her writing spans everything from children's poems to ruminations on loss and longingly cynical love poems. This collection only shows a small fraction of her breadth, but I had to restrain myself lest I post half her written works all at once. I'll doubtless post more of her poetry in future weeks, particularly since some of my favorites are missing from this batch!

Hope Is Like a Harebell
Hope is like a harebell, trembling from its birth;
Love is like a rose, the joy of all the earth.
Faith is like a lily lifted high and white;
Love is like a lovely rose, the world’s delight.
Harebells and sweet lilies show a thornless growth,
But the rose with all its thorns excels them both.

On the Wing
Once in a dream (for once I dreamed of you)
      We stood together in an open field;
      Above our heads two swift-winged pigeons wheeled,
Sporting at ease and courting full in view.
When loftier still a broadening darkness flew,
      Down-swooping, and a ravenous hawk revealed;
      Too weak to fight, too fond to fly, they yield;
So farewell life and love and pleasures new.
Then as their plumes fell fluttering to the ground,
      Their snow-white plumage flecked with crimson drops,
      I wept, and thought I turned towards you to weep:
      But you were gone; while rustling hedgerow tops
Bent in a wind which bore to me a sound
      Of far-off piteous bleat of lambs and sheep.

When I Am Dead, My Dearest
When I am dead, my dearest,
      Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
      Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass above me
      With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
      And if thou wilt, forget.

I shall not see the shadows,
      I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
      Sing on, as if in pain:
And dreaming through the twilight
      That doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
      And haply may forget.

Winter: My Secret
I tell my secret? No indeed, not I;
Perhaps some day, who knows?
But not today; it froze, and blows and snows,
And you’re too curious: fie!
You want to hear it? well:
Only, my secret’s mine, and I won’t tell.

Or, after all, perhaps there’s none:
Suppose there is no secret after all,
But only just my fun.
Today’s a nipping day, a biting day;
In which one wants a shawl,
A veil, a cloak, and other wraps:
I cannot ope to everyone who taps,
And let the draughts come whistling thro’ my hall;
Come bounding and surrounding me,
Come buffeting, astounding me,
Nipping and clipping thro’ my wraps and all.
I wear my mask for warmth: who ever shows
His nose to Russian snows
To be pecked at by every wind that blows?
You would not peck? I thank you for good will,
Believe, but leave the truth untested still.

Spring’s an expansive time: yet I don’t trust
March with its peck of dust,
Nor April with its rainbow-crowned brief showers,
Nor even May, whose flowers
One frost may wither thro’ the sunless hours.

Perhaps some languid summer day,
When drowsy birds sing less and less,
And golden fruit is ripening to excess,
If there’s not too much sun nor too much cloud,
And the warm wind is neither still nor loud,
Perhaps my secret I may say,
Or you may guess.

Tea Blends: The Gods of Sun and Moon

First of all, thank you to the anonymous reader who sent me a set of the tea strainers I mentioned! That was very kind, and they are very useful! I'd only meant to make fun of my purchasing priorities, but I will definitely put them to good use.

Continuing now with tea blends devoted to the Crossover LARP pantheon, I present Sun and Moon. Moon is still in development, which I'll go into, but Sun went from concept to execution without so much as a change in ingredient ratios, and is one of my new favorites. Not quite the full spectrum of blend difficulties, but close! Typically blends take more time if they're outside of my comfort zone or if I hit a concept that's difficult for me to put a flavor to. Moon has a little of each problem.

Faithful Of The Sun (a breakfast blend)

Morning Glory

The blend:

For every teaspoon of whatever breakfast tea you have on hand (though preferably English),

 - 1/4 teaspoon of dried orange rind (You could use fresh zest, instead, though I'd halve the amount in that case.)

 - 1/8 teaspoon of whole peppercorns

 - 1/4 stick of cinnamon
 - a pinch of red pepper flakes (to taste)
 - a pinch of calendula petals
Steep at boiling for ~3 minutes. The longer this steeps, the more the red pepper will spice the tea.
[Edit: After squinting at my notes, I've adjusted the orange and peppercorns down a size.]

Notes on ingredients:

 - Breakfast teas are usually a blend of different black teas, often Ceylon and Assam, though occasionally others. There aren't specific rules or ratios governing what goes into a Scottish blend versus an English blend, but traditionally in terms of deep flavor and maltiness they go from English (most astringent, least malty) -> Irish -> Scottish (boldest, most malty). I tend to prefer the deeper, richer flavors of Irish and Scottish blends, and don't normally recommend the sharper bitterness of English Breakfast, but I suspect this blend would work best with it. That said, this pot was brewed with Green Dreams Irish Breakfast from Auntie Arwen's Spices, because that's what I had on hand.

 - The calendula (marigold) petals I've been sparing with until I find a new source. 

 - Everything else came from the spice section.

Notes on design:
Regardless of the exact mythology in question, I knew that I wanted any tea I created for a sun deity to be a morning tea, perfect for waking up and greeting the day. In the case of Crossover's sun god, whose keywords include "Presence" and "Glory", and whose followers are paladin-esque warriors, I knew that I wanted an even more aggressive blend to punch you in the face and get you going. So a sharp, highly-caffeinated base, orange for brightness, two types of pepper for that extra zing, and cinnamon to tie it all together. Continuing the theme of golden radiance, this tea goes VERY well with honey.

Faithful of The Moon (a (mostly) white tea blend)

Gibbous Moon

The blend:

For every teaspoon of white tea, 

 - 1/8 teaspoon lavender

 - pinch of sage

 - 1/4 teaspoon ginger
 - 1/4 teaspoon lapsang souchong
Steep at ~180°F for four or five minutes. Similar to the green tea, if you bring the water to a boil and then give it a second or two to cool off, you should be set to brew without strict temperature checking. Fortunately white tea is also more forgiving than green, in those respects.

Bonus: For a "New Moon" version instead, replace the white tea entirely with lapsang souchong, and steep at boiling for about three minutes! Smokey and more highly caffeinated for all of your late night stealth mission needs.

Notes on ingredients:

 - The white tea I used is Peet's Snow Leopard tea, which is now apparently Mighty Leaf. I don't drink much white tea, and have almost never had it unflavored, so I don't know how this one measures up to others, but I enjoy it and enjoyed working with it.

 - The lapsang souchong came, again, from MEM Tea Imports, since I drink it nigh constantly and buying in bulk remains ideal.

 - The dried lavender I found at a local spice shop, where you can buy it in bags as big as your head. (I did not take that option, though I considered it.)

Notes on design:
As I mentioned earlier, I consider this tea to be still under development. Where the Sun in Crossover is glory, purification, and battle, Moon instead governs secrets and stealth. So my goal for Moon was a tea as subtle and soothing as Sun is brash and waking, and that leads to tricky balances in flavor profiles. What I ended up with was my first ever attempt at a white tea blend, with lavender and sage as calming background notes that blend together almost seamlessly, and in certain quantities evoke (for me, at least) the feel of a field at night. But they're both finicky ingredients, and particularly when combined they can all too easily shift from subtle to overpowering. The ginger was for brightness, but the candied ginger I used imparted more sugar sweetness than anything. I'd like to try smoking some ginger, if that's at all feasible, to see if I can add smoke to the tea that way, rather than bumping its caffeine content with the addition of lapsang. 

The "new moon" version, all darkness and smoke, no light, is a variant I wanted to exist entirely because having a caffeine pick-me-up at 3am before sneaking off on a LARP mission seemed useful, and it pairs well enough with the ingredients, though unsurprisingly the smoke overpowers most of it.

Still! This version is subtle, soothing, and tasty, and I do recommend it, though be careful and adjust the lavender and sage to suit your preferences. If I end up experimenting further and revising, I'll let you know!

I doubt either of these blends will enter my rotation as regularly as Life or Death have, but I'll keep fiddling with Moon until I settle on it, and Sun I'm definitely keeping for early mornings and afternoons that need help getting started. Joy will follow in a few days, but Sorrow may be delayed. It's causing me even more issues than Moon, since tea is the antithesis of sorrow in my world.

Poetry of the Week: Yeats and Writing

Another shorter week, brought to you by Yeats and poems about writing, before I go back to doing more of that myself!

All Things can tempt Me
All things can tempt me from this craft of verse:
One time it was a woman's face, or worse--
The seeming needs of my fool-driven land;
Now nothing but comes readier to the hand
Than this accustomed toil.
When I was young,
I had not given a penny for a song
Did not the poet sing it with such airs
That one believed he had a sword upstairs;
Yet would be now, could I but have my wish,
Colder and dumber and deafer than a fish.

The Circus Animals’ Desertion
I
I sought a theme and sought for it in vain,
I sought it daily for six weeks or so.
Maybe at last being but a broken man
I must be satisfied with my heart, although
Winter and summer till old age began
My circus animals were all on show,
Those stilted boys, that burnished chariot,
Lion and woman and the Lord knows what.

II
What can I but enumerate old themes,
First that sea-rider Oisin led by the nose
Through three enchanted islands, allegorical dreams,
Vain gaiety, vain battle, vain repose,
Themes of the embittered heart, or so it seems,
That might adorn old songs or courtly shows;
But what cared I that set him on to ride,
I, starved for the bosom of his fairy bride.

And then a counter-truth filled out its play,
`The Countess Cathleen' was the name I gave it,
She, pity-crazed, had given her soul away
But masterful Heaven had intervened to save it.
I thought my dear must her own soul destroy
So did fanaticism and hate enslave it,
And this brought forth a dream and soon enough
This dream itself had all my thought and love.

And when the Fool and Blind Man stole the bread
Cuchulain fought the ungovernable sea;
Heart mysteries there, and yet when all is said
It was the dream itself enchanted me:
Character isolated by a deed
To engross the present and dominate memory.
Players and painted stage took all my love
And not those things that they were emblems of.

III
Those masterful images because complete
Grew in pure mind but out of what began?
A mound of refuse or the sweepings of a street,
Old kettles, old bottles, and a broken can,
Old iron, old bones, old rags, that raving slut
Who keeps the till. Now that my ladder's gone
I must lie down where all the ladders start
In the foul rag and bone shop of the heart.

Words
I had this thought a while ago,
'My darling cannot understand
What I have done, or what would do
In this blind, bitter land.'

And I grew weary of the sun
Until my thoughts cleared up again,
Remembering that the best I have done
Was done to make it plain;

That every year I have cried, 'At length
My darling understands it all,
Because I have come into my strength,
And words obey my call';

That had she done so who can say
What would have shaken from the sieve?
I might have thrown poor words away
And been content to live.