Class, Culture, and Refinement

I attended my first tea tasting event ever last night at one of the most refined tea bistro's in Illinois---Tea Geschwendner. What an experience! Truly one in which you find yourself leaving with a sense of class, culture, and refinement. The more I drink authentic, loose leaf tea, the more I am made aware of the true higher quality and value of it.

Last night was an evening of Japanese Green Tea---Bancha, Kukicha, Tamaryokucha, Gyrokuro, Shincha Shimoyama, Genmaicha, and a few others. Of course, Genmaicha is my favorite Green Tea. It was last on the list to test. I found myself filled with eagerness and anticipation as we progressed towards it. I kept telling my friends they were in for a real treat!

I found myself curiously considering the variety of people that were there. Some you could tell had been there many times in the past and were old hat at tea tasting. I admire those people! Their descriptions of the teas were fascinating, and I found myself trying to picture each tea with them! By the end of the evening, I felt as though I were catching on.

I can honestly say that I did not dislike any of the teas. I tried each with and without a pinch of sugar. They started with the Bancha, which I felt to be a light and lasting, basic Green Tea. Going from that one to the Kukicha was rather eye opening, as the Kukicha is a much bolder Green Tea. If I did have a least favorite for the evening, it would have been the Tamaryokucha. Why? you might ask! Well, it had no after taste. I loved the initial flavor, but it didn't stay. Personally, because of this, I would be tempted to drink my cup of tea too quickly, instead of enjoying each drink.

The Gyrokuro. Well, let's just say that you can taste the refinement in this tea. Definitely a high grade tea! The Shimoyama is an offset of the Gyrokuro in taste and quality, but is sweeter in flavor.

And last but definitely not least, was my favorite, the Genmaicha. I love just smelling that tea. I often find myself at home just opening the container to smell it. I love its sweet, but nutty popped rice smell and taste. And as I expected, this was the favorite of my group for the evening.

The lecture was informative and interesting. I found myself really getting into the spirit of the evening! As we all walked out at the end of the evening, we all agreed on the sense of class, culture, and refinement that we felt. What an experience, from the fine china, cup rinsing, lecture, and tasting.

And of course this morning, I was inspired to treat myself to a small cup of Genmaicha as I prepared myself for the day and recounted the evening before.