95 the Japan trip 7 (1/2)
The ensemble came with a cloth to wrap around the head, a primitive sunblock of sorts and a rattan basket to carry on one's back. After they changed into the outfit, the guide led them into the fields.
Xiu Ling and Joann had a lesson in the art of picking tea. It was more complicated than either of the women thought.
First, you put your thumb and index finger between the stem of the leaves. Then, do not pull because that might hurt the plant and leaves but instead twist your fingers to snap the leaves off the stem. Remember to not pinch the leaves off with your fingernails but rely on a masterful use of the twist of your wrist.
Xiu Ling and Joann got into work and not long after that, their backs started to ache because they had to keep their backs bent to pluck the tea leaves that only grew to their waist. It was quite literally back-breaking work.
However, both women had to say, they quite enjoy it. This was something they would not do normally. Of course, asking them to do this daily might kill them but pretending to be something they were not for that brief moment had a certain charm to it.
It reminded Joann of those days before she found fame and fortune, the days she spent hauling those heavy pots of Tong Shui inside Auntie Xiao's shop.
After Xiu Ling and Joann had their fill and they started to sweat earnestly, the guide moved them along to the next part of the tour. They were introduced to the processes that happened after the tea leaves were plucked. They went through the process of drying, sifting and so on.
The process was more industrialized than the women thought. Then again, with the amount of product the plantation needed to produce daily, this should come as no surprise.
However, the plantation also kept some of the traditional methods to produce a line of artisanal teas.
The ladies' tour ended with a tea ceremony.
The rules observed during Japanese tea ceremony were notoriously complicated and thankfully, the guide did not force Xiu Ling and Joann who had no clue about any of them to follow the culture closely. She showed them a brief demonstration of how it was supposed to be done properly and that was it.
The tea ceremony, was in other words, just a tea tasting. They were served many types of different teas and one of the more unique ones was the Sakura Tea. According to the guide, the tea was used in olden times to serve only the honorable and influential.
The Sakura Tea, as the name suggests, used peach blossom flowers as one of its ingredients, pickled peach blossoms to be precise. The blooms expanded when hot water was poured into the cup and it did look like art coming alive.
”Other than the natural fragrance of the tea leaves, Sakura Tea carries with it a unique flowery scent. Take a sip and you should feel the notes of the peach blossoms spread through your mouth and nose,” Their guide explained.
Xiu Ling and Joann took a careful sip and they shared a look with each other that seemed to say, 'B*tch, where?!'