Country of Origin: China
Region: Yunnan Province
Shipping Port: Shenzhen
Grade: Artisan Handcrafted Tea
Altitude: 1500’ – 3000’ feet above sea level
Manufacturer Type: Handmade and hand tied.
Cup Characteristics: Almost sweet. Floral notes of lavender and jasmine blend well with premium early season green tea
Infusions: Light, tending pale yellow
Ingredients: Luxury green tea, Lily, Amaranth + Jasmine + Lavender blossoms.
So often in life, love and beauty are coupled with sorrow and heartache. One of ancient China’s foremost poets, Tu-Fu, who lived from 712 –770 A.D. wrote extensively on the subject of life, sadness and the longevity of love. One of his poems in particular titled Alone in her Beauty highlights his thoughts on the subject. The poem, which served as the inspiration for this tea, is a love sonnet to a beautiful maiden from a smitten suitor. The suitor cares deeply for the maiden but feels that his love isn’t enough for her given a recent family tragedy. The suitor laments:
Who is lovelier than she? Yet she lives alone in an empty valley.
When trouble arose in the Kuan district, her brothers and close kin were killed
Understandably, the maiden is heartbroken…she has nothing left…or does she? Tu-Fu continues:
She picks a few flowers, no longer for her hair, and lets pine needles fall through her fingers.
And forgetting her thin silk sleeve and the cold, she leans in the sunset by a tall bamboo.
In the midst of her sorrow, the suitor notices that the maiden stops to pick a few flowers. This act symbolized hope for the intangible aspect of life that we are all searching for and that can carry us through even the deepest sorrow – the beauty of love.
Tea legend has it that the creator of Lovers 3 Flowers found a parallel between the idea that the flowers picked by the maiden could provide a glimmer of warmth in her heart the fact that his teas could do the same thing. Inspired, he picked the finest blooms of jasmine, amaranth and lavender, and tied them in with a delicate full leaf green tea. The tea he created was bright, with a bouquet of fresh cut flowers. The cup displayed a fresh grassiness punctuated with floral blooms and undertones of honey. He knew in an instant he had achieved the pinnacle of his life’s work. And you know what? We tend to agree with him. Get ready to be warmed on inside and out. An amazing tea.
For Best Results:
5 minutes, 100 degrees celsius
I really have to go there sometime!!
Yes! You really should! The Monk’s Blend is also really good and I’m excited to try Prince of Wales (I’ve had Monk’s Blend prior to purchasing it, but haven’t had the Prince of Wales before). When I was newer to tea I got the peppermint a lot, which is super good but not anything out of the ordinary. As far as the food goes, their scones are amazing too and they serve great cream of broccoli soup. Also; PIE! Though, the desserts kind of rotate so there isnt always the same thing.
And also very pretty teaware! Plus they sell lots of other very British foods/snacks and stuff. It’s a cool place!