New York! Concrete Jungle where dreams are made of..
I
always have a wonderful time when I travel to NY. As soon as I get off
the plane I can feel the energy in the air. I begin to walk a little
faster, I'm excited, I'm on a mission! I find inspiration from talking
to strangers, family and friends, from what I see and how I feel. I
love the fashion that comes with the change of seasons. People seem to
have their own sense of style and there is a hustlers spirit in the people.
Only the strong survive here, after all if you can make it here you can
make it anywhere!
During this trip
I was in the market for some new Teas to try. I absolutely love tea! I
drink it every morning along with a glass of water. Usually Green Tea is
my preference in the morning, it tastes delicious and it gets my
metabolism going right away. While in my favorite tea shop near
Chinatown, I met a man from Trinidad and Tobago. He was sitting having a
pot of tea himself and said that I should try Pu-erh Tea. He said it's a
very old tea and has many medicinal properties. The man behind the
counter grabbed a big glass container and opened it for me to have a
smell. It smelled like dirt, old dirt, and cost $8/oz (loose leaf). I
bought 1oz to give it a try. I also bought one of my staples (Jazmine
Pearls) another of the Green Tea varieties, Dragonwell Green Tea and 2oz
of Lavender Flowers (great for relaxation)
When
I got back to Brooklyn I immediately put a pot of water on to boil, I
wanted to try this ancient tea right away! I also looked online to see
what kind of information I could find on Pu-erh Tea,
and I found a lot.
The way I drink tea is just to grab a pinch of the leaves and throw them in my favorite mug or pot, then pour boiling water over them and steep. I don't ever remove the leaves I just drink as they sink to the bottom. Whole tea leaves can be reused 2-3 times, so I refill a couple times with the same leaves. It's rare that I sweeten my tea (but if I do) it's with a little Agave Nectar, Honey or even Pure Maple Syrup.
Jazmine Pearls (Green)
Pu-erh Tea