Puerh Cha

While Lita and I were in Vermont this summer, we made a new friend named Patrick, who is also a super ninja and aspiring brew master.  He and our friend, Willard came over with a little cake of puerh tea to share with us.  This compact little bundle of aged tea leaves was packed with earthy, deep, ancient mother tea flavor and we fell instantly in love.  It set the tea ceremony in motion for us, and we've been drinking a lot of tea since.  (thank you for the inspiration Patrick!)  We fell in love with the Stone Leaf Tea House in Middlebury during our Vermont season, and the atmosphere the owners created really captures the art of drinking tea.  
This aged oolong has a history worth reading, and you can learn about it here.  It is a traveler's tea - not as sensitive as the delicate Chinese green and white teas.  We found that it also comes wrapped in small pot-sized servings.  Puerh has inspired trips to tea houses, the collection of many medicinal and tasty herbs for our own creations, and a purchase of a pound of Puerh tuo-cha, which means "Camel's Breath" from an amazing tea house / grocery shop in Crestone. 

And of course, there are health benefits to this magnificent tea.

Pu-erh tea is strongly believed to have wide ranging health benefits from anti aging, prevention of heart disease and cancer, diabetic control, removal of toxins to curing dysentery, inflammation, aiding digestion and weight loss, improving the eyesight, blood circulation and reviving those who are overly intoxicated with alcohol.  The long term consumption of Pu-erh tea is believed to help reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol levels and play an important role in preventing heart disease and cancer. Pu-erh tea made from wild old tea trees are reputed to be more potent, containing strong Qi (translated as "life energy" or "life force") that boosts the blood flow and helps the body's circulation. This as a result aids the removal of toxins and can cure minor aches and pains.  After a heavy meal drinking Pu-erh tea is said to help clean the intestines and stomach.

One interest after another points us in the direction of drinking tea - slowly, with intention and patience and care.  It comes up in Lita's study of Chinese Medicine and Qigong, and our study of Ayurveda.  And sure enough, along with a million other synchronicities that continue to emerge with our arrival at Frog Belly Farm, they stock Puerh here by the bucket-full and make their kombucha with it.


In Vital Breath of the Dao, Master Zhongzian Wu says, "I learned the natural way of life, the teachings of the ancient Chinese shamans, and my spiritual path through drinking tea."

The sage relies on actionless activity,
Carries on wordless teaching,
Lets all things rise and fall,
Nurtures, but does not interfere,
Acts without demanding,
Accomplishes, but claims no credit,
It is because he lays claim to no credit
That the credit cannot be taken away from him.
- Daodejing

This has been a lesson at the forefront of my life lately - to allow things to rise and fall and to ride the waves of the universal flow in peace, because we are actually following the path when we are under the illusion that we don't know what path to take.