Autumn

POLSKI 한국어

The autumn is already here even though the summer fought until the very end. But the temperature is low, daytime gets significantly shorter.

The beginning of autumn is the time when I switch from refreshing green teas to the teas which make me feel warmer. Autumn is the time for oolong teas and it is not my own idea - the Chinese medical knowledge describes green tea as something which cools your body down thus it is best drunk in hot season. And oolong teas are believed to be best for autumn because they are more oxidised, sometimes even roasted and give the body more fire energy.

I usually brew greean teas in my Korean tea set but when it comes to oolong teas I prefer to use the tea pot made by Andrzej Bero. It resembles Yixing tea pots in size and shape and is glazed inside so I can use it for many kinds of teas actually. When my tea passion began I really dreamed of a collection of Yixing tea pots, each dedicated to a different kind of tea but then I started getting know more and more about Yixing, the production, costs, and what you can actually buy nowadays when you think you are buying a Yixing tea pot. So I made up my mind to get myself just one, but a really good one, tea pot. I really like this one, its design and somewhat austere esthetics and I like the idea of having just one tea pot instead of a whole collection. Less is more.

Also in the photos you can see my chapan. I bought it in the beginning of summer. I wanted to have one very much. Now I can see why I liked it, I appreciate the practical side of a chapan but again, I am turning towards something more simple. The chapan I own now is quite elegant in looks, I could use it well with fine porcelaine.

The tea I was making while taking the photos is Ali Shan Oolong from Taiwan. A lightly oxidised and probably roasted tea, with a nice taste of something like baked bread. Before I was drinking Dong Ding Oolong form the same source and the taste was quite similar. Of course, many tea drinkers would distinguish taste differences, discuss the aftertaste etc but that is not really my way of drinking tea. Just making good tea in silence and peaceful atmosphere is enough for me.

And there is one more thing which surprises me a lot. Last year, when I started my Way of Tea and my blog, I used to make tea using a lot of equipment - timer, scales, thermometer. I am quite a perfectionist and could not imagine making good tea without measuring everything precisely. Well... I do not do it anymore. I simply know when the water has the right temprerature, how much tea leaves I should put into the tea pot and when the tea is ready. It is like Ms Park, my Korean tea techer said: "just make the tea. You cannot fail with a good tea".