The Purple Vine Teahouse
Thi
This book is currently on hold while another book is brewing, but it will resurface! In the meantime here is a snippet:
The Purple Vine Teahouse interweaves Emma's love of tea with her love of storytelling as she explores the significance of tea in our history, community, culture and rituals. A certified Tea Sommelier, Emma has travelled to tea regions and interviewed tea experts around the world, learning about the mysteries and legends of tea, the deep rooted sense of home and community that can be found in tea traditions, and how we pass down our heritage in ways other than words.
This brings a storyteller's perspective and a profoundly human voice to the most popular drink in the world.
Put the kettle on, I've a feeling you'll want to hear more...
Excerpt
‘Held in that moment in time, we chose a second pot of tea, albeit one from slightly further down the offerings laid out on the fan that served as a menu. The temperature in the room felt cooler, I noticed my hands and feet begin to prickle, and laid my thick black coat over my knees as we received Huang Shan Mao Fen Green Tea. Its translated name of
‘Yellow Mountain Fur Peak’ conjuring images of mist laden mountains and centuries old tea- making traditions, adding to the feeling of dewy cool in the air. I wrapped my coat around me. The pale, silvery tea smelled vegetal with a heady edge of sweetness. Delicate floral tastes unfurled in the mouth, a giddy concoction of caffeine and polyphenols instilling a sense of both wellbeing and heightened sensations. We discovered a new intimacy in not speaking, in that rare but comfortable existence of tuning in to someone without the need to reach for words. Connecting through the tea, through the reactions in our eyes, on our lips, and the comfort with which we sat.'
Emma says:
"The Purple Vine Teahouse brings together some of my greatest loves – the adventure of travel, the wonder of tea, the exploration of my heritage, and the significance of what I define as my ‘home’. It is about the simple yet significant things that make up the fabric of life, and the beauty of what lies in front of us if we can but afford ourselves the chance to look."