It is a cold,wet,dank day in early January – a grey day – and I am so pleased that C.sinensis is part of our lives and is available to cheer us up. I have never grown this worthy plant but really appreciate the way it gives itself up to enhance our lives. Not your showy, evergreen shrub beautifully adorned with red , pink or white flowers like Camellia sasanqua , but a lesser variety…… but with the magical ability for its leaves to be brewed into tea!
Some of my earliest memories involve tea – my mum, Irene ( Renee to her friends) loved tea – a puritan drinking it black without sugar. This is something I did not try until my 60’s but now am converted – you can really taste the flavors more clearly. At home, Irene used to get tea delivered by Ringtons – they came around the community delivering bags of loose tea. Their van was black and yellow and would come every couple of weeks. As I vaguely remember they offered tea in red, green and brown packs – I never knew the difference between the blends but Irene bought the brown pack. Thinking this was a service of the past,I searched Ringtons and to my delight not only do they still operate but they still do a door service from their mobile vans. Brilliant – long may it last!
CP’s family were even more vested in tea as Allen made his career in the tea business , working for Thompson Brothers for most of his life. Punjana is their brand and for years has been our favorite tea. We are able to get a good supply and fortunately it is available in big bags! It has a lovely warm mid brown color and a mild but slightly nutty flavor.Maybe it is family loyalty, maybe nostalgia- but a steaming hot cup of Punjana on a grey day lifts the spirits.
Tea culture in the US is very different and can be a disappointment. On arriving at my office when I came here to work I was shocked that there was no kettle in the “rec room.”. What purported to be tea was brewed using hot water from the coffee machine so that once it had been steeped it was tepid. Over time (about 3 days) a kettle had been procured, tested and commissioned and users of the ”rec room” advised of its operation and the associated hazards. It took a little longer to find a reputable brand of tea but thereafter all was well with the world.
Ordering tea in restaurants can be a hit and miss affair. Once when Allen and Jean were visiting we did a road trip to Williamsburg ,Virginia and stopped at a well known chain restaurant – serve wonderful food – but they fell down on the tea front. After several failed attempts, with undrunk mugs of tepid,fawn liquid strewing the table we had established that they did not have tea pots or a kettle in the kitchen and chef would not boil water up in a pan to assist our quest for tea. Allen was denied his cuppa and refused steadfastly to have a cup of coffee. A disappointment but a memory refreshed frequently.
Phil and Jen are our family tea aficionado’s frequenting a specialist tea emporium – this year we were the beneficiaries of their passion with 2 very different teas arriving by reindeer. Both tasted and delicious – the chiyabari best suited for spring days on the patio, the Ceylon , sophisticated to be kept for those special occasions when it can be drunk uninterupted.
This Spring, I will be planting Camellia sasanqua in our woodland garden – in honor of this wonderful genus.
AndAllenGarden 