Tea House Time

Tea House 'boy'

We visited another 'mandatory' tour today. This time it was the tea house. We sat through a class on various types of tea. We learned about the different teas, how to brew them, how to drink them, what their benefits are, etc. I learned a whole lot! I also learned that if the opera didn't kill me, 'gurgling' the oolong tea probably would! Somehow I nearly drowned while whistle-gurgling the oolong tea (as it's supposed to be sipped--think about one of the funnier wine-tasting scenes from the movie Sideways).

Anyways, the biggest hit with the kids at the tea house was not the tea but rather the 'pee boy'. You see, tea water should be exactly 95* F to properly brew tea. How do you test to see if the water is exactly the right temperature? Well, this little clay 'boy' will test it for you. You simply soak him in cold water. Heat your tea water. Once it's hot, pull out the clay boy and pour some hot water over him. If he 'pees', then your water is the correct temp. The kids LOVED it!!! Even tested it at least a dozen times!

We departed the tea house with a supply of Golden Green tea. Good!