I’m sure the story between Jade Rouge tea and me.
Every year for the past five years, I’ve run an online tea event called “Story of a Teacup.” I invite other tea lovers to join me online. We steep and sip our tea together. We read a few poems. And, some participants share the story behind a beloved piece of teaware. I usually also run it as a fundraiser for a nonprofit charity organization.
This year, in honor of the fifth anniversary of Story of a Teacup, I opened it up to include stories about a beloved tea. My share was about Jade Rouge tea.
Jade Rouge Tea
This year at Story of a Teacup, I didn’t talk about a piece of teaware like I usually do. Instead, I shared the story of a Black tea from the Sun, Moon, Lake region of Taiwan. Its grown from a cultivar developed by the Taiwan Tea Research and Extension Station, TTES No. 18. It’s a cross between a wild Taiwanese tea plant and a Burmese Assamica plant. You may see it labeled as Ruby 18, Hongyu, Red Jade, or Jade Rouge tea. The latter is what Té Company, where I purchase this tea, calls it. (They sell it both as loose leaf and in sachets.)
It has some very distinctive flavor and aroma notes. Té lists them as camphor (IKR?!), quince, and star anise. I absolutely smell and taste the camphor. It also tastes of stewed fruits and a touch of cinnamon to me. There are two things that fascinate me about this tea.
First, the flavor and aroma notes of camphor–on paper–does NOT appeal to me. At all! Even after I had Jade Rouge tea for the first time and loved it. The next few times I had it, I had to make myself steep it because reading about the “camphor” flavor note turned me off. Again, LOVE it when I steep and sip it. Now, I’m completely over that disconnect between how the flavor sounds to me and how I experience and love it. Thankfully!
Heart-Opening Tea
Jade Rouge tea, however, means more to me than its delightful aroma and flavors. The most important and unusual element of this tea, to me, is how it feels in my heart, body, and mind. It feels tender, supportive, and heart-opening. (A few other folks that I know said they feel the same about it.)
If I’m feeling tender, this tea supports and embraces me. If I’m not feeling tender, Jade Rouge opens my heart and allows more tenderness to come in. It may sound odd if you’ve never had this kind of experience. But, that’s truly what this Jade Rouge tea does for me.
I’ve reached for it when I was grieving a dear friend’s passing.
I’ve reached for Jade Rouge on days when I’ve felt tender and compassion welling in my heart.
I’ve reached for it when I’ve felt tired and a little numb.
Jade Rouge tea always feels like it gives me a hug and I finish the tea session more in touch with the compassionate and tender seeds inside me.
