I kinda have this idea that while psychedelics like LSD are the easiest to catch a ride with, it is specifically tea that can get you furthest. When I was reading "Dream of the Red Chamber" some of the descriptions of tea drinking were really psychedelic, like being transported into a different realm of heavenly purity that permeates everything with effortless perfection, etc. Certainly I never experienced anything like this with any drug.
Reviving an 800-Year-Old Japanese Tea Farm
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Re: Reviving an 800-Year-Old Japanese Tea Farm
#12When I went to Japan last time I asked about tea places and people would tell me "we don't drink tea outside, we drink it at home". I also remember an article a few years ago about dying Japanese tea tradition, somewhat related to the proliferation of instant tea dispersal machines and those 7-11 tea walls. What I would like to know is why contrary to Japan, there are Tea farms of all sizes everywhere. There are doze…
Tabelog was a good source for finding tea rooms the last time I visited Japan.
Re: Reviving an 800-Year-Old Japanese Tea Farm
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
The best varietals of most plants are often the ones made by human intervention- selective breeding and such. Wild ones are often too sour, or too bitter, or don't produce much, or are impossible to experience because they don't travel well.
Very much agreed. Even within my lifetime things have changed for the better ('better' = nicer for humans). When I was a kid aubergines had a strong bitterness that had to be soaked out of them with salt and water, and not with perfect success. Modern aubergines completely lack that bitterness. Wild strawberries sound great but they are tiny, ripen very unevenly and don't even taste that exciting. The breeding of gra…
Wild strawberries are absolutely wonderful compared to cultivars you can buy.
Re: Reviving an 800-Year-Old Japanese Tea Farm
#14I kinda have this idea that while psychedelics like LSD are the easiest to catch a ride with, it is specifically tea that can get you furthest. When I was reading "Dream of the Red Chamber" some of the descriptions of tea drinking were really psychedelic, like being transported into a different realm of heavenly purity that permeates everything with effortless perfection, etc. Certainly I never experienced anything l…
What’s in that tea? Something more than caffeine if people are taking trips with it.
Re: Reviving an 800-Year-Old Japanese Tea Farm
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very much agreed. Even within my lifetime things have changed for the better ('better' = nicer for humans). When I was a kid aubergines had a strong bitterness that had to be soaked out of them with salt and water, and not with perfect success. Modern aubergines completely lack that bitterness. Wild strawberries sound great but they are tiny, ripen very unevenly and don't even taste that exciting. The breeding of gra…
Wild strawberries are absolutely wonderful compared to cultivars you can buy.
Can you give your experiences please?
When I lived in North Wales decades ago we had wild strawberries, they were about two or three times the volume of a chickpea in size (IIRC), and in two years I only ever found one that was ripe all the way around (they usually ripen on one side, or had a large patch of white unripeness even when the rest was red). I don't even remember that one tasting particularly stunning either.
Re: Reviving an 800-Year-Old Japanese Tea Farm
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wild strawberries are absolutely wonderful compared to cultivars you can buy.
Can you give your experiences please? When I lived in North Wales decades ago we had wild strawberries, they were about two or three times the volume of a chickpea in size (IIRC), and in two years I only ever found one that was ripe all the way around (they usually ripen on one side, or had a large patch of white unripeness even when the rest was red). I don't even remember that one tasting particularly stunning eith…
In my experience wild strawberries have an almost explosive aroma that is similar to but different from cultivated strawberries. In contrast to cultivated strawberries the sweetness is very subdued.
Re: Reviving an 800-Year-Old Japanese Tea Farm
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very much agreed. Even within my lifetime things have changed for the better ('better' = nicer for humans). When I was a kid aubergines had a strong bitterness that had to be soaked out of them with salt and water, and not with perfect success. Modern aubergines completely lack that bitterness. Wild strawberries sound great but they are tiny, ripen very unevenly and don't even taste that exciting. The breeding of gra…
Wild strawberries are absolutely wonderful compared to cultivars you can buy.
Where is that? Growing up in the nursery us, wild strawberries there were small. And if they had flavor, it was mostly sour.
Re: Reviving an 800-Year-Old Japanese Tea Farm
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you give your experiences please? When I lived in North Wales decades ago we had wild strawberries, they were about two or three times the volume of a chickpea in size (IIRC), and in two years I only ever found one that was ripe all the way around (they usually ripen on one side, or had a large patch of white unripeness even when the rest was red). I don't even remember that one tasting particularly stunning eith…
In my experience wild strawberries have an almost explosive aroma that is similar to but different from cultivated strawberries. In contrast to cultivated strawberries the sweetness is very subdued.
Perhaps you lived somewhere much warmer weather could ripen properly. North Wales has much to offer[1] but a tropic clime is not one of them.
[1] rain, rocks, sheep, rain, snow, rain, coal, slate, rain, sheep with rain, rocks and sheep with rain, rain.
Re: Reviving an 800-Year-Old Japanese Tea Farm
#19I kinda have this idea that while psychedelics like LSD are the easiest to catch a ride with, it is specifically tea that can get you furthest. When I was reading "Dream of the Red Chamber" some of the descriptions of tea drinking were really psychedelic, like being transported into a different realm of heavenly purity that permeates everything with effortless perfection, etc. Certainly I never experienced anything l…
What’s in that tea? Something more than caffeine if people are taking trips with it.
Green tea also contains l-theanine, which interacts with caffeine uptake. Anecdotal but after having a pot of tea at a tea shop in Sheung Wan in Hong Kong I was high as a kite for a while afterwards in a way I’ve never experienced before or after, although I wouldn’t describe it as psychedelic - more stimulant.
Re: Reviving an 800-Year-Old Japanese Tea Farm
#20I kinda have this idea that while psychedelics like LSD are the easiest to catch a ride with, it is specifically tea that can get you furthest. When I was reading "Dream of the Red Chamber" some of the descriptions of tea drinking were really psychedelic, like being transported into a different realm of heavenly purity that permeates everything with effortless perfection, etc. Certainly I never experienced anything l…