Bitten Leaf Tour

 A few days ago I had the opportunity to sit at this

table at Totem Tea.

The occasion was tasting of bitten teas.

You might ask, what is bitten teas and to tell you the truth

I knew what it meant when I heard it;

but I had not until recently heard that term.

It is tea leaves that have been bitten by a particular cicada.

The bite releases sugar to heal itself and changes the flavor of the tea.

I thought it was just Oriental Beauty, but it is other teas too.

Oriental Beauty has always been a favorite for it's sweetness.

 This is a bing of Bai Hao, a bitten black tea.

Another term I recently learned was bing,

which is the compressed tea you see here.

Most often we associate a bing with puerh teas,

so I was surprised to see it in this Bai Hao.

 The first two teas were black teas and then we progressed 

to two Gui Fei Oolongs.

When the first Gui Fei was set before me 

I just couldn't help it, but said "Wow".

The fragrance was amazing.

It was like smelling a bowl of honey and roses.

Yes, I brought some of that tea home with me.

Now who wouldn't want to sip honey and roses?

You can find Totem Tea at http://www.totemtea.com/
They have a cherry blossom leaf herbal tea that I have heard is
pretty awesome too.

linking to Bernideen at http://blog.bernideens.com/