Oh fancy that! I just outdid myself with a pretty profound-sounding header like that, didn’t I ? It came so naturally to me now that I even surprised myself.
I fondly remember the first time I was introduced to the world of White Teas. Especially memorable because it was a day when I was not my usual chirpy self. I had walked around Singapore city all by myself that morning and it left me drained. It wasn’t just physical exhaustion. It was one of the days when you don’t want to smile back at the passerby on the street. Perhaps some of you would identify. Some of you might even judge me. But yes, this was my state of mind then. Determined to turn my day around, I decided to treat myself to some tea.
Oh and then it happened: The White Tea! On a brightly lit sunny early afternoon at the Raffles Hotel many years ago... how could I ever forget! The subtle flavor just made me smile from within. It was like it triggered a transformation in my thought process itself. It was a wake-up call, reminding me that there are still many more beautiful things in this world that I haven’t really experienced. You can pick any fairy tale and imagine me holding a magic potion right there. The very point in time was a turning point.
Though many mystics have written about silence and stillness and the self-discovery that might stem from it, one particular quote of the “Saint of Silence” Isaac of Nineveh has stayed with me… “Silence cuts off pretexts and causes for new thoughts, while within one’s walls it withers and wilts memories of things which used to concern us. When the old matters wither in the thought, the mind, in setting them aright, returns to its proper dignity.”
I am mostly a fun loving ‘girl’. But on days like that…“Silence, like the sunlight, will illuminate you”. Believe me, that day, it did illuminate me.
It was a moment for self-discovery. Did the white tea help? Did it act as a trigger and a catalyst? Would a glass of water have done the same magic? I don’t know. Perhaps yes, perhaps not. White Tea or not, I would suggest every one of you to just pause and reflect.
What I really wanted to write was about white tea, and particularly about Tea Trunk’s Moon White Tea. If I’ve not already lost you with my long ramble, let me try again.
Why is Moon White Tea so very special? The secret lies in the very plucking of the silvertips. The unopened tea buds are manually handpicked on a full moon night, thereby giving it its name. The preference of a full-moon night is no occult practice. In fact it's purely a scientific one — the aesthesis of a full moon night allows the tea buds to retain maximum moisture and thereby hold back maximum flavor and nutrition. So tender are the silvertips that it does not make sense plucking them on glaring afternoon sun anyway.
Priced at Rs. 45,000/- per kg, Moon White Tea is one of the most expensive teas. However, Tea Trunk's packaging of 15 tea bags, priced at Rs. 1,350/- makes it more accessible for those who wish to try this exquisite tea. You buy it here.
With 12 times more antioxidants than a glass of orange juice, Moon White Tea is perfect for those times when you want to close your eyes and forget the world; or maybe just before you levitate!
It goes well with: Basic salad without any dressing, light meals, fresh vegetables, desserts without cream.
While you do all that, do remember what you are really supposed to do: to stop looking outside yourself for validation. Start the journey of Self Discovery!
Your Zen-Mood Activated,
~Snigdha
Good post!