093: Shanghai Tea

The week before I left Shanghai in 2009, I finally mustered the courage to go into a tea shop I had walked past a thousand times. My afternoon was completely free, so I decided to sit for a while and order based on the server’s recommendation. She brought me a small tray with a cast iron pot filled with Ginseng Oolong Tea and a small cup. I sipped the  perfectly hot brew, and it was the best hot tea I had ever had in my entire life. I honestly never knew it could be so good.

As I left the shop, I thanked the server and purchased a bag to take home with me. I was never able to recreate the perfect brew I had on that November afternoon, but the lovely package reminds me that it is possible.

Since November 2009