It’s the season to get rid of the walls around your teapot

I’ve been keeping a file of pictures on my computer for a while now, named: “Reminder to bring a tea kit next time”. Nearly all of the these pics are featured in today’s post. As the file’s name implies, these were taken as a visual reminder to bring the necessary wares to make tea and fully enjoy the special outdoor settings encountered on the days when I wished the camera I was carrying could’ve been a humble gaiwan instead. This collection of pictures of inviting scenes is our way to salute the arrival of summer and invite you to make the best of it in the great outdoors. “It” being tea, of course!

Tea is an “art de vivre” in Taiwan. You will read this line many times in this blog. In fact, these pages are all about it and giving you a taste of all the many different shapes and textures this component of the Taiwanese daily life takes and and adds colour to it. Tea is such an integral part of everybody’s lives that it follows you everywhere, especially if a family or any friendly outdoor gathering is considered. Whether it is a visit to a museum, a park, a protected forest, or a simple gathering on the front sidewalk, a kettle is always steaming and the necessary equipage to make tea is always at hand and part of the picnic utensils. Some settings are more ritualistic, but most of the time, a casual atmosphere is more the norm. Nevertheless, in all cases, simplicity is always “de rigueur”.

What makes this island a small paradise for practitioners of this simple art, are the numerous spaces and constructions that are part of the scenery that have been especially integrated into the habitat and environment to allow these moments to happen in the most beautiful of settings. Every time I stroll about and the surroundings inspire me to think that this would be a perfect place to rest and share a cup, inevitably I will find a terrace or pagoda with simple benches and a table inviting me to make that moment happen. I share a good number of these settings in the following pictures in the hope that they may inspire you to take the kettle out and “make” tea outdoors. Now, don’t just bring the ready-made pot outside. That’s no fun! I see many of you frown at the inconvenience of it all… Consider this: there is no better environment conducive to the enjoyment of the purest and most natural of beverages than the great outdoors where it comes from. To enjoy it fully, it must be freshly made. Furthermore, there is no better way to test the adage that says that tea is the most refreshing drink on a hot day!

This being said, the most suitable conclusion to this entry is to invite you to hit command-Q as soon as you’re read this sentence and head for the outdoors with your leaves and wares. To you all from all of us at Taiwan Tea Crafts, have the best of summers!