Drinking Tea And The Art Of Doing Nothing

Posted on by

Tea Talk 11AThe Italians have a beautiful concept signifying the pleasantness of inactivity – ‘La Dolce Far Niente’, which roughly translates to ‘the sweetness of doing nothing’.

Well, the concept seems easy as taking a break doing relaxing activities gives us lot of options to chose from. But the challenge here is to cultivate ‘mental silence’, which isn’t just about getting respite from the distractions of office chatter or deadlines. It’s about the real sustained silence that quietens inner as well as outer chatter and takes us beyond the noise. A state that can be easily attained through the ‘Art of Tea Meditation’.

A recent Harvard Business Review states that the busier we are, the more quiet time we need. It emphasises on the need of structured periods of silence as important factors in achieving success. In our modern lives when our day begins running on a treadmill of duties and ends with exhaustion, taking a silent break is a luxury. Tea is the modern day meditation and a simple solution to effortlessly embrace the art of doing nothing and experiencing mental silence.

Tea masters and monks have been practising the ‘art of tea way’ for more than 3,000 years – an art that consists simply of boiling water, preparing tea and drinking it. Embracing the traditional goodness of tea in modern times by upgrading our tea-time can help to reprogram our thoughts, manage the non-stop information flow and cultivate periods of deep silence. It can condition our minds to be more adaptive and responsive to the complex environments in which so many of us now live, work, and lead.

Our lives can be a lot different if we take a deliberate pause by just giving 30 minutes of our day to the process of making our cup of tea. This pause declutters our mind, bringing about a sense of calmness and tranquillity.  You can chose this time to unwind, plan your day, read a book, think about what you love, admire the view from your window or think about nothing at all. You make your tea, absorb yourself in the process, sit and sip with no particular agenda, letting yourself go wherever your mind takes you. You could also use this time to think about what kind of life would be worth living, rather than simply living the life you live.

With each passing day, we feel more tired, hoping for a reboot in the form of a break, a pause from the daily hustle. And this idea usually translates into a quarterly vacation – travelling to a far off land to get away from the madness for a while. But we don’t need to postpone that idea any further because the elusive ‘relaxation’ that we yearn for is not just found in the scenic landscapes of our ideal vacation spots. It exists within each one of us and is ours to claim if we learn to embrace it with a tea lifestyle. So instead of fantasising about that one big vacation, brew your tea, find that perfect spot in the house, and reboot your life with a simple tea meditation.

The world is getting louder. But silence is still accessible. It just takes commitment and creativity to cultivate it.  Make your cup of tea mindfully, take a deep breath, relax and let your brain move away from the abstract and the distant towards the tangible and the near.

5 Ways To Train Your Palate With Rangsaa Tea

Posted on by

Tea Talk 9Rangsaa’s tagline ‘Symphony of Colorful Tea’ reflects the various tasting notes in our blends, which come together to create a beautiful, elaborate musical composition, full of orchestral flavor profiles. There are different tasting notes, depth of flavors, aroma, undertones, complexities and spikes before you get an aftertaste. Every Rangsaa blend is an experience in taste, simplicity and purity, making it a beautiful tea drinking journey, something that you want to keep coming back for.

Indulging in novel ideas and events enriches our understanding of life and enhances the quality of our experiences. We at Rangsaa love trying out new notes, taste and flavour profiles with our tea blends. With the finest organic herbs and high altitude tippy tea leaves, we have created a beautiful symphony of unique flavours and notes, distinguishing our blends from the artificial ones that have proliferated the market today. We want people to experience this colourful symphony with five simple steps. Ask yourself the following questions when drinking our teas:

1. Describe your tea blend – How is the appeal? Examine the appearance of the dry tea leaves and other ingredients in the blend. Are the tea leaves whole or broken? Do you see silver or golden tips? How do the ingredients look? What do they smell like? Examine your tea, studying it for clues and flavours that are about to indulge your senses. Rejoice in the moment.

2. Describe the color of the tea liquor – Watch the leaves infuse and spread a cloud of color in your cup or teapot. Is it amber, crimson, golden, or a different color altogether? How does the color change with steeping time?

3. Describe the aroma – Close your eyes and inhale the rich aroma wafting from the infusion. What does it smell like? What are the hints of flavors that you are experiencing? Is it fresh, exciting, warm, spicy, comforting etc.?

4. Describe the tasting notes – Now, slurp the tea (don’t worry about the loud noises). Spread it all over your tongue and mouth. What flavors, notes, undertones do you detect? What are the top notes? Is there a balance? How is the texture and the finish? Try to describe your experience.

5. Describe the aftertaste – Finally, swallow the tea. Is the finish long or short? Do the flavors dissipate quickly or last for a while in your mouth? What flavors remain? Is the mouthfeel dry or creamy? Do you detect sweetness? You are the taster here. Enjoy every sip.

For a heightened tea experience, we suggest steeping the tea for 5-10 minutes and see how you like your tea, detecting the change in density and depth of flavours, thus allowing the musical notes to resonate.

To learn more about the new flavors that you can experience, please refer to our tea reviews on the website. Our reviews will act as an introduction and reference guide and will also enhance your experience by giving you cues on exploring your blends in different ways.

Train your palate and explore new flavors and nuances with Rangsaa’s premium tea blends and tisanes. Drinking tea is fun and we want you to experience the magic with your Rangsaa journey.

Loose Whole Leaf Tea – The Art Of Tea

Posted on by
loose leaf vs tea bags

“A good cup of tea begins in delight and ends in wisdom”

If tea is a part of your life, as box of tea bags stacked in your cupboard, this blog would convince you to dig deeper and see just why tea is so deserving of our appreciation and respect.

We often ask what differentiates tea bags from whole leaf teas, why leaf tea is better than tea bags and why we need to make the switch? Let’s talk about some interesting facts and see if they can encourage you to give up that easy, quick, and aromatic cup of ‘blah- tea’, made from your favorite tea bag and inspire you to make the switch today.

Loose whole leaf tea is the most organic, pure, unprocessed and natural form of tea leaf available in nature. The whole leaves are unbroken, full of natural oils and antioxidants, with wide range of vitamins, minerals, flavors and aroma. So, when you steep the tea, the oils release from the leaves into a supreme quality liquor, resulting in much more rounded and full bodied flavor – which is more complex, with a top, middle and finish note. This kind of ‘unique tea experience’ cannot be achieved with tea bags, the tea that most tea drinkers are accustomed to.

A tea bag on the other hand is made from tea dust and fannings, that is characteristically really fine cut, almost granular tea. It is machine processed and is typically considered the lowest grade tea. The teeny-weeny pieces result in larger surface area resulting in more possibilities for the essential oils to evaporate, leaving the tea dull and stale, without any beneficial properties.

In a traditional tea factory, the tea production and processing involves different processes like roasting, firing, cooking and so forth. These procedures create lot of dust in the air, which eventually falls on the ground. This dust is further collected in giant piles and is reserved for being used in tea bags.

Now, that I’ve debunked your thoughts on tea, may I remind you that most of the research one reads about tea, especially green tea, is derived on the studies based on whole leaf tea and not tea bags. So, be smart, drink right and discover health, happiness and contentment in a perfect cup of tea.

Traditional Chinese TEA Ceremony

Posted on by

The Chinese Tea Ceremony, also called The Art of Tea, is a ritualised form of making tea in Chinese culture. The tea ceremony is a cultural activity, involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of tea. The ceremony embodies the principles of harmony, respect, purity, tranquility and is always enjoyed with tea as a spiritual medium to practice.

In the above video, Tea Master, Mr.Wang, performs a Traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony in his authentic Tea shop. The score is a traditional Qin Song (ancient Chinese instrument).