{"id":324,"date":"2019-11-16T15:51:35","date_gmt":"2019-11-16T15:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plentiful-lands.com\/?p=324"},"modified":"2020-03-24T10:43:52","modified_gmt":"2020-03-24T10:43:52","slug":"tea-stories-n3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plentiful-lands.com\/tea-stories-n3\/","title":{"rendered":"Tea Stories N\u00b03"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
a journey into the world of tea and beyond<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In this series, I write about travels on which I have learned more about tea and have experienced hospitality. There is surprising diversity in traditions and tastes revolving around tea. In case you haven’t read the first two stories, here they are: N\u00b01<\/a> and N\u00b02<\/a>. Enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s time to admit it: I also used to be biased when it comes to tea. For me, tea would simply be black tea. After all, it\u2019s the standard English tea, and there\u2019s a whole ceremony around it. \u201cFive-o\u2019clock-tea\u201d, from English breakfast, over Earl Grey to Darjeeling, the British are well known for their fine black tea. But it took all until university for me to become acquainted first-hand with a tradition around black tea. And funnily, this didn\u2019t happen in the UK, but in the North of Germany, more precisely the Ostfriesland islands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ostfriesian tea tradition mounts back to the 17th century and is still flourishing to this day. Ostfriesian sailors in the service of the East India Company sailed between the North Sea and Asia. They first brought tea to Europe in 1610. In the century that followed, tea was extensively traded with in Ostfriesland. The people there quickly embraced this low-priced, tasty beverage in an everyday ceremony and protected it against all odds that would follow in the years to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The local authorities didn\u2019t approve at all of the large amounts of tea consumed by their people. After all, the tea had to be imported from abroad and therefore generated an outflow of money. The Prussian king tried to forbid the trading of tea and encouraged citizens to consume more beer, since its ingredients could be grown at home and didn\u2019t “waste” national money. But this prohibition only resulted in smuggling, civil disobedience and secret tea drinking. Finally, the frustrated king of Prussia had to give in to his stubborn tea-drinking subjects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shortage was again experienced during the two World Wars in the 20th century. The Ostfriesian people would receive monthly ration stamps for tea, addressed specifically to the \u201ctea-drinking-districts\u201d. Shortly after World-War-II, people would trade their rations stamps for bacon, butter or eggs for more tea-stamps, driving hundreds of kilometres to other regions in Germany to get them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you enter a home in Ostfriesland, you are first greeted with some Ostriesen tea. It is served in delicate, beautifully painted, tiny porcelain cups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the chattering around the table has already started, you are served your first cup of tea. The tea is served in a very special manner: first, you put in a piece of \u201ckluntje kandis\u201d, which are irregularly formed chunks of sugar. Listen to the distinctive crackling sound as the tea is poured into your cup! And at last, a cloud of cream is gently poured into the cup by using a special \u201ccream spoon\u201d. Now take a moment just to look at the pleasant sight of your steaming cup, with the whirling cloud of cream dancing through the tea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n3rd Cup<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Sailing for the finest tea<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Experiencing tradition<\/h4>\n\n\n\n