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5 US Presidential Facts Involving Tea

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First Lady Hoover Loved Tea

First Lady Lou Hoover

In honor of President’s Day, we went digging around in history to figure out if any of the U.S. Presidents or their wives did something fun, historically significant or just routinely drank tea. As much as America is seen as a coffee drinking country now, the White House has seen its fair share of tea parties that have helped to shape the history of the country. So here are five US Presidential Facts involving tea.

  1.  Thomas Jefferson drank a lot of tea according to his financial records. Based on the names, he drank an interesting variety from a tea named Imperial, to Chu-chong, congo and bohea teas. (Monticello, 2016)
  2. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy is known for having redefined the role of the First Lady in both the entertaining that occurred at the White House as well as spear heading other issues that were outside of the President’s focus. Mrs. Kennedy did her first entertaining at the White House using afternoon teas, within days of moving in. She started with inviting in her step father and mother and then the next day hosted George Balanchine, the choreographer of the New York City Ballet. (JFK Library, 2016)
  3. First Lady Lou Hoover faced political backlash in 1929 when she originally intended to invite Mrs. De Priest to the congressional wives tea at the White House. Mrs. De Priest was the wife of Oscar De Priest, the first African-American Congressman, elected in 1928 to represent Illinois. Eventually, Mrs. Hoover arranged a second tea for Mrs. De Priest at the White House, with a select group of guests. She was still criticized by many of the Southern Congressman for promoting equality. (White House Historical Society, 2016)
  4. Teddy Roosevelt was known for his love of American food and had little use for exotic treats, except for Hu Kwa Tea, which is another name for Lapsang Suchong. During President Roosevelt’s time, the name Hu Kwa or Howqua was attached to many goods coming from China as it was the name of a famous Chinese merchant who had died almost almost 60 years earlier that many Americans associated with fairness and honesty. Howqua was also one of the wealthiest men of his time having made his fortune during the Opium Wars. (Landau, 2007)
  5. A daily cup of tea was not just for our founding fathers, both Gerald Ford and Lyndon Johnson had a cup of tea with their typical breakfast. Where the two men differed is that President Ford had an English muffin with jam while President Johnson preferred chipped beef and cream with his cup of tea. (Haller, 1987)

Works Cited

Haller, H. (1987). The White House Family Cookbook. New York: Random House.

JFK Library. (2016, February 9). JFK Library. Retrieved from John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/Ready-Reference/JFK-Fast-Facts/Entertaining-in-the-White-House.aspx

Landau, B. (2007). The President’s Table: Two Hundred Years of Dining and Dipolmacy. New York: Harper Collins.

Monticello. (2016, February 9). Monticello. Retrieved from Monticello Website: https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/tea

White House Historical Society. (2016, February 9). The White House Historical Society. Retrieved from White House Historical Society Website: https://www.whitehousehistory.org/hoover-depriest-tea-party-creates-a-stir

 

Chinese Almond Cookies

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Almond cookies are a traditional Chinese treat with tea.

Plate of Chinese New Year inspired almond cookies.

The Chinese New Year gives us an excuse to try out more Chinese recipes that pair well with tea, including Chinese Almond Cookies. These cookies resemble American sugar cookies, only with less sugar, and make a great snack to go along with any pot of tea. Traditionally, these are a very popular Chinese sweet and are usually given as gifts to friends and family as part of holiday celebrations. The almond is considered to give good health and lucky to the recipient.

Chinese Almond Cookies (Makes 2 dozen)

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp of almond extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup of Almond meal
  • 1 cup of flour (I used an unbleached pastry flour for the cookies in the picture)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 24 whole almonds
  • Egg wash (1 egg beat with a tablespoon of water)

Steps:

  1. Almond cookie dough rolled into small balls before baking.

    Almond cookies ready to go in the oven.

    Beat in a mixer the butter and sugar.  This may require scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter.

  2. Mix in the salt, almond extract and egg.
  3. Mix in the almond meal, baking soda and flour.
  4. Scrap out the batter onto plastic wrap or wax paper and form into a ball.  Put into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare the egg wash by beating together 1 egg with a tablespoon of water (this is going to create a lot more than you need, but you can turn the leftover into a quick omelette or freeze the remaining for future use as an egg wash)
  6. When ready, pull the dough from the refrigerator and form into a long log.  Cut the log into 24 equal sized pieces and form those pieces into balls.
  7. These cookies will expand a little, so limit the number of cookies on a tray to 12.  Place the balls onto either parchment paper or a silmat on a cookie sheet and then flatten with the bottom of a cup.  Place a whole almond in the center and then brush with the egg wash.
  8. Put the cookies into the oven for 15 minutes or until a nice light brown color appears around the edge.  Pull out of the oven and put on a wire rack to cool before serving.

These sweet cookies make a great addition to an afternoon pot of tea or an after dinner cup of tea.

Vietnam Tea Culture

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Vietnamese tea culture is heavily influenced by China, but it still has its own practices that are not Chinese. Tea is present at weddings, business meetings, meals, and important celebrations. It is said that any good conversation in Vietnam is only had over a pot of tea.

Vietnam Tea History

Tea traveled into Vietnam from China over a 1,000 years ago and became a part of everyday life within the country. As a country, Vietnam has spent most of its history gaining its independence from various countries that tried to claim it for their own. From China to France, Vietnam has had a tumultuous history of being invaded and ousting its invaders that is reflected in how they view tea and its place in life. One Vietnamese tea poem states “The yellow and green of the tea and the natural scent of flowers symbolize the country, rich in culture and natural resources. Bitterness at the beginning reflects the hard-working life of the people. The sweet and cool taste that lingers evokes the Vietnamese soul, sentimental and faithful.”

The Vietnamese tea culture is centered on bringing people together. Tea is viewed as binding together families and friends through sharing of the drink and stories. Tea is also a negotiator, able to dilute anger or solve disagreements through its soothing qualities and good conversation. For Vietnam, tea is a part of everyday life and consumed through out the day, not just in the morning. Street vendors serve both hot and cold tea through out the day at bus stops and other places where people are generally waiting. It is not uncommon for strangers to sit together at these vendor’s carts and strike up a conversation over tea.

Rise of the Tea Industry

Tea picker in plantation in Vietnam.

Tea Harvesting in Vietnam by Flickr User ePi.Longo (CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Vietnamese tea has boomed in both production and quality over the past forty years. Vietnam is the 5th largest producer and exporter of tea in the world. The bulk of its tea is exported to the United States for use in ready-to-drink or tea bag tea. The Vietnam Tea Association is working with local farmers to help them create their own brands both locally and aboard. Much like India has had success with branding Assam and Darjeeling teas, Vietnam is working toward the same geographic branding and production consistency to allow Vietnamese tea to be seen as a unique and valuable product in its own right.

Vietnamese tea is unique in its flavor profile. It is not always bitter, as mentioned above, but it definitely has that lingering sweet and cool taste. Whether it is a Vietnamese green, black or Lotus blossom tea, this country is capable of producing good quality tea and much more should be expected from them in the future.

Enjoying the Moment – The Tea Ceremony

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Tea readily lends itself to rituals and practices that let us slow down. It allows us to take in not just our surroundings, but our state of mind and the characteristic of the beverage we are patiently awaiting. Not surprisingly, Chinese and Japanese developed formal rituals around tea that are worth exploring as they explain both the culture of tea of those countries and some of the historical manufacturing processes.

The simplicity of the Japanese Tea Ceremony has inspired other accessories.

Japanese Kyusu – Inspired by Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese Tea Ceremony

The Japanese tea ceremony originated with the Buddhist monks, who incorporated the preparation of powdered tea into their meditation rituals. The accessories and steps taken in the tea ceremony are focused on the comfort of the guests and the preparer. The ceremony appeared in Japan during the 15th century, being created and documented by Sen No Rikyu, a Japanese Buddhist tea master. In his book, the Way of Tea, Rikyu not only lays out the steps of Chanoyu, the Japanese Tea Ceremony, but discusses the philosophy of tea and how tea helps to reinforce the contemplative experience of life and man’s interaction with other men and material objects. Rikyu used the Way of Tea to invite all who believed in harmony, respect, purity and tranquility to become masters of tea, opening up the beverage and the tea ceremony to the masses, effectively taking it out of the temple and into the upper classes of Japanese society.

The ritualization and formalization of the tea ceremony is still seen today in the accessories associated not just with Matcha but with Japanese green teas. Kyusu’s, Japanese tea pots used to serve whole leaf green tea, are either a solid color or decorated with pictures of nature, which are always on the side of the pot that should face the guest when serving the tea. Rikyu is also given credit for having created the bamboo whisk and scoop used in the preparation of Matcha.

Chinese Tea Ceremony

Small Chinese Tea Ceremony Cups

Chinese Tea Cups for a Tea Ceremony

The Chinese also have a tea ceremony. It is lesser known than the Japanese one but it still has its own beauty. Done with whole leaves instead of powder, it is a simple presentation of a kettle, teapot and handle-less cups. The preparation is done simply with few gestures of significance and little concern to the type of pottery or other accessories. Unlike the Japanese ceremony, there is discussion with guests, usually around nature, the tea being drunk and other topics usually related to nature and man’s place in it. The leaves will be infused multiple times by the host as conversation continues.

This informal ceremony reflects the very informal view of tea in China. However, informality should not imply a lack of importance. Tea is considered one of the seven critical items for a healthy life and is consumed throughout the day, every day, by most Chinese.

Creating Your Own Tea Ceremony or Ritual

It is not hard to create your own ritual around your cup of tea. It could be something as simple as taking a few minutes to hold still and breathe while you allow your tea to steep. Alternatively, you may prefer to sit with a pot of tea and a book in your favorite chair. The Chinese and the Japanese both got it right in focusing on tea’s tie to nature and its ability to allow people to slow down and contemplate their place in it. My favorite ritual is enjoying a cup of tea at my kitchen table looking out the windows and watching the stars fade and the sky fill with early morning sunlight. What is your favorite tea ceremony?

Tea Reading List – A Few of Our Favorite Books

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We’ve been posting regularly for a couple years now and from time to time we pull quotes from some of our favorite tea books. However, it struck us recently that we haven’t pulled together a list of our favorites to share in one spot. So this post is just that, a short-list of some of our current favorite tea books. We know it will change over time but hopefully this list can be a starting point for anyone looking to increase their knowledge of tea.

A page of The Classic of Tea in Chinese. Its right up there with All the Tea in China.

One page from the original The Classic of Tea by Lu Yu

The Classic of Tea

The oldest book on our list, by far, The Classic of Tea was written by Lu Yu around 760 CE. Origininally from Hubei Province in China, Lu Yu’s book is considered the earliest book written on the subject of tea and was originally written in Chinese. Translations are around with our copy being produced in 1974 and having spent time in a public library in Illinois before being sold off and ultimately ending up in our hands. The easiest of all books on our list, The Classic of Tea has three major parts covering an introduction to tea and how its made, the equipment used to prepare tea, and a final section on brewing, drinking, and other odds and ends related to tea.

Tea Blending as a Fine Art

More of a how-to guide for the aspiring tea merchant of the 19th century, Tea Blending as a Fine Art was written in 1896 by Robert M. Walsh. As its written from the perspective of selling tea, this book covers some basics of tea before spending time on tea adulteration and what to watch out for, the importance of finding a blend that works well in the local market, and ideas for advertising in America during the 1890’s.  It also includes recipes for tea blends (no tisanes or non-tea ingredients here).

All the Tea in China

Written in 1990 by Kit Chow and Ione, All the Tea in China provides a little bit of everything though, as the name implies, much of the content of the book focuses on China. You will find a bit of history of tea in this book including its early origins, how colonial trade brought it to the west. The book even touches on tea’s role in the opium trade and tea in the US colonies. At less than 200 pages this is an easy read with a great overview of everything tea from the plant through an overview of production, and overviews of some famous Chinese teas.