Tea While Camping

Last weekend, I traded in my internet tea life for hanging about with cherished pork buddies around camp fires and the beach.  I was amongst coffee drinkers so I wanted to share something that would be toasty, malty, tolerant to overbrewing and generally enjoyable- a Wuliang dianhong fit the bill nicely.  

I boiled water in a copper pot on a tabletop range, brewed loose tea in a stainless steel creamer and then strained it with a mesh.  You could see I was going for unbreakable more than anything else. While my setup was functional enough, I could see more than one of you brewing gongfu style with a gaiwan even while camping.    

Since the beach required a fair hike, my fantasy of pu-erh at the beach had to be limited to a bagged Taetea shu that Wilson sent.   Even though my friend in the background is wearing shorts, it was freezing enough to wear both my duck down vest and a duck down overcoat.  So my uninsulated cup of hot water was just tepid by the time I brewed and the resulting tea was weak and  I randomly thought it was shu but Wilson tells me this is 6 year old raw! 

Now I'm even more sad I  squandered this precious bag.  I would be more than grateful if airlines started carrying it as one the their standard tea options.  I'm nigh regretful I didn't save this teabag for a conference I'm going to at the end of the month. ( I'm actually planning to go grandpa style with oolong since those conference tea amenities are never good for rinsing. I may alternatively whip out a flask of whiskey just to crack up my colleagues. )

Now that I've had a taste of loose tea in the great out doors, I want to make more of an effort to take tea outside either grandpa style or pre-brewed shu in a thermos.   My taste buds are not as sensitive outside most likely due to the sensory distractions but at the same time I appreciated these teas much more.   I've hatched all sorts of new plans. Pu while prancing in the woods? Pu while mushroom hunting? Pu during viewing of the Hobbit? You can see I did not take a break from tea this weekend but rather tea breaks.