DARJEELING TEA AND ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA

Very warm welcome to this life enriching blog,

 

The Darjeeling tea, seen as photo below, is my wife's gift. Its original pack of three, Twinning pack with Classics English Breakfast Tea and Origins Darjeeling Tea, is very suitable to be used as a lovely gift. She received it from her friend who must had came out with such a gift after deep thought, I believed. It was displayed in one of the cabinets and only caught my attention recently, after looking for something to write for my tea blog. 

This tea reminded me of my online tea group of friends and I decided to blog it out to kick start of Darjeeling tea and English tea. I believe some of them will take this opportunity to share this tea or experience before I give them a try.

I urge all parties to make use of this platform to have a meaningful dialog. Perhaps we can also have deeper knowledge of Eastern and Western Tea, their differences in term of taste, aroma, their respective preparation and etc..in respect of these two teas.

I was made to understand that this tea is also known as Black tea among tea connoisseurs and it is increasingly gaining popularity. Raised and cultivated in the healthiest environment of the Himalayas, the young leaves are thought to have excellent health benefits from its rich source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. I will share with you its taste once I have tried out. For those who have tasted this tea, please share with us some of your experience. We definitely love to hear from you.

From my understanding this tea is naturally processed. The fresh leaves are carefully handpicked and immediately left to dry; this gives its taste much like of freshly picked leaves. It contains only a small amount of caffeine making it suitable for people with high blood pressure and heart ailments.

The tea is cultivated in the cold mountains of India; they are basically handpicked, air dried, steamed and rolled tightly almost immediately. Once these leaves are completely air dried, it will then be steamed or fired at around 80 degree Celcuis for 2-3 minutes. The leaves can be steeped 3 times, but each steeping thereafter needs a longer period of time. Be mindful not to let the concoction to boil or overheat because it will cause the taste to turn bitter.

Hope you find this article useful and please do not hesitate to put forward your view in this regard. Thanks and have a fulfilling weekend.

 

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

TEA BLEND WELL WITH COMIC

Hi, folks,

Hope you guys were not get shock when I blogged on a political cartoonist, Mr. Zunar. You may click at the title of this article to make access to it. I never intend to offend anyone, but if there is any offence taken, I apologise for it.


Today, I like to share with you my purpose of doing so. First, I believe it blends well with tea. It can be used as our conversation topic, just like what is commonly happening in Malaysia's tea and coffee outlets. It is also another way of enhancing lives especially for those who have that passion.


Secondly, it adds humour to our conversation as this artist is great and is able to turn the current issues into a laughing stock and crafting a fortune for him, while defending the country he loves. He is not only brave, but also dare to voice out for the public interest. This is a very healthy attitude and need to be encouraged.


At times, it is a noble act and we need to give him due respect to express his views freely as provided in the constitution in this country, especially those matters that are of great interest to the public.




Another interesting point to note in regard to enjoying this comic while we savor our team is that this book is handy and we can just flick through it. It is so rich in content and you can be assured to grasp its key message without much thinking. I have read through more than one time and find it so lively and entertaining. At least, I can laugh it out, from the portion of taxes I have to bear, if it is really true.


And last but not least I urge the government to reconsider their decision and lift the ban on this comic. To me, it may not be deem as a threat to the nation. In fact, the government should encourage this free flow of expression so as to act a check and balance to the executive arm in any democratic country, so to speak. I strongly believe we are not going to go Myanmar's way of administration of their affairs, which we also joined other nations to condemn their acts.






James Oh






Skype me at james.oh18

GREEN TEA; JAPANESE

Hello! Folks,


Recently I have just tried out the Japanese Green Tea, in Tea bag form, from the hotel I stayed during my boot-camp. I took 2 of the Tea bags for One-Cup; Net weight of 0.2g; New family teabag as shown in the photo below.

I found the OSK Japanese Green Tea which is slightly less than RM15.00 for 50 bags is fairly good in taste and value for the money spent. I was made to understand that you could get it from the major market chains such as Jusco, Carrefour and Cold Storage.


I then recalled my very first experience of the Japanese Green tea, given as a gift from a the late local Professor Yap Han Heng after his return from Japan. I had worked for him under several renowned institutions such as WHO and Sumitomo Chemical Ltd., though less than a year. I felt indebted to him as he is the person, apart from my sister who encouraged me to pursue my study in Form Six. We kept in touch for a number of years after I graduated with my first professional degree locally in 1987, until he passed away last few years ago. It turned out to be a horribly bitter experience for me at that time. I instantly vomited out immediately after my very first sip. I thereafter poured away the remaining tea, which was nearly almost a full glass of green tea. Such a waste, yet it gave me an unforgettable experience.


Below please find a copy of the testimony he had given to me after I met him at the University during my studying when he was there to give a talk on his area of expertise.

However, this powder teabag form of Japanese green tea today gives me a very pleasant taste and I truly enjoyed it. The smell is just like a sort of 'greenish-fishy'. Tell us more how you find its aroma and taste? What is the best quality of Japanese Green Tea that you had tasted? I must admit I know very little about it? Can someone tell me the difference between Chinese, Korean and Japanese green tea.Thanks and look forward to hearing from you soon,




To read other green tea, please click the link below:-


http://teaartblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/low-fat-green-tea-latte.html



http://teaartblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/green-papaya-cubes-with-green-tea.html





James Oh

CARTOONIST, MALAYSIA'S BEST POLITICAL(ZUNAR)

Very happy day to you,


Last night, I read the comic, 'EVEN MY PEN HAS A STAND' - a collection by Zunar, which I rarely did so. I found this comic very much different and it gave me lots of kick and I truly enjoy reading every page of it. In short, it really gives me lots of excitement and enjoyment. Every piece is so cleverly crafted to convey its heavy message, with his own view as a cartoonist and not as an illustrator. The cartoon is so lively and sensible - really can shake a Mighty one, without asserting any physical force. This is a real master piece and I read it over and over again. It is worth more than RM 25, I spent for the book with his personal autography. See the photo below:-

I can sense that he has a great passion for his work and decided to check his background. After reading through his profile, I realised that he is a man who truly knows what he wants, and brave enough to pay for whatsoever costs to achieve his mission. A man with great leadership quality that I really salute, Mr Zunar, you made us very proud of you. Thereafter, I realise that the philosophy he strongly uphold that made him outshine from the rest, so outstanding. I found him so fascinating that "his cartoons are not drawn by brush, but by brain". I said so because he has done his research well and able to portray the true message which is consistent to his conscious mind and soul. He is a man of principle that earns his readers' hearts.


Every piece is from his heart, so lively and touching every heart of his readers. He truly deserves the praise that is the driving force for me to write this post, to show my appreciation to his significant contribution to this art. While writing this article, my heart is gaining momentum and had convinced me to promote this healthy art to enrich our lives, the same I have done for my tea art blog at http://teaartblogspot.com.


Another interesting point about him is that his clear responsible conscience and his desire to be a patriot to his country makes him - A Real National Hero in my eyes, much more than a cartoonist. He may look as one-sided criticising the existing ruling party, but one thing I do agree with him is that in a country that is facing a moral crisis like Malaysia, criticising is not an agenda but a responsibility in line with the saying " The higher level of patriotism is to tell the truth in front of an unjust ruler."


In May 2011, the Cartoonist Rights Network International, announced him as the recipient for the award of 'Courage in Editiorial Cartooning' for the year. Big congratulation and well done. Zunar, we are proud of you for being a true Fighter.


Here, we at this blog also like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the American cartoonists who organised a charity dinner "The 23rd Cartoons and Cocktails" on October 2010 at the National Press Club in Washington for my fellow Malaysian who was lock-up under the Sedition Act 1948. Special thanks to Mr. Mark Fiore, the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial cartoons, who promoted Zunar's cartoon books in the event.


As such, we urge more people to step forward to extend your support to promote and cultivate this art. Let this art to be created freely and without much interference from the ruling party of any government. We should not be afraid and bow to any force should we stand right with our conscience. We can't conceal any wrong especially in the today's technological world.


Therefore, we at this blog, urge all artists to forge a united force to create a higher level of success for this industry. Let us be honest to ourselves, who will care if we don't. Let this industry prospers and let us not bow to any unhealthy pressures.




To our greater success,




James Oh