Girls' Gung Fu Tea Time at Hidden Peak Teahouse

With each of us having two boys each - three each, if you count our husbands - Jenn, Pia, and I don't get away often enough with just the girls. But yesterday, Pia took us - Jenn for a belated birthday, me for an early birthday - to a tea tasting at Hidden Peak Teahouse in Santa Cruz.

Tucked into an alley off the main street, it was almost walking into another world, a relaxing, foreign land of all things tea. One of the things I loved about it: it's a digital-free zone. That means no phones, no ipads, no laptops Nothing. I was hesitant to pull out my camera, but Jenn encouraged me to ask if it was allowed. It was. Phew.

We perused the extensive tea offerings and opted for two different teas, served Gung Fu style. At a very basic level, this is a tea ritual that involves just a few variables:

1. quality of tea (extremely high here!)

2. amount of tea (just a tablespoon or two)

3. water temperature (he had it in an electric kettle - I want one!)

4. brewing times (the pu-erh tea was about 60 seconds, the twigs were longer)

5. teapot quality (again, I want one of these adorable pots)

As I make my way through the teas that I bought, I'll post some tasting notes. And I'll definitely be back up there soon with my trio. I know they would love the experience.

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