of the Lazy Literatus

High-Fives to O5 and a World Tea Expo Update

Late last week, I received a package in the mail. A tea delivery – my favorite kind.

o5 Tea

This was the last of my frivolous tea purchases for a while. The reason? I was in hunker-down mode for financial reasons. Before that declaration, I had made one last buy of some rare and unique offerings from a tea bar in Vancouver, B.C. called O5 Tea. There was no way I was missing out on a wine-casked Nepalese black from an estate I’d never heard of.

When this (and a few others) finally arrived, it was my intent to wait until a special occasion to cup it. Either that, or as a reward for a job well done on…something. Well, I didn’t hold out that long. A mere week after, I tore into it. And, boy, was I glad I did.

Justifying the cupping reward as payment for a hard work week endured, I brewed a pint of this sucker. It was nice to see other tea vendors answering my indirect call for more alcohol barrel-aged teas. So far, only Smith Teamaker had done it to any degree. Others had merely added alcohol flavoring. That was no fun. The joy was in the scenting of teas.

This wine-casked Ghorka estate autumn flush wasn’t as strong on the winy note as I was expecting, but part of that could’ve been due to the tea base used. A lot of Himalayan teas are naturally muscatel-ish to the palate. So, any wine-grapiness might be dulled by the flavor the leaves already impart. That said, I did pick up a bit of Cabernet Franc on the aftertaste. A second steep confirmed my suspicions.

ghorka

While I was in the middle of my second pint, I decided to give my Dad a call. I hadn’t spoken to him for well over two months. Neglectful in my sonly duties, I decided to rectify that. Amidst the conversation, I casually mentioned I had won an iPad from my work.

He said, “Y’know, you should give that to your dear ol’ Dad.”

“Fat chance,” I replied.

“Okay, I’ll buy it off of you.”

That triggered something.

I hadn’t even opened the iPad since I got it over a week ago. Truth be told, I wasn’t even sure I wanted it. The only use I had for it would’ve been as a word processor, but that would’ve required the additional purchase of a keyboard and stand.

Coupled with that was the fact that I was trying to save money for a trip to Vegas in June for World Tea Expo. I had no idea how I was going to pull that off, given the fact that I lived from paycheck to paycheck. My Dad’s offer changed all that. There was my ticket to Vegas.

So…

The wine-casked tea wasn’t the reward for a job well done, but it was the prologue to something wonderful. The Tea Fates are smiling on me. And I’m returning the gesture with cup (and eyebrow) raised.

Noel

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17 Comments

  1. And of course, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas and on Youtube.”

  2. Whatever gives us the most partnership revenue.

  3. Wow, I’m so glad you have found your way to Las Vegas! Can’t wait to meet you and the rest of the gang, As for the tea, you have me quite intrigued and off to research this company. 🙂

  4. Yay! Wait, why am I getting excited when I’m not even going to be there? Oh well, knowing our good tea pals are all hanging out together makes me happy.
    PS: How much did you charge dear ol’ dad? Not more than he’d have paid at CheapMart, right? 😛

    • $400 even. About the going rate for a new one.

      Then…my brother made me feel guilty about it. So, I opted to just give it to him.

      Then my Dad said, “How about I just ‘give’ you $400 for your WTE trip, and you ‘give’ me the iPad. Fair?”

      So, the result’s the same.

  5. I think what your dad did is pretty cool. Because in some way I’d feel guilty for charging dad but then again dad knows that the money would much come in handy. This way, you didn’t sell him the iPad, he gave you a free ticket because he’s kind and you give him an iPad because you’re kind. It’s a win/win.

    • My Dad is awesome, and he knows the situation. Hence the reason he didn’t accept my guilt-ridden back-out. If my situation were different, I would’ve insisted…but it’s not.

  6. Why am I tearing up? I am so happy you found a way to get there. The tea, well I too will be doing some research as it sounds delightful.

  7. I loved your story and the fact that you brew by the
    pint . I am going to order some of that tea to sample for our shop in Brooklyn.

  8. Las Vegas here you come.

    Do you think you will find more wine-casked teas there?

  9. Trading an ipad of a Vegas teatime ticket? You certainly go the better end of the deal.

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