A Year Later: Dancing around the world and bringing it home

It’s been very close to a year since I started this blog. This morning before San Francisco Dance Sensation, sitting above this magnificent scenery, I look back at the year that just went by. A year, such a short time period, yet so much happened.

I quit my stable full time job to leave on a two month adventure in Asia. Two weeks of which was spent with Hugo and Sabrina from the Camellia Sinensis. They were amazing travel partners. Great sense of humor with curiosity beyond end. We were on a mission – discovering new variety of Vietnamese tea and understanding the culture of tea in Vietnam. Part of our discoveries are available in the book Thé Vert: À la rencontre d’un art millénaire.

My journey brought me to Singapore where I made amazing friends among the local Lindyhoppers and Westies. By far a very welcoming community.

Japan was a dream come true. It felt like a civilization that grew from in between the east and the west. I got a taste of Japanese Zen Meditation in the mountains of Antaiji. I danced like there was no tomorrow meeting amazing people – Yoko, Isaac, Kuma, Shigure, Yusuke, Chieri, Alice, Sophie, and Ben. I sampled tea all over Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. In the process I met a young gentlemen, Yoshi Watada, owner and tea sommelier of Chachanoma. He inspired me by his composure and dedication. I also had the honor of being received by the Sugiyama, a family of tea cultivator, owner of Shibakirien. Thank you Hugo.

A few months after the Asian escapade, it was time to indulge in la dolce vita italiana. During my very short stay in Rome before enjoying a peaceful week in Sicily, I had a blast Lindyhopping in historical sites and on the beach. Una scialla notte indeed. Thank you Mara Lou, Elena, Gaia, Andrea, and Dory for making my stay incredible.

Since my more permanent return on North American soil towards the end of 2012, I have dedicated myself to regularly attend West Coast Swing and Blues event all over the continent. Some months I would be at a dance event three weekends out of four dancing to the wee hour of the morning. I made lots of worthy encounters who proceeded to become friends. Dancing is amazing! By January 2013, I officially made it into novice with 2 WSDC points by finishing 5th with Marie-Charlotte. Thank you Marie-Charlotte and all the best in intermediate

I lived a fulfilled year doing mostly what I love: exploring tea, dancing, and traveling. I made numerous new encounters through this shared passion. Where does all this leaves me now?

*Drum roll*

It’s time to bring all this back to Montreal!

Will be opening a Tea Shop in the upcoming months AND…

For the first time EVER, bringing a couple of TOP WCS professionals to Montreal!

Moral of the story

Do what you love and do it often.
Good things will come from it.

For the realist who wonders “What about money?”
To that I answer, it is a valid concern. A concern that I’ve had this whole year while persevering in living without ever compromising on doing what I love. I cannot tell you how it worked out to be this way. A few days ago, I was afraid to look at my bank account. Afraid to find out that I was poorer now than I was a year ago or, even worse, that I would be full of debt. I can happily say that my net worth has increased since last year. Somehow, things just work out.

Thank you life
and everyone who has been part of it!

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Minh-Tam in Dance, Tea, Travel, West Coast Swing 2 Comments

Zen Meditation Retreat: Antaiji – Temple of Peace

Dear readers,

Thank you for having accompanied me so far on my journey to discover Vietnamese teas. Today, I embark on a different journey, a spiritual journey at Antaiji. During this one month period, I will be away from the Internet.

I will be looking forward to continue on sharing with you my discoveries in the infinite world of teas coupled with the exalting freedom of swing dancing.

Best regards,

Minh-Tam

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Minh-Tam in Dance, Tea, Travel 1 Comment

Tea House in Ho Chi Minh City

As I resumed my quest for a better understanding of Vietnamese tea culture, I chanced upon this tea house hidden in a small alleyway – Tra Dao Viet, 7G Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Q1, HCMC.

As I took a seat in this peaceful abode, I felt a calm surge of excitement. In Hanoi, I had given up on finding such a refuge where tea could be enjoyed and shared far from the bustling of the city streets. I was gently greeted by a quiet young woman who presented me their handwritten tea menu. She had the kindness of reading out the menu for me since I was unfamiliar with Vietnamese calligraphy. As I asked her more about the different teas, she suggested that I return when the owner would be present and offered me her phone number for an appointment. Not knowing much about the teas that she described to me, I settled for a Thai Nguyên green tea.

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Minh-Tam in Tea, Travel Leave a comment

Singapore High Teas: TWG Tea Garden @ Marina Bay Sands

The only other item on my Singapore agenda aside from dancing was to try out a few Singaporean high teas. It turns out that during my stay, time only allowed me to try out one venue. Sokmean told me before I left Montreal that, if I was a tea passionate, I had to know of TWG. I didn’t.

As we walked up to the tea salon, I could barely contain my excitement. I had read very good reviews about the salon online. The highlights were its teas and macaroons. From the elegantly displayed orchids, the imposing mahogany counter, to the golden tea containers, everything shouted “We take our tea seriously.”

My friend, Sokmean, didn’t have much experience with tea. As we sat down, I asked her the type of flavours she would like to uncover in her cup of tea. She wished for a fruity or flowery surprise. The first thing that came to mind was a fine wulong.

Before narrowing down a few teas of my own from their very extensive tea menu, I wanted to be adventurous and allow us to be guided towards new discoveries by one of their experienced associates. Read more

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Minh-Tam in Tea, Travel Leave a comment

Singapore: Discovering Teh Tarik

Standing next to me on the MRT was a young Indian-looking man. Having just arrived in Singapore less than an hour ago, I decided to find out about the Singaporean tea world from a local. It turns out that he was a foreign student and would be returning to Kingston, Ontario, the next day. He did tell me that I should definitely try Teh Tarik. He described it as the Malaysian version of Indian chaï. While pushing for a more detailed description of the difference between Teh Tarik and chaï, the only thing I got was “It just tastes perfect,” in a solemn tone. Now, this was a beverage that I HAD to try.

Singapore being a very rapidly changing city, I was lucky enough to come across a Teh Tarik establishment just minutes walk away from my hostel, Sleepy Sam’s. Sokmean, a Montrealer friend who now relocated to Singapore, later told me that it has been around for decades. It is a no name sarabat stall located at the junction of Bussorah and Baghdad street, not far from 21 Bussorah street. A glass of this heart warming beverage still goes for less than 1 SGD.

After hearing such a mouth watering description of the beverage, I walked there full of anticipation. What is this beverage made up of? What type of spices are used? Could this be the perfect chaï that I’ve been looking for? Read more

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Minh-Tam in Tea, Travel 2 Comments

Swinging/Whipping it out in Swingapore

I’ve been in northern Vietnam for a bit over two weeks now exploring the fascinating world of tea. As the last hour of my stay in Hanoi trickles away, I turned on my iPhone for the first time since my arrival in Vietnam. The airport suddenly looked very different as I traveled towards the departure gate bathing in song – Dance the Night Away from the movie Footloose.

It was with much anticipation that I looked forward to the next two evening of swing dancing in Singapore. Two evening that ended up lasting my whole stay.

Lindy Hop at Jitterbugs Swingapore – Thursday, 9 pm to 11 pm

I was told that Singapore had practically a shopping mall per MRT station, but I never imagined that I would be swing dancing in a shopping mall. The dance studio had a glass wall that opened on the food court where all the passer-by could contemplate the dancers hopping away at the jazz rhythm reminiscent of the big band era.

After a few dances, as people found out that I wasn’t from Singapore, Anthony came up to me insisting for a picture for their blog where they archive all their visitors Jazz Up Your Life Singapore! As the night progressed, I was invited to join them for a flash mob on Sunday in Sentosa for Balloonanza.

Saturday night, Boyu informed us that there was going to be live jazz at Marina Bay Sands. We showed up for some Lindy Bombing and ended up staying much later after the band had finished playing. At that point, our dancing was powered by iPods.

West Coast Swing at Jitterbugs Swingapore – Friday, 9 pm to midnight

For a young scene, approximately 2 years old I was told, they have amazing dancers. Also a very welcoming scene. I danced with this girl, Hope, who immediately introduced me to her friends when she found out that I wasn’t from Singapore. After many more dances late into the night, I ended up joining them for 2 am Dim Sum in the “Chicken” Area (aka Their Red Light District). Apparently they call it that way because “chicken” and “prostitute” in Chinese sounds familiar. One of the best Dim Sum I’ve had in a while. They got me to taste this grass jelly with soya milk drink. Surprisingly enough, since I don’t like soya milk, I liked the drink.

He Ji Bao Restaurant near Aljunied MRT Station with Eugene Wong, Sharyl Thung, and SokHui Tay (All West Coast Swing Dancers)

On Sunday, after the flash mob in Sentosa, Hope offered to show me around the Marina Bay area and make me taste Singapore trademark chicken rice at Chuen Chuen Chicken Rice, 21 Tan Quee Lan street, close to Bugis MRT. The tender, sweet, and savory steamed chicken accompanied by slightly savory chicken rice was simply delicious. A simple and filling meal for no more than 4$ CND. Click here for a picture. By the time I remembered to take one, I had already devoured the chicken.

We then proceeded to contemplate the illuminated city of Singapore from KU-DÉ-TA, a bar located at the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Tip: There is no cover charge on Sundays.

Amazing stay in Singapore thanks, in part, to an amazingly welcoming swing dance crowd!

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Minh-Tam in Dance, Lindy Hop, Travel, West Coast Swing 3 Comments

How the Vietnamese like their teas

As I set foot in Vietnam, my first urge was to savour a warm cup of tea. I figured it would be nice to enjoy tea as the locals do. I asked my uncle, an avid tea drinker, for tea stall recommendations.

Very much anticipating my first glass of tea after a long flight halfway across the world, I took my first sip… It didn’t taste like anything I expected. It was very concentrated and astringent. I couldn’t taste anything else but the astringency until my uncle brought my attention to the light sweetness of the beverage as it traveled down my throat. Interesting progression of taste. Unfortunately, the initial astringency had already thrown me off.

The local customers explained that high quality Thai Nguyên teas were recognized by its initial high astringency and its light sweetness towards the end. Also, the beverage must be of a clear green shade. This type of tea is best appreciated when drinking a very concentrated infusion made using very hot water (approx. 95 degree Celsius). This description of good Vietnamese tea has been corroborated by many tea drinkers that I’ve spoken to throughout my trip.

This method of preparation does not do justice to Vietnamese teas. The extreme heat destroys the finer aromas of the tea and liberates more tannin into the beverage, hence the astringency. This astringency added to the high concentration of the infusion overpowers any remaining subtlety of the beverage.

If 1 teaspoon of the exact same tea was to be infused at about 85 degree Celsius for 3 min, it would make for an interesting journey for your taste buds. You might even discern a hint of tomato or beef broth.

Unfortunately, Vietnamese teas are seldom exported and marketed under the “Vietnamese tea” label. It is often used by multinational tea companies in blends for its tea bags. Even in Vietnam, more often than not, Thai Nguyên teas would be blended with teas of other regions to be sold under the label of “Thai Nguyên” in the big centers such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This makes it challenging to savour high quality Vietnamese teas without directly knowing tea cultivators and artisans.

If you wish to appreciate Vietnamese tea in all its splendor, I would recommend Che Tom Soi Vang and Tan Huong from Camellia Sinensis. If you reside in Montreal, you may drop by their tea house to sample these teas as their knowledgeable associates guide your senses through this olfactive and gustative discovery. Otherwise, you may also purchase them on their online store at a very affordable price.

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Minh-Tam in Tea, Travel 2 Comments

Drinking tea on the street!

Something unique about tea culture in Vietnam is the tea stalls that we can find at practically every street corner in Hanoi. People would drop by for 10 to 30 min, just enough time to refresh themselves with a glass of tea and exchange a few words with the other customers. Late at night, it is also at these stalls that people meet to socialize.

This tea stall existed since her grandmother. People keep on returning to this stall because of the outstanding quality of her tea. She say that the secret to the success of her business, but also the most difficult aspect of her business is the ability of picking the right tea when buying it. A skill that she has yet to acquire from her mother. We think that the other secret to the success of her stall is her incredible hospitality.

As we discussed Vietnamese tea, other customers joined in. Being surrounded by many tea enthusiasts, we couldn’t help but unfold our tea tasting kit and offer the customers to sample our Japanese green tea, Chinese green tea, Darjeeling black tea, and Taiwanese wulong. It was very interesting to see the customers reaction as they tasted the different teas. They swore that the wulong and black tea had scents added to them. They made the oddest grimace as they tasted both black tea and wulong. They much preferred the two green teas although different from what they were used to. They especially appreciated the Japanese green tea because we accidentally over infused it and it ended tasting as astringent as Vietnamese tea. Only the owner of the stall was capable of appreciating the uniqueness of each tea all the while explaining to us that the black and wulong tea wouldn’t suit the Vietnamese sense of taste.

It was then that we started understanding how the Vietnamese liked their teas.

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Minh-Tam in Tea, Travel 2 Comments

Chè Sen: Lotus Tea

Back in the days of yore, it was said that fresh lotus tea was prepared by leaving dried tea leaves in a lotus flower at dusk. At dawn the next day, one would collect the tea from the flower and the drizzle from its leaves. The tea would then be infused in the drizzle on the same day to be served to esteemed guests. It demonstrated one’s devotion in greeting one’s guests.

In order to find out more about this legendary tea, we met up with Mr. Tuân, one of the more renowned Chè Sen producers. This tea is a specialty of the Ha Nôi region. Chè Sen can only be made during lotus flower season from May to August. To make 1kg of Chè Sen, it takes 1 kg of dried tea leaves and 1 kg of lotus pistils. To collect 1 kg of lotus pistils, it takes about 1,200 to 1,400 flowers. The aromatisation is made by layering the tea leaves and the lotus pistils. The pistils are then filtered out. This cycle would be repeated 7 times before having the finished product.

In the above picture, they are making jasmine tea since it is yet to be lotus flower season.

Making this tea is very labor intensive. This explains the expensive price of this tea, 520,000 VND (26$)/100g, since its taste does not justify its price.

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Minh-Tam in Tea, Travel Leave a comment

Three first foreign members to a Vietnamese Tea Cooperative

The next day, over lunch before parting ways. We had Mrs. Hiêp explain to us in further details the functioning of her cooperative. She explained that it is currently made up of 37 families. 32 out of the 37 families representatives are women. Men usually take care of trimming, watering, spreading manure, and feeding the furnaces with wood. Women would usually take care of everything from picking to transforming the tea into its finished products. The profit from the finished products would be shared evenly among all the members of the cooperative.

When we learnt that, to become a member of the cooperative, one had to be 18 years of age, to have the financial means of paying the annual membership fees of 1,000,000 VND (50$), and no criminal record, we jokingly asked if we could join. Mrs. Hiêp answered that we technically could.

Hugo, Sabrina, and I decided to join the cooperative! It took some explaining before she understood that we were being serious.

The three new members of the Tân Huong Cooperative with its management team (from left to right): Mrs. Thao, Mrs. Hiêp, Mrs. Nhai, her grand-daughter, Hugo, Minh-Tam, and Sabrina

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Minh-Tam in Tea, Travel 5 Comments

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Minh-Tam, Author at Tea Travel Dance