Learn the Erotic Arts of Sexual Pleasure

A Weekend of Sacred Sexuality Workshops

with Amara Charles and Shyena Venice

at the Erotic Heritage Museum

Las Vegas, Nevada

Feminine Spring
Sexual Restoration for Her
Saturday, August 28
12pm-6pm

Touch For Two
Couple’s Night of Guided Sensuous Touch
Saturday, August 28
8-11:30pm

Sex & Intimacy Retreat
The Secrets to Sexual Pleasure and Lasting Intimacy for Couples
Sunday August 29th
12pm-6pm

Feminine Spring for women is $129 per person.
Touch for Two Couple’s Evening is $149 per couple.
Sex and Intimacy Retreat is $149 per couple .

Workshop Descriptions

Feminine Spring
Sexual Restoration for Her

Are you one of the many women who would like to feel juicer, happier and more sexually
fulfilled? Are there times you feel too exhausted to bother with sex? Find out why women lose
their luster and learn how to get it back.

Discover the ancient secrets of Chinese courtesans to naturally restore your sexual vitality.
Strengthen your sexual core and discover the ways of eternal spring, whereby a woman can
nourish her beauty, rejuvenate her body and refresh her spirit.

The Feminine Spring program for Sexual Restoration includes:
• Simple exercises to maintain breast health
• Easy, natural ways to increase sexual secretions
• Ancient sexual secrets to attract a partner and enchant your lover
• Feminine teachings to lift your mood, tone your body and calm your mind

Cost: $129
Saturday, 12pm-6pm

Touch for Two
An erotic evening of guided sensuous touch

Capture your lover’s heart and body with an elegant evening of erotic touch.
You will be seduced by the live exotic music of Shyena Venice and inspired by the
alluring voice of Amara Charles. We will take you on a guided erotic experience
of couples massage through the touch of water, wind, earth and fire.
Sensuously undressing your lover, you will be initiated into a shamanic journey
of bliss and delight. Please attend with a partner.

For Her
Experience the kind of touch you love without having to say a word.  Feel your
body awakening with slow, luxurious and connected touch building into a
crescendo of passion, pleasure and play.

For Him
Be guided and inspired to tease, arouse and delight your. Learn to open her
heart and awaken her body for deeply fulfilling pleasure. Become a better lover
and give her touch she wants without having to think.

All sexual preferences welcome.

Cost: $129 Per Couple
Saturday, 8pm -11pm

Special Discount: Attend both Feminine Spring and Touch for Two for only $200.

Sex and Intimacy
Couple’s Retreat

Enchant your lover with an elegant evening of intimate sensual practices to delight
your body, mind and spirit.  You will discover the secrets of your erotic type and put
them to use in a provocative, alluring, yet totally safe way. This is an evening of
intrigue; mystery and dual cultivation that will remind you that beauty is a living state
of love.

For Her
Experience the kind of intimacy you desire by surrendering into your feminine energy.
Feel your spirit awakening through luxurious connection building into a crescendo of
pleasure, play and passion.

For Him
Be guided and inspired to fill your body, mind and spirit with confidence and sexual
poise. Learn ancient Courtesan secrets to give your partner the security and trust she
needs to open her heart and body to the delights of pleasure. Learn practical and
effective ways to become a better lover.

All sexual preferences welcome. For this Shamanic Taoist sensual retreat, we ask you
attend with a partner.

Sunday, 12pm -6pm.

Your Facilitators

AMARA CHARLES has been teaching spiritual sexuality workshops
Internationally for over twenty years. Author of Sexual Agreements, Touch
for Two and Aching to Open, Amara specializes in Taoist and Shamanic
Sexual Arts. Her new book, Sexual Practices of Quodoushka will be
available worldwide next year.

SHYENA VENICE is an intuitive spiritual counselor. Master Bodyworker
and gifted musician, her teachings are based on 20 years of practice in
ancient Taoist and Shamanic traditions of spiritual sexuality.She is also the
CEO of Sylk, the Natural Premium Lubricant for women.

To Register: email  Shyena Venice at

Shyena1@gmail.com

New Touch for Two in Phoenix

Touch for Two Live in Phoenix

Learning the Birds and the Bees

Here is a happy bunch of guinea pigs. We spent the weekend in a pilot course called the “Quodoshka Intensive” guided by two wise and wonderful women: Mukee Okan and Amara Charles. With well over 20 years experience in the “sweet medicine path” these women were called to offer an exceptional two day training which combined some of their favorite teachings from the Q1.

Some benifits from attending this expiriment include:
A multidimensional understanding of our orgasmic potential
A deep appreciation of the variety of human body types
A direct experience of sexuality as a natural human gift.

Human sex is very different from that of birds and bees…among other distinctions, it can include language, romance, and all kinds of social programming. It also has the potential to catalyze, passion, love, health, magic and a deeper connection to God. This weekend was dedicated to celebrating and integrating our animal body with our divine nature.

Help us vision a world where every teenager gets this kind of training as a rite of passage when they move through puberty. Imagine the safety and sweetness of a world where we are empowered to our potential as lovers.  Aho!

Posted on Kamala Devi’s blog, Unlimited Bliss
For a calendar of tantra events in San Diego go to: http://www.partnerplayshop.com/event_calendar.html

What’s The Difference Between Tantra & Quodoushka?

I’m interested in re-posting this article in my next mailer…but I would like more clarity? What is the difference? You talk about how they are similar but what is the diff? please clarify, people have been asking me this. Thanks!

What’s The Difference Between Tantra & Quodoushka?

In one sense they’re kindred paths because both support you to
have more passion, playfulness and joy in in your sex life. In
fact, the spiritual teachings of Quodoushka take you deeply
into your erotic nature where you will discover what holds you
back from feeling fully alive. If you would like to bring out
your brightness & have a happier sex life, then check out what
Quodoushka is all about. As one woman said, “nothing is the
same!”

Here’s what other recent participants have to say about what
makes the ‘Q’  so unique:

“I’ve been a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst for 10 years and
believe it or not, I added a whole new dimension to my sense of
self and my sexual needs. While I have been ‘on the couch’ all
these years and have attended numerous retreats to heal,
analyze and explore, the Q took me to a whole new level of
awareness. I had truly disconnected from my sensual, genital
(yoni) self and have now found the tools to identify, clarify
and integrate my sexuality.  Everyone I know should have the
benefit of this powerful awakening experience.”
Pernima, Scottsdale, Arizona

“If you want to learn about your sexual personality and your
body image that exist nowhere else but in Quodoushka, then take
this course. If you want to learn how the interconnections
between earth, air, water and fire can change your world, then
take this course. If you really want to learn how to play and
celebrate life more, then take this course. It’s the best
workshop I’ve taken since Margot Anand in 2007.”
Wes, Los Angeles, CA.

Quodoushka 1 Intensive Workshop for Singles & Couples
San Diego
Thursday-Sunday
July 8-11, 2010

Contact:  amaracharles123@gmail.com  or  602 820 4661

Quodoushka  Free Preview Evenings:
San Diego, CA.
Tuesday, June 1st Contact: Bonnie bonniez2010@gmail.com (858) 353-4175
Los Angeles, CA.
Thursday, June 3rd Contact: Russ Bryant editor@mainstreamerotica.com (310) 491-8997

San Diego 2010
CHULUAQUI QUODOUSHKA
A Shamanic Approach to
Spiritual Sexuality
A transformative series of shamanic teachings, guided exercises
and ceremonial experiences.

Imagine that sex is natural, sacred and beautiful.

Quodoushka 1: July 8 - 11 for singles & couples
Thursday evening – Sunday evening

inquire for how you can register now: amaracharles123@gmail.com

Can You Be Incredibly Happy & Single?

by Amara

What’s the first image you see when you think of Elena Kagan, the youngest woman ever nominated to the supreme court of the United States? Is it of a sexy, available, incredibly successful woman about to land one of the highest positions in the world?

I doubt it. Whether fair or not, Elena’s body, haircut and demeanor declare another message. She’s, dare I say it? Unmarried.

It’s fascinating. Her colleagues agree she is arguably the most intelligent woman they have ever met; yet it’s the whispers that tell us what really intrigues us about Elena. Is she secretly gay or just unable to snag a guy? You could say she’s slightly plump and relatively bland looking. At 50, has she crossed over that invisible female line of being single (desirable and still in the hunt) to being unwanted, or worse, unable to marry?

 Her image, especially the part about being too smart to get married is enough to churn the stomach of any unwed, remarkably intelligent woman. While the single and smart cloud that wafts around her probably wont prevent her from landing the job, it’s amazing to see how it is her relationship towards men that defines her beyond every other brilliant thing she’s ever done.

It’s like the dowdy versus the girly daughter. Sara Palin versus Elena Kagan. Which does Daddy like best? One he adores, the other he respects. The bubbly girl is seen as happy (at least while she is young), while the other as perpetually wanting.

What woman has not had to defer to the buoyancy of other women while doubting her own intelligence? How often do women settle for ‘respect’ whenever we do not feel attractive enough?

Is this just another shade of the old feminist gripe against those enamored by sex appeal over brain appeal?

I think it’s deeper than that. Perhaps with Elena we are witnessing the emergence of another type of femininity to the forefront of our newspapers and minds. Personally, I resonate with Miss Kagan because she stretches and even flaunts the established notions of feminine beauty.  She’s different than the more untouchable figures of Janet Reno or Janet Napolitano, whose build (and hair styles) could be compared. There’s something spicy and unpredictable about Elena. There’s also something mysterious and cautious about her. To me she seems like the cat, who at first glance looks like the runt of the litter. But as soon as you hold her, you know there’s only one kitty in the world for you.

God knows what Elena really feels about all this. If she gets accepted into the club of nine her dating prospects don’t exactly get better. My hope for her is that as she enters those chambers of justice, she finds a way to anoint her bedchamber too.

Perhaps she will chip away for us the stigma of singledom and become a noble icon for the unwed. Instead of being, as one of my favorite authors, Maureen Dowd, put’s it, “that dreaded over-the-hill, out-of-luck, you-are-finished, no-chance” old maid with the “aroma of mothballs and perpetual aunt,” she will surprise us with another face of feminine brilliance.

I hope she puts a flashlight on our greatest fear to show us that loneliness is merely a state of mind. Can anyone be single and downright happy?

If you do not ‘have a partner” at the moment, bang the gavel and say ‘Yes.’

Although finding someone to live happily-ever-after with is undeniably lovely, it’s always temporary. In any case, whether she sits on the supreme bench or not and whatever on earth her opinions are, I nominate Elena Kagan a Queen.

©Amara Charles 2010

**********************************************************************************

Join us in San Diego for the new Spiritual Sexuality Workshop

for Singles & Couples.

Quodoushka 1 July 8-11 San Diego.

Email for details: amaracharles123@gmail.com

Quodoushka1 Workshop San Diego July 8-11

San Diego 2010
CHULUAQUI QUODOUSHKA
A Shamanic Approach to
Spiritual Sexuality
A transformative series of shamanic teachings, guided exercises
and ceremonial experiences.

Imagine that sex is natural, sacred and beautiful.

Quodoushka 1: July 8 - 11 for singles & couples
Thursday evening – Sunday evening

Experience how the gift of your sexuality is your most powerful resource for full self expression,
health, hope, happiness, harmony and humor.

The first level of Quodoushka is all about you!  Your own sexuality and how this incredible “catalyst” energy is
actually life itself.  Through the shamanic wisdom of an ancient Matriarchal Medicine Society you will learn about energy
laws that govern everything we do, starting with the beauty and power of your own sexual energy.

Through your understanding that male and female sexual energy is the source of all creation and inspiration, you will learn
how to apply the power of this in your everyday life for gains in your happiness, humor, hope, health and harmony. As you
learn how to raise your sexual energy you’ll discover the gateway to connection and spirit – and even come to understand
that your sexuality can become your natural blissful path towards enlightenment. Illuminated teachings take you on a
journey of discovery of all the levels and elemental types of orgasm. Discover how your inner elemental balance
determines how you experience them. You’ll discover what is your own “genital sense of self” and learn how that
influences your personal experience of pleasure and patterns of living.

YOUR FACILIATORS:

AMARA CHARLES Keeps the Fire has been an apprentice of the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path of
Turtle Island since 1987. She has traveled teaching Quodoushka Sexuality workshops internationally for
over twenty years. Amara is the author of Sexual Agreements, Aching to Open and Erotic Touch for
Two. From 1993-2000 she helped establish the Red Lodge Yearlong shamanic ceremonial program for
the Deer Tribe Métis Medicine Society and has led teen Rites of Passage, Wondercamp and Vision
Quest programs for many years. She is the founder of Nourishing Arts, providing courses in Shamanic
sexuality and Taoist Sexual Arts. www.nourishingarts.com

MUKEE OKAN Breezes Love: aka Your Orgasm’s Best Friend. Originally from Australia, Mukee is a
Quodoushka spiritual sexuality teacher and guide in the Twisted Hairs tradition. Her foundation is in the
essence of Tantra, since initiation in 1984. Mukee is also a surrogate partner therapist in the western
medical model since 1995. She facilitates sexuality programs internationally. She loves to share how
your life-force energy fuels your full self expression of your energy, creativity and abundance. Her
presence inspires you to open to your natural erotic intelligence and surrender to your infinite orgasmic
nature and capacity for pleasure. She is also the founder of Wisdom Women and a tantra artist.
www.spiritfireproductions.com

MICHAEL STEIN Star Mountain, NLP, C. Ht. has been a member of the Quodoushka teaching team for
13 years. He is a Sweet Medicine SunDance Path apprentice. Michael has served as a trainer for the
Men’s Health Teaching Group of the UNC Chapel Hill Medical School and has been a guest presenter
for the American Association of Sexuality Educators Counselors and Therapists. Michael is a Certified
Trainer of NLP, an Ericksonian style hypnotist and a master storyteller. For the past 25 years he has
been facilitating team-building programs for corporations and organizations. He is based in Chapel Hill,
NC.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: AMARA  602 820 4661  • amaracharles123@gmail.com
MUKEE 602.482.9691 • mukee@spiritfireproductions.com
PLAN  TO ATTEND NOW AND SAVE • nonresidential in a private home
Individual $695: paid in full by June 4. $595 • Couple $1300: June 4 .$1150 • Q1 GRADUATES SPECIAL and
SMSD Apprentices: $495 pd in full byJune 4 $395. (Visa/MC/checks to Spirit Fire) Send payment in full or a
deposit of $100 (US) per person to: Spirit Fire, PO Box 22133,  Phoenix, AZ 85028

SCHEDULE: for July 8 - 11, Q1
Thursday        5 - 7 pm registration, teachings begin at 7 pm
Friday             9 am - approx. midnight, with a 2 hour dinner break
Saturday        9 am - approx. midnight, with a 2 hour dinner break
Sunday          9 am - 5 pm

Please register me for: Quodoushka 1, July 8 - 11, Q1

o Individual $695         o Paid in full by June 4 $595

o Couple $1300          o Paid in full by June 4 $1150

o  Q1 GRADUATES SPECIAL & SMSD Apprentices: $495 paid in full by June 4  $395.

please print: Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

State . . . . . . . .  Zip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Ph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Email. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    o MC    o Visa    o Check o Money order

Card No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Expiration date. . . . . . . . . . . Print name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3 #security code . . . . . . . . . . . . Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Billing address zip code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . total $:  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Send payment in full or a deposit of $100 (US) per person to:
Spirit Fire Productions, PO Box 22133, Phoenix, AZ 85028

Make checks payable to Spirit Fire Productions.
Registration is limited and subject to confirmation.
Specific location and all the information you will need to attend will be given upon registration.

CANCELLATION POLICY:
You must notify us 10 days before the event. There is a $100 fee for office expenses.
Within 10 days, it is $250 non-refundable.
$100 nonrefundable when you notify us more than 10 days before the event. Within 10 days it is $250.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

AMARA  602.765.9551 • amaracharles123@gmail.com

2010 Quodoushka Programs:
Q 2 November 18 – 21: Phoenix, AZ. Amara 602.765.9551

Free Quodoushka Spiritual Sexuality in San Diego & LA

San Diego & LA FREE INTROS

You and your friends are invited to a

Complimentary introduction to Quodoushka, SPIRITUAL SEXUALITY

with Amara Charles

June 1 San Diego, June 3 Los Angeles

Discover your vibrant erotic nature with an evening’s
introduction to Quodoushka Spiritual Sexuality. These
ancient shamanic teachings will open your mind and awaken
your body & spirit to the natural beauty of sexual intimacy.

For Singles
Please come and join us for an empowering preview into the delicious world of spiritual sexuality.
Bring stimulating ideas to your sex life and experience a more intuitive approach to intimacy and
sex.

For Couples
Come with your partner for an evening that will awaken more passion, playfulness and pleasure in
your relationship. All sexual preferences welcome.

“Brilliant teachings! I wish I knew them 20 years ago. I recommend this workshop to anyone who
wishes to transform his or her sexuality. I’ve gone to a much deeper level of understanding sex
and myself.” Steve Wright, Australia

AMARA CHARLES has been an apprentice of the Sweet Medicine SunDance
Path of Turtle Island since 1987. She has traveled teaching Quodoushka Sexuality
workshops internationally for over twenty years. She helped establish the Red
Lodge Yearlong shamanic ceremonial and teen Rites of Passage programs for the
Deer Tribe Métis Medicine Society. Amara is the author of Sexual Agreements,
Touch for Two & Aching to Open. Her new book Liberating Sexual Pleasure will be
out next year.

Quodoushka Free Preview Evenings:
San Diego, CA.
Tuesday, June 1st Contact: Bonnie bonniez2010@gmail.com (858) 353-4175
Los Angeles, CA.
Thursday, June 3rd Contact: Russ Bryant editor@mainstreamerotica.com (310) 491-8997

Quodoushka 1 Spiritual Sexuality Workshop
July 8-11th San Diego, California amaracharles123@gmail.com

because beauty is a living state of love
www.nourishingarts.com (602) 820-4661

Upcoming

Qoudoushka Spiritual Sexuality Workshop

Register Now for San Diego Q1 July 8-11

San-Diego-Q1 Workshop July 8-11

New Events with Amara Charles

In the Works

In addition to the new book (we will let you know the title and publication date in our next newsletter, promise), we have a few new things in the works:

New Email Address! amaracharles123@gmail.com

Totally New Website! AmaraCharles. Com (we’ve been working on this for a year… going live in May.

New Alliances! I will be writing for an amazing new web magazine called Mainstream Erotica. Check them out: mainstreamerotica.com. Beautiful people. Elegant approach to sex, spirit and love. They’re doing it: erotica in the mainstream with class & integrity.

New Workshops!

• Quodoushka 1

Spiritual Sexuality Intensive for Singles & Couples

July 8^th -11^th 2010  San Diego, CA.

• Men’s Sex Forum

Amara & Shyena’s ultimate guide to Pleasure, Health & Sex

Four Series Class at the Phoenix Goddess Temple, this Spring.

• Women’s Sex Training

Sexual Arts from the Taoist and Shamanic Tradition

Weekend workshop, this Spring, at the Phoenix Goddess Temple

• The Art of Sexual Pleasure: for couples and singles.

New Zealand & Australia. August, 2010

• Yin Way Women’s Qigong

Ongoing Classes Every Monday & Wednesday 6-8pm $10.

Contact Amara Charles

Amaracharles123@gmail.com

602 820 4661

Sex in the Year of the Tiger

Last year was the Year of the OX; slow, plodding, steady progress. This year opportunities will be coming fast. You need to see them, decide and act quickly, else they will not return.

Near the eve of the Chinese New Year, after our Valentines party, a friend brought us some truly extraordinary tea from China called Tie Guan Yin. You can almost taste the marvel of this tea by reading his charming and exquisitely detailed! account of his recent hunt for good tea while he was on a business trip in China. If you have a moment, make yourself a good cupper, sit back and enjoy. If you don’t really ‘get’ what tea is about, you will after reading this …. Thank you Matthias.

Hunting Good Tea for Amara and Sheyna

This being the time before Chinese New Year, Pu’er – as a traditional Chinese New Year
gift – was all about in tea stores, department stores and supermarkets. What to choose
from a vast variety and price range? Much low quality of Pu’er is produced today in
factories. Nice to look at but not comparable to traditional hand made Pu’er from one of
the famous tea mountains. My practically non-existing Chinese made it hard to
communicate and pick up any cues as to the sales person being honest or taking
advantage of me.  I had to solicit trusted help:  Ding Hua Long my leader of the
development team. His last name Long (!) as in Oolong (”!) seemed a good omen.
Besides, his wife prides herself in serving a pretty good tea when the occasion arises. She
knows Gongfu Chadao (!”#$), traditional Chinese Tea ceremony according to Lu
Yu’s 8th century book “The Classic of Tea” (#%).  She also was the local tea merchant’s
daughter’s math teacher. Nothing is more important than connections in China.
Sunday morning I met with Mr. and Mrs. Long and set off to find the store, hidden in
back allies in a part of town I never dared to venture to. Fortune it seems has not shined
on this particular tea business. The old store felt brutal competition from new businesses
and seemed on its way to falter despite plenty of burnt incense sticks on the Altar of
Guan Yin (&’) the Iron Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. Not much tea was left.
The shelves were filled with second hand merchandize from cell phones to toys to
decorations. There was a small stash of Pu’er tuochas, clearly old, dusty and not entirly
untouched by critters that seem to enjoy a good tea as well. The origin and age was
unclear and the merchant not willing to allow a taste. It may have been a great find but
without tasting I decided the risk was too great.

Pu’er tuocha

Many stores later comparing Oolongs and not finding reliable guidance for Pu’er, the
breakthrough came at the most unexpected place. The salesperson of the drinks
department in the supermarket where I usually do my shopping saw me for the first time
with Chinese folks in tow. She seized the opportunity of a translator to talk with me. Her
curiosity about the Gweilo ((!) (Cantonese derogatory term for Westerner meaning
ghost man) that roamed her store satisfied, she asked if we wanted a cup of tea, in part - I
think - embarrassed because I called her about having used the term Gweilo. I explained
that in fact I was looking for some special Pu’er cha for a friend. It turned out she used to
be a local tea merchant, but her store, too, succumbed to the power of supermarkets.

Some of the shelves in her department presenting the general purpose and Chinese New
Year tea products where arrange to form a little hidden storage room accessible only by
moving away one of the smaller shelves. To there she disappeared and instead of coming
back with the promised cup of tea for us she reappeared now dressed in a traditional
Chinese jacket pulling behind her a traditional tea ceremony table, which she set it up
right there in the middle of the store! Time for a cup of tea or two, or three…..

Tea ceremony set up in the middle of Supermarket. Loose Pu’er and a green tea freezer in
the background.

Most pu’er she taught us is factory made crap. Good pu’er  is hand made, has a certified
origin and is aged (oxidized) for 5 years after harvest and a short fermentation period.
Then she showed the good stuff or ceremony grade tea. All of it came in bing form of the
nominal 357g size. Prices range from 100RMB to 800RMB depending on raw quality
and aging on a scale that double with each quality step. 100, 200, 400, 800…..

Pu’er Bing

Like wine, pu’er is getting better over time if appropriately stored. Biological oxidization
(fermentation) must have been reliably stopped and storage conditions must be in good
air quality, cool, at medium humidity, away from light and heat sources, so that pure
oxidization continues to ripen the tea slowly. Under ideal conditions Pu’er can be ripened
for over 100 years while continuing to improve in quality and value. Apparently some
well aged tea from the Quing dynasty is even older and worth it’s weight in gold.

First we looked at and tried this 100RMB level fresh Pu’er:

The young age is evident from the lighter brow tone still with greenish hues. The lower
quality shows in the small leaf fragments which either where used to make the cake or the
cake became too hot or dry at some time destroying the structure of the leaf.
The tea was excellent in fragrance and aroma. Slightly bitter and light in color.
In contrast the young 800RMB level looks like this:

Very uniform leaves. The mottled darker areas are signs of beginning slow aging. This
tea was deemed too valuable to break a Bing for tasting.
We looked at a few more Bings and finally decided on trying a riper one. Note the color
difference:

This time the ceremony was performed with even more reverie. “High to rinse, low to
pour.” Her hands performing a ballet. The tea served with Dragon and Phoenix in
auspicious union, before turning over the cups to enjoy the aroma from the sniffer cup
and the taste in three sips – no more and no less! - from the drinking cup.

What a difference! This tea lost all its bitterness. The fragrance was astounding. The
color was approaching red wine. Back tea as in fully fermented tea is called red in China.
Pu’er in contrast is considered a black tea, but it looks red when poured. Confused yet?

We tried Oolongs as well, but they did not compare well. After 4 ceremonies we decided
on Pu’er only. We already had narrowed it down to a few choices. Medium quality and a
bit riper was my thinking as you wouldn’t have to wait for years for the tea to
‘reach drinking age”. (Funny, how translations sometimes illustrate cultural differences:
Drinking age refers to the drink or drinker on the respective shores of the pacific.)

There were two bings left of a tea similar in ripeness to the one we tried, but up one notch
in quality. I had my eyes set on one of those. Now over another round of Oolong - an
attempt to change my mind – the negotiations began. 450RMB, unpacked was the start.
360RMB plus free choice of package was what we ultimately agreed upon while I
realized the impeccable timing and carefully measured amount of tea, that cut any further
negotiations short by my urgent need to find a bathroom. Having settled the bill with the
supermarket and with no chance left to make a sale on the Oolong, we were sent off with
a tip for another tea store and the cryptic advice to “take one in”……

The recommended tea store flourished. The shelves were lined with many choices of
green, pu’er and Oolong teas.

Whole sale tea store. Left Pu’er, right Green tea and Oolong.

The cryptic “Take on in” turned out to be Tie guan yin (#$’) a type oHunting Good Tea for Amara and Sheyna

This being the time before Chinese New Year, Pu’er - as a traditional Chinese New Year
gift - was all about in tea stores, department stores and supermarkets. What to choose
from a vast variety and price range? Much low quality of Pu’er is produced today in
factories. Nice to look at but not comparable to traditional hand made Pu’er from one of
the famous tea mountains. My practically non-existing Chinese made it hard to
communicate and pick up any cues as to the sales person being honest or taking
advantage of me.  I had to solicit trusted help:  Ding Hua Long my leader of the
development team. His last name Long (!) as in Oolong (”!) seemed a good omen.
Besides, his wife prides herself in serving a pretty good tea when the occasion arises. She
knows Gongfu Chadao (!”#$), traditional Chinese Tea ceremony according to Lu
Yu’s 8th century book “The Classic of Tea” (#%).  She also was the local tea merchant’s
daughter’s math teacher. Nothing is more important than connections in China.
Sunday morning I met with Mr. and Mrs. Long and set off to find the store, hidden in
back allies in a part of town I never dared to venture to. Fortune it seems has not shined
on this particular tea business. The old store felt brutal competition from new businesses
and seemed on its way to falter despite plenty of burnt incense sticks on the Altar of
Guan Yin (&’) the Iron Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. Not much tea was left.
The shelves were filled with second hand merchandize from cell phones to toys to
decorations. There was a small stash of Pu’er tuochas, clearly old, dusty and not entirly
untouched by critters that seem to enjoy a good tea as well. The origin and age was
unclear and the merchant not willing to allow a taste. It may have been a great find but
without tasting I decided the risk was too great.

Pu’er tuocha

Many stores later comparing Oolongs and not finding reliable guidance for Pu’er, the
breakthrough came at the most unexpected place. The salesperson of the drinks
department in the supermarket where I usually do my shopping saw me for the first time
with Chinese folks in tow. She seized the opportunity of a translator to talk with me. Her
curiosity about the Gweilo ((!) (Cantonese derogatory term for Westerner meaning
ghost man) that roamed her store satisfied, she asked if we wanted a cup of tea, in part - I
think - embarrassed because I called her about having used the term Gweilo. I explained
that in fact I was looking for some special Pu’er cha for a friend. It turned out she used to
be a local tea merchant, but her store, too, succumbed to the power of supermarkets.

Some of the shelves in her department presenting the general purpose and Chinese New
Year tea products where arrange to form a little hidden storage room accessible only by
moving away one of the smaller shelves. To there she disappeared and instead of coming
back with the promised cup of tea for us she reappeared now dressed in a traditional
Chinese jacket pulling behind her a traditional tea ceremony table, which she set it up
right there in the middle of the store! Time for a cup of tea or two, or three…..

Tea ceremony set up in the middle of Supermarket. Loose Pu’er and a green tea freezer in
the background.

Most pu’er she taught us is factory made crap. Good pu’er  is hand made, has a certified
origin and is aged (oxidized) for 5 years after harvest and a short fermentation period.
Then she showed the good stuff or ceremony grade tea. All of it came in bing form of the
nominal 357g size. Prices range from 100RMB to 800RMB depending on raw quality
and aging on a scale that double with each quality step. 100, 200, 400, 800…..

Pu’er Bing

Like wine, pu’er is getting better over time if appropriately stored. Biological oxidization
(fermentation) must have been reliably stopped and storage conditions must be in good
air quality, cool, at medium humidity, away from light and heat sources, so that pure
oxidization continues to ripen the tea slowly. Under ideal conditions Pu’er can be ripened
for over 100 years while continuing to improve in quality and value. Apparently some
well aged tea from the Quing dynasty is even older and worth it’s weight in gold.

First we looked at and tried this 100RMB level fresh Pu’er:

The young age is evident from the lighter brow tone still with greenish hues. The lower
quality shows in the small leaf fragments which either where used to make the cake or the
cake became too hot or dry at some time destroying the structure of the leaf.
The tea was excellent in fragrance and aroma. Slightly bitter and light in color.
In contrast the young 800RMB level looks like this:

Very uniform leaves. The mottled darker areas are signs of beginning slow aging. This
tea was deemed too valuable to break a Bing for tasting.
We looked at a few more Bings and finally decided on trying a riper one. Note the color
difference:

This time the ceremony was performed with even more reverie. “High to rinse, low to
pour.” Her hands performing a ballet. The tea served with Dragon and Phoenix in
auspicious union, before turning over the cups to enjoy the aroma from the sniffer cup
and the taste in three sips - no more and no less! - from the drinking cup.

What a difference! This tea lost all its bitterness. The fragrance was astounding. The
color was approaching red wine. Back tea as in fully fermented tea is called red in China.
Pu’er in contrast is considered a black tea, but it looks red when poured. Confused yet?

We tried Oolongs as well, but they did not compare well. After 4 ceremonies we decided
on Pu’er only. We already had narrowed it down to a few choices. Medium quality and a
bit riper was my thinking as you wouldn’t have to wait for years for the tea to
‘reach drinking age”. (Funny, how translations sometimes illustrate cultural differences:
Drinking age refers to the drink or drinker on the respective shores of the pacific.)

There were two bings left of a tea similar in ripeness to the one we tried, but up one notch
in quality. I had my eyes set on one of those. Now over another round of Oolong - an
attempt to change my mind - the negotiations began. 450RMB, unpacked was the start.
360RMB plus free choice of package was what we ultimately agreed upon while I
realized the impeccable timing and carefully measured amount of tea, that cut any further
negotiations short by my urgent need to find a bathroom. Having settled the bill with the
supermarket and with no chance left to make a sale on the Oolong, we were sent off with
a tip for another tea store and the cryptic advice to “take one in”……

The recommended tea store flourished. The shelves were lined with many choices of
green, pu’er and Oolong teas.

Whole sale tea store. Left Pu’er, right Green tea and Oolong.

The cryptic “Take on in” turned out to be Tie guan yin (#$’) a type of Oolong and
one of the 8 famous teas of China. The request for Tie guan yin clearly changed what the
salesperson though about me. I question about Oolong was answered with a nod in the
general direction of the green labeled cans. The words “tie guan yin” earned me an
invitation to sit down and “have some tea”. It seems the immortal Guan Yin at whose
altar I started my journey in the morning opened the door for me. (I later read up on Guan
Yin and found her to be a quite popular goddess in China among the general public, who
survived the eradication of religion during the Cultural Revolution. While Guan Yin is
known as the goddess of compassion in many Asian religions, mainly as a bodhisattva in
Eastern Buddhism, her roots seems to be Xi Wang Mu ()*+), the “Queen Mother of
the West” in Chinese Taoism. How fitting, given your interest in Taoism!)

Tie guan yin comes from a rather small geographic area: Anxi county in Fujian province
in Southeast China. It is made like all proper teas from Camellia Sinensis, but the plants
in Anxi look somewhat different and can be traced back to one common ancestor that has
been cultivated there.

The legend says a local poor tea farmer named Wei passed a temple of Guan Yin each
morning on his way to the tea fields reflecting on its worsening condition. “Something
needed to be done”, he thought, but being poor Mr. Wei didn’t have the means. So at
least he decided he could stop and clean the temple and light some incense. He had
continued this service twice a month for many months when Guan Yin appeared in his
dream and told him to look for a gift behind the temple that he was to share with all of
mankind.  The next morning after cleaning and lighting incense he looked behind a
temple and found a hereto unknown cave. In the cave was a single shoot of a tea tree. Mr.
Wei transplanted the shoot into his field and nurtured it into a large bush. As soon as
possible he gave clippings to all his neighbors. It was soon realized that the tea was of
superior quality. Mr. Wei and his neighbors started selling the tea as Guan Yin’s tea and
thus prospered by sharing the gift with all of mankind. That allowed the regional farmers
to renovate the temple, which became a famous attraction for the area. Mr. Wei would
still stop on his daily trips to the fields, never failing to appreciate the beauty of the new
temple.

As with all teas, tie guan yin comes in different quality levels determined by the time of
harvest and the care during processing of the tea. Late spring harvest (or Jade Tie Guan
Yin) has the best taste, while autumn harvest gives a more complex aroma. Most
desirable is Guan Yin Wang (The King of Tie guan Yin), a blend of the best of spring
and autumn harvests.

After settling for the tea ceremony, the tea was presented. Vacuum bagged and straight
from the freezer, then poured out into steel bowls for inspection. Vacuum and freezing, I
was told, is the best way to store green tea, and jade tie guan yin. We were offered three
types to choose from:

We first tried a summer harvest for around 150RMB (always per 500g) wholesale price.
Still a delicious and famous tea, but lower end what tie guan yin is concerned. It was a lot
better than the Oolongs I tried at the supermarket. Next we had a spring harvest for
300RMB whole sale. Spring harvest is typically fermented for only a very short time,
leaving it close to green tea in the spectrum of Oolongs. This tea was great! Finally we
finished with Guan Yin Wang for 780RMB whole sale. The salesperson claimed that this
tea sells for more than 2000HK$ in retail. This particular blend had a fairly well
fermented autumn harvest. What a difference in taste and aroma!

Guan Yin Wang. The light green leaves are ‘Jade’ spring harvest and the dark leaves are
further fermented and roasted autumn harvest.

Since I was buying whole sale, the price was not negotiable. Minimum order 500 grams
each. Too much for several samples, but I succeeded in negotiating a split order while
retaining the advantage of whole sale pricing. I also negotiated vacuum packaging in
individual bags, 10g each, the ideal amount for one ceremony. This is important as
repeated opening of the frozen tea will cause too much moisture to be absorbed in a
larger tea bag. (Thanks to Mr. Long for thinking of that!) Purple bags are Jade Tie Guan
Yin and Silver bags are the really good stuff!

I selected 250 grams of the jade variety and the reminder of the king variety, which
turned out to be only 200 grams for 300RMB/500g*250g + 780RMB/500g*200g =
462RMB. While enjoying further pours of Guan Yin Wang (it yielded a lot of pours) we
measured individual tea portions, filled the little clear plastic bags added the outer bags
and vacuum sealed the tea.
The store owner rummaged for some nice metal cans and a color matched bag, while his
wife told us the legend of tie guan yin.

Vacuum bagging in individual portions.

Matthias 1/31/2010

Next Page »