Having Fun (Fun, Fun), With the Sun Wukong; 'Ku Ding Serpent's Tongue' Herbal Infusion

Hello to all and hello to summer (alas that this muggy, monsoon weather is British summer). It's been a while; in part because my phone bust (as I mentioned in a previous post) so I have been unable to photograph my teascapades and, let's face it, what is a blog without pictures? The other part s that I have been enjoying the (however sporadic) wonderful weather.

Even though I've not been bringing my tea adventures to the internet, that doesn't mean that I have not been indulging. No, in truth I have decided to start summer by expanding my already far too extensive (she says with no hint of regret) tea collection; I took a trip up to Imperial Teas, braving the dreaded Steep Hill, which, as those of you who have quested it know, is no misnomer. Sometimes I feel that I need mountaineering equiptment to reach the top and this recent trip was made more excruciating by a recent two hour trip to the gym which had left my legs aching. Still, I knew I would be rewarded with tea.

I went with the intention of buying a particular tea that I had seen on their website, as well as a few things for my dad for the upcoming Father's Day. The tea that I had seen was one called Serpent's Tongue, which I found out after purchasing, is actually not 'tea' in the truest sense (that is, it is not Camellia sinensis). While I was there, as always, I may, or may not (I most certainly did) have treated myself to more than I went in for. Oops. I ended up leaving with 750g of tea, which consisted of seven different types/flavours. Exciting times ahead!

After popping in to one of the local cafes for a delectable afternoon tea, we toddled on home with me spending the entire journey home deciding which tea to try first. Eventually, with help from my boyfriend, it was decided to try the Serpent's Tongue first, as it is the one I gone with the intetion of buying. As I said before, it's not technically a tea; it's what is called 'Ku Ding'. Ku Ding is a 'bitter tea infusion' that is usually made from either Ligustrum robustum or Ilex kaushue/kudingcha. This particular Ku Ding is made from the latter; it's related to both the holly bush and the same herb that makes Yerba mate. This particular Ilex kaushue was grown on the Chinese island of Hainan.

Unlike normal tea, the leaves for Ku Ding are rolled into thin pipes and have the appearance of, well, a non-forked serpent's tongue. It's this unconventional shape that gives the infusion it's name. I decided to brew it in my plain glass teapot so that I could what happened as the leaces brewed. For a single cup you need two to three 'tongues' or rolled leaves, so 100g of this particular tea could last a while.

Oh, something I forgot to mention; the other day my latest piece of tea paraphanalia arrived from China. It was a long awaited tea pet! What is a tea pet, you ask? A tea pet is small animal figurine made from the leftover clay used in making Yixing (a type of clay) teapots in China, which are left unglazed. Tea pets are raised by letting them 'drink' tea, by pouring it over them. As they're unglazed, they absorb the tea, eventually taking on the colour and aroma of the tea, giving them a glossier and darker appearance. They're usually used in the Chinese gong fu tea ceremony, which involves several steepings (so the first steeping, which is not meant to be drunk as it is used to 'wake up' the leaves, can be poured over the pet; alternatively, left over tea (whatever that is) can be used) and a bamboo, slatted tea tray, so a mess isn't made when you feed the tea pet. I, unfortunately, do not (yet) have a gong fu tea set, so I had to improvise. I know it's likely more tea ettiquette to pull something out of a particular cultural ceremony and use it my own way, but ever since first found out what a tea pet was, the idea of having a friend to share all of my tea adventures with appealed. I liked the idea of having something that I ould infuse with teas from important events in my life, such as going on holiday or my morning tea on graduation day And, of course, my expensive and fancy teas.

The tea pet I bought was a little bigger than I expected, but even cuter in real life than in the images. I spent ages choosing a tea pet as there are so ma ny different designs; buddhas, pigs, dragons and so on. I knew the animal I wanted, but they seemed a little elusive. Eventually I found exactly what I was looking for; a monkey! Why a monkey? My Chinese Zodiac is the monkey; when I was younger I used to think it was a rather dull animal to have, but when I became a little older I realised how important they are to Chinese mythology. You have my dad introducing me to Monkey Magic to thank for that. Ever since, I've loved the symbolism of the Zodiac Monkey; I've worn the word 'monkey' in Chinese characters around my neck near enough every day since I turned fifteen. In homage to my favourite monkey, my new tea pet has been named Sun Wukong, after, well, Monkey. It means 'Monkey King' (I did consider Qui Tian Dasheng, or 'Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, which is one of Sun Wukong's titled, but it was decided against, as 'Sun' makes a much better shorted name. 'Sun' means monkey, for the record.) This little monkey cost me a little over £5 (including shipping) from the bay of e (although, oddly, I could only find it on the American site).

This was the first tea I had brewed since my little tea pet arrived and I figured Sun was probably a might thirsty after the long travels from China. As such, Sun was involved in the preparation of the Serpent's Tongue. It felt a little wrong, my tea pet's first drink not actually being tea, but it was Chinese, so there was some reasoning.

Serpent's Tongue has a distinctly smokey smell when in the packet, not too disimillar from a Lapsang souchong. It's not the smokiest tea I have ever smelt, but it was definitely present. I placed three pieces of Serpent's Tongue in my teapot and poured over the hot water, which instantly became a mellow green (far more rapid than most teas). Little bubbles started trailing out of the twisted leaves, so much you could almost mistake the liquor for being carbonated. The brewing time suggested 3-5 minutes at a temperature of 100C. I set my timer for three minutes, which is my standard when given a time range that includes it (most black teas need steeping for around 3 minutes for my preference). I sat with it on the coffee table and watched as one of the leaves refused to sit still (would you if you were being boiled alive?), it floated, it sank, it reared up, it unfurled and with no sublety. It was a joy to watch. Once the timer chimed, it was time to pour three cups of tea; one for me, one for my boyfriend and one in which Sun sat, awaiting a little teacuzzi (no bamboo tray, remember? I said I had to improvise).

Sun delighted in getting the first sip of the Ku Ding. The liquor itself was surprisingly pale, although distinctly chartreuse. Much like the dry leaves, the infusion still had a smokey scent. Surprisingly, upon first sip, there was little to no smokey flavour, although the flavours present were bold. This is not a subtle Darjeeling; Ku Ding hits with full force, right at the back of the palate. I even felt that it had a slight aneathatising effect, like eating a particularly insubstantial clove. It's flavour is not unlike a strong green tea, although less astringent that one oversteeped. It is bitter, but there are notes of liquorice. For all it's strength it does not feel over powering and is, despite it's heavy flavours, extremely pleasant. That said, there was a little liquor left in the teapot that we decided to pour after finishing our cups (so it had been steeped for well over fifteen minutes); neither myself nor my boyfriend could finish this for it's potency. This is certainly a tea that needs to be brewed correctly (fortunately, Sun only drank the well brewed Ku Ding).

Serpent's Tongue had an unanticipated flavour, one that, in description, sounded not at all to my liking, but in reality was favoured. I do not feel that this is a drink I will partake in every day, but perhaps after a long day or the occasional early evening with a book. I do not particularly feel that, outside of tastings, this is a tea for sharing; more for a quite time to energise or replenish. In Chinese medicine it is said to 'clear the head and eyes', being used for the 'common cold', to 'alleviate fidgets, thirst and coughing'. As I said, it's one for after a tiring day at work. Due to it's unusual shape and it's suprisingly potent kick, this is one tea I am very glad to have added to my collection and would recommend to any fan of green tea.