Mike Holtby is an inveterate traveler who has been to two dozen countries. A serious photographer since 1968, Holtby’s work has been featured in magazines, calendars, books, and galleries around the Denver area. On Wednesday, February 17th at 7 PM he will join us here at Seven Cups to present two slideshows of his work in China, with an emphasis on the lives of the people he encountered. Please come and enjoy this fascinating tour through the camera lens for free.
Continuing our recent tradition of breaking up a seldom served puer cake, our January puer is Jing Mai Gao Shan Shu Bing. This is a black, or cooked, puer made with a number of rich golden buds. The mao cha for this tea is a special blend to create a rich smooth taste and a high fragrance. What makes it really special though, is the ability to infuse the leaves many more times than most black puers without loosing flavor. Stop in for a pot any time this month to experience this special tea not usually available on our menu.
Yes it’s true; Majiang nights are finally beginning! Every Thursday, starting January 7th, from 6 to 8 PM you can come in for a pot of tea and a friendly game of Majiang with fellow tea-drinkers. This ancient Chinese game is similar to Gin Rummy and is played in teahouses throughout China. Although it’s traditionally a gambling game, no bets are required. It’s only $2 to play, in addition to your tea and anything else you might like to order. Beginners are welcome, as we will instruct you. We look forward to seeing you there!
For the return of the speaker series in the New Year, Greg is bringing us a special treat. Brian Mullins and Mike Fitzmaurice, ” the Erhoopla Ensemble” will perform a variety of traditional Chinese tunes, and some of their original compositions for two Erhus, or Erhu and Ruan or Baritone Ukulele, with the occasional American Jazz tune performed on Chinese instruments, thrown in for spice. We here at Seven Cups are very excited to see these two talented musicians perform. Please join us in welcoming them Wednesday January 20th at 7 PM. As they are professional musicians working for a living, we will be passing the hat to help pay for their time and tunes. But it is still free to attend.
A new study from Japan is showing a link between the consumption of green tea and stress reduction. Click here to see the article summarizing the results. While the article focuses on the polyphenols in tea and how they might affect stress levels, I also believe there is something to the tea lifestyle that helps reduce stress. If one is able to slow down and take a cup of tea and truly enjoy and appreciate it, that alone, I believe, can help mitigate any life stressor. Take a cup of tea and try!
Here we come a-wassailing with cups full of tea! Wassail is the ancient Germanic tradition of traveling to your neighbor’s houses on Christmas and Twelfth Night to toast them and wish them good health in the cold season, usually through song. Though the traditional Wassail beverage is spiced ale, we here at Seven Cups prefer tea. So, on Saturday the 19th of December at 3 PM, we will be gathering at the teahouse to fill our cups with hot tea before we go caroling around the neighborhood. Handouts of the carols will be provided. Plus, that day alone, everything in the teahouse will be 20% off.
We are proud to announce that we have produced with Cha Ma Si two puer cakes, one sheng (green or raw puer) cake, and one shu (black or cooked puer) cake. Although these cakes were many years in the making, which included a lot of study, traveling, and tasting, they were finished in winter of 2008 and we have received them a few weeks ago. Only 25% of the production run made it to America, the rest are on sale to collectors through Cha Ma Si inside of China. Cha Ma Si is the leading family owned puer producer in Yunnan. There were 1000 cakes made of each type. We strive to be tough competitors in sourcing the best Chinese teas. We certainly could never do it without the support of the Chinese tea community and in Yunnan with out the help of Cha Ma Si, who put education and quality foremost in their business values. We are proud to be their students. I hope you will enjoy these cakes and that you will add them to your collection. Plus, they are on monthly special in November. Get them while you can.
There is an interesting study coming out of Taiwan focusing on one of the effects of puer tea. According to the abstract, “the drinking of pu-erh tea may protect liver tissue from oxidative damage.” Click here to see the abstract. Another example of western science catching up with centuries of Chinese wisdom.
In 2008, 22 Zen Buddhists abbots, priest and monks from the United States traveled to China to deepen their understanding of China’s contribution to Buddhist thought and development. On Wednesday, November 18th, at 7:oo p.m., one of those travelers, Michael Hakuzan Wenninger, will offer his observations and impressions of that experience. The evening will include a discussion of the reemergence of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in China, his visit to major Buddhist temples, like Shaolin and Bailin Monastery Temples, and his excursion into the magnificent Huangshan (China’s Grand Canyon). This will be an enlightening (very poor pun intended) talk! As ever, this is a free event.
Michael Hakuzan Wenninger is a Zen Buddhist priest ordained in the Soto Buddhist tradition. He practices at Hakubai Temple, Boulder, CO.
Ikebana is the Zen art and practice of arranging flowers. Ikebana arrangements are characterized by harmony, liveliness and appreciation of the season. This presentation and demonstration will introduce some of the key principles of arranging and appreciating the Ikebana approach to arranging flowers, branches and leaves. Ikenobo is the oldest and most traditional school of ikebana practice in Japan. Presenter Francine Campone will introduce one traditional form of ikebana and show how it has evolved over centuries into a modern version. She will also offer some history of ikebana and discuss how anyone can incorporate some simple principles into simple arrangements in every day life.
Francine Campone has studied in the Ikenobo school of Ikebana for over twenty-five years. She is an Assistant Professor 3rd Grade in the Ikenobo School of Floral Art and a member of the Colorado Chapter of Ikenobo. Francine is also a long-time practitioner of Zen meditation and a member of the Zen Center of Denver.
This event will take place on Wednesday, October 21st, at 7:00 p.m. It is a free event. Come early to get a good seat and a pot of tea.
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