I have a small collection of tea samples in the top drawer of my desk at work. They have been there for a few years and for some reason I almost never reach for one of them when picking a tea for the afternoon. Let's change that.
Today is the 2021 Sunskate from white2tea. The website describes it as a very lightly-oxidized black tea made from material destined originally to become puer. The light oxidation leads Paul to refer to it as a strange kind of oolong rather than a black tea. Let's see what he's talking about...
The first steep reminds me of honey and marshmallows. A strong opening act to be sure. It brews light, lighter than the deep red of your typical black tea. I finished it while helping a colleague sort through an issue on one of our systems in the lab. Sometimes teas serve as background music, not remarkable enough to pull our minds out of whatever track they find themselves on in the moment. This tea is not so. The first sip causes me to remark inwardly about the unlikely combination of flavors. Problem solved, I return to my desk to continue with the next steep.
I had a look at my calendar today and noticed that next Friday, February 2nd, will be my 14-year anniversary at this company. I find myself forced to reflect on what has happened in the last near decade and a half of my life both professionally and personally. I graduated from university, moved across the country twice, adopted two wonderful cats, lost my two remaining grandparents, changed apartments 5 times, went from intern to full-time engineer, to contractor, back to full-time engineer and finally to manager, had my heart broken on more than one occasion, cemented a permanent love of choral music, acted in 11 community theater productions and served on the staff of 6 more, totaled two cars and purchased a third, saw 5 friends married and one have a child, and so much more both significant and less-so.
This tea has a quality about it that keeps grabbing attention. Calling it a strange oolong is quite appropriate. Its flavors lie close to other black teas, but it has a collection of extra aromas that belie a more complex origin. Floral whispers that flit around this marshmallow-like sweetness. A hint of sourness on the edges of the tongue. A small amount of familiar tannic astringency. It's a shame that this tea can no longer be purchased, but at the same time its scarcity seems apropos my mood today as I sit and reflect on what turns life has taken as I have spent the years of my professional career.
Now, as I nearly enter my fifteenth year with this company, I take on a new sort of attitude that wasn't present before. One of sadness, I think. When I started my career, this company was still a startup. The culture of startups, at least in my experience, seems to be one of shared passion. Everyone wants the product and the company to succeed. You work to further the goals of the company, but you are also beholden to your colleagues in a way that is unique because you are all striving for the same thing together. You don't want to let your colleagues and friends down. The company leadership, at least in what I think was a good startup like the one I had the fortune to join, doesn't want to let you down either. You can feel the community and its embrace is enough to hold everything together. Now, after a couple of acquisitions I find myself surrounded by many of the same people and the same products, but the face of the company is no longer one of compassion. It is one of necessary corporate coldness. I do not begrudge the company as an entity - such a dispassionate mindset is necessary to keep capitalism afloat, but now the community that there once was must be carried solely by the people who remain. We might have even been able to do it too, if not for the ever rising demands and ever lowering shows of appreciation for the people who break their backs on the rocks to drive the success that we have enjoyed together.
Black teas tend to give up their essence somewhat quickly. They don't seem to steep out for the entire day like other teas sometimes can. They evolve quickly, but for the time that they are evolving they are usually very enjoyable company. This one is firmly above-average and a lovely companion. I have a few more teas that I think come from the same purchase as this one. I look forward to seeing what the others are like, given the high bar set by this first one.
Where does this leave me in my reflection? I suppose it leads me to start looking towards the horizon. There are other glimmering cities catching the last light of the day and they look ever more enticing as the days pass. Where I will end up I can't say, but I think that my fifteenth year will be my last in my current location.
Happy tea drinking all, and may you find some welcome introspection in these overcast days of Winter.
