Tea Pick: Lung Ching Dragonwell

This is a fine tea, highly recommended. It is best served early in the morning when your eyes have not adjusted enough to see more than the blurred outlines of shapes, allowing clarity to emerge slowly. It has an unalloyed taste that is analogous to dew, with an atmosphere provided by the odor of spring plants.

Excuse me as I get carried away with my tea. Every time I try this, it forces my mouth into a smile. I would hope to attribute this effect not simply to my enjoyment of the tea, but to its particular chemical properties. It would be interesting, even if it is possibly subjective, to categorize teas based the emotions they produce. There are varieties of tea that make one introspective, while others are good for an important conversation, and still others induce a kind of dreamy haze.

This one can be purchased here at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. The building, designed by artisans from Tajikistan, is fronted by welcoming gardens and outdoor seating next to running water, and it was built using hand-carved Persian tiles.