SUMMER DESIDERATA – 75 Gms

DESIDERATA

“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons“. “Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story“. “Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself“. “Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time“. “Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism“. “Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass“. “Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth“. “Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness“. “Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here”.

“And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy”.

-Max Ehrmann

Wisdom does not form a straight line from need to desire, but when stated eloquently, unemotionally and observantly, it sure does seem obviously straight. A better way to think of wisdom is to think of it as the mile markers on the emotional zigzag we call the pursuit of happiness. “Emotions are powerful; you better get them working for you” – that seems wise on its own but the wisdom comes from recognizing when they are not working for you.

‘Desiderata’ – Latin for “things desired” or needed, better known for the prose by Max Ehrmann from 1927 is most loved for its wisdom of eloquently stating simple truths, worldly advice and reminders, often overlooked in the busyness of everyday life. It’s said, it’s meaning holds relevance in the age that you first encounter it but more than that we agree on its wisdom, that aligns need and desire together in a cohesive manner.

Teas, for most of us, are very much like looking in the mirror – You either dislike what you see or you find exactly what you’re looking for. It’s neither right nor wrong either way, as there are no guidelines for looking in the mirror, but the wisdom comes from realizing not the futility in trying to objectify the composition of your gestalt self – a whole that is more than the sum of parts, but the limited ability of emotions to process that. Wisdom comes from knowing that something gestalt, something larger needs to be factored in to invoke appreciation, every time emotions seem to not be working.

The tea offers that ‘Desiderata’ wisdom, carrying you from one flavorful mile marker to the next without zigzagging the emotional pathways – the mile markers all assimilating to make the experience gestalt.

Truth is, we were expecting this early summer, large plucking of Yabukita cultivar leaves to have more of a ‘Baudelaireian’ expression – prose out of ‘Paris spleen’, like the Yabukita Muscatel, instead we found its flavors to contain the eloquent wisdom of Ehrmann’s Desiderata. But maybe that’s just another visited mile marker in the coming together of need and desire. Maybe somewhere in the notes of Desiderata lie the hints of the emotional zigzag one must make to arrive at the Yabukita muscatel. The only question is, if experiencing the Desiderata will in fact change the experience of Yabukita?

The Desiderata begins placidly with a charitable, warm aroma, of caramels rising up from brewed red liquor with an orange sheen. Eloquent flavors of coconut and caramels settle comfortably onto the pallet with the first few sips. Just when you have made up your mind about coconut and caramels, it cautions you to the arrival of Chocolate with hints of toffee. The tea, when sufficiently cool, turns floral with muscatel notes. Leaving you with a full earthy, woody, sweet and milky aftertaste, but far from over the second steep is full of kind reminders of the aroma of guavas and deep floral notes. Caramel is consistently present from the dry leaves into the brewed liquor and eventually, the steeped leaves.