475 Like hence, Passionate
Piping hot water got poured into a tea pot. Then a bundle of tea leaves were put in.
"This particular tea has an unusual brewing method, you see. Normally, you pour hot water over tea leaves but that's the worst thing you could do for this tea's taste. Weird isn't it?"
The Waking Grass tea leaves swirled in the transparent hot water before slowly falling down.
"What do you think? Exquisite isn't it? I just love this exquisite green color. Now you wait a bit and then... See."
The tea leaves were shaped like needles. But once they started sinking, they floated back up and came untied. Back to their original leaf shape.
"You see. Specialized workers must roll these leaves immediately after plucking. That allows them to exquisitely bloom in hot water like this. First sinking down before floating up as they bloom. The tea element melts in the water during this blooming process. Intriguing, no?"
The manager explained with sparkling eyes like a kid.
"I believe you drank this tea this morning, yes? Which brought you here. That makes me very happy. This tea may be called 'Waking Grass' but its meaning when inside this pot is 'Asleep'. Weird, no?"
I bet it's because the leaves must start its transformation into drinkable tea by being asleep as they sink.
Then the blooming is an expression of waking up in the morning.
"All the leaves have floated up. So now you pour it into this cup. Here, have a sip. I'm sure it will be a surprise."
The manager poured the tea into a cup that had one needle-shaped tea leaf inside. He was smiling as he urged me.
I lifted the cup and sniffed the aroma.
"Whoaa! Even the fragrance is way stronger than the tea I had earlier!"
A refreshing scent ran through my nose. This cup is much more waking than the one I had at the inn.
Even a sip felt like ingesting a really strong mint, yet the refreshing taste didn't linger in my mouth.
"Uwoo? This stuff isn't just waking. It'd keep you up all night."
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"See how that lone leaf is slowly blooming in your cup. Have another sip now."
I hesitated. Even if it's just one leaf, it's blooming in so little water.
I was sure it'd make the taste too strong to drink.
Yet, the result was eye opening. Which took me by another surprise.
"Sweet and bitter...? Eh? This is the same tea I had just now right? Eh? For real?"
"As I said earlier, pouring hot water on this tea leaves will degrade its taste. Yet pouring the prepared tea on a leaf gives us this unusual interaction. The taste doesn't get worse yet a change happens. In a good way that is. Surprising isn't it?"
"...How does this even work? How can it change so much? Seriously, I need an explanation..."
Fantasy is awesome, has a tea ever surprised me this much? Nope never.
This was so impactful it left me in awe.
"People have done all kinds of research on this grass. Yet, none could come up with an answer. Quite a mysterious tea it is. Fufufufu."
The manager laughed in a good mood. He resumed his explanation.
"This is a small pot only enough for two cups. If you use more leaves and water, it won't taste as good even with the same exact ratio. As such this quantity is optimal. It's the best brewing method to obtain the best taste. This Waking Grass tea is really unlike any other tea. That's what makes it so good, I personally think."
This manager really loves his tea. But then his face suddenly became downcast.
"But currently the price of Waking Grass is seeing a steep increase. The production site is being plagued by a monster issue. It's a delicate medicinal plant hence even the slightest disturbance lowers its quality. Even a monster simply coming close to its production site spoils a lot of them."
This manager must know so much due to his love for tea.
"Meanwhile hiring mercenaries might cause an even bigger problem to the site, my friend in charge is at her wit's end dealing with this issue. It's been quite a headache. And so, I'm sorry to say but this much tea leaves will cost one silver coin after this."
My hand stopped while I was sipping my cup. Stopped dead in its track. That's way pricey!
(Manager! You're too generous treating a first-time customer to such an expensive tea!)
Thanks to Black Card, it's not really an issue for me, yet even so, that price still made me think twice before deciding to buy.
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