Today we’re going to reflect upon some vintage delights. So, in keeping with our vintage theme, I thought we would have an ol’ Aussie favorite.
A cup of Billy Tea & some freshly baked Damper with lashings of butter melting upon its deliciousness with Golden Syrup!
These are treats from the ol’ days, when the tea was made in the Billy, an old tin with a homemade handle fitted & able to go into the fire to boil water & a handful of tea leaves would be thrown in for a strong brew.
And the damper was baked in a cast iron cooking pot amongst the hot coals of the camp fire.
I’ll let you in on a little secret about myself, I love most things vintage!
I think they have great character & I love the history behind them.
What is the definition of Vintage?
The word actually comes from wine making.
It is the season/year in which the grapes were harvested from the vine, the Vine age of the grapes = Vintage.
The Vintage of the wine indicates the quality, age & environmental factors of that particular year that the grapes grew on the vine before they were harvested.
Our book club has had its first meeting for this year, we are still reading Beth Moore’s book Chasing Vines & have now reached the chapter where the harvest has begun.
This gave me much food for thought in what goes into our own personal Vintage!
How would you describe yourself if you were a wine?
I remember watching a movie where the leading lady was asked the above question to describe herself.
Her answer was the following; a bold wine with a hint of sophistication.
I’m not a connoisseur of wine, in fact I don’t drink it.
I don’t like the taste, never have, but I do appreciate the hard work & craft that goes into wine making.
From planting the vine to the final aged product in the bottle.
You see I’m more of a Tea connoisseur. Did you know that the Tea making process actually parallels wine making?
As the quality & taste of the tea is also dependent upon the environmental factors before the harvesting & aging process.
Growing tea
“Growing tea can be tricky. If the weather and ground conditions aren’t absolutely perfect, the tea plants struggle to grow properly and the tea they make is inferior in flavour. So growers do all they can to take care of their tea plants…
Growing tea takes a lot of love and attention too. They have to be pruned every 4−5 years – not just to make sure they stay fresh, but to make sure the ‘pluckers’ can reach the leaves.” Refer 2
Harvesting Tea leaves
“The system used for cutting the tea plants is called the ‘plucking table’. It involves pruning the plants to about waist height, with flat tops (like tables), so that the leaves are easy to reach when they’re ready to harvest.
Different places in the world have different seasons for plucking tea, when the tea leaves are at their finest and most flavoursome. These harvests are known as ‘flushes’…
And if you think plucking tea leaves is simple, think again. Tea pluckers have to know exactly when the leaves are ready, so that they only pick them when they’re tender and full of flavour.” Refer 2
Lady Grey Tea
Lady Grey is my favorite tea blend, it’s made with the finest tea leaves plucked in the mountains of Northern India & blended with dried orange & lemon peel.
I would describe it as a refined, light & refreshing blend with a hint of citrus!
Let’s look at that tea description & see if it applies to my life…
Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser (the cultivator). Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
John 15:1
So in relating this to my relationship with God through His Son, Jesus;
- I’m planted in His plantation,
- He monitors my growth through all the seasons making sure I am growing for the plucking of His purpose.
- He trims the branches that get over grown & applies aged organic compost for mulching (trials), that let’s be honest aren’t really appreciated at time until new growth is evident!
But it’s all necessary to produce stable & mature growth for the finest harvest.
He only plucks the finest shoots for His purpose for they give the greatest flavor for eternity.
You see it’s not only the harvest but the process that gives the finest flavor.
White tea are the tea leaves just dried without processing, it has a very delicate flavor.
For Green tea the leaves are aged & processed a little more which brings out a little more flavor.
But for the most robust of teas, Black tea, the leaves are aged & fermented the longest which give the strongest flavor & can be blended with other ingredients to make a variety of tea blends!
It’s the careful & loving monitoring of the great Cultivator that produces the finest leaf vintage from the maturing plant!
How then would I describe myself as a Tea blend?
Well, I’m feminine & love to be treated as a lady!
But I worked tirelessly in the sheep yards as a wool grower (that I once was) slopping around in sheep manure!
So, I can’t really describe myself as a refined blend but rather in the process of refinement.
I can be light hearted but I don’t shy away from the harder things in life either (which may be a legacy from my professional life).
I have been described as robust, although I always endeavor to leave a pleasant flavor behind!
However, that’s entirely dependent on the Other’s perception in how they perceive that flavoring!
I think I have to echo the leading lady’s description above when describing myself as a Tea; I’m a robust blend with a hint of fruity sophistication! Lol!
Maturing Process
While we don’t necessarily appreciate the trimming, fertilizing (trials) & the plucking (harvesting) at the time.
None the less, each process is necessary to produce the finest leaves/fruit for His eternal harvest.
It’s the finest quality leaves/fruit that give the most flavorsome & refreshing blends that linger in their influence for Him.
How would you describe yourself as either a wine, tea or coffee my friend? I’d love to hear it in the comments below.
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or in Prayer
© 2021 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com
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Tea With Jennifer 
Lady grey is my favorite too. I love this analogy. Humm, I have no idea how to describe my vintage. Probably something beginning with vintage white zinfandel wine 1971 model. Lol. This is a great lesson.
Thanks bunches for sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friends this month.
Thank you Paula! I say that’s a sweet wine 😉
A flavorful post, I love vintage, too. Here in the south it gets hot, so sweet tea is part of our life. And here in Georgia, peach tea is great. I do have to use artificial sweetener.
Thank you! That sounds like a perfect afternoon tea 😊
Jennifer, I thoroughly enjoyed learning from you today. I have been a tea lover since childhood. We drank black tea with lemon and mint which grew outside our back door. I have grown to love most tea. I drink what I need that day. Recently I acquired a taste for Matcha. It helps me focus on work while working from home. I don’t know how I would describe myself as tea except I have been seeped over and over so that God could get the best from me.
I love your description of your tea self my friend! And I’m delighted you enjoyed your time here! 🤗
Jennifer, what a fun and unique post! I love vintage things and I’m a hot tea girl through and through. Never have liked coffee-no, it’s not for me. I started drinking hot tea on a mission trip to Zimbabwe in college. The local nationals grew their own tea and had tea time, learned from the British who had migrated there long ago. Now, I love hot teas, especially chia. Such a great analogy to the Lord also.
Thank you Karen! I enjoy Chai tea too, that delightful spicy mix! So glad you enjoyed your time here today 🤗
I didn’t know that about tea! I only drink herbal teas, and the odd Earl Grey in a London Fog. So not sure what type of tea blend I would be. I do love nature, and being outside, so maybe less refined but pure? 🙂 I am always in refinement and getting into the root of things, so that might fit! Wonderful post!
Thank you Lynn! I’m delighted you enjoyed your time here 🤗
A wonderful illustration, Jennifer! I enjoyed the educational tidbits of tea growing, picking, and blending. And I enjoyed the application to our relationship with the Vinedresser. I enjoyed the growth in knowledge and the laughter. Being a plain jane water drinker, I don’t have a response to what kind of tea blend I would be. Ha!
I’m glad you enjoyed your time here Lisa! 🤗
I love a robust black tea with milk, very hot! Not sure what that says about me, but it’s how I begin almalmost every day!
It sounds like a good start to the day Michelle! 🤗
If I were a wine, I think I’d be cheap and sweet! Ha!
Lol Lauren 😀
Lady Grey is one of my favorites too! Thanks for sharing at they legacy linkup.
A pleasure Mandy! 😀
Really enjoyed this post. I currently love English breakfast, no idea what that says about me 😉
Thank you Kellie, I’m delighted you could join me here today! That’s a fine blend too, it says what you want it to say, as this is all about describing yourself as a tea blend 😉 .