The Unfolding
For the past nine months and two weeks, I have watched my sisters' belly stretch out and protrude to accommodate a new being. All aspects of her have been changing before my eyes. She has been my lifetime companion and I've watched her transform from the playground queen to a notorious, cheeky teenager, then a calm university student, an aggressive professional and now she's a mama! Her journey has brought about a ripple of emotions. There was anxiety and fear, joy and bliss, excitement then exhaustion which eventually boiled down to a 3.5 Kg mass of gratitude.
-Orthodox Kenyan Purple tea!!
I used to imagine what my sweet niece was up to all the while. First swimming in this vast free space then discovering the sweet treats streaming in for her nourishment. Progressively turning into a bully, pushing my sisters' internal organs in a tight spot to get a bit more comfortable but causing some serious heart burn. Enjoying the fact that she could make demands on her preferred menu and regurgitate anything that wasn't up to standard. Getting greedy and taking my sister's hair, then her face. Finally realising that though warm and cosy, the space was no longer ideal, so she took her time, carefully did a hand stand using my sister's bladder for support. Once she was locked and loaded, ready for take-off, she tore, kicked and clawed, carving her mark, lest we forget the first tenant of that house.
I was an unhelpful bystander during my sisters' labour. With each contraction, her face contorted while her belly abandoned its round shape and assumed an odd oblong. This happened in painful waves rising higher and crashing harder with each passing moment. It was like watching a progressively intense mob justice ordeal, only that it was an irregular beauty. Kinda like watching the leaves from an orthodox tea unfurl.
Orthodox teas are basically whole leaf teas, processed by hand or machine rolled to mimic hand rolling. Production of orthodox tea was centered around preserving the intrinsic worth of the leaves. Their processing involves withering the leaves by spreading them out allowing their moisture to evaporate; rolling the leaves by rotating and pressing them; oxidising by simply allowing the rolled leaves to interact with air. They turn darker at this stage. Finally, firing by heating them to stop oxidation and simultaneously, dry them.
"The agony of the leaves" is an expression used in the tea trade to describe the unfurling of tea leaves. First off, they need space to fully unfold and properly brew so you can either drop the leaves freely in your brewing vessel of choice, or use an infuser that's at least twice the size of the amount of tea you'll be using. The temperature of the water depends on the type of tea, which we covered here. Once the water hits the leaves, they begin to dance. Some float, others sink, they twist and turn, some resist. But when they give in, the colour of the water begins to change getting more concentrated and deeper, until you have a beautifully coloured liquor, and leaves that were once knotted, spread apart and become whole again. Such a simple aesthetic pleasure.
The coming of my niece was synonymous the agony of the leaves. Okay, probably not as gentle as I've described but you get it right? It was a violent struggle, but the results were impecable.
For all new mums out there, you are wondrous and out of you, a profound creation has unfurled. May you enjoy your perfectly brewed liquor.
xx
The Ultimate Tea Girl
Sources:
A lot of observation :-D