It's alive! It's alive!

Blooming flower teas = a not-to-be-missed show!
If it works.

Not so long ago, DollinkDaughterLLS presented me with a beautiful bamboo box containing 8 blossoms of flowering tea.

Following the directions on the package for brewing, DDLLS and I got out the accouterments: glass teapot, Asian teacups, delicate little tea snacks. We gently positioned a ball of tea at the bottom of the glass vessel. We slowly filled the pot with boiling water. With great anticipation, we sat back and waited for the tea ball to unfurl and open grandly into a magnificent blooming flower. We eagerly awaited the magic. And waited. And waited.

Expecting major blooming, we got some half-ass'd action instead.
15 minutes later, the semi-opened remnant of the tea ball sat rather forlornly at the bottom of the pot.

Hmmmmmm, we remarked to each other.
What might have gone awry? Water not hot enough? It did reach boiling....
Dud tea ball? It's quite likely.
We may never know.

Very little stops the ladies in this family from a good time.
Even if the blooming tea is bloomin' uncooperative.
DDLLS and I made ceremony of drinking the brew anyway, and it was lovely.

Blooming flower tea really does make tea time extra special.
I recall many a dim sum Chinatown lunch in which I partook (as a kid) when a pot of fragrant floral tea was served with the delicacies. Back then, all Chinese restaurant teapots were ceramic, so one had to lift the heavy lid to peek into the dark pot at the bloomed flowers. Not as ceremonious as watching a flowering tea in active bloom in glass teapot, yet everyone at the table who gazed upon the plump, aromatic white petals would elicit the proper oooooohs and ahhhhhhhhs ...

What a pleasure when taking tea is entertaining as well as refreshing.
As for home-brewed blooming flower tea: DD, we must to try again.