This Week in Practice
This week, we turn to boiled tea, one of the oldest and most unhurried methods of brewing in our tradition. Unlike modern tea practices that emphasize precise timing and technical perfection, boiled tea is simple, direct, and slow—allowing the leaves to release their deep essence and giving us time to observe, reflect, and integrate. Its rhythm naturally encourages presence, patience, and a meditative state that mirrors the seasonal transition from late autumn into early winter.
Historically, Taoists, shamans, and forest dwellers in Yunnan brewed tea this way over open flames, often in a cauldron or simple pot. Leaves were sometimes boiled whole, even on branches, alongside herbs, flowers, or dried citrus. The process was never about analysis or perfection—it was about connection, letting the tea guide the experience, and cultivating a deeper sense of alignment with nature’s rhythms.
To practice this week:
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Prepare your setup. Use a cauldron, kettle, or fire-safe pot. Add your tea leaves—puerh is ideal—and water. Optionally, include a pinch of salt, dried citrus peel, or chrysanthemum buds to honor the season and enhance flavor.
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Bring to a gentle boil. Observe the rising steam, the sound of the water, and the transformation of the leaves. Move slowly and attentively, letting your actions reflect the calm, unhurried pace of the tea.
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Attend to the tea. Taste mindfully over time, noticing how the color, aroma, and flavor deepen. Allow the tea to reveal its essence without rushing or attempting to control the process.
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Reflect or share. If alone, notice how the session settles your awareness and energy. If with friends, let the process guide a quiet, communal experience. Use the rhythm of the tea to integrate the lessons of autumn and prepare for winter’s inward turn.
Boiled tea is a practice of patience, presence, and integration. Its slow, deliberate rhythm mirrors the quiet passage from autumn into winter, giving you a tangible way to connect with the tea, the ritual, and the season itself.
Five Element Insights
Late Metal invites us to move from discernment to integration, from the sharp clarity of autumn to the quiet depth of early winter. This is a time to pause and notice subtle shifts in energy, both in the world around us and within ourselves. The season asks us to honor what has been completed while quietly preparing for the inward turn of winter—holding space for rest, restoration, and unseen growth.
As you practice boiled tea this week, consider these reflections:
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Where in my life can I allow what has been refined to settle naturally, without further effort?
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How can I cultivate trust in the unseen processes unfolding beneath the surface, like roots storing energy for winter?
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What lessons from this season are ready to harmonize within me, rather than be acted upon or pushed?
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In what ways can I practice yielding while remaining attentive, honoring both completion and the pause before what comes next?
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How can I use this transitional period to prepare for winter’s inward turn, embracing stillness without resistance?
Take your time with these reflections. Let them rise naturally, rather than rushing toward answers. Notice how the season itself guides the pace of integration—gentle, subtle, and deliberate. As Metal gives way to Water, these insights offer a tangible way to tune into the rhythm of the year, honoring endings while quietly welcoming what is yet to come.
What We’re Drinking
Immortal Medicine – "Ginseng" Loose Leaf Shou Puerh Mid 1990's
Absolutely stellar tea. Immortal Medicine is a puerh with flavors of ginseng, evoking ancient forest roots, mossy undergrowth, and herbal medicine. Its slightly sweet, grounding character supports the lungs and invites quiet reflection, making it an ideal companion for the subtle shifts of late Metal season.
The tea’s depth and complexity unfold over a long session, revealing layers of flavor, energy, and texture reminiscent of the forest floor. Like Forest Floor, a community favorite, this tea balances richness, energy, and depth—perfect for sitting with the moment, integrating the lessons of autumn, and preparing for winter’s inward turn. Its slow, meditative qualities encourage presence, grounding, and a subtle inward focus that mirrors the seasonal transition.
Current Inspirations
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Anne Dillard
This nonfiction work combines nature writing, personal reflection, and philosophical inquiry. It recounts a year spent exploring the area around Tinker Creek in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Through careful observation of plants, animals, and natural phenomena, the text reflects on the beauty, complexity, and sometimes harsh realities of the natural world.
It explores themes of life and death, perception, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of all things, blending detailed natural description with meditative insight. The work invites readers to slow down, notice subtle rhythms, and sit with transitions—mirroring the quiet, in-between energy of late Metal season as we prepare for the inward turn of winter.
Friends of Living Tea
Kelly Dye, owner of Folklore
Kelly Dye is a curator, designer, traveler, and artist, and the founder of Folklore, a Santa Fe gallery and lifestyle space celebrating local makers, ethical design, and timeless beauty. Folklore hosts weekly Saturday morning community tea and also welcomed Living Tea for several workshops last year, creating space for shared reflection, learning, and quiet practice.
This year, Folklore expanded into contemporary fine art while maintaining its curated shop and peaceful gathering space. Visitors can explore small group and solo exhibitions, a permanent collection of fine jewelry, and carefully selected everyday essentials—all with a focus on reverence, sustainability, and connection. Kelly splits her time between Santa Fe and Laguna Beach, where she recently opened Folklore Studio, continuing her dedication to celebrating makers, art, and community.