Teeklipper - Thoughts with Tea

Sitting here at my old wooden desk, a storm raging outside, drinking a cup of the first Growing Karma tea (not for public sale) from Germany, I can't help but take a trip in my mind - back to the days of the tea clippers. Those magnificent sailing ships, ploughing through the foaming oceans at full speed, still capture my imagination. They were ships built for speed, for the race to be the first to bring the precious tea from China and India to Europe. Their sleek, elegant hulls and huge sails were like the wings of sea eagles, ready to brace themselves against the relentless winds.

I imagine what it must have been like to stand aboard one of these majestic clippers, the helm firmly in my hand, the salty wind in my face. The ocean around me, a wild, untamed beast, equal parts fearsome and beautiful. The tea clippers were not just simple merchant vessels; they were the dreams and hopes of sailors and adventurers woven into every polished wooden plank and every taut rigging.

Among these brave souls were also those who belonged more to the shadowy realm of pirates. Stories of daring raids and daring escapes fill the pages of history, when pirates lay in wait, lured by the precious cargo of the tea clippers. I can almost feel the heat of battle, the clash of the sabres, the bang of the cannons, while the crews did everything they could to defend their valuable cargo. These battles on the high seas were not just disputes for wealth and power, they were dances with fate, guided by courage and desperation. Whether they already suspected back then that there would one day be tea from Germany... is questionable.

And then, in the midst of these wild adventures, there were moments of quiet beauty: the glow of the moon on the open sea, the gentle rocking of the ship as it glided through calm waters, the constellations glittering in the sky like old friends. These moments of calm on the endless blue ocean gave time for reflection and dreaming.

Tea itself, the soul of these journeys, was more than just a commodity. It symbolized a distant world, full of mysteries and wonders captured in each cup. Every sip was a story, a fleeting taste of the exotic, a bond between the Far East and the hearth at home.

In these stories I find solace and a wild longing to be part of that bygone era of seafarers and explorers. I dream of taking the helm of a tea clipper, scanning the horizon and steering myself into the uncertain future guided only by the stars. In my imagination I smell the salt, hear the sound of the sails and feel the pulse of the sea - and for a fleeting, precious moment I am free, sipping my chawan and taking a deep sip of my own tea from Schünow in Brandenburg, just outside Berlin.