Acilia: the woman of the tea

I met Acilia, a cold-eyed girl from Puglia, thanks to the project that she has developed with Sandra Salerno: the two women have in fact joined their knowledge to create matches of savory dishes and tea, to be presented in sublime combinations of odors and flavors .
The recipes that have been created are, for example, lavender rice with fennel infusion and Li Shan Tea, fish sea bass infused with Ye Sheng, or smoked mackerel with mustard seeds and Anji Bai.green tea
In Italy there is neither a culture nor a real habit of tea, and this can be understood not only from our kitchens (where a good selection of leaves would cut a fine), but also by the limited presence in our cities of tearooms or tastings and dedicated events: “Only recently I’ve started receiving invitations from some Italian locations” says Acilia, who has managed to turn her passion into an art and a business activity.

While studying communications at the University of Perugia, she was infected by the enthusiasm of a classmate who put her in contact with this magical world.
She started writing her blog, and since then the tea had never let her go.
Her dream had always been to work in the editorial sector but, given its precarious nature, she decided to devote herself to what she could do better: love the tea leaves, tell about them. She was then able to build a professional life through them.
Starting from her blog, which exudes all the care and passion she puts into her work, Acilia has started a small e-commerce business: she import leaves from manufacturers and offers them to her customers, describing genesis and history, and therefore providing us not only with sensory emotions, but also with culture and knowledge.

When I ask what are her favourite scents, she replies without great hesitation: “I personally give a lot of importance to the evocative power of a tea, and then to the moments it recalls. Definitely I put on the podium Tai Ping Ho Kui, a Chinese green tea I’ve tasted in various parts of the world: it spreads slowly and sensually under the palate. It makes me desire the Bossanova, with all those inexplicable and irresistible instincts that it provokes. the Long Jing, it’s another Chinese green tea I drank during the year lived in Milan, alone: a difficult year in which the Long Jing tea represented the flavor of company; and then the white Yin Zhen, jasmine scented. I identify it with smile: one at every sip.”

And then I ask her to advise us about tea to be used in particular moments: “For a romantic dinner or love date I suggest the Genmaicha, a Japanese tea worked with toasted rice: it has an amazing flavor, it gives you everything you don’t expect from a cup of tea: amazement is what I’d like for a first date. On the other hand, to forget a bad day the Yin Zhen, a Chinese white tea with a natural honey aftertaste that has a soothing and restorative effect: a top experience if matched with a hot bath. It washes thoughts away, I find it almost cathartic. Then, to celebrate a victory or a great moment, I suggest the Gyokuru Temomi, a completely hand-worked leaf, so precious that has to be reserved for special occasions“.

The laboratory where Acilia works, packs, ships, smells, tastes, is a picturesque corner of Puglia, which seems poetry. Her business activity is very young, it was born only two years ago, but lets her earn her living doing what she loves: “I have a very intense relationship with my clients – she explains – and I often know details of their lives. I personally answer to e-mails, give advice on mixtures, and in some cases become an intermediary of wonderful stories. I know that, if my business grows and expands as I hope, I will never give up on such a truly rewarding aspect.”

Tea tasting is prestigious, noble and rich as that of wine, and honestly – further to enjoy the pleasure of the senses that certain flavors donate – I’m looking forward to learning personally the aromatic fingerprints, the secrets and the stories that I enjoyed so much on Acilia’s blog.

Photo Credits
Giovan Battista D’Achille

http://www.gbattyroom.com/