Not coming as a shock to many, our expedition has gained some fuel of the ancient green variety from my own co-founded ‘Jalamteas‘. Michael and I will sip of the tea trees of southern Yunnan with a variety of leaves while we are on our journey through the Himalayas.
One of the world’s most understated fuels, tea, and its pungent green power will be our daily liquid ritual and stimulant. It will also add some weight to my old mantra of ‘fuelled by tea’.
We’ll take a few of our signature cakes of Bada unfermented Puerh – one of this year’s vegetal best (which Jalamteas will be offering in September). It will be the afternoon blast of fresh green and after lunch ‘digestif’. We’ll also take a dose of Lao Banzhang unfermented Puerh (8 years old) from old trees as with age it has become more mild and will be the morning tea of choice.
Tea cakes, along with other ‘formed’ teas were once critical for their ease of transport. They will once again fill that happy role on our own journey. Here some 100 gram Bada cakes and what is left of a Lao Banzhang that will be jammed into a pack and ready for serving daily.
About JeffFuchs
Bio
Having lived for most of the past decade in Asia, Fuchs’ work has centered on indigenous mountain cultures, oral histories with an obsessive interest in tea. His photos and stories have appeared on three continents in award-winning publications Kyoto Journal, TRVL, and Outpost Magazine, as well as The Spanish Expedition Society, The Earth, Silkroad Foundation, The China Post Newspaper, The Toronto Star, The South China Morning Post and Traveler amongst others. Various pieces of his work are part of private collections in Europe, North America and Asia and he serves as the Asian Editor at Large for Canada’s award-winning Outpost magazine.
Fuchs is the Wild China Explorer of the Year for 2011 for sustainable exploration of the Himalayan Trade Routes. He recently completed a month long expedition a previously undocumented ancient nomadic salt route at 4,000 metres becoming the first westerner to travel the Tsa’lam ‘salt road’ through Qinghai.
Fuchs has written on indigenous perspectives for UNESCO, and has having consulted for National Geographic. Fuchs is a member of the fabled Explorers Club, which supports sustainable exploration and research.
Jeff has worked with schools and universities, giving talks on both the importance of oral traditions, tea and mountain cultures. He has spoken to the prestigious Spanish Geographic Society in Madrid on culture and trade through the Himalayas and his sold out talk at the Museum of Nature in Canada focused on the enduring importance of oral narratives and the Himalayan trade routes.
His recently released book ‘The Ancient Tea Horse Road’ (Penguin-Viking Publishers) details his 8-month groundbreaking journey traveling and chronicling one of the world’s great trade routes, The Tea Horse Road. Fuchs is the first westerner to have completed the entire route stretching almost six thousand kilometers through the Himalayas a dozen cultures.
He makes his home in ‘Shangrila’, northwestern Yunnan upon the eastern extension of the Himalayan range where tea and mountains abound; and where he leads expeditions the award winning ‘Tea Horse Road Journey’ with Wild China along portions of the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
To keep fueled up for life Fuchs co-founded JalamTeas which keeps him deep in the green while high in the hills.
4 Responses to Expedition Update: Jalamteas sponsors ‘The Route of Wind of Wool’ with green fuel