12 | EDIBLE PORTLAND SUMMER 2025 The magnolias and jasmine blossoms come together in a sea of color, dancing and rolling over one another through the night, and into the wee hours of the morning. And when the sun is about to rise, the jasmine is gathered and taken to the market. Just inside the Chinese Province of Guangxi, in the little city of Nanning, is a farm where the nightly ritual of scenting jasmine with magnolias is a tradition that dates back to the 14th century. At the market in Nanning, travelers, merchants, and tea shop owners like Veronika and Ravi can smell, feel, and select some of the finest and most potent jasmine in the whole of China. “We love going there,” Ravi shared as we sipped from the little clay vessels full of the Shoshin Grand Cru Jasmine, one of the white teas from a varied and colorful selection at Bardo. The Grand Cru Jasmine is scented nearly twice as much as a quality Jasmine Green; the Shosin continues to deliver a heavenly jasmine flavor, steep after steep, along with notes of mango, sarsaparilla, and magnolia. From the heavenly scent and flavor of jasmine and mango, however, one must descend to earth to taste and experience a tea called Puer, a fermented black tea whose origins date back to the 10th century. “Puer is grounding, it has an earthiness about it that lends itself to meditation,” Veronika explained, as I curiously observed the shape that it took before being poured from the vessel into a cup. The Puer that was sitting on a table by the window was pressed cakes, each about the size of a small plate, wrapped delicately in mulberry paper and decorated with paintings by Veronika—little works of art unto themselves. Once unwrapped, the cake is broken up and placed into a teapot, into which the hot water is poured for the first steep. The Puer we sampled was called Limelight Lily. In the little Bardo tea guide, it was described as a 1980s Shu Puer, with notes of agarwood, sourdough, and lotus. Veronika had chosen the name after a club she often went to in New York, way back when, called Limelight Lily. Another curiously named selection of Puer listed right below the Limelight Lily was Ghost Dance, a 1970s Shu Puer with notes of burlap, petrichor, and ginseng. From a dance, to stillness and calm, one can move as the tea, through one steep after another, will take you from one place to another, from a clear bright mountain top, to a seat among the oldest and wildest trees in Menghai. This experience can deepen even further during one of the Saturday meditation hours. Every Saturday in the little room just to the right as you step inside the door at Bardo, 2-8 guests can come for one hour of silent meditation hosted by Veronika. “Weekends are super busy,” Veronika informed us. It didn’t come as a surprise to me, as the little Tatami Room was so quiet and inviting, beautifully decorated with what Veronika described as a ‘clean aesthetic’. Veronika has been a meditation teacher for over 20 years and has taught meditation with tea for just over a decade. During the meditation hour, she serves specialty blends by the pot, amounting to around 5-6 tea servings, and of course, a selection of Puer will be among these. The participants go on a journey over the course of multiple steepings, from the initial awakening of the Bardo is the Space Between The Wonder of Tea BY MELANIE COPE Left: Bardo's aim is not simply to offer you high quality tea. Photo by Celeste Noche. Middle and right: It is also to weave the story that connects the soil, to the farmer, to the tea, to the cup. Photos by Dean Cambray
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