Tea Dialects

Gathǐngǐra Fortune Flavors

On this day of 16th of September exactly 112 years ago, one of the greatest pirates for the last millennium was born. Robert Fortune was a Scottish botanist, thief and spy responsible of the most lucrative espionage that would lead to the creation of the first multinational company known as the British East Indian Company. The ideal was diabolical as it was sinister. The British, the most powerful empire at the time, wanted to get control of a drink owned by the Chinese by growing it in land owned by Indians. As an after thought, that dodgy experiment would fundamentally change my village indigenous brew by casting it into oblivion. The British East Indian Company was the tool to achieve that goal and the main man for the job was Robert Fortune.

The story behind the struggle for the control of tea is one that affects almost all of us in one way or another as it led to creation of the modern global system with all the inherent injustices and instability. That instability started by intentionally addicting the Chinese to opium an a massive scale. That addiction to drugs of one kind or another followed the trail of tea as it was spread across the world by the British. I have come to name the tea trail as the Tragic Tea Trail of Torture.

For a start, China and India were colonized and turned into clients of the British empire. The submission of the Chinese came after two wars known as the Boxer rebellion. Two major treaties, starting with the 1842 Treaty of Nanking were signed between China and the Western allies. After each defeat, the Chinese were forced to open more of their country to the western countries, especially the British, French and the Dutch as well as allow the sale of opium in China. The British also curved Hong Kong from China until 1999.

As tea transitioned from the control of the Chinese to the British, it found its way to all the regions under the control of the British. My village of Gathǐngǐra happened to be one of the many places that would pay a heavy price tea wars between Britain and China. The British introduced tea in my village in early 1940s and 50s and the village has never been the same again.

Before the village was invaded by the blood-soaked leaf the local would delight their morning with root that looks like Tumeric known as Kǐgwa Kǐa Arǐithi. We are challenging the tea stranglehold on tastebuds by reimagining how the old brew can be part of the future of my village and beyond. I grew the first batch and found a tea enthusiast who pay a hefty price for the tea. That is the fortune that we celebrate today. That tea which was less than a kilo cost the equivalent of hundreds of kilos of the colonial & invasive tea.

Even before I made the recipe that best exemplifies the current state of our farm and all the multiplicity of eclectic indigenous as well as exotic ingredients that have been obtained without stealing or spying but through exchange and gratitude, I had to start with naming my creation. I named my new drink Fortune Shepherd as a hint of our estimation of our mission. We are truly fortunate to be growing things like Black pepper corns along with all the ingredients on the recipe except cardamom. consider A recipe is loading. We are shepherds of flavors, both local and international. Interestingly, the key ingredients known as Kǐgwa Kǐa Arǐithi literally means the sugarcane of the shepherds. I could think of no better name for the recipe. Names are powerful and have energy. Welcome to the flavors that the above energy has inspired.

I offer the recipe from a place of abundance for that is our traditional and standard. We are a wealthy people with a giving heart just like our ancestors. Robert Fortune and his thieving ways was followed by many failures. The tea that he grew in India was not popular in the market and that costed Robert Fortune’s benefactors dearly. The biggest price however was paid by the Chinese, the Indians and indigenous people whose food ways was swallowed by the vampire ways of an empire called greed. Luckily my village is ready for a rescue mission.

Fortune Sheperd

Chef Kabui

1 Teaspoon of Grated Kǐgwa Kǐa Arǐithi

1/2 Teaspoon of grated Ginger

1 teaspoon of minced fresh Spearmint

2 teaspoons of chopped Lemongrass

5 crashed ripe Loquats

2 fresh minced Guava leaves

4 crushed Black Pepper corns

3/4 cup of fresh Sugar Cane juice

A pinch of Cardamom powder.

4 cups of Hot water

Makes 5 to 6 servings

Chef Kabui

The Hex Kitchen is a collaboration between Chef Kabui and the Hex community in a bid to promote food literacy, mindful eating and wealth creation. There is a natural connection between those who are fighting against fiat currency and those engaged in the struggle against fiat food. The two social ills of fiat currency and fiat food are at the heart of the tyrannic global world system we are now living in. That tyranny is directly connected to the climate crisis we face and there is no way we can solve one part of the problem without being mindful of the whole system, For a start, the Hex Kitchen is keen on addressing the issues of real money and real food as a basis on regaining our sovereign power. It is no accident that the struggle for food justice would find allies in cryptography and more specifically cryptocurrency. It is not a usual collaboration but yet it is one that makes sense on many levels. Chef Kabui has been studying and applying the power of food literacy, mindful eating and food justice in the struggle against oppression in general and specifically to people of African descent.

Chef Kabui has studied the disciplines of politics, anthropology and culinary arts and has designed a cuisine or rather an approach to food that is informed by the above experience and the indigenous knowledge that he gained from his Kenyan family’s history as sustainable farmers for generations. The combined experience and education resulted in the creation of a cuisine called Afro Futuristic Conscious Cuisine. It is a combination of the most sustainable practices in the growing, preparation of food with the goal of causing the least damage to the environment and maximizing the health benefits of the food. Those two conditions are necessary for a mindful community that ensures that justice thrives.

Chef Kabui has been pushing organic food and healthy eating based on his research and his own experience. The idea of healthy food and justice is not something that chef Kabui got into but was born in it. His family operated a farm and his father ran a restaurant in the capital city of Nairobi. Kabui grew up in the village with his mother where they grew almost all the food they consumed. It was at his family farm that he Kabui developed a love for fresh food and the art of consuming food following the natural cycles of seasons.

The collaboration aims to share the skills for healthy food to the Hex community and beyond. No community can survive without food and the Hex community is no different. The Hex Kitchen is another assembly point for the community to be nourished both physically and socially. While wealth is private, food is social and having a kitchen for the community to assemble is a great option for a community that is causing ripples across the world.

What to Expect

The Kitchen will have virtual classes, content on Youtube and other social media presence for a start. The goal is that the Kitchen will have a physical place that will have a kitchen in a farm that will grown food and have space that guest can visit. The farm will have a demonstration farm for the vegetables, fruits and herbs,

For the schedule of upcoming classes please visit our events section and find a class that is fit for your schedule.