An Attempt at Fermenting Tea/Making Puerh

It's been a month since my last post, and since I can't seem to get the motivation to work today (a combination of being tired, a headache, and a long day), writing seemed like a good idea. 

Anyway, in short, here's what I did; I know it's probably a long shot compared to real puerh tea processing, but I thought it was interesting. I got the idea after leaving tea leaves out for a few days because I had a short drinking session.

First, I put a tea base– Nepal First Flush Oolong from What-Cha– into a gaiwan and added cold water. I let it sit for near an hour, so the leaves soaked up the water, and then drained it.

Next, I placed the gaiwan containing the leaves by a drafty window, where they would get sunlight and air to dry off. For the first day, I turned the leaves every few hours, and then for the second day, I left it alone for the most part.

I ended up leaving the gaiwan by the windowsill 3-4 days, until the leaves were completely dried. After, I simply left the gaiwan with the dried tea leaves in my room for a week. Something interesting to note was that the leaves became more darker/brown; while some were still greenish-white, many more were brownish (and when brewing, all of them were brown compared to the original's dark green & brown color). 

So, now, here I am– drinking the tea at half-past 9 PM. To brew, I did a tea wash first with boiling water (because I'm scared of dangerous window bacteria!), and then did each brew after for 10-30 seconds. 

Surprisingly, the results were pretty tasty. Compared to the original tea base, the flavor of this tea was much more mellow. Like any other puerh (shengs, mainly), the first brews were a bit metallic with a roasty, coffee-like flavor; it wasn't fishy or composty, however. It had a bit of fruitiness like the tea base, but it was less sour/biting. The color, too, was a darker, orange-yellow compared to the bright yellow of the original. As for the aroma, it definitely had that fermented smell you can find in puerhs, with a fruity, vinegar scent. 

It got even better as time went on, losing that metallic flavor for a sweeter, melon-like taste with a little bit of chocolate. However, it did have a slightly bitter aftertaste. I also got that feeling in my throat– a bit dry, like you have something stuck– that you also have with some other fermented teas.

Overall, it was a pretty interesting experience. I'd like to test it out with other teas since I've only really tried it with this Nepal oolong, and also see how it tastes when aged for a long period of time. Try it out sometime!

The Paradox of American History and Why It's Important

Just a note: this has nothing to do with tea, but I thought it would be good writing practice and a way to put my thoughts into words, which is admittedly a skill I need to really work on. Again, like most of my writing, this hasn't been proofread so don't hold it against me.

First, let me preface this with the fact that this whole passage is from the perspective of a high schooler, and at this point in my life, I don't really have the experiences to back it up. However, these ideas come from my own interest in the history of the United States and experience being a first generation American.

This year, I took AP United States History: a class with a varied reputation, from being extremely easy to almost impossible. Keep in mind, I go to an upper-middle class, suburban high school, so for most, the grade– the venerable A– is the main thing that matters. For my grade, or the Class of 2017, this seems to be the prevalent way of thinking, creating an environment of competition based solely on test scores and performance.

Personally, I believe that this mentality isn't necessarily conducive to success. Sure, it might get the grade and the 5 on the AP exam, but it can come at a cost; because of the class and a few bad test scores, I've seen some of the smartest students I know begin to doubt their ability and lose interest in the subject. This isn't restricted to only APUSH, but I'm using it as an example because this is where I've seen it the most due to the difficulty.

I know that it might not be my place to criticize other people's mentalities since I'm not them nor am I doing badly in the class. However, I believe that my own success in the class comes from a passion for the subject and a strong belief that failure is okay and working harder is the best solution to problems. That's why I wrote a 100 page study guide for my class and have spent a ridiculous amount of time studying for the class.

Now, what does this have to do with history? Well, here's what I think: America was founded in part based on the ideas of rugged individualism and social mobility. The existence of free land, especially in the West, and the ability for all to exchange their current position in society for a better one has been at the basis of American motivations in expansion, competition, and more– as seen in Manifest Destiny, Social Darwinism, and all in all the American Dream.

As a result, Americans have an optimism and work ethic usually not found in other nations as a whole. Since the 1780's to now, there has been a belief that life sucks now, but that's okay– it will get better later if I just work a bit harder. Such optimism has been shared by all Americans; it motivated African Americans to move north in the Great Migration, farmers west during the Dust Bowl, and immigrants to the east since the 1840s. It's also why my parents moved here from Philippines, in order to obtain the economic opportunities not found abroad.

However, there's an issue: time has shown that the American Dream doesn't actually exist; especially after the Frontier closed in 1890, it's become obvious that the idea that you, too, can become rich by working hard is only true for a small minority– that minority being wealthy, male Caucasians. For the Chinese, getting rich from the Gold Rush or obtaining a job in America was no longer a reality after anti-Chinese riots in the 1880s and the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. For African Americans, freedom meant nothing when the institution of Jim Crow and racism prevented integration and equality. For women, it took close to 80 years to gain the vote– and even then, they were only given suffrage based on the sexist ideal of separate spheres. Time, and time again, the American Dream only proves true for a minority composed of the majority.

Despite this, there is still a thriving belief in the American Dream, especially by the minorities that America has discriminated against for so long. The optimism is based on a false hope, and many even realize that it's false. But that doesn't stop them; they try anyways, in an attempt to prove the system wrong. They fight for a lost cause which time has proved is truly lost. They try to break the cycle of history, and for the smallest group of people, it works, which motivates the rest to continue the fight.

I'm sure many know that it's true, and that continuing to fight is counterintuitive. Nevertheless, here's the thing: the smallest effort can make all the difference. I know that as a minority, the system isn't designed so that I succeed. It's designed to stop me.

But I don't let it stop me. Nor has it stopped others. It all falls back on the idea that if we work just a little bit harder, it can get better. Change occurs as the result of many individuals working together to achieve just a tiny difference, and success occurs when an individual realizes that he or she can make that difference through a belief in their own ability.

That's why I like American history so much. It's founded on a contradictory hope. I know that I'll probably end like the masses of Americans forced into subservience by an oppressive society. But maybe, just maybe, if I work hard enough, I can break free and prevent history from repeating. I'm not the only one.

Recipe: Strawberry Iced Tea Syrup

It's been a while since my last post! The reason why is because of finals last week, and AP exams this week. I'll post more when I get a chance, but it looks like I'll be busy for just a bit longer. Anyway, this recipe is one I adapted from Foodwishes– it's a strawberry-tea syrup you can use in drinks, since Summer is on its way. I tried it yesterday, and it actually tastes pretty good as a soda or juice.

Ingredients:

Ripe strawberries, 3 lb

Honey, 1/2 cup – you want a light tasting honey for this; I've made it with stronger tasting honey and it overpowers the strawberry flavor a little bit

Water, 3 cups

Tea, 5 grams – your call what kind of tea (I'd suggest green or black); experiment with the ratio of water to tea and brewing parameters to get the best flavor

Instructions:

1. Rinse your strawberries with cold water.

2. Hull and chop the strawberries into 1/4ths (depending on the size, you might want smaller pieces).

3. Heat the water, and brew the tea. Remove the leaves by straining and let cool.

4. Once the liquid is cooled, add the strawberries. Bring the water to a boil.

5. Stir once, and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

6. Strain out the strawberry pulp (you can do this by pouring the liquid into a strainer with a new pot underneath). 

7. Add the honey to the liquid. There are two ways to do this: either pour the honey straight into the pot (might need to microwave it to make it easier) or add some liquid to the honey, stir it together, and pour it into the main pot.

8. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and heat for 5 minutes.

9. Take it off of the heat and let sit for 15-30 minutes (or until cold).

10. Pour the liquid into a container/bottle (optional: strain again to get rid of any other material).

11. Serve by mixing together with water and ice in a 1:3 ratio. To make fizzy, just add sparkling water or club soda. 

Recipe: Royal Milk Tea

If you don't know what Royal Milk Tea is, it's pretty much the Japanese version of milk tea. Most recipes call for a mix of two types of black teas– usually from Ceylon, Assam, or Sri Lanka– with quite a bit of sugar and milk. It's like chai without the spices. Experiment to your liking!

Ingredients:
Black tea, 7.5 g - I'm using a 3:2 mix of Sri Lankan black tea to Azores black tea.
Sugar, 70g - White sugar here, I'd imagine you can also use honey or brown sugar (but in the case of honey, it would be harder to control sweetness
Milk, 750 ml - Any type is OK
Water, 250 ml - Go for a 1:3 ratio with the milk; it's milk tea, so you want more milk than water

Instructions:
1. Boil your water in a large saucepan and brew the tea for about 5 minutes.
2. Add your milk to the tea until it boils. Stir constantly.
3. Like with chai, let the mixture boil up and take it off the heat. Once the bubbles fall back down, place it back on the heat. You want to do this about 3-5 times (look at the color of the tea to decide strength) while stirring.
4. In a heatproof container, pour in the tea (you might want to let it cool down first) and strain off the leaves.
5. Add your sugar and stir it in to dissolve.
6. Chill and serve cold.

Recipe: London Fog French Toast

First day of spring break! Not really feeling up to reviewing a tea today, so here's what I made for breakfast. Pretty easy recipe overall, and it can easily be adjusted if it's too sweet or not sweet enough, cooked too much or not enough, and so on.

Ingredients:

Earl Grey Black Tea, 1 teabag or 3g of loose leaf - I used Trader Joe's brand tea bags

Honey, 1.5 tablespoons - Local wildflower honey here

Milk, 0.5 cups - Doesn't really matter what type, I used 2%

Bread, 5-6 pieces - Same as the milk, white or whole grain, doesn't matter

Salt, 1 pinch - Sea salt

Vanilla Extract, 0.5 teaspoons
Eggs, 2

Butter, 1 stick - Can be replaced with oil

Makes 5 pieces of french toast; recipe is adapted from Alton Brown's french toast

Instructions:

1. Microwave/heat your milk to boiling before it boils over. Add your tea and let it brew for 5 minutes.

2. Remove the tea by straining or throwing away the tea bag. Add the vanilla extract and honey.

3. Whisk in 2 eggs, one at a time. 

4. Pour the mixture into a bowl or a container that will allow you to cover the bread.

5. Take a slice of bread, and cover both sides by dipping it in the mixture. Let it sit on each side for about 30 seconds so it absorbs the liquid. Place on a wire rack and let sit for about 10-15 minutes. Repeat for all of the slices.

6. Once the bread has rested for a while, heat a pan. Cover the surface of the pan in butter so the bread won't stick.

7. Brown both sides of each slice of bread. Return to the wire rack.

8. Preheat oven to 375°F. 

9. Place the wire rack/bread into the oven for 5-10 minutes.

10. Serve warm, adding syrup/fruit/cream to taste.

 

Recipe: Homemade C2 Green Tea (Apple)

Two posts today since I missed last weeks' review. This is kind of a very simple drink recipe, but hell, it tastes like the actual drink so I thought I'd post it.

If you're Filipino, or have been in a Filipino supermarket, you've probably seen or tasted this drink. Essentially, it's a fruit flavored drink with tea with flavors like apple or peach; however, it's deathly sweet and has a metric butt-ton of sugar (probably because it'd be hard to sell in the Philippines if it wasn't; when I was over there, soda is very popular– even moreso than here in America). Anyway, since I love apple, I used to drink a ton of it, but now it tastes way too sweet. I actually figured out this recipe by accident though, and was surprised at how similar it tastes.

It's very simple: all you need is apple juice, green tea (I've been using the Ta Jin Xuan green tea), sugar, and salt.
1. Brew your green tea to a relatively strong strength without making it bitter. I found that brewing 5 grams with 80°C water for 30 seconds to a minute works pretty well, but try experimenting since all tea differs.
2. Add your apple juice to the tea in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio (more apple juice than tea, to get a similar sweetness and apple flavor to actual C2).
3. Add sugar to taste, and (if you prefer) a very small pinch of salt.
4. Chill the drink, and serve when cold.

It's pretty good, and the only issue I've found is that it can be a bit sour if there's not enough apple juice, so adding sugar would fix that.

Recipe: Homemade (Tea Flavored) Yogurt; No maker required!

Another recipe! I've been using/doing this technique for a long time now, but only today did I try using flavoring– caramel apple herbal tea. From what I've seen so far during prep, it's worked well, but I won't be able to taste it until tomorrow morning. If you really want to be safe, just skip the flavoring step. This is my own personal recipe, but feel free to change it– it's very forgiving and there are many variations online.

Ingredients/Materials: Flavoring (herbs, tea, etc.), milk (any type; some prefer whole, but I use 2%), yogurt (to use as a starter), container that can be sealed, large pot, strainer, whisk, towel

1. Clean all materials, using soap and hot/boiling water.

2. Obtain yogurt with live cultures, preferably unflavored. I've been using some organic L. Bulgaricus/Bulgarian yogurt as my starter. Measure out your milk using your container; don't be scared, fill that sucker up to the top.

3. Pour the milk into your pot. Turn the heat to medium or medium-high. Add your flavorings; today I used two teabags.

4. Stir constantly to prevent the milk from burning. Heat until the milk boils and bubbles. Quickly remove the pot from the heat the moment the milk bubbles/froths to the top, and place to the side, all the while stirring.

5. Set up an ice bath and place the pot inside. Continue to stir occasionally, until the milk reaches room temperature.

6. Place a few tablespoons (I use anywhere from 2-5, depending on the size of the container) of starter yogurt into your container. Add the milk, straining off whatever you used to flavor (and possibly burnt milk or curds). If you like thicker yogurt, add powdered milk or gelatin. Personally, I don't do this, so I don't know how much to use.

7. Whisk the milk and starter yogurt together and seal the container.

8. Find a warm, dark place to ferment the yogurt. I use an oven that I turn on to 170 degrees, turn off, and then leave on the light to maintain temperature.

9. Cover the yogurt using a towel so that light doesn't reach it. Let sit for 8-10 hours.

10. At this point, the whey and yogurt should have separated. If you'd like, pour off the whey or strain it off using a coffee filter. Your yogurt is ready! Enjoy!

It's a quick recipe that lets a small jar of yogurt last for a really long time, and is fun to experiment with. 

What's Going On? (Life? Update) 12/7/15

Oh, hey there! It's been a long time. This is going to be a short update since I am super busy this week, but I  just wanted to let you guys what's been happening since I got a ton of tea this Black Friday. I'll try to keep my personal stuff out of it this time because I have a lot to catch up on, so here are some reviews to expect (for real now, since winter break is coming up and I'll have quite a bit of extra time):

Teas:
Crimson Lotus Tea- Planet Jingmai, 2015 Spring "Gu Ming Xiang Bing" Yiwu-Bulang Blend
[So, I've begun my foray into Pu'erh with Planet Jingmai. After trying one ball- I've bought multiple- I actually enjoy sheng pu'erh quite a bit and I'll be sure to get more when I have the money]
Tea Ave- Rose Oolong, Wenshan Baochong Oolong, Oriental Beauty, Jasmine Oolong
[Just bought the Rose Oolong again since I enjoyed it quite a bit, not sure if I'll do another review on it]
What Cha- Azores Pekoe Black, Ceylon Moragalla Oolong, Nepal First Flush Oolong, Vietnam 'Ta Jin Xuan' Green, Australia Sencha Green, Taiwan 'Jin Xuan' Milk Oolong, Thailand Sticky Rice 'Khao Hom' Oolong, China Fujian Jasmine 'Phoenix Eye' Green, Thailand Four Seasons Oolong, Vietnam 'Dragon Cloud' Green, India Nilgiri 'Hari Ghatta' Oolong
[Now this is quite a bit of tea. What-Cha is one of my favorite vendors since their tea is super cheap and Alistair, the owner, is really nice. I got all of this during their Black Friday sale]

I also got a new gaiwan and scale, so there's that. Now I can't promise that I'll be able to review every single one- a lot of these teas are in small sample bags, and I like to focus on just drinking- but I'll try to do as many I can.

Anyway, expect those reviews coming up and a full update on how my life is soon- hint: it's going alright.

See you guys then, and sorry for not posting that often!

What's Going On? (Life Update) 8/2/15

I know I've been posting these too often lately but I really want to do something meaningful before summer ends- especially since I've been a hermit and done jack all this summer and everyone I know has gone somewhere on vacation, volunteered places, hung out with friends, got jobs, internships, whatever. I want to do something that makes me feel like I haven't wasted all this time, and August is going to be the time I do it. And so, I dub this month the "Really Get Shit Done" month and this update the "August Checklist" update. Welcome to Summer-land.

Anyway, stuff that's happened lately first. I had an interview for the sleep study, which went pretty well. They said I'm likely to continue in the study, and I got $30 in Amazon gift cards for participating so far. I'm going to get a call either tomorrow or Tuesday about staying in the study, so my fingers are crossed. The girlfriend also came back from Hawaii and I got her flowers, but both of us need to find free time before we hang out together (related, my sister came back last night and she's going to spend the month here). I also finished the SAT classes, with my last test grade being 2200 which was pretty great. Only 1 wrong on the math section, and over 700 on everything else. Other than that, not much because of the wrist and my own laziness (I did start the summer homework and am now 1/4th done).

Now that that's out of the way, here's my checklist for August, before school starts (in no particular order):

1. Finish all of the AP homework (English, History) and study for the tests
2. Practice piano (pieces I would like to learn, including this binder I got from my teacher full of songs)
3. Bike with my dad every other day; related- work out
4. Write more tea reviews and creative writing stuff
5. Hang out with friends
6. Practice SAT stuff using the books from class
7. Learn physics and maybe chem with the textbook and online videos (Khan Academy or UC Berkeley?); related- review Biology for the SAT subject test
8. Build the algae tank for the science fair or just prep for that
9. Do this project I've wanted to do for a long time (essentially, watch a movie every day/every other day for a full month and do a super quick review on it)
10. Email admin assistants at colleges about internships (thanks reddit!); related- email people about volunteer opportunities
11. Read books
12. Cook more since I haven't done too much of that lately
13. Other stuff that I can mention later

And that's it. It's a lot, but as long as I get at least a few done, I'll be happy. I do have two new life rules related to it (thanks to my British friend and also reddit), so here they are:

Everybody has the same amount of time. Everyone just chooses to do different things with it.

and

There is always more time.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully it all goes well!

Quick Update: 7/10/15

Alright, so here's a quick update of what's happened lately and what I'm planning to do soon.

I bought some stuff from Tea Ave (http://teaave.com/) and it came in the mail yesterday, and I am very pleased with what I got. It came from Vancouver to California in 2-3 days with free shipping, and inside the package was a free totebag, 4 free samples (3 loose leaf, 1 teabag), a letter, their business cards, and the tea and oolong competition tasting set I bought. First time buying from them, and I am very impressed.

As for the tea I got from them, I bought myself 25g of Jin Xuan oolong and 25g of Rose oolong, so expect reviews from those. The samples they gave me were Tie Kwan Yin oolong, Magnolia Oolong, and Oriental Beauty- as for these, I want to drink it and enjoy it without having to worry about writing a review each brew, BUT I might write a quick/very short review about them. I'm actually tempted to buy the larger packs of these oolongs from Tea Ave if I like them enough.

Now, the upcoming reviews are:
Tea Ave. Jin Xuan oolong/Rose oolong/Magnolia oolong*/Tie Kwan Yin oolong*/Oriental Beauty oolong*, Red Blossom Tea Co. Pi Lo Chun/Monkey Picked Tieguanyin,
assorted instant milk teas (like Twinings' The Rich Milk Tea and Owl teas),
and very possibly re-reviews of some Lupicia teas (since I've been drinking some of their loose leaf).
*possibly a short review or none at all

And finally, what's going on in my life. Woke up today to a nice surprise- a 5 on the AP Bio exam- so I'm pretty happy about that. Thanks to urging from my dad and girlfriend, I think I've decided that I'm going to self-teach myself AP physics (and possibly chem) from the textbooks and also take the AP exams, since I have the whole year to learn it. I'll have to work my ass off for that, but I guess it won't be too bad since I can retake the test. Secondly, I got most of the applications from the places near me, and I've turned in an app to Baskin Robbins, but I'm waiting for them to call back. So, for the next week or so, I'm just gonna be filling those out, editing my resume, and turning those in. Thirdly, I also took another SAT practice test. It wasn't as bad as the first time, and I actually think my essay was decent this time. I didn't finish one section, but oh well it's just a practice test for Princeton Review. And finally, California Extreme is coming up next week! I'm volunteering both days so I'm super excited, especially since The Megas are playing there (free play arcade games are awesome too). My friends might come, but I think they're going on their own since I have an early shift.

So, that's it! Thanks for reading.

Recipe: Avocado Baked Eggs with Garlic, Tomato, Lemon, Sea Salt, and Green Tea

So, thanks to my girlfriend, I've also decided to post some of my recipes on here (I'll try to include tea in them just to fit with the blog theme)! This, along with guacamole, is my go-to recipe for avocados.

Ingredients

Avocado (1 whole avocado)

Garlic (1-2 cloves)

Loose leaf green tea (1 tbsp of leaves)

Lemon (1 whole lemon)

Any oil (Spray or 1 tbsp) 

Tomato (1 whole tomato)

Egg (1-2 whole eggs)

Sea salt (Add to taste)

Pepper (Add to taste)

Water (2-3 tbsp)

How to prepare

Step 1: Cut your avocado (hass) in half and remove the pit. Scoop out some of the avocado to create a deeper well for the egg. You can either get rid of the excess avocado, place it in a separate ramekin, or stuff it into one of the avocado halves (if you're only using 1 egg). Preheat the oven to 350-400°F. 

Step 2: Place the avocados, with the flesh facing out, on a baking tray so they stand up & are balanced. Crack open an egg or 2 and pour them into each well. It should sit snug, but it's fine if it overflows- just get rid of the excess (it can get messy). Scrambled eggs work too!

Step 3: Cut a tomato into slices (size depends on preference, but I cut it 1/3" thick). I use roma tomatoes for this.  Place the slice on top of the avocado; it shouldn't be wider than the avocado.

Step 4: Chop or mince your garlic cloves. Evenly sprinkle/distribute it over the avocado.

Step 5: Heat your water if it isn't already warm, and brew your tea. Once the leaves are opened, evenly sprinkle them over the avocado. Personally, I like using a loose leaf green tea, like a sencha or Pi Lo Chun since the leaves are small and taste pretty good on their own. If your baking tray allows, pour the brewed tea onto it so it can evaporate and create an aroma (don't waste!).

Step 5: Cut your lemon, depending on how much juice you want. Squeeze/juice it over the avocados. I haven't tried this yet, but you can also try adding lemon zest, along with the juice, for flavor.

Step 6: Sea salt and pepper to taste. Quickly spray the tops of the avocados with oil (I use canola because I have it), or just drizzle (grapeseed or olive oil would work great too).

Step 7: Carefully place in oven, so as to not knock over the avocados or spill anything. Cook at 350-400°F for 20-30 minutes, depending on how well done you want your eggs.

Step 8: Serve! They're great as their own meal or as a side.

Note: you can pretty much do anything with this recipe- add spices, do steps 3-6 out of order, miss/add steps, whatever! It's pretty forgiving since it's so simple.

Alternate History 2: 1930s-1950s

Just another filler post to make up for the lack of posts lately. This is another alternate history scenario that I wrote for my girlfriend and her history project. Really nothing else to it (it was kind of rushed since I made it in like an hour, but I like it)

Late 1941: Japan invades Philippines instead of attacking Pearl Harbor first in the Pacific Theater. It ends terribly for the US, who lose 146,000 men to Japan’s 22,500. As a result, the US public doesn’t really want to fight the Japanese in fear of losing badly again. They do not declare war or send support due to this fear.

Early 1942: Instead of attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese decide to stage a land invasion during the Hawaiian Islands Campaign as part of their expansion in the Pacific. It takes place after the Philippines campaign. They believe that the US will not defend the islands as they believe the US is weak (Japanese imperialism/propaganda) and that they will not go to war over small islands like the Philippines. FDR sends an emergency task force (the National Guard) to stop the Japanese invasion force. The Japanese are defeated, and casualties are relatively equal on both sides. The US public refuses to go to war due to isolationism and fear of the Japanese, and the Japanese realize that the US will defend Hawaii and is not as weak as they think. They sign a non-aggression pact, and both governments cover up the attack.

Late 1942: The US public stays strictly isolationist. FDR sends support to Britain through different acts, including Lend-Lease. However, a German spy leaks to the American press that FDR had signed the Atlantic Charter and plans to go to war, despite the public's opinion on the war in Europe. The public is outraged, and FDR is eventually impeached (everyone fears that it might bring them to war with Germany, which is one of the strongest military powers of the time).

1943: Hopkins, FDR’s vice president, is not nearly as strong or has the same initiative as FDR. Aid to the British stops, and Britain eventually falls as Hitler invades. Soon, Hitler is able to conquer Russia, and thus all of Europe. Hitler, fearing the Jewish plutocracy in America (Zweites Buch), decides to invade with no declaration of war (essentially, German Pearl Harbor). Without any support from the allies, the US has to fight on its own.

1944: Hitler attacks the East Coast, and Japan takes advantage of this weakness (alliances are also a large factor). Japan attacks the West Coast, and the US surrenders. The US is split in half, with Japanese occupation in the west, and German in the east. The Axis powers control most of the world, either directly or through spheres of influence.

Pretty much, The Man in the High Castle happens after (one of my favorite novels by Phillip K. Dick).

Alternate History: 1930s-1960s

Well, I think it's time for some new posts, especially since it's been a while. Today's post isn't related with tea at all, but I thought it is an interesting scenario. It's for a new history project, which is essentially just a what-if video about a turning point in history. My topic is the Pacific Theatre.

This is what I'm thinking (if it isn't stated here, I either failed to mention it or history continued as normal):

Early-mid 1930's: The Manhattan Project scientists, namely Einstein and Fermi, reach the US by ship. Hitler, knowing the intelligence of these men, convinces the US to deport them and arrests them when they return to Europe. He plans to use them to create the atomic bomb, in preparation for war.

Late 30's: Hitler secretly launches the Munich Project using the best scientists in Europe to create an atomic bomb. Scientists who refuse to cooperate are executed or tortured. While this is happening, he signs a pact with the Soviets and launches his invasion of Poland. Japan is fighting the Soviets in China (Khalkhin Gol).

1940: After Poland, France is invaded by Germany and defeated. Hitler decides to only attack airfields and communication lines (the Blitz or bombing of cities never occurs). As a result, Germany is able to gain air superiority and win the Battle of Britain. Hitler launches Operation Sea Lion, and invades Britain. 

1941: German troops establish a beachhead and begin the blitzkrieg in Britain. The US (or FDR), due to their alliance with Britain, declares war against Germany and reluctantly sends troops to fight in Britain. With the Americans, Britain is able to stop the German advance. A stalemate occurs.

1942: The Munich Project is completed. Hitler, wanting to break the stalemate, decides to give the atomic bomb to the Japanese in order to force the US to surrender. The Japanese, with no official declaration of war, flies the bomb over the Pacific ocean and destroys Pearl Harbor and surrounding cities. Due to low amounts of public support for the war in Britain and fear of more nuclear destruction, the US surrenders to the Axis powers. They withdraw from Britain, and months later, Germany conquers Britain. Japan begins their own production of atomic weapons. Because the Allies are never able to focus their forces on any other fronts (Britain is too occupied with protecting themselves, the US surrendered/never really wanted to go to war), the Pacific Theater never officially happens. There are some skirmishes with Russia over border areas, but it never breaks out into full war due to a pact. Japan conquers most of East Asia and begins expanding westward. 

1943: Hitler begins his invasion of Russia from the west. Japan invades Russia from the southeast, from China (which had been fallen previously, due to no support from the Allies). Without support from the British or Americans, the Soviet Union surrenders within the year. Japan controls the Eastern half of Russia, and Germany controls the West. World War 2 is officially over.

1943-1950: The Axis begin world domination via spheres of influence or direct control. Germany controls all of Europe, most of the Americas, part of Africa, and the Western part of Russia. Japan controls almost all of Asia, from Australia to the Middle East, and the Eastern part of Russia. Italy controls only part of Africa.

1950s-1960s: Tensions rise between the two growing superpowers- Japan and Germany. This culminates in war for resources/territory in Russia. The German-Japanese War for Russia begins first with clandestine operations, then direct conflict within the country. The war ends with Russia's destruction- Japan attacks with their own atomic bomb, and Germany responds with a hydrogen bomb. Japan is unable to keep up in an atomic arms race with Germany, and surrenders before nuclear holocaust. A large portion of Russia is destroyed before Japan withdraws. Peace agreements are signed: Russia becomes fully controlled by Germany, and both sides agree to never use atomic weapons again after seeing the destruction that they can cause. Tensions stay high, but no conflict of that magnitude ever occurs again.

1960s+: Japan and Germany become world superpowers with very large spheres of influence; Germany in the west (Europe) and Japan in the east (Asia). Italy becomes a second rate power with only a small amount of territory in comparison. The Americas are shared between the two superpowers. The Cold War/Vietnam/Korea never happen on the scale that it did in real life, due to somewhat similar governments (fascism). However, proxy wars still occur.

And that's all I got! The project only asks for 20 years after the war, so there's that.