Richard Kilgore

Julia Hung is mentioned only in the Amazon page section "About the author".

Here's one image of my set up for making matcha. I'll post more later tonight in the Matcha topic.

So far today it's been a Keemun Hao Ya B from tea Source, followed by my now daily bowl of matcha - Organic Yame Matcha from yuuki-cha.com in a bold Shino style chawan made by Aki Shiratori, a Japanese-American ceramic artist, from The Cultured Cup.

I have been drinking the Mariage Freres Noel from TheCulturedCup.com, and wondered what holiday teas you all are drinking or giving as gifts. I was going to feature this tea in a Tea Tasting & Discussion, but it arrived too late from France. Too bad, because this blend is so well balanced among it's components: a Chinese black tea, orange zest, dried apple, vanilla and Cinnamon. In general I don't care for vanilla in a tea or tisane blend - not that I don't like vanilla, but too much of it in the blend would kill it for me. And I'm not that fond of flavored teas in general either, but this is really well done. So what do you all recommend? Anyone blending their own holiday tea this year?

In the middle of a gong fu cha brewing session of another interesting Oolong from norbutea.com: a Bai Yun (white Cloud) Oolong from Yunnan that was processed in the manner of Taiwanese Bai Hao (Orinetal Beauty). Greg gave some of this to me to try a few weeks ago. With long twisted dry leaves, it produces a beautiful amber tea liquor with citrus and floral notes. Greg does not mention it on the norbu site, but the aroma and to a lesser extent the flavor, has a spicy note. So what did I eat last? Tacos! So the spicy note may be in the tea or this may be the notorious "Taco Effect", so easily overlooked by tea tasters everywhere.

What type of green teas are you drinking, Berrysweeet? More of the aged (1999) ripe pu-erh from yunnansourcing.com today, followed by my now daily bowl of matcha (Organic Yame Matcha from yuuki-cha.com) in a new tea bowl. What next? Hmmmm. Just a heads up about the Tea Tasting & Discussions coming up in 2010. In addition to continuing the one tea tastings we have been doing this past year, I'll be organizing some very interesting comparative tastings featuring two or three teas each time. Greg at norbutea.com, Kyle at The Cultured Cup and Dan at Yuuki-cha.com have already expressed a good deal of excitement and enthusiasm for this new format. The first of these will come in early to mid-January 2010. If you subscribe to the Coffee & Tea Forum, you'll be among the first to know when I start a new topic for a Tea Tasting & Discussion.

It was an American Breakfast tea (all or mostly all an Assam I think) from TCC this morning. Sometime today I'll continue infusing the cup of Harry Crab Oolong from norbutea.com. So what's in your tea cup today?

A rather dull and boring tea day. Started the morning with the Mariage Freres Queen Victoria Darjeeling - second Flush from The Cultured Cup (TCC). Then headed to the 1717 restaurant at the Dallas Museum of Art for a tea talk by authors Bruce and Shelley Richardson with a creative tea pairing by Executive Chef Jason Ferraro featuring teas from The Cultured Cup. More on this soon. Then, seriously lacking an adequate amount of leaf coursing through my system, I made my daily bowl of matcha when I got home and am about to brew gong fu cha an aged ripe pu-erh.

Storage containers: someone here several years ago suggested this, and while I can't remember who, this has worked for me for over five years now. Restaurant supply houses carry inexpensive clear plastic deli containers of 4 - 5 sizes that all use the same size lid and are stackable.

Looks delicious! If you are interested in Paula Wolfert's work on Mediterranean food in general or clay pot cooking in particular, check out the topic on Cooking with Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking.

After discussing this with Dan and reviewing the info on this Matcha Iri Genmaicha on the yuuki-cha.com site, it is clear that 20 g will give you enough to brew it twice, so 20 g, rather than 10 g, will go out to each of you tomorrow: velveta cdh baroness Wholemeal crank LuckyGirl

There are Hispanic/Mexican restaurants, taquerias and taquerias in Mexican markets on Beltline at Josey, which is about 1 1/2 miles east of IH35W. These are all more Mexican than Tex-Mex. This is a great food intersection with two bahn mi shops, a Viet/Filipino market, a few pho shops, a Mexican market, a couple of Mexican restaurants, at least two taquerias, the only Columbian restaurant in the DFW area, a little Greek place, First Chinese BBQ.... There's a La Paloma a couple of miles further east, but I thought it was so-so.

That sounds delicious, hsimay. I have had Thurbo only once, last year.

Made matcha again today - and probably will almost daily in order to use up this tin from yuuki-cha.com while it is at its freshest. Now enjoying the Harry Crab Oolong that is featured in the current Tea Tasting & Discussion, Western style this time.

Enjoying the Ceylon Lumbini fromTea Source this morning. Yesterday I brewed the Organic Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme from yuuki-cha.com for five infusions in a Banko kyusu. Still very good, but the second infusion again was my least favorite - perhaps I need to shorten that infusion from 30 sec to 10 - 15.

Also check Costco and Sam's. I bought two at Sam's for less than $20 the pair about five years ago. Other than that, restaurant supply houses, as others have suggested.

Last night I did a second Da Hong Pao (Great Red Robe) that I got from The Cultured Cup at least a year ago. And I have continued with the same leaves today. It is the best DHP I have had, a bit expensive and I have been doing sessions with it months apart trying to make it last. It is noticeably richer, fruitier, honey-sweeter, smoother and the roast is not in your face. But then it costs at least twice the other one I drank yesterday, which is still a solid choice. Alas, only enough leaves left of this one for one. more. session.

Everyone who has asked for a free sample and who meets the criteria in the first post above will receive one. That's five and maybe six members. A fortuitous combination of the holiday spirit and enough leaf to go around.

Only one free sample remaining!

I have several what I am guessing are fuyu persimmons from a Korean maket. They are good eaten out of hand (tonight on a simple cheese and fruit plate). Any new suggestions, other than the above ones, for what to do with these or other persimmons?

Made matcha again today with good results. Now I am enjoying a Wuyi Seasonal Da Hong Pao Oolong from jingteashop.com. Brewed gong fu cha in a 1970s Zi Ni Yixing. This is the last of my package from 2008, so I need to look for more.

Two free samples available. PM me if you're interested.

Now that I have brewed this Hairy Crab twice gong fu style, I'll go in the opposite direction of LuckyGirl and Chris and try it with a western style ratio next.

Ended the day yesterday with the Mariage Freres Nil Rouge, a flavored herbal, from The Cultured Cup. Starting this day with a Queen Victoria Darjeeling - Second Flush, also from TCC.

While I like the concept, I'm not sure where in the DFW area this would work. With several Whole Foods and Central Markets and another smaller upscale chain spread all over the metroplex - plus the Dallas Framers' Market being open year round with many local farmers' markets open half the year or more - it would have to have many very, very special somethings to compete. We can already get great produce, bakery, pastry, meat, deli, cheese, seafood, chocolate, beer, wine, coffee and prepared take-out at Central Market and Whole Foods. In some of these categories there are better or same quality but different in stand-alone shops, but even if all of those few merchants opened a stall, I doubt it would divert people from their regular, more accessible shopping. It would get some tourist and foot traffic if located in a mall like the one in Chicago, as well as the occasional checking-it-out shopper, but would that sustain it? Nonetheless, I wish them well in Chicago with this project and would be glad to see it here.