Richard Kilgore

Have any more great Winter-time things to do with roasted vegetables?

I have never run into a tea that was "metallic, bitter, musty... smelled a little rusty and very faintly like raw egg. A little fishy, even, after the milk was added." But I am curious too, so I am bumping this up just in case anyone else has any ideas.

Thanks, tsure. I'll put the Jak-Sul Cha on the list. Can you say more about the diffference between buying green teas in the city and in the tea growing areas?

A friend may be going to Korea early this year and has offered to bring back some Korean tea and tea-things for me. Anyone know anything about Korean teas and have suggestions?

I found the Cardamon Cinnamon at a Central Market, but they only had the tea bags. I have brewed it three times for groups of people on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and some liked it a lot, some thought it okay and some liked it less. This was only done straight with no teas or tisanes added. I thought it was okay and consider it is a good option, but I want to try some other ideas in this topic, too.

This is my second brewing of Brodie's Scottish Teatime, a smoother blend than most breakfast blends, and one the people at British Emporium recommended as an afternoon tea. The first time I was not sure if I liked it or what I thought of it. Today I like it better. Just one more example of liking a tea more (or less) as you get to know it. Also brewed gongfu style one of the Oolong teas in my last shipment from jingtea.com. A Wuyi Seasonal Da Hong Pao. This is an inexpensive Da Hong Pao, but certainly a good one for every day drinking. 15" rinse, 30 " rest, 1: 20", 2: 15", 3: 20", 4: 30", 5: 45", 6: 60", 7:90". The leaves had more infusions left, but I ran out of time.

That's a good combination...and a practical one for someone who may or may not understand knives well enough yet to take care of it. You will not shed any tears if your nephew or a room mate decide to use it as a pry bar...or let it rust in a sink...or crash around in a drawer. But it should provide good service for years if all goes well.

I think that's a pretty strongly flavored tea, isn't it Richard? Did you get it at CC? I'm running out of what I bought there on my first trip and need more. Anyway, I just made a pot of Ceylon Sultane. ← Yes, Jeff, Irish Breakfast is hearty, but it was given to me and I am not sure where it came from. Not sure if TCC has an Irish Breakfast, but they have a good English Breakfast you may like - similar to the Irish Breakfast blends, but with a hint of smoke. You may also want to try an Earl Grey for a strong flavor - they have several.

I agree with Janet - Dutch ovens are not made for roasting. My comment above was meant for braising with a Dutch oven.

I think I learned this from one of Olney's books, though I am sure others have also written and said it, but it is best to have as little space around the roast as possible. So in the best of all worlds you could match the size and shape of the pot to the size and shape of the piece of meat. Most of us, however, do not live in that world and somehow get by.

Thanks, Sam and Chris. From what you say, I see no great reason not to get a used one, as long as it has been taken care of and not abused. Not that a new one would be a bad deal, of course.

That's a great question, Joanne. And one I am still learning about. I have not run across any standards for those three aspects of tea appreciation. I think it is similar to wine in that it is largely a matter of what your associations are to the aroma and taste of a tea. For example, I was sharing a cooked Pu-erh that had been fermented in a tangerine. My strongest association was "leather", then "straw"; my friend's was "hay". Others sometimes identify "tobacco". Whether or not a particular aroma or taste is "good" at least partly depends upon whether the association is a positive one for you. Some people, like me, may have a positive response to associations to horses and barns, but others may well go, "eeewww!" I have also learned that my sense of smell and taste is trainable. I have learned a lot from others at the monthly T-Bar meetings at The Cultured Cup. An Oolong that I could easily enough identify as vaguely floral snapped into focus when another person said it smelled like honeysuckle. Then it was obvious. As for color, I think it is largely a matter of using common color descriptors. I know of no tea liquor color chart, but something like that would be interesting and useful, since the liquor of many teas are often described as "amber" no matter what they look like. Can anyone else shed more light on all this?

Later yesterday - a bamboo pu-erh from norbuyea.com.

How do you mean, Joanne?

I continue to do French Press, but am revisiting the idea of going to expresso. Has anyone had experience with the redesigned Silvia? What did they change and how much difference does it make? Also, how have the originals held up over the years? What kind of maintenance is required and can you do it all yourself? Is buying a used Silvia worthwhile? Can you upgrade an old machine to the redesign standard? Would appeciate your experiences.

Drinking an Irish Breakfast today so far. What tea is everyone else drinking today?

This evening a Chinese green tea from The Cultured Cup: Mao Jian "Hair Needle Tea" from the Henan Province. Brewed Western style - 2 grams to 8 ounces water. Two infusions (1: 1'45"; 2: 2'15"). I enjoyed the second infusion more, and this one should go at least one more infusion. (I think the first infusion may have been better at 1'45" or 2', but the second infusion was smoother anyway.) Very pleasant mild vegetal flavor with no astringency. This is one of the best Chinese green teas I have tasted. But I have a few unopened ones yet to try.

The chestnut aroma and taste of the shan lin xi sounds interesting, Joanne. Did you brew it gongfu or western style? How many infusions do you get from it and do they change much? First for me today is MF French Breakfast that I picked up from The Cultured Cup yesterday. This is the best commercial breakfast blend I have had. (One of the personal blends Kyle created for me may - just may - be better, but it is also more expensive.) I was able to get three good infusions out of it, and usually most black tea blends only give one or two. So what tea are you all drinking today?

Thanks, Andie. Sounds like a practical and flexible idea. Since reading this I have been trying to track down this RoT Cardamon Cinnamon locally. No luck at a couple of places, including Whole Foods, but I'll try Central Market next.

Here are some brief notes on the October, November and December T-Bar Club meetings at The Cultured Cup (TCC). October 3, 2008 - TCC co-owner Kyle Stewart conducted a Chinese Tea Ceremony for us. Four acted as participants and the rest observed as Kyle showed us the ceremony as he has adapted it for teaching demonstartions in schools and museums. He provide a fine example of a Great Red Robe Oolong for the ceremony and all attendees sampled the tea after the ceremony. November 7, 2008 - I did a presentation on Chinese Yxing Teapots, covering their history, various production methods, buying them while avoiding fakes, seasoning methods and brewing in them both western and gongfu style. Several examples of Yixing pots were displayed and another member brought the Yixing pot she had made on a tea tour of China last year. Kyle and I provided a blind tasting for the group, comparing a first and second infusion of a Phoenix Mountain Oolong using a glass Mono Pot and a well-seasoned Yixing tea pot. The general consensus was that the Yixing provided a somewhat deeper, smoother tea liquor and was prefered by the group. December 5, 2008 - Darjeeling Tasting and Pot Luck Steve Jones provided a tasting of seven Darjeelings he had sourced from India, accompanied by the following Pot Luck Dinner. Appetizer: Cheese Plate, provided by Patsy Kahn Salad: Greens with Clementine Orange Slices & Walnuts with a Balsamic or Mustard Vinaigrette, prepared by Patrick Deupree Main Course: Chicken with Couscous Steeped in Mariage Frères Routes du Temps, prepared by Kelley Carr Main Course: Mushroom Casserole, prepared by Greg Duke for Kyle Stewart & Phil Krampetz Main Course: Cassoulet, prepared by Greg Duke for Kyle Stewart & Phil Krampetz Bread: French Baguette Bread w/ French Butter, provided by Kyle Stewart & Phil Krampetz Dessert: Apple Tarts, from Main Street Bakery, provided by Richard Kilgore

(In the interests of full disclosure, I should note that I have known Greg for two or three years. I originally met him at a presentation he did for The Cultured Cup's T-Bar Club of his travels in the tea regions of China, including Tibet. I have no financial interest in Norbutea.com.) [Edit: criteria changed to five or more substantive posts.] ← The five members of the eGullet Society who signed up for the free samples for the tasting and discussion are --- baroness jpr54_ jsmeeker chrisamirault naftal I am jammed up tomorrow, so these will go out on Thursday. Chris posted about his expectations for the tasting. Anyone else? ← For a variety of reasons I have not gotten these out yet, so given the pressure of the holidays I will wait and ship them later in the month and we can pick up the discussion in 2009.

Thanks everyone. I knew there would be some eGullet Society members who knew something about cooking kangaroo. All there methods mentioned sound good to me. I am curious, so I'll check with Central Market here and see if they can source it.

What are currently the best sources for tamales across the North Texas area? I used to get mine for the holidays from a woman who made them for some of the best Ft. Worth restaurants, but she is no longer making them.

I've had good results doing just this. ← So how long is it good in the fridge and how long in the freezer?

Anyone have a good recipe for making a holiday spiced tea?