Richard Kilgore

Let us know what you discover if you try tasting each of the infusions separately.

For me, growing up mostly in Texas was also an iced tea much more than a hot tea thing. I recall that in the early 1970s, using Constant Comment for iced tea was about as special as you could get. Sometime after that I began buying loose leaf teas at Whole Foods and its predecessors in Austin. Then about ten years ago began buying loose leaf fine teas from The Cultured Cup (TCC) in Dallas. But it was not until I joined the monthly T-Bar Club at TCC 2 or 3 years ago that I really started exploring and understanding the huge, diverse and complex world of tea. A tea pairing dinner co-sponsored by TCC with Chef-Owner Sharon Hage at The York Street Cafe was an electrifying experience.

Andie, when you say you use it in "beverages" do you mean something more than hot tea? ← Yes, I like to combine it with beef or chicken broth for a lower fat and lower salt hot beverage - pick-me-up. However, I also like it on its own. ← Thanks, andie. I'll have to try that. Broth combined with the LS smokiness sounds good.

One great thing about Oolong in the blend is that I got three good infusions and a fourth okay infusion out of this tea. That makes it not only tasty, but especially cost effective for a finer morning tea. The infusions were 3, 4, 6, 9 minutes.

The New York Times Sunday Magazine targeted Kangaroo as a solution to global warming in its Year in Ideas Issue. George Wilson of Australian Wildlife Services, in a paper published in June by the U.S.-based Society for Conservation Biology, wrote, “I began to speculate, What if we managed the kangaroo population up and the cattle population down?” So I was wondering if anyone has cooked Kangaroo at home or in a restaurant? The article describes it as gamy in taste". What's the best way to cook it?

We're on the edge of our seats (laptops, whatever) -- what did you end up getting, or have you decided?

Andie, when you say you use it in "beverages" do you mean something more than hot tea?

Today I am drinking a Mariage Freres tea from The Cultured Cup: 1854, named after the founding of the company. It is similar to Earl Gray, or perhaps closer to a Lady Gray, but with Oolong in the blend. I like it better than traditional Earl Grays and usually drink it without milk.

What type of Oolong is that, Joanne?

I don't have a long personal history with LS, but I recently got some in loose leaf from TenRen and it seems pretty robust to me -- to the point that I had to brew it a few times to tame it. I would like to try LS from a couple of other sources to get a sense of different levels of quality. So I'll be interested to hear about other's experiences.

What are you all drinking today? For me it's a Chinese red tea: a Dian Hong Imperiale from Norbutea.com. Brewed western style, but in a 300 ml Yixing teapot. Have had 6 infusions using about 240 - 250 ml water for each infusion, with 3.7 grams of leaf. This is my favorite red tea so far.

Thanks, Ruth, I hovered over the word when writing, but did not stop to look it up. Percolators are still around, at least at most stores that carry outdoor cooking equipment. And, surprise, here are a zillion percolators in an Amazon search.

Yes, eggshell and salt used to be a common thing for campfire coffee perculators. Of course these days some people rough it with drip machines, French press pots and a version of "stove top espresso makers", but there are still folks out there with perculators who use the eggshell and salt method. It's been so long since I have had coffee made that way that I have no way to compare.

Irish Breakfast this morning again. Now drinking the Tie Guan Yin Oolong from jingteashop.com I mentioned about a month ago. Brewed gongfu style in a 50 ml gawain. 10 sec rinse; 1: 20"; 2: 25"; 3: 20"; 4: 25"; 5: 35"; and more to go. Mild, pleasant vegetale taste with sweetness emerging increasingly after the second infusion. My aroma-detector is still not working properly, so can't have much to say there....

The Rubbermaid or similar storage for your patio sounds like a practical alternative. Cookware is treated more harshly while earning its keep, so I doubt it would even notice it was Winter. If it's something that is prone to rust, you may need to do something extra to protect it, but I have kept well seasoned cast iron Dutch ovens in patio storage with little problem. Looks like you can get a lot more on that closet wall storage, unless weight is an issue. Lots of white space showing between and around things. White space is an important design element, but you could just close your eyes -- or at least squint a bit -- when you open the closet door. Or turn your head and feel around with your hands for whatever you need. A few questions, Janet: on the top shelf, are those two black things more coffee makers? If so do you use them, and how often? Can you lose the old printer? I think Chris H is on the right track. At some point you may need to get really ruthless with yourself. As a culinary hoarder, I know whereof I speak.

Sometimes the terms are flexible. You can just do it, but may find out it's actually okay if you ask and fix it when you leave. Especially if you have been there more than a year.

This is quite a challenge, Janet! Lots of thoughtful ideas so far. From past experience, I have a few suggestions, which may or may not appeal to you or work here. First, is there no wall space at all above your knife block on the end wall? I can't tell from the pic. Second, what about the wall above the cabinets. Is there any way to mount something like an Enclume bar rack and hang pots and pans? Third, I agree in general with the idea of thinking outside the kitchen area proper for storing things you do not use daily. Beyond the living areas, I have put storage in a garage and in an exterior patio closet for much less frequently used items. Fourth, the wall on the other side of the bath tub, facing the kitchen, could accomodate a low, shallow shelf (such as your bookcase) with a wall-mounted grid above. I have used grids for hanging pots and pans and kitchen tools. Alternatively, narrower grids on one or both walls opposite (on both sides of the entrance to the kitchen) would semi-hide them from the living areas. Fifth, what about the W & D closet and the Planning Desk area opposite it. This is a radical solution, but when strapped for space, I have used the W&D space for metro shelving/cart and wall grids. And what about the Planning Desk area, including the walls? I'll be interested to see what solutions you eventually settle on.

Reprieve late with a "2007 Winter Feng Huang WuDong - Old Bush DanCong Huang Jing" from Hou De. Brewed GongFu style in a gaiwan of about 120 ml. Rinse of 10 sec, followed by a 20 sec first infusion. A lovely floral aroma and floral, honey taste with a linger after-taste. The floral quality is close to honeysuckle. I am going to sip on several infusions yet tonight.

Have a cold today and not wanting to waste really fine tea on my defective sensory organs, I have been alternating between English and Irish Tea blends.

Today I dropped by The Cultured Cup and had two teas I had not tried before. One was the MF French Breakfast Tea, which I liked better than the good English and Irish Breakfast teas I have tried. The second one is an Organic Ceylon tea that they got in a couple of weeks ago. Very nice. Organic does not always mean delicious, but in this case I liked it better than other good Ceylons they have introduced me to.

Hello-Regarding the tea cup you got from the asian grocery:1) I have a gaiwan of the same 2)Did you know that the thinner parts were created when rice grains, placed around the cup, were burned off during firing? ← Interesting. I knew that rice grains were used, but not much in detail about how the effect is created.

I have had a conversation or two recently with others who are trying to conserve on energy useage and expenses. One person thought that small appliances like toaster ovens, popcorn air poppers, coffee roasters and water boilers use a significant amount of energy and their use should be reduced or eliminated in favor of using a microwave oven. This surprised me. I have assumed that using a 1500 watt water boiler for drinking tea all day long, for example, would have a negligible impact on useage and an energy bill over a month period. Does anyone know anything about this or how to figure out how much it costs to use such small appliances?

As a flyfisher and bird hunter I have some interest in these issues since they frequently come up in the philosophical, ethical and practical writing and discussions of those who fish and hunt. Can you tell us what are the brutal things that happen to the fish?

Wow! Even half the price of mine! If I was getting one again, I might go for that one.

(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?