What Tea Are You Drinking Today? (Part 1)

[Richard Kilgore]

Yesterday that was a 2001 Menhai 8592, not a 7542, and I continued brewing it after it rested overnight. Exceptional aged shu.

This evening it is the hojicha from The Cultured Cup featured in a Tasting & Discussion a few months ago in this forum. Easy to brew and tasty.

[Wholemeal Crank]

and an unexpected Afgani tea.

Just now noticed this line.

Grown in Afghanistan, or 'Afgani-style'?

Do tell more!

[CKatCook]

I am almost embarrassed to admit, I am drinking some pumpkin spice from adiago that I ordered a long time back. I am trying to use it up, it was too late to return it when I decided to crack it open and discovered it doesn't taste like pumpkin spice. I bought 8 oz. of that and the gingerbread spice and they both taste the same! But I don't want it to go to waste...so bad tea for me today

[Wholemeal Crank]

If it makes you and your tastebuds happy, it's not a bad tea!

[CKatCook]

NO, this stuff is not good tea.

But I am back home now and I am hitting the teavana gingerbread spice. *this* is good tea!

[Wholemeal Crank]

Now drinking some Yunnan Gold black tea from Rishi. Mmmm. I overdid the leaf to water ratio and the first cups from the thermos were too strong, but it has mellowed during the afternoon--doubtless there is a lot of tannin staining the sides of the thermos now, that are no longer contributing harshness or bitterness.

[Richard Kilgore]

Earlier the Okayati Estate Darjeeling 1st Flush in the current Tea Tasting & Discussion. Then a wonderful tea and cheese pairing at The Cultured Cup tonight. An eye opening, taste bud titillating experience. I'll write more about this in another topic.

[CKatCook]

Good Morning!

I am out shopping today. So will be taking with me pistacho apple pie from teavana.

[Richard Kilgore]

Started out with the Assam Panitola Estate whole leaf that baroness wrote about in a recent Tea Tasting & Discussion. Yikes! I'm almost out and I forgot to add it to my Tea Source order this week.

I'll be brewing gyokuro today and tomorrow and back to posting about my Adventures in Gyokuro Brewing in the Japanese Green Tea topic.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Enjoying yellow sweet tea from vitaltleaf.com, gongfu style with gaiwan.

[Wholemeal Crank]

pistacho apple pie from teavana.

I went shopping this evening, and discovered a new teavana store in my local mall. Would have just walked by if not for this discussion. Lots of different teas, but not clear what grade of which ones.

Are the teas you're discussing here herbal or flavored black or green teas?

[Richard Kilgore]

Brewed gong fu style an "Imperial Puerh" from The Cultured Cup. They tell me this loose Pu is from the early 1990s. Easy to drink, with a camphor note. I'll post more in the Pu-erh topic after brewing it a couple of times again, western style as well as gong fu cha.

Later in the day back to gyokuro: an Organic Gyokuro Karigane from kuuki-cha.com. Sweet and easy to brew. More soon in the

Japanese Green Tea topic.

[Richard Kilgore]

Started out the day with a Ceylon Lumbini Estate, FBOP from Tea Source. A smooth one indeed.

So, what teas are you all drinking today?

[CKatCook]

pistacho apple pie from teavana.

I went shopping this evening, and discovered a new teavana store in my local mall. Would have just walked by if not for this discussion. Lots of different teas, but not clear what grade of which ones.

Are the teas you're discussing here herbal or flavored black or green teas?

t

They are the flavored Rooibos, and flavored green. And they are delish, taste like they smell and you typically get two good steeps out of the leaves.

[CKatCook]

Good evening! Today it was Stash's double spice chai at work. Now that I am at home I am thinking Vanilla Bourbon Rooibos, republic of tea.

[Richard Kilgore]

Now it's a 'Sencha Select" from Shizuoka, Japan. I got this last week after the Tea & Cheese pairing at The Cultured Cup. They recommended brewing a teaspoon of leaf in 155 F water for 1 minute, amount of water not specified, but they usually mean 6 - 8 ounces. I chose 6 ounces, weighed a heaping teaspoon at 2.5 g and brewed it in a ceramic cup with an infuser basket. At the time Kyle described this as a "light sencha". I agree and would not brew it any more dilute than I did. Medium-light body, no bitterness, only the slightest hint of astringency, a little vegetal and a little umami. Brewed the second infusion for 40 sec, and preferred it over the first - a little richer. I'll brew this again in a kyusu and see what differences there may be.

[nakji]

I picked up a more traditional Oolong in Shanghai over the weekend - not a Tie Guan Yin, but a more traditional darker-style. A good all-round tea for serving with meals, I think.

[Richard Kilgore]

More gyokuro today, followed by a 1999 shu.

So what teas are you all sipping today?

[Wholemeal Crank]

Brought a package of the 2009 Spring Diamond Tie Guan Yin with me on my trip, drinking it daily. Will be ready for a change of pace when I get back home.

[Richard Kilgore]

Yesterday it was a Keemun Hao Ya A from TeaSource.com - very nice. This was my first time brewing it, so more on that later in the Un-flavored Black Tea topic. Then I dipped into almost the last of my packet of Taiwanese Ali Shan First Pluck Oolong from Norbutea.com. This amazingly floral leaf still brews many, many wonderful infusions gong fu style after the bag being open for over a month. Only enough left to brew it again once. Should have bought a little more.

[Richard Kilgore]

Now it's a 'Sencha Select" from Shizuoka, Japan. I got this last week after the Tea & Cheese pairing at The Cultured Cup. They recommended brewing a teaspoon of leaf in 155 F water for 1 minute, amount of water not specified, but they usually mean 6 - 8 ounces. I chose 6 ounces, weighed a heaping teaspoon at 2.5 g and brewed it in a ceramic cup with an infuser basket. At the time Kyle described this as a "light sencha". I agree and would not brew it any more dilute than I did. Medium-light body, no bitterness, only the slightest hint of astringency, a little vegetal and a little umami. Brewed the second infusion for 40 sec, and preferred it over the first - a little richer. I'll brew this again in a kyusu and see what differences there may be.

Today I brewed this Sencha Select again, but in an unglazed Banko kyusu. The difference and the improvement was apparent. I would still consider it to be a lighter sencha, but with a richer mouthfeel than brewed in a glazed ceramic cup.

[Richard Kilgore]

This morning I am enjoying a Kagoshima Sencha Yutaka Midori from o-cha.com, brewed in a Banko kyusu.

How about you all? What's in your tea cup/mug/thermos today?

[Wholemeal Crank]

Enjoying a 2nd pot of the Tie Guan Yin today, and feeling sad that I did not bring a lesser tea with me, because right now I have a cold and am not nearly appreciating this one as it deserves. Sigh.

[Richard Kilgore]

Having a delicious Keemun Hao Ya B from teasource.com this morning. Malty, smooth with at the most a hint of astringency.

What teas are you drinking in your part of the world?

[baroness]

Richard, what is the difference between the Keemun Hao Ya B and A?

Different harvests?