What Tea Are You Drinking Today? (Part 2)

[Wholemeal Crank]

Behind in the updates.

Sunday finished off with a lovely Bi-Lo-Chun-like Silver Dragon white tea reviewed in the green tea topic.

Yesterday started with the odd mixed-flower puerh I wrote about a few months back, and it was still disappointing due to sheer blandness. Moved on to some Chado Pouchong (T-103), sweet and spicy--almost rou-gui like, but like the one and only rou gui I've tried, that special spiciness was transient, not holding on for many infusions, then on to some mellower Oriental Beauty from Yunnan Sourcing.

Today, big thermos of Shui Jin Gui from norbu, then went mellower with nice organic Dragon's Well from Wing Hop Fung.

Going to need a big earthy smoky puerh soon, after all this green and white sweetness and spicy oolongness.

[Richard Kilgore]

A pot of Puttabong Estate Darjeeling (first flush) came with the dawn this morning.

What teas are you all drinking today?

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today I got in my morning sencha (Shin-Ryoku from Den's), then was onto the lovely An Ji White tea from Wing Hop Fung, to celebrate my new Yunomis (more about them in the show-off topic!), and now am relaxing at the end of the day my earthy-smoky/grounding white bud sheng puerh from Norbu. This will see me through as much paperwork as I can stand tonight.

A good tea day.

Edited April 29, 2010 by Wholemeal Crank (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

Also had more of the Oganic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori from yuuki-cha.com today. I'm getting four very good infusions out of it, so I should try for a fifth some time.

Discovered I still had a little of the Spring 2009 Diamond Grade Tie Guan Yin from Norbu Tea. I thought it would be pretty flat by now, but this is nicely aromatic and with good flavor.

[Wholemeal Crank]

I still have a an unopened packet of the spring Diamond Tie Guan Yin, and just finished off one that had been opened for probably a couple of months. The tea that had been opened still had wonderful scent and flavor, but just didn't last as many infusions as the freshly opened tea has. Fortunately, the unopened packages seem to be holding their flavor very well, at least the one I opened most recently at work did, so I have more of this gorgeous tea to look forward to, and to tide me over to the spring 2010 harvest.

BTW, I was surprised (and a little bit horrified) to see one of the tea sellers at Wing Hop Fung busily cutting open a quite large box full of little vacuum-sealed bags of tea, apparently getting ready to dump it into one of the big glass jars they sell from. I would so much prefer to buy it little bag by little bag, fresher and no risk of light damage, but oh well.

[Richard Kilgore]

You could ask the tea staff at WHF if they have any unopened packets of whatever tea you are interested in. There may be a box or boxes in the back.

[Richard Kilgore]

Brewed yesterday's left-over-night Spring 2009 Diamond Grade Tie Guan Yin, from Norbu Tea. Still fragrant. Later moved on to the Organic Shizuoka Matcha Iroka, a really interesting new matcha from yuuki-cha.com. Now sipping the Oganic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori, also from yuuki-cha. Both the sencha and the matcha are brewer-friendly.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today started with sencha in my new yunomi! Pics in the teaware topic.

Then on to a light infusion of yunnan mao feng, getting a white-tea like feel to it; finished off another packet of spring Diamond Tie Guan Yin, and finally home to work on the Lao Ban Zhang from the tasting topic, these last three all from norbu.

[Richard Kilgore]

Starting this morning with a Castleton Estate, wiry Darjeeling from Tea Source. I liked this so much last year that I bought a four ounce bag and have been hoarding it until now.

So, what are you drinking in the way of tea in your part of the world?

[Richard Kilgore]

Later brewed, yes yet again, the Oganic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori from yuuki-cha in a Banko kyusu. Had my first iced tea of the year with lunch out. And now sipping a Taiwanese Pouchong Oolong from The Cultured Cup - brewed gong fu cha in a gaiwan. Very busy day, so missed my matcha, but otherwise a good tea day here.

Edited May 2, 2010 by Richard Kilgore
spellin' (log)

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today has been a good tea day.

Sencha shin-ryoku from Den's to start, then a long long long afternoon in clinic with some of my very first puerh beeng, a very mellow tea, which I again shared with my colleague who is coming to realized that not all tea is going to give him a caffeine rush or acid stomach.

Finished off the entire thermos before the last long discussion, which was painful without enough tea on board.

Now making up for that with some Shui Jin Gui oolong from Norbu, nearing the end of a sample I ordered a while back. It starts out spicy/sweet and ends fruity/toasty.

Unfortunately, the day is playing out such that I need a little more before I get to go home. I'm staring at a bag of "Premium Keemon Black Tea" from Wing Hop Fung, and wondering if I am brave enough to try it again. I survived (adored!) the supposedly very bitter young Lao Ban Zhang puerh from the current TT&D, so maybe I can be open to a bit of keemun. And if it doesn't go down well, I have plenty of other wonderful stuff to rinse the taste from my mouth. Decisions, decisions.

Tried the keemun, a miniscule quantity brewed quite hot, briefly, and it's kind of nice. Won't compost this one.

(not sure why, but I'm having a lot of trouble consistently spelling Shui Jin Gui)

Edited May 1, 2010 by Wholemeal Crank (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

WmC, you may like the Keemun brewed Western style: 2.0 - 2.5 g per 6 - 8 ounces of boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes first infusion.

Starting out the morning here with the Sree Sibari Estate Assam from Tea Source that was featured in a Tea Tasting & Discussion last year. Wonderful, but my last bit of it.

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

[jpr54_]

I just received Premium Winter 2009 Baozhong (75 g) from www.shanshuiteas.com-

I immediately prepared a cup of the tea for my glass gaiwan.

The tea's aroma is fragrant and the liquid has a pale color.

Definitely worth the cost-

Joanne

Edited May 1, 2010 by jpr54_ (log)

[Wholemeal Crank]

Reminds me I have some amazing winter BaoZhong from HouDe at home. So nice. But today started with some Sencha, but still I'm not entirely consistent with the stuff--the water had cooled to about 155 by the time I started, one infusion was perfect, one very briny and umami, not so nice, and the third came out just right again.

It's only been about six months since I started drinking them, way too early to get discouraged, but it's a good reminder that they're not as forgiving as oolongs. But then, what is?

So now drinking a solid but not spectacular 3rd grade pouchong from TenRen. A very unfussy and dependable tea.

[Richard Kilgore]

Akso today, more of the Oganic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori from yuuki-cha in a Banko kyusu. Trying to brew most of the bag before my first shincha order arrives.

Now starting a gong fu cha session with a wondrous Feng Huang Dan Cong Shi Gu Ping Oolong. Last of a sample I got from jingteashop.com in 2008. Orchid, honey. Should. have. bought. more.

[Wholemeal Crank]

A very miscellaneous tea afternoon: a bit of Menghai golden needles shu puerh, a bit of a Jeong Seon from hankook, a little Organic Dragon Well from Wing Hop Fung, and now some Chado Pouchong--all small brewings, not many infusions, to help with the massive procrastination required to avoid doing masses of paperwork....

[Richard Kilgore]

Started the morning here with two bowls of matcha from yuuki-cha: the Organic Shizuoka Matcha Iroka.

BTW, Dan at yuuki-cha and I are working on another Tea Tasting & Discussion featuring one of this year's shincha. If you subscribe to this Coffee & Tea forum, you'll be among the first to know when the free samples are announced.

So, what's in your tea cup/mug/thermos today?

[Wholemeal Crank]

Yesterday was another too long day at the office catching up on paperwork, so many small infusions of different teas....Began with An Ji white tea from wing hop fung, moved on to a A-Gu Zhai Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea from Yunnan sourcing, then to some of his Yunnan Wild Arbor Oriental Beauty, next a little some Shui Jin Gui from norbu (really goofed and forgot the first steeping until it was unbearably bitter, very sad to lose several steepings' of that very good tea), and finished with some Bai Mu Dan from wing hop fung.

Today is another satellite office day, limited tea opportunities, but I do now have a kamjove stashed there....and will take a thermos filled with 2007 Rui Cao Xiang 'Wu Liang Wild Arbor' Sheng puerh from Yunnan Sourcing, to start after my daily sencha (shin-ryoku again) and chocolate are done.

[Wholemeal Crank]

That was all the tea I got through yesterday, a very late day at work. Today I'm doing better: Sencha start with the Shin-ryoku again, starting to run a little low, looking at the sencha Zuiko, and the gyokuro, and trying to figure out the optimum moment to order more direct from Japan, considering shipping times & not wanting to run out while I wait....

Then on to orchid oolong afternoon (a green oolong with osmanthus, a nice enough tea for busy work; then some quieter Dragon WEll and a small gong fu session with one of the last packets of the spring 2009 Diamond Tie Guan Yin from norbu. So fresh, so sweet, so floral, and somewhere about 8 or so infusions in, so spicy! before more floral and sweet again. Where did that amazing blast of spice hide before and after those middle few infusions?

And I think I'm doing ok with this one, have a bit of fall TGY and winter Alishan plus an unusual green oolong from WHF to get me through to the next spring oolong season.

Doing ok, except, of course, for running out of water before I ran out of goodness from the leaves!

Edited May 5, 2010 by Wholemeal Crank (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

Light tea days the past few. But good.

Starting today, as I have the past two or three, with the Castleton Estate, Wiry Darjeeling from Tea Source, one of my favorite Darjeelings. And have been working on finishing the bag of Oganic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori from yuuki-cha before my first shincha order comes in. I should finish it off later today.

So what teas are you all drinking today in your part of the eGullet Society universe?

[rmillman]

Mao Xie from Da Ping Village via JingTea.

Nice, very sugary with a citrus nose.

[Richard Kilgore]

rmillman - Is that jingtea in the UK or jingteashop.com in China?

[rmillman]

jingsteashop in china.

ordered several samples and small 25g batches to try: looking for my perfect roasted oolong, fruity oolong and puerh.

1998 Raw Feng Qing Tuo

1999 Raw 7352

puerh tea cooked 93MHgr

Feng Huang Milan Dancong AAA

Competition Shui Xian

Mao Xie

Shui Jin Gui

[Wholemeal Crank]

A miscellaneous tea day today--started with a not very good attempt at making my own moroccan mint tea with cardamom, starting with a decent but unexciting green tea (a random gift, no brand I can identify in english, just says 'green tea'), peppermint leaf, and cardamom seeds. Overwhelming peppermint did not help the cause.

Moved on to some Big Red Robe from WHF, usually such a reliable tea for me, and forget what I was doing, started the first infusion too hot (water straight off the boil), tried to make up for it with a very short infusion, but just ended up with several unsatisfying steeps. Also it was not the right thing for a warm afternoon after some exercise.

Then got back on track with some Ya Bao spring wild camellia buds from Norbu, mixed with a bit of Silver Dragon from WHF, a white tea to add a little more depth, and the combination was excellent and just what I wanted.

Now finishing the evening with a bit of korean gamro tea (hydrangea leaf) from Hankook.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Another tea day without a theme: started sweet with another infusion of the hydrangea leaf; went sweet again with some Gyokuro Suimei from Den's, infused shorter, hotter, more like my sencha, with a nice sweet result; then the need for a prop for photography led to a white tea interlude with some silver dragon from Wing Hop Fung--very like a Bi Lo Chun in appearance, and like the grand total of (1) Bi Lo Chun I have tried (a sample from Jingteashop); and then back to the deeper spicy side with some Po Tou ginger fragrance dan cong oolong from Tea Habitat. A few grams of leaf in my small oolong pot have now flavored nearly two quarts of tea, judging from the water level in my kettle after refilling again.

Much tea happiness from Korea, Japan and China. Just couldn't fit in a puerh because the Po Tou keeps going and going.