What Tea Are You Drinking Today? (Part 2)

[Richard Kilgore]

Started out today with the fine Vithandkanda Estate, FOP Ceylon from Tea Source.

Then later prepared two bowls of matcha, an organic Uji from yuuki-cha.com. More on that to come in the Everything About Matcha topic .

Now gong fu cha brewing a Da Hong Pao from Norbu Tea, one of three Wuyi Oolongs featured in the current Tea Tasting & Discussion .

[Wholemeal Crank]

Started with sencha, but the Dens Fukamushi, not the Sencha Select from the cultured cup. Will probably stick with the lighter steamed versions after I finish this.

Then onto some Mao Xie, hairy crab oolong from Jing Teas. Took it in my thermos for a day at the satellite office--not the nicest thing to do to a tea that deserved better.

[LuckyGirl]

The past few days I have been greatly enjoying the Spring 2009 Imperial Dian Hong. It is a wonderful sweet, malty, mellow black tea, one of the nicest I've had.

Last night was the Silver Needle from Specialteas, a nice full bodied white tea.

[Wholemeal Crank]

winding down a very nice tea day: sencha select for breakfast; a perfect jasmine tea, a blend of a fancy grade but overpowering jasmine green tea cut with 2 parts of silver needle tea, and brewed cool and very short, quite nice; and now several infusions of the Imperial Long Jing from jingtea.com.

Forgot to bring the remainder of the Wuyi Rock oolongs from the tasting to work today, want to see how they pass the thermos test.

[Wholemeal Crank]

A good 'oops': tonight kept going longer than usual with the long jing, and my 5th infusion was just amazing, almost fruity/floral, not very nutty, mildly sweet. Water was still fairly cool--maybe 150 degrees? and I lost track of time so don't know how long the infusion was. Didn't expect that so late into the infusions. But frighteningly expensive as it is, I forsee a real purchase of this one--not just a sampler--in my future, because I am enjoying it more the more I work with it. Serious tea indeed.

[Richard Kilgore]

This morning I also had a Dian Hong Imperial from Norbu Tea, but I think this was the 2008. Also one of my favorite red teas.

Later drinking the last of my Shui Jin Gui, also a Norbu tea, featured in the current Tea Tasting & Discussion. I really enjoy the third infusion the best.

No green tea of any sort today, but tomorrow's another day.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Fukamushi Sencha Maki today, a better cup than I've gotten in several previous attempts, not sure what I did better, following directions, AFAIK no differently than a couple of times before when it didn't work so nicely. Mmm.

[Wholemeal Crank]

After a nice sencha morning, a Mao Feng afternoon, and on to the Da Hong Pao, brewed in a mini yixing, but multiple infusions mixed in a larger cup, about 6-8 infusions for the first cup. As always, it's toasty, warm, sweet, fruity, and delicious. Will see if I can get another 'cup' out of it a little later--bet I can, because these were quite short infusions, and the leaves pretty much fill the pot after being wetted.

[LuckyGirl]

Last night my sister and I shared a pot of Special Teas' Silver Needle. I've tried a few Silver Needle teas over the last 2 months and this is one that I like best.

Today I am enjoying Special Teas' Zhongshan Baiye Oolong. It is a stunner, great body, sweet and fruity, toasty and well balanced.

I ordered a bunch of samples from Special Teas and I wasn't taken by the first several that I tried but these two have been winners.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Weird sencha-free morning, but now enjoying the white bud sheng puerh from norbu. Smoky goodness that just feels comforting on a day when I had to get up too early.

[Chris Amirault]

I have one of those "brain confit" head colds, and this mug of Norbu's medium roast Ali Shan Oolong from Winter 2008 is really hitting the mark. I clearly like the heavier oolong roasts....

[Richard Kilgore]

Started out today with the very fine Vithandkanda Estate, Special Ceylon from Tea Source. This is a more complex version of the Vithandkanda Estate, FOP that I had a few mornings ago.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today started with Sencha Select from the cultured cup, and this afternoon had a Taiwanese oolong that was given as a gift, with no additional description on the label. It's a rather ho-hum cuppa. Now facing a mountain of paperwork, trying to decide whether to fortify myself with the Jing Tea Dragon Well, or the Spring Diamond Tie Guan Yin. Decisions, decisions.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Went with the Dragon Well to get through the evening. This morning, Dens Fukamushi Sencha Maki.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Tea cup runneth over today: Received my order from Yunnan Sourcing, and found a tea shop in Koreatown, and stopped at Wing Hop Fung. And I bought enough from the Korean tea shop that I got a free sample of hydrangea tea, which was astonishingly sweet and lovely: two twisty leaves into a good pint of near boiling water, a few minutes' wait, and then wow, sweet, spicy, amazing.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Started the day with some Fukamushi Sencha; then on to a white tea tasting, notes here in the green tea topic.

[Richard Kilgore]

Started the day with an Organic Uji Tokusen Sencha from yuuki-cha.com. I don't recommend keeping sencha this long, but this is still a pleasant green tea when brewed in a manner that the tea leaves like. Four nice infusions.

So what teas are you all brewing in your part of the world today?

[Wholemeal Crank]

With my almost daily 3-4g of sencha to start the day, I am well on my way to finishing my current batch within three months of receiving it. Today I started with Sencha, and this afternoon I'm drinking an interesting oolong from Yunnan Sourcing, Yunnan Wild Arbor "Oriental Beauty" from Wu Liang Mountain, sweet, fruity, floral. It feels a little lighter than the Wuyis and TGYs, but I am enjoying it much more than the rose-scented Oriental Beauty I got from Ten Ren last year.

[Richard Kilgore]

Started the day with an Organic Uji Tokusen Sencha from yuuki-cha.com. I don't recommend keeping sencha this long, but this is still a pleasant green tea when brewed in a manner that the tea leaves like. Four nice infusions.

So what teas are you all brewing in your part of the world today?

Now starting a session (using a gaiwan) of a Pouchong Oolong from The Cultured Cup. First time I have brewed it, so more later in the Oolong topic.

[Richard Kilgore]

Started the day with the Mariage Freres Queen Victoria - second flush Darjeeling from The Cultured Cup. Later had a few infusions of the Organic Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme from yuuki-cha.com that is featured in the current Tea Tasting & Discussion. I had ordered this once before, which is one of the reasons I selected this smooth, sweet, creamy sencha for the TT&D.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Finished yesterday with a relaxed comparison of two Dragon Well teas.

Today, it was Fukamushi Sencha to start, Silver Needle for the afternoon, some orchid oolong for the evening, and may yet need a small nightcap depending on how long it takes to prep for a meeting tomorrow

[Wholemeal Crank]

Another sencha start, fukamushi again, and rishi puerh in the afternoon (needed tea in a hurry, so dropped in a tuo and off I went), and then a long gong fu session with the 2009 diamond tie guan yin from norbu this evening. As I drink my way through this one, I'm starting to look at the calendar and wonder when the next crop comes in....

[Richard Kilgore]

Started the day with the Mariage Freres Queen Victoria - second flush Darjeeling from The Cultured Cup. Later had a few infusions of the Organic Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme from yuuki-cha.com that is featured in the current Tea Tasting & Discussion. I had ordered this once before, which is one of the reasons I selected this smooth, sweet, creamy sencha for the TT&D.

More of the Organic Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme this morning. And I have not decided what's next. Have missed my matcha for several days, so....

What teas are you all drinking in your part of the eG tea world today?

[Wholemeal Crank]

And odd tea day today: fumbled the sencha this am, then made some nice silver needle for the afternoon, and tried out a gift of a thin green tea that might be from An Hui, will need to post pictures & info to help get an ID on it, then some more silver needle, these last two being brewed in the new celadon travel set. It works like a charm, although it lacks one thing to be absolutely perfect: the gaiwan holds too much for the cup. I was hoping the volumes would match better, but I'm resorting to pouring the water in the cup first, then into the gaiwan, to avoid overflow or having to drink veryfast.

[Wholemeal Crank]

First brewing of the Yuuki-Cha Organic Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme for the tasting today. Will hold my notes until everyone is ready. Nice.