What Tea Are You Drinking Today? (Part 2)

[Richard Kilgore]

Started the day with a very nice cup of Assam Konghea Estate, Golden Bud. Hit the brewing spot on today. From Tea Source.

So, what teas are you all brewing this weekend?

[Wholemeal Crank]

Some good tea the last few days, but not much posting because I was outside of good wifi range this weekend.

I went to camp, and took a small quantity of tried and true teas: a thermos of the 2007 white bud sheng from norbu to get me there, and worked on finishing the last of my spring Ali Shan oolong from Norbu, the one from last year's tasting that was such a revelation for me--oolongs can be green?! Gotta finish that one off before I start the winter harvest 2009 that just arrived. About one more gaiwan's worth left. And also back to old reliable, my traditional dark roasted "Sea Dyke" brand red tin Ti Kuan Yin. A small amount of Jade Pole green tea from Yunnan Sourcing capped off the weekend. The only thing that would have been nicer would be to have had some more of the white bud puerh to drink today in place of the Ali Shan, because the temps were in the 40s with strong winds and eventually rain up at the camp, and the smokier tea would have felt better. Ah well, these are the compromises required by travel. At least I had my tea with me, to the continuing wonder of many people who commented on the big thermos that I carried everywhere.

Seriously craving some sencha now, but will try to hold out for tomorrow morning.

[Richard Kilgore]

The last couple of days I have been drinking the Organic Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme featured in the recent Tea Tasting & Discussion here in the forum. Have not decided what else to brew today - perhaps another aged TGY Oolong.

What's in your tea cup, mug or thermos today?

[Wholemeal Crank]

No sencha this AM, because need to sleep in won out over need for green, but then osmanthus oolong, and some fun on-the-spot brewing of Dragon well during a meeting this afternoon. Now onto a bit of Bai Mu Dan, sharing with some other colleagues who I didn't really realize before are into tea.

[Richard Kilgore]

The last couple of days I have been drinking the Organic Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme featured in the recent Tea Tasting & Discussion here in the forum. Have not decided what else to brew today - perhaps another aged TGY Oolong.

What's in your tea cup, mug or thermos today?

I brewed three infusions of a Korean green tea that Wholemeal Crank sent me (thanks!) in a tea trade. My first session with it went well, and I'll post more about it after doing a few more sessions with it.

Followed this up with a re-brewing of the Aged TGY Oolong from The Cultured Cup: details in the Oolong topic.

[Richard Kilgore]

More of the delicious Organic Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme today. And now brewing a 1999 Old Tree Ripe Pu-erh from Yunnan Sourcing.

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

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today I started with sencha, one utterly perfect infusion, sweet, light, delicious, then forgot it for about three minutes with the water in for the 2nd infusion....much sadness.

Then shared my 'gateway drug'--the red-label "Sea Dyke Brand" Ti Kuan Yin--with some of my newly outed tea-drinking colleagues. They confessed yesterday to being at the same point where I was when I only drank that tea--happy with one or two specific brands & types of teas, but afraid to branch out. I have them now.....

Tonight I have to figure out what to bring with me to inaugurate a new satellite clinic, working out of an office where they're drinking Teavana. Should I dazzle them with a rich spring oolong? or go for the ever-mellow golden needle menghai brick?

[Richard Kilgore]

Today it's been a Puttabong Estate (first flush) Darjeeling from The Cultured Cup. And the very last of the Organic Uju Gyokuro Gokou from yuuki-cha.com. No more gyokuro here, so tomorrow I open a package of a new matcha from yuuki-cha.

[LuckyGirl]

This morning I have been drinking Yuuki-Cha's Kabusecha.

I like it brewed at a higher temp than what they suggest.

[Richard Kilgore]

The idea behind Kabusecha appeals to me, LuckyGirl: elements of both gyokuro and sencha. I look forward to trying it sometime.

Did not get to the matcha today. Maybe tomorrow. But did have two organic senchas from yuuki-cha.com: the Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme and a deep-steamed (fukamushi) Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today, one quart of the ever-dependable norbu white-bud sheng puerh. Left a beeng at the satellite office, no fears it will go off before next month when I return.

[Richard Kilgore]

Started out with the smooth and complex Vithanakanda Estate, Extra Special from teasource.com.

Also opened a new matcha from yuuki-cha.com: an Organic Shizuoka Matcha Iroka. I enjoyed it, and more on this in the Matcha topic after I have had a chance to play with it a bit.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Now drinking more of the 'Oriental Beauty' style oolong from Yunnan sourcing. This is so nice, each time I pour a new cup and am reminded that this is what black tea wishes it could be--fruity and sweet but not at all bitter. Mmmm. And started the day with gyokuro, discussed in the Japanese green tea topic.

[nakji]

Can you say more about the "Oriental Beauty" style tea? I had a cup of what Starbucks was billing "Oriental Beauty Oolong" the other day, and was confused. Although they were calling it an oolong, it seemed to taste far closer to a traditional black tea. I liked it a lot - no bitterness at all, but it didn't taste like an oolong to me.

[Richard Kilgore]

Right, Erin. Oriental is highly oxidized, about 70%. Oolongs have a wide range of oxidation, so some come close to being green teas and some come close to being black teas.

[Richard Kilgore]

Probably a mistake this late, but for the last few hours I have been sipping the Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha Raw Pu-erh featured in one of the current Tea Tasting & Discussions.

[Richard Kilgore]

Last night I finished the day with the Lemon Myrtle Rooibos from The Cultured Cup featured in one of the current Tea Tasting & Discussions.

Two Japanese teas today so far. First, the deep-steamed (fukamushi) Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori from yuuki-cha.com and then two bowls of a frothy new matcha, also from yuuki-cha: an Organic Shizuoka Matcha Iroka. Probably another Tisane this evening.

[Richard Kilgore]

Finishing the evening here with the Organic Matcha Iri Genmaicha from yuuki-cha.com featured in a Tea Tasting & Discussion last year.

[nakji]

I have a nice, dry cup of Spring 2010 Longjing from Hangzhou; needed to clear the barolo hangover from my mouth.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Finished my tea day with the last of the imperial shih feng long jing from jingteashop.com, and then a new taiwanese oolong I discussed in the oolong topic.

[Richard Kilgore]

A green merging into Oolong day here. Started with the very last of my Organic Kumamato Sencha Yabe Supreme. Then later my (almost) daily matcha, only one bowl today: the Organic Shizuoka Matcha Iroka. Both from yuuki-cha.

This evening brewed a 2008 Spring Dan Cong from Hou De in a large older (no idea how old) Yixng, basically western style. Turned out a little thin for me, so I'll have to do it again. The clay is good, it is well seasoned from apparent long term brewing by previous owners, and the pot has worked out well with this Dan Cong and others in the past.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Hainan purple bud Puerh from norbu this afternoon and evening, a nice companion for a moderate drive today. Nicely infused, smoky, earthy, sweet--just how I like my puerh. I just bought a new yixing pot at Wing Hop Fung yesterday, and used the occasion as an excuse to try to start over a bit with all of my 'yixings', letting them just barely simmer along for a while and soak, and next will come some tea-specific steep & soaks. Because they were mid-soak, the puerh was made in the basic glass teapot, functional if not particularly special.

[nakji]

Trying to use up some Bi Luo Chun gifted to me by a student; I find it hopelessly dusty, no matter how I rinse it. The flavour is good, but I wish I didn't 500g of it. I like my Longjing better.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Do you have a fine strainer to help with the dust?

[Richard Kilgore]

Maybe I'm in a pleasant rut...started with the Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori. Later two bowls of an Organic Shizuoka Matcha Iroka. Both made with the Saemidori tea breed and both from yuuki-cha.com.

So, what teas are you all drinking in your part of the world?