What Tea Are You Drinking Today? (Part 2)

[Wholemeal Crank]

Yesterday started properly with shincha (Sayamakaori from Yuuki-cha), moved to some Lao Cha Tou shu puerh, so nice and mellow, and some Sichuan Yin Zhen silver needle yellow tea, these last from norbu.

Today, missed the shincha window, but got in a nice thermos of Yunnan Mao Feng from norbu, much to the taste of those in clinic with me, and then it was on to Ba Xian, eight immortals Dan Cong from Tea Habitat.

Tomorrow is an all day class, will need a thermos of strong stuff to pull me through.

[Richard Kilgore]

Teas to wake up to - a Ceylon Lumbini Estate, FBOP yesterday and a Castleton Estate Darjeeling, wiry today. Both from Tea Source.

Matcha both days. Yesterday more infusions of that wonderful Wuyi Oolong from jingteashop.com that I started two days ago, up-topic. I may try another infusion of it before today is gone.

Also this day, the deep-steamed 2010 Organic Kagoshima Magokoro Shincha from yuuki-cha.com.

I'll be posting a new Tea Tasting & Discussion tomorrow. If you subscribe to this Coffee & Tea Forum, you'll be among the first to know.

[Richard Kilgore]

Yesterday began with the last of the fine Keemun Hao Ya A from teasource.com. Later that day it was my daily matcha, currently the Organic Shizuoka Matcha Sakuraka from yuuki-cha.com. Later yet, brewed more of the Yin Zhen from theculturedcup.com featured in the ongoing Tea Tasting & Discussion. Some iced tea on and off during the day, too.

This morning I am kicking off the day with the matcha. Who knows what teas the day will bring.

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

[Wholemeal Crank]

Yesterday was a delicious but limited day of tea. I drank only one tea, the winter harvest Bao Zhong from HouDe, but it was delicious, and I had a thermos full plus an evening gongfu session with it. Yum. Sunday was busier, with several comparison sessions with delightful white teas from the current tasting, and a pair of Tie Guan Yins. Saturday was also pretty limited, but as usual, the Big Red Robe from Wing Hop Fung kept me going through that all-day class. So it's been tasty, though shincha-deprived and puerh-less.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today I drank no tea. Quite shocking.

[Richard Kilgore]

Any withdrawal symptoms?

[Wholemeal Crank]

Don't think so.

[Richard Kilgore]

This morning I enjoyed a Puttabong Estate Darjeeling with Bavarian Rye toast spread with cream cheese and orange marmalade. Just now had a couple of infusions of the Pai Mu Tan featured in the current Tea Tasting & Discussion. Matcha yet to come.

What's your tea today?

[Wholemeal Crank]

So far, a thermos full of Yunnan Sourcing's Oriental Beauty, so so nice. Yay for back to tea!

[Richard Kilgore]

A Ceylon Lumbini Estate, FBOP comes with the dawn. This is the one from teasource.com the baroness mentioned in a Tea Tasting & Discussion last year that was almost as complex and good as a more expensive one. Very nice, but I am running low.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Starting the day with Shincha (the Sayamakaori from Yuuki-Cha) after a very pleasant session last evening with some Yunnan Mao Feng from Norbu. The horror of the tealess Tuesday is fading now, chased by abundant good tea.

[Richard Kilgore]

Pleased to see you are recovering, WC.

Also had my daily matcha and am now brewing gongfu cha an shu puerh in a Yixing made for me last year, but of older (late 70s/early 80s) clay. This is a sample of a 2004 Six Famous Mountain brick from Yunnan Sourcing that I got in a tea trade some time ago.

So what teas are you folks drinking in your part of the eGullet world?

[Wholemeal Crank]

I have just finished off my second thermos full of the 2007 White Bud Sheng Puerh from Norbu (a private production cake which is now sold out). This was a typical thermos brewing--working with the kamjove 'gongfu art' brewing thingie, flash rinse, starting brewing with water even before it quite hit boiling, having to stop and start several times over an hour and half as other work kept pulling me out of the office, and finally ending up with a brilliant thermos of tea, subtly smoky, sweet, with a warm background of caramel. Just soothing and calming and oh so good. And as is usual for this tea, a little went a long way--maybe 5 grams-8 grams for a 1 quart thermos full, then resteeped for a second full batch. Fortunately, I have several more beengs of this in reserve. Heh.

[Richard Kilgore]

Brewed a Brown Betty pot of a Queen Victoria Darjeeling from The Cultured Cup this morning. Matcha soon.

There are still free samples available in the newest Tea Tasting & Discussion: Two 2010 Japanese Shinchas.

[Richard Kilgore]

Not just one, but two bowls of my current daily matcha from yuuki-cha.com. Followed by two more infusions (after a scalding rinse) of the 2004 shu puerh I started yesterday - even better today!

What teas have you all been drinking this week?

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today got off to a good shincha start with the sayamakaori from yuuki-cha, then I tried a sample of what turned out to be a quite nice taiwanese oolong from zen Tara, then got nicer with a dan cong from tea habitat--stone wall edge or something like that. It actually came out very nicely in the kamjove and thermos--I decided not to wait until I could do a formal gongfu session with it.

A little green, greener oolong, then darker oolong. All I need now is a puerh to finish the progression through the day.

[Richard Kilgore]

Nice progression. What puerh did you end up brewing, WC?

A malty Keemun Hao Ya B from teasource.com first. Then on to the 2010 Saemidori Kagoshima Shincha, one of the featured Japanese green teas in the newest Tea Tasting & Discussion. (Free samples still available.)

[Wholemeal Crank]

Ended up feeling a little off after my flight home, so no puerh yesterday--just straight to bed. Today has started off more promisingly, with shincha (the last of the Tenryu Misakubo from Yuuki-cha), and an experiment brewing a new Phoenix oolong (not a Dan Cong) for the thermos for the afternoon today. Not sure yet whether this one is going to work for that or not: I bought a less fancy one specifically hoping to use it for this.

[Richard Kilgore]

A malty Keemun Hao Ya B from teasource.com first. Then on to the 2010 Saemidori Kagoshima Shincha, one of the featured Japanese green teas in the newest Tea Tasting & Discussion. (Free samples still available.)

Later yesterday also had my daily matcha.

Today's first cups were of the Ceylon Vithanakanda Estate, Extra Special from teassource.com. Then two bowls of matcha. Next I may try to get yet another infusion out of the very nice shu pu I started a few days ago.

[Richard Kilgore]

Yesterday I had a couple of infusions of the 2004 shu mentioned above, and again today. This shu really has legs - the last infusion was 12 minutes and still delicious.

Also my daily matcha, currently the Organic Shizuoka Matcha Sakuraka from yuuki-cha.com.

[Richard Kilgore]

Another brewing of the Korean grocery store Korean green tea that Wholemeal Crank sent me a while ago. This is actually quite nice when brewed like a Japanese sencha. Not earth-shattering, but pleasant.

[Wholemeal Crank]

They were definitely nice teas, just rather pricey for the quality.

Today I'm again enjoying some cold-brewed Alishan Oolong after Sayamakaori Shincha. Mmm.

[Richard Kilgore]

I agree about pricey for the quality. I rather winged it on the brewing and only got two decent infusions. If I pay more careful attention to it, I may get a few more. Maybe.

Now sipping the 2010 Organic Kagoshima Shincha Asatsuyu from yuuki-cha. Deep-steamed with a slight roast to the end of the processing. Nice contrast to the light-steamed versions with little or no roasting.

[Richard Kilgore]

Today began with an unusual Japanese tea: Hime hikari, an organic black tea from yuuki-cha.com. Very smooth with little astringency.

So, what teas are you all brewing in your part of the eGullet Society universe?

[Wholemeal Crank]

Still working with a travel-reduced set of tea options, and started the day again with Sayamakaori shincha and now am finishing off a thermos of the 2007 white bud sheng puerh from norbu. It's only lukewarm, but this tea does pretty well even so. Might even be good iced....should try that when I get back home. Boiling water brew a concentrated stock and dilute with iced water, maybe....