What Tea Are You Drinking Today? (Part 2)

[Richard Kilgore]

Brewed a Ceylon Vithanakanda Estate, Extra Special from Tea Source this morning. More on this favorite Ceylon in the Unflavored Black Tea topic.

Also finished off the last of the package of a smooth Organic Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme from yuuki-cha.com. This is one I would order again. But I have a different organic sencha from yuuki-cha that I have not yet opened that will come first.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Started the day with the genmaicha from Yukki-cha for the tasting topic, alternating sips with my gyokuro kin from denstea. I bought the smallest quantity of the gyokuro that they offered--2 ounces--but still have quite a bit left, because it takes only a little tea per cup.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Now working on some Pouchong from TenRen. The grade I've been drinking is not at all sweet, but still manages to taste like summer sunshine distilled into a cup--that golden hay vegetal caramelly warm quality.

[Wholemeal Crank]

A couple of nice tea-and-dessert combinations. Yesterday, some Peach Blossom tea from Rishi with mochi and berries for dessert (I had given the tea as a christmas gift), and well brewed at that.

Today, drinking some Eight Immortals Dan Cong Oolong with poached quince. Superbly brings out the fruitiness of the tea.

[nakji]

I had my first "an ji bai cha" (white tea) today, from a tea shop in our historic district - a great place run by a dynamic young couple. The menu had four (!) pages of various teas - two pages of straight-up tea, plus another two of floral and herbal tisanes. Served in gaiwan with a fresh thermal pitcher of hot water to infuse as you like, it was a lovely experience. The white tea was a lot smoother and lighter than I expected, with virtually no tannin taste - I can't describe it very well, except to say it tasted very "clean".

[Wholemeal Crank]

Except for bitterness, I usually find all of the elements of the green teas present in white tea, but in more dilute or delicate versions that are harder to tease apart and give a name to: Sweetness? Camphor? Vanilla? Perfumey or flowery? Delicate flavors of sweet vegetables or nutty asparagus? Tart or fruity?

The Yunnan Mao Feng I've been enjoying so much is a little like a white tea in almost completely lacking bitterness--at least, as I've brewed it so far--but it has more robust flavor than my silver needles. Probably that's why I adore it.

[Richard Kilgore]

This morning it's a fine Puttabong Estate Darjeeling - first flush, from The Cultured Cup.

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

[Wholemeal Crank]

Started with some gyokuro, and now am brewing some purple bud sheng puerh. Puerh is simply good stuff.

Edited December 28, 2009 by Wholemeal Crank (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

This evening brewing a new Organic Uji Tokusen Sencha from yuuki-cha.com. I'll post more in the Japanese Green Tea topic after trying it a couple of times.

[Richard Kilgore]

First today it's a Mariage Freres Queen Victoria Darjeeling - second flush from The Cultured Cup. The package says to brew it for 4 - 5 minutes, but my first infusion is 2 minutes and the second four minutes.

So what's in your tea pot/cup/thermos/whatever today?

[Wholemeal Crank]

In the thermos, keeping wonderfully, black yunnan with osmanthus blossoms, fruity and delicious, although the actual caffeine content was not enough to prevent a significant attack of post-lunch drowsiness.

Tonight, enjoying some of the green yunnan Mao Feng, very pleased that my most recent order arrived today, so that instead of needing to hoard it, I can continue to drink it freely. I may even give some away as part of a holiday gift.

[Richard Kilgore]

I received an order from Tea Source yesterday and this morning opened the package of Ceylon Vithanakanda FOP. Brewed in an English Brown Betty for 2 minutes and 4 minutes. More on this less expensive alternative to the Ceylon Vithanakanda Extra Special to come in the Un-flavored Black Tea topic.

[Richard Kilgore]

Yesterday also had the matcha prepared in a chawan, of course, and the Organic Uji Tokusen Sencha, both from yuuki-cha.com. I am enjoying learning to brew this subtle sencha.

Today I pulled out a Dan Cong Oolong from jingteashop.com - a Feng Huang Shi Gu Ping that I got last year. A really enjoyable Dan Cong brewed gong fu cha. I'll post more on this in the Oolong topic.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Yesterday, Big Red Robe Wuyi, followed by Yunnan Mao Feng.

[Richard Kilgore]

Yesterday also had the matcha prepared in a chawan, of course, and the Organic Uji Tokusen Sencha, both from yuuki-cha.com. I am enjoying learning to brew this subtle sencha.

Today I pulled out a Dan Cong Oolong from jingteashop.com - a Feng Huang Shi Gu Ping that I got last year. A really enjoyable Dan Cong brewed gong fu cha. I'll post more on this in the Oolong topic.

I have continued with infusions of the Feng Huang Shi Gu Ping Oolong throughout the day. It still has some to give, but I switched to a Spring 2005 Shui Xian from Hou De, brewed gong fu cha in a Yixing also. I am not sure whether this Shui Xian is simply getting so much better with age, or if it's a matter of a better match with a specific Yixing, but the smokiness is tamed and the fruitiness comes through with a medium-rich mouthfeel.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today had a thermos full of the first unnamed puerh beeng I bought from Wing Hop Fung. Tonight hardly can choose what to try first from a small order from Jingteashop.com, but the interesting yellow tea won out. More in the green tea topic, because it seems like a better fit there than anywhere else...

[Richard Kilgore]

Starting the day with an Assam in my recent order from Tea Source: an Assam Konghea Estate, Golden Bud. A little different than other Assams I have had; I like it a lot. I'll post more on this after brewing it a couple of times.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Started with the genmaicha from the current tasting, then prepped with some Diamond Tie Guan Yin from norbutea for my long drive to visit family this weekend. Glad I'm driving and can take my tea with me.

Edited December 31, 2009 by Wholemeal Crank (log)

[LuckyGirl]

My first cup of the New Year is the Organic Matcha Iri Genmaicha from Yuuki-cha that we are tasting. I will post my thoughts in the tasting thread.

The other day I had a very enjoyable Iron Goddess of Mercy from Norbu that I will report on under the oolong thread.

[LuckyGirl]

Started with the genmaicha from the current tasting, then prepped with some Diamond Tie Guan Yin from norbutea for my long drive to visit family this weekend. Glad I'm driving and can take my tea with me.

Too funny. After posting below I realized that the Tie Guan Yin you were drinking yesterday is the same Goddess of Mercy that I enjoyed the other day.

Plate O' Shrimp, again.

[melissafitz]

i'm having a lovely rose scented harney and sons black tea that takes me right back to a fabulous and recent visit to the inn at little washington.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Yesterday, Yunnan Mao Feng; today, a puerh from my father's collection with only a chinese label. No teaware here for gongfu, so just brewed loose in a pitcheer with one longer infusion.

[LuckyGirl]

Rishi's Golden Yunan Black from a sampler I ordered from them.

I'm drinking it with a scant teaspoon of honey and milk. I have found that I want milk in black teas though I am thinking that I can forgo the honey.

[Richard Kilgore]

The last few days I have been away visiting friends. I took a fine Assam, the Sree Sibari Estate, SFTGFOP1 from teasource.com and two Brown Betty teapots with me. We drank many pots of it and everyone seemed to enjoy it a lot.

So far today, I have brewed a Ceylon Vithanakanda FOP from teasource.com and made my daily bowl of matcha, an Organic Yame Matcha from yuuki-cha.com.

[Richard Kilgore]

Started the day enjoying the Ceylon Vithanakanda Estate, FOP from Tea Source.

So what teas are you all drinking today?