What Tea Are You Drinking Today? (Part 3)

[Wholemeal Crank]

Some not-too-demanding of attention old favorites today, after the lovely start with the new Warashina Supreme sencha from O-Cha: Bai Yun Oriental beauty-style Yunnan oolong from Norbu, and the 2007 Menghai Golden Needle White Lotus from Yunnan sourcing. The Menghai is a seriously tightly compressed brick, which is probably the only reason I haven't finished it off yet. I get discouraged and then wait a long time to regain enough strength to wrench off another chunk (only a slight exaggeration, really!).

[DjLau]

drinking Gyokuro from ITFA, and a Jing Xuan Oolong that recently arrived from Taiwan.

[Richard Kilgore]

The past three mornings it's been Hong Mao Feng Yunnan Black Tea from norbutea.com, brewed the last two in a Yixing dedicated to Chinese red teas. Recommended by Chris Amirault in the Red/Black Tea Topic. This will go into my regular rotation also.

The last two afternoons I have been sampling the rare Japanese Kamairachi teas featured in the current Tea Tasting & Discussion. Very interesting. Check it out.

So what's in your tea cup today?

[Hassouni]

Last two days lots of masala tea with Lipton tea dust (hey, it brews strong!)

Today, finishing up my Ito En yawaragi bancha. Need to clear some space for better tea...

Edited October 25, 2011 by Hassouni (log)

[Hassouni]

Finished the bancha, on to my remaining Ito En Ooi Ocha wakame wakakuki (doesn't seem to be on the Ito En website), I like it a lot better than the bancha. More crisp and astringent, without being bitter.

[Hassouni]

Found a small canister in my cupboard labelled Tieguanyin...opened up...and it looks like it's the real thing. Drinking it now, brewed it in a gaiwan with 6 oz water, 1g tea per ounce. Second infusion, water just a few seconds off the boil, infused for 30 seconds. In a clear glass cup, it's the same color as aged spirits like whisky or rum, with a sort of malty taste.

[Wholemeal Crank]

I've been drinking a variety of teas, as usual, with more Japanese tea than usual recently because of the TT&D's lovely and unusual non-sencha teas from Yuuki-cha. I've also been drinking some green oolongs--both the Miyazaki from Yuuki-cha, and Jin Guan Yin and shade-grown TGY from Norbu. Yesterday I abused some of Norbu's Lao Cha Tou by dropping a big chunk in my thermos and topping with hottish water, and the lovely tea was still delicious. Tonight, I'm enjoying a set of infusions of Lao Ban Zhang loose sheng puerh from Norbu--a favorite tea that just keeps on being delicious, every time I come back to it.

I did make an unpleasant discovery about some delicious Dong Ding oolong that did not take to being held in my thermos over the afternoon, but that's about the worst thing that's happened in my week in tea.

[Hassouni]

Got some Yamama Masudaen (based in Shizuoka) branded Fukamushi Cha Asuka sencha from Super H Mart today. $5 for 100g, but the tea physically looks to be higher quality than any Japanese green I'm used to, and the taste, as just brewed now is in a league above the Ito En bancha I finished up. It's a really beautiful color, clear and mossy, and the taste is bright, not so grassy, and the merest bit astringent. Really really nice.

For the record I measured out 8g into a 10-12 oz mug with a strainer insert, using water that was off the boil until bubbles stopped forming. Didn't measure the temperature, but I'm very happy with the results of the first infusion.

[CKatCook]

I am sorry I have not posted in a long while, seems like everyone has been drinking some fine teas. The extreme heat here and drought left me not wanting anything but cold soda and water. But now that the weather has cooled down I am picking up the tea again. Todays was an almond brule from teavana. Yum.....

[jpr54_]

i have been enjoying my most recent order of second flush darjeelings from www.uptontea.com

my favorites so far have been:

darjeeling diamond-arya estate

darjeeling ftggfop1-goomtt estate

[Hassouni]

New package of Ito En Oi Ocha Ichibantsumi (first crop), or in other words, shincha, according Ito En themselves.

Very, VERY nice! very bright yet mellow, zero astringency, extremely smooth, somewhat vegetal and grassy, almost more Chinese in character than other, cheaper Japanese teas I've had.

[Wholemeal Crank]

It's been a rather chaotic month for tea: travel for vacation, family events, and to satellite offices, has limited my tea time and online activity. But I've managed some tea nearly every day: a cool-brewed thermos full of a light green oolong, or properly brewed hot tea, mostly mellower and more tolerant oolongs or shu puerhs. Today, things are getting back to normal: started with some Korean Hwang Cha, yellow or "oolong" tea, Honyama sencha, and shortly something else.....some kind of puerh, probably a more aggressive young sheng. Ahhhh.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Starting my day with Verdi on the stereo, fuzzy-cooked oats with pine nuts and blueberries, and some Gu Zhu Zi Sun, Zhejiang green tea from Norbu, drinking from my "Rock" Hagi teacup by Shibuya Eiichi. Such a nice way to start the day. Later, I'll be baking gingerbread houses and doubtless nibbling lots of spicy trimmings, so will probably go with something toastier and darker for tea--perhaps a nice Wuyi oolong?

[Richard Kilgore]

Have been out of pocket for several weeks, but nonetheless still drinking my usual rotation of black, green, Oolong, and Matcha, along with some new teas.

Had the same delicately delicious Gu Zhu Zi Sun Zhejiang green tea from Norbu today, WC, and just now brewing the Tie Luo Han Wuyi Oolong (also from Norbu).

[Will]

Today, Sea Dyke yellow tin lao cong shui xian (Wuyi yancha), then 80s Xiaguan "Traditional Characters" pu'er.

[Wholemeal Crank]

It's continuing as an all-Norbu day here: some Da Hong Pao after the Zhejiang green, San Nen Bancha for a toasty complement to a light supper of fruit and cheese, and now to some of this year's amazing White Oolong. It's so pleasant when I get to spend a day in the kitchen, cooking and enjoying tea throughout.

[jpr54_]

I received 4 samples from www.sensationaltea.com yesterday morning

zen flower oolong, tung ting oolong, green jade oolong, ti kwan yin

i tried the formosa green jade oolong this afternoon after shopping at farmers market-

nice aroma,not bitter

[Wholemeal Crank]

A very good treat indeed, to have a new group of oolongs to enjoy.

Today started with Song Zhong Dan Cong Oolong from Tea Habitat, continuing a session from yesterday--I packed so many leaves into my little pot that I am still barely able to do more than flash rinses to keep the infusions as dilute as I prefer, and I think I am up to 15 or so.

I took a break for some variety--Ya Bao white buds from Norbu, with a few disks of fresh ginger sliced into the pot. The combination was pleasingly zingy.

I've been drinking the usual abundance of oolongs, a little puerh, and morning sencha. I'm on the last of my senchas from my order from O-Cha, but have enough from Yuuki-Cha and Den's left so that I won't be ready for another order for months yet. I hope they have some of the lovely Kamairichas from our tasting still in stock by that time.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Tonight, for variety and an early night, I'm enjoying a felicitous combination of mostly gamro leaf, with a bit of mace, cinnamon, saffron, and galangal (should never run out of ginger, dumb me). Even without the ginger, it's very nice. The gamro gives the whole thing enough body that it doesn't taste like spiced cider or mulled wine minus the cider or wine.

Other teas lately have included lots of oolongs, deep roasted alternating with light, some Dan Cong occasionally, and a sad experience with a batch of Li An Gua Pian, the first I'd ever had, that seemed off from when I opened it--perhaps because it was one that I waited a long time to open after ordering it, and it sat waiting for me to finish off some other greens before I started with it. I'll definitely give it another chance, but will be more careful about freshness when I get it next time.

Has anyone else been drinking tea, or is it all turned to coffee through this odd winter?

[jpr54_]

I am drinking second flush darjeeling --

goomtee- several weeks ago i purchased a few of sample size teas from www.uptontea.com

I still prefer drinking -oolong esp. baozhong

[Wholemeal Crank]

Morning sencha, still the most common start to the tea day (Sayamakaori from Yuuki-cha). But after that, more oolong than anything else.

[Charcuterer]

My morning cup is usually the Scottish Breakfast Blend from www.Culinaryteas.com they have some wonderful blends including my new favorite afternoon blend called Royal Bengal Tiger. I just did a little searching and found that the original "Royal Bengal Tiger" tea was a mix of citrus, tea and cognac. Sounds nice but probably not appropriate at work.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Still drinking tea.....lots and lots of it.

Today, I started with Honyama sencha from Yuuki-cha, moved on to a mix of some Jin Guan Yin and Tie Guan Yin from Norbu (tail end of one, eeked out to a thermos-full with the other), and this evening enjoyed many infusions from another new green tea from Norbu, his Kai Hua Long Ding, quite delicious and clearly in the Dragonwell style, and then on to Mi Lan Dan Cong, a mellow and quite reasonably priced Wudong oolong that is better than most of the 'commercial' DCs/Phoenix oolongs I've met (not that many yet, but a few that weren't very nice).

[teadrinker]

A French Earl Grey from T2 In Australia. The lady at the store told me this was one of their most popular teas and I can understand why. People seem to really enjoy flavoured teas. They are certainly less geeky than more traditional teas, and more herbal-like.

But this French Earl Grey is not for me. For one I don't like tinkering with timeless classics like an Earl Grey (which some may say is already a tinkered tea). But also there are too many floral high notes and too much perfume in my cup. Although the flavours are anchored in what I think is a good quality black tea blend, I just didn't feel like I was drinking tea.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Welcome to eGullet, and the tea forum, teadrinker. Hope you've got some tea that's more to your liking since that post.

I'm currently enjoying a session with some Tie Guan Yin from Norbu, a very tasty straight-up oolong. Sweet, floral, but unflavored/unscented, just delicious C. sinensis. Unless I'm skipping C. sinensis entirely, I pretty much stick to plain teas. I do drink scented/flavored teas on occasion (mostly when my usual teas are not available), and I've tried Earl Greys quite a few times, some fancier and some less expensive brands, and I have never been able to enjoy any of them. I think I must be missing some scent receptor that enables one to experience pleasure from bergamot. But that just means more Earl Grey for the rest of you, right?