What Tea Are You Drinking Today? (Part 3)

[Richard Kilgore]

The Oolong for the day turned out to be a Phoenix Mountain from The Cultured Cup. brewed with western parameters in a larger (210ml) Yixing that has not been used in quite a while. Works well, so I'll have to see if it is worth dedicating it to this group of Oolongs.

[Wholemeal Crank]

My burnt mouth recovered enough to try my oldest sample from Essence of Tea today--more later in the puerh topic, when I have had a chance to find out how far it can go. It's marvelous how fast mouth tissues can heal!

Already started the day with Honyama sencha from Yuuki-cha, and had an interlude with some of the white bud sheng puerh from norbu that I love so much.

[Richard Kilgore]

Early today the Castleton Estate Darjeeling, Wiry from teasource.com, a second flush and one of my favorites. But then I have more than a few "favorites".

Again today, brewed the Phoenix Mountain Oolong from TCC Western style in order to give the Yixing a little more seasoning. May do this for a week and see how it goes. Not that I mind too terribly much drinking this wonderfully aromatic Oolong daily. My tea friend Kyle Stewart at the Cultured Cup introduced me to these teas about five years ago, and I am so glad he did.

[Shamanjoe]

Pretty full already, so I made a light tea to finish off the night. A Lipton white tea with mango that we had in the cupboard. It's very light, with just a hint of mango in it. It's nothing spectacular, just a nice white tea. I do like their pyramid tea bags though. As far as tea bags go, it's a pretty good design.

Also brewed a Bai Yun Oolong for the Iced Tea discussion, but I'm keeping away from it until it cools down. I have to have something leftover to talk about after it's been chilled.

edited: to finish a sentence I almost forgot to finish.

Edited October 11, 2010 by Shamanjoe (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

Started the morning with a Yunnan Golden Tips from The Cultured Cup, another really fine black tea. The last hour or so I have been brewing an Aged Sheng Puerh, a 1980s tuo that I got about a year ago from The Essence of Tea. The tuo came without a wrapper, so it is at this point something of a mystery to me. Apparently wet stored and the first two infusions were pretty musty, but now improving with the third. More on this in the Puerh topic after playing with this for a day or two.

So, tea sippers, what teas are you drinking today?

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today I made a thermos full of charcoal roasted Taiwanese Tie Guan Yin from Norbu, a tea that at first I found a bit darker and more toasty than I really prefer, but it came out wonderfully in the thermos. A great tea for the road. And that's it. I had played iwth the alarms last night, mistook which was which, and overslept too long to get in anything else. Now just finishing the TGY.

[Richard Kilgore]

A Chinese green tea, the Tai Ping Hou Kui from jingteashop.com to start an early day today - incredibly large, flat leaves that poked out of the gaiwan until the hot water hit. This followed later by the 2008 Spring "Natural Habitat" WuDong FengHuang Dancong from Hou De Fine Tea. And now another Oolong, the 2003 Aged TGY from jingteashop.com, a treat that I have not brewed in months.

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

[Wholemeal Crank]

Lots of tea variety the last couple of days--yesterday, started with some Dragon Well, then on to some Jin Xuan green tea, a delightful infusion of my first puerh beeng to cap the day. First time in a long time I did it gongfu cha. In the evening, a bit of Diamond Tea Guan Yin from norbu, the 2010 spring version, but not the right conditions yet for a taste-off vs the 2009 and 2009 fall versions (soon!).

Today, the 2008 Yi Wu bamboo aged sheng from norbu, a sweet and mellow puerh--'creamy' said my tea buddy who shared a cup. An untimely visit interrupted my discovery of a bit of the Cultured Cup Yin Zhen from a recent tasting, and I didn't get to pay as much attention to it as I wished to. Then finished the evening with a bit more Tie Guan Yin, this one a 2009 version from Jing Tea Shop.

Tomorrow I won't bother with the single-infusion cup in case of visitors.

[TeakettleSlim]

Got some new Assams in from Upton last week-- Sessa "B", Daisajan, and Banaspaty. This morning I had the Sessa. The Banaspaty is my favorite of this batch, though.

My husband brought me back an assortment of Kusmi Russian blends from a recent trip to Paris-- I think I'll give one of those a try this afternoon.

[Richard Kilgore]

An Oolong day today, ranging from a 2009 TGY, to the 2009 Fall Harvest Old Plantation Qing Xin, to the 2009 Fall Harvest Bai Yun Wu Lang Mountain - all from Norbu Tea. Brewed the first of the group gaongfu cha in a gaiwan and the other two gong fu cha in a dragon egg shape Yixing in order to see if more oxidized or more roasted Oolongs would do well in this Yixing. More on that later after brewing in it for a week worth of sessions.

[Wholemeal Crank]

I'm having an oolong day too--the end of the Yunnan Sourcing Oriental Beauty that was so lovely, and now finishing a sample of Tie Guan Yin from Jing Tea Shop, and excellent tea that sadly faded a little as the sample drifted to the bottom of the tea box. Still nice, however, just not as brilliant as it was when freshly opened.

[nakji]

My husband brought me back an assortment of Kusmi Russian blends from a recent trip to Paris-- I think I'll give one of those a try this afternoon.

Russian teas! I haven't had one of those in years. Please report when you've tried some.

Jasmine tea for me today; the house blend at my favourite tea house in Suzhou.

[Richard Kilgore]

Yesterday, more of the Old Plantation Oolong; the Winter Harvest 2009 Jin Xuan Green Tea from Norbu Tea; the 2010 Organic Asatsuyu Shincha from yuuki-cha.com; and a puerh that Wholemeal Crank gave me last year. An interesting tea day.

Today I started with the puerh held over from yesterday. Delicious! Followed by the 2010 Organic Magokoro Shincha from yuuki-cha.com. Next? Probably a hojicha brewed in my truly weird lidless kyusu.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Russian teas! I haven't had one of those in years.

That reminds me that I had a lovely tea in a Russian restaurant a few years ago--don't remember enough about it to be sure what was so special, but I recall it seeming like a black tea, with a little spice, and that even though it seemed like a black tea, I liked it.

Today was jade pole green tea from Yunnan Sourcing, a surprisingly delicious brewing, probably improved due to the better temperature control I have with the pino kettle, and a thermos of white bud sheng puerh. Not too much tea because I need to get to bed early for an early start tomorrow. I don't have any more white bud sheng here with me, so will have to do something different for the long drive ahead.

[Richard Kilgore]

Started out today with the Castleton Estate Darjeeling, Wiry from teasource.com. I got his at least a year ago and it is beginning to fade; still good, but I should have been drinking more of it sooner.

During the Rangers vs Yankees game I sipped the 2010 Organic Asatsuyu Shincha from yuuki-cha.com in an unsuccessful attempt at keeping me calm. Now finishing the day with the Bai Mu Tan White Tea from The Cultured Cup.

There's a new Tea Tasting & Discussion in this forum featuring three first flush Darjeelings from Tea Source. Free samples! Check it out.

[Wholemeal Crank]

A quiet tea day here: Red label SeaDyke Ti Kuan Yin (a thermos full) and then some Camellia Sinensis Da Wu Ye (gongfu cha, quite nice), and some Tai Ping Hou Kui from Wing Hop Fung.

A nice mix of teas, but I need to get started earlier tomorrow so I can have some SENCHA to start the day.

[Richard Kilgore]

Yesterday, the Nilgiri, the 2010 Organic Asahina Kabusecha featured in a previous TT&D and a Phoenix Mountain (DanCong) Oolong.

Starting out the day today with the Dian Hong Imperial, Hand Processed Yunnan Black (Red) Tea from Norbu Tea.

What teas are you all drinking today?

(There are free Darjeeling tea samples from Tea Source available to eGullet Society members. Check out the topic for the details.)

[12BottleBar]

My standard home brew is half Assam and half Ceylon. The wife loves Assams, but I find them too "tannin-y" sometimes. Personal favorite is Czar Alexander from Chado.

[Richard Kilgore]

Slow, but good, tea day. In addition to the Dian Hong Imperial early today, Another very nice brewing session with the 2001 Organic Asahina Kabusecha (Shincha) from yuuki-cha.com. Interestingly, the fifth infusion was probably the best of many good infusions!

[Wholemeal Crank]

Today I couldn't wait and dove right into the Yunnan Jade Dragon tea from the TT&D, but ended up doing a rather fractured brewing, because I didn't really have enough time--first infusions before work, last infusions after. More in the TT&D soon after I treat it a little better. This afternoon, a thermos of the 2009 Lao Cha Tou, also from Norbu, a 'dump & add hot water' thermos full for a meeting. Such a forgiving tea on these occasions!

[Richard Kilgore]

I'll be interested to read your posts about the Jade Dragon in the Chinese Green Tea TT&D, WC.

Started the day with the Nilgiri Glendale Estate Handmade from teasource.com, and am now sipping - yet again - the 2010 Organic Ashina Kabusecha from yuuki-cha.com. I'm brewing it in various Japanese teapots to see if one does better than the others with this green tea.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Need to get the Jade Dragon pics off the camera first....

Started the day with it again. Then on to some chamomile hibiscus; Wuliang Shan loose sheng puerh from Norbu, and some of the spring 2010 Jin Xuan green tea (warming up the 'brewing muscles' for working with the winter version from the TT&D next); then some Hankook 'oolong' aka Hwang Cha, which I seem to enjoy more and more the more I drink of it. It just has such a long finish, and the finish doesn't just shade into a dilute sweetness, but retains an earthy fruity depth even as it fades. Unique.

[nakji]

The weather has changed a bit here in Suzhou, and my Chinese friends have said I should switch to a "red" tea to keep warm. I'm thinking of looking for a Keemun - any suggestions?

I have been so busy at work I have been drinking my Tie Guan Yin "grand-pa style" all day from my plastic mug. Tsk Tsk.

[Richard Kilgore]

Several teas over the past few days ---

Black & Red Teas

Castleton Estate Darjeeling wiry and Nilgiri Glendale Estate, Handmade, both from Tea Source; Fujian Bai Liu Gongfu from jingteashop.com.

Green Teas

Jin Xuan Winter Harvest 2009 (Taiwan) and Jade Dragon (Yunnan) from Norbu Tea, both featured in the current Tea Tasting & Discussion. Plus the interesting (almost included it in the TT&D) Green/Oolong Xue Dian Mei Lan, also from Norbu. And the 2010 Organic Asahina Kabusecha (Shincha) from Yuuki-cha.com.

Oolong

The 2009 Spring Harvest Shui Jin Gui Wu Yi from Norbu.

I am sure I left out something.

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

[Wholemeal Crank]

The same two teas from the tasting this weekend; also some young sheng mao cha from a tasting from another forum, more on those in the puerh topic after I get my notes transcribed; yesterday discovered that one of the 'commercial' dan congs I bought from Tea Habitat is not happy in the thermos--it acquired an unpleasant taste I attribute to the long holding, but could also have been due to overly careless brewing.

Today has been some more loose sheng mao cha from Norbu, the 2010 Spring Nan Nuo - Shi Tou Xin Zhai. Lovely and did very well in the thermos for clinic. This evening, Dragon Well, a couple of brewings.