Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

Please introduce yourself here to our membership


Feb 19th, '13, 16:49
Posts: 7
Joined: Feb 19th, '13, 14:00
Location: Toronto, ON, CAN

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by TeasandPeas » Feb 19th, '13, 16:49

hi this is my first post and I know nothing about tea except what I have learned in the past day

How long have you been drinking tea?

My dad is Japanese so green (bags) have always been in my repertoire, but I never paid much attention until this Christmas when my brother gave my dad a ball and some loose teas from David's.

What was your first Tea?

Probably Genmai Cha or Orange Pekoe

What is your favorite Tea currently?

I am really digging Blueberry Jam from David's and Blackberry Green from Teavana

What is your next purchase?

No more herbal. Is it always so weak as what I have?

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Feb 25th, '13, 00:12
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Contact: chamekke

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by chamekke » Feb 25th, '13, 00:12

Hello! I used to be very active on TeaChat until I went to Kyoto for 3 weeks in 2009 and my brain exploded. Well - that's what it felt like, anyway, when I suddenly found myself immersed in tea culture... and felt inadequate to the task of describing it afterwards.

So anyway, I thought it was time to come back and say Hi to all my old friends. Hi!

How long have you been drinking tea?
Ha, if we include bagged tea, then since childhood. I've been drinking other teas since early adulthood. I began studying chadou (Japanese tea ceremony) since 2004, which is also when I began exploring green teas in general.

What was your first Tea?
Probably Red Rose orange pekoe teabags.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
I like matcha a lot (Seijo no Shiro for thin tea, Kinrin for thick). Because my husband is supposed to avoid all caffeine, we've been dabbling in rooibos lately. OK, I know it's a tisane, not a tea, but it can still be pretty yummy. We're partial to Murchie's pomegranate rooibos! And, I dunno, I'm fairly catholic in my tastes? I like almost everything really. And my go-to at the end of every work day is Adagio's Yunnan Noir, brewed at my desk in an unremarkable little Chinese gaiwan.

What is your next purchase?
Whichever koicha matcha my friend Tamae brings back from Japan! I told her that price was no object... gulp...

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
(1) The tearoom, on tatami; (2) my kitchen; (3) my desk, on a little tray :-)

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Feb 25th, '13, 00:44
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Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by Chip » Feb 25th, '13, 00:44

Greetings to all the "noobs."

And a special hi and welcome back to chamekke. It is great to see you again. :mrgreen:

Mar 15th, '13, 01:54
Posts: 1
Joined: Feb 26th, '13, 11:30

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by nanenj » Mar 15th, '13, 01:54

How long have you been drinking tea?

Since about January 21, 2013. I had moved up to Chicago, IL for a new job just a week prior. During that first week, I was lost, didn't know where to find food, where to go to hang out, didn't have any friends. I posted a thread on reddit claiming how noob I was at existing in Chicago. That thread introduced me to some wonderful individuals in the area, one of which shared his collection of tea with me. Prior to this, I was pretty ignorant of tea. I had only really had lipton and sweet southern ice tea. How wrong I was to think tea was boring.

What was your first Tea?

I think the first tea out of the bit that was shared to me was a blackberry currant tea. It wasn't anything earth shattering like some of the teas I explored afterwards, but, it was enough to make me realise I'd been missing out.

What is your favorite Tea currently?

My current favorite is a Ti Kuan Yin Oolong from the Chicago Coffee and Tea Exchange.

What is your next purchase?

I want to try more different genmaicha blends. I like Argo Tea's genmaicha, but, I've heard there's better.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?

Work. Just, yeah, work. :P

Mar 16th, '13, 10:34
Posts: 5
Joined: Mar 9th, '13, 17:43

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by watsonholmes » Mar 16th, '13, 10:34

How long have you been drinking tea?
Um, well ever since highschool I suppose. One day I went to the nurses office with a problem and one of the nurses made me a cup of tea. After that it kind of took off.

What was your first Tea?

One of those over the shelf fruit zingers. I especially liked Lemon because with a little milk and sugar I could make it taste like candy.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
It's so hard to choose! I really like coconut, especially with the smell, but I like apple spice chai (especially when I add it to other things like smoothies). If it's over the shelf I tend to like peppermint and green teas. Both of which help a lot when I have a cold or the flu.

What is your next purchase?
Well I just purchased a sampler so I'm going to back to small kitchen and make some more blends. I'm working on my 'Panchito Pistoles' blend next and maybe one for a certain you tuber by the name of Tobuscus.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
My kitchen mostly. It's a small kitchen and I often make it kind of messy with all my tea but it's a nice little space with everything in reach.

Mar 17th, '13, 18:42
Posts: 1
Joined: Mar 13th, '13, 16:00

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by phdtea » Mar 17th, '13, 18:42

1.How long? I've been drinking tea since I was a kid, and I've been an regular iced tea drinker since the early 1980s, but I haven't been seeking to sample a wide variety of teas until the last few years.

2. First tea? I started with Lipton and similar bagged teas (like Bigelow). I enjoyed the occasional herbal tea, like Red Zinger, all the way back in junior high school, but I've never been a big herbal tea drinker.

3. Current favorite? I'm very much a standard black tea drinker. My favorite Adagio tea so far is the Ceylon Sonata. My favorite tea used to be Tazo Awake, but the quality dropped radically when they changed the packaging, I no longer drink Tazo.

4. Next purchase? I just finished sampling a half-dozen Adagio teas, and I just bought another 10 tea samples from Harney & Sons. Don't expect to buy anything else until I finish going through those.

5. Spot to brew? Kitchen. Boil water in the microwave.

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Mar 19th, '13, 22:20
Posts: 91
Joined: Oct 24th, '11, 14:31
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by iGo » Mar 19th, '13, 22:20

Hi,

iGo here from the wilds of Brooklyn, NY., delurking.

How long have you been drinking tea?
Not considering tea in Chinese restaurants buried in sugar, 30 years or so.

What was your first Tea?
Maybe sencha. But after getting hold of the first edition of The Art of Chinese Tea by John Blofeld, some green oolong from Ten Ren.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
Pu. It's intoxicating. I've fallen completely and totally down the slippery slope.

What is your next purchase?
Not sure. Maybe a visit to Ippodo NY, when it opens for some Japanese greens.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
Dining room table.

Cheers all.

Mar 25th, '13, 17:13
Posts: 13
Joined: Mar 24th, '13, 19:43

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by h2oprnt » Mar 25th, '13, 17:13

How long have you been drinking tea?
Years, if you call Lipton tea.

What was your first Tea?
Teavana gave me some blueberry bliss, I like it.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
Well, blueberry bliss at the moment.

What is your next purchase?
Not sure. Looking here for some thoughts on that.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
Kitchen, last night being my first time doing it.

Apr 27th, '13, 20:58
Posts: 1
Joined: Apr 23rd, '13, 23:22

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by drella » Apr 27th, '13, 20:58

How long have you been drinking tea? Regularly for 3 years.
What was your first Tea? Ha - Lipton's
What is your favorite Tea currently? Russian Caravan, Pukka Love Tea, anything by Yogi Tea, variety of green teas
What is your next purchase? Probably a tea pot
Where is your favorite spot to brew up? Just at home

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Apr 28th, '13, 13:20
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Contact: chamekke

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by chamekke » Apr 28th, '13, 13:20

Welcome!

No need to feel embarrassed about Lipton's :D Most of us here began our love affair with tea because we tried (and enjoyed) commercial teabags, in fact I suspect that a few of us still do. My husband is passionate for Tetley's! (I still think he should have to do the Tea Folk Folk Dance each time he drinks it, though... ;-))

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May 11th, '13, 21:58
Posts: 489
Joined: May 11th, '13, 03:20
Location: Sacramento, California

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by 茶藝-TeaArt08 » May 11th, '13, 21:58

Greetings and blessings to everyone! I am grateful for this forum and to have access to the host of fellow tea practitioners available here!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING TEA?
Since high school (1990) but it was mostly herbal teas in bags. About 1998 I began drinking more Japanese green tea. Around 2000, when I met my wife, whom is Taiwanese, I began drinking loose leaf Taiwan high-mountain oolong tea(台灣高山舞龍茶) in a gong fu set. In the last two years tea has become a way of deep life practice for us. I inherited my father-in-law's complete collection of Yixing and other teaware. In our home we have a devoted tea room for gong fu tea, study, guqin (古琴) play, and sitting practice. This last two years I began a focused study of tea and began to study Taiwan Chayi (茶藝=Tea Art)with my teacher in Taiwan and now make wooden tea utensils for my own practice and for friends.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST TEA?
Celestial Seasonings' Sleepytime tea is the first that comes to mind as an adult; though, as a child we drank Lipton iced tea, sun-brewed, in the backyard during summers.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TEA CURRENTLY?
Currently that would be Qi Lai Shan(奇萊山)2,200 meter Winter 2012 oolong tea

WHAT IS YOUR NEXT PURCHASE?
We returned from our yearly visit to Taiwan, for a month, with a suitcase full of tea and teaware: DaYuLing (大禹嶺), AliShan (阿里山), LiShan (梨山), DongFangMeiRen (東方美人), Taiwan Lao Cha (老茶), and other teas. So there hasn't been much need...though I am looking at a Shimizu Ken kyusu. :D

WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO BREW?
In our home tea room or on the tea deck in our backyard. After that I'd say anywhere natural, creek side, stream side, in the mountains with fresh water from the nearby stream or spring.
Last edited by 茶藝-TeaArt08 on May 13th, '13, 14:54, edited 2 times in total.

May 12th, '13, 21:27
Posts: 5
Joined: Mar 20th, '12, 15:41

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by Jangular.Khaari » May 12th, '13, 21:27

Hello! Long time lurker, not so much poster so I thought I'd drop a post here : )

How long have you been drinking tea?
*Real* tea wise, since 2011. I did peppermint in bags before that and it wasn't until I took a tea course when I moved to Ottawa that I started to appreciate good quality loose leaf tea. Since then, I've spent a lot of time educating myself about tea, from reading the fine chats on this site, reading books, and talking with a lot of tea enthusiasts in the area that travel a lot to the tea gardens and have studied tea intensively. I also work at a local tea shop once in a while, so have had to ramp up my own experience quite a bit to help people who aren't used to good quality loose leaf tea and are only familiar with flavored teas.

What was your first Tea?
Yin Zhen/Silver Needle White Tea

What is your favorite Tea currently?
I'm a big oolong tea drinker, particularly high mountain oolongs. I have one that I bought from a local tea shop from the Ali Shan region that is particularly good with nice floral notes to it and a very long aftertaste.

What is your next purchase?
Shincha and other green teas as they come in to the various shops around the area. I'm fortunate to have several great quality tea shops, with a few that travel direct to the tea gardens themselves and specialize in gongfu style tea.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
There's a practitioner of Japanese tea ceremonies (Rebecca at Camellia Tea House), among other Japanese arts, that has a lovely Japanesque garden in the back for her establishment, complete with a small tea room and a little water garden that can be seen from one door, and a lovely zen sand garden seen out another door. A very rare find up in Canada, but always a relaxing place to visit and have some tea!

May 23rd, '13, 22:37
Posts: 4
Joined: May 11th, '13, 14:40

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by cupcakerica » May 23rd, '13, 22:37

How long have you been drinking tea?
Since I was a little one, so at least 20 years. Used to drink Celestial Seasonings w/ my Grandpa at night, it was a nice ritual we had together. As far as loose leaf? Only a few months.

What was your first Tea?
One of the zingers, Lemon or Raspberry most likely.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
Ooh, that's a hard one! Just bought a ton of samplers from Adagio, guess I'd go with the white peach? I drink a black vanilla in the early am, then whites the rest of the day. Too hard to give just one answer!

What is your next purchase?
I want to buy some more samplers from Adagio, see how they compare to my teeny little local tea shop.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
My kitchen is super tiny, but I've taken over this little spot in the corner, perfect for my big measuring cup, Brita, and ingenuiTEA. All my tea is in a dark cabinet, naturally.

Jun 16th, '13, 01:37
Posts: 5
Joined: Jun 2nd, '13, 20:26

Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by Rockin Robin » Jun 16th, '13, 01:37

Yo,

New here as well. Posting at least--not the lurking part. =-p Kinda got tried of waitin for that second email from an admin after almost two weeks, so I went ahead today to see if I could login. Turns out I can, but not start a new topic. Trying to get some id for a pair of yixing pots.

I've been going at for something like a decade or so. Around that time I became set on drinking tea after impulse purchase of a adorable little, glazed, Japanese teapot in an antique shop. Began with drinking loose leaf tea after getting buying a tin of tea from a local Asian mart. Didn't realize tea came in anything other than bags until then. Or with rice (genmaicha)! lol

I do like a lot of the fancier teas and different tea in general. Mostly hang around straight/non-mixed teas. But I usually fallback to genmaicha and kukicha twig as my mainstays.

Currently not working on buying any new tea till I finish some black teas I got from a shop that sells olive oil and tea.

The best place I always find to brew is in my room.

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Jun 16th, '13, 17:20
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Re: Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

by Chip » Jun 16th, '13, 17:20

Rockin Robin wrote:Yo,

New here as well. Posting at least--not the lurking part. =-p Kinda got tried of waitin for that second email from an admin after almost two weeks, so I went ahead today to see if I could login. Turns out I can, but not start a new topic. Trying to get some id for a pair of yixing pots.
Yo Robin,

Sorry you had problems ... you are not alone.

Hopefully this will help others.

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=18787

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