TeaChat

Imagine that!

I posted my first post in haste last night, but I wanted to take a second to formally introduce myself to the folks of TeaChat! My name is Cole, and I've been a fan of tea since I had my first glass of Sweet Tea as a child. Since then, I became an "early adopter" of loose leaf teas in high school; using a simple French Press to make my brews before I got a proper Beehouse.

While I've always enjoyed flavorful (read:not just bitter) blacks and oolongs, I've recently discovered the wonderful world of Japanese green teas. The perceived health benefits are a plus, but I can't get over the delightful mouthfeel and unique umami that comes with a nice cup of Gyokuro and Fukamushi Sencha.

So far I've tried a handful of teas from Den's (which I've loved!), but I'm always open to suggestions--especially lesser known/complex flavors of any kind! I just placed a small order of my first matcha from O-Cha and my first houhin from Yuuki-Cha, so I'll have a lot to talk about when I'm not currently entranced by my tea&teaware

See you 'round!

You've made an excellent start. Drop by TeaDay and chat about what's in your cuppa. I've not gotten very far with Japanese greens yet myself--started with the Den's green tea sampler (the first hit is always free!), have explored some sencha's from Yuuki-cha, and had a few from a variety of vendors via TeaChat tastings, most of which I've only had as samples so far. I usually only drink sencha in the morning, so I go through it slowly compared to the oolongs and puerhs that fill my afternoons and most evenings.

Thanks for the welcome! I'm interested in learning more about puerh, but haven't really experimented beyond the small tin I picked up at Peets. I've enjoyed it so far, but need to practice with my timings

Been really enjoying Den's Shincha Houryoku so far -- I think I'm gonna open up the sencha next! Any oolong vendors in particular you'd recommend?

Cole wrote:Any oolong vendors in particular you'd recommend?

I have ordered more tea from Norbu than from anyplace else, and I've gotten terrific Tie Guan Yin, Alishan Oolongs, and some very nice Wuyi teas from him. I've also gotten some lovely oolongs from HouDe, Jing Tea Shop and fantastic Dan Congs from Tea Habitat. Also check out the Oolong Tea Vendor Guide topic here.

Hi Cole, welcome to TeaChat ... I hope to see more of you around the forum ... please share what is in your cup in TeaDay!

Thanks, Chip! I'll do that after I snap a couple pics of what I'm about to brew up.

debunix wrote:

Cole wrote:Any oolong vendors in particular you'd recommend?

I have ordered more tea from Norbu than from anyplace else, and I've gotten terrific Tie Guan Yin, Alishan Oolongs, and some very nice Wuyi teas from him. I've also gotten some lovely oolongs from HouDe, Jing Tea Shop and fantastic Dan Congs from Tea Habitat. Also check out the Oolong Tea Vendor Guide topic here.

Norbu looks really promising (and I almost made a small order from Jing last week), but HouDe and Tea Habitat caught my eye. I don't have the funds to order vintage aged teas just yet, but I don't know how long I'll be able to hold off trying

Thanks again for all the help! I'll read up on some more recommendations in the Tea Vendor guide here soon.

+1 on Den's, they are one among several good Japanese green tea vendors, but they are my favorite.

As for Oolong, let me recommend: http://www.lifeinteacup.com/
Gingko (the owner) is very nice, helpful, and her prices are extremely competitive. The company keeps their packaging extremely simple in order to keep costs down for the customer, which is really nice.