Hello!
Posted: Aug 22nd, '12, 10:48
I've been lurking here a bit recently and decided to join up and begin participating.
I was fortunate to grow up with tea in my folk's house. We had all the standard herbal-fare (Celestial Seasoning's Sleepy Time still brings back my childhood as much as anything), but also several greens, blacks, and oolongs were in the house at any given moment. I always really enjoyed the teas, and knew enough to tell the kinds apart, but never much more than that.
I've gone through phases in my adult life where tea has been something of an interest (when my brother brought back some wonderful stuff from his year in China, for instance), but it has never been something I've focused on learning about and appreciating more deeply until recently.
At Dobra Tea House in Madison (I don't live there, but I regularly visit friends who do) I learned about Gaiwan preparation and tried dozens of teas over many visits; each visit revealed new experiences and deepened my growing interest in tea.
Currently, I'm really in love Taiwanese oolong. I have some Alishan and Tung Ting, as well as Bao Zhong I've been drinking (I wish I discovered this place a couple of months ago! You don't have any more of that last OTTI do you, Chip?)
I'm also very much interested in young ready-to-drink puerh (I'm yet to experience any older teas), and have really enjoyed what I've tried.
I'm looking forward to learning from you all, and the OTTI's are very exciting as well.
BTW, I worked in the wine business for several years, and worked hard to develop a palate and language for the complex flavors in wine (and spirits; Armagnac is a personal favorite). It's interesting thinking about the similarities and differences between the worlds of tea and wine.
I was fortunate to grow up with tea in my folk's house. We had all the standard herbal-fare (Celestial Seasoning's Sleepy Time still brings back my childhood as much as anything), but also several greens, blacks, and oolongs were in the house at any given moment. I always really enjoyed the teas, and knew enough to tell the kinds apart, but never much more than that.
I've gone through phases in my adult life where tea has been something of an interest (when my brother brought back some wonderful stuff from his year in China, for instance), but it has never been something I've focused on learning about and appreciating more deeply until recently.
At Dobra Tea House in Madison (I don't live there, but I regularly visit friends who do) I learned about Gaiwan preparation and tried dozens of teas over many visits; each visit revealed new experiences and deepened my growing interest in tea.
Currently, I'm really in love Taiwanese oolong. I have some Alishan and Tung Ting, as well as Bao Zhong I've been drinking (I wish I discovered this place a couple of months ago! You don't have any more of that last OTTI do you, Chip?)
I'm also very much interested in young ready-to-drink puerh (I'm yet to experience any older teas), and have really enjoyed what I've tried.
I'm looking forward to learning from you all, and the OTTI's are very exciting as well.
BTW, I worked in the wine business for several years, and worked hard to develop a palate and language for the complex flavors in wine (and spirits; Armagnac is a personal favorite). It's interesting thinking about the similarities and differences between the worlds of tea and wine.