TeaChat

Tead Off wrote:From what I've read, it was more than tea that they put into their tea bowls. Other things would make their way into the brew.

As far as I know, that’s pre-Tang and one of the methods of making tea during the Tang, but Lu Yu already speaks against it in his Chajing. He doesn’t mind adding a bit of salt, though.

By the Song dynasty, from which Jian ware bowls (»Tenmoku«) come, powdered tea (without supplements) was whipped to a froth with a tea whisk (»whipped tea«), a tradition the Japanese imported along with Chan (Zen).

Had my first taste of Norbu's ali shan red oolong last night. It's a really interesting tea, certainly not green but also not quite roasty/toasty. I like the sweet middle ground that it strikes.

Traditional roast TGY from Norbu. As a 2009 harvest, it's now got a hint of that fruity/tart aged oolong essence that is so pleasing, in addition to the earthy grounding and mild sweetness. It's been an all oolong day, starting with the first infusions of this tea, shifting to a green Taiwanese oolong from Origin (can't remember if this was the Cui Luan or the Long-Fen-Xia that I have open at work); an afternoon with bulk brewed SeaDyke TKY; and now back to this TGY, which has a greater depth than the amiable but limited SeaDyke.

debunix, Interesting to read that your aged tgy picks up the tart fruit flavor w/ time. My favorite tea (a red thai oolong) sometimes seems to be losing that flavor, which had been much of its pleasure, w/ time (purchased 2 years ago I think), but I must say that I am traveling & not always storing & preparing ideally.

Very quiet TeaDay--2 hours without a new post!

Today, enjoying the 2nd day of this lovely mountain oolong from OriginTea. I preprared a couple of infusions last night, not nearly exhausting the leaves, and today started with it again--Shan Lin Xi: Long Feng Xia (remembering to give proper credit to this 2013 spring tea!). Delicious, floral, delicately spincy, so good.

Casual session of Four Seasons of Spring from Mountain Tea in my Bero teapot. A very pleasant, easy drinker.

Devoted135 wrote:Casual session of Four Seasons of Spring from Mountain Tea in my Bero teapot. A very pleasant, easy drinker.

When did you buy this oolong, Devoted135?

I ask because Mountain Tea seems rather moribund these days.

30 years old Baozhong, Wuyi varietal. Nice combination of sweetness and mineral tastes.

sherubtse wrote:

Devoted135 wrote:Casual session of Four Seasons of Spring from Mountain Tea in my Bero teapot. A very pleasant, easy drinker.

When did you buy this oolong, Devoted135?

I ask because Mountain Tea seems rather moribund these days.

Hm, I think I ordered it in December of 2012, actually. Still having about 75g of oolong (this and a green TGY) left from that order, I haven't gotten around to ordering from them since.

Couldn't resist and had a second tea today, Tie Luo Han from Origintea (http://www.origintea.net/yancha?product_id=205).
This is the real deal. My mind is blown.

Beido no 1. I have 50 grams left and my friend has a bit more so it is his turn to show some generosity. Extremely rare to get a real Beido no1 and we have to consume it very carefully. Nevertheless, it is mind boggling, almost close to the high grade Da Hong Bao. I enjoy this tea because of its natural tantalizing rounded bitterness and lengthy sweetness with the rhythm of the cliff.
Really sad that high grade Yancha like this is getting extinct and out of the hands many tea drinkers.

Enjoying some more of the traditional roast TGY from Norbu today, brewed in my little teabark pot from Petr Novak. Earthy, spicy, sweet, fruity. And the pot gives off that wonderful plummy scent--hasn't anyone else noticed this, splashing or spilling a bit of tea over a treebark pot and sniffing? It's like a preview--a promise--of what the pot is doing to the tea steeping inside.....

An interesting new-to-me tea, Gui Fei - Taiwan Oolong Tea - Winter 2011 from Norbu. I had earthy in mind when I opened this one, but the tea inside is floral/fruity, quite reminiscent of a Korean Hwang Cha/yellow tea. Delicious--it was a gray overcast day, which really makes a bright tea like this welcome, even if my tastebuds were prepping for something quite different (earthy/toasty was on my mind).

Today a new setting at at the tea table and a fresh pour with a newly opened tea: "Phoenix Grove Eight Immortals, Spring 2013," recently bought at %40 clearance price (new spring harvest coming soon) at a sommelier event at Teance in Berkeley. Really nice tea poured in a freshly arrived Petr Novak 120ml kyusu and cups (a really wonderful teapot that I feel gratitude to pour with). The tea: fruity, dark cherry/lychee/currant elements subtly cast over a light alfalfa, warm base, with the sweet scent of cedar needles in the moist leaves and a slight, side-tongue astringency (very mild and pleasing)...very tasty tea. Good longevity through the rounds and really great clarity in the liquor. All in all, today was a very present pour, the scent of budding blossoms coming through the tearoom window as I drank.





Blessings!

Sweet session. I finished the tea day with some Zhang Hsu Su Alishan from Origin Tea.