Thursday TeaDay 2/17/11 What's new?

[Chip]

Good TeaDay everyone. Please stop into TeaDay and share what is in your cup throughout the day.

Yesterday we discussed origins of our fave teawares. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. Something different, is there something new and/or different in your TeaWorld recently? Please share what's NEW with us!

We are all looking forward to sharing TeaDays ... with everyone. Bottoms up!

[IPT]

I just found a bunch of Wuyi Mountain Yan Wulong Teas and am having a ball playing with them. They're quite wonderful and from small producers. That's the newest thing going on with me and tea lately. I have ordered some sencha, so soon I'll be experimenting with that too.

[ChinesePottery]

There is definitely something new in my TeaWorld. It's you guys @TC.

[Chip]

Definitely yes! 90's Pu via the Pu-OTTI would top the list. Also some new Korean greens, Seijak (sp?). And also some Chinese greens, yellows that are new and/or from vendors I have not used before.

Yay, to new teas!

Fairly new, Eiichi's Hagi Yunomi "SnowDrifts" is so different and new, not like anything I have ever seen before.

And brand new, a few Shawn McGuire of GreenwoodStudio, one of our TeaWare Artisans, 2 teabowls and a very different guinomi ... well, all three pieces are really different!

And working on a few others that are still in the fire ... so to speak!

TD is about to commence ...

[Xell]

Definitely yes, i got scales and my attempts at preparing gyokuro improved greatly. But I'm still not there yet. Also those experiments are a bit costly

[tortoise]

I'm trying a few new teas. Lots of pu erh from otti and otherwise. Not sure how that experiment is going really.

And my first aged Baozhong. I haven't tried it yet, but it's sitting in the cupboard and will probably get cracked Friday night. I'm not sure what to expect as a fan of regular baozhong, but it's exciting.

This morning, an old favorite, but new this year ... ali shan. These fists unfurl perfectly. The leaves are flawless and each one contains two big leaves and a bud. Very impressive.

[brad4419]

Sort of new things are my Ru kiln celadon shimo cups from dragon tea house. They look great and are the perfect size for my 60ml celadon gaiwan.
I tried a lower grade dancong a few weeks ago from jingteashop. I wish it were a higher grade but It was just the everyday tea, although I did enjoy it very much.

[karmaplace]

A LOT of new wares from American artisans, including a piece from Ericka O'Rourke (Elm Studios), some black and oolong samples on the way so I can expand beyond my greens, and the realization that I need to find Korean vendors or vendors in the native countries, because it's way too expensive for me to ship from American vendors.

I put in an order from Adagio. If I were in the US I would have gotten free shipping, but since I'm in Korea it was over $30.

In the meantime, here's the yunomi I got from Ericka, with some Taiwanese high mountain oolong, and my Son Chun Ho teapot. I've described this set up as "my insomnia."

[hopeofdawn]

My very first chawan--2 of them, even--arrived this week. After only a month or so of lusting after them on Etsy, even! They're both very gorgeous, and so nice to handle; I'm still trying to perfect my matcha-making skills to do them justice.

No pictures yet, sadly, other than the etsy ones. (Don't want to linkbomb, after all) Maybe this weekend we'll get some sun and I can take some ....

[Chip]

UBER NICE KarmaPlace!!! Thanks for sharing your insomnia with us!

Hope, PLEASE do link bomb us! We would like to see!!!

Newbies from GreenwoodStudio with this morning's Hosen sencha.



... and ...

[Elovitz]

Other....that is to say not yet. I'm holding out until the NYC tea convention this weekend. If I find anything I'll be getting it! I cleaned house on over 20 teas in the last 3 months so I'm looking for some new favorites.

Also a yixing or a tetsubin would be nice since I don't own either yet.

[hopeofdawn]

UBER NICE
Hope, PLEASE do link bomb us! We would like to see!!!

Ask, and ye shall receive! Here are the links to the two chawan I ended up getting:

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/43566378
http://www.etsy.com/transaction/43566379

The pictures for the first one really don't do the colors justice--it's very intense. The interior, especially, is an intense reflective golden color, which I had not expected. And the second one is just so 'happy', I couldn't resist ... The artist is Mitsuko Siegrist, or 'ippuku' on Etsy--I think her work is pretty amazing.

[Chip]

Thanks Hope. It is hard to capture golds in teaware for me too!

Like the happy chawan!

Next up, thinking matcha or another OTTI Pu ...

[teaisme]

Pu is new, gathering and trying a few more small samples before I dive into the otti.
I already know I will like pu (tried a few recently at a teashop) so have reserved a couple of pots I think would be suitable to experiment with/dedicate. Very excited

Some unknown long jing opened today. Its been so long since I've had lj, this one seems pretty subtle, and a little bitter due to possibly my poor lj technique. We'll see. I'll give it another go tonight with more leaf and shorter steeps.

[brlarson]

Matcha capsules are new! If NASA made tea it might look like this. It's a very efficient way to get your daily dose.

Today also brought Jing's ban tian yao, Imen's jade tips, and the last of my imperial long jing from Jing.