Monday 6/30/08 is TeaDay

[henley]

Thought I would share my lunch with you today.

Actually, I almost did share lunch w/you today. The 'tea nook' photos were taken at lunch about 2:00 my time.

Beautiful photos as always!

[Chip]

Nice pictures everyone!

Da Hong Pao currently in my cup. I have so much to learn about the darker oolongs. But I get easily frustrated with them. They are a study unto themselves, and I have lacked the patience to this point.

Hopefully I will enjoy this as much as the last Da Hong Pao I had.

[RussianSoul]

Green tea was a favorite this month. Between shincha and first flush Chinese green I rarely had anything else. It may be different in July with Oolong Box coming...

Shincha Hashiri in my cup. I could see the bottom of the tin when I made it. The good news is that I still have an unopened bag of shincha which I will open when this one is gone.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

Green tea for June! My favorite this morning was definitely O-cha's Fukamushi Sencha Supreme.

Today, I've gotten as far as some Irish Breakfast but that is it so far.

[Victoria]

Wow great pics eveyone!

Makaibari Organic Oolong - TeaSource - in my cup this afternoon.
It's also a bit on the too roasted side so into the Oolong box it goes!

[Chip]

Wow great pics eveyone!

Makaibari Organic Oolong - TeaSource - in my cup this afternoon.
It's also a bit on the too roasted side so into the Oolong box it goes!

Wow, Darjeeling oolongs are evolving. Several years ago, a Darjeeling oolong was just like their blacks and greens...they lacked significant variation going from one type to another. Well, at least they are making efforts.

Hatsumi hot right now. Much mellower when brewed light.

Also, Fukamushi Supreme cold brewed. I brewed it for around 10 minutes compared to several hours yesterday...which was tooo long for the first steep. The overbrewing was easily corrested by adding more cold water. Today, however it is much lighter and refreshing, but could have been brewed a bit longer. 2nd steep is brewing.

[witches brew]

I had to say green, simply for the two delicious steeps of Sencha Pinnacle that I enjoyed this weekend. I haven't been home often enough in June to have very much good tea. The project I am working on is drawing to a close and I hope to be home soon.

This morning I enjoyed a cup of genmaicha. This afternoon, a polite cup of instant 'tea' at our project partner's office. Right now I am too tired to steep anything, and am content with a glass of ice water.

I enjoyed today's photos very much, because home is on my mind and you are most fortunate to be enjoying tea at home today.

[britt]

I have so much to learn about the darker oolongs. But I get easily frustrated with them. They are a study unto themselves, and I have lacked the patience to this point.

I am far from being an expert on this, but I did have good luck with the Wuyi oolongs, including Da Hong Pao, from the very beginning. Without really knowing what I was doing, I picked a thick, heavy, purple zhisha Yixing and it worked great. I was lucky to have done so, otherwise I might have been far less impressed with these teas. Heat retention seems to bring out the best in these darker oolongs.

If you haven't tried gong fu style with these teas, I highly recommend trying it if you have the time and capacity for 8 or more infusions from the high quality Wuyi's. Also bear in mind that there are many different sources and quality levels of each of these oolongs.

[britt]

With June being a great month for overbuying all the new first flush 2008 teas from Japan, Taiwan, and China, you'd think it would be difficult to choose one.

Greens:

5 awesome shincha's from Japan and 2 Taiwanese greens

Oolongs:

2 Taiwanese high mountains including the awesome Da Yu Ling from 2400meters

White:

1 silver needles from mainland China

All of these IMO were exceptionally good, but it was still easy for me to choose a favorite; green tea, Yutaka Midori shincha, followed by Tsuen's Kirameki; both from O-Cha.com.

Second place: Da Yu Ling from Hou De

[bi lew chun]

Wowsers. Flowers reflected in a floral teacup. That's kind of profound, somehow.

[Chip]

I have so much to learn about the darker oolongs. But I get easily frustrated with them. They are a study unto themselves, and I have lacked the patience to this point.

I am far from being an expert on this, but I did have good luck with the Wuyi oolongs, including Da Hong Pao, from the very beginning. Without really knowing what I was doing, I picked a thick, heavy, purple zhisha Yixing and it worked great. I was lucky to have done so, otherwise I might have been far less impressed with these teas. Heat retention seems to bring out the best in these darker oolongs.

If you haven't tried gong fu style with these teas, I highly recommend trying it if you have the time and capacity for 8 or more infusions from the high quality Wuyi's. Also bear in mind that there are many different sources and quality levels of each of these oolongs.

I have been gonfuing to semi gonfuing in a gaiwan. This was from Teaspring, btw. Thanx for the information!

Also, I cannot argue with Kirameki...really premo. I still have to open the Yutaka Midori. That might be my fav for July as it is a perennial fave of mine.

[Victoria]

Enjoying a second steep of my Yellow Tea - Wild Kwan Yin.
Very mild on this hot Ca evening. I'm enjoying it at room temp.

[Carnelian]

Thought I would share my lunch with you today.

On the menu:

West Lake DragonWell
Red Pepper Hummas with fresh veggies and whole wheat pita
A whole lotta joy


Simple can be sublime, this westlake dragonwell was wonderful brewed and drunk straight in the glass. Throw some leaves in, pour in some hot water half ways, wait a bit, throw in the ice to fill it up and carry it outside. The ice cubes serve as a strainer of sorts, no problems drinking this way. Yum.

That is a lunch I can agree with (and a beautiful photo I might add), hummus and tea are two of my favorite consumable items.

Finishing the day with Adagio's green pekoe, third infusion. A bit more astringent than I anticipated, but nothing I can object to.

[Chip]

WOW...Oolongs quietly pulled off a coup today and was the top vote getter...at this writing!!! This is actually pretty amazing since Greens and Blacks are usually fighting for the top spot..with Oolong usually third.

The Oolongonians have been busy building their ranks!

[Victoria]

WE try!