It is not fanatical to keep one's tea (oolongs and fresh teas like long jing) from becoming stale with exposure to air I keep mine in the airtight containers that the vendors ship them in.
Had 2 different raw puerhs today one from 2000 single estate ancient tree and 0ne 2008 spring flush single estate both sweet and prune like but the former with a very long lasting aftertaste in the mouth and throat.
Right now enjoying top quality TGY the 1st steep started 5 hours ago. I have too many teas that ordered that i'm lost when deciding what to drink .
Jul 8th, '08, 20:27
Posts: 262
Joined: Oct 18th, '07, 20:45
Location: Massachusetts
Contact:
Katrina
I think today's title just ensures that it will be mentioned even more than usual. It's the equivalent of saying, "Don't think about giraffes."Chip wrote:...just don't mention w****g!
Visit my website and blog at http://www.teapages.net and http://teapages.blogspot.com
I do not consider myself fanatical about storing my tea. Most of my teas are in the tins or the resealable packages they came in. A few that are not resealable get put into other air tight tins. Organization is definitely not my strong suit so my tea collection is currently spread between my corner of the kitchen island, a three drawer, plastic cart in the guest room, and a few little things in my room. All the teas are actually inventoried on a list so I know what I have and what I tried.
Today, I started with two steeps of White Peach for work. It was so good that I finished both the 16oz travel mug and thermos that I had of it before the work day was done. I decided to rummage through the office cupboard to see what I could find for any half-way decent tea bags to finish the workday with and ended up with a Black Current flavored black tea. It wasn't too bad after I added a bit of sugar to it though I couldn't bring myself to finish the entire mug of it. Right now, I am enjoying a cold glass of iced Assam mixed with Mango black tea. I'm really liking how the Mango comes out as an iced tea.
Today, I started with two steeps of White Peach for work. It was so good that I finished both the 16oz travel mug and thermos that I had of it before the work day was done. I decided to rummage through the office cupboard to see what I could find for any half-way decent tea bags to finish the workday with and ended up with a Black Current flavored black tea. It wasn't too bad after I added a bit of sugar to it though I couldn't bring myself to finish the entire mug of it. Right now, I am enjoying a cold glass of iced Assam mixed with Mango black tea. I'm really liking how the Mango comes out as an iced tea.
I answered " I don't consider myself fanatical" because I know how fanatical I can get. At least, I like to be orderly and organized. I'm just beginning to learn that tea is a VAST and interesting field.
I bought an small old fashioned spice cabinet a few years ago to put culinary and medicinal herbs and spices in - that wasn't practical, but the little tins of tea fit perfectly. It will be fine as long as I label the different drawers. I hadn 't tried it before this discussion reminded me - thanks. I need shelf space in this tiny kitchen.
I am fanatical enough to wrap my first tin of Matcha in a pastic bag and keep it in the freezer - is that a good idea or a bad one? (Or nuetral and unneccessary)?
I really like it both for the taste and the clarity of mind it seems to give.
I could get fanatical about matcha - and probably sencha -
but tonight - I've got TKY with honey.
I will not mention wulong.
I bought an small old fashioned spice cabinet a few years ago to put culinary and medicinal herbs and spices in - that wasn't practical, but the little tins of tea fit perfectly. It will be fine as long as I label the different drawers. I hadn 't tried it before this discussion reminded me - thanks. I need shelf space in this tiny kitchen.
I am fanatical enough to wrap my first tin of Matcha in a pastic bag and keep it in the freezer - is that a good idea or a bad one? (Or nuetral and unneccessary)?
I really like it both for the taste and the clarity of mind it seems to give.
I could get fanatical about matcha - and probably sencha -
but tonight - I've got TKY with honey.
I will not mention wulong.
Wulong? What is Wulong? Why aren't we mentioning Wulong? Is Wulong good? Is Wulong bad? Are we fanatical about Wulong? What country does Wulong come from? Are there many countries that produce Wulong? I need to learn more about Wulong, don't I? 
I'll try not to mention Wulong, but it sure is hard. What was that tea again ... Wulong?
(Just being silly, it's been a long day!)
I'll try not to mention Wulong, but it sure is hard. What was that tea again ... Wulong?
(Just being silly, it's been a long day!)
cannisters
I still have Shincha Kirameki and Myabi in my fridge because I don't know how to store tham after opening!! Jim
Jul 8th, '08, 23:06
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Contact:
chamekke
My tea sensei came back yesterday from Japan and brought me a gift of fukamushi sencha. It's not a fukamushi I've tried before; it's by Sankouen. So far it's still unopened, since I'm continuing to work on my shincha backlog. As soon as I open it, I'll let y'all know what it tastes like 
In the meantime, here's a page about it. Very cute:
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/sankouen/fukamusi_zouryou/
The bag itself does include some helpful instructions in English on the back:
HOW TO MAKE NICE & TASTY TEA (FOR TWO PERSONS)
1) Pour boiled water into each cup of the two.
2) Wait until it gets cool down to about 80 C.
3) Put a spoonful (about 8g) of tea leaves into the small teapot (Kyusu in Japanese).
4) Empty the hot water in (1) out of the cup into the kyusu teapot.
5) Steep for proper time. Then pour it back by turn into the cups.
It's the "steep for proper time" part that slays me. Proper?
In the meantime, here's a page about it. Very cute:
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/sankouen/fukamusi_zouryou/
The bag itself does include some helpful instructions in English on the back:
HOW TO MAKE NICE & TASTY TEA (FOR TWO PERSONS)
1) Pour boiled water into each cup of the two.
2) Wait until it gets cool down to about 80 C.
3) Put a spoonful (about 8g) of tea leaves into the small teapot (Kyusu in Japanese).
4) Empty the hot water in (1) out of the cup into the kyusu teapot.
5) Steep for proper time. Then pour it back by turn into the cups.
It's the "steep for proper time" part that slays me. Proper?
Jul 8th, '08, 23:26
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Thanx for sharing Chamekke. I am anticipating hearing about this special fukamushi!!!chamekke wrote:My tea sensei came back yesterday from Japan and brought me a gift of fukamushi sencha. It's not a fukamushi I've tried before; it's by Sankouen. So far it's still unopened, since I'm continuing to work on my shincha backlog. As soon as I open it, I'll let y'all know what it tastes like
In the meantime, here's a page about it. Very cute:
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/sankouen/fukamusi_zouryou/
The bag itself does include some helpful instructions in English on the back:
HOW TO MAKE NICE & TASTY TEA (FOR TWO PERSONS)
1) Pour boiled water into each cup of the two.
2) Wait until it gets cool down to about 80 C.
3) Put a spoonful (about 8g) of tea leaves into the small teapot (Kyusu in Japanese).
4) Empty the hot water in (1) out of the cup into the kyusu teapot.
5) Steep for proper time. Then pour it back by turn into the cups.
It's the "steep for proper time" part that slays me. Proper?
I never know quite what to make of Japanese vendor brewing directions. Laugh
, cry 
, roll my eyes 
There are things that I think they know we know. I never know if they assume we will preheat the kyusu or maybe they don't bother. And the amount of leaf they recommend...
I am glad to see the reverse psychology is finally working today...but now I am thinking of giraffes.
Speaking of wulong...still enjoying the wenshan from earlier...I guess the 7th steep by now.
In addition though, I am also enjoying Heirloom Tea Plant flowers which is really nice.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
Jul 8th, '08, 23:51
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Woohoo, I can hardly wait!Victoria wrote: Now that's the spirit! I hope there is some Boazhong left
in the box pass when it gets to you Sarah. It will
knock your socks off!
You will like this... I was delivering a baby today, and had a new resident doc working with me... and we had an opportunity to make some smalltalk while we were between tasks. He's from China, and so I told him if he goes home to China for a visit, he should bring me back some good tea. He asked what kind of tea I like, and I said... all kinds, but especially right now I like oolong.
He did a double-take... and said... "Oolong??? How do you know about Oolong??? That is Chinese tea!" So we proceeded to have this lively discussion about tea, where to buy good tea if you live in the US, health benefits of oolong, etc. He is convinced that a cup of hot oolong after a meal will reduce the absorption of fat from the meal.
Anyway, I was very amused that he thought Americans couldn't possibly know anything about oolong.
Oh crap, I said oolong.
I just finished a very late dinner of turkey/broccoli Hot Pockets and 2 cups of TKY... odd combo, but the TKY improved the Hot Pockets.
Sweet dreams all...
Sarah
As long as you don't say WULONG !!!kymidwife wrote: You will like this... I was delivering a baby today, and had a new resident doc working with me... and we had an opportunity to make some smalltalk while we were between tasks. He's from China, and so I told him if he goes home to China for a visit, he should bring me back some good tea. He asked what kind of tea I like, and I said... all kinds, but especially right now I like oolong.
He did a double-take... and said... "Oolong??? How do you know about Oolong??? That is Chinese tea!" So we proceeded to have this lively discussion about tea, where to buy good tea if you live in the US, health benefits of oolong, etc. He is convinced that a cup of hot oolong after a meal will reduce the absorption of fat from the meal.
Anyway, I was very amused that he thought Americans couldn't possibly know anything about oolong.
Oh crap, I said oolong.
I just finished a very late dinner of turkey/broccoli Hot Pockets and 2 cups of TKY... odd combo, but the TKY improved the Hot Pockets.
Sweet dreams all...
Sarah
Loved your story, ha!
I don't consider myself fanatical at all. For now, I keep all my teas in whatever containers they come in. They're only opened when I'm making tea and I close them quickly. For the bags (like from Den's) I push excess air out of the top before sealing. I'm thinking of buying some of the green tea canisters from o-cha soon just because they're pretty.
Jul 9th, '08, 02:34
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Contact:
chamekke
That's one reason that I'm not as fanatical about tea storage as I might be.Chip wrote:Sometimes life just kinda sux, doesn't it???Salsero wrote:I'm glad that I am not the only one who feels oppressed by my tea.chamekke wrote: ... I'm continuing to work on my shincha backlog.
I no longer have enough tea containers for all - this - tea