Yes, there are some greens you have to treat like spaghetti!
Indeed, I wanted to comment sometime ago about how adorable your cats are. Makes me wish I had some floating around myself.
Recently, Asanoka Asamushi Sencha from O-Cha brewed potently. I'm trying the steeps out with different water. Happy to enjoy more tea today than I have recently.
Jun 10th, '16, 19:22
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debunix
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
No floating. We have dashing, skittering, pouncing, trouncing, scrabbling, scrambling, leaping, and basic claw-over-claw climbing, but not a float to be seen.daidokorocha wrote:Indeed, I wanted to comment sometime ago about how adorable your cats are. Makes me wish I had some floating around myself.
160515 Kittens Romping _DEB0477 converted copy by D B, on Flickr
Because they were ferals, and still needed a lot of taming, they were confined to my bedroom downstairs for about the first month that they were with me, and that meant lots of thermoses of tea drunk downstairs, a month with few greens or delicate oolongs or vigorous sheng puerhs. Now that they have the run of the place, back to a more normal routine. Whew.
Here they are, having discovered the cat tree next to the teaware shelves....but so far, they haven't taken up knocking things off it
160607 On the cat tree IMG_2259 copy by D B, on Flickr
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Love the action shot of your kittens! It almost looks like a mirror image. Are they from the same litter?
As far as green tea goes, I had more of Tsuen's Aoi today. The main difference was it was the first time I had a sencha, or shincha in this case, that didn't come directly from cold storage in the fridge. I snapped up an authentic Japanese Sakura tea caddy about a week back. I measured two spoon fulls into the caddy and allowed it to rest for 2 days before partaking. The tea seemed more fresh and alive, perhaps due to the loss of any nitrogen on the leaves from initial cold storage.
I will have to take pictures of the caddy tomorrow. It is really a thing of beauty to behold.
As far as green tea goes, I had more of Tsuen's Aoi today. The main difference was it was the first time I had a sencha, or shincha in this case, that didn't come directly from cold storage in the fridge. I snapped up an authentic Japanese Sakura tea caddy about a week back. I measured two spoon fulls into the caddy and allowed it to rest for 2 days before partaking. The tea seemed more fresh and alive, perhaps due to the loss of any nitrogen on the leaves from initial cold storage.
I will have to take pictures of the caddy tomorrow. It is really a thing of beauty to behold.
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Luckily, I have never had cats that like to push things off of counters. I have seen some rather vicious youtube videos though!
Lately, I have not been drinking much hot tea. I have been quite busy, so I finally got out the cold-brew pitcher I bought in Japan a few years back and gave it a nice, much needed cleaning, seeing as it hasn't been used in 2 years. A lot of genmaicha and Laduree's Marie Antoinette for me lately.
However, when I do drink hot tea, it has tended toward Vietnamese teas for whatever reason. I really like the teas I got from Hatvala. I haven't even gotten around to sampling half of them, but lately I have been drinking so much of the Fish Hook. I have really been enjoying this relatively concentrated too - it is addictively herbaceous. One good way is glass-brewed with temperature between 185 and boiling. 2-3 teaspoons of leaves and about 4-6 oz of water. Let brew for a few minutes and fill up back to 4-6 oz as needed.
I will say, so far all Vietnamese teas have in common a pleasant bitterness often with intense lingering floranessl. Sometimes I do not get the floral up-front, but a few minutes after I finish drinking I am hit with it.
Other than that, enjoying the teas I got from yuuki-cha frequently. No greens in there though. Still finishing off the various sencha from o-cha. Fantastic ones at that. Some yellow teas from China to round out that pack. My tea life is pretty fulfilling.
Lately, I have not been drinking much hot tea. I have been quite busy, so I finally got out the cold-brew pitcher I bought in Japan a few years back and gave it a nice, much needed cleaning, seeing as it hasn't been used in 2 years. A lot of genmaicha and Laduree's Marie Antoinette for me lately.
However, when I do drink hot tea, it has tended toward Vietnamese teas for whatever reason. I really like the teas I got from Hatvala. I haven't even gotten around to sampling half of them, but lately I have been drinking so much of the Fish Hook. I have really been enjoying this relatively concentrated too - it is addictively herbaceous. One good way is glass-brewed with temperature between 185 and boiling. 2-3 teaspoons of leaves and about 4-6 oz of water. Let brew for a few minutes and fill up back to 4-6 oz as needed.
I will say, so far all Vietnamese teas have in common a pleasant bitterness often with intense lingering floranessl. Sometimes I do not get the floral up-front, but a few minutes after I finish drinking I am hit with it.
Other than that, enjoying the teas I got from yuuki-cha frequently. No greens in there though. Still finishing off the various sencha from o-cha. Fantastic ones at that. Some yellow teas from China to round out that pack. My tea life is pretty fulfilling.
Jun 12th, '16, 19:03
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Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Another day, another session with the Hou Village Bai Nie Jian: too many leaves for proper grandpa style brewing....had to repeatedly dilute at first to get it right....
160612 Hou Village Bai Nie Jian _DEB1233.NEF160612 Hawaiian Oolong _DEB1233.NEF160612 Hou Village Dai Nie Jian _DEB1233.NEF160612 Hawaiian Oolong _DEB1233 by D B, on Flickr
160612 Hou Village Bai Nie Jian _DEB1230 converted copy.jpg160612 Hawaiian Oolong _DEB1230 converted copy.jpg160612 Hou Village Dai Nie Jian _DEB1230 converted copy.jpg160612 Hawaiian Oolong _DEB1230 converted copy by D B, on Flickr
160612 Hou Village Bai Nie Jian _DEB1233.NEF160612 Hawaiian Oolong _DEB1233.NEF160612 Hou Village Dai Nie Jian _DEB1233.NEF160612 Hawaiian Oolong _DEB1233 by D B, on Flickr
160612 Hou Village Bai Nie Jian _DEB1230 converted copy.jpg160612 Hawaiian Oolong _DEB1230 converted copy.jpg160612 Hou Village Dai Nie Jian _DEB1230 converted copy.jpg160612 Hawaiian Oolong _DEB1230 converted copy by D B, on Flickr
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Having some anji bai cha from Life in a Teacup in my shigaraki kyusu from Masaki Tachi. This teapot works very well for this tea, and so I assume it would for other Chinese greens as well. I will definitely have to also try some huangshan mao feng in it sometime soon.
I haven't opened my bag of tai ping hou kui from LiT yet, and I am looking forward to it. These greens from LiT are my first foray into Chinese green teas, and I am very pleased so far. The anji bai cha is delicious, with a very light and subtle green/yellow colored liquor but a prominent flavor and nice body.
I haven't opened my bag of tai ping hou kui from LiT yet, and I am looking forward to it. These greens from LiT are my first foray into Chinese green teas, and I am very pleased so far. The anji bai cha is delicious, with a very light and subtle green/yellow colored liquor but a prominent flavor and nice body.
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
monkey see, monkey do...Frisbeehead wrote:Having some anji bai cha from Life in a Teacup in my shigaraki kyusu from Masaki Tachi.
Jun 20th, '16, 18:34
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Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
I have been wondering how the Shigaraki clay's increased iron content and porosity affects tea flavour? Hojo's site indicates it increases the body... Very elegant kyusus.
Jun 25th, '16, 12:13
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Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Organic Kanayamidori sencha from O-Cha this morning
160625 Morning sencha _DEB1607 converted copy by D B, on Flickr
160625 Morning sencha _DEB1607 converted copy by D B, on Flickr
160625 Morning sencha _DEB1607 converted copy by D B, on Flickr
160625 Morning sencha _DEB1607 converted copy by D B, on Flickr
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Just returned from a trip to Japan including Uji and Kyoto so I have a bounty of Sencha, Matcha, Gyokuro and Shincha to choose from. Part of my goal was to treat this trip as one would if they were a wine enthusiast traveling to Napa, Sonoma or Burgundy.
As of now I'm working my way through tins of gyokuro from Horaido, shincha from Ippodo (readily available on NYC by the way) and various matchas (I drink a chawan of Matcha every day). Also some hojicha from an unknown tea shop in Uji.
A
As of now I'm working my way through tins of gyokuro from Horaido, shincha from Ippodo (readily available on NYC by the way) and various matchas (I drink a chawan of Matcha every day). Also some hojicha from an unknown tea shop in Uji.
A
Jun 27th, '16, 11:07
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Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
aronson wrote:Part of my goal was to treat this trip as one would if they were a wine enthusiast traveling to Napa, Sonoma or Burgundy.
Exactly right. Enjoy your bounty!
Today is more Kanayamidori sencha from O-Cha. I't's my last 2015 sencha, and I'm using it up quickly for both cool brewed sparkling sencha on these hot afternoons and for a warm start to the morning as pictured two posts above. It's a versatile and lovely tea, and it always makes me happy. I'm looking forward to ordering some 2016s, maybe even before the turn of 2017....
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
I have not been on here recently. As I have been very busy, I have hardly had the chance for much tea. Surprisingly, tonight is the first hot tea in about two weeks! That isn't to say I had given up tea; rather, cold-brewed tea along with matcha and ground sencha thrown into water bottles has been my go to. Tonight though, after one month and a half, I received my Yunnan Sourcing order! Hurray!
I opened a random green tea first to try, and it happened to be the spring 2016 Imperial Xinyang Mao Jian tea from Henan. All I can say about this one is that I think it will be a regular in my drinking rotation for the rest of my life. Certainly, perhaps an overreaction on first try, but I was in love from the moment I opened the package. I did not even brew this one optimally, but the result was still spectacular. Smell of hay, beautiful leaves. The infusion looks full of umami but shockingly the color of water essentially did not change after first minute steep. However, the fragrance was sublime and drew me in for the taste. Later infusion for 3 minutes saw the color change slightly. Slightly astringent, no bitterness, reminiscent of a Japanese tea in many ways honestly. Highly recommended.
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/greentea/3 ... -2016.html
I opened a random green tea first to try, and it happened to be the spring 2016 Imperial Xinyang Mao Jian tea from Henan. All I can say about this one is that I think it will be a regular in my drinking rotation for the rest of my life. Certainly, perhaps an overreaction on first try, but I was in love from the moment I opened the package. I did not even brew this one optimally, but the result was still spectacular. Smell of hay, beautiful leaves. The infusion looks full of umami but shockingly the color of water essentially did not change after first minute steep. However, the fragrance was sublime and drew me in for the taste. Later infusion for 3 minutes saw the color change slightly. Slightly astringent, no bitterness, reminiscent of a Japanese tea in many ways honestly. Highly recommended.
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/greentea/3 ... -2016.html
Jun 28th, '16, 04:03
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victoria3
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
I have also been cold brewing several sinchas after 2nd or 3rd hot steeps with nice results; 2013 Maiko's Shincha Sencha Kinari, as well as O-Cha 's 2016 Yutaka Midori & 2013 Chiran Sencha "Kaoru". I'm going through old and new sinchas. Generally, I use slightly reduced water volume (compared to hot steep), leave the teas labeled in the refrigerator for a couple of days, enjoy the cold brew and then use the leaves as fertilizer for my plants. Snails really love sincha and turn the leaves into new soil.
daidokorocha, I love that you have found a new tea that you... "think it will be a regular in my drinking rotation for the rest of my life". Awsome.
daidokorocha, I love that you have found a new tea that you... "think it will be a regular in my drinking rotation for the rest of my life". Awsome.
Jun 28th, '16, 11:02
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Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Putting that Mao Jian on the wish list to try.
But right now, it's another Sencha morning. Mmmm. Kanayamidori again. Today, enjoying from the Koshin mogake kyusu--usually fed a regular diet of light-roast Taiwanese oolongs, but it's equally happy with sencha. Even this early in the morning, it's not very cool, so I'm brewing a little longer than usual, and diluting with some cooler water before I drink it. Kanayamidori forgives.Enjoying my cooled brew from a recent purchase from Elm Studios....
160605 Ericka O'Rourke Elm Studios Blue Sky Chawan _DEB1198 converted copy by D B, on Flickr
160605 Ericka O'Rourke Elm Studios Blue Sky Chawan _DEB1200 converted copy by D B, on Flickr
But right now, it's another Sencha morning. Mmmm. Kanayamidori again. Today, enjoying from the Koshin mogake kyusu--usually fed a regular diet of light-roast Taiwanese oolongs, but it's equally happy with sencha. Even this early in the morning, it's not very cool, so I'm brewing a little longer than usual, and diluting with some cooler water before I drink it. Kanayamidori forgives.Enjoying my cooled brew from a recent purchase from Elm Studios....
160605 Ericka O'Rourke Elm Studios Blue Sky Chawan _DEB1198 converted copy by D B, on Flickr
160605 Ericka O'Rourke Elm Studios Blue Sky Chawan _DEB1200 converted copy by D B, on Flickr