You *might* have a problem if.....

[joelbct]

So, I currently have a teaware item en route from Artistic Nippon, and three additional tea orders en route from o-cha, ippodo, (green) and specialteas (black), and tomorrow I am going into the city to stop at Ito En for some matcha and sencha, along with some other errands...

And I kind of want to place orders from puehrshop and teaspring for the Chinese pu and green end of things, respectively.... and then I suppose I will have to place more orders from o-cha and go back to Ito En in a few weeks when Shincha comes out

And of course, I must order something else from our hosts adagio at some point... Not to mention, I have been putting off getting a couple good yixing pots, and perhaps another kyusu, and I am in the market for a nice lacquered natsume or two for matcha... And I suppose the teaware collection will likely keep growing...

Not to mention, my "Tea" folder in my firefox bookmarks is so large I have to break it into subfolders...

Should I seek help, or just count my blessings and enjoy my tea :p?

[Chip]

I think you will feel better if you just give me that kyusu (for starters).

No sicker than the vast majority of TeaChatters I reckon.

[olivierco]

As long as you drink all you buy and you enjoy it, no problem at all!

[Beidao]

I bought 12 teas last week, more than 1 kg totally. As if I didn't have enough teas before... and now I don't have place anywhere for puershop samples I see all the tastings of shu and sheng and feel like a total outsider. But I've bought a lovely book about tea and it makes me totally happy whenever I think about it

Tea is Happiness for me. Pure, concentrated, hot happiness.

[joelbct]

As long as you drink all you buy and you enjoy it, no problem at all!

Yes, well the matcha I go though quickly, and loose-leaf I have learned to limit myself (ha) to samples or 2 oz packages (maybe a quarter pound if i LOVE it), so I don't wind up throwing out too much tea...

That said, I finish most of what I buy, unless it just turns out to be bad quality or something I don't care for.

[Wesli]

unless it just turns out to be bad quality or something I don't care for.

Then take a tea-bath!!!

oh.. i might have a problem.

[chamekke]

unless it just turns out to be bad quality or something I don't care for.

Then take a tea-bath!!!

oh.. i might have a problem.

We can always start a thread called "Uses for stale matcha"... starting with Wesli's tea-bath

If the matcha isn't too old, you can use it in baking. There are some pretty decent recipes out there.

I sometimes mix stale matcha with ground-up aspirin; makes a nice green facial mask/scrub. (Then I get to scare my husband with the result.)

[Wesli]

...starting with Wesli's tea-bath

I stole that one from Chip, actually. I got to learn it first hand.

[Chip]

My rather limited claims to fame...TeaBaths for old or tea I will not drink and the TeaFridge. Both are rather TeaManiacal.

Well, I am also always trying to hustle members out of their Japanese teaware...

[joelbct]

unless it just turns out to be bad quality or something I don't care for.

Then take a tea-bath!!!

I'm currently trying to resolve the "tea-bath-sized-infuser" problem, because a bathtub makes for a rather large teapot to clean up....

Alternatively, I may start a high-end iced-tea bottling concern with all my surplus tea. Here's the equation:

cost per bottle = a few pennies worth of tea, plus brewing, bottling and distribution
retail price in a Manhattan deli = $2.50 to $3.50/bottle (the more it costs, the more people will want it )

Then once we get that market, we'll expand to the rest of the country and world, just like vitamin water.... that guy is a bazillionaire

All I need now is a snappy logo and brand-name...

[devites]

i have been having that problem since I just got very into tea about 5 months ago. I have decided to schedule the next year. Shincha month is coming up. Then Pu er. Oolong. Chinese greens. Gyokuro. Matcha (but i always have matcha). Thats my plan so far and with each month I will get the appropriate teaware. Anyways i like this tea bath idea. I need someway to get rid of my horribly stale teavana dragonwell from about a year ago.

[PolyhymnianMuse]

I've got to ask, because I don't see them mentioned much here but I love them, what did you order from Specialteas?

[joelbct]

I've got to ask, because I don't see them mentioned much here but I love them, what did you order from Specialteas?

517 China Ti Kuan Yin Monkey Picked Oolong
508 China Yunnan Gold Competition Grade
593 China Emperors Red (Fujian)
594 China Golden Buddah
266 Assam Meleng FTGFOP1
149 Darjeeling Castleton FTGFOP1

U have good taste Incidentally, the tea shop that first got me into higher-end loose-leaf about 4/5 years ago used specialteas as a supplier, which I just discovered through this board a few months ago, so I was happily reunited with my original source.