Labor Day TeaDay 9/01/08 Tea labor?

[Chip]

Happy Labor Day!!!

Welcome everyone to TeaDay on Labor Day! Shall we labor and brew. Share what is in our cups today, all day?

Yesterday, when asked how do TeaChatters feel after finishing off a bag of tea they liked, the top vote getters were "a little sad" and "need to replace it." You can still vote and discuss this topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic is a laborious topic. Is tea ever a LABOR (as in like work) for you? If yes, when? Please share.

I am looking forward to sharing TeaDay with everyone. Bottoms up.

[Salsero]

Continuation of yesterday's display. Click for the curious.



I've added my tiniest leaping blue carp cup to the display just to brand it as mine.

[Wesli]

Jeez, Tom. I don't know how you ever find the right piece to get down to business with.

[Trey Winston]

Continuation of yesterday's display.

Wow. Even a non-teaware addict like me can gaze at your collection in fascinated wonder for a long time. Now for a picture of your tea stash...

As for the poll, tea is pure joy and no work, although I usually drink tea while I work. Go figure.

[Beidao]

Some Nilgiri to start the day, and now Darjeeling First Flush

Sal, Sal, don't you realize how dangerous your display is? I mean, I could kill for your teaware, any time. Now I'm almost at the North Pole and you're not, but as for your compatriots - who knows...?

[Terrasi]

Tea is the opposite of work. It's the best thing to drink while not working.

[omegapd]

Jeez, Tom. I don't know how you ever find the right piece to get down to business with.

I'm curious as to who dusts all that stuff each week.

Tea as work? Nah, don't think so. It's not like I chug it like coffee. Even when I enjoy tea at work, it's at a slow time and there's no real rush...

EW

[soapy]

Jeez, Tom. I don't know how you ever find the right piece to get down to business with.

I'm curious as to who dusts all that stuff each week.

I know its not me!! I was wondering the same thing yesterday.....



teas not work, enjoyments from start to finish

[Cinnamon]

I'm just glad I don't have to dust that collection!

I tend to drink tea equally at work and at home. I don't find it to be much of a chore at either location. Rather, I look forward to a "pick-me-up" at work and a chance to relax and unwind at home.



~Cin

[Ladytiger]

I don't fine tea making that much of a chore since I only serve it to myself and sometimes my grandfather and uncle who both are not all the 'hardcore' when it comes to tea so I do not try to impress. Now if I was serving tea to five or my teachat members I would try to impress so it would be work but work I wouldn't have second thoughts about doing. So for company the more hardcore tea people they are the more work it will be but it would bother me.

Again this morning is Irish Breakfast with, you guessed it, half and half and some sweetener. Why half and half and sweetener because the Irish Breakfast alone is bold and smoky which makes it a good tea to wake up too but I don't want to die from the smokiness in the morning, I want to relax. So I put, perhaps, a teaspoon of half and half and sweetener tone it down and bring out the true tea flavor.

Yes, I kind of suprised myself with that observaion. I feel that adding extra things to tea come with practice otherwise you just destroy the true tea flavor. You just need to pair it with the right teas.

Today I'll just be relaxing and drinking plenty cups of tea. Yum.

[CynTEAa]

Whoa, Sal. Beware of teaware envy! Very nice collection.

Poll Question: The short answer is yes, it definitely is work. But a passion first. The 'work' has simply enabled my obsession.

Started with Yunnan Gold and currently brewing some Silver Needle. It's been awhile--mmmmm!


Hope everyone affected by the hurricane's is safe somewhere!

[Smari]

Continuation of yesterday's display. Click for the curious.

I've added my tiniest leaping blue carp cup to the display just to brand it as mine.

I love your collection, Sal! Since there's so much to choose from, I bet it's a little difficult to choose which tea ware to use each time, huh?

Tea is totally not "work" for me. Each time I get my tea time, it's more of a break from work for me. A great time to relax and unwind...

[kymidwife]

I voted "definitely not". I have my system arranged at work, at home, at my Mom's, and even for hotel travel so that making tea is simple and pleasant and efficient. My biggest "labor" is choosing which tea to brew, and that's only a labor of love.

My other "labor" is that my best friend who works in my office has overtaken my tea infuser (like the Ingenuitea) and when I go to make MY tea, sometimes it's sitting full of HER tea... she lets her tea sit and stew. So I have to strain out her tea, dump her leaf, wash my infuser, and make MY tea... which probably means we need another infuser, ehh?

In my cup this morning, courtesy of the incredible teaware-hording photographic wonder called Salsero, is an absolutely delicious 2008 Castleton Moonlight 2nd Flush Darjeeling from Tea Emporium. The spent leaf is such reamarkably unusual color... different than any other I have brewed... lovely whole leaves, the color of ummm... nutmeg maybe? I got distracted and brewed my first cup over-long and it was still perfect, no bitterness at all... so it is very forgiving. 2nd infusion is steeping now.

Have a fabulous tea day, and Happy Labor Day!

Sarah

[Selaphiel]

Tea is never work, not even if I brew for other people, I enjoy making tea and I enjoy drinking it.

Gong fuing some Da Hong Pao today

[Wosret]

Making tea is meditative and relaxing for me, even when it's bagged tea at work with water from the K-cup dispenser.

I'm drinking Twining's loose-leaf English Breakfast. Really small leaves in this one; they go right through my strainer.