Saturday's TeaDay 6/14/08

[Cinnamon Kitty]

I hesitated to click 'zero' and jinx myself, but the simple fact is that my main tea prep objects are the seemingly indestructible kyusu from Den's.

They take a ridiculous amount of abuse!

I have dropped my Den's kyusu so many times and it hasn't broken yet. I've been lucky with that one. On the flip side, I cracked a bamboo tea cup when I was trying to cure it. My favorite mug has developed a crack after years of use so I am afraid to put hot liquids in it. One of my other mugs lost a handle a few years ago and is currently being used as a junk holder on my dresser. I was given a cheap tea cup by a friend that got broken in half when jostled around on a car trip. Those are the ones that I remember either damaging or breaking so far.

This morning, I have a blend of Oolong #8 with Peach Oolong. It smells really good, but it is still too hot to taste yet.

[TimeforTea]

In my 4 months of tea consumption, I have only managed to break one piece of teaware. It was a $3.99 purchase from Home goods--a small kyusu with 4 small cups. The size was perfect. The color was a bit off--sort of an orange-rust color--but it would've been a great set, had I not dropped it when bringing it into the house.

This morning, I brewed some TKY and enjoyed it in my glass bodum cup.

[joelbct]

<-- Drinking Fujian Golden Buddha, one of the finest black tea's I have ever tasted. Absolutely exquisite, non-astringent, gorgeous looking, highly tippy, perfectly balanced... This tea rocks. It has become one of my mainstays.



As for broken teaware, I think all I've managed to break were 2 glass Bodum Coffee Press carafe's, which are luckily easily replaceable... As I've mentioned, I brew black tea in a Bodum Coffee Press sans filter, then pour through a handheld strainer. Good times!

Have a great weekend tea peeps...

[Jack_teachat]

A few weeks ago I had my 'tea for one set' (pot, cup, saucer) all balanced on the flat egde of my bath tub while I was cleaning something else in the sink. Suddenly I hear this horrible crash and turn round to see my beloved little set lying on the floor with bits all over the place So I binned it and bought a Tokoname Kyusu My fiancee also broke the lid of my ceramic tetsubin a few days ago, last time she's allowed anywhere near my tea ware!

My order from O-cha arrived today and have opened the Miyabi Shincha, just fantastic... better than the Kirameki perhaps. Fukamushi Supreme and Gyokuro Kame Giru-Shi in cold store, will open those when I move into my new house in a couple of weeks time.

Have a good weekend everyone!

p.s By the way, If I ordered my Gyokuro last week from O-cha will it be from this years harvest or has that not happened yet?

[Victoria]

None for me - ack. No jinx please. Me and all this glass. Maybe because I have so much glass, I am extra careful?

Sal, very nice pic, nice looking cake wrapper. Some are really lovely.

Spent part of my bday money on a tea order last night so should have lots of variety coming soon!

Yay! Not to mention the oolong box soon after that!

In my cup this morning a nice Assam to start the day.

Have a nice day everyone!

[Geekgirl]

I just picked a random number because over the years of off-and-on tea drinking and coffee drinking, I've broken things here and there. Last one was a small cup that I dropped a tin on.

I'm having a nice cuppa wuyi oolong from Red Blossom called "Golden Buddha." It has some very yummy carmelized notes and a smoky fragrance. I love how the wuyis have complexity in the fragrance that is different from the taste. Yum.

Oh, and my chataku "situation" (situation being that I had none...) has been remedied. Behold!

[Geekgirl]

Ack! Quit posting this stuff! I'm already enough of a "collector" and need a cheaper hobby. This makes me want pu' if just for the wrappers!

[RussianSoul]

I can say that I broke one piece. But in reality it committed suicide. I opened the cupboard and an ancient flowery teacup jumped out and shattered. The sad part was that it was one of the two very old teacups we inherited from my husband's grandmother. I am wearing this grandmother's engagement ring and her wedding band with which she got married in 1908. I can only guess, but it is possible that this teacup was from about the same era.

Here is the lonely survivor:



The spoon pictured is the same age as the cup, solid silver but thinned with age and wear, and carries a monogram of the family name.

[omegapd]

With all the talk in the Oolong section about Upton's, I had to take a chance and see how they were. My order arrived in 2 days, which was great, and I'm now sampling the cheapest Oolong I've ever tried...Season's Pick Formosa Fannings. Here's the description:

At 75% oxidation, this Oolong yields a cup that is smooth and mellow, with a slight pungency. The pleasing woody notes are complemented by a sweet aftertaste.

It is very woody, fairly dark for an Oolong and very interesting in taste. On the third steep now and it's still pretty flavorful. I think I like it.

Darn you Victoria for planting the seed...

EW

[themadhatter444]

Zero, thankfully. Though, my girlfriend did knock over a tin of Green Anji last week. That was fun to clean up...

Currently enjoying Rooibos. Setting up the camera to do another video review of it. I love Rooibos!

Have a nice day!

[Victoria]

With all the talk in the Oolong section about Upton's, I had to take a chance and see how they were. My order arrived in 2 days, which was great, and I'm now sampling the cheapest Oolong I've ever tried...Season's Pick Formosa Fannings. Here's the description:

At 75% oxidation, this Oolong yields a cup that is smooth and mellow, with a slight pungency. The pleasing woody notes are complemented by a sweet aftertaste.

It is very woody, fairly dark for an Oolong and very interesting in taste. On the third steep now and it's still pretty flavorful. I think I like it.

Darn you Victoria for planting the seed...

EW

Umm don't thank me I think that was a weed.
Happy you like though!

They do have fast shipping!

[Chip]

Didn't vote b/c I just don't want to count them.

Broke one of Adagio's just last week at a tea event! Now I'm nervous for my newest addition not yet delivered.

Yunnan Gold to start today. Have some stuff from Japan to sample in a little while.

Can't get away with a statement like that...what's on order???

Broke 2 kyusu lids early on...fortunately, they were crappy kyusu anyway. I went with the reglue method for both. But then smashed the handle on the one...taped it up til I got a new one.

Overall, in 9 years, can't really complain.

Started the day with the adagio Nepal from Cyn. This will be gone very soon.

Now on my 2nd session of Farmer Shincha. It is really a soft tea overall. I should have know that. It is certainly passable, but not overly exciting. I will continue to play with it. I could also see using it as a blender.

[brandon]

Two - the quintessential broken gaiwan lid, followed by breaking the spout of my poor kikumaru.

[Chip]

My order from O-cha arrived today and have opened the Miyabi Shincha, just fantastic... better than the Kirameki perhaps. Fukamushi Supreme and Gyokuro Kame Giru-Shi in cold store, will open those when I move into my new house in a couple of weeks time.

Have a good weekend everyone!

p.s By the way, If I ordered my Gyokuro last week from O-cha will it be from this years harvest or has that not happened yet?

Likely still 2007, most tradtional Gyokuro is aged for a period of time. O-Cha only sells aged Gyo. But it is still very good. Gyokuro does not go south quickly like sencha. It actually improves with some aging!!!

Enjoy the Miyabi!

[scruffmcgruff]

Four pieces for me (though I only voted for two; I just remembered the others). One slightly chipped gaiwan, which is still usable, two faicups (one was cracked during shipping, one completely shattered when I dropped it), and one yixing that also cracked in the mail.