FRIDAY TeaDay 7/18/08 Has your brewing changed?

[Rainy]

How wonderful to start off the morning with such a beautiful photo! Thank you
I have changed my habits- no more spoon full of loose in a giant mug- still have a few tea bags I am finishing up (Earl Grey of course)
Tomorrow I am visiting a tea room here - Seven Cups- very exciting and it comes well recommended. I am planning to pick up several teas- silver needle is one- any suggestions?
I also plan to place a sample order with agagio this evening.
I will post my list for comments.


Huge "BossTea" (boston terrier-hehe) mug Earl Grey-ahhhhhhh

[Riene]

Yunnan Gold organic in the mug this morning.

My brewing methods for tea haven't changed, really. I've been drinking black tea since college.

Marmite. Yeah, I thought it was something you actually spread on toast. I haven't recovered from that experience yet. My Australian friend says that to appreciate Marmite, you take a piece of toast, butter it appropriately, and wave a knife of Marmite about two inches above the bread. If a couple molecules fall on the bread, then you're done.

Marmite is a yeast paste, and tastes like it--vaguely soy sauce-ish. Indescribable, especially if you're an American expecting something like Nutella.

Mmmmm, Nutella....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmite

[Beanbean]

My brewing has not changed and this morning I am drinking Assam.

While my husband will eat Marmite in a pinch, Vegemite is really the tarry, yeasty spread that he prefers. Marmite is sticky (think molasses sticky only thicker) and Vegemite spreads like smooth peanut butter. I'm not a huge fan but my husband and son both eat it on their sandwiches every day.

For you Vegemite virgins, try smearing a thin scraping on a piece of bread, top with a slice of cheddar and tomato and pop it under the broiler until the cheese is melty. Yummy!!

[Proinsias]

Marmite is a definite love it or hate it food. I love around once every two or three years.

I've just finished a few cups of generic teabag tea with milk. My wife's grandmother knows I love my tea and so prepares several cups for me on every visit, I don't have the heart to tell her teabag tea with milk is not really my thing but it's gone on too long now.

My Australian friend says that to appreciate Marmite, you take a piece of toast, butter it appropriately, and wave a knife of Marmite about two inches above the bread. If a couple molecules fall on the bread, then you're done.

I thought Australia was all about vegemite, I've seen a few Australian addicts munch on toast with marmite like it was methadone.

I've got a bit of a cold at the moment and I'm thinking it might be time to dig out the tou of liu bao from the back of the tea cupboard. If the wonderful medicinal properties inherent in this fine tea turn out to be snake oil at least it's one of the teas I'll be able taste something from.

[Victoria]

I am a newbie of less than one year, but since I started, yes, my methods have changed.

I'm a newbie?? Holy cow!!! I guess so. Been a long time tea drinker though.

My brewing methods have changed a lot (contrary to what some believe!!)
I never thought I would give up my IngenuiTea, it was just so darn convenient and it gives oolong leaves lots of room. But I can't remember the last time I used it now, not even at work. I now own a 2 kyusu, 2 yixing, and several gaiwans. Not bad for a western style brewer resistant to change.

[geeber1]

My methods have changed as I've moved from tea bags to loose tea within the last year. I've only done "western" brewing so far, but since I'm from the Dark Side, that isn't too much of an issue yet.

I would still like to learn about and try other kinds of tea and methods. I've tried some Oolongs, but that's a far as I've progressed so farl.

When I started on loose tea, it was mainly because of my disappointment with bitterness in tea bags. I had no idea there was so much variety and so much to learn! I'm sure my learning experience is just at its beginning ... now I just need to win the lottery so I can try everything!

This morning I had Coconut Masala Chai, which didn't taste very coconutty, but was still nice and spicy.

[Tea na]

HI, I have changed my methods, and I'm sure they will continue to evolve as I learn more and more about tea.

Having Chai right now, assam medley earlier....what to have next...I think I'll have some silver needles

[Victoria]

Da Hong Pao, grape Crape Myrtle, and a piece of shiny red cloth, what could be more auspicious of a
good day in TeaChat!

Nice pic Salsero!! I didn't know Crape Myrtle came in purple!! I have only seen pink varities here in CA.
In fact I have a watermelon crape myrtle in my back yard.

In my cup this morning: subtropical forest baozhong from Tea Masters - wow!

Happy Friday everyone!

[Proinsias]

Oh and as far as changing brewing methods I went with changed.

As with my kung fu if nothing has changed in the last year of gong fu then I'd be greatly disappointed. I'm now much braver in disregarding the rules, some pu-erh's with cool water or greens with boiling water and whatnot.

[henley]

Very nice pic, Sal. The purple Crape Myrtle is beautiful.

Olivierco - thanx for posting the pics while Sal's gone. Think we've all gotten spoiled & would've missed the pics had you not helped.

My methods have changed as I've moved from tea bags to loose tea within the last year.

Me, too! Hard to believe that this time last year I was drinking store brand teabags. Now my tea drawer is full of nothing but loose leaf tea. Sometimes I feel like I could open my own tearoom. I've got several blacks (flavored & unflavored), several oolongs, a few whites & even a green (that I actually like! ). I was used to timing my steeps but thought y'all were silly for measuring water temp. Now I use the thermometer from hubby's BBQ set more than he does! And let's not forget my tea-dedicated measuring spoons. Yeah, a lot has changed in a year!

Had the last of the Single Bush Ba Xian Dancong this morning w/bfast. While this is a nice oolong, don't know that I would consider it a favorite. Made a pitcher of White Peach iced tea last night w/the last steep. Think I'll go get a glass!

[auggy]

Less than a year here but no real changes in brewing.

Rose marizpan tea today. Yum. But I am looking forward to getting home and getting into my greens. I've been drinking a lot of them lately. Last month was oolong, this month seems to be all about the Japanese green. At least in the evening.

Got my car back from getting the windows tinted. Looks very nice - DH says the tint adds at least 10 horsepower. All ready I could tell the difference in how hot the inside of my car got on the way to work. So woo hoo!

And in kitty news, the Big Girl has added one whole pound since Monday. YAY for eating! Of course, she's also now peeing in the middle of the bathroom floor at night. So not cool. I think that is her way of expressing displeasure at the level of litter in her box, so we added more. She's a very "expressive" kitty. When she was younger, she let me know she was ticked off at me for not letting her in my room by getting one of my flip flops from the laundry room across the house, bringing it to my door, then chewing the dickens out of it. Attitude. But it's all part of her charm.

Everyone have a lovely Friday. Hope it goes quick!

[Pentox]

I'm cringing with morbid curiousity at what Marmite might taste like.

...same here!

Like a saltier form of Bovril if I remember right.

[Geekgirl]

I've been drinking loose-leaf for several years, although coffee was my go-to morning drink (and all-day pick-me-up.) In January I had a terrible case of food poisoning, and couldn't drink any coffee while I was sick for a week, then while recovering, I found that I couldn't really tolerate much coffee. Prior to that, I'd drink 6-8 cups daily.

So I started drinking some mild teas, although I still had 1-2 cups of coffee. Every day saw less and less coffee, and more tea. Then in mid-February (I think) I read an article about puerh's cholesterol reducing properties. My family has a history of sky-high lipids, so that grabbed my attention. Of course, it had to be brewed differently, so my methods started changing then.

No new photo today (yet), but I couldn't resist posting the tea-troupe from my photo-fun yesterday:



I think that little green is plotting something.

[Pentox]

Last month was oolong, this month seems to be all about the Japanese green.

Got my car back from getting the windows tinted. Looks very nice - DH says the tint adds at least 10 horsepower. All ready I could tell the difference in how hot the inside of my car got on the way to work. So woo hoo!

And in kitty news, the Big Girl has added one whole pound since Monday. YAY for eating! Of course, she's also now peeing in the middle of the bathroom floor at night. So not cool. I think that is her way of expressing displeasure at the level of litter in her box, so we added more. She's a very "expressive" kitty. When she was younger, she let me know she was ticked off at me for not letting her in my room by getting one of my flip flops from the laundry room across the house, bringing it to my door, then chewing the dickens out of it. Attitude. But it's all part of her charm.

Everyone have a lovely Friday. Hope it goes quick!

Live every month like it's Japanese Green month.

Psh, tinting adds like 15hp, just like stickers should add another 1 each.

That's a BAD KITTY! BAD!

[geeber1]

I think that little green is plotting something.

Little Green does have that sneaky look about him/her!
Maybe they're just trying to figure out how to boost each other up and get into your tea!

Your poppet photos remind me of when I was about 12 and would pose my "Dawn" dolls in different settings and take photos of them. My parents would be very unhappy after paying for film developing to find a bunch of doll pictures!

Your poppets are way cuter and way cooler than that, though. But you'd better be careful, you might wake up one morning to a revolution!