Wednesday TeaDay 10/22/08 Sweet/Astringent balance?

[Smari]

Aw, poor Smari! I hope your day gets better soon. Though at the very least, it will be over soon, right?

I'm having work-related grump going on currently, too, though mine is just not wanting to work any more. And the temp has plunged to 57 and it is drizzling and overcast outside and that makes me sad.

On the plus side, I get to go home in an hour, buy some chocolate chips and then finish making my chocolate covered cherries. Which I find way too exciting. I enven had Valentines tea this morning in honor of my cherries. Okay, so that is more of a choc covered strawberry flavor than cherry, but I work with what I have.

Thanks Auggy. My day doesn't end til 6pm EST here and by time I get out of here, I don't even see daylight. The people here at work calmed down a bit but by the time they did, my headache just got worse. It's a no win day for me today. But I look forward to going home and cuddling with my cats with a cuppa

I'm sorry that you're going through that at work. It's good that you get to go home in an hour so that you can get away from the chaos. Mmm... chocolate covered cherry, strawberries, or on whatever, still good

Drinking alishan right now. Will probably stop by the tea shop after work to find me some tea ware to balance out the crappy day Other girls can go for shoes to make them happy, but for me, it's tea and teaware hehe.

[treazure]

I couldn't get the poll to work, so put me down for 100% sweet, 0% astringency.

Right now I'm working on diet root beer, but thus far today I've polished off 4 cups of fresh ground and brewed Colombian done to a full city roast, a 4 cup pot of Irish breakfast tea, 4 cup pot of Rooibos with vanilla (Celestian Seasonings - eh, next time it will be Adagio and not made of stale floor sweepings) and a 4 cup pot of Christmas with Italian Sweet cream non dairy creamer. nummies.

Dinner's on the table in an hour so it's back to Irish Breakfast tea for dinner, followed by gingerbread tea for afters and hot cocoa for before beddie bye.

you know....I might be drinking too much tea. (Is it possible?)

[Smari]

you know....I might be drinking too much tea. (Is it possible?)

Nah, on my 5th cup here and my day hasn't even ended yet

[Cinnamon Kitty]

I don't care for teas that are overly sweet, but there seems to be a good balance with slightly more astringency that sweetness. I'm still trying to figure out how some different tastes like grassy or toasty would translate into sweetness.

It has been a long day today. I woke up with a sore throat this morning which makes me think that I am getting sick since it hasn't gone away yet. I figure it could be worse. At least I can still taste the teas and hot tea makes it feel better so that is only an excuse to drink more tea. I just finished a mug of African Summer Honeybush in hoping that lemon tea with honey would help some. It didn't do much so I am going back to sencha.

[Geekgirl]

I put sugar in my tea today. Oh yes. I did!

[laran7]

I picked 70/30 -more astringent more than sweet. I think that a flavor other than sweet gives the tea (or whatever) its charactor - and not choosing it to be overwhelmingly sweet gives you some flexibility in adding something if you really still want to .

Wuyi Oolong this evening.

[Chip]

I like a little more sweet than astringent in my tea for the most part. My selection and brewing methods definitely reflect this.

An unexpected run to Philly today led me to Chinatown. As I wondered around, I sometimes felt more Chinese than many of the Chinese walking the streets, so westernized. I was looking for a gaiwan or two, saw one in all of Chinatown. Are we living in the past? In love with fading traditions.

Ate at a nice Chinese restaurant and had a nice pot of Jasmine tea.

Started the day with a sencha whose name eludes me at present, Precious and Gandalf joined in. And just finished Chiran Supreme from O-Cha.

I will end the TeaDay with some Mugicha from Sarah, home roast. On the way home today, stopped by an organic store and picked up a nice bag of barley, can't wait to do some home roasting myself.

[Smari]

An unexpected run to Philly today led me to Chinatown. As I wondered around, I sometimes felt more Chinese than many of the Chinese walking the streets, so westernized. I was looking for a gaiwan or two, saw one in all of Chinatown. Are we living in the past? In love with fading traditions.

There's a store right on 9th I think (where that big arch is) that carries a bunch of them. They have it stashed all the waaaaaay in the back though (with misc. household items surrounding it) . The store looks like it doesn't get much visitors though. In the front they sell mainly houseplants.

It truly is sad that traditions can come so close to being non-existent- especially in a community like Chinatown. That's the last place that I would think would be that way.

Tonight, I wanted to have some mate but can't since I have to cure my new gourd first. So monkey picked oolong in its place.

[murrius]

I like around 60/40 in favour of astringency. I think a good background of sweetness with astringency in the foreground gives tea the kind of character and depth that I most enjoy.

yutaka midori this morning and long jing this evening.

[Chip]

There's a store right on 9th I think (where that big arch is) that carries a bunch of them. They have it stashed all the waaaaaay in the back though (with misc. household items surrounding it) . The store looks like it doesn't get much visitors though. In the front they sell mainly houseplants.

Yeah, saw that. They had a bunch of all the same one. I am sure if I had more time, I would have found a few more. I did see some interesting Chinatown teaware. Shanghai Bazaar had some nice stuff. Came home with some cups that make me smile.

[DoctorT]

I guess I hover around a 50-50 balance. I don't like overly astringent teas nor do I like overly sweet ones. What I do like does vary somewhat depending on the tea and how I feel.

Wednesday's tea for me was wuyi ensemble. First time I had tried it and I immediately fell in love with it.

Tom

[kymidwife]

I voted 60/40 in favor of astringency... this coming from my recent fascination with Darjeelings, I think. I do like teas with a bit of natural sweetness, though... especially the high mountain oolongs that taste like lightly-sweetened hot butter, mmmm.

In my cup tonight... I made a potpourri green that is actually really yummy. I was missing my japanese greens, all long gone now. So I pulled out some sample tins from Adagio, none of which dazzled me the first time around. So, I did 50/50 Green Anji and Green Pekoe... had a couple of infusions of that blend, and it was really nice... and then added some dragonwell and a bit of kukicha... and it's a really delicious blend! Lots of complexity, not bitter, not fishy, a dash of sweetness, medium astringency, not overly roasty. Really good! Goes really nicely with a Hostess Ding Dong.

Hope I can sleep now... I should know better, but I needed it! I sound like a crack addict.

Sarah

[kymidwife]

Wednesday's tea for me was wuyi ensemble. First time I had tried it and I immediately fell in love with it.

Mmmmm Wuyi Ensemble was the tea I had for breakfast and most of the morning today. The longer I drink Oolongs, the more I enjoy the varieties of flavor, roast, intensity.

Welcome to TeaChat, glad to have you here.

Sarah

[DoctorT]

Mmmmm Wuyi Ensemble was the tea I had for breakfast and most of the morning today. The longer I drink Oolongs, the more I enjoy the varieties of flavor, roast, intensity.

Welcome to TeaChat, glad to have you here.

Sarah

I have always liked oolong teas, but I just discovered Wuyi Ensemble yesterday.

I had one of the tea bags they have here at work this morning, having forgotten to bring in my own tea - I remember why I so rarely have their tea (I also don't like the coffee they have here either and I bring in a french press travel mug and my own fresh-ground coffee for when I want coffee). And, no, I will not put the tea bag down as my tea-of-the-day for Thursday!

Thanx for the welcome, glad to be here.

Tom

[Chip]

Le bump 2