Newbie from California - San Francisco bay area

[teatabby]

Hi everyone - I've recently been introduced to high-quality Chinese loose leaf teas - thanks to the two wonderful tea shops in San Francisco, Red Blossom Tea & Song Tea. With my first sip of white tea meizhan (cold brewed), I was hooked. Previously, I thought I was drinking high-quality tea bags with the Mariage Freres but nothing beats a flavorful fruity creamy Formosa oolong or smoky aged TGY. I'd also like to take a moment for the amazing tea shop owners and staff - who take the time to share their passion and knowledge about tea - how it's harvested, its qualities and tips on brewing. The pleasant educational process has been so much fun for me - and really insightful and helped me be courageous enough to replicate the process at home (to varying degrees of success but it's fun to keep on trying!)

I've recently been introduced to my first longjing tea (dangerous for my wallet, for sure!) and sparingly drinking my small stash to make it last as long as possible. Otherwise, I'll grab whatever tea that fits my mood. Since I've been introduced to tea (for about a month) - I've largely given up coffee, which is kinda shocking to me because I've drank a cup of coffee every morning, but not usually more than one cup though. These days, I wake up and trying to determine what kind of tea day the morning feels like - and I enjoy using my gaiwan or tea pot to brew myself a few cups of tea - like a meditation almost, a great way to jumpstart the day.

In any case - I am excited to be joining this new world of tea and i really enjoy reading the TeaChat bulletin board. Thank you for sharing your wisdom - much appreciated by this newbie!

[victoria3]

Welcome to teachat. You are lucky to be near several tea houses in and around San Fran.

[William]

Welcome to teachat!