Monday TeaDay 7/27/09 TeaDay personal reflections?

[olivierco]

Karigane gyokuro (Ippodo) this evening.

[Chester Copperpot]

Most days tend to be good tea days for me! Especially when I'm able to relax in the evening with a nice rooibos or herbal blend, a good book, and then read with the hubby and cats. Aaaaah. Looking forward to this evening already.

[Victoria]

Yes, most days yes. If I get enough tea in.
The tea is always great, the quantity of it, sometimes less than great.

Started the day with Tao of Tea Bohea, an old favorite, lightly
smoky and delicious.

Have a nice day everyone!

[Maitre_Tea]

So my Matcha and Matcha-ware just arrived from Yuuki-Cha...but my Chawan isn't here yet! Why must the Matcha God(dess) be so cruelly ironic!?!

[sriracha]

Everyone likes the fish!

Are those the cups from, I think, Dragon Tea House?

I got some a couple of days ago. One of the fish on the outside is red instead of blue. I always liked 'fish cups'. =)

As for the poll I voted 'not really'. I just haven't thought about it that way. It's like breathing, I don't look back on each day thinking "that was a good day for oxygen".
I do, however, keep drinking tea until I feel happy about my intake for the day, quantity and quality.

[Victoria]

A quick stop home for some CS Pomelo Oolong,
now off to run more errands and hopefully grab a Boba.
I'm hopelessly addicted.

[horsencl]

I do on occassion have a great tea day. More often than not I wind up wishing I had time to consume more tea

[Chip]

I had to purposely STOP saying "another GREAt TeaDay in my final posts everyday on TD. I started to sound like a broken record, but with great sencha, it is hard not to have great TDs!

This morning we tried a new one, and of course I cannot remember the name, but is was a new one from Rishi ... duh, where is my TeaJournal when I need it? Chip, bail me out pleeeze!

This was a new Fukamushi fresh in. It is called Yamata. It has been ever so slightly roasted in addition to the steaming, creating a slightly toasty sweetness. NOT like Houjicha at all. This required some skill to accomplish.

I have noticed this "finishing" more and more lately as the Japanese are becoming more and more innovative (or we are finally seeing it here)!

Next up, Yutaka Midori from O-Cha, always very good. Then Sungma FF Darjeeling. Currently, Fuding Silver Needle 2009 also from Rishi.

Dare I say, another GREAT TeaDay!!!

[Victoria]

I had to purposely STOP saying "another GREAt TeaDay in my final posts everyday on TD. I started to sound like a broken record, but with great sencha, it is hard not to have great TDs!

This morning we tried a new one, and of course I cannot remember the name, but is was a new one from Rishi ... duh, where is my TeaJournal when I need it? Chip, bail me out pleeeze!

This was a new Fukamushi fresh in. It is called Yamata. It has been ever so slightly roasted in addition to the steaming, creating a slightly toasty sweetness. NOT like Houjicha at all. This required some skill to accomplish.

I have noticed this "finishing" more and more lately as the Japanese are becoming more and more innovative (or we are finally seeing it here)!

Next up, Yutaka Midori from O-Cha, always very good. Then Sungma FF Darjeeling. Currently, Fuding Silver Needle 2009 also from Rishi.

Dare I say, another GREAT TeaDay!!!

That is very interesting, as I just ordered a pan fried one from Camellia Sinensis. I had never heard of it being done before with Japanese teas and I was curious to try it.

[Chip]

That is actually quite common for Guricha and similar types produced outside of the top 4 tea producing prefectures in Japan.

Yamata however is a steamed tea produced in Shizuoka, just finished differently.

Yamata first flush sencha

... the final drying and aroma fixation method is very different. This tea is a great example of a sencha with strong "hika" or roasting aroma. The tea is very rich in body and color. Its deep flavor becomes even more robust when coupled with the intense nutty aroma and sweet finish this tea offers. Our tea taster says he chose this tea to represent the highly technical art of Japanese tea re-drying that provides such a pronounced, high heat, nutty aroma while keeping the green infusion color of the tea. Many high heat, re-roasted teas suffer from carbonized or burned defect or the natural green infusion color is radically altered by heat. This tea offers a perfect re-roasted aroma and vivid green infusion at the same time. Fukamushi Yamata has a very strong yet smooth flavor, low astringency and a refreshing, stimulating energy. It has a superb balance of umami and sharp bittersweetness highlighted by a heady aroma of roasted peanut. The first brew and second brew are sure to satisfy advanced tea tasters.

[Proinsias]

I'm not sure about great tea days, I don't think my attention span is that long or my skill that good. I maybe manage 100/200ml or so of tea a week that really knocks my socks off.

I like playing with teas and pushing them so if I get a great brew the next onei is usually over ambitious. If the first tea of the day was great with a little extra leaf I tend to go overkill on the next tea in hope I'll hit nirvana.

I got a kitten at the weekend and since the internet is sadly lacking in cute cat pics here's Angus:


Some of Nada's bamboo roasted pu today, quite good even after 12 hours and tasting rather watery.

[Salsero]

Are those the cups from, I think, Dragon Tea House?

Yes, indeed those are they, even after I searched for them there this afternoon and couldn't find them for Depravitea. They clearly are there now. *Removes specs for a good cleaning.*

[Victoria]

That is actually quite common for Guricha and similar types produced outside of the top 4 tea producing prefectures in Japan.

Yamata however is a steamed tea produced in Shizuoka, just finished differently.

Yamata first flush sencha

... the final drying and aroma fixation method is very different. This tea is a great example of a sencha with strong "hika" or roasting aroma. The tea is very rich in body and color. Its deep flavor becomes even more robust when coupled with the intense nutty aroma and sweet finish this tea offers. Our tea taster says he chose this tea to represent the highly technical art of Japanese tea re-drying that provides such a pronounced, high heat, nutty aroma while keeping the green infusion color of the tea. Many high heat, re-roasted teas suffer from carbonized or burned defect or the natural green infusion color is radically altered by heat. This tea offers a perfect re-roasted aroma and vivid green infusion at the same time. Fukamushi Yamata has a very strong yet smooth flavor, low astringency and a refreshing, stimulating energy. It has a superb balance of umami and sharp bittersweetness highlighted by a heady aroma of roasted peanut. The first brew and second brew are sure to satisfy advanced tea tasters.

Oh, ok thanks, I wasn't aware of that. The only roasting I was aware of was Houjicha. Well anyway this looked unique. I'll report on the Green Forum after I get it. It says it is from "an organic culture on Kyushu island". It also claims to be nutty - "nutty aroma and a flavor similar to chestnuts with a slightly sweet and citrusy after taste." Sounded Interesting.

Proinsias - that is one sweet looking little kitteh. Congrats.

[silvermage2000]

Mostly I do. I am drinking a cup of a bottled sweetleaftea mint and honey green. Its pretty good. And sweetned with cane sugar.

[tea fish]

As you might have guessed from the name I go by here, I too love the fish cups. I have been using them every time I have tea (since February 09). They don't get old, or they haven't, yet.

Lately I've been drinking tea daily, in the morning before I start to work, and have be amazed by the subtle but appreciable way it's changing how I approach work--I feel calm and alert all at once. Sometimes it's kind of magical. If I occasionally botch an infusion it's no big deal, at least not with oolong, where the leaves just go on and on and on...