Saturday TeaDay 2/21/09 TeaScience or TeaArt?

[geeber1]

Sarah, owwwww! Sorry to hear about your fall, hope you are able to rest and recover.

I voted "what the heck." I would love to have the time to be more scientific, and more artful, but unfortunately, my life doesn't allow that right now. I'm just happy to be able to enjoy good tea every day and visit TeaChat between projects at work.

This morning I'm having some Portland Blend from Strand Tea. It's described as "Estate grown Indian and China black teas blended by Strand Tea Company with the Pacific Northwest in mind." They don't say what estates the teas are from but I'm guessing it's a Yunnan/Ceylon blend as it's very 'Yunnan-y.' Very good!

[Chip]

Moved on to Kabuse from Yuuki-Cha. If you don't think tea prep has some art to it, check out this new Hagi Hohin by Zuiho Ono that arrived from Japan today, brewed up gyokuro's cousin Kubuse and had a lot of fun playing with the new baby. SweeTea was pretty impressed ...


See more here ... Gyokuro set.

[auggy]

Probably more scientist here... not so much because of structure because art can be structured, but rather because I'm not very creative when making my tea. But I do like to enjoy the tea leaves expand in my glass pot, so that could be considered a littl art - but that's more the tea than me.

I'm having a big tea day today. So far I've had Sencha Ei, Lemongrass + cream, and coconut tea. Just refilled the Zojirushi to have some Forever Spring oolong.

Take care of yourself, Sarah!

[cherylopal]

Moved on to Kabuse from Yuuki-Cha. If you don't think tea prep has some art to it, check out this new Hagi Hohin by Zuiho Ono that arrived from Japan today, brewed up gyokuro's cousin Kubuse and had a lot of fun playing with the new baby. SweeTea was pretty impressed ...


See more here ... Gyokuro set.

It's gorgeous!! I stay off the teaware thread- too dangerous- and I do love what I have but Ive got to say...


...you have gotten some most delish teaware lately!!!!

[Chip]

It's gorgeous!! I stay off the teaware thread- too dangerous- and I do love what I have but Ive got to say...you have gotten some most delish teaware lately!!!!

I said "new" but actually new for me, it is supposed to be around 30 years old. From the looks of it, it spent every minute in the box. The new one you have is really "delish" too. I check it out every time I visit O-Cha.

I'm having a big tea day today. So far I've had Sencha Ei

Sencha Ei? Must I google or are you tellin'. I cannot recall hearing that one before.
.

[Dreamer]

Awesome mind-blowing topic for today's poll!

I once asked my kids' orthodontist whether what he did was art or science...he said "yes". Knowing how (mechanically, physically) to accomplish something was heavy science, but the result was so beautiful that it needed to be called art. He said that in order to keep himself and his staff focused on the real difference they made in peoples' lives, they had a ceremony at the end of the year where thy would pull out the before and after pictures of all their patients who had "finished" that year and really remind themselves of what good they had done. He wanted to keep his work focused on people and not just mechanics and technique.

I checked "other" in the poll because the question was making my brain explode (probably because I have not had any tea yet today!).

Joy,
Dreamer

[auggy]

I'm having a big tea day today. So far I've had Sencha Ei

Sencha Ei? Must I google or are you tellin'. I cannot recall hearing that one before.

Part of the Lupicia name change Pentox dislikes so.... Sencha "Ei" It is actually left over leaves from last night. Oddly, tasted a bit like genmaicha for the second steep.

[trent]

In my cup today...


aged black tea made w/ pu erh leaves - Courtesy of my local tea shop.
All the teaware (minus the pot) is new, at least in the sense that it was recently purchased.

[GT500Driver]

I'm gonna go with Tea Padawan. I don't really make an art or a science out of it, and I'm still learning some basic things about preparation. Right now I keep rough track of my time, fairly close on temps, and really just enjoy drinking it, making it takes a back seat to that right now.

Now when I get my gaiwan and kyusu... things might change a little bit.

Had Assam Melody from Adagio in a travel mug today. Was on the road for an hour this morning, didn't get home for more tea until night time. Finished up with decaf earl grey.

[Victoria]

Sarah, sorry to hear about your fall, rest up,
lots of tea & take care!

[JP]

I might prepare a new tea in measured steps so that I can an idea of how it performs. After that, I wing it to suit what I want in the moment. Today's tea is a good example of that, which was a Lapsang Souchong. Being a bitterly cold day, I wanted more smokey and robust than usual. So I added extra leaf to the pot (not measured, just what looked right) and brewed it longer. I was pleased with the results, it was what I wanted.

[bi lew chun]

I like to think of tea as drinkable art--a shared creation between producer and preparer--so I'll go with TeaArtist, although my ability would make me something of a finger painter.

[chad]

I think I'm pretty middle-of-the-road.

I'll brew up a cup even when I can't work on the "perfect" cup.