Thursday TeaDay 9/17/09 Brewing for others?

[Dreamer]

Sure for a few tea drinkers...I think the fun would be lost on a large group.
And I wouldn't want to spend my good tea for people who already claim not to like tea.

So far today, same Ceylon/Assam mix as yesterday.
I don't know what this afternoon will bring...maybe some fuka!

Happy sipping,
Dreamer

[Chip]

Although generally pretty introverted, I enjoy challenge. I could see myself brewing for groups large or small. I would enjoy that. I enjoy brewing as much as I do drinking, might say I am passionate about it, so I feel I could make it interesting ... maybe.

Began the TD with a new tasting of Zencha Fuji the Ultimate, though feline Fuji-san was not interested, but SweeTea was.

Next up, last of a sample of Magokoro from Yuuki-Cha.

[CynTEAa]

More comfortable brewing for smaller groups for certain, but have done it for large. Once the TEA was late and left only 10 minutes to get everything measured, brewed and displayed for a tea break for 300 people! Talk about adrenaline...

Hope everyone is having a good tea day. Sencha O in my cup at present.


BTW, Has anyone ever heard of or tried tebiete wild king tea?

[Chip]

More comfortable brewing for smaller groups for certain, but have done it for large. Once the TEA was late and left only 10 minutes to get everything measured, brewed and displayed for a tea break for 300 people! Talk about adrenaline...

Hope everyone is having a good tea day. Sencha O in my cup at present.


BTW, Has anyone ever heard of or tried tebiete wild king tea?

Yeah, that would be quite a rush

Never heard of this tea, what is it?

[CynTEAa]

BTW, Has anyone ever heard of or tried tebiete wild king tea?

Never heard of this tea, what is it?

It's from Anxi, an oolong, and it has a very unusual taste. Imen offered some roasting advice I will try.

[amarie]

I'm the only tea drinker in my house, but I've brewed for a few of my family/friends from time to time. One friend in particular asked me to host an English-style tea party for her birthday last year. We broke out the wedding china, dressed up and sipped Darjeeling with a group of six. Very fun.

Chocolate black tea this morning.

[leiche2]

It would depend upon who I was brewing for. I've never really gotten the chance to brew tea for more than 1-2 other people before.

In my cup: water. I'm just too lazy to make fresh tea now, after an afternoon spent re-brewing Wuyi Ensemble while re-reading The Song of Roland.

[wyardley]

I like brewing for people, though it's certainly intimidating brewing in front of someone with more experience (at which point I invariably get shaky hands, drop things, etc. etc.). I think it's really important to be able to brew tea confidently for others, and brewing solo lets you develop some bad habits, so I take pretty much any opportunity I get. Having a group of like-minded tea folks locally is certainly lucky.

Just as important is watching the way other people brew. I really enjoy that quite a bit, whether it's someone very experienced, or just other tea friends.

[LindenIsland]

O-o-o-ohhhhh, I don't know. I'm nervous just brewing for myself, I'm so new to it... I still just use a mug and a strainer, I really don't know how to brew very well yet. Maybe, for my friends or my family, but definitely not for tea connoisseurs, no no no. I would like to learn about tea ceremony though! It sounds so interesting.

I'm nursing a nice hot cup of Darjeeling tea dust. Shame. But I don't want to waste the last of the good Indian Chai my friend gave me on my poor sore throat.

[Victoria]

I keep getting logged off after opening a new page, strange.
And frustrating.

In my cup this afternoon TGY from Jing Tea Shop.

[Riene]

I voted yes, for a few people to small groups.

I make tea every morning, enough for 4-6 people. I've recently been dragging friends to my house (rather than meeting at a restaurant) and have been serving tea. Most of them are coffee or soda drinkers and have been pleasantly surprised by tea.

Although they still think I'm weird.

[Hot Tea]

My teacher makes her students brew tea for walk-in guests who come to the teahouse. She says this is part of learning about tea - it makes us more aware of each step in the brewing process as we tend to be more careful and don't take "shortcuts" when there are guests sitting in front of us. More importantly, brewing for others teaches us to be aware of different taste preferences in others and how to bring out aspects of the tea that meets these preference (eg use a different type of teapot shape or clay to bring out different aspects of tea).

It was nerve racking at first, brewing for strangers while the teacher looks on. But it does give us the incentive to practice and be better at it.

[DoctorD]

I've been the designated brewer in my house for years, so whenever family or in-laws visit a moment always arrives when my wife says, "Teameister, please," and I know it's time to confect something. This is not a hard crowd to please. They all basically prefer their teas black and south Asian, so my private stash of greens and oolongs is never in much jeopardy, though lately I've begun sneaking some moderately roasted oolongs in on them, and to their surprise they've found they really like them.

Speaking of greens: a couple kinds of everyday Chinese green (Dragonwell, eyebrow) in the cup over the course of the day, and just now a nice bit of sencha to round off the evening. Cheers.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

I'd brew tea for who ever wants it. I can't promise it will be the best tea that you have ever tasted though it should taste decent enough. It is like cooking for a crowd of people; you can't please everyone, but someone is bound to like it.

Started today with Organic Monk's Blend then switched to some Chinese green during the afternoon.

[brad4419]

I wish I could brew tea for more people but instead its just brewing for myself. I need to convert some people.