Charcoal Roasted Oolong at Teance

[Bubba_tea]

Wow, Cicadas

Here is a shot of a cicada friend of mine who is a little shy, but coming out of his shell.


*click photo for larger image*

Course, this guy is big. I think the Tea Jassid is tiny.

Nice shot of the cicada there! We use the leftover shells in chinese medicine also - good for measles, red eyes, and itchy skin! Plus - I love the sound here at night in the summer with the insects at night. I find it very peaceful - we didn't have that back in Seattle.

[Salsero]

We use the leftover shells in chinese medicine also ... I love the sound here at night ... back in Seattle.

If I had known I would have saved it for you! It took him forever to get out of the shell. Where is the here that you mention? While everyone has the right to protect their private info, I really like it when people's home base is listed witht heir avatar. Everyone except Tony Shlongini, however. Him I prefer to think of as in The Isle of Malta. Oh, and Chip "atop Mt Fuji in the TeaCave."

[Chip]

But Sal, I am atop Mt. Fuji in the TeaCave ...

I am a little on the fence on this issue. Having a strong botanical and hort. background, I know many insects do secrete sweet "honeydew" such as aphids which are often herded by ants who want the honeydew mostly.

Cicadas and tea plants, I honestly do not know. But each and every time I smell sweet honey aroma from a Taiwan oolong or even a good TKY, my mind always goes back to how? How is this possible that a bag of leaves smell so sweet and brew up so complex, with specific aromas?

I remember reading years ago in a domestic vendors catalog or site, that the sweet aroma was due to the pear trees on Pear MT (Li Shan) that used to grow there. Since they were talking about the trees in the past tense, the reader had to surmise that the sweet aromas must have come up through the ground or by magic. More believable would be that the opening leaves pick up aromas of nearby flowering trees.

But so many stories surround the amazing flavors and aromas of oolongs. Insects may play a beneficial role. Til Adagio foots the bill for the TeaVacation of a lifetime, we may never know for sure.

[Bubba_tea]

That'd be Springfield, MO!

Hmmm - we need a picture of Chip running around the tea fields licking tea leaves on the bush for the sweet dew... uh, that's just weird now... And those leaves might brew up a little funny after that.

[Chip]

That'd be Springfield, MO!

Hmmm - we need a picture of Chip running around the tea fields licking tea leaves on the bush for the sweet dew... uh, that's just weird now... And those leaves might brew up a little funny after that.

Hotter water is sounding better for brewing though

[Victoria]

That'd be Springfield, MO!

Hmmm - we need a picture of Chip running around the tea fields licking tea leaves on the bush for the sweet dew... uh, that's just weird now... And those leaves might brew up a little funny after that.

Hotter water is sounding better for brewing though

This is what I'm sayin'

[Bubba_tea]

Can I use a pressure cooker and brew hotter than 212' then??!!

[Chip]

Bitter oolong might be better than the alternatives!

[augie]

Here is a shot of a cicada friend of mine who is a little shy, but coming out of his shell.

Man, Salsero. That brought back some nightmares from 1998. After reading the "Cicada Juices post" I got out the old scrapbooks and looked at the Cicada page! I couldn't imagine what they (or their cousins) would do to tea trees. I know they don't come out in hoardes every year, but even still. My Oak and Maples were very wilted from their mating activities:



It was horrific. The chattering, dead exoskeletons littering the ground. We were raking the shells and dead bodies and filling up 5 gal buckets! We couldn't watch TV or talk on the phone -- and we had the doors & windows closed and A/C running. I finally left town and went to my mother's house for two weeks b/c I was going days with no sleep. Kids had a blast pushing them on the swing, tho.

I am also hoping this is local folklore or translation error or a romantic story they tell vendors to sell tea . . . Just hope I can get to sleep tonight.

[Salsero]

Wow, creepy! For me they have always been a rare occurence.

[augie]

Wow, creepy! For me they have always been a rare occurence.

That year was an absolutel horror. They lived over a month at a dull roar. Never had an experience since until this year. We have a few, and we'll occasionally grab one and play with it. You stick them on your shirt and run to see how long they can hang on.

I can't hear them indoors this year, thankfully. I wish they would eat those dang Japanese beetles or at least frighten them off!

[Salsero]

I can't hear them indoors this year, thankfully. I wish they would eat those dang Japanese beetles or at least frighten them off!

You make me glad I don't live in Indiana anymore, unless Gary and Bloomington are pest-free zones.

[Victoria]

That year was an absolutel horror. They lived over a month at a dull roar. Never had an experience since until this year. We have a few, and we'll occasionally grab one and play with it. You stick them on your shirt and run to see how long they can hang on.

I can't hear them indoors this year, thankfully. I wish they would eat those dang Japanese beetles or at least frighten them off!

That is part of the reason I moved to California - I said NEVER again.
Oy!

[Chip]

Posted this under Dong Ding, but thought I would share it here. This is from the newsletter I received today from Tea from Taiwan:

Our Ming Xiang oolong tea is produced on Dong Ding Mountain. This oolong tea has a unique honey aroma which is produced from activities of cicadas on the tea leaves. The honey aroma of Dong Ding Ming Xiang is a guarantee that the tea is organic - pesticides would keep the cicadas away.

[Salsero]

activities of cicadas on the tea leaves

Gulp