Tuesday TeaDay 8/26/08 Improve tea enjoyment?

[bronzebed]

while i'm content with my tea experiences, i'm always experimenting and trying to improve. so, i'm content with constant learning. <----that probably doesn't make sense.

no tea yet, but i need something strong. i'm barely awake.

today i got a federal id for the tea shop i'm gonna open. while i won't be ready to open a shop until around may, i still feel like this is kinda worth celebrating.

[cajunwowi]

I am drinking a cup of Oolong #18. I've been experimenting with temperature quite a bit in the last few days and I think I'm enjoying several teas that were "just okay" the last time I tried them.

This leads me to the poll...I am not content with my current status. I wish that I had more experience in understanding temperatures and steep times better. I guess it will come with practice...I hope it will come with practice.

I also wish that I had more time to sit still and enjoy all that tea has to offer. But on the same token I love my life, chasing after a 16 month old tops the charts!!
Tamara

[soapy]

This morning, I'm going to try my own blend that I just got in the mail: Thai Cha (pineapple, ginger green & lemon grass). Hopefully, it'll be good...

sounds yummy!

[Smari]

Okay, so I finally tried my blend: the smell was amazing! (thanks to the mixture of lemon grass & ginseng). The taste was good but could be better. I decided to up the ginseng green tea a little with the lemon grass and lowered the pineapple ratio. I just wanted to bring out the lemon grass and ginseng a little more, since the pineapple seems to be masking it a little. I'll have it occasionally but not everyday though.

In my cup now - silver needle.

[olivierco]

Kanro gyokuro right now.

[Wosret]

I need to try more teas and develop my palate. I need more teapots and tea cups. I need to try tea prepared in other ways (such as the Chinese cup that I can't spell ...!). I need properly filtered and heated water. I need better food to accompany my tea. I need a better location (like a garden or a conservatory).

Tea at my desk at work, while I'm working, using the equipment here ... meh.

[geeber1]

I voted 'maybe need a change' because there's a lot that I haven't explored yet. Like everyone else, it's mostly a matter of time and money.

This morning I enjoyed a big mug of Adagio Darjeeling #22. It was finally cool enough to have some hot tea without succumbing to heat stroke!

At work, Ginger Peach, iced.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

[Cinnamon Kitty]

I am fully content with my tea enjoyment. I have a decent selection of tea, three different but very useful tea pots, and a variety of tea cups that make me happy. It is a nice balance between over the top and too little. The only not quite content part is the small amount of good sencha that I have left.

Today, I've been drinking White Peach.

[Chip]

Actually I'm going through with some changes regarding my tea consumption. I want to specialize in my favorite tea which is the Japanese greens, so I'll move a lot of my tea budget over to that area at the cost of other teas. I've been all over the spectrum now to know what I want to specialize in. Of course I will still drink other teas, but not as much as I used to.

Yutaka Midori today.

This is me to a TEA 2ish years ago. I made the adjustment quite easily, but it did not happen overnight. Took a while. I might have some Yutaka Midori a little later, actually.

Any adjustments I make these days are much more subtle, I am quite content with the Japanese base, and am always mixing up the balance of my choices. The one voice of malcontent is over pu-erh. As much as I would like to jump in, it would totally change my nice current mix. For now, I definitely keep pu-erh as a casual interest. But it is hard, I have a nice pu-erh session and start looking at pu-erh again and again.

Adagio Darjeeling earlier. Currently finishing tea number 2, Fukamushi Supreme from O-Cha.

[Chip]

while i'm content with my tea experiences, i'm always experimenting and trying to improve. so, i'm content with constant learning. <----that probably doesn't make sense.

no tea yet, but i need something strong. i'm barely awake.

today i got a federal id for the tea shop i'm gonna open. while i won't be ready to open a shop until around may, i still feel like this is kinda worth celebrating.

Tell us more about the tea shop plans, please!!!

And the "content with constant learning" makes perfect sense to the vast majority of TeaChatters! Otherwise, we would never change our tea interests and tea would just be a beverage.

[Pentox]

I'm rather content with my teaventures. I'm starting to grow a bit weary of my exploration of other vendors/teas though. I keep finding quite a few that I'm not a big fan of. Sooner or later I will settle down to a small list of teas that I really enjoy.

Someone local to share my teaxperiences with would also be nice. Not many people I know locally enjoy tea. Mostly soda drinkers or beer. Lots of beer. Some wine.


Today's cup: Maeda-en shincha cold brew. Not much of this left, but I still have something like 7 unopened packages of shincha still. I overbought this year.

[doyoulovedee]

i'd love for there to be a quaint tea shop here on the bay area. i have the feeling i might have to make my own. my coworker and i have ideas of a patiserie and tea place, once we finally break free from bloomingdale's.

bronzebed, i'm excited to hear more about this place. please keep us posted on how this goes.

as for tea-inprovements. i'd love to know everything, keep every tea i can imagine, and have every tea piece i can think of, but for now i have teachat, and my wee tea budget.

now i'm drinking the last of my chocolate enlightenment from teagschwendner.

[Chip]

I'm rather content with my teaventures. I'm starting to grow a bit weary of my exploration of other vendors/teas though. I keep finding quite a few that I'm not a big fan of. Sooner or later I will settle down to a small list of teas that I really enjoy.

Someone local to share my teaxperiences with would also be nice.

Today's cup: Maeda-en shincha cold brew. Not much of this left, but I still have something like 7 unopened packages of shincha still. I overbought this year.

I am relating to many comments today! The over searching through so many vendors and ending up with teas that do not cut it, reducing the vendor list. I am not sure if this process ever completely ends though. I have greatly reduced this activity, BUT, I still look, CONSTANTLY. Now it is just looking mostly, content with my fab five vendors mostly, however keeping an open mind.

7 unopened shincha yet!!! WOW, I have all of mine open finally, and I thought I overbought this year! Let me know if I can help you out!

[scruffmcgruff]

I would like some antique gongfu-sized cups, a gaiwan with a red or yellow pattern (I *love* geekgirl's dragon gaiwan), some hagi-yaki accessories (vases, plates, bowls), and some colored fabrics to use as mats.

I'd also like to reduce the number of teas I have on hand, and find a few I really love; a cake of 10+ years aged puerh would be great, some fantastic yancha (some aged, some not), *small* samples of sencha (I never manage to get through 100g before it goes stale), and a bit of quality matcha. I already have some aged oolongs, so I'm set there for now.

Of course, I'd like to have a better sense of smell and be more adept at brewing too, but I guess that goes without saying.

Oh yeah, and some contentment with what I already have would be nice, too.

(Also, some immortal orchids. I don't want to take care of those buggers.)

[henley]

So, I'm content with constant learning.

Very well said. I think the day I figured everything out about tea, I would get bored w/it. Am content w/my tea enjoyment though not quite "completely & utterly". Like others, would love to have more time to devote to tea but sneaking in those few minutes are part of what make them special.

Nice pic again today, Sal. Congrats Augie on the job! Hope things go well for you!

In my cup is the 3rd steep of the Monkey Picked Oolong I started last night. Trying to fight off a sinus infection & sore throat so the tea feels especially good going down. The teacup is the latest member of my teaware family.


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