Dec 4th, '08, 13:01
Posts: 434
Joined: Mar 31st, '08, 21:46
by thanks » Dec 4th, '08, 13:01
stanthegoomba wrote:Bubba_tea wrote:If one hasn't had (or *experienced*) a properly prepared cup of tea though, they don't know how good something *should* be.
You *have* experienced a proper cup of tea. Guaranteed. Otherwise, you wouldn't be posting here trying to figure out how to make your tea even better.
"Feeling the cup of tea" is a cop-out; but experience simply means brewing and drinking the stuff.
What do you mean by feeling the cup of tea? Also, why is it a cop-out?
Are you basically saying there's no such thing as bad tea?
Dec 4th, '08, 14:45
Posts: 90
Joined: Nov 2nd, '08, 09:21
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
by stanthegoomba » Dec 4th, '08, 14:45
Are you basically saying there's no such thing as bad tea?
Inoffensive tea isn't bad tea. If the leaf really can't handle a simple infuser brew (3 min, 1-2 tsp, 180 degrees), why even bother looking into alternative methods? I enjoyed oolongs for over a year this way before I got into teaware; by this point I knew enough about what "oolong tea" should taste like to experiment further and get better results. I do not consider my infuser brews to be a waste.
Dec 4th, '08, 15:43
Posts: 1628
Joined: Jun 17th, '08, 14:11
Location: Oregon
by geeber1 » Dec 4th, '08, 15:43
Dec 5th, '08, 00:15
Posts: 356
Joined: Jul 30th, '08, 17:42
Location: Springfield, MO
by Bubba_tea » Dec 5th, '08, 00:15
Thanks Geeber - that's a good start. I think that's in the euro tradition? Now we can use some good Chinese info.
As for the other comments... It's interesting... saying you can't brew a bad cup of tea. I strongly beg to differ and have choked on many a terrible cup I've made to find out I did a terrible job in the first place! Keeping in mind that many of the teas we're talking about in the oolong boards are Chinese, 'feeling the cup of good tea' isn't the Chinese way at all. There is a definite right way to do things, and that may rub the westerners the wrong way, but it's just a different way of doing things. Confucious said, IIRC, when your father dies, don't change anything (the business you inherited as a son) for 5 years. After aging and making many mistakes, I begin to understand the wisdom in these kinds of sayings. Just my opinion, but it's silly to think that skilled gong fu tea artists just throw stuff together and it makes superlative tea. It may look that way when the smoke clears, but often these things look easier on TV (or youtube...
) than they are in real life. Please don't take this as I don't think your way doesn't work for you! I just like guidelines to start with
