Hi Will,xuancheng wrote:I can't wait! could you take more pictures of the fire containment apparatus please?brandon wrote:...
Like you, I started my day overconfident in my ability to set any organic matter ablaze without incident. To beat the heat I started at 6am and picked up the cheapo charcoal at the 24/7 market. No lighter fluid required, the bag explains.
Well, after most of the Classified section and some dousing with denatured alcohol (indirectly of course), the charcoal bits never really took to a lasting flame. It went for a few minutes when I took the photos and I thought we had something, but it gave in.
The bricks I pulled out of the garden to construct the stove were very damp, and the cheap charcoal wasn't helping.
I decided to go for a sure thing today and grabbed a terra cotta flower pot slightly larger in diameter than the kettle, and lined it with two layers of better charcoal.
3 matches later and it has been smoldering ever since.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28366671@N ... 712733070/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28366671@N ... 712733070/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28366671@N ... 712733070/
Here are some more photos of the first attempt. It might make a return next weekend now that we have more cooperative fuel.
Edit: As I write this I am up to Gyokuro temperatures, heating rather slowly with the limited amount of fuel I am using. They say smell is the better part of taste, and I am certainly smelling a lot of nice smoke. But I think the change in the taste is very clear. A hint of smoke lingers in the mouth after drinking it, and walking away from the fire to be certain.
Last edited by brandon on Jun 7th, '09, 11:20, edited 1 time in total.
I say ban them. They are just upgraded spammers.
We do not have to be pollicitally correct and create
extra work for mods to monitor. Not to mention confusing to
newbies and just taking up space!
In my cup this morning Adagio Yunnan Noir.
Have a Nice Day Everyone!
We do not have to be pollicitally correct and create
extra work for mods to monitor. Not to mention confusing to
newbies and just taking up space!
In my cup this morning Adagio Yunnan Noir.
Have a Nice Day Everyone!
- Victoria -
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
Jun 7th, '09, 11:55
Posts: 342
Joined: Jul 30th, '08, 02:24
Location: Cambridge, MA
Contact:
xuancheng
I am limited to the weekends as well for enjoying charcoal boiled water. I guess there must be something to the Japanese art of charcoal laying.brandon wrote: Hi Will,
Like you, I started my day overconfident in my ability to set any organic matter ablaze without incident.
... It might make a return next weekend now that we have more cooperative fuel.
It still does look like a lot of fun. I wonder what the neighbours think.
If the spam informercial posts are not interesting or if they are just wrong and annoying, I ignore them and go read other, more interesting, correct threads.
I am enjoying a no-name one serving sample of Assam at the moment. The plan for the rest of the tea day is to see how many of the sample tins that only have one serving left can be finished off today. My current goal is 3 to 5 sample tins gone. One has already been used up to make iced tea, so probably one or two oolongs this afternoon and Wild Strawberry herbal this evening. If I can get a few more tins cleaned out this week, I will be set to make a few orders to restock.
I am enjoying a no-name one serving sample of Assam at the moment. The plan for the rest of the tea day is to see how many of the sample tins that only have one serving left can be finished off today. My current goal is 3 to 5 sample tins gone. One has already been used up to make iced tea, so probably one or two oolongs this afternoon and Wild Strawberry herbal this evening. If I can get a few more tins cleaned out this week, I will be set to make a few orders to restock.
Will,
I finally got to a boil and tried three teas fairly unceremoniously.
The water had so much flavor of its own I found myself steeping each tea longer.
70s oolong - good flavor, lots of hui gan, so much so that it felt like something else. Like an aching in the mouth I imagine you can relate to. Never managed to get an explosive flavor out of it, but I can see why this is such a desirable method for Dan Cong.
80s Loose Puerh - Much sweeter
Shui Jin Gui - out of water, results inconclusive.
The taste of the straight water is something you have to try to believe, I think.
If I can perfect a technique I can easily see doing this very often in the fall.
It is pretty hot outside just now.
I finally got to a boil and tried three teas fairly unceremoniously.
The water had so much flavor of its own I found myself steeping each tea longer.
70s oolong - good flavor, lots of hui gan, so much so that it felt like something else. Like an aching in the mouth I imagine you can relate to. Never managed to get an explosive flavor out of it, but I can see why this is such a desirable method for Dan Cong.
80s Loose Puerh - Much sweeter
Shui Jin Gui - out of water, results inconclusive.
The taste of the straight water is something you have to try to believe, I think.
If I can perfect a technique I can easily see doing this very often in the fall.
It is pretty hot outside just now.
Jun 7th, '09, 14:12
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
I am reading the posts today in earnest. Infomercial posters create a problem tbh. I try to deduce the intent, which is kind of impossible. Then I go to the black and white, is there any explicit rule violation, any distinguishable self promotion. Generally a spammer is too impatient to hang around for a month in order to build a positive reputation, their true colors will come out within a few posts.
I do believe the infomercial poster is a next gen spammer the vast majority of the time. Unfortunately, I cannot simply ignore these posts. BUT, I cannot arbitrarily delete and/or ban the suckas either, preferring a more "moderate" approach.
BTW, as Herb_Master mentions, please PM me anytime you see suspicious posts, include a link, please, so I can go right to it. I greatly appreciate any assistance you can offer.
On a positive note, most infomercial posters burn out after a few posts.
I do believe the infomercial poster is a next gen spammer the vast majority of the time. Unfortunately, I cannot simply ignore these posts. BUT, I cannot arbitrarily delete and/or ban the suckas either, preferring a more "moderate" approach.
BTW, as Herb_Master mentions, please PM me anytime you see suspicious posts, include a link, please, so I can go right to it. I greatly appreciate any assistance you can offer.
On a positive note, most infomercial posters burn out after a few posts.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
Jun 7th, '09, 14:21
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Thanks Brandon for sharing your experience with us today. I also hope to see more Pu-erh related posts in TD (and pyrotechnics as well 
)!!! Share the wealth of experience and knowledge.
Began the TD quite late with Sae Midori along my wife. I am convinced this is a great sencha for anyone new to Japanese tea. It is mild yet sweet, not nearly as intense as many first flush higher end offerings. VERY approachable.
)!!! Share the wealth of experience and knowledge. Began the TD quite late with Sae Midori along my wife. I am convinced this is a great sencha for anyone new to Japanese tea. It is mild yet sweet, not nearly as intense as many first flush higher end offerings. VERY approachable.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
Jun 7th, '09, 14:31
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
... interesting comments regarding a vendor subforum. TBH, the TeawareArtisans subforum was a bit of a risk that I am very pleased with so far ... and looking for ways to make it better and better.
Vendor subforum, the time is not ripe for this idea and may never be. It is wrought with potential problems due to the UNscrupulous nature of many who would ruin it for the rest. So for now, we have word of mouth.
Having said this, I will as always continue to consider the possibiliTeas.
Vendor subforum, the time is not ripe for this idea and may never be. It is wrought with potential problems due to the UNscrupulous nature of many who would ruin it for the rest. So for now, we have word of mouth.
Having said this, I will as always continue to consider the possibiliTeas.
Jun 7th, '09, 14:57
Posts: 2625
Joined: May 31st, '08, 02:44
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Portland, OR
Contact:
Geekgirl
Personally not really in favor of a vendor subforum. Seems that would be waaaaaaay more trouble than it's worth, as well as a conflict of interests with Adagio. Our parent company has been more than generous with not impeding any recommendations to other vendors, whether competitors or not, but IMO having an actual vendor area would be a little bit like kicking sand.
I definately think they are spam. It's become the latest craze in a lot of companies but I don't understand why because in general it just tends to piss people off. I'm fine with companies having staff be members of a forum. All I ask is that you actually be an active contributing member. For example, I run a dog owner's group for my area. The animal care professionals that are members are invaluable because they often offer advice and help whenever they can. Don't insult our intelligence by doing otherwise. I get irked by it pretty easily so I tend to call them on it. Which either gets me flammed or pats on the back but I can't help myself. 
No tea yet today, it's been one of those days.
No tea yet today, it's been one of those days.It ain't your fathers boomtime economy anymore.
On other forum websites, the vendors are vetted, invited, and pay a fee to offset the operations costs for the forum. Invited merchants must obey a set of simple general rules about what can and can't be posted. These forums are, of course, hosted by companies that are also peddle hobby-specific products in competitive markets. They have found that their sales increased substantially because they were able to showcase their product to a very large virtual audience, defining themselves against semi-competitors who each have carved out their niche market following.
Adagio's teas are generally high quality, reasonably priced and offer very reasonable shipping rates. I don't think they have much to fear from the competition.
With >1300 tea cultivars, and dozens of blends, hundreds of scented/flavored teas, it would be to the benefit, not detriment, of Adagio to consider a vendor forum for select companies that have their niche market clientele come here to learn about teas, teaware and tea brewing technique. In return, Adagio gets exemplary traffic flow to it's websites (forum and virtual shop).
When companies cooperate in supporting and encouraging new growth with an informed and astute membership in a hobby, everybody tends to benefit.
An example would be inviting Japanese firms to show case and discuss their green teas/sencha/matcha. They might offer semi-yearly group buys, making their product *much* more affordable to the rest of us, boosting overseas sales and interest in Japanese teas, teaware and historic and elegant tea culture.
Reduced shipping costs plus guaranteed sales benefit merchants, host and forum membership.
Another would be to invite estate Ceylon, Nilgiri and Darjeeling garden cooperatives that are currently operating specialty estate-only websites. They set up a thread each, whence they showcase their teas to a wider audience than might otherwise happen by their modest websites and again, to offer group bulk buy discounts to TC members.
You could just as easily do the same for Chinese greens, whites pu'erh, Anxi/Fujian and Taiwanese teas, each with a devoted following.
A thread for tea-related travel opportunities, including tea or teaware seminar/workshops, working vacations in one or more tea gardens with stays in modest hostel or dorm quarters would be considered a *very attractive* vacation alternative to TC members.
TC might offer modest subscription access to these subforums to offset admin costs. Or Adagio could allow merchants to post paid advertising banners at the top of each merchants thread that would provide contact and product logo/photo opportunities.
Of course, Adagio may elect to maintain it's present modest format and forgo business growth opportunities. But consider this: the present global economy fiasco was defined by a shift of historical industrial base to natural resources and cheap labor markets abroad in the late 80s and early 90s. The speculative dot-com and credit driven real-estate markets filled that jobs gap in the interim, but at great price to Western economies.
There is nothing to replace the loss of those jobs; you can't do it on shuck and jive handwaving of low-paying Service-Economy employment. High-Tech development is just as likely to go Asia/SE Asia as it is to come to the US or Europe. Industry has long lobbied for easing foreign worker entry, encouraged immigration of educated, cheap labor and sought deregulation (namely banking and land development), lowering average pay and vastly increasing cost of living in many developed nations.
Retail is just starting to understand the longterm consequences of this recession.
Mango iced Ceylon tea in my cup.
Adagio's teas are generally high quality, reasonably priced and offer very reasonable shipping rates. I don't think they have much to fear from the competition.
With >1300 tea cultivars, and dozens of blends, hundreds of scented/flavored teas, it would be to the benefit, not detriment, of Adagio to consider a vendor forum for select companies that have their niche market clientele come here to learn about teas, teaware and tea brewing technique. In return, Adagio gets exemplary traffic flow to it's websites (forum and virtual shop).
When companies cooperate in supporting and encouraging new growth with an informed and astute membership in a hobby, everybody tends to benefit.
An example would be inviting Japanese firms to show case and discuss their green teas/sencha/matcha. They might offer semi-yearly group buys, making their product *much* more affordable to the rest of us, boosting overseas sales and interest in Japanese teas, teaware and historic and elegant tea culture.
Reduced shipping costs plus guaranteed sales benefit merchants, host and forum membership.
Another would be to invite estate Ceylon, Nilgiri and Darjeeling garden cooperatives that are currently operating specialty estate-only websites. They set up a thread each, whence they showcase their teas to a wider audience than might otherwise happen by their modest websites and again, to offer group bulk buy discounts to TC members.
You could just as easily do the same for Chinese greens, whites pu'erh, Anxi/Fujian and Taiwanese teas, each with a devoted following.
A thread for tea-related travel opportunities, including tea or teaware seminar/workshops, working vacations in one or more tea gardens with stays in modest hostel or dorm quarters would be considered a *very attractive* vacation alternative to TC members.
TC might offer modest subscription access to these subforums to offset admin costs. Or Adagio could allow merchants to post paid advertising banners at the top of each merchants thread that would provide contact and product logo/photo opportunities.
Of course, Adagio may elect to maintain it's present modest format and forgo business growth opportunities. But consider this: the present global economy fiasco was defined by a shift of historical industrial base to natural resources and cheap labor markets abroad in the late 80s and early 90s. The speculative dot-com and credit driven real-estate markets filled that jobs gap in the interim, but at great price to Western economies.
There is nothing to replace the loss of those jobs; you can't do it on shuck and jive handwaving of low-paying Service-Economy employment. High-Tech development is just as likely to go Asia/SE Asia as it is to come to the US or Europe. Industry has long lobbied for easing foreign worker entry, encouraged immigration of educated, cheap labor and sought deregulation (namely banking and land development), lowering average pay and vastly increasing cost of living in many developed nations.
Retail is just starting to understand the longterm consequences of this recession.
Mango iced Ceylon tea in my cup.