Thursday 8/14/08 Are you a collector of "TeaObjects?

[jogrebe]

Yep I'm a puerh collector, just not a typical collector. Instead of collecting puerh cakes and bricks I collect the paper wrappers which I scrapbook upon breaking up my bricks and cakes for consumption. Sometime I'll have to figure out a good way to represent it online to be able to share my collection.

[Geekgirl]

SUCCESS!!!

It's pushing 95 degrees here, which for NW Oregon is HOT!!! No more hot tea for me today. This was my first try at iced matcha latte. Yummy!

[Salsero]

DW is NOT good when it has steeped for 10 minutes.

True that, but it still takes one fetching photo! Thanks for sharing it with us. Love the color of that tea liquor. Don't care for the way kitty is eyeing our mascot! Nice chataku you've got there! Do I see a hairline crack?

Sometime I'll have to figure out a good way to represent it online to be able to share my collection.

That would be great, Jogrebe. Lots of good shu wrappers in the collection, I bet!

ABx makes the good ones sound right up my alley, and I'm very curious.
the simplified chinese characters for oolong (乌龙茶).

ABx is a great resource. He knows those oolongs and has the verbal skills to communicate his knowledge. He has helped me tons.
You know some Chinese? Even just to know that the characters are simplified I find impressive!

ABx has a great blog! He's shared a lot of info w/me regarding oolongs.

And he seems to have superhuman patience with my stupid questions. I owe him several great tea experiences. He also has a great intro paper on Puerh. I'm sure he would PM the link to those interested who don't yet have it. Also he has a wonderful video of a woman actually making a yixing pot from scratch. Great flick.

[Geekgirl]

True that, but it still takes one fetching photo! Thanks for sharing it with us. Love the color of that tea liquor. Don't care for the way kitty is eyeing our mascot! Nice chataku you've got there! Do I see a hairline crack?

Thanks! The steep in the cup is the only one that was good. It is pretty isn't it? Those qingbai cups from Stephane really enhance the tea color. Crack? What crack?

[jewelbug]

ABx makes the good ones sound right up my alley, and I'm very curious.
the simplified chinese characters for oolong (乌龙茶).

ABx is a great resource. He knows those oolongs and has the verbal skills to communicate his knowledge. He has helped me tons.
You know some Chinese? Even just to know that the characters are simplified I find impressive!

Hehe, don't be too impressed--I know no Chinese whatsoever. When I said I spent a LONG time on wikipedia, I meant it. Basically, I went to the oolong tea page and compared characters until I found the ones on my tea canister...and wiki told me they were simplified... not that you should believe everything you read on the internets, of course.

I'm collecting so many great links from this forum! Thanks for being so knowledgable, teachatters!

In the cup: second infusion of the same "simplified" oolong...

[auggy]

P.S.
Auggy, it's only one cup reflected in a mirror.

Yeah, I'll just shut up now.

Ooo, auggy, I hope I didn't hurt your feelings.

No, no. It is just the world pointing out yet again that yes, I am an idiot. I think I would have noticed if I looked to the back right a little to see the back of the cup holding the leaves, but I kept getting distracted by the other cup(s).

Technically there are two cups. The obvious one, and the little one with the leaf in it.

Yeah, that's what I meant. Those two cups. Really.


GeekGirl, LOVE Bubba. What a fantastic picture of him.

[RussianSoul]

I am not a collector. Whatever tea or teaware I bought - I bought for use. Unfortunately I made too many uninformed purchases which resulted in 11 teapots and 2 gaiwans in my kitchen. Out of these I use 3 teapots and one gaiwan that suit my current teas and methods. The rest are gathering dust and I am wondering who of my friends could use a free teapot... At the same time I hesitate to give my discards to my friends, kinda not cool.

I am drinking Traditional Roast TGY from Just4Tea - a gift from Salsero. Thanks Sal!

GeekGirl, Bubba looks like my cat's twin, same totally black with a white bow-tie and exactly the same expression on her face when she hunts pigeons on a windowsill. Great photo of him!

[Salsero]

It is just the world pointing out yet again that yes, I am an idiot.

The world is wrong, yet again.

[Zodduska]

As always, excellent photos Salsero and Geekgirl.

I wouldn't count myself as a collector just for the sake of collecting per se. I always have to justify every purchase to myself as having a very specific purpose.. not just tea and teaware. But, I do love buying things so yeah.. it can and will get a bit out of hand.

[Katrina]

I was just about to say "no" when I looked at the bookshelf. I am definitely a collector of tea books. Here is a part of the collection:




There's another stack of coffee table-type books and tea magazines.

Sungma First Flush Darjeeling today.

[Salsero]

tea books

Let's see we have a mascot now, what else do we need ... mmmm, a librarian. I wonder who ....

[chamekke]

If the clutter in our kitchen cupboard and elsewhere is any indication... yes, I collect tea wares. My husband would say, accumulate.

Those aside, I also have a fair collection of books about tea, a goodly number of which are tea ceremony-related. Last count, about 80 or 90. (I'd love to spend some time looking at your books, Katrina! You have a lot that I haven't read, and they look yummy.)

Other than those, I don't look to buy tea-related objects... but when something swims into view that is both tea-related and irresistible, it is hard not to go for it! Other bits and bobs include a kitchen noren, a suiteki (water dropper for calligraphy), a pewter pillbox, and a couple of felt "brooches". I think that's about it though. The actual tea stuff already takes up too much room.

And at the moment, tea-wise, I am matcha'ed up to the gills.

[Riene]

For a while I collected teabag wrappers and have some quite pretty ones. I have around 25 tea books, and 12 or so teapots. My best collection, however, are the teatins and boxes which line the kitchen on the plate rails.

[auggy]

It is just the world pointing out yet again that yes, I am an idiot.

The world is wrong, yet again.

Eh, I'm okay with the fact that I have my ditzy moments. My boss once told me I should really be a blonde. Just because I asked him if he wanted glitter on something.... I was joking, of course. He told me to "make it (a form) pretty". It was funny to me.

Sipping on darjeeling right now... I'm thinking darjeelings are a non-flavored black I can get behind. Can anyone suggest some good vendors? I'm going to have to try more.

[Chip]

For a while I collected teabag wrappers and have some quite pretty ones. I have around 25 tea books, and 12 or so teapots. My best collection, however, are the teatins and boxes which line the kitchen on the plate rails.

Do you focus on any particular country/type? I used to collect virtually any TeaTin, but recently narrowed this to Asian. I thought about putting up plate rails around the kitchen to hold them.

Can you elaborate by what you mean by boxes?

Sipping on darjeeling right now... I'm thinking darjeelings are a non-flavored black I can get behind. Can anyone suggest some good vendors? I'm going to have to try more.

I have liked the Darjeelings from Upton, a rerally wide selection. It is one of the very few things I would still buy from them. I tend to focus on a mid price range, staying away from the cheapest and most expensive.

Had some Kunpu sencha from Den's earlier. I think this might be a light steamed/asamushicha that differs from many other similar styled teas in that it seems to taste better with less leaf. I am wondering if this is a commonality of Shizuoka or the varietal.

Regardless, this was my best attempt.