Saturday TeaDay 10/04/08 Self brew or not?

[Smari]

I had a really awful evening, and am currently comforting myself with cups of Formosa lapsang. I do love this stuff!

Aww, hope today is going to be a better one for you Seems like tea can be so helpful to calm and comfort one, when needed most. A friend of mine was in a rut, so I ordered the whole Adagio starter set for her to enjoy when she needed to just zone out for the moment and relax. Gosh I love tea...

As for brewing tea... I have to do it myself. No one I know can ever make it the way I like

In my cup, golden monkey, which came out super dark for me today for some odd reason.

[olivierco]

Darjeeling Risheehat SFTGFOP1 just after dinner.

[murrius]

I like brewing my own tea. I drink mostly Japanese greens and you haven't lived until someone has served you one of your favourite greens steeped for 5 minutes in boiling water. I think I would rather be pepper sprayed.

Just finishing off a pot of mid morning sencha miyabi. Happy weekend all!

[Victoria]

Thought I would share this photo I took last night... Long Jing in the evening



I Love my glass teapot!

Great picture Jack. I love glass, looks great, thanks for sharing!

[Victoria]

However, at the end of the day, all things considered, I really enjoy brewing tea as much as I do drinking tea. So, bottom line, I prefer to do the brewing, but in the presence of a master or someone better skilled, I would gladly defer. Or if someone wanted to learn as well.

Thanks Chip!

I like to brew for myself, because I'm the expert in how I like it. Plus I enjoy the ritual of brewing. I will admit my "gray area" of Japanese greens. I don't have that down yet, and would gladly defer to an expert.

In my cup this morning - Nilgiri Blue

Have a nice day everyone!

[Chip]

However, at the end of the day, all things considered, I really enjoy brewing tea as much as I do drinking tea. So, bottom line, I prefer to do the brewing, but in the presence of a master or someone better skilled, I would gladly defer. Or if someone wanted to learn as well.

Thanks Chip!

You are welcome, I have not received your tuition, however.

I have leaned most of (the little) I do know about tea from Saint Chip

Oops...sorry Ajahn Chip

King of Green and Saint and Ajahn, tuition was just increased.

[Chip]

I like brewing my own tea. I drink mostly Japanese greens and you haven't lived until someone has served you one of your favourite greens steeped for 5 minutes in boiling water. I think I would rather be pepper sprayed.

Just finishing off a pot of mid morning sencha miyabi. Happy weekend all!

Yeah, OP brewing can be scary.

Mmmm, Miyabi. I need tea, I am thinking Japanese green.

However, the Oolong Box Pass arrived an hour or so ago. I am going through it. My structured personality is having trouble wrapping my brain around the contents, it is overwhelming. WOW, so much.

[chad]

I enjoy the process of doing my own. I have no problem with being served, either.

Today was Irish Breakfast in the travel mug.

[caligatia]

Smari, thanks for the kind words. Today is definitely a better day. I got to place an order for more tea, and I had the pleasure of shopping for an inexpensive tea set for use at my sister's during our weekly tea tastings. Happy TeaDay indeed!

Right now I'm drinking iced blueberry black tea, as it's almost 90F degrees outside and I've been running around town all day...

[Maitre_Tea]

I brew the tea, unless there is someone present who is better at brewing tea...
I insist on self-brewing because it gives me more opportunities to practice, and other people may not brew it the right way.

Just made an order from Shan Shui teas. Ordered some oolong varieties that I've never heard of before, so looking forward to that

[Chip]

Chiran Supreme from O-Cha. I will need to open another Japanese tea soon.

Glad to hear your day took an upturn, caligatia!

Oh, yes~ I am sitting down to 13 different gyokuro samples this morning.

WHOA, that would be fatal for me. I need gyokuro in low doses, really gets me going. I had one to start the day, it was an everyday type, good, and good to start the day. But not the type to crave all day. Tell us more about this tasting, please?!?

Not fully convinced with this gyokuro, even at 1g/30ml. It is indeed not too expensive for a gyokuro, quite the same price than hibiki premium which I haven't had for a long time and the ippodo kakurei which is two grades below the kanro which is my usual one for reference.
Thanks for the idea, I will try it to start the day, before going out for my morning run.

I think this is not the kind of gyokuro to crave all day, that would lead to disappointment for me. I liked it to start the day. And if I have it later in the day, I remind myself that this is not a 50 USD/100 Gram gyokuro, just a humble everyday fare. It is good this way.

Sal, love that red and pink flower. What is it?

BTW, Chip, thanks for yesterday's poll - it inspired a truly fab tea day for me yesterday. I had some yummy guricha when I first got home and then some awesome dan cong to finish out the day. It made me very happy.

Dianthus is a pretty hardy carnation cousin. Also called "pinks."
And you are welcome of course.

This is my first time voting and posting and this morning I am enjoying a cup of self-brewed citron green. I was so impressed with the quality of the adagio teas I recently purchased that I decided to join TeaChat and hopefully learn even more!

Welcome to the forum and to TeaDay! Maybe you will introduce yourself under Introduction at the top of TeaChat homepage?!?

[Proinsias]

I prefer to brew myself, I visited a new Chinese tea shop in the city and it took a tremendous amount of willpower to sit there patiently smiling as the leaf stewed in the pot. If my friends are brewing I have no qualms about voicing my horror at what they are doing, they were taught by the same person as myself and their brewing skill seem to have decreased over the years.

If someone is better at brewing than myself then it's more of an opportunity to learn as much as possible as opposed to sitting back and enjoying. If there were lots of great tea brewers around me then I may learn to sit back and enjoy a little more, that's a big if.

[Victoria]

This is my first time voting and posting and this morning I am enjoying a cup of self-brewed citron green. I was so impressed with the quality of the adagio teas I recently purchased that I decided to join TeaChat and hopefully learn even more!

Welcome Kikilynn! Glad to have you with us!

Chiran Supreme from O-Cha. I will need to open another Japanese tea soon.

The motherload of oolong has arrived on your doorstep and you are choosing another green? I am having trouble wrapping my brain around that.

[Salsero]

... one of your favourite greens steeped for 5 minutes in boiling water. I think I would rather be pepper sprayed.

There's not many rooms where a joke like that will get them rolling in the aisles, but this is definitely one of them!

[Chip]

Chiran Supreme from O-Cha. I will need to open another Japanese tea soon.

The motherload of oolong has arrived on your doorstep and you are choosing another green? I am having trouble wrapping my brain around that.

You will be pleased to know I enjoyed my first selection from the Oolong Box Pass. Silk Road Teas Snow Pear oolong (Xue Li). By the name and dry leaf aroma, I was thinking it is from Li Shan, Pear Mountain. But the unfurled leaf is more reminiscent of a TKY, or a machine picked Taiwan. I guess I will have to look it up. Heh.

However, the aroma and taste are quite nice, honey sweet nuances. I enjoyed it a lot and went semi gong fu.