Friday TeaDay 1/09/09 TeaTime length?

[treazure]

I said 90 minutes but lately it has been more. Find elevator, wait for it, go to Starbucks and stand in line, get hot water, make tea, find the elevator again, go back upstairs. Some days I'll do this 10 times, sometimes I vary it by going downstairs and getting a bottle of iced tea with lemon or citrus green tea, sometimes I even get coffee.

They keep remodeling the hospital so it isn't unusual to start going one way only to find out that way is blocked and you have to go another way, but there are a lot of signs thanking everyone for their patience. (And money.)

I do have one time saving thing for tea. I put tea leaves in the steeping basket, put it in the tea pot (removed to heat the pot), fix the tray with sugar for the husband and honey for me. It is easy to then heat the pot and cups and pour fresh water over the tea. Cleaning up is easy and I usually get the tray ready right after cleaning the pot which makes the next tea time easy to do.

Used tea leaves get dumped in the compost bowl and put in the fridge till it is full of shells, peelings and such, then put on the compost pile.

Most of my tea time is in actually enjoying the tea, talking with my husband or others, and just taking a break from life. I think if more couples or even families took an occasional tea break together, there'd be a lot fewer arguments.

[guitar9876]

I'd say I do about 180+ per day. Depends on the day though and how much spare time I have. I'm just into Japanese tea right now, haven't even gotten into Gongfu yet... I try to drink the tea as slow as possible. I do 3-5 brews, sometimes 4oz sometimes 8oz. I also have to filter my water through my brita which takes a little time. Heat my water on the stove in a kettle, I really want a Zojirushi...I also clean my teaware really well after each use.

[Beidao]

Now drinking White Monkey. Earlier I've had Rose tea, Hojicha and Keemun. The White Money is very interesting - in the middle between a Long Jing and a Bai Hao Yin Zhen, with some cool, minty tones. Rose tea is my new obsession, by the way. I've opened my eyes for good quality flavoured tea. This is Keemun that is scented with rose leaves in the same way that Jasmine tea is scented with jasmine. It's heavenly! But it makes me very drowsy, wonder why.

I've been in Scotland recently and brought 7 teas home. A security watchman at the airport went through my luggage and asked "You like tea, don't you?" And after heaving looked through it he said "You can go home with your tea collection now"

I voted less than 90 but I dunno if it's really correct.

[Smari]

Thanks all, the luck was much needed. I'm in the clear as I'm told and glad that my job is safe for now. They basically told us that if we're safe this January, then we just have to watch out for the next round in June. Felt bad for those that were let go though and hope the best for 'em.

Right now, drinking my new fave, mateVana, to focus on the rest of the work day.
Have a good TeaDay all

[Charlotte]

Smari - Congrats on the job! I'm sure that is a relief.

Beidao - Aromatherapy wise, rose is actually more calming than lavendar. I have a friend who is a soap maker and everytime they make rose soap their dogs fall asleep. I have some that I haven't opened yet. You've inspired me, maybe I'll try it tonight.

[brianlavelle]

My time varies from day to day but I went for fewer than 150 minutes, as that's probably a reasonable average. Good to see so much time spent with tea, but I wouldn't expect anything less!

This evening, I'm enjoying some 2007 Xiaguan Jin Si Tuo Cha.

[Chip]

Currently working on some of TeaSpring's Cha Wang Tai Ping Hou Kui. It looks wonderful, but I don't seem to be getting the hang of it. Time to whip out the thermometer, I guess...

You need a dump truck load of Cha Wang TPHK to weigh a few grams. I am betting you need more leaf.

Today's question can certainly vary by interpretation. I breeze through the first 2-3 steeps for each tea, then the rest of the steeps I nurse along sometimes for an hour or more. I would say I spend hours with tea close by, even if I am not actively drinking. Still, I will go with 180+.

Started the day with O-Cha Fukamushi Supreme. As usual, Sweetie enjoyed it while Gandalf just drooled. Seems the Geisha catz are loosing interest in morning tea as fewer are showing up in the morning.

Enjoyed a sample sencha teabag from Zencha, wish they had sent more than one as it was very good.

Adagio Keemun Concerto was a nice black interlude.

[teaguru]

I always have tea at my side, whether at work or at home. My mother has been telling me that I should stop drinking so much tea "because it sends a bad image." Apparently drink tea = slacker. I disagree.

In my cup right now is some Lemon Balm that I got in my massive order from Mountain Rose Herbs that just arrived today. Hurrah! I'm going to try Licorice Root next.

[kongni]

I would like to say less than 90 minutes. I'm almost ALWAYS multitasking when I'm drinking tea so I'm not JUST doing tea during those 90 minutes.

Gyokuro right now

[Ron Gilmour]

I'm probably around the 90 min. mark, but it's really hard to say, since I tend to multi-task a lot. I almost always have tea nearby.

This evening I'm drinking some fantastic Wuyi oolong from the Tea Gallery.

[Chip]

Earlier, Yabe Supreme from Japanese Green Tea Shop, very good as always. It seems hard to mess up, an easy brewer.

Currently, Sencha Premier from Adagio blended with the last of Sencha Karigane, perfect together. Really very good.

[Intuit]

I don't drink as much tea as most posters here - maybe 3 times per day, 2 cups each.

Total time: thirty minutes max, including wash up (but not tea swilling).

However, I spend more time tracking down tea and teaware mentioned here and elsewhere.

Back to my aged high mountain Taiwanese oolong. Darn, it's good!

Note to self: no oolong after 8pm, or I'll be up all night again!

[bi lew chun]

Beidao - Aromatherapy wise, rose is actually more calming than lavendar. I have a friend who is a soap maker and everytime they make rose soap their dogs fall asleep. I have some that I haven't opened yet. You've inspired me, maybe I'll try it tonight.

Lavender has an obnoxious olfactive frequency to me. I'm not sure why people consider it calming

[Cinnamon Kitty]

Currently, my tea time has been less than what it has been previously. I'm working towards getting my Life, Accident, and Health insurance license so I can start a job in that field soon. I am not sure if it is what I want to do, but it is a place to start. Studying for that has been taking up way too much time that my tea consumption is not nearly on par with what it was when I was in college. Plus, our new dog has been taking up a lot of time since we got him. I think that it is less than a hour, including all the multitasking while drinking, steep times, and cleaning. It was somewhere over 180 minutes at some point and hopefully, once my test is over, I can get back to drinking more tea.

I've gotten as far as two steeps of the Long Jing that was in the box pass today. I will hopefully get the third steep soon.

[Victoria]

Beidao - Aromatherapy wise, rose is actually more calming than lavendar. I have a friend who is a soap maker and everytime they make rose soap their dogs fall asleep. I have some that I haven't opened yet. You've inspired me, maybe I'll try it tonight.

Lavender has an obnoxious olfactive frequency to me. I'm not sure why people consider it calming

I agree. Not to mention it's headache inducing. Meanwhile this white tea, delicately scented with rose, is so quiet, peaceful; serene.