Monday TeaDay 2/16/09 Better TeaYear?

[Shelob]

Congratulations Gaiwan Photo Winners! The photos and gaiwan(s) were all so great, it was hard to choose who to vote for.

Hopefully people voted for their favorite gaiwan and not favorite photo composition.
Although a lovely composition and photograph does enhance the beauty of a gaiwan.

I know I voted for my Favorite, it has been my fave since I have been lurking on TC! But I agree with you V, the photo composition does enhance the beauty!

And, Chip, don't we get to vote 1 more time in the consolation contest Then I get to vote for my absolute 2nd fave

After matcha... what shall I choose? Maybe an oolong from Adagio?

[danibob]

Well it's already a better TeaYear since I've found TeaChat! I already have quite a collection of teaware and some teas. I'm looking forward to trying more new teas and honing my brewing skills. Thanks to everyone for a great start!


This in my cup (highly recommend!) before I sit for a two hour tattoo session.

[Trey Winston]

I think this TeaYear will be about the same as last. Many discoveries and great TeaExperiences await...

[geeber1]

Congratulations Gaiwan Photo Winners! The photos and gaiwan(s) were all so great, it was hard to choose who to vote for.

Hopefully people voted for their favorite gaiwan and not favorite photo composition.
Although a lovely composition and photograph does enhance the beauty of a gaiwan.

I definitely voted for my favorite Gaiwan, and agree that the photos did enhance their beauty.

Having some yummy Keemun Rhapsody right now.

[Janine]

Today puerh again (2002 Yunnan Chi Tse from Imp Tea Court) which I am continuing to enjoy

Yesterday my husband and I took an extended Valentine's Day tea tasting trip to a couple of spots we've never been before. I stuck to black teas (in Western parlance) and bought three to take home: a gift grade organic keemun, something called Szechuan Keemun Imperial, and a black tea from Kenya called Marinyn. All smell heavenly. I had the organic keemun there, which was delicious, and the aroma of which lasted me the whole evening long through a wonderful Greek dinner full of aromatic spices! Look forward to trying the other two, probably as late afternoon pick-me-ups. In fact this morning the scent from the keemun is still haunting me even after two brews of the puerh.
.
Still have that delicious Tillerman Tea alishan winter harvest... just am not quite doing it yet in the winter cold.

This year tea has already changed for me, my preferences shift (I haven't enjoyed black teas in ages the way I'm doing now, and it's the first time I've regularly drunk puerh in years over my usual preference for aromatic green and roasted oolongs). I have many wonderful sources of teas and people with extensive knowledge of teas. I just hope the market holds out.

[Salsero]

Sal, is that a Brown Betty (but in yellow)?

I'm not sure what a Brown Betty is. The photo pot is a standard sort of porcelain teapot. I think it was called something else when I ordered some a couple years back, but I can't remember the term that was applied to them. They were very inexpensive, just very generic, 2-cup teapots.

[olivierco]

Ippodo Shin Shun Wakamatsu no mukashi matcha (usacha) after dinner.

Matcha was the tea I discovered last year and my only regret is
not having tried it before!

[Chip]

Sal, is that a Brown Betty (but in yellow)?

I'm not sure what a Brown Betty is. The photo pot is a standard sort of porcelain teapot. I think it was called something else when I ordered some a couple years back, but I can't remember the term that was applied to them. They were very inexpensive, just very generic, 2-cup teapots.

"Chadsford?"

[silvermage2000]

I would say better.

[Chip]

This in my cup (highly recommend!) before I sit for a two hour tattoo session.

I don't know about the tea, but I have a serious craving for a caramel apple right about now. Good luck with the "session."

Kame Gyokuro from O-Cha is making my head buz right now, I will miss this when it is gone!

[acdidion]

This in my cup (highly recommend!) before I sit for a two hour tattoo session.

How exciting! Good luck with the tat!

[Salsero]

"Chadsford?"

"Chatsford" sounds familiar, but I don't know what that means either!

[cherylopal]

This in my cup (highly recommend!) before I sit for a two hour tattoo session.

Good luck...whatcha gettin?

[geeber1]

"Chadsford?"

"Chatsford" sounds familiar, but I don't know what that means either!

I think the Chatsfords are glazed inside and out.

The Brown Betty is unglazed inside. So maybe it's kind of a British version of a Yixing pot?
http://tinyurl.com/apzv9f

[Drax]

Better a Brown Betty than a Bouncing Betty...!

The Da Hong Pao that I got from Dragon Tea House seems slightly lighter than the stuff I got from YSLLC. Not lighter in a bad way -- in fact it seems to have a slightly nuttier flavor that comes through the roasted flavor. Interesting....