It always looks like that after I sift it! Well, sometimes it looks a little more like Mt St Helens, but today it had a nice little point.Salsero wrote: Geekgirl, got to love the poppets. How do you get the matcha into the Fuji shape?
Jan 15th, '09, 18:28
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Geekgirl
Jan 15th, '09, 19:18
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Yeah I'm obsessed... I'm thinking about getting a scale instead of just using a teaspoon. I also try to keep my brewing to strict standards though I experiment sometimes. I'm solely devoted to Japanese greens right now and it seems that I continuously obsess about which vendor I should purchase from next. I had Sencha Yabe Supreme from Japanese green tea shop this morning, Yuki Midori matcha from same vendor early afternoon, contemplating what I'll have next...
Well, aside from the obvious obsession with drinking tea (all day, every day)... I am not very O/C on my measuring/brewing/storing/timing... I'm pretty laid back. The one thing I've gotten a bit compulsive about which prompted me to answer "maybe" is smelling... I always sniff the dry leaf, the brewing leaf, and the spent leaf, and then I always deeply inhale the aroma of the tea in my cup before I drink. And lately, thanks to Chip, I am now smelling my warm dry leaf in my pre-warmed brewing vessel, which is a very enjoyable addition to my olfactory experience.
In my cup so far today... not much, actually. I had to speed away to the hospital for a baby who was in a BIG hurry and that interrupted my tea day considerably. I had some cold-brewed sencha with mugi/genmai that I keep constantly in my fridge... and I had some Nepal FF left over from last night. But now, I need something more, something hot, something fragrant. It was 10 degrees when I came indoors, and falling fast. I am so NOT a winter person. The electric blanket awaits.
Sarah
In my cup so far today... not much, actually. I had to speed away to the hospital for a baby who was in a BIG hurry and that interrupted my tea day considerably. I had some cold-brewed sencha with mugi/genmai that I keep constantly in my fridge... and I had some Nepal FF left over from last night. But now, I need something more, something hot, something fragrant. It was 10 degrees when I came indoors, and falling fast. I am so NOT a winter person. The electric blanket awaits.
Sarah
***This organic blend is earthy & spicy, with a fragrant aroma & smooth flavor to captivate the senses. Naturally sweetened in the Kentucky sunshine & infused with natural energy. Equally delicious when served piping hot or crisply chilled.***
Jan 15th, '09, 20:14
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If you ever take up tea ceremony, your talent will be much admiredGeekgirlUnveiled wrote:It always looks like that after I sift it! Well, sometimes it looks a little more like Mt St Helens, but today it had a nice little point.Salsero wrote: Geekgirl, got to love the poppets. How do you get the matcha into the Fuji shape?
I don't think I'm obsessed with making tea, but my coworkers would probably disagree. I am forever trotting back and forth from the kitchen area, teapot or gaiwan in hand. They probably think I'm nuts.
You know you've got too many tea samples when you find yourself looking at a baggie and wondering what it is and where the heck it came from. I've just discovered about four tablespoons of black tea in a ziploc bag with the logo of UK supermarket "Tesco" emblazoned on it. Hmm. Oh well, might as well give it a try...
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"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
- Billy Connolly
"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
- Billy Connolly
Jan 15th, '09, 20:35
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. About to make some kekecha white tea from Cha Ma Gu Dao.
Jan 15th, '09, 21:03
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I think as tea fanatics go, I'm pretty easy going. Some of you might consider me positively sloppy. I guess I am a little intense about water temperature, although I never use a thermometer. I use the [insert aquatic creature]-eye method.
All I've had today is Makaibari Estate 2nd Flush Darjeeling. But I drank a whole lot of it.
All I've had today is Makaibari Estate 2nd Flush Darjeeling. But I drank a whole lot of it.
I'm just so freakin Japanese tonight I can scarcely recognize myself... sencha in the cup, and tako su /seaweed salad for dinner.
Chip, you should be well pleased. Green food, green drink, green is good.
Sarah
Chip, you should be well pleased. Green food, green drink, green is good.
Sarah
***This organic blend is earthy & spicy, with a fragrant aroma & smooth flavor to captivate the senses. Naturally sweetened in the Kentucky sunshine & infused with natural energy. Equally delicious when served piping hot or crisply chilled.***
Jan 15th, '09, 22:37
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I love it when our chemists come out to play.Intuit wrote:
You want a second compound, trimethylglycine, also called betaine anydrous, to go with it.
Each supplies methyl donors that correct for a variety of biochemical pathway shortages. Why? Because methylation is perhaps the most important structural modification of various important compounds that are important to cellular function. Its used to change the surface charge characteristic of these key compounds. Keys them in for the next step in the pathway in which they are being cycled through.
I read another article about inositol recently but your concise post was much more informative.
Jan 15th, '09, 22:48
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I am quite strict about steeping time and temparature but I don't know if I would call it obsessive..... I play with everything else quite a bit. This sometimes results in awful tea; sometimes sublime tea. My tea making is perhaps more like jazz improvisation than a symphony. Or, maybe it's just sloppy.
A good example of this is my tea this morning. On a whim I blended kukicha and the last of my sencha Zuiko. I do not recommend doing this; it was a taste disaster. Also, I want my Zuiko back! When I'm 90 and sitting with my great grandchildren and they ask me, "grandpa, do you have any regrets looking back on your life?", I will say, "yes I do.... I once blended kukicha with the last of my sencha Zuiko!".
On a positive note I tried wuyi from Adagio tonight and it blew my socks off. What a fantastic tea.
A good example of this is my tea this morning. On a whim I blended kukicha and the last of my sencha Zuiko. I do not recommend doing this; it was a taste disaster. Also, I want my Zuiko back! When I'm 90 and sitting with my great grandchildren and they ask me, "grandpa, do you have any regrets looking back on your life?", I will say, "yes I do.... I once blended kukicha with the last of my sencha Zuiko!".
On a positive note I tried wuyi from Adagio tonight and it blew my socks off. What a fantastic tea.
The only thing I get obsessive about is that I require tea. I am quite fond of my measuring scoop that is labeled "one perfect cup of tea" and do not have a scale. My temperature measurements are not precise and tend to be my estimates of what works best. I do always bring out a thermometer for the first steep of sencha and I like my timer quite a bit. Certain teas get timed, but then again, I have days where I decide that the steep is done when I feel it is done or I just start counting at my own pace and use that as a timer. I learned that if I don't time some teas, I get distracted, wander off, and end up with a cold cup of bitter muck by the time I get back to what I was brewing. That's never a pleasant experience.
Started today with Chestnut Tea and finished it with five steeps of Yutaka Midori.
Started today with Chestnut Tea and finished it with five steeps of Yutaka Midori.
Jan 15th, '09, 23:20
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You mean like cigars? Not be me at least. I didn't think that any sencha was hand anything ... but maybe Pentox, Olivierco, Chip, or Ed will spring to the rescue on the question. This is all Maiko has to say about their Shuppin Sencha.murrius wrote: I love the look of these leaves. Are they hand rolled?