Tuesday TeaDay 8/04/09 TeaZone TEA purchasing power?

[Chip]

Greetings everyone, and a great TeaDay to you. Please stop in and share what is in your cup today!

Yesterday we answered the question, do you ever feel you are in a "TeaZone," you can "brew no wrong?" Tou can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic!

Today we revisit the TeaZone. Today, have you been in the TeaZone in your TEA purchases, purchasing only great teas? How successful have you been in your tea purchasing? Please share.

I am as always looking forward to sharing this TeaDay with everyone. Buy what you like, like what you buy!

[Salsero]

I would have to say that my success rate is average or less.

[Victoria]

Oh I am currently in the ZONE big time! Everything I have bought lately has been fantastic. I'm on a roll for sure. But I guess it's hard to go wrong when you are dealing with your favorite vendors and your favorite teas.

I just recently ventured slightly outside my comfort zone and ordered some new tea types - those haven't arrived yet, so we'll see if they lower my average.

[Maitre_Tea]

I'm always in the zone because I'm really cautious about what vendors I buy from and what teas I choose to buy. I believe in quality over quantity, so I will always invest in high-quality teas, even if it means I buy it in fewer amounts. I don't experiment with too many different vendors, only trusted ones I like and others mentioned with praise on TeaChat.

[Kijiji]

Investing in high quality tea is important knowing that you will be able to get the best. I grew up drinking tea all my life, and I love my tea with whole milk. Having handpicked picked tea in firms in my past life in Kenya I have come only to love loose leaf tea. I can now tell the tea only by its aroma. Nothing works as great as good quality tea.

[entropyembrace]

I'm totally in the zone...have been buying some fantastic teas at a local shop lately

specifically 2nd flush Margaret's Hope Darjeeling, Formosa finest Pouchong, Formosa Crocodile Lapsang Souchong and Phoenix #1 Iron Goddess. All lovely teas that I drink often

Tonight I dug a treasure out of my stash... 1983 Tie Kuan Yin...Mmmm yummy ^.^

Plus here's a little garden photo since I know everyone loves those



Tiger Lillies and a bird house in my back yard

[Jack_teachat]

I've been buying a lot of teas sourced by East Teas of London recently, and have been blown away by pretty much all of them! In particular, this handmade Yunnan black tea I'm drinking right now, Hong Yun or Red Cloud, made by Mrs Liu, from trees which are reported to be over 800 years old!

I started this one gong fu style last night and am still drinking it this morning, must be on about the 16th steep by now, need to do some work!

Have a great day everyone!

Jack

[Drax]

Wow, everybody seems to be doing pretty well with their tea purchases! I view this similarly as yesterday's question about being in the zone -- I've been enjoying the teas that I've purchased recently, but who know if others would agree?

I'm holding off on tea till this afternoon. . .

[olivierco]

I haven't bought many new teas for a long time and the few new teas I bought were for shops I already knew, so no disappointments and all teas above average at least.

Otsuusan sencha this morning.

[Jack_teachat]

Decided to take the moring off! Now drinking Yame Sencha Kurogi Supreme (chumushi) from Umami-Chaya, another excellent tea from a new Japanese vendor which set up this year.

Jack

[gingkoseto]

I don't know. Some tea may not be my cup of tea anyway. I got some Dong Ding Beauty from Taiwan recently. Based on description, it's processed in a way similar to oriental beauty, but is supposed to be "milder and better". I found its flavor somewhat strange and can't like it by any means. But Oriental Beauty is my all time favorite. I haven't figured out if I didn't brew it quite right, or I just don't like it, or it's not favored by many other people too

[tea fish]

...this handmade Yunnan black tea I'm drinking right now, Hong Yun or Red Cloud, made by Mrs Liu, from trees which are reported to be over 800 years old!

What beautiful leaves, Jack. I started to paw at my computer screen when I saw them.

I've been pretty happy with the teas I recently bought--a wuyi oolong sampler from Seven Cups (as I've mentioned elsewhere in the forum...sorry to repeat myself: there's only so much tea that I can buy and drink in a month!). The Rou Gui, Mei Zhan, and Lao Cong were yum.

[sriracha]

I answered 'maybe' to today's poll and would change the wording to 'sometimes' to make it more accurate in my case.
I seem to oscillate between mediocre and near-perfect with my purchases, which then is further complicated by my tendency to change opinion on my teas if I, say, put them away for a couple of months or weeks. I've come to suspect it's due in part to changing circumstances within me that makes me perceive a given tea so differently at different times. Hm.

Began today with Dian Hong just to finish the darn thing sometime soon...

Has since been on a pu erh testing endeavour...trying to find words for what I taste/smell in the samples I've got. Quite a nice way to spend an afternoon, clearing out cupboards and sipping tea in between. =)

[Chip]

Great TeaZone brewing begins with great TeaZone purchasing.

I have made a lot of pre TeaChat purchasing blunders, but fortunately I am virtually always in the TeaZone when it comes to purchasing over the last several years. I am still venturing out and trying new teas, new vendors, but much more judiciously and thus much more successfully.

Began the TD with 88 Nights shincha from Sugimoto USA. SweeTea was back to sipping shincha.

[depravitea]

I feel happy (and lucky) to say that I am currently occupying this ZONE.
I haven't been disappointed in anything I've gotten lately, and that's even with expanding my tea purchasing horizon. I've bought great tea from Adagio, Floating Leaves, Yunnan Sourcing, and O-Cha (haven't gotten the O-Cha purchase yet though) and I have yet to be let down

This morning, a tisane - Home Grown (Chocolate) Mint. Great stuff, even if it's lacking in the sinensis department