Saturday TeaDay 9/26/09 To learn, to teach, to discuss?

[Chip]

Good TeaDay to all. Please due drop in and share what is in your cup today.

Yesterday we discussed what food if any we were having with tea. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll an discussion topic. Did you first come to TeaChat MOST from this list to learn, get help, teach, share, or simply discuss all things tea? Please share.

I am looking forward to sharing the TeaDay with everyone. Bottoms up ...

[Maitre_Tea]

I think this is very interesting poll/discussion, because it's been a little over a year since I first started. When I started it was to learn more about how to enjoy tea, including vendor discussion, tea ware debates, technique theories, etc. I've looked at some old threads that I started, and I cringe at how naive I was back then...and how eagerly I asked questions (which probably could have been answered in earlier threads if I had taken the time to search).

Now I'm a little more "set" in my ways so I'm fairly comfortable with dispensing my advice/suggestions in the appropriate thread, but I'm still very inquisitive (yet in a subtle way, I listen more instead of talking) about topics that I'm unfamiliar with and eager to learn more about ... yixing (with which I have a love/hate relationship with), pu'er, oolong, etc. Even though we have our disagreements, a cup of tea solves everything...

Finishing up some high mountain oolong which I started late Friday night. WIll be my only tea of the day, however, since I'm going to see HH the Dalai Lama for most of the day,

[olivierco]

To share.
Moreover Teachat is quite the only place where buying a 12th chawan just because you needed this chawan doesn't look weird.

No tea today.

[Victoria]

I first came - To simply discuss all things tea. I was really getting into it and there was no one to talk to about it. I really felt no one understood how excited I was about my teas. Then I found a whole board of people excited about tea.

[Geekgirl]

I arrived here trying to learn about teas beyond basic black, green and oolong. I had discovered by accident that you don't brew green tea at boiling for 5 minutes unless you want it to taste like smooshy spinach. When I learned that I thought, "well, what else don't I know??!!!"

So I ended up here. I learned loads, still learning too. But primarily now, I stick around to share and to socialize. (I checked "to learn.")

In my cup... today I had lots of iced tea. Maybe a little too much, since it is 1:30am and I am still up looking at teaware. In fact, I just bought something I probably shouldn't have, but I couldn't resist, quite beautiful. Heh. That's what I always say!

G'night peeps. See you in the morning with a spot 'o tea.

[Drax]

When I moved to Virginia Beach, I decided to explore the world of tea, due in large point to a really great cup of great tea I had at a Japanese restaurant. I quickly found TeaChat and used it along with plenty of other sources to learn. It's been great! Thanks to everybody for making the experience so wonderful!

I haven't aggressively tackled this Golden Sail bing, so I'm still working on the same pot. But even at the 7th infusion it's still black and tasting great. Who am I to complain?

[brlarson]

Like many of you, I came here to learn and to join a community of very interesting folks who also have a passion for tea. I share when I can and I enjoy checking into TeaDay to hear the current buzz.

Jing's Xiang Hua TGY is in my cup this morning.

[brad4419]

I came here to learn how to brew earl grey cream. Needless to say after about a year I think I figured it out plus lots more. Then you guys hooked me in and made me into a tea addict so now I have no choice but to stay to learn, discuss and enjoy chatting with everyone.

finishing up a da hong pao from last night. I was surprised it was still very good, good enough for 5 more cups

[depravitea]

At first I simply wanted to meet others that were interested in tea. I felt pretty isolated in my hobby/passion. Once I got here, I found a great opportunity to learn from others and their experiences, and I think I've been on here learning just about every day since I registered.

Thank you everyone for your patience and willingness to share knowledge!
(Nice topic Chip )

Today is my son's FIRST birthday!!!

Adagio's Green Pekoe this morning.

[brlarson]

Depravitea, Congrats on son's first birthday!

I'm getting ready to head out for the day. Tonight my wife and I are going to see the movie ``Bright Star'', which opened in the US on September 18. It's about John Keats and Fannie Brawne so I doubt it will be in the theaters very long. I seem to be interested almost exclusively in poets whose names end in ``eats'' (Keats and Yeats), reminiscent of food, and providing a tenuous connection to our Tea Chat forum. I'd better wrap this up with tea-talk.

Hibiki-an Sencha Premium currently in my TC Hagiware!

Have a great TeaDay folks.

[kymidwife]

I voted "to learn" because I knew SO very little about tea when I arrived here. I found TeaChat and Adagio while googling for online tea sources. I was looking for a more economical source for a flavored black tea from Teavana that I was hooked on for iced tea (sweet cranberry black), and that brought me to several thread topics on Teavana here. I read everything, amazed and thrilled that there was so much more to tea than I'd realized. I got inspired to order samplers and explore the possibilities, and the rest is history.

I'm drinking a Darjeeling oolong sample I got from someone, not as good as the Camelia Sinensis variety at all, and not as good as Ooooh Darjeeling... but not bad. I think I overbrewed it a bit, but it's still drinkable and not unpleasant. Next will be something better!

Sarah

[murrius]

I also discovered this site through an internet search as I became increasingly obsessed with tea. My motivation was to learn more. I'm still learning things here and many of my new tea adventures start with folks here expressing their experiences.

Three beautiful cups of Long Jing this morning. I'm ready to take on the world. Having said that, and upon further consideration, I think I will take on the world this morning by sitting back, relaxing, and doing very little.

[geeber1]

Happy Birthday Depravitea Jr!

I came to learn like most everyone else and found a welcoming group of people who don't think it's weird to have many, many, many different varieties of tea at one time.
Keemun Rhapsody in my cup this morning.

[Chip]

I think I tripped through the doorway on my way in, looked around, and saw a bunch of people drinking my kind of beverage, and simply decided to stick around and maybe even do a post or two. Not too far from the truth actually.

I don't think I came in with any motive except to discuss tea. Learning, teaching, etc. did not really enter my mind, and I did not view the forum as a resource, more like an outlet. Learning, teaching, etc are simply by products for me.

A few posts later, come to think of it, mostly here still to simply discuss tea. Perhaps I should reevaluate this a bit.

Began this TD with Hatsumi, crisp and refreshing! SweeTea would likely agree if she could talk, while Wulong continues to live in ignorance.

[Salsero]

To learn. And I did.