Tuesday TeaDay 12/16/09 TeaJourney unexpected turns?

[Chip]

Good TeaDay everyone. Please drop in throughout the day and share what is in your cup.

Yesterday we discussed our picks for the worst tea of 2009. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. Has your TeaJourney this past year taken unexpected turns? "I never thought I would try this tea(s), yet I did this year. My TeaJourney over this past year has taken me to new and unexpected tea horizons." Does this statement ring true for you? Yes, no, sort of. Please share, for instance, what kind of tea(s) you tried, that you did not think you would have this time last year?

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

[Seeker]

Absolutely!
At the start of the year, I would have protested if you'd suggested I'd be such a matcha whore.
Big shift for me.
I'm quite happy with my journey, and I look forward to the path as it unfolds mysteriously before me.
Cheers.

[Victoria]

Yes. The unexpected turn for me was getting so into Darjeeling and Nilgiri. Wow. Oolongs are still number one with me, but I spent a lot more money and time on Darjeeling and now I crave it for the morning, always.

[Victoria]

In my cup this morning an old favorite:
Hong Tao Mao Feng aka: Red Peach
Silk Road Teas. This is an awesome black.

[olivierco]

No unexpected turns for me.

Ippodo shincha this evening.

[Chip]

Heh, judging from the slowww response, perhaps not many unexpected turns?

After 10 years, how many unexpected turns could I take? A few I guess, including pu-erh that I actually liked, and Lapsang Souchong that broke my stereotype of the genre. The bread and butter teas basically stayed the same.

Began the TD with Zencha Fuga LE. SweeTea slurped a fair share while Ceylon, Pyrit, Fuji, and Gandalf were observers today.

[artmom]

Definitely unexpected turns! Viewed a documentary on the founder of the Silk Road Teas in California. I had read one of my favorite author's newest books and she mentioned Russian Caravan tea and I found it at Silk Road Teas! Love it. That opened up my interest in trying some different teas, which then led me to Tea Chat!

So, instead of just trying new blends and flavors of black teas, I tried some greens, whites, etc.

Just the other day I purchased a handle-less cup from Little Pig Pottery - so my first non-traditional English bone china cup. Am I on the road to financial ruin?

No tea yet today; but probably Mariage Freres Marco Polo black and an assam I forgot to label when I put it in the caddy!

[Victoria]

Well artmom, you certainly seem on the road to ... well ... discovery.
I was just having some Silk Road tea this morning. If you reorder, try the Red Peach. (Not peach flavored, just the name)

[depravitea]

Heck yes, there were some unexpected turns!!!

I had my first wonderful and instantly addicting experience with Pu erh (sheng and shou). I even tried a 20-year-old pu.

I tried Kombucha and even went so far as to grow my own SCOBY.

I had a great time learning about and trying different teas this year.
I hope to never learn everything, that would be pretty dull.

[leiche2]

Not really. I like exploration, so any and all turns are fully anticipated and expected.

I just realized I haven't checked the forum in a week! Argh. I blame the grad school application process. It's totally beating me down.

This afternoon needs more motivational tea. Roasty TGY it is, then.

[brlarson]

Unexpected turns? Yes: I was mugged by Japanese greens.

I had Tea Gallery's Keemun this morning. It had an amazingly long finish with elements of cocoa. Definitely worth trying.

[artmom]

Well artmom, you certainly seem on the road to ... well ... discovery.
I was just having some Silk Road tea this morning. If you reorder, try the Red Peach. (Not peach flavored, just the name)

Certainly will. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Janine]

Hmm... not sure how much unexpected there has been. I've discovered ChaMaGuDao which I enjoy and some nice teas there have been a good discovery for me, and that is kind of unexpected

I guess this year the discovery of Taiwan Ruby tea was something new for me... I have to add special thanks to Victoria... and tasting it from a variety of sources has been a good, new thing to open my eyes to. Getting to know something about competition in tea market in terms new and enterprising methods of hand-rolling, organic growth, small batches, etc is another, esp from Taiwan & farming in China

And in the same topic more or less, today I am once again drinking Huang Zhi from ChaMaGuDao. Although I will say I've been comparison drinking between the same tea bought months apart. The newer tea is slightly fuller... on the other hand one batch I bought was rather the last they had of the tea and there are too many broken piece!!! pet peeve GRRR tea leaves are important. Especially these shui xian shaped beauties

[brad4419]

Oh yea I had a huge unexpected turn.

I ordered some tea tins from rishi but they sent me the wrong number of tins and it even showed the mistake on the receipt. So rishi sent me the remaining tea tins and threw in some bai zhong oolong for the mistake. I had not planned on even trying oolongs for another season or two but because I loved the bai zhong so much I ordered samples from floatingleavestea and jingteashop and now my favorite tea is wuyi oolong and next season will make up most of my tea orderings. Without rishi's sample I would be on a completely different tea journey. It also started my interest in yixing as a result.

green spice chai today

[Victoria]

In my cup this afternoon a green 2nd flush Darjeeling from the Lochan tasting. Or so they say that's what it is. This is a really bad cup, tasting very much like an herbal. And not even a good herbal.