Friday TeaDay 3/12/10 Too many open?

[Chip]

Welcome to another TeaDay. Brew lots of tea today and come share what is in your cup today...all day! Be sure to check out what everyone else is brewing as well. Remember, if you need to, you can reflect back on your TeaDay.

Yesterday we discussed the easiest teas to brew. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic ... it comes down to, do you have too much or not enough tea open right now...and would you like to change? So, share with everyone how you feel about your current open tea practice.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone on TeaDay. So, bottoms up...refill...repeat...

[Ebtoulson]

I voted I'm just where I want to be
In all reality I probably have 'too many' teas open but I'm not the kind of person to leave something unopened in fears that it may go stale. I say just enjoy all the teas you have and if something goes stale...then it goes stale.

Just finished some genmai bout to get fix my everyday oolong, adagios oolong #8.

[omegapd]

With certain teas, I have too many open. I'm not in a green or flavored tea phase at the moment, so those are going untouched. With my favorite black teas, I can always make iced tea if I feel like there's too many things open at once. I drink that all day long and save hot tea for certain times...

EricW

[entropyembrace]

I have a ton of teas open but the only ones at risk of going stale right now weren´t very good to begin with so I don´t really care xD

[dooble]

Too many open, cause I can't finish them in a long time so I can't buy any new teas either... Actually I could, but I just don't have the money :s.
Well, I'll just start this day lightly with some flavored white tea.

[JBaymore]

'bout right.

best,

..............john

[Trey Winston]

It's out of control. Too many open samples, tins, bags, boxes and so on. But it's no problem, really it isn't. I can quit anytime I want.

Casually sipping an oolong today.

[brad4419]

Way too many samples open! There everywhere!

Last year I made a terrible mistake of opening ALL my green tea samples over the first week By the time I finished them there was a noticable change in freshness but still not terrible. I wont be making that mistake again this year. Currently I only have a few greens left/open so thats ok and I don't worry much about the roasted oolongs.

This brings up a question. Can you store chinese greens in the fridge to keep them fresh like Japanese greens? Do they have to be vaccumed of air first?

Taiwanese Wuyi from floatingleaves tea in my cup.

[Chip]

Way too many samples open! There everywhere!

Last year I made a terrible mistake of opening ALL my green tea samples over the first week By the time I finished them there was a noticable change in freshness but still not terrible. I wont be making that mistake again this year. Currently I only have a few greens left/open so thats ok and I don't worry much about the roasted oolongs.

... used to be me to a Tea. You live and learn in this business. With the greens especially, freshness seems to be uber critical. Yet some greens age well and actually improve, but you rarely know in advance which ones.

This brings up a question. Can you store chinese greens in the fridge to keep them fresh like Japanese greens? Do they have to be vaccumed of air first?

Yes, definitely, however if you suspect the packaging is less than airtight, bundle the tea up in layers of something to protect the tea.

[AdamMY]

To quote someone (I think MarshalN) from a conversation in the chat "Sometimes even one bag open is too much with some teas."

This is rather poignant as when you start settling into more of a rhythm of which types of teas you like and which you do not, when placing an order 100 grams of a Yellow tea might seem like a great idea, but you drink it two or three times, and never get a taste for it again, for quite some time.

So actually in terms of teas I want to drink regularly, I think I am close to good, possibly a bit on the low side. But its the 300g or so of teas I seem to never be in the mood to drink that make it seem like too much.

[subdude1]

Too many opened, but not a problem as many are samples I either didn't like or there's only enough left for one more session and I'm saving it to share with a tea friend. My ideal amount of opened teas would be one rolled oolong (TKY, Alishan, etc), one Wuyi or Dangong, and one Baozhong. Also have to add my morning Yunnan Gold which never goes stale 'cause I drink it everyday.

Yunnan Gold, as usual, this morning as I settle in to weekend of rainy weather. On the bright side, it could have been more snow.

[olivierco]

I am just about right where I want to be.
My Japanese tea packages don't stay opened more than three weeks so everything is in control.

Kaboku sencha in a few minutes

[Mrs. Chip]

Yunnan Gold, as usual, this morning as I settle in to weekend of rainy weather. On the bright side, it could have been more snow.

Rainy here too, but I'd rather have snow!
Chip takes care of all the TEAlogistics, but I'd say we are just about right where we want to be.

Currently in my cup Yunnan Noir by Adagio, a brisk 2nd tea to jumpstart the rest of my looooooong work day! Started the day off with a decent Korean green, but I'll let the Mod tell y'all about that!

Have a TEAriffic Friday everyone, getting stoked for the weekend.

[jogrebe]

I probably have too many open teas at the moment and am working on drinking up the last bit of a pi lo chun bag that has been open for close to a year but still good. But overall I do not think it is a probably because half of my open teas are broken up shu puerh cakes in canisters which there is no need to finish anytime soon as they will not go downhill on me sitting around. Current open teas include:
Blacks - Golden Monkey, Black Dragon Pearls (sample tin)
Puerh (all shu) - 2007 Rongzhen 9878, 2009 Rongzhen Super Grade, 2007 Organic Menghai Banzhang Old Tree, 2008 Dayi Red Makeup, 2007 Haiwan Old Nugget, paper bag of a few mini tuochas from years ago
Oolong - Oriental Beauty, Wuyi (both cheap from Asian grocery stores) and Jade oolong (or #18 from Adagio)
Greens - Pi Lo Chun, Zhu Ye Qing (Bamboo Leaf)
Whites - Silver Needle

See just a perfectly normal and healthy tea drinker and nowhere close to having any problems with tea.

[artmom]

Right about where I want to be. Most of my teas are small samples and don't hang around too long. Need to order some more Marco Polo from MF as my granddaughter and I have been hitting it heavy.

Organic Red Peach from Silk Road Teas this morning. I'll try another green later today.