Wednesday TeaDay 3/16/11 Start of the TeaDay

[Chip]

Good TeaDay to all, and to all a good Tea! Please drop in throughout the day and share what is in your cup with us!

Yesterday we discussed what Tea related activity is the last on a typical TeaDay. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic!

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. Today, we visit the VERY FIRST TeaRelated activity of the day, a happy moment of the day indeed. Please share of course!

We are all looking forward to sharing this TeaDay, from the first to the last TeaRelated activity, with ... everyone. Bottoms up.

[IPT]

In the morning, the first thing I do every day after peeking in on my daughter, is to turn on my electric kettle. I then take my tea tray and go in to the vault to choose the tea, tools, and ware. I then carry them to my desk and brew the first tea of the day. Generally, it is matcha, but it does vary. After I finish it, I then begin my day. When I get to the office, the first thing I do is turn on my electric kettle and pull the desired tea, tools, and ware out of my cabinet and brew up a cup before beginning the work day. When I get home, I clean up the morning's tea ware and then choose more. I drink until I go to bed.

[karmaplace]

I have an electronic kettle with temperature settings and a timer, so I usually decide what type of tea I'd like to have the next day the night before, and set the water to start heating before I wake up.

So, I wake up, pick out my pot and cup, and measure out the tea. In a few minutes, I've got my first cup of the day.

Today I had a banana matcha smoothie and some wuyi oolong. I'm currently drinking ayurvedic chai at work. It's a good TeaDay.

[Tadpole]

I have to set the tea table first! Pick a cloth for the table, select a tea tray, coordinate the brewing vessel and cup(s), decide if I want to use a cha hai, set the tea scoop, pad a corner with a tea towel for the water kettle. Usually I set the table with an idea of what tea I want to start with. If I'm craving white or green I'll select glass or porcelain ware. A yixing or porcelain pot for oolong. Thick ceramic for black, puerh, or some oolongs. Then it's time to heat the water and choose the tea!

Ok...sometimes I wake up knowing exactly what tea I want, but the activity is alway setting the table.

More rose and osmanthus tonight. Had a heavy roast tiekuanyin with breakfast. Apple juice with lunch (yuck).

[Herb_Master]

I then take my tea tray and go in to the vault to choose the tea, tools, and ware.

How big is your vault ? You have an awful lot of them

I think I had heard Chip asking for pictures

[karmaplace]

How big is your vault ? You have an awful lot of them

I think I had heard Chip asking for pictures

Yes, we should see this vault.

[JBaymore]

Pouring the water into the kettle.

I am fortunate in that I have great water here right from the kitchen tap. It is the same aquifer that the commercial bottled "Monadnock Spring Water" comes from. The towns well and the commercial well are basically side by side.

best,

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

[IPT]

I have to set the tea table first! Pick a cloth for the table, select a tea tray, coordinate the brewing vessel and cup(s), decide if I want to use a cha hai, set the tea scoop, pad a corner with a tea towel for the water kettle. Usually I set the table with an idea of what tea I want to start with. If I'm craving white or green I'll select glass or porcelain ware. A yixing or porcelain pot for oolong. Thick ceramic for black, puerh, or some oolongs. Then it's time to heat the water and choose the tea!

This sounds lovely. I should work on my table dressings I think. I use a large tea tray, but it is just sitting on the plain table. How about a photo of a morning's setup?

[artmom]

First Tea related activity of the day for me is opening my eyes, thinking "OMG, I need a cuppa'!" Then lying there for a while, choosing a Tea in my head while I check gently to see if everything is go for standing up!!!!

[TwoPynts]

My first step is to get out the tools of the trade, followed by picking a tea. Sometimes I need to clean up from the previous day, if I've been lazy.

Black Dragon Pearls in my cuppa todaya.

[Nenugal]

First I'm boiling water, then planning what to use it for. Usually starting the tea-day with matcha and some sencha in the morning.

[solitude]

If I drunk puerh the evening before I usually leave the last brew over night so after I finish the breakfast, I drink the puerh brewed overnight and then start the new session.
For the morning I usually know very well what I will drink. It is almost always green tea, and mostly sencha. Using a banko unglazed houhin, 2g of sencha for 80-100 ml of water, 3 steps. This is a lighter version but for the time issues there is no space for a real 5-6 step session.
The mornings of the last two months were about the YM supreme, it will be finished in the next days .

[debunix]

Filled the kettle, turned it on, adjusted the temp setting to 160 degrees for some silver needle from Jing Tea Shop (Bai Hao Yin Zhen). Ahh....needed something more soothing than sencha to cope with the news to start the day.

[Stentor]

Filtering water, so I can go on to choose a tea, pot, cup etc. while the water is running through the filter.

[Chip]

I went with filling the kettle, though it is a toss up between this mundane task and the actual tea selction.

Actually, a close third is an option I did not include, that is putting the clean and now dry teapots away from cleaning/draining the night before.

Today's first task was putting the teapots away ...

Began the TD with Kaboku from Ippodo with the Mrs.