Tuesday TeaDay 6/14/11 why WhY WHY???

[Chip]

Greetings TeaFriends world-wide! Please drop into our international TeaDay and share what is in your cup throughout the day.

Yesterday we discussed actors we generally did not like. Seriously. Please continue to vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Yesterday bad actors, today bad teas. Are there teas you keep coming back to, and you must ask yourself, "why, WhY, WHY?" Please share.

We are looking forward to sharing this Teaday with ... everyone. Bottoms up.

[JBaymore]

Life is too short to drink teas you don't like. Beyond a few tries to make sure it is not your brewing....... move on.

That being said......... sometimes your tastes change over time. So coming back and "trying again" after a while is not a regression. But if it still does not float your boat........ leave it again.

best,

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

[IPT]

Life is too short to drink teas you don't like. Beyond a few tries to make sure it is not your brewing....... move on.

That being said......... sometimes your tastes change over time. So coming back and "trying again" after a while is not a regression. But if it still does not float your boat........ leave it again.

best,

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

+1

[Xell]

Life is too short to drink teas you don't like. Beyond a few tries to make sure it is not your brewing....... move on.

That being said......... sometimes your tastes change over time. So coming back and "trying again" after a while is not a regression. But if it still does not float your boat........ leave it again.

best,

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

Same, i don't want to waste my time and money on something i won't enjoy. I'd rather drink water, than bad tea

[Nenugal]

What sometimes happens is that a tea that I used to like in the past has less appeal when I buy it again and drink it now..

Now drinking Sencha the Ultimate from Zencha. Very good!

[AdamMY]

After my tastes changed, and I started drinking a lot of Japanese greens, I can now hardly stand Puerh whether young or old, although the old stuff is usually much more interesting than the young.

[Chip]

I can say in the past, most definitely. But times were different back then. I likely bought and earnestly tried well over 10 sencha back aound 8-12 years ago. This was pre TeaChat and had to rely mostly on domestic USA sources or local (I even bought one at the local farmers' market ). Early on, I had one and only one really good sencha, so I kept searching and buying a lot of mediocre or poor selections. Fortunately, times have changed dramatically!

Sometimes persistance does not pay off. I tried a fair number of Assam after reading flowery descriptions from vendors like Upton. I kept thinking I just had to keep trying them, but I never liked a single one. Fortunately, I did not try too many selections.

Recently ... hm, no. Like I said, times have changed dramatically, the TeaWorld has gotten a LOT smaller! And by now, I pretty much know what I like and don't. However, I could make an argument re Dong Ding.

[debunix]

Yes, I did it to myself again recently--with an order of sencha, tossed in a small tin of matcha. I love the look of a bowl of foamy matcha, love the traditional whisks and scoops, love the bigger canvas for the makers of chawans, but.....don't love matcha. I'm now up to 5 different matchas tried, and 5 different matchas.....not precisely hated, but not yet ever really enjoyed. I keep hoping I'll find the one that I will like eventually, instead of sensibly crossing matcha off the list as I have crossed off black Assams, darjeelings, Earl Greys, and Keemuns.

I recently had an opportunity to participate in a tasting of an Assam tea, and despite the delicious sounding description, I passed. Now if I could just do the same for matcha....

Yesterday, a lovely batch of 'Buddha's Hand' Fo Shou Hon Cha black tea from Imperial Teas of London, brewed up with osmanthus flowers. Kept going all through a long day.

[teaisme]

Nah I don't buy a tea again if a whole bag is not to my liking
Often I won't throw it away though, it just goes into the unwanted box. I feel bad for throwing it away because I know somewhere someone will like it...but I feel kinda ashamed to give it to anyone too

Singbulli white jade, second flush 2010 thunderbolt tea right now at work.

Again similarities abound. When brewing smells similar to white peony. Tastes more like the few second flush I have tried so far though. Also a noticable yunnan black taste and spiciness too. Mine didn't come out nearly as light as their pic, more a brown. Feels right to drink during the summer.

Enjoying all the darjeelings so far, but haven't had any yet that grab me and shout reorder now. I Like this and that about them, but as a whole, aspects are missing for me. I think my brewing needs refining too (going to go the short infusions route because 2 longer infusions has not really worked out for my tastes. I'm just beginning with darjeeling though so I'll give it much more time. They kind of fit the space for japanese green tea cravings, but if I had to choose right now I would much rather place a japanese order. We will see how this view evolves.

[AdamMY]

Right now I am busy asking Why Why Why Why, I keep on messing up brewing my Sencha in the later infusions. It is like after I successfully make the first one I get distracted and the later infusions seem horrible. Must go practice some more.

[Drax]

I have found that if I do not enjoy a tea, I don't drink it anymore -- if I have access, I give it away. Fortunately, I have only really detested a few teas, and those have all been (artificially) flavored...

Today was a pretty busy day, so I had no time to enjoy tea at work. I finished off some aged pu'erh at home and started with another pu to round out the night.

After a few weeks of blistering heat, we've cooled off nicely and only hit 78F as a high today. I've got the windows open, and with a low humidity, it's quite nice...!

[iannon]

never the same exact tea i disliked the first time around..perhaps many times the same TYPE of tea..trying to find something I like in it. or perhaps looking at lower grades (read cheaper dollar wise) of a type of tea and hoping to find a hidden gem..

[FlyedPiper]

Still sampling, so I'm learning what I like. Hope I like matcha since I just put in a big order for all of the accessories and a chawan . The earlier poster scared me a little.

I don't feel like I've wasted any money so far, but I think I might lay off puerhs for the time being now that I've tried really good sencha. The Japanese greens and oolongs provide a wide enough variety for me to sample for a long time. Still haven't tried red teas, but I'm pretty sure they won't be my thing. Other than that I think I'm narrowing it down pretty well.

I would never order a specific tea I didn't like a second time, although I would try a style of tea (ie a dancong or something) a second time, albeit at a higher quality if possible to give it a fair test run.

Going home to brew some kabusecha hot for tonight, and putting some in the fridge for some iced tea tomorrow. 2010 YM LE will likely be my morning brew.

[Skippyandjif]

More than I'd like to admit. Often, it's just a case of forgetting how much I disliked something, or why I disliked it, or even that I disliked it, period. But the worst offender is Lipton bagged tea. This is a reunion that is forced upon me almost every time I go out to dinner, order tea, and realize that once again I've forgotten to bring my own tea and am at the mercy of the restaurant's selection. (Yet another reason, aside from 'not being able to eat in my pajamas, curled up with a book' that I don't like going out to dinner and do it rarely. )

Pu-erh this morning and afternoon; a lot of iced green tea despite it really being too cold out to drink iced tea comfortably; currently waiting on some lavender sencha to cool down a little more before I drink it.

[debunix]

Hope I like matcha since I just put in a big order for all of the accessories and a chawan . The earlier poster scared me a little.

I would hope my post doesn't inspire fear of matcha in others. Be inspired by the abundant postings in "Today's matchawan" topic instead!