Well, cable was out til just a few minutes ago, no internet, no phone.
Today will be different, it will be an open discussion about whatever you care to discuss. So, you are in the driver's seat.
Have a great TeaDay everyone. Remember to share what is in your cup today!
May 19th, '09, 06:45
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May 19th, '09, 06:56
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Herb_Master
I find that many days I just can't find the time for really serious tea sessions. That is not a problem because it is easy to enjoy casual sessions.
BUT come the WEEK-END everything changes. Depending what I have on my agenda, perhaps 1 weekend out of 3, I devote my Week-End to one or two special teas, experiments or learning new technqiues, tactics or putting together a little shrine to get special ambience.
Do you have special tea sessions at the weekend, and have you got any favourite elaborations or extravagances that a busy weekday rarely permits.
By the way, I work Saturday and Sunday, so my weekend starts today
BUT come the WEEK-END everything changes. Depending what I have on my agenda, perhaps 1 weekend out of 3, I devote my Week-End to one or two special teas, experiments or learning new technqiues, tactics or putting together a little shrine to get special ambience.
Do you have special tea sessions at the weekend, and have you got any favourite elaborations or extravagances that a busy weekday rarely permits.
By the way, I work Saturday and Sunday, so my weekend starts today

Best wishes from Cheshire
I'm sometimes busier on weekends than I am during the week, but I really enjoy getting a few friends together and doing side-by-side comparisons of new teas. I have done this with Chinese teas primarily because having several of them open is less disastrous than having several Japanese teas open at once. Doing side-by-side tastings of familiar teas is always eye-opening too. I also enjoy gong-fu sessions with dancong and pu-erh, but that's as ritualistic as I get.
In deference to `roll your own discussion' TD, I'm having 1993 Xing Xiang shu pu from Menghai factory.
In deference to `roll your own discussion' TD, I'm having 1993 Xing Xiang shu pu from Menghai factory.
May 19th, '09, 08:27
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May 19th, '09, 09:57
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auggy
Sounds okay, though I admit, I tend to be more focused with direction. You'll notice I didn't say just "focused". Cause, yeah. No.
I have found that I cannot make consistent tea without a scale. And most of the time, I can't even make good tea. This makes me sad.
People are really getting me mad with their general printer incompetence. UGH! Correction: make that just general technological incompetence. I'm so grumpy today because of dealing with others' issues and I've been here less than an hour.
Spearmint and cream for me today.
I have found that I cannot make consistent tea without a scale. And most of the time, I can't even make good tea. This makes me sad.
People are really getting me mad with their general printer incompetence. UGH! Correction: make that just general technological incompetence. I'm so grumpy today because of dealing with others' issues and I've been here less than an hour.
Spearmint and cream for me today.
To answer Herb_Master:
my schedule is so busy. I have an active social life and I homeschool my young son, so there is rarely enough time for full sessions or even casual ones. I often have to schedule time and then I tend to go to a tea house nearby that specializes in gongfu teas. But, yes, basically I know what you mean
In response to Auggy:
I don't often use my scale. I think my being raised in a family who cooks with 'pinches' 'handfuls' and such has given me a good ability to eye the leaf. My problem comes for times - with so much going on in my life I can get a bit distracted and misguage the time
Good luck in your tea journey!
My own query:
This is a little odd, but it has been floating around in my head for a couple days now. A while back Chip posted a poll to find out how many introverts vs extroverts there were on the forum and the response was overwhelmingly toward introverts. I don't recall the exact figures now, but about 90% of respondants. A current study from a collection of psychologists, however, noted that in the general population approximately 70% are EXTROverts. This seemed an odd discrepency and the poll the other days about teahouse versus teatable seemed to have very similar poll results to the introvert/extrovert question. Did this preference for teatable have anything to do with there being lots of introverts here? Why IS there a large discrepency? Is it a tea thing? An internet thing? A case of people being extroverted but thinking they are introverted? Some combination of the above? What's yout take on it?
my schedule is so busy. I have an active social life and I homeschool my young son, so there is rarely enough time for full sessions or even casual ones. I often have to schedule time and then I tend to go to a tea house nearby that specializes in gongfu teas. But, yes, basically I know what you mean

In response to Auggy:
I don't often use my scale. I think my being raised in a family who cooks with 'pinches' 'handfuls' and such has given me a good ability to eye the leaf. My problem comes for times - with so much going on in my life I can get a bit distracted and misguage the time

My own query:
This is a little odd, but it has been floating around in my head for a couple days now. A while back Chip posted a poll to find out how many introverts vs extroverts there were on the forum and the response was overwhelmingly toward introverts. I don't recall the exact figures now, but about 90% of respondants. A current study from a collection of psychologists, however, noted that in the general population approximately 70% are EXTROverts. This seemed an odd discrepency and the poll the other days about teahouse versus teatable seemed to have very similar poll results to the introvert/extrovert question. Did this preference for teatable have anything to do with there being lots of introverts here? Why IS there a large discrepency? Is it a tea thing? An internet thing? A case of people being extroverted but thinking they are introverted? Some combination of the above? What's yout take on it?
May 19th, '09, 10:14
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Joined: Aug 15th, '08, 20:21
Location: British Columbia Canada
Speaking of weekends, this was a long weekend in Canada (Victoria Day) so this is my "Monday". It's an odd sort of holiday which began in the mid 1800's as a celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday. When I was growing up in Victoria BC I used to think that it was a national celebration of my city. I thought at the time that this was very kind of the rest of the country.
Drinking sakura sencha this morning from Den's that had gotten lost in the back of my tea cupboard. It's still quite good!
What do you have in the back of your tea cupboard?
Drinking sakura sencha this morning from Den's that had gotten lost in the back of my tea cupboard. It's still quite good!
What do you have in the back of your tea cupboard?
I don't believe that 70% of the population are extroverts. I would believe that 60% have extoverted tendencies. Most likely, it was only the extroverts who were outgoing enough to respond to the poll.Aphroditea wrote:This is a little odd, but it has been floating around in my head for a couple days now. A while back Chip posted a poll to find out how many introverts vs extroverts there were on the forum and the response was overwhelmingly toward introverts. I don't recall the exact figures now, but about 90% of respondants. A current study from a collection of psychologists, however, noted that in the general population approximately 70% are EXTROverts. This seemed an odd discrepency and the poll the other days about teahouse versus teatable seemed to have very similar poll results to the introvert/extrovert question. Did this preference for teatable have anything to do with there being lots of introverts here? Why IS there a large discrepency? Is it a tea thing? An internet thing? A case of people being extroverted but thinking they are introverted? Some combination of the above? What's yout take on it?
It's possible that extroverts don't want to slow down enough to reflect on tea. My sister is an extrovert and she's now up to triple-shots of espresso several times a day. She ain't sniffin' and fillosophizin' about that brew.
Another possibility is that folks may have some ADHD or OCD tendencies and they are using tea as a way to self-medicate (that's me), just as some others may find it soothing to buy teaware.
Sitting at own tea table because introverted? I don't know. I would definitely spend time at a good tea house if I had access to one. I suspect the economy is forcing the folks who have jobs to work extreme hours, and the folks who are underemployed don't want to spend the money.
Interesting topics! I don't have much to add except I completely agree with brlarson. I know many people with extroverted tendencies who are truly introverts. At art school this is especially true. If your want your work to get out then you have to talk oh so much.
On a side note I'm officially done with college forever!
Also my tea consumption has dropped ever since starting work full-time. It's frustrating but I'm hoping to get my tea-gear in the office soon....
Going to celebrate with some TGY which I found in NYC. I haven't had the time to try it yet, so I hope it's good!! I picked it up due to a lot of folks on TeaChat saying how good it is
On a side note I'm officially done with college forever!
Also my tea consumption has dropped ever since starting work full-time. It's frustrating but I'm hoping to get my tea-gear in the office soon....
Going to celebrate with some TGY which I found in NYC. I haven't had the time to try it yet, so I hope it's good!! I picked it up due to a lot of folks on TeaChat saying how good it is

I definitely have much more elaborate tea sessions on weekends. I can take the time and brew several tea varieties over one session, and I take more care in my brewing process (out come my favorite pots, cups, etc.)Herb_Master wrote:Do you have special tea sessions at the weekend, and have you got any favourite elaborations or extravagances that a busy weekday rarely permits.

Have a great tea day, everyone! And enjoy your weekend, Herb_Master
May 19th, '09, 11:25
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Herb_Master
Garden Blues
In my cup Tea Habitat Ginger Flower Dan Cong
In my Garden a blue feeling
Rosemary



Wisteria




Blue Star Aquilegia (Columbine) Not Quite Ready

Rose [Blue For You]

and lots of Cornflowers

In my Garden a blue feeling
Rosemary



Wisteria




Blue Star Aquilegia (Columbine) Not Quite Ready

Rose [Blue For You]

and lots of Cornflowers

Best wishes from Cheshire
It's about self-medication and devotion to a passion.
To Herb-Master: not in a position to explore fine new teas in an appropriate setting at present. My love of tea has taken a back seat to pressing and urgent matters for which I have prepared for a long time. "Normal" is no longer an applicable descriptor; tea helps keep my anchored and I find comfort in the familiar, under exciting but tumultuous circumstances.
To Aphroditea: perhaps it takes a certain blend of personality and passion to become a tea devotee. Extrovert characteristics are socially-oriented and thus will invest heavily in their network of friends and family. Introverts are perhaps a bit more parsimonious of their time spent with others; their deep-water thinking is more process-oriented than the extroverts who are outcome-oriented in their need to socialize for pleasure.
We introverts are a bit more independent of our social roots, but that requires an investment of time to ourselves because we aren't getting our oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine release through interpersonal interaction. Introverts derive much pleasure from learning, exploring ideas and are quite willing put extra effort into developing knowledge of that which captures our interest, an investment that extroverts find unappealing. We get much our 'hormonal jollies' from the discovery process, and we chemically make up for the hormonal deficit from social interaction through tea imbibing, in the sulfur amino acids that build antioxidants to combat stress in oxidized teas and through theanine in lightly-processed teas, and these complement the benefits of caffeine consumption.
No wonder, then, that introverts seek out and employ 'self-medication' to fill in the neurochemical gap. Tea-lovers tend to healthier choices for self-medication, fortunately. Declining interest in tea drinking in Japan, in favor of coffee consumption, will exact quite a price from its younger population cohorts.
Note that we are talking about a sliding continuum of relative personality trait tendencies (see, for instance, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator on Wikipedia), not absolutes. In the end, it's about inherited brain chemistry and epigenetic augmentation through parental health during gestation and individual modulation throughout life via lifestyle choices, nutrition and other environmental exposure.
The plasticity of the introvert's neural net comes at personal cost, but we make the very best problem solvers because our contributions to society are as altruistic as the extrovert who invests into a stable and prosperous family and community.
Once you understand external factors that induce this tendency to develop super-plasticity qualities, it's no surprise to discover that clustering of this type occurs to those born in certain years and places.
The 'why' is quite fascinating.
Sencha in my cup this morning.
To Aphroditea: perhaps it takes a certain blend of personality and passion to become a tea devotee. Extrovert characteristics are socially-oriented and thus will invest heavily in their network of friends and family. Introverts are perhaps a bit more parsimonious of their time spent with others; their deep-water thinking is more process-oriented than the extroverts who are outcome-oriented in their need to socialize for pleasure.
We introverts are a bit more independent of our social roots, but that requires an investment of time to ourselves because we aren't getting our oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine release through interpersonal interaction. Introverts derive much pleasure from learning, exploring ideas and are quite willing put extra effort into developing knowledge of that which captures our interest, an investment that extroverts find unappealing. We get much our 'hormonal jollies' from the discovery process, and we chemically make up for the hormonal deficit from social interaction through tea imbibing, in the sulfur amino acids that build antioxidants to combat stress in oxidized teas and through theanine in lightly-processed teas, and these complement the benefits of caffeine consumption.
No wonder, then, that introverts seek out and employ 'self-medication' to fill in the neurochemical gap. Tea-lovers tend to healthier choices for self-medication, fortunately. Declining interest in tea drinking in Japan, in favor of coffee consumption, will exact quite a price from its younger population cohorts.
Note that we are talking about a sliding continuum of relative personality trait tendencies (see, for instance, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator on Wikipedia), not absolutes. In the end, it's about inherited brain chemistry and epigenetic augmentation through parental health during gestation and individual modulation throughout life via lifestyle choices, nutrition and other environmental exposure.
The plasticity of the introvert's neural net comes at personal cost, but we make the very best problem solvers because our contributions to society are as altruistic as the extrovert who invests into a stable and prosperous family and community.
Once you understand external factors that induce this tendency to develop super-plasticity qualities, it's no surprise to discover that clustering of this type occurs to those born in certain years and places.
The 'why' is quite fascinating.
Sencha in my cup this morning.
Last edited by Intuit on May 19th, '09, 12:08, edited 3 times in total.
May 19th, '09, 11:37
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