I stopped by a neighbor who has a saw mill yesterday to inquire about
large (>14" wide") oak or heart-pine boards for a little furniture
project. That has nothing to do with anything, really, but I read
somewhere that lots of specific detail improves the written word.

Naturally, I steered the conversation toward tea. He said that he'd
recently bought a lot of green tea, and showed me a big bin of
foil-wrapped "Kirkland signature" nylon-mesh bags from Costco, made by
Ito En. (Disclaimer: I buy a lot of pickled herring and English
cucumbers at Costco.) He didn't recall the price exactly, but it was in
the nickel-a-bag range. Wonder if it's the same stuff Ito En sells for
$12/dozen on line?

I was slightly interested, as I always carry a few bags of sencha for
road emergencies, and nylon bags are better for room-temp brewing. I
tried one of his Costco bags; it was nowhere near as good as my usual
Yamamotoyama "premium" or "special occasion" backup greens (about 20 and
35 cents each), but better than their ten-cent basic grade. I wouldn't
drink either by choice, but it was interesting to see this mainstreaming.

My sawyer friend was intrigued by how much better green tea can taste
when brewed cool. (Bag says 80C; I suggested even cooler.) He asked how
I measure, being a scientist and all. I told him that I rarely use a
thermometer; water too hot for a fingertip is too hot for green tea. He
found this amusing, and rewarded me with a broken Husqvarna 45.

-DM