How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
be.

Excitedly awaiting your stories,

Rufus T. Firefly
Tokyo

"Rufus T. Firefly" > wrote in message
m...
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo
Sir, I am British. Need I say more?



In that case I shall.



I remember thinking, "What was it those adults were drinking out of hot
cups?" All I was allowed was milk. I was unable to voice my dissatisfaction
with the state of affairs until I had acquired enough motor control to reach
out and point at the teapot.



"Oh look, he wants some tea, how charming."



I was very frustrated at not being able to persuade my family to give me any
tea until I had acquired the word "Tea." This was a step forward for me.
However, much to my disappointment, what passed for so-called tea, was, in
fact, more milk with a teaspoon full of tea. I was probably at least four
before I was drinking a reasonably satisfying cup of tea. But, horrifying as
this sounds, I would have to wait a few more years before I graduated to the
dark, potent, masculine brew.



Mr. Firefly, ask not what other people do not understand. It is of no
consequence. Perhaps they have only been given floor sweepings in a bag. My
poor culturally deprived American wife thought that they sold tea in the
supermarket. Ha! I said to her. Those little bags of decaying dust wrapped
in cellophane don't even come close to tea. Why would she, or anyone, like
such an insipid drink? But when she had sampled the real thing, there was no
going back, her cultural deprivation came thankfully to an end. Now at the
mere mention of tea, her eyes shine with a blissful light, she radiates
benevolence and good will. And she hasn't even had any yet. That's just the
mention of it.



Fascination you say Mr. Firefly. Are you suggesting tea is hypnotic? I hope
you are not casting aspersions on the salubrious brew?



Now when I was a boy of about 10, my friend Terry and I tried smoking tea.
He lived down the road from me in the same small village. Somehow or other
we had managed to get a couple of pipes. We filled them up with tea, as
access to tobacco wasn't readily available. We had some discussion as to
whether we should blow or suck. I was for sucking, but Terry insisted on
blowing. On the count of three, we tried our methods. In the next instant,
my bedroom was filled with smoke, I was coughing and spluttering, and Terry's
eyes were wide with fear as he saw the entire lighted contents of his pipe
launch towards the ceiling. We gave up smoking tea. We were fire hazards.

"Rufus T. Firefly" > wrote in message
m...
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo
Sir, I am British. Need I say more?



In that case I shall.



I remember thinking, "What was it those adults were drinking out of hot
cups?" All I was allowed was milk. I was unable to voice my dissatisfaction
with the state of affairs until I had acquired enough motor control to reach
out and point at the teapot.



"Oh look, he wants some tea, how charming."



I was very frustrated at not being able to persuade my family to give me any
tea until I had acquired the word "Tea." This was a step forward for me.
However, much to my disappointment, what passed for so-called tea, was, in
fact, more milk with a teaspoon full of tea. I was probably at least four
before I was drinking a reasonably satisfying cup of tea. But, horrifying as
this sounds, I would have to wait a few more years before I graduated to the
dark, potent, masculine brew.



Mr. Firefly, ask not what other people do not understand. It is of no
consequence. Perhaps they have only been given floor sweepings in a bag. My
poor culturally deprived American wife thought that they sold tea in the
supermarket. Ha! I said to her. Those little bags of decaying dust wrapped
in cellophane don't even come close to tea. Why would she, or anyone, like
such an insipid drink? But when she had sampled the real thing, there was no
going back, her cultural deprivation came thankfully to an end. Now at the
mere mention of tea, her eyes shine with a blissful light, she radiates
benevolence and good will. And she hasn't even had any yet. That's just the
mention of it.



Fascination you say Mr. Firefly. Are you suggesting tea is hypnotic? I hope
you are not casting aspersions on the salubrious brew?



Now when I was a boy of about 10, my friend Terry and I tried smoking tea.
He lived down the road from me in the same small village. Somehow or other
we had managed to get a couple of pipes. We filled them up with tea, as
access to tobacco wasn't readily available. We had some discussion as to
whether we should blow or suck. I was for sucking, but Terry insisted on
blowing. On the count of three, we tried our methods. In the next instant,
my bedroom was filled with smoke, I was coughing and spluttering, and Terry's
eyes were wide with fear as he saw the entire lighted contents of his pipe
launch towards the ceiling. We gave up smoking tea. We were fire hazards.

>How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
>Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
>to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
>personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
>those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
>with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
>eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
>understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
>be.


I would say that I was always interested in teas moreso than coffee,
not really sure why exactly. Coffee just seemed a normal part of life
in my upbringing with the two cups my parents imbibed each morning
before work, and I never took a taste to it. They always got a cheap
brand with the cheap filters and drank it because of it's properties
and not for any cultural reasoning. I must say that some of the
higher quality coffees can be quite good, but it still didn't seem my
....cup of chai. heh.

I would wander aficionado shops and gander at all the different brands
and I recall having no idea where to even begin my sampling and
education in regards to tea. It seemed that all of them were scented
with this herb and had that property that was good for this or that.
Then you had the inexplicitly expensive teas and little knowledge from
the counter-maid to justify. I come from a rather small area in the
US, and even my trips to our capital didn't prove to be beneficial in
my hedge-interest. The money was in coffee. The other option was the
grocery store...which only sold Twinning's Earl Grey and English
Breakfast.

I really began to get into tea seriously when there was an available
venue, which was when I went to China. I learned a lot about
different sorts of green teas when I was in the Western, Sichuan
province and I learned about the more well known Wulongs and more
popular teas when I lived in the southeast. It just seemed like a
normal part of life to drink tea there, and it was one of the
adaptations that I made very willingly. They drink tea in restaurants
and even in bars sometimes. But, it's not like most coffee in the US,
drank for effect rather than enjoyment. It's for culture, it's for
tradition, it's for honor, it's for relaxing. It's also not always
about spending money to enjoy a really good tea. It's about making
friends, but not like at Starbucks.

It's becoming that way though. I suppose it can be that way in every
country given the money making opportunity.

Now that I have returned to America, I am seen as an eccentric and I
am placated by those that cannot understand their own palates or have
their palates be more open-minded. They see my interest in Gongfu Cha
as a 'chinese tea party' and say that my pu'er tastes like dirt and my
wulong tastes strange...they want to add sugar or milk or something
else. They think real Chinese tea is the Green tea scented with
apples or cherries and is sold at books-a-million. This is my reality
here, and this is why I post here religiously now; so happy to find
others that know the differences between a good wulong and a poor one
and have tasted the differences.

I am also here to learn. I know there are people here that have
knowledge that far surpasses mine, and I find it excellent and I only
hope that I can share what little I know in the conversation. Isn't
this the only to truly learn? For instance, I know little about other
types of teas around the world other than Chinese. I hope to be
educated here.

Hope this suffices. heh.







Mydnight

--------------------
thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

>How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
>Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
>to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
>personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
>those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
>with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
>eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
>understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
>be.


I would say that I was always interested in teas moreso than coffee,
not really sure why exactly. Coffee just seemed a normal part of life
in my upbringing with the two cups my parents imbibed each morning
before work, and I never took a taste to it. They always got a cheap
brand with the cheap filters and drank it because of it's properties
and not for any cultural reasoning. I must say that some of the
higher quality coffees can be quite good, but it still didn't seem my
....cup of chai. heh.

I would wander aficionado shops and gander at all the different brands
and I recall having no idea where to even begin my sampling and
education in regards to tea. It seemed that all of them were scented
with this herb and had that property that was good for this or that.
Then you had the inexplicitly expensive teas and little knowledge from
the counter-maid to justify. I come from a rather small area in the
US, and even my trips to our capital didn't prove to be beneficial in
my hedge-interest. The money was in coffee. The other option was the
grocery store...which only sold Twinning's Earl Grey and English
Breakfast.

I really began to get into tea seriously when there was an available
venue, which was when I went to China. I learned a lot about
different sorts of green teas when I was in the Western, Sichuan
province and I learned about the more well known Wulongs and more
popular teas when I lived in the southeast. It just seemed like a
normal part of life to drink tea there, and it was one of the
adaptations that I made very willingly. They drink tea in restaurants
and even in bars sometimes. But, it's not like most coffee in the US,
drank for effect rather than enjoyment. It's for culture, it's for
tradition, it's for honor, it's for relaxing. It's also not always
about spending money to enjoy a really good tea. It's about making
friends, but not like at Starbucks.

It's becoming that way though. I suppose it can be that way in every
country given the money making opportunity.

Now that I have returned to America, I am seen as an eccentric and I
am placated by those that cannot understand their own palates or have
their palates be more open-minded. They see my interest in Gongfu Cha
as a 'chinese tea party' and say that my pu'er tastes like dirt and my
wulong tastes strange...they want to add sugar or milk or something
else. They think real Chinese tea is the Green tea scented with
apples or cherries and is sold at books-a-million. This is my reality
here, and this is why I post here religiously now; so happy to find
others that know the differences between a good wulong and a poor one
and have tasted the differences.

I am also here to learn. I know there are people here that have
knowledge that far surpasses mine, and I find it excellent and I only
hope that I can share what little I know in the conversation. Isn't
this the only to truly learn? For instance, I know little about other
types of teas around the world other than Chinese. I hope to be
educated here.

Hope this suffices. heh.







Mydnight

--------------------
thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

I just started lurking around in this news group but just had to add my
two cents worth here particularly since you asked "why tea when the
world is interested in coffee?". Well, what got me interested in tea
actually was coffee. I started drinking coffee back in college to help
me stay awake when studying or when working nights. I never drank it
because I actually enjoyed the flavor until later when a friend of mine
introduced me to beans and a grinder. Recently I started experimenting
with french press and vacuum brewing and promptly tossed my Mr Coffee
Gourmet in the garbage. I'm also roasting my own beans now. As with
coffee in the past I was never very fond of tea particularly green tea.
I figured I could just grab a hand full of grass from my backyard and
do just as well. I was amazed at what a difference fresh beans and
proper preparation made to coffee so I decided to see if the same
applied to tea. Maybe I would like tea if it was fresh, high quality
and prepared properly. Of course, you know the answer to that question.
I find it interesting that most people seem to like either tea or
coffee. I love them both. This is advantageous since I can brew a pot
of coffee that will knock the socks off of my coffee drinking friends
and then turn around and brew a pot of tea to knock the socks off of my
tea drinking friends. One or the other usually turns into the topic of
conversation since most of my friends had never experienced tea or
coffee outside of the supermarket variety. It's amazing what people
will accept because they don't know any different. What's really fun is
that I'm just barely beginning to scratch the surface of the coffee and
tea world and there is still so much to learn and experiment with.

Matt

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo

Some people I know do seem to think it's eccentric, but I don't think that's
the tea itself they're reacting to. What they seem to find eccentric is the
attention to detail when brewing, the desire to learn more about tea, and
the care I take in tasting and enjoying it. Our culture tends to devalue
anything that isn't hurried, anything that smacks of patience and devotion,
so I suspect that's why some folks just don't get why we are interested in
tea.

My friend introduced me to green tea in a bag about this time last year. I
was interested in the stuff, so I pulled out a book from the library. When
I read about whole leaf teas and their astonishing variety, I set out to
learn more. Fortunately there are dozens of vendors online (I too live in
an area where no local retailers sell decent teas in any variety) who are
always willing to help me learn a little more, for the right price.

Jennifer

"Rufus T. Firefly" > wrote in message
m...
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo

Some people I know do seem to think it's eccentric, but I don't think that's
the tea itself they're reacting to. What they seem to find eccentric is the
attention to detail when brewing, the desire to learn more about tea, and
the care I take in tasting and enjoying it. Our culture tends to devalue
anything that isn't hurried, anything that smacks of patience and devotion,
so I suspect that's why some folks just don't get why we are interested in
tea.

My friend introduced me to green tea in a bag about this time last year. I
was interested in the stuff, so I pulled out a book from the library. When
I read about whole leaf teas and their astonishing variety, I set out to
learn more. Fortunately there are dozens of vendors online (I too live in
an area where no local retailers sell decent teas in any variety) who are
always willing to help me learn a little more, for the right price.

Jennifer

"Rufus T. Firefly" > wrote in message
m...
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo

This newsgroup is actually what sparked my interest. Beyond that, I
have always enjoyed fine coffee, beer, wine, and other spirits; so tea
being another potentially addictive fluid, I was a natural for it.
After trying some tea that didn't come in a box, I found that I really
enjoyed the various subtle flavors tea had to offer, and I also
appreciated the simplicity of it as compared to coffee or beer.

Steve

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo

On 27 Nov 2004 21:09:07 -0800, Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,

It's not a very exciting story.

My parents are from "The South." I grew up with a pitcher of iced tea
in the refrigerator no matter the season - granted, it was the
"instant" variety, which I now can't stand.

In high school, I wanted a hot beverage with caffeine to help keep me
awake. Coffee literally makes me sick to my stomach. I love the smell
of the beans, but the flavor is not to my taste, and it's not worth
the after effects.

So, tea it was. Simple things at first - whatever I could get in the
Twinnigs cans in the grocery store, then Republic of Tea products as
they came available. But in graduate school, I discovered real tea. A
local tea shop existed with a wide selection of loose leaf teas.

That first visit was when I started my path down the long black
road... well, actually, sometimes it's green, white, or oolong.


--
Derek

"Ever wonder why people are so determined to reach for white picket
fences, supposed normalcy, a nuclear family? Well, try growing up
without one." -- Chuck Eddy

On 27 Nov 2004 21:09:07 -0800, Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,

It's not a very exciting story.

My parents are from "The South." I grew up with a pitcher of iced tea
in the refrigerator no matter the season - granted, it was the
"instant" variety, which I now can't stand.

In high school, I wanted a hot beverage with caffeine to help keep me
awake. Coffee literally makes me sick to my stomach. I love the smell
of the beans, but the flavor is not to my taste, and it's not worth
the after effects.

So, tea it was. Simple things at first - whatever I could get in the
Twinnigs cans in the grocery store, then Republic of Tea products as
they came available. But in graduate school, I discovered real tea. A
local tea shop existed with a wide selection of loose leaf teas.

That first visit was when I started my path down the long black
road... well, actually, sometimes it's green, white, or oolong.


--
Derek

"Ever wonder why people are so determined to reach for white picket
fences, supposed normalcy, a nuclear family? Well, try growing up
without one." -- Chuck Eddy

(Rufus T. Firefly) writes:

> How did everyone get interested in tea?

I went to see a practitioner of Chinese medicine who had an excellent
reputation. His most important prescription was that I should give up
coffee.

Was it the caffeine? No, the essential oils.

So, could I get my caffeine via tea? Sure, no problem, tea is fine
for you.

I was skeptical, but figured it was hardly likely to hurt me, so I was
willing to try his advice.

The next day, I switched to tea. I never experienced caffeine
withdrawal, but a couple of nights later I spent about four sleepless
hours feeling as if I had a bad case of flu. By dawn I was fine.

Soon I was looking around for what new tastes and smells tea could
offer, on RFDT among other places. I honestly can't say whether there
have been health benefits, but coffee, which I rarely drink now, seems
so limited in comparison to tea.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

South Louisiana in the 70's was not a hotbed of tea drinkers !... When
> Community Coffee"Paquet Rouge" is the mainstay, (very cultural...the Cajun
> French and coffee)and where Cafe du Monde Coffee and Chickory with
> beignets
> are the rage of all the vistors. I grew up on French Roasted
> Coffee...Seaport Brand. It was not until in the military that tea showed
> up...and then only at the "Chinese" Restaurants... I loved the hot
> tea...not
> sure what it was...may some oolong dustings...Then in college I ran into
> some "kindred spirits" and we discovered Twinings China Black loose tea in
> the tin...very strong and satisfying brew considering the coffee that we
> drank pots of it daily...Later years enter Celestial Seasonings Red
> Zinger,
> Emperor Choice, etc....then a hiatus...just recently I began wanting to go
> back to China Black...couldn't find the Twinings (it is available in
> teabags
> !!)...so enter the 'net...I was astounded at the returns on China
> Black...I
> found 5 or 6 that I had to try and of course they were the more expensive
> ones...nonetheless...this lead to the purchase of 2 yixing teapots...then
> I
> decided to try TKY...of course it had to be competition grade monkey
> picked
> (Specialteas). I'm hooked...I loved the blacks, couldn't get enough of
> the
> oolongs, greens are for pallets way above mine...I found DaHongPao and
> TiHuLan...bought a artisan grade yixing for the DaHongPao...Now my problem
> is how to make time to drink all that tea....Hey, but I'm working on it.
> I
> still drink coffee, grind my own beans (home and work)...but I truly enjoy
> my teas...the wife truly enjoys the TiGuanYin with me....
>
> Doug
Original reply was to rufus not the group...
"Rufus T. Firefly" > wrote in message
m...
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo

South Louisiana in the 70's was not a hotbed of tea drinkers !... When
> Community Coffee"Paquet Rouge" is the mainstay, (very cultural...the Cajun
> French and coffee)and where Cafe du Monde Coffee and Chickory with
> beignets
> are the rage of all the vistors. I grew up on French Roasted
> Coffee...Seaport Brand. It was not until in the military that tea showed
> up...and then only at the "Chinese" Restaurants... I loved the hot
> tea...not
> sure what it was...may some oolong dustings...Then in college I ran into
> some "kindred spirits" and we discovered Twinings China Black loose tea in
> the tin...very strong and satisfying brew considering the coffee that we
> drank pots of it daily...Later years enter Celestial Seasonings Red
> Zinger,
> Emperor Choice, etc....then a hiatus...just recently I began wanting to go
> back to China Black...couldn't find the Twinings (it is available in
> teabags
> !!)...so enter the 'net...I was astounded at the returns on China
> Black...I
> found 5 or 6 that I had to try and of course they were the more expensive
> ones...nonetheless...this lead to the purchase of 2 yixing teapots...then
> I
> decided to try TKY...of course it had to be competition grade monkey
> picked
> (Specialteas). I'm hooked...I loved the blacks, couldn't get enough of
> the
> oolongs, greens are for pallets way above mine...I found DaHongPao and
> TiHuLan...bought a artisan grade yixing for the DaHongPao...Now my problem
> is how to make time to drink all that tea....Hey, but I'm working on it.
> I
> still drink coffee, grind my own beans (home and work)...but I truly enjoy
> my teas...the wife truly enjoys the TiGuanYin with me....
>
> Doug
Original reply was to rufus not the group...
"Rufus T. Firefly" > wrote in message
m...
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo

Christopher Richards wrote:
>
> Sir, I am British. Need I say more?
>
> In that case I shall.

Obsequious use of "shall". Say no more -- you're British.

--crymad

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived
> in Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop
> after you went to Asia?

Actually, my first visit to Japan in my college years got me
sucked into the cult of coffee. This was well before the current
Starbucks phenomenon, a time when privately run coffee shops
could be found a few steps from any locale. It was only
afterward, when I returned to Japan as a resident and not a
student/tourist that my appreciation of food and tea really started
to develop. Now, like most Japanese themselves, I rarely bother
with teas from outside Japan.

--crymad

(Rufus T. Firefly) writes:
>
>> How did everyone get interested in tea?

Now in my 50's, I was in my teens when I came upon loose tea. In those days,
the mid-1960s, in my American town, loose tea was a "gourmet" item, found at
the "gourmet" shop. "Gourmet" shops featured such weird stuff as marzipan and
chocolate-covered beetles. Some loose teas could also be found at the
department store -- mine carried the Wagner brand.

Anyway, I took a liking to the only available oolong, the rather heavily
oxidized "Formosa Oolong" -- I drank Twinings back in the day; I wonder if
their FO is the same now?

I stayed with tea for all these many years with a brief departure into the
world of good coffee -- had a piano student who owned a coffee roasting company
-- and that was on the West Coast. Now that I'm in New York, the coffee hasn't
seemed as good, though the occasional good cup is always tempting. The heavy
caffeine rush is often unpleasant though.

The world of teas available has expanded multifold since those early days and I
am grateful for it. I'm always learning and enjoying. Onward and upward!

Joe Kubera

I have to express to you my excitement at the responses my simple
posting received! I was expecting one somebody to write "because it
tastes good" and that be about it, but instead I received an amazing
array of interesting stories about how love of the most simply
brilliant invention in the history of humanity (at least in my book -
which has yet to be written)springs forth from the dullness of the
well-branded consumer world showing us that there is beauty in the
most basic of things. A leaf in some hot water is about as basic as it
seemingly gets. Sincerely, thank you.

By the way, I also grew up drinking my grandfather's lemonade, which
is what many people in the deep, hot south refer to as "tea". I can
still taste it now. In the north there a less prominent tea culture to
me, because almost no one drank what we called "tea". Surprise. When I
moved to Japan I drank some other "tea" and it was also quite
different. After some time, like everything else, it was part of
everyday life. Then it somehow became something to look forward to
during the day. Then it became something to learn about and shop for
and find google groups about and etc., etc.

Thank you again.

Rufus T. Firefly
Tokyo

Twinnings pulled their FO years ago. I'm not aware of any other
commercial brand selling FO. However just recently some Formosa
brands have appeared on the shelves. You'll have to find a 'private'
stock. Luckily my local tea shoppe carries several types of FO. My
favorite is the jade pouchong.

Jim

(Joseph Kubera) wrote in message >...
....pedicure...
> Anyway, I took a liking to the only available oolong, the rather heavily
> oxidized "Formosa Oolong" -- I drank Twinings back in the day; I wonder if
> their FO is the same now?

Jim,

If I am not mistaken, "Formosa Oolong" refers to that specific honey sweet
style enjoyed by man and leaf hopper alike, and is rather heavily oxidized.
Jade Pouchong would be another type of Taiwanese Oolong entirely. It's all a
matter of obfuscating language, that confuses more than it clarifies.

Michael



Space 11/29/04


> Twinnings pulled their FO years ago. I'm not aware of any other
> commercial brand selling FO. However just recently some Formosa
> brands have appeared on the shelves. You'll have to find a 'private'
> stock. Luckily my local tea shoppe carries several types of FO. My
> favorite is the jade pouchong.
>
> Jim
>
> (Joseph Kubera) wrote in message
> >...
> ...pedicure...
>> Anyway, I took a liking to the only available oolong, the rather heavily
>> oxidized "Formosa Oolong" -- I drank Twinings back in the day; I wonder if
>> their FO is the same now?

My local tea shoppe also carries fancy,choice,champagne,imperial,high
mountain and standard with the classic peach blossom taste. If it's
an oolong from Taiwan that's all I need to know. We just went through
a thread where the 'muscat' taste might even be missing from a
darjeeling depending on flush.

Jim

Michael Plant > wrote in message >...
> Jim,
>
> If I am not mistaken, "Formosa Oolong" refers to that specific honey sweet
> style enjoyed by man and leaf hopper alike, and is rather heavily oxidized.
> Jade Pouchong would be another type of Taiwanese Oolong entirely. It's all a
> matter of obfuscating language, that confuses more than it clarifies.
>
> Michael
>
> Space 11/29/04
>
>
> > Twinnings pulled their FO years ago. I'm not aware of any other
> > commercial brand selling FO. However just recently some Formosa
> > brands have appeared on the shelves. You'll have to find a 'private'
> > stock. Luckily my local tea shoppe carries several types of FO. My
> > favorite is the jade pouchong.
> >
> > Jim

"Rufus T. Firefly" > wrote in message
m...
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo

Funny you asked. I was thinking about just that a few days ago.

My mom was a coffee drinker and I never acquired the taste. Dad was the
Lipton-in-restaurants tea drinker. Both drank green tea in the
Chinese/Japanese/Korean restaurants that we frequented in Honolulu. I tried
the Lipton thing plain and with various combinations of milk, sugar, and
lemon. Bleah. A girl in my second grade class shared my birthday so I was
invited to her house for a party. They served Lipton iced tea - bleah. The
only tea I managed to enjoy while underage were the green teas served in the
various Asian restaurants.

When I was 19, an older female friend said that regular tea was too harsh
and recommended herbal teas, specifically catnip tea. That was fun. Later, I
got into chamomile but a co-worker said she hated looking at my cup because
she thought it looked like pee. A buddy's mom suggested Constant Comment and
that convinced me that black teas are drinkable. Although I don't
particularly favor it, CC prompted me to discover what's out there and I
have found that I enjoy Darjeeling, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Prince of
Wales, and Russian Caravan among the black teas as well as various green
teas.

Do others view my fascination with tea as eccentric? Considering that I
write with fountain pens, my drinking tea is simply par for the course.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Rufus T. Firefly" > wrote in message
m...
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo

Funny you asked. I was thinking about just that a few days ago.

My mom was a coffee drinker and I never acquired the taste. Dad was the
Lipton-in-restaurants tea drinker. Both drank green tea in the
Chinese/Japanese/Korean restaurants that we frequented in Honolulu. I tried
the Lipton thing plain and with various combinations of milk, sugar, and
lemon. Bleah. A girl in my second grade class shared my birthday so I was
invited to her house for a party. They served Lipton iced tea - bleah. The
only tea I managed to enjoy while underage were the green teas served in the
various Asian restaurants.

When I was 19, an older female friend said that regular tea was too harsh
and recommended herbal teas, specifically catnip tea. That was fun. Later, I
got into chamomile but a co-worker said she hated looking at my cup because
she thought it looked like pee. A buddy's mom suggested Constant Comment and
that convinced me that black teas are drinkable. Although I don't
particularly favor it, CC prompted me to discover what's out there and I
have found that I enjoy Darjeeling, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Prince of
Wales, and Russian Caravan among the black teas as well as various green
teas.

Do others view my fascination with tea as eccentric? Considering that I
write with fountain pens, my drinking tea is simply par for the course.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

(Rufus T. Firefly) wrote in
m:

> How did everyone get interested in tea?

Aside from a brief fiddling with Earl Grey from the supermarket years ago
(probably Twinings), I've been a coffee drinker. Then one day I got
curious about yerba mate. I'd seen it on a PBS show (the one where they
ride trains all over; this one was in Argentina). Something else must have
reminded me, but I don't remember what. I tried it and liked it, and
searched Google Groups about it. Someone, as it turned out, was discussing
it in rfdt. This caused me to subscribe and (mostly) lurk, and before you
know it, I was all curious about tea.

Now some months down the road, I haven't had any yerba mate in a while, but
tea is a happy part of my daily life, as well as a deep and intriguing
journey I know I'll never "complete".

--
fD
"God's not on our side 'cause he hates idiots also."
-- Clint Eastwood as Blondie (_The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly_)

(Rufus T. Firefly) wrote in
m:

> How did everyone get interested in tea?

Aside from a brief fiddling with Earl Grey from the supermarket years ago
(probably Twinings), I've been a coffee drinker. Then one day I got
curious about yerba mate. I'd seen it on a PBS show (the one where they
ride trains all over; this one was in Argentina). Something else must have
reminded me, but I don't remember what. I tried it and liked it, and
searched Google Groups about it. Someone, as it turned out, was discussing
it in rfdt. This caused me to subscribe and (mostly) lurk, and before you
know it, I was all curious about tea.

Now some months down the road, I haven't had any yerba mate in a while, but
tea is a happy part of my daily life, as well as a deep and intriguing
journey I know I'll never "complete".

--
fD
"God's not on our side 'cause he hates idiots also."
-- Clint Eastwood as Blondie (_The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly_)

Dear Groucho ;-),

It's kind of embarassing--I started driking tea because I didn't care
for coffee, and restaurants don't generally give seconds on hot cocoa
(ironically, I won't touch the tea in most restaurants now).

That was on a Boy Scout trip about four years ago--that'll give you
some idea of my age, still in my late teens. When I got home, I
started thinking that there had to be more to this stuff than Lipton,
and, having nothing better to do over the summer, I checked one of
James Norwood Pratt's books from the local library. By this time I'd
advanced only so far as to be drinking Twining's and Taylor's of
Harrogate. After a time, I got my nerve up to try ordering from Upton,
one of the retailers listed in the book.

I was thinking that I would like black tea, since that's what I'd been
drinking.
But on a whim, I went out for the oolong sampler as well, and a
quarter-pound of their basic pu-erh. It was the best move I've ever
made--I drink mostly pu-erh now, with some oolong and green.

I'm at a boarding school now, and have found a friend as crazy about
tea as I--and also into pu-erh. I've lent him a copy of "All the Tea
in China", and am helping him with tea and tea stuff--he just got his
first Yixing!

Right now, I'm trying to stock up on green pu-erh--figuring that I can
have a cellar full of really well-aged stuff by the time I'm
middle-aged.

Oh well. What's the "T" stand for? Tobias? [No, Edgar, but you were
close.] ;-)

Many happy infusions,

ZBL

(Rufus T. Firefly) wrote in message om>...
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo

>That was on a Boy Scout trip about four years ago--that'll give you
>some idea of my age, still in my late teens.

I'm 25 myself. Still young enough for it to be considered strange
among my peers and eccentric among those older than myself. Don't
give it up!


Mydnight

--------------------
thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:
> How did everyone get interested in tea?

I'm not from the south, but my parents loved suntea/iced tea, and made
it all summer every year. I never did learn to like it. They used
Lipton and sweetened the entire container.

I tried teas on and off over the years - I did like lemon and orange
teas.

But I didn't really get interested in it, until about a year ago, I saw
a display of Republic of Tea White Tea at my local grocery store (For
anyone in the northeast US, it was a Wegmans - WONDERFUL grocery
store). I bought some, cringing at the price. But I really liked it. I
also liked several of their other teas - Orange Spice green tea, and a
Rooiboos are two standouts.

Then I moved to Minnesota, and somewhere along the way, my favorite
green tea disappeared, and I didn't have a local source of Republic of
tea. So I went to their website to order some, and went a little crazy,
ordering a teapot, and a bunch of their sample packs of loose teas. So
I'm a newbie in the tea world. So far, I like the Ti Kuan Yin Oolong
the best.

I do like coffee, but since I avoid caffeine (or at least the higher
caffeine drinks), I tend towards decaf, which isn't as good. And most
of the time, I can't get the kind of coffee I like (a smoother, less
bitter brew) - it seems as if the starbuck's overly bitter style has
taken over.

Cathy Weeks

Here is my story:
I grew up in Havana, Cuba, where it is coffee and coffee, and tea
drinking is reserved for people with stomach and other digestive
ailments. But there was always the chance going against the mainstream
and therefore I was all for tea. At the beginning it was sporadic
drinking. Then I started working in a research center where there were
some Russian coworkers, and they introduced me to wonderfully fresh
Indian and Sri-Lankan tea. I got hooked-up forever.
After the collapse of the Soviet empire, things got tough in Havana,
and among other things tea became a rarity. I remember paying
exorbitant prices for a small packed of tea from India or from
Azerbaijan. I came to the US as an immigrant ten years ago and I have
been very disappointed because it is so extremely difficult to find any
kind of decent black tea around here. I have traveled quite a bit in
Europe and Asia. So far, the best tea I had over there been in Madrid,
Spain. But still I have not been able to find again the kind of strong
brew that my Russian friends shared with me back then. I keep trying,
though.

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:
> How did everyone get interested in tea? Many of you have lived in
> Asia, but are not from Asia. Did your interest develop after you went
> to Asia? Why tea when the world is interested in coffee? (I,
> personally, have never liked coffee, but I envy those who do.) How do
> those around you view your fascination with tea (for those fascinated
> with tea)? Do they see it as eccentric? It is obviously not very
> eccentric when you're caught up in it, but I fear most people cannot
> understand this interest, regardless of where in the world one might
> be.
>
> Excitedly awaiting your stories,
>
> Rufus T. Firefly
> Tokyo