OK, things have been a little quiet 'round here and probably to the
dismay of many I always like to throw out a lighter topic or two that
anyone can chime in on. So, what has been in your cup lately?

I've been enjoying some Sencha, Young Hyson, Jasmine Oolong, White
Crane Pu-Erh, and some Lipton Green Label DJ.

- Dominic
Currently Drinking: Sencha (that I picked up for only $6/lb. from
Presto George in Pittsburgh, very good stuff at a super low price)

[Dominic]
> So, what has been in your cup lately?

> I've been enjoying some Sencha, Young Hyson, Jasmine Oolong, White
> Crane Pu-Erh, and some Lipton Green Label DJ.

> - Dominic
> Currently Drinking: Sencha (that I picked up for only $6/lb. from
> Presto George in Pittsburgh, very good stuff at a super low price)


[Michael]
Oriental beauty earlier this morning,
Gold Bud Bingcha (Menghai factory)
2004 this afternoon.

Dominic T. wrote:
> OK, things have been a little quiet 'round here and probably to the
> dismay of many I always like to throw out a lighter topic or two that
> anyone can chime in on. So, what has been in your cup lately?


Within the last week I have enjoyed:

Spring '06 Shizuoka Shincha
Hisashi Matcha
1966 Hunan Heicha
1970s Grand Yellow Label
2005 Double-Happiness Hao (green puerh)
A *VERY* tasty shu pu of unknown pedigree,
alleged to be 1970s but I sincerely doubt it.
And some Yunnan Gold (red tea)

Mike
http://www.pu-erh.net

I normally rotate all the teas I have, so: Darjeeling Puttabong 1st
Flush, Golden Monkey, Golden Needle, Green Mate, Ooooh Darjeeling, Pi
Lo Chun Select, and Wen Shan Bao Zhong. I've been a little
dissapointed with the Puttabong, which I got a month or two ago.
I'm also a little dissapointed with the Bao Zhong, which I just
receieved. Not as flavorful as the Bao Zhong I've had before, with
almost no flavor on the second infusion. I just finished a Tung Ting
Jade Oolong which was delicious. Fortunately I have some Bao Zhong and
2nd Flush Darjeeling on the way that promises to be better than my
recent tea experiences.

xDustinx wrote:
> I normally rotate all the teas I have, so: Darjeeling Puttabong 1st
> Flush, Golden Monkey, Golden Needle, Green Mate, Ooooh Darjeeling, Pi
> Lo Chun Select, and Wen Shan Bao Zhong. I've been a little
> dissapointed with the Puttabong, which I got a month or two ago.
> I'm also a little dissapointed with the Bao Zhong, which I just
> receieved. Not as flavorful as the Bao Zhong I've had before, with
> almost no flavor on the second infusion. I just finished a Tung Ting
> Jade Oolong which was delicious. Fortunately I have some Bao Zhong and
> 2nd Flush Darjeeling on the way that promises to be better than my
> recent tea experiences.

I have been trying to improve my technique with lightly roasted Anxi
and Taiwanese oolongs, and finding a lot to like about the Taiwanese
ones (which I get from Hou De, mostly). I also recently branched out
into pu'er in a big way, and I'm participating in a tasting of Wuyi
yancha too, which I'm only about halfway through. The tasting has been
a real education. I asked my coffee-drinking philistine wife to help
me with it and to my delight she's really gotten into it.

One thing about the Anxi oolongs. I bought all of them (I have
probably six or seven different sorts, in varying quantities) in
wholesale markets in China. I love the taste, but compared to Formosa
tea, the leaves just look like crap when unfolded, all chewed up. I
don't know if this is a grade thing or a result of machine harvesting,
and it would be great if someone can fill me in.

So: does anyone have a recommendation for a truly high-grade
tieguanyin, that is made to the same standards as Taiwanese gaoshancha?
Available online please.

Dom thanks for starting this thread. Your enthusiasm is infectious.

Also I'd like to thank Mike Petro publicly for his incredible website.

I've been finishing up Upton packets as cold brew tea. English
Breakfast Blend, River Shannon Blend, Heirloom Tea Flowers, none of
which I recommend either hot or iced. Also I finished up Zhena's Gypsy
Love teabags, which is better cold than hot. Organic and fair trade
though, which is not enough reason to rebuy. Toci

Dominic T. wrote:
> OK, things have been a little quiet 'round here and probably to the
> dismay of many I always like to throw out a lighter topic or two that
> anyone can chime in on. So, what has been in your cup lately?
>
> I've been enjoying some Sencha, Young Hyson, Jasmine Oolong, White
> Crane Pu-Erh, and some Lipton Green Label DJ.
>
> - Dominic
> Currently Drinking: Sencha (that I picked up for only $6/lb. from
> Presto George in Pittsburgh, very good stuff at a super low price)

I've been alternating between Adagio's fruit sangria herbal (not available
on the website, only available in some stores on the east coasts. Sucks cuz
I"m i Utah. Once I'm out, I"m out!), an herbal blend I've made myself with
chamomile, mint, catnip, lemongrass, and a dash of valarian when I'm trying
to sleep, and finaly RoT's golden yunnan.
Oh yeah...and a 50/50 blend of dark roasted coffee and chicorie root...mmmmm
mud.
Marlene

Marlene Wood wrote:
> I've been alternating between Adagio's fruit sangria herbal (not available
> on the website, only available in some stores on the east coasts. Sucks cuz
> I"m i Utah. Once I'm out, I"m out!), an herbal blend I've made myself with
> chamomile, mint, catnip, lemongrass, and a dash of valarian when I'm trying
> to sleep, and finaly RoT's golden yunnan.
> Oh yeah...and a 50/50 blend of dark roasted coffee and chicorie root...mmmmm
> mud.
> Marlene

Hey Marlene, I just bought some chicory from a local coffee roaster and
I can't make a good drink from it to save my life. The instructions say
1 tbls. per cup, but that seems mighty excessive, I cut it down to
about the amount I would use for a regular pot of coffee and it was
still pretty bitter and not so good. I will try cutting it with some
regular coffee like you say, but at what ratio and how much?

- Dominic

For evening, I've been alternating between chocolate mint rooibos,
raspberry, ginger, and licorice tisanes. I did a ginger-licorice
mixture which is good, also. Toci
Marlene Wood wrote:
> I've been alternating between Adagio's fruit sangria herbal (not available
> on the website, only available in some stores on the east coasts. Sucks cuz
> I"m i Utah. Once I'm out, I"m out!), an herbal blend I've made myself with
> chamomile, mint, catnip, lemongrass, and a dash of valarian when I'm trying
> to sleep, and finaly RoT's golden yunnan.
> Oh yeah...and a 50/50 blend of dark roasted coffee and chicorie root...mmmmm
> mud.
> Marlene

It is much much better with coffee. I'd recomend 25% to start, and adjust
from there. I like it dark and thick, so I'm up to 50%

> Hey Marlene, I just bought some chicory from a local coffee roaster and
> I can't make a good drink from it to save my life. The instructions say
> 1 tbls. per cup, but that seems mighty excessive, I cut it down to
> about the amount I would use for a regular pot of coffee and it was
> still pretty bitter and not so good. I will try cutting it with some
> regular coffee like you say, but at what ratio and how much?
>
> - Dominic
>

I've been trying to consume the bulk of my perishable tea stash before
I go abroad in a few months, so lately i've been drinking my xi hu long
jing, jasmine pearls, high mountain Chinese TGY. Also, with the
http://puerh_tea.livejournal.com tasteoff going on, and a backlog of
non-tasteoff samples, I've been drinking lots of younger sheng pu'er.

Last night I drank Xizhihao Lao Banzhang. Today I drank a high fire
shui xian and jasmine pearls. Tonight...Xizhihao Youle?

~bears³

Dominic T. wrote:
> OK, things have been a little quiet 'round here and probably to the
> dismay of many I always like to throw out a lighter topic or two that
> anyone can chime in on. So, what has been in your cup lately?
>
> I've been enjoying some Sencha, Young Hyson, Jasmine Oolong, White
> Crane Pu-Erh, and some Lipton Green Label DJ.
>
> - Dominic
> Currently Drinking: Sencha (that I picked up for only $6/lb. from
> Presto George in Pittsburgh, very good stuff at a super low price)

Dominic T. wrote:

> So, what has been in your cup lately?

* Assam Dhelekat TGFOP (yum yum yum; nearly finished and looking
forward to trying another Assam)

* Ceylon Battalgalla OP (good start to the day)

* Prince of Wales (my guilty pleasure; nearly finished and looking
forward to trying some Keemun)

* Gyokoru (also nearly finished; will probably replace with a cheaper,
but above average, sencha)

When I say "nearly finished", I mean the tin is nearly empty and I'm
thinking ahead to what I'll put in it next.

Cheers,
Gavin

snip snip

[Alex]
> One thing about the Anxi oolongs. I bought all of them (I have
> probably six or seven different sorts, in varying quantities) in
> wholesale markets in China. I love the taste, but compared to Formosa
> tea, the leaves just look like crap when unfolded, all chewed up. I
> don't know if this is a grade thing or a result of machine harvesting,
> and it would be great if someone can fill me in.

[Michael]
Can't really answer that except to say that a couple
days ago we were bemarking on the same thing. The
Taiwan leaves are really robust and most likely more
impervious to harm. I don't think the battering the
edges of Anxi leaves take is indicative of machining;
it could even be the other way round.

[Alex]
> So: does anyone have a recommendation for a truly high-grade
> tieguanyin, that is made to the same standards as Taiwanese gaoshancha?
> Available online please.

[Michael]
That last line of yours threw me as I was about to recommend
Silk Road Teas TGY No. 37, one of my personal favorites;
but alas, while their catalog (for what it's worth) is on line,
their business with you will be by phone and snail mail. I
get my TGY's locally (NYC), depending on those who hop
back and forth between China and the USA. (What a
worthless paragraph this turned out to be.)

But, on the
subject, what experiences are out there with *long* and
*complex* aftertastes and finishes on TGY and other
treasures of Anxi? For to me, finish and aftertaste are
necessary conditions, nearly sufficient, for fine and great
Oolong.

Best,
Michael

>I'm guessing that Shizuoka Shincha was from Ito En, I'm still bummed I
>never got a chance to find it on my trip. Thanks for the painful
>reminder How's about maybe a real short description of that Shincha?
>I found that I can order it online from them, but I was a little afraid
>of it being old already.

Actually I got it from http://www.chajin.co.jp , I have been doing
business with Ken for 2 years now and he has always treated me fair.
They have one helluva selection of kyusu tea pots as well.
http://www.chajin.co.jp/catalog/chaki/index.html See mine here, is was
less than $15. http://www.pu-erh.net/toolfull.php?Tool=4
http://www.pu-erh.net/toolfull.php?Tool=5

It is the first one the second row of this page
http://www.chajin.co.jp/catalog/chab...cha/index.html.
It has an overall vegetal flavor reminiscent of raw pea or raw
asparagus. Mellow, sweet, and somewhat grasslike as well. Easily
oversteeped so you have to pay attention to it. The Shizouka Shincha
was harvested late May/early June. When I received it in June I
repackaged into nitrogen sparged 20g bags (enough for a weekend) which
I keep in the refrigerator.( See
http://www.pu-erh.net/static.php?StaticID=12 )This preserves the
freshness extremely well.


>Also, I'm not real heavy into Matcha's, but I've never heard of
>Hisashi... can you offer any info on that one? Does it produce a
>stronger cup (koicha) or weaker (usucha)?

Sorry, I got that translation wrong, my bad . It was actually Chouan
matcha by Marukyu Koyamaen. The Marukyu Koyamaen house is the middle
house on this page http://www.chajin.co.jp/category/maccha/index.html
the Chouan is the second best in their line. It is of the koicha
(thick) style.



--
Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net

Dominic, thanks muchly for starting the thread. Exactly as you say, it
is a great benefit to get some inspiration from owners of some of the
well-tuned palates that write here. (The owners, that is, and not
their palates. Although I suppose it is possible to write with one's
palate. Perhaps.)

I've been drinking my last batch from a recent trip to Sichuan. It's
dropping at an alarming rate, and I'm getting concerned about being
able to find replacements when it's gone!

Favourites these last few days:

Maofeng of unknown Sichuan leaf, very vivid and fresh
A very friendly formosa wulong
1999 "Yank Kang" mystery bing (see the Pu'erh LiveJournal)
A decent xinyang maojian (average grade, but very pleasing nonetheless)


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

> - Dominic
> Currently Drinking: Sencha (that I picked up for only $6/lb. from
> Presto George in Pittsburgh, very good stuff at a super low price)

I've been drinking mostly Taiwan Gaoshan teas. Having many students
from Taiwan that frequently go home helps me in my supply! Anyway, it
tastes so much better if it's from the source. I learned that
everything I knew about Gaoshan tea before...was simply wrong.


Scary realization.

Over the last week, I've tried several teas with varying reviews:

The Upton teas:
Rote Gruze fruit tea (an infusion)--a little sweet for me
Chisunga Estate Malawi BOP--it reminded me more of coffee than tea. I
made some for my coffee-addict husband, so I'm curious to see what he
thinks.
Osmanthus Oolong Se Chung--it starts out pretty ordinary, but ends up
with a blast of peach flavor.

The Davidson's tea bags:
Vanilla Cream Spice dessert tea
Caramel Peach With Coconut
Raspberry Cream Caramel
all the above a little too sweet for me
*White Peony--OK, would be the tea I would most likely order again from
them if I order from them again.

Adagio White Blueberry tea--the blueberry just doesn't quite work for
me.

I'm going to try and get over to the Indian store this afternoon or
this weekend and pick up some Lipton Green Label Darjeeling.

Heather

Michael Plant wrote:
> snip snip
>
> [Alex]
> > One thing about the Anxi oolongs. I bought all of them (I have
> > probably six or seven different sorts, in varying quantities) in
> > wholesale markets in China. I love the taste, but compared to Formosa
> > tea, the leaves just look like crap when unfolded, all chewed up. I
> > don't know if this is a grade thing or a result of machine harvesting,
> > and it would be great if someone can fill me in.
>
> [Michael]
> Can't really answer that except to say that a couple
> days ago we were bemarking on the same thing. The
> Taiwan leaves are really robust and most likely more
> impervious to harm. I don't think the battering the
> edges of Anxi leaves take is indicative of machining;
> it could even be the other way round.
>
> [Alex]
> > So: does anyone have a recommendation for a truly high-grade
> > tieguanyin, that is made to the same standards as Taiwanese gaoshancha?
> > Available online please.
>
> [Michael]
> That last line of yours threw me as I was about to recommend
> Silk Road Teas TGY No. 37, one of my personal favorites;
> but alas, while their catalog (for what it's worth) is on line,
> their business with you will be by phone and snail mail. I
> get my TGY's locally (NYC), depending on those who hop
> back and forth between China and the USA. (What a
> worthless paragraph this turned out to be.)
>
> But, on the
> subject, what experiences are out there with *long* and
> *complex* aftertastes and finishes on TGY and other
> treasures of Anxi? For to me, finish and aftertaste are
> necessary conditions, nearly sufficient, for fine and great
> Oolong.
>
> Best,
> Michael

Thanks Michael. My Anxi oolong stock right now consists of some Silk
Road TGY-10 and TGY-40 (which I haven't opened) and lots of stuff that
I bought in China. I haven't opened the TGY-40, but I will later
today, so expect a comparison post later on. I couldn't find TGY-37 on
Silk Road's price list - is it maybe one of the things that must be
special-ordered?

So anyway. I think the TGY-10 is pretty decent. I have several things
from China that I would say is better, with pretty complex finishes,
and an interesting progression of tastes from one pot to the next, with
the general scheme often being something like grass predominating at
the beginning and floral and sometimes even cream developing later.
The TGY-10 does not stand up to multiple brewings very well but on the
other hand it doesn't taste like lawn clippings right out of the gate
either.

I know that comparing TGY to Taiwanese oolongs is a little bit
apples-and-oranges, but I would say that the two points in which I find
the TGYs 'inferior' is that one, the leaves look like they have been
put through a food processor, and two, they don't have the same level
of focused intensity of aroma and flavor as the Taiwanese varieties.
It could very well be that the cultivar used in making TGY is simply
less physically robust, which would be fine, but these things often
just look shredded, and Taiwanese oolong looks so great after steeping.
It puzzles me.

Right now I'm drinking some Xizi Hao Lao Ban Zhang (sorry I can't
resist using pinyin).

I should probobly mention that I do brew my coffee/chicory mixture in a drip
coffee maker. My friend who introduced me chicory has a different approach.
He uses a percolator pot, 50/50 coffee/chicory (or more like 100/100 cuz he
uses a lot more coffee than is usually called for). He then brews it until
you could use it for boot polish. He calls this mixture...mud.
He also likes lapsang soushong (or however that vile tea's name is spelled
lol) brewed till it screams.
Of course, we are Civil War re-enactors, and sometimes need that stuff to
get us moving at 6 am (after we've been up all night because someone forgot
to turn off the sprinklers)
Marlene



> It is much much better with coffee. I'd recomend 25% to start, and adjust
> from there. I like it dark and thick, so I'm up to 50%
>
>> Hey Marlene, I just bought some chicory from a local coffee roaster and
>> I can't make a good drink from it to save my life. The instructions say
>> 1 tbls. per cup, but that seems mighty excessive, I cut it down to
>> about the amount I would use for a regular pot of coffee and it was
>> still pretty bitter and not so good. I will try cutting it with some
>> regular coffee like you say, but at what ratio and how much?
>>
>> - Dominic
>>
>
>