Floating Leaves Tea Gathering

Last weekend, I was lucky to be able to attend a tea gathering that turned into a wonderfully relaxed tea-tasting event. The owners of Floating Leaves tea (Rob and Shiuwen) were gracious and opened their home to a nice group of tea-lovers. We shared tea stories, learned about culture and language, and watched while tea was prepared with the formal Gongfu method.

I sipped many teas, including a special Baozhong (fabulous!) and a nice Puerh. I also bought a small, black Yixing pot. Shiuwen is seasoning the pot for me, but once it’s in my hands I’ll post photos. She’s also going to keep her eyes open for a somewhat larger pot for my golden yunnans. Rob and Shiuwen are heading to Taiwan in a few days, and I’m excited to see what new teas (and pots) return with them.

Things I absorbed while sipping:

• I still need to lower the temp of my water just a bit, especially for oolongs.
  
  
• I definitely need to get that Chef’s Choice teapot that I’ve been drooling over (and yes, I did get it – see below).
  
  
• Pronunciation: I’ve been slaughtering the pronunciation of tea names and terms. It was good to actually hear the words instead of just reading them.
  
  
• I’m starting to lust after Yixing teapots
  
  
• Gongfu Method: this is really beautiful and the result is a tribute to tea. I’m going to start working my way toward this method (lots of utensils and trays and cups to buy). It's definitely a great way to enjoy oolongs with other people.
  

NEWS FLASH! Floating Leaves will be opening a new shop this summer. Look for it coming to the Ballard neighborhood soon.