tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122853132024-03-07T01:00:45.553-08:00Cup of Tea and a BlogWelcome to my spot for musing about all things tea. Here you'll read reviews of quality teas, click through comments on tea rooms and shops I've visited, and see photos of leaves and cups. You’ll also find things I might talk about over a cup of tea, like philosophy, literature, current events, or fun ways to pass the time.Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-89790257369304598282010-07-04T16:02:00.001-07:002010-08-31T10:22:30.559-07:00Melting Teapot<span style="font-weight:bold;">I no longer maintain this blog, but if you're interested in reading more from me please check out my Melting Teapot blog at <a href=http://www.meltingteapot.com>http://www.meltingteapot.com</a>. It has many posts about adventures of the tastebuds, and you'll find much to read about tea, wine, and food.</span>Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1148135242619702432006-05-20T07:16:00.000-07:002006-05-20T07:27:22.640-07:00Tea PoetryI've been reading <I>Drifting</i>, a book of poetry by Dominic Cheung (Chang Ts'o). The book was awarded with Taiwan's prestigious literary award, the National Literature and Arts Prize in 1989. The poems have been translated to English by the author. The work is accessible, beautiful, and and filled with vivid imagery. <br /><br />Tea is an important image in this book, and I'd like to share one of the more sensual poems with my fellow tea geeks. <br /><br /> **********<br /><br /><b>Love Poems of Tea</b><br /><br />1<br />If I, the boiling water,<br />And you, the tea;<br />Then your fragrance<br />Has to depend solely upon my plainness.<br /><br />2<br />Let your dryness inside me<br />Softly uncoil and stretch;<br />Let me dissolve <br />Imperceptibly, your tension.<br /><br />3<br />I have to be hot, even boiled<br />Before we consume each other;<br />We have to hide, see and hold<br />each other in water<br />to decide <br />a tea color.<br /><br />4<br />No matter how capriciously <br />you drift;<br />Gradually and slowly<br />(O' gently)<br />You will into me submerge--<br />Deep.<br /><br />5<br />by that moment <br />the most bitter tear of yours<br />will become a best sip<br />of my fragrance.<br /><br /><br /><I>Cheung, Dominic. Drifting. Green Integer: Los Angelos. 2000. p. 18.</i>Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1145486086337710362006-04-19T14:05:00.000-07:002006-04-19T15:57:12.296-07:00Recently Clicked, April 19, 2006I’ve organized this post into three categories: photos, articles, and fun stuff. Enjoy clicking your way through!<br /><br /><b>Photos & Art</b><br /><br />Wellcome Library, out of the UK, “provides insight and information to anyone seeking to understand medicine and its role in society, past and present.” They have some nice photos and art available online, including these images of tea preparation from an Asian exhibit:<br /><UL><LI><a href=http://library.wellcome.ac.uk/doc%5Fwtl040196.html>Tea House in Hong Kong, 1868</a><br /><LI><a href=http://library.wellcome.ac.uk/doc%5Fwtd011064.html>Shamisan teacher, with maid pouring tea</a> (3rd panel)<br /><LI><a href=http://library.wellcome.ac.uk/doc%5Fwtd011070.html>Buddhist monks with tea and treats</a>, </ul><br /><br />The New York Public Library Digital Gallery was “developed to provide free and open online access to thousands of images from the original and rare holdings of The Library.” I did a <a href=http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?word=Tea&s=3¬word=&f=2>quick search for “tea” and was given a list of 47 images</a>. You can enjoy these images online, or you can purchase prints. Here are a few of my favorite images:<br /><UL><LI><a href=http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgdisplaylargemeta.cfm?strucID=138609&imageID=119457&word=Tea&s=3¬word=&d=&c=&f=2&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&num=24&imgs=12&total=28&pos=28> Having A Rest (Smoking and Serving Tea)</a>, Japanese women, photo from the late 1800s.<br /><LI><a href=http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgdisplaylargemeta.cfm?strucID=128515&imageID=74036&word=Tea%20%2D%2D%20Florida%20%2D%2D%20Palm%20Beach&s=3¬word=&d=&c=&f=2&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&num=0&imgs=12&total=1&pos=1> Afternoon Tea, Royal Poinciana, Palm Beach, Fla.</a><br /><LI><a href=http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgdisplaylargemeta.cfm?strucID=139278&imageID=109576&word=Tea&s=3¬word=&d=&c=&f=2&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&num=0&imgs=12&total=28&pos=6>Tea : plants, making and vessels</a>, 1858.</ul><br /><br />I’ve posted links to <a href=http://www.trekearth.com/search.php?phrase=tea&type=&search=Go>tea photos from TrekEarth</a> before, but here are a few new ones I’ve enjoyed:<br /><UL><LI><a href=http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Myanmar/photo255956.htm>Preparing Green Tea</a>, Myanmar (Burma)<br /><LI><a href=http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/India/photo78825.htm”>Tea Shop Along Road</a>, Tamil (India)<br /><LI><a href=http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Pakistan/photo347455.htm>Teatime in Peshawar</a>, Pakistan (birthplace of one of my favorite actors, bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan – more on him and Bollywood in a future post)<br /><LI><a href=http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/China/photo305543.htm>Tea Place</a>, fields in Hangzhou, where Longjing (Dragon Well) tea is grown.<br /><LI><a href=http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Uzbekistan/photo364048.htm>On the Tea Bed</a>, evidently a popular way of passing time in Uzbekistan. I want one of these in my backyard! </ul><br /><br /> <br /><b>Articles & Resources</b><br /><br /><a href=http://www.allfoodbusiness.com/Tea_Glossary.php>Tea Glossary</a>, by <I>allfoodbusiness.com</I>. Most of the tea terms were already familiar, but I did learn at least one new slang term – a “billy.” Click through to the web site to see what it is, if you don’t already know. You can also check out this TrekEarth photo: <a href=http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Oceania/Australia/photo244047.htm>Billy Tea</a>.<br /><br />I sampled some Korean tea for the first time at the Tea Expo, and hopefully there will be more in my future. Here’s a nice informational web site for anyone else who’s interested in Korean tea culture: <a href=http://www.sogang.ac.kr/~anthony/kortea.htm>Korean Tea Pages</a>.<br /><br />The <I>China Window</I> web site has several articles on the culture of tea in China:<br /><UL><LI><a href=http://www.china-window.com/china_briefing/china_eating/chinese-tea.shtml>Chinese Tea</a>, an overall history and look at the culture of tea.<br /><LI><a href=http://www.china-window.com/china_culture/food_drink/teahouse-in-sichuan-provi.shtml>Teahouse In Sichuan Province</a>, a brief but interesting description.<br /><LI><a href=http://www.china-window.com/china_culture/food_drink/chinese-tea-culture.shtml>Chinese Tea Culture</a>, basic information on categories, regions, and cultivation.<br /><LI><a href=http://www.china-window.com/china_culture/food_drink/drinking-gongfu-tea.shtml>Drinking Gongfu Tea</a>, with photos.<br /><LI><a href=http://www.china-window.com/china_culture/performing_arts/huangmei-opera.shtml>Huangmei Opera</a>, “Bordering on Anhui Province, Huangmei in Hubei is a count famous for its tea and tea-picking songs, from which Huangmei Opera got its original name, "tea-picking tunes" or "tea-picking opera".”</ul><br /><br />The U.S. Food & Drug Administration web site has an article (previously published in their 1996 consumer magazine) called, <a href=http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/296_tea.html>“Tea: A Story of Serendipity,"</a> by Marian Segal. I’m sure that the percentage of green and oolong tea-drinking has changed somewhat in the last decade, but I was interested to find out about the historical shift described here:<br /><br /><blockquote>” Tea tastes vary, and one aficionado who squirts lemon in his cup may cringe at the sight of another pouring milk or honey. But no matter how the tea may be doctored, in the United States the odds are overwhelming that it starts out black. Nearly 95 percent of all tea consumed here is black, according to the New York City-based Tea Council of the U.S.A.; 4 percent is green, 1 percent oolong, and 1 percent flavored.<br /><br /> That wasn't always the case, and our proclivity for drinking black tea over green or oolong may have been influenced by events in history. Sixty years ago and more, the amount of black and green tea Americans drank was split fairly evenly--each accounting for about 40 percent of the market--with oolong constituting the rest. During World War II, however, the major sources of green tea--China and Japan--were cut off from the United States, leaving us with tea almost exclusively from British-controlled India, which produces black tea. Americans came out of the war drinking nearly 99 percent black tea.”</blockquote><br /><br />I’ve also added a few blogs to my weekly reading list:<br /><UL><LI><a href=http://niisonge.blogspot.com/>Floating Clouds, Gliding Eagle</a>. I believe that he also is the owner of an informational web site called the <a href=http://www.geocities.com/niisonge/>Dao of Tea</a>.<br /><LI><a href=http://wileng.blogspot.com/>Tea Guy Speaks</a>, very active blog<br /><LI><a href=http://www.darjeelingcuppa.com/>My Darjeeling Cuppa</a><br /><LI><a href=http://teafiles.blogspot.com/>Tea Files</a>, the most current posts contain quite useful information on cleaning Yixing pots.</ul><br /><br /><br /><b>Fun Stuff</b><br /><br />If you’re a Mac user like me, you may be interested in this free downloadable software: <a href=http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/15041&vid=247218>Cuppa</a>, a brewing timer for your computer. It lets you keep track of different times for different teas. I’ve downloaded it to use in hotel rooms when traveling. <br /><br />I have a great fondness for the claymation antics of tea-and-cheese-loving duo<a href=http://www.wallaceandgromit.com/fla/wg.html>Wallace and Gromit</a>. <br /><UL><LI>Tea lovers will especially enjoy all of the teapots and tea-sipping that goes on in their feature film, <a href=http://imdb.com/title/tt0312004/><I>The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,</I></a> which was recently released on DVD. It’s a family-friendly, affectionately funny look at British culture. <I>Crackin’ Good!</I><br /><LI>Nicecupofteaandasitdown.com has a post that shows <a href=http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/?id=60#60>W&G-inspired tea inventions by PGTips</a>. PGTips evidently sponsored several giveaways and featured <a href=http://www.toonhound.com/wgtyphoo.htm>W&G collectibles</a> throughout England (<a href=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1358&id=2207752005>although not in Scotland, which caused a bit of a fuss</a>). <br /><LI>You can still find a silly tea-brewing mini-game in the <a href=http://www.pgmoment.com/pastpgmoments/>the archives ofnthe PGTips web site</a> (click on “play with ERN”).<br /></ul><br /><br />Orisinal Games are cute, sweet, mini-games that you can play online. One of their most recent is <a href=http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/g3/tea.htm>A Daily Cup of Tea</a>, where you control two mice who are stealing sugar cubes.<br /><br />I’m ending this post with a link to <a href=http://www.quite.com/misc/tea1.htm>“The evils of tea (and the virtues of beer),”</a> excerpts from William Cobbett's <I>Cottage Economy</I>, published in 1822. It’s a hoot to look back at his arguments, especially now that we know so much about the healthy properties of tea.Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1143773895699964492006-03-30T18:51:00.000-08:002006-03-30T19:03:32.956-08:00Expo Seminar: Ancient Tea ForestsI’m back home now, writing up the last of my notes from the Tea Expo. Just before catching my flight, I attended: <br /><br /><b>“A Journey into the Ancient Tea Forests of Xishuangbanna, China”</b><br />By <a href="http://worldteaexpo.com/speakerbios.asp#oleary">Sean O’Leary</a>, photojournalist, <a href="http://rishitea.com">Rishi Tea</a> <br /><br />Wednesday morning’s seminar speaker was a photojournalist who travels with Joshua Kaiser to document Rishi’s organic tea trade and sources. Again, a booklet with small images of the presented slides was provided with plenty of space for notes. This was good because I was writing whenever not looking at the fascinating images. What’s below is an attempt to make sense of the scrawled notes that fill my booklet. <br /><br />O’Leary started with maps of China’s tea regions, focusing our attention on the Yunnan district. In particular, we were seeing images from old growth tea forests in a mountainous region of Yunnan. I loved seeing the photos of the “King Tea Tree,” a 2700-year-old tree that is protected as a national treasure in China. Lest you think this is a drive-by tourist exhibit, know that it is a four-hour trek up a mountain with no roads and barely visible trails. I was reminded of some trails I’ve been on while geocaching in the Pacific Northwest, but our climate is much cooler making bushwhacking/hiking a bit easier. Of course, tea plants flourish in humid, hot, monsoonal climates.<br /><br /> I don’t want to give away all of the information that was presented in this seminar, but the speaker had an important message that bears repeating. <br /><br />Old growth tea forests differ from “mono-cultural” gardens in several ways. They have a naturally biodiverse ecosystem, which means more exposure to other pollens and animals/insects. The trees vary in size and age. The younger, shorter tea trees are often shaded by larger trees – anyone who drinks Japanese green tea probably knows that shade-grown tea has a different flavor from tea in the full sun. The varying sizes also provides a natural misting, the bud is supposedly more tender, and all of things combine to make for a different flavor to the tea grown and processed in this region. The forests also do not suffer from the severe erosion problems that many of the monocultural gardens are fighting. <br /><br />Not all of the old-growth forests are strictly “wild” – they can be cultivated or semi-cultivated. They are in difficult to access regions with village living conditions that are less than ideal. Child labor, inadequate processing, difficult travel, and lack of quality control are problems that need to be overcome before these forests are a viable source of tea for international trade. Longterm investments in sustainable development are needed. It is a lengthy process to build trust and develop new standards and techniques – it’s not a situation that can be improved by simply throwing money at it. However, there are several movements getting underway to create better conditions, a viable business environment, and standards of cleanliness (no animals in the processing rooms, for instance).<br /><br />O’Leary then went on to show a wonderful series of slides featuring traditional processing of puerh cakes. He gave much information on terminology and talked about issues with aged puerh. One thing I had not considered is that some of the aged tea from the 60s might contain DDT (it has an extremely long shelf-life). <br /><br /><b>Many of the slides and much of the information from the seminar can be found by clicking through to the <a href="http://rishitea.com/travelogue/">first installment of Rishi’s new Travelogue: Jingmai-Mangjing</a>.</b>Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1143616132396927592006-03-28T23:08:00.000-08:002006-03-30T19:08:14.346-08:00Live from the Expo: Tuesday<I>Editing note, 3/30/06: I now know that "the korean dress is called a han bok (pronounced with<br />a long o), kimono is Japanese." I've corrected the information below. Many thanks to my friend Jan for emailing the information! :)</i><br /><br />My taste buds were happy when I sampled some Korean tea from <a href="http://hankooktea.co.kr/">Hankook Tea USA, Inc.</a> This was my first time trying Korean tea, and it was quite pleasant. I tried a green and a heavily oxidized oolong that had just been prepared. My experience with greens is limited, but the delicate airy feeling of this was wonderful. The oolong was different from the Taiwanese and Chinese oolongs (for that matter, it was different than Indian oolongs). It’s hard to describe without having a cup in front of me, but it was slightly floral with a very smooth character. The women working at the booth were charming and full of great information. Their manager and resident tea expert was wearing a beautiful han bok. She and another woman explained the different characteristics of the teas they had along, which were displayed in rough-hewn ceramic bowls. They aren’t set up yet for online ordering, but hope to be soon. Korean tea can be tough to find in the U.S., but anyone who is interested can check out their website and order via phone or email. <br /><br />I picked up a few free copies of the<a href="http://countryregister.com/"><I> Country Register</i></a>. This is a free newspaper that is available in regional editions throughout the U.S. and Canada. I wasn’t familiar before with this publication, but my friend Marilyn (aka Marmalady) has an article in the April-May 06 Annual Tea and Food issue of the Arizona edition. If any Arizona readers pick up this issue, look for Marilyn Miller on page 6.<br /><br />I never was able to get to a Chado Chef demonstration (other than eavesdropping a bit on the outskirts for a few minutes). The recipes were available in a handout, though, and here’s the one I want to try:<br /><blockquote><br /><b>Yunnan Dip for Vegetable Crudités</b><br />(chef Wm. Jarvie of Johnson & Wales University)<br /><br />2 cups mayonnaise<br />1/4 cup buttermilk/sour cream<br />1 tsp lemon juice<br />1 tbsp chili powder<br />1 tbsp cayenne pepper<br />1 tbsp Yunnan tea leaves<br /></blockquote><br />It doesn’t say how long to let it sit, or if the leaves need to be chopped/ground (I’m assuming not), just to whisk it all together. I’ll make an attempt soon and report back. <br /><br />The winners of the iced tea competition were announced, and I noticed that <a href="http://www.adagio.com/misc/anteadote.html?SID=f96ca4a26e002ab7ac1a3f8634595afc">Adagio</a>, <a href="http://chadaotea.com/ourproducts.htm">Cha Dao</a>, and <a href="http://rishitea.com/">Rishi Teas</a> all did very well. <a href="http://itoen.com/">ITO EN</a> also had quite a presence. If I read the winner’s label correctly, they took overall and won a couple of other categories. I posted about the Adagio bottled tea yesterday, and today I tried the Cha Dao bottled tea – the oolong and sencha teas were my favorite (very pure and clean) but it was their jasmine green tea that took 2nd place. Never got a chance to sample ITO EN’s teas, unfortunately.<br /><br />I visited another acronym company’s booth, <a href="http://www.intgroup.co.jp/all-company-eng.html"> INT Co. Ltd.</a>, and was able to watch the Japanese tea master do his thing today, and it was quite interesting. There was a flat heated surface (about 3 or 4 feet across) with a large pile of fresh green leaves that he was gently lifting and sifting through his fingers. I heard someone nearby refer to this loose shaking as the drying and evaporating process. <br /><br />The <a href="http://teaandcoffee.net/">Tea & Coffee Trade Journal</a> had a booth reserved that was just for attendees to sit and read (they had free copies of their journal available). I really appreciated having a place to sit, since finding a chair was difficult. It isn’t just the Tea Expo, it’s Las Vegas – if you’re not in front of a slot machine, it can be tough to find a place to rest your tired feet. <br /><br />Something very new to me was finding out more about packaging and containers. There are companies that specialize in machines to boil large amounts of water, bag teas, or create boxes and tins that are personalized to one’s tea business. I stopped by the <a href="http://www.nasaco.co.jp/teabage.htm">FUSO/NASA</a> booth this morning to watch a spiffy tea packaging machine. They asked if I wanted a bag of tea, and I said “sure” thinking that they were going to give me one bag of tea. To my surprise, they handed me a sackful (big bag!) of bagged tea. <br /><br />For those who’ve asked, I finally figured out a shortcut between my room and the Expo that takes me outside, so I can avoid the smoky casino stroll – yay! Still tough to find food, but I scoped out where the bagels are (breakfast tomorrow) and then had a nice veggie Sulu Stirfry at the Star Trek Experience. <br /><br />I’ll post more either Wednesday or Thursday about my two favorite events of the day: one tea tasting with the Tea Board of India (a wonderful treat!) and another tea tasting with James Norwood Pratt. My schedule tomorrow is a seminar on Ancient tea forests in China -- then quickly checking out and catching my flight home.Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1143573889487168172006-03-28T11:24:00.000-08:002006-03-28T11:34:31.380-08:00Live from the Expo: “Is There a Book in You?”This morning I attended a seminar by <a href="http://www.teawithfriends.com/">Elizabeth Knight</a>, tea sommelier at the St. Regis Hotel in NYC and author of three books. She was a well-prepared and thoughtful speaker. A booklet with small images of her slides (and plenty of room for notes) was handed out at the beginning of the session. Knight's talk went through several points, from the demand for tea books to researching competition to writing proposals for publishers.<br /><br />My own experience with publishing has been mostly in the academic world, and much of my actual writing has been multimedia and/or online, so it was interesting to get a more traditional approach to publishing. Some of what Knight had to say was similar to academic publishing:<br /><UL><br /><LI>Locate your niche<br /><LI>Research previous texts<br /><LI>Define your potential audience<br /><LI>Write a proposal<br /></ul><br />One large difference that I hadn’t thought about, though, is finding agents. That’s definitely a new slant for me.<br /><br />I didn’t really need any of the writing tips she presented, since I’ve taught writing classes for nearly 20 years, but it was good to view the writing process from a new perspective. Most helpful for me was a series of questions designed to help focus, plan, and to define one’s personal goals. She also gave insights into marketing and promoting both books and yourself.<br /><br />This was exclusively about the U.S. publishing market, and much of it was focused on very localized or regional marketing. If you are writing a book in the U.S., or even considering writing a book, I’d recommend taking this seminar if she offers it at next year's Tea Expo (in Atlanta instead of Las Vegas). In addition to the great information she provides, you’ll have a chance to meet many business owners who just may be the ones selling your book in their stores. <br /><br />That’s all for now. If I get a chance tonight, I’ll post a few more notes from the tea tastings I’ll be attending. However, if my exhaustion level isn’t too high, I may just spend the evening at the <a href="http://www.startrekexp.com/">Star Trek Experience</a>.<br /><br />Live Long and Prosper (and drink lots of tea!) :)Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1143520694422303292006-03-27T20:31:00.000-08:002006-03-28T11:29:01.090-08:00Live from the World Tea Expo, Monday<i>Tuesday, March 28, 11:26: just realized that at some point this post disappeared from my blog. I guess there must have been some weird glitch in the system. Luckily, it was still in my dashboard, so I'm reposting. Apologies to anyone using newsreaders -- sorry you're getting this twice.</i><br /><br />I’m in Las Vegas for my first visit to the <a href="http://worldteaexpo.com/">Tea Expo</a>. My goal here is to find out more about the business of tea as a way to round out my own knowledge. I don’t plan to own a tea business – just want to learn, write, and enjoy.<br /><br /><b>The Journey</b><br /><br />On the plane I met Elizabeth Knottingham, owner of <a href="http://www.teacupseattle.com">The Teacup</a> in Seattle. I’ve been to the shop many times but hadn’t met Elizabeth before – what a fun and interesting person she is. I’m not sure where she gets so much energy, but I’m jealous! She’s also a vast well of great information about finding, buying, and selling tea, so I’m hoping to spend more time talking with her.<br /><br />Then, on the shuttle to the hotel I met two more people on their way to the Expo. One was a young woman who worked for a scent/flavoring company and the other a man who managed/owned some sort of supply company.<br /><br /><b>The Hilton Hotel</b><br /><br />I’m up on the 27th floor, which makes for a long elevator ride when people are getting on and off every few floors. On the other hand, I have a pretty incredible view of the Strip and the mountains framing the city.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1roomview.jpg"><img src="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1roomviewsm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />One of the first things I do in a hotel room is set up my "travel tea set," and this room has the perfect spot:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1traveltea.jpg"><img src="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1travelteasm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />There are tea people everywhere in the hotel, and it’s fun to find out how far they’ve come for the Expo. There are attendees from China, Taiwan, Japan, India, Kenya, and more. Part of what I love about exploring tea is that it provides a chance to explore a culture and to meet new people from places I may never be able to visit myself.<br /><br />One thing that’s missing is the bright desert sunshine. It’s been sort of sunny, but mostly overcast, and rain showers are expected for the next 2 days. Darn – I could have used a sun fix after the rainy Seattle winter. Maybe there will be a sunbreak tomorrow, so I can go outside and roast myself just a bit.<br /><br />As always, it is exceptionally difficult to be vegetarian in Las Vegas. Even getting a salad without meat is tough. I do eat seafood occasionally, but even that isn’t very safe for me here (there’s often broth or gelatin in the sauces and side dishes). Today, I had carrot sticks for lunch and really bad buffet/salad bar food for dinner. <br /><br />Cough cough cough – I hate having to walk through smoky casinos to get to the expo. At least the Hilton isn’t one of the major strip casinos, so there’s not quite as much of it as you find in some of them.<br /><br /><br /><b>Exhibit Hall: my first thoughts</b><br /><br />Because this is a trade show, no cameras are allowed in the exhibit area. Instead of photos I’ll try to provide links to company web sites. Any images below are things I purchased and photographed in my hotel room. <br /><br />Attendees get a free gift – I chose the small glass teapot with filter (that's the t-shirt behind it):<br /><br /><center><a href="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1teapot.jpg"><img src="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1teapotsm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Many vendors have samples of tea, tea drinks, and tea snacks. There’s also a small gift shop with t-shirts and signed copies of James Norwood Pratt’s new Tea Dictionary.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1book1.jpg"><img src="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1book1sm.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1book2.jpg"><img src="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1book2sm.jpg"></a><br /></center><br /><br />I’m hoping to catch a <a href="http://worldteaexpo.com/special_events_chado.asp">Chado food demonstration</a> tomorrow. These are quite interesting, with celebrity chefs preparing foods made with tea. Recipes are given in the conference program, so I’ll have to try some when I get home.<br /><br />Most of the vendors are really nice – excited about tea and their products, and eager to talk. Only one snubbed me when she saw I wasn’t a teashop owner (rolled her eyes, sniffed, and turned away). Eh, it wasn’t a real tea product anyway.<br /><br />Speaking of “real tea” – I think that more than half of the tea companies were selling flavored teas or herbal blends. Even companies that are known for their high quality blacks and oolongs were featuring herbal blends in the booths. I’m not sure if they’re catering to the desires of Expo attendees or if it’s just easier to prepare these in a booth situation.<br /><br />I tried several samples of different tea-flavored candies and goodies, but none of them actually tasted of tea to me. I’ll have to try a few more tomorrow and will let you know if anything stands out. <br /><br />The <a href="http://teapotjewelry.com/">Tiny Tea Pots</a> jewelry booth was a MADHOUSE. They need more space! The jewelry sure is popular – bought myself a necklace, and watched while others loaded up trays with bracelets, watches, beads, and more.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://lifeinfragments.spleen.org/teaexpo/teaexpo1necklace.jpg"></center><br /><br />There are many teapot and ceramic companies here. I enjoyed seeing the <a href="http://www.bodum.com/">Bodum</a> exhibit, since my first looseleaf teapot was the Bodum Assam (it’s still the same, but with a metal filter instead of plastic now). <br /><br />One of my favorite stops was <a href="http://bluecalico.com">Blue Calico, Ltd.</a>, which is owned by two very nice people with a really interesting product. Make sure you click through to the <a href="http://bluecalico.com/store/about.php">"About" page on their web site</a> to see the historic aspect to the British ceramics, Burleighware, they sell. It was fascinating to see photos and a video of the old 1800s process that is still used today (on the same equipment!). I also spent some time being computer-geeky with one of the owners who has developed an interesting software product for internet tea businesses. <br /><br />Oolong Tea Square had amazingly beautiful tea sets on display, including one covered with ornate gold.<br /><br />I was happy to meet the owner of <a href="http://www.specialteas.com/">SpecialTeas</a>, Juergen Link, a super nice man. I’ve been ordering from SpecialTeas for. . . gosh. . . maybe 15 years? This is our favorite vendor for assams (we go through a lot of <a href="http://www.specialteas.com/product_detail.aspx?item_no=110+02+04+51+1">HazelbankFTGFOP1</a> in our house). <br /><br />Stopped by the <a href="http://www.adagio.com/">Adagio</a> booth but it was pretty busy, so I didn’t introduce myself. I did try some of their new bottled tea -- the jasmine was very aromatic, and the black was good. <br /><br />I’m also going to try to get in on the Nilgiri tea tasting area with James Norwood Pratt.<br /><br />I signed up for a tea tasting tomorrow afternoon with the Tea Board of India. Nearby, an exhibit featured a Japanese tea master doing some interesting leaf roasting. He was taking a break (or perhaps waiting for something?), so I didn’t get to see much. It’s right next to the tea tasting room and I plan to check it out more tomorrow.<br /><br />Discovered a couple of new online tea vendors, but most of the ones here are known to me (or they’re wholesalers who sell to tea rooms/vendors). I’m beginning to get a sense of how purchasing works, and what tea suppliers and store owners are up against when it comes to providing consistency in tea for their customers. <br /><br />I have asked everyone possible about golden yunnan and was surprised at how many of them turned faces filled with dread to me. Figures that my favorite tea is one of the most finicky and hard-to-stock teas around. I sampled a few but didn’t find anything in the cocoa-pepper realm.<br /><br />I’ll post again tomorrow afternoon or evening and let you know how the tea tasting goes, plus I’m actually going to a seminar by <a href="http://worldteaexpo.com/speakerbios.asp#knight">Elizabeth Knight</a> in the morning. It should be fun!Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1143164816838393402006-03-23T17:34:00.000-08:002006-03-23T17:46:56.856-08:00Thai Tea CommercialI stumbled upon this today while searching for something else. It features a couple of darn cute caterpillars trying to reach the top of a branch. Click the image below to view the free video on YouTube. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=NmuaMqzfLGE"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/caterpillartea.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Hope you enjoy this as much as I did! :)Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1143146312273652332006-03-23T12:37:00.000-08:002006-03-23T16:59:10.870-08:00Grand Reopening :)When last you read fresh blog posts here, they were about traveling in Wyoming and Utah, where I:<br /><br />Saw antelope cavorting in the snow . . . <br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/grandantelope.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/grandantelopesmall.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Was a guest at an extra special tea party . . . <br /><br /><center><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/grandteaparty.jpg"></center><br /><br />Carefully packed up my grandmother’s chintz china teacup collection and shipped it to myself. . . <br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/grandmascups.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/grandmascupsmall.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Then, took in one last wonderful Wyoming vista before flying home. . .<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/grandmountain.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/grandmountainsmall.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Since that time much has been going on, and some of it was even tea-related. For instance, I put together an IKEA sideboard to hold my grandmother’s cups (plus all of my own pots and cups and tea). <br /><br />In one afternoon, it went from this:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/grandteacabinetbox.jpg"></center><br /><br />To this:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/grandteacabinet.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/grandteacabinetsmall.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Tea had been spilling out of my kitchen cabinets on to countertop baskets, and with the addition of 25 cups and saucers things had gotten out of control. The new tea cabinet is now in a central living area, and there’s almost always a pot or cup or thermos of tea perched on it. It’s not elegant, but the simplicity and function of the tea cabinet make it a fitting place to keep grandma’s teacups. My mother saved these cups for me after my grandmother’s death a few years ago, and I was excited to finally have them in my own home. <br /><br />Grandma W. spent most of her life on a farm in southern Minnesota. She didn’t have many fancy or dainty things – a few pieces of crystal, some depression-era glassware, and a bunch of individual cup and saucer sets. Many of these were gifts from her daughter-in-law, my mother, and they rarely came out of that cabinet. However, they did come out during my visits to see her. I was one of the few tea drinkers on my father’s side of the family, so my grandma loved to make a pot of tea for us to share. Bagged Lipton tea was placed in a brown betty pot, covered with cold water, and heated in the microwave until it boiled. Not a great cup of tea, but I’d still give just about anything to be back with Grandma W. in her farm kitchen again. <br /><br />Later this spring, though, I will get a chance to sip tea with my other grandmother at her 90th birthday party! She is matriarch of the British side of my family and a devout tea drinker (bagged Red Rose from Canada is her favorite). Grandma G. is probably most responsible for my tea-geekiness. I lived with her for a few months as a young adult and soon fell into the habit of brewing tea each morning and afternoon. <br /><br />Early next week I’ll be heading to Las Vegas for the <a href="http://worldteaexpo.com/">World Tea Expo</a>. I’ve signed up for a couple of seminars and will be attending the keynote, as well as spending time in the vendor’s area. I’m looking forward to learning more about the business of tea. Check here next week while I post live from the Tea Expo.<br /><br />Also coming soon: a few thoughts on the perfect tea cup, this year’s search for a cocoa-mocha golden yunnan, tea in Bollywood, and quite a number of links I’ve saved up the past few months.Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1136317911038267142006-01-03T11:48:00.000-08:002006-01-03T11:51:53.463-08:00HiatusMany apologies to all of my tea-drinking friends out there. I've had a series of family health emergencies and needed to take "leave of absence" from blogging for a bit. <br /><br />I'll be back as soon as I'm able to take a deep breath. Thanks for your email messages and notes -- nice to know you haven't forgotten me. :)<br /><br />CindyCindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1130168749473865042005-10-24T08:30:00.000-07:002005-10-24T10:43:23.493-07:00Traveling with TeaI've been traveling quite a bit the last few weeks: flying to Utah, driving into Wyoming, back to Utah, then returning home to Washington just in time for a a quick trip to Portland, Oregon. I'm home again, but one of my best friends is in Seattle for a conference, and I'm happily spending lots of time with her for the next couple of days. (I'm trying to get her to move here, so she's getting a tour of all of the fun sites in and around Seattle -- ferry rides, walks in the rain, the Pike Place Market, and more). <br /><br />I'll post some fun photos of my trips soon, and I'll also be catching up on some tea tasting notes. For today, though, here are a few thoughts on traveling with tea.<br /><UL><br /><LI> It really isn't hard to pack up small bags/canisters of tea. I prefer bags because they're lighter, but canisters are good to protect fragile leaves. When I'm staying at hotels, I bring my own kettle for heating water (most U.S. hotels provide coffeemakers in rooms, but these always taste of coffee). When I'm going to homes of family and friends, I just bring tea and a small chatsford filter (you can stick the filter directly in a cup to brew the tea).<br /><br /><LI> I'm very glad that I saved the small box that my glass gaiwan (from <a href="http://www.teaspring.com/">Teaspring.com</a>) was shipped in. It protected the cup, which I kept in my carry-on bag. I then used it for an oolong tasting session with my brother and sister. <br /><br /><LI> Water changes everything. I've used city water, well water, bottled water, and filtered water on my trip. There is an amazing difference in how this affects the flavor of tea. In Wyoming, the water has much calcium and is very "hard." My parents have well water, naturally filtered through the underground limestone aquifers beneath, and the water has a wonderfully clear, mountain flavor. The mineral content, however, can really flatten some teas. This same water makes an incredible cup of smokey tea -- russian caravan or lapsang souchongs do really well with hard water. <br /><br /><LI> Some teas are just sturdier than others, and they stand up to variations in water, boiling temperatures, and less than perfect brewing conditions. I had great luck with a medium-roast dong ding oolong, but some of the more floral oolongs were likely to go astringent or lose their floral essence. The golden yunnan that is spicy and wonderful here in Seattle just didn't take to the water in some of the places I've been. On the other hand, the <a href="http://floatingleaves.com/teashop/shopexd.asp?id=54">Golden Yunnan</a> from Floating Leaves was consistent and stood up to a wide range of brewing conditions. <br /><br /><LI> Japanese pottery cups are really great for sipping tea outdoors, whether you brew it outside yourself or you're just carrying a thermos. The cups are sturdy, easy to hold, warm your hands just a bit, and don't have handles that are likely to break when transported (or dropped, as I occasionally do). They also pack up in bags and are easy to stuff in a cooler.<br /></ul><br /><br />I'll post more in a few days, after I've had a chance to catch up to things here. :)Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1128750058172904312005-10-07T22:20:00.000-07:002005-10-07T22:40:58.183-07:00Tea in Salt Lake CityI’m in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a quick visit with my sister. Last night she brewed up a pot of an oolong that smelled like melted butter! Wow, very different. I don’t have the bag available to give the name or the vendor (in San Francisco), but I’ll try to post that later. Maybe I’ll grab a few leaves to take home and try it gong fu style.<br /><br />Today, while she was at work, I went off in search of a good cup of morning tea. She’d given me a tip on a nearby place, the Tea Grotto.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/slcteagrotto.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/slcteagrottosm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The Tea Grotto shares the building with a Feng Shui store, so there is quite a bit of Asian influence in the décor (including a “zen room,” with low tables, mats, and cushions). The Asian influence carries over to the tea and accessories, with yixings, gaiwans, and other ceramics for sale. I was able to order a pot of golden yunnan, which made me happy. They also carry a variety of assams, oolongs, whites, and greens. There are several flavored teas, including chai and tea lattes, listed on the board. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/slcteamenu.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/slcteamenusm.jpg"></a><br /><I>There are more teas than you see here. I couldn't fit the whole list in the picture.</i></center><br /><br />It’s a clean, open, and airy environment. The tea is brewed for you, so it was pretty much a hands-off experience. That’s okay -- the sun was shining in on the café tables, I wasn’t awake yet anyway, and the tea was brewed carefully and tasted great. I grabbed a free newspaper and sat at a table.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/slcteayunnan.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/slcteayunnansm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />After visiting a few shops to pick up some gifts for my nieces and nephew (next stop on the trip to visit family), I had lunch at a Tibetan restaurant. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/slctibet.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/slctibetsma.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />They have a small buffet with plenty of vegetarian food. They also carry three types of tea. I have tried the Tibetan buttered-salted tea before, and (much as I want to) I just can’t get past the texture of it. This time, I went with a sweetened tea, which was quite a bit like a milky chai (but not as spicy). <br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/slctibettea.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/slctibetteasm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />It’s been a wonderfully warm and sunny day, with the mountains in full view and the honeybees drifting in the wind. It still feels like summer here, although it does get a bit chilly after dark. The only sad part of the visit is that I wasn’t able to meet up with fellow blogger <a href="http://teaposur.blogspot.com/">Tea Posur</a>, who lives in the area, since her work schedule didn’t mesh up with mine. On the next visit here I’ll leave more time for tea buddies. :)<br /><br />Salt Lake City has a desert geography, and it lies between the Salt Lake and a mountain range <I>(is that the Uintas?)</i>. Park City and Sundance are in those mountains, along with many other picturesque towns and ski areas. We’ll be driving over the pass tomorrow, and heading across to the east side of Wyoming (my hometown -- Laramie) to see the rest of my family. Tomorrow I’ll be at 7,500 feet, looking at vast blue skies, wind-swept plains, and the Rocky Mountains. I packed a lapsang souchong, which I always feel is best sipped at high altitudes. I’ll report soon on how it brews up and how well it tastes in the mountains themselves (around 11,000 feet elevation).Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1128723009646842972005-10-07T14:38:00.000-07:002005-10-07T15:10:09.830-07:00Blackberries & TeaOne of the places I walk my dog is a large open meadow that sits to the side of soccer fields and a radio-controlled plane area. This means that things are open and clear and sometimes even quite sunny – a bit of a rarity in the Seattle area, where big open spaces are mostly found on the water instead of what is usually an intensely forested geography. I believe that the meadow and soccer fields used to be farmland, which means it was cleared quite a while back. Like all cleared areas here, the “weed” that takes over is the blackberry bush. Blackberries grow wherever humans have taken away the natural vegetation. You’ll see them along railroad tracks, by roads, and even trying to take over my back yard. They can really be a hassle, but in late summer and into the fall, they provide tasty treats while you hike and walk.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/thermosberrybush.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/thermosberrybushsm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Here's a photo of a stretch of blackberry bushes that rim the fields. They're the large bushes to the left:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/thermosbushes.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/thermosbushesm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />As you can see from the photo above and below, the berry bushes are huge. To get some perspective, Aurie is a medium-sized sled dog. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/thermosaurie.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/thermosauriesm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The meadow is one of my dogs favorite places, mostly because she can run and explore off-leash. Lately it's been one of my favorite places because I can stuff myself full of blackberries while we're walking.<br /><br />I carefully avoid the long thorns and try to find a nicely loaded branch, then pick until my fingers are purple. Usually I’ve got a thermos of tea with me, and I’ve found that a nice medium-roast dong-ding oolong goes very well with fresh berries. Once I had a lighter, sweeter oolong, but the blackberries just didn’t compliment the flavor – too much sourness interfering with the tea. A more roasted oolong somehow fits the outdoors, and the touch of smoky sweetness enhances the natural musky, hefty flavor of a blackberry.<br /><br />Once I’ve finished my tea, the thermos also serves as a good vessel to bring some home. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/thermosberries.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/thermosberriesm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />All-in-all, a nice start to any morning, whether sunny or rainy.<br /><br /><br /><br /><I>Coming Shortly: I’ve been traveling again and posted this a few days later than intended. Check back soon for a post on tea in Salt Lake City.</i>Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1127499852713813892005-09-23T11:10:00.000-07:002005-09-23T11:40:30.533-07:00Kali Cha: Darjeeling or Oolong?<I>(cross-posted to <a href="http://chadao.blogspot.com/">Cha Dao</a>)</i><br /><br />The <a href="http://teamail.net/">Teamail list</a> has been buzzing with members' impressions of a unique Darjeeling that has been roasted and prepared with oolong techniques. The tea has been described as having chocolate tones, which immediately intrigued me. Even more interesting, though, is considering whether this is “darjeeling” or “oolong” tea. It was grown in the Darjeeling region, but the tea doesn’t have the usual traits associated with those teas. <br /><br />Before you read my tasting notes, let me start with a shameful disclaimer: I have not yet met a Darjeeling I like. I’d mostly given up on them, in fact, but couldn’t resist sampling it after such reading such interesting descriptions from fellow tea-philes. My tea senses were tingling! :)<br /><br />I ordered mine from <a href="http://www.taooftea.com">Tao of Tea</a> (listed under oolongs, not darjeelings). I received the Kali Cha earlier this week and have sampled it twice now. Both times I’ve brewed the tea gong fu style in a gaiwan, heaping a spoonful (good-sized pinch) of leaves, rinsed then steeped in water brought to a boil.<br /><br />Dry Leaves – quick sniff is all it takes to smell the chocolate that others have noticed. It’s not cocoa, like I get from golden yunnans, but a chocolate. There’s also just a hint of berry or perhaps grape. Is this that “wine” aroma/flavor that is often used to describe darjeelings? The leaves are long, thin, wiry, almost like an Oriental Beauty (but not quite as long and without the OB’s tri-color). The Kali Cha leaves are mostly a reddish-chocolatey-brown, with a few gold tips.<br /><br />As I poured off the water from rinsing, the steam rose into my face and I said “wow!” There’s definitely quite a bit of aroma, almost coffee-like, perhaps because of the roasting process? I wouldn’t describe this as a true coffee, or even chocolate, but the aroma shares a familiar trait with both of those.<br /><br />When I sniff the leaves, a hint of the toasted coconut scent that I equate with medium to dark-roast oolongs is present. There’s a definite sweetness coming through. The color of the tea is lighter than I thought it might be, but there’s quite a red tinge to the liquid. The color reminds me of red-velvet cake.<br /><br />First steep: Very nice, but not really chocolate in flavor. Roasted. Smokey.<br /><br />Second steep: still holding its flavor quite nicely. <br /><br />Third steep: the leaves are unfurling more and the liquid is taking on more of a green cast. I finally get a sense of what another Teamailer referred to as “pencil shavings.” It’s not as off-putting as you might think, but I preferred the first two steepings.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/kalicha.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/kalichasm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Overall: I do like the roasted notes and appreciate the sweet nature of this tea. Most darjeelings I’ve tried have been too citric for my taste, but this one isn’t. Quite nice. I’m surprised to find myself liking a Darjeeling.<br /><br /><b>Which brings me to the big question: is a darjeeling tea really a darjeeling without any standard darjeeling characteristics?</b><br /><br />I do find this to be more similar to oolongs, mostly because it’s sweeter and less fruity than I expect from a Darjeeling (which may be incorrect expectation on my part). It is worth noting, however, that Tao of Tea lists this in their oolongs but not in the darjeeling teas.<br /><br />The Kali Cha especially brings to mind more heavily roasted and aged oolongs, but it has some notable differences that make it unique. First, the aroma rises off in the steam instead of staying in the cup. When I used the aroma-tasting cup combo, there was no lingering scent in the cup. However, the whole upstairs of my house was beautifully fragrant from this tea. Second, this seems to want a longer brewing time than most of the oolongs I’ve tried. It is a robust tea, but it doesn’t go bitter – quite forgiving, actually.<br /><br />Is the sweet and gentle side to this tea evident in other Darjeelings? I prefer this to the more astringent notes of wine or the ripening peach flavor that had been my previous experience with Darjeeling. <br /><br />Let me end by saying that I am happily surprised to have found a Darjeeling (even if it is an oolong) that I really like. :)Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1127240848583594792005-09-20T11:04:00.000-07:002005-09-20T11:28:03.600-07:00Recently Clicked, September 18, 2005<a href="http://chadao.blogspot.com/">Cha Dao</a>, a blog of tea notes. I think of it as sort of a “panel of tea tasters” who provide detailed tasting notes on teas from China and Taiwan. I was pleased to be asked to join this morning and am looking forward to learning from the other participants. I'll cross-post my tasting notes here (probably written up a bit differently), so it shouldn't impact my own Cup of Tea and a Blog. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://tamaryo.blogspot.com/">Tamaryo</a>, a tea blog. I can sort of wiggle my way through French, getting a sense for what is written and grabbing a French-English dictionary (or <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/">Alta Vista’s Babelfish translator</a>) when I get stuck. Even if you don’t read French, this is an interesting blog to view because of the really nice photos. <br /><br /><a href="http://teasire.blogspot.com/">Teasire</a>, a relatively new tea blog. I appreciate the sense of humor that is evident in each post.<br /><br /><a href="http://teaarts.blogspot.com/2005/08/wu-wo-tea-ceremony_04.html">Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony</a>. One of my weekly stops, the Tea Arts Blog, has some interesting information on the wu-wo ceremony, which strives for stillness and transcending prejudices to create a group based on equality (if I understand correctly).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.246.dk/index.html">The Tea Page</a>, Birger Nielsen,’s personal web site. There are many resources, including an extensive page of <a href="http://www.246.dk/teaurls.html">links to tea related web resources</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.gotheborg.com/">Gotheborg.com: Antique Chinese Porcelain Collector's Help and Info Page</a>. You’ll find a good amount of information, a glossary, and even a discussion board. The site also has antique pottery & porcelain for sale, so the information isn’t disinterested, but it still seems to be worthwhile for anyone collecting antiques.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1469733,001100020013.htm">"West Bengal taps Colonial heritage for tea tourism,</a>" Hindustan Times, August 22, 2005. The state government is working to develop a new concept of "Tea Tourism" to help boost their tourist industry.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-09/09/content_476277.htm">"Beijing calling, a street art striving for survival,"</a> China Daily, 2005-09-09 06:10. The article focuses on a man who is preserving the folk art involved with the hawking of street wares (including bowls of hot tea). He is recording the forms of street yelling art that declined in China after 1949.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.int-tea.com/">International Tea Convention</a>. This is where I wish I could be at the end of the month. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.teaexperience.com/sample.htm">Request a free issue of Tea Experience Digest</a>. I know nothing about this magazine, but figured a free issue couldn’t hurt.Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1126643826504733282005-09-13T13:36:00.000-07:002005-09-13T14:04:22.710-07:00Tasting Notes: Teas from Hou de FineOne of the boxes of tea that arrived <a href="http://cuppablog.blogspot.com/2005/09/tea-at-44.html">on my birthday</a> was from <b>Hou De Fine Asian Art</b>. In addition to the teas I had ordered, some very nice samples were tucked inside. They even included <a href="http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=42&products_id=285">a slice of soap made from soapberry oil </a>(and an actual soapberry!). Kudos to the careful shipping on their part (not all vendors are as good with packaging). The teas are sealed in airtight bags, then packed in thin cardboard to better protect them. The leaves all are beautiful, in good condition, and obviously well stored. Labels on the teas include a brief description, which I always appreciate.<br /><br />As always, Guang is helpful and friendly in email exchanges. I have also learned much from Guang’s posts to <a href="http://teamail.net/">Teamail</a>, and from the extensive information you can find on the <a href="http://www.houdeasianart.com">Hou de Fine web site</a>. Tea lovers out there should definitely explore the site – videos, a newsletter, photos, beautiful antiques, and excellent information on puerh. I think you’ll get a sense of the care and pride that is taken with their tea. <br /><br />So far, I’ve tasted three of the teas in my box from Hou de Fine. All three were excellent, but the one that blew my socks off was the Li-Shan. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_5&products_id=235">2005 Spring Yunnan "Jin-Si" Golden Tips</a>: good and solid. Earthy, and textured. This is a quality tea that is decently priced.</b><br /><br />Not as sweet or with as many cocoa notes as some, but there’s a nice peppery bite to the tea. I need to try this again and will post more extensive notes in an upcoming golden yunnan comparison (have a few more to review now, as I continue my quest for the perfect cocoa-pepper taste).<br /><br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_4&products_id=229">2005 Spring “Green-Leaf Red-Rim” Formosa Hand-Harvested Oolong</a>: I read the description of this tea earlier in the year, and it’s been bookmarked in my “tea want list” since then. </b><br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/houredrim05.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/houredrim05sm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The leaves are beautiful, unfurling to show off the the leaf in its entirety, and they cast a reddish tint to the liquid. Because of this, the tea is more amber than green. <br /><br /> I quite enjoyed this tea. It is intricate, smooth, and just a bit sweet. I sniffed the aroma cup (is that the correct term?) and found a deep sweetness with just a touch of roasting. As the tea cools, the floral taste strengthens. The smooth quality of the tea coats the tongue and throat, and there is just a hit of citrus/lime in the aftertaste. <br /><br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=256">2005 Spring Li-Shan “Ma-Le-Pa” Tribe Premium Oolong</a>: This was included as a sample in a recent order, and my taste buds are deeply grateful.</b><br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/houlishan05.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/houlishan05sm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The color is a beautiful gold that glows in the sunlight. The aroma is not the sugary sweet smell (which I think is the natural plant sugars coming to the forefront when they’re roasted). Instead, there is a natural, lighter, barely-there sweetness, dominated by a milky texture that coats the tongue. I want to compare this to butterscotch, but it’s not sweet enough for that. More sweet notes do come through with the second steep. <br /><br />For some reason I kept finding myself <I><B>slurping</b></i> this tea. That’s right – no dainty sipping this time around. I’m sure this has something to do with positioning the tea on the tongue; perhaps the tea wants to be shoved to the far backsides of the mouth? Definitely this is a "back of the tongue and into the throat" tea, which means the aroma goes up into the nose quite nicely as its sipped. The slurping might also be my wanting to fizz it up a bit, to create more oxygen against the tea in the mouth, or to let the fragrance move into my nose. (or, maybe I was just being a pig and guzzling the wonderful liquid) :)<br /><br />The flavor of this tea is very comforting to me. It is sweet but not too sweet, with just a hint of green. The floral element comes through more as I sip, but mostly I note the soft silk that is left coating my throat. Quite intriguing. The tea held up well through multiple steepings. Even the third and fourth steep had the buttery coating effect. <br /><br />Durable, tasty, with a lingering aftertaste. I’ll remember this tea.Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1126568065058313632005-09-12T15:50:00.000-07:002005-09-12T16:34:25.070-07:00Cindy’s Stack of Books, Sept. 2005At any given time, there are several books lying around my house in various stages of being read. Some are waiting on the front stairs for return to the library, some I’m just starting, and others I read in small bits with chunks of time between chapters to think about things. Almost always, at least one book is from the mystery genre. There is also always a book near bed for me to read before falling asleep. Other than that book for bedtime, I usually read with a pot of tea close at hand. <br /><br />Here is my current stack of books. I’ve linked to the Amazon.com page for each one, so you can read excerpts and see the cover on their web site (if you’re interested).<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/readingsept05pot.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/readingsept05potsm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0452286530/qid=1126564759/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-1476837-8556906?v=glance&s=books"><I>The Jane Austen Book Club</I></a>, by Karen Joy Fowler. </b> This was a quick supermarket grab before traveling to New Mexico – picked up granola bars, bottled water, and a book for the plane trip. Because it was sold next to a bunch of cheesy romance novels, I had relatively low expectations for this book. I was instead quite happy to have found a pleasant novel. Fowler is obviously well-versed in the lore and literature of Austen, and she winds her own narratives in and out of the themes of Austen’s novels. The book opens with the line, “Each of us has a private Austen, “ then goes on to tell the story of an interesting group of readers. <br /><br /><I><B><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/081297106X/qid=1126564587/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-1476837-8556906?v=glance&s=books&n=507846">Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir</I></a>, by Azar Nafisi,</b> which is my one-chapter-then-a-break-for-thinking book. This was recommended by a good friend who teaches it in her Women’s Literature class. I’m just starting and already know this is going to be a good one. It is more lighthearted and hopeful than you might expect, and it has many thought-provoking descriptions and stories in just the first chapter. Description from the backcover:<br /><blockquote><br />Every Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher. . . secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, fundamentalists seized hold of the universities, and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the girls in Azar Nafisi’s living room risked removing their veils and immersed themselves in the worlds of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov.</blockquote><br /><br />As I write this, it occurs to me that I’ve seen some Austen movies and read a few Austen-themed books lately, but it’s been a couple of years since reading an actual Jane Austen novel. Time for me to dig out my dog-eared copies of <I>Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion, </I>and <I>Emma</I>. It must be Autumn, if my mind is turning toward 18th Century British writers (Austen, Bronte, and Gaskell, here I come!).<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375422986/qid=1126564546/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-1476837-8556906?v=glance&s=books&n=507846"><I>The Sunday Philosophy Club</i></a>, the first book in Alexander McCall Smith’s new series</b> about Isabel Dalhousie, editor of an Ethics journal and an occasional sleuth. This is by my bed, since McCall Smith's books are often a string of shorter stories and events (although the new series doesn’t seem to do this quite as much as his <I>No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency</I> books). I’m just beginning, so no real thoughts on the new series other than looking forward to reading the books. You can read a bit more about the book in this article: <a href="http://www.ireadpages.com/archive/sep-oct04/tea.htm">Tea and Philosophy</a>. Among other quotes from the author: "Readers are always asking if I can write more about tea, more about cake. I think it's because the scenes with food are really about fellowship, and we can all relate to that."<br /><br /><B> Anne Perry’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0345456556/qid=1126566043/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-1476837-8556906?v=glance&s=books&n=507846"> <I>Shoulder the Sky</I></a>, book 2 of her WWI series.</b> I love Perry’s Victorian mysteries and was happy to find her new mystery series that is set just before and during WWI. I found the first book to be an edge-of-your-seat mystery with a strong sense of history, and I’m looking forward to losing myself in this one. Tea makes its appearance early on, this time against the bleak setting of Flanders Field:<br /><blockquote><br />Sam had brewed tea in his Dixie can, which was carefully propped over a lighted candle. He had a packet of chocolate biscuits that had come out of a parcel from home. He poured the tea, half for Joseph, and divided the biscuits.<br />“Thanks.” Joseph took it and bit into one of the biscuits. It was crisp and sweet. It almost made up for the taste of the tea made with brackish water and cooked in an all-purpose can. At least it was hot.</blockquote><br /><br />I can never read Perry without remembering one of my favorite films, Peter Jackson’s <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0110005/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cG49MHxrdz0xfHE9aGVhdmVubHkgY3JlYXR1cmVzfGZ0PTF8bXg9MjB8bG09NTAwfGNvPTF8aHRtbD0xfG5tPTE_;fc=1;ft=20 "><I>Heavenly Creatures</I></a>. The young Kate Winslet plays Anne Perry (then Juliet Hulme) as a teenage girl. There is a bit of guilty pleasure involved when reading a murder whodunit written by a woman who was once convicted of murder herself (certainly she has insights that most authors don’t have), but mostly I read her books because she’s a darn good writer of historical mystery novels. It wasn’t until years after I’d seen the movie (and was already reading Perry’s books), that I found out about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker-Hulme_Murder">Parker-Hulme murder case</a>. It certainly adds a new dimension to things.<br /><br /><br /><B>That’s all for this time. Let me know your thoughts on any of these books, and please do feel free to recommend others to add to my stack! :)</b>Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1126559279532421482005-09-12T13:19:00.000-07:002005-09-12T14:10:34.846-07:00Tea at 44My birthday was this past weekend, and in spite of turning yet another year older I had a wonderful time. <br /><br />Things began well on Friday, when I went to my favorite teahouse in Seattle – <a href="http://floatingleaves.com/teahouse.aspx">Floating Leaves</a>. I had the silky smooth Alishan oolong, and then tried a new puerh they’re carrying. Of course, the best part was getting to chat with (owner) Shiuwen. I always learn quite a bit from her, and that afternoon she answered many questions about which oolongs are from “high mountains.” Exploring oolong teas has required a bit of a Taiwan geography lesson, but I’m starting to get a sense of how the different teas match up to different mountains and regions. <br /><br />I also picked up my birthday present to myself, a new Yixing pot. I'd asked Shiuwen to look for one with a tiny, short snout. I always grin when I see short snouts on a pot -- there's something very cheerful about them. This one is for green puerhs, and I’m looking forward to trying it out this week.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/birthday05yix.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/birthday05yixsm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Saturday morning, I brewed a pot of my favorite golden yunnan (only a few treasured spoonfuls left), then did one of my favorite things – went to the farmer’s market in the rain. Usually the <a href="http://www.redmondsaturdaymarket.homestead.com/">Saturday Market in Redmond</a> is sunny and warm, and I have to elbow through to get to my favorite things (extra-hot pepper jam, baked goods, tuna from a local boat, artisan cheeses, organic tomatoes and herbs and lettuces). However, when the rain is coming down the crowds are thinner, and I get to actually talk with the vendors. It makes for a fun morning, talking with the artisans and farmers, learning which veggies are just about to be harvested, and finding out how they started working with food and agriculture. <br /><br />I came back to find birthday presents waiting to be opened over a pot of tea. I got out the apple tartlets from the farmer’s market to go with a second pot of my favorite tea, and after a few cups I was ripping paper from boxes. What a wonderful set of gifts from my husband, a perfect trio for someone who writes, travels, and sips tea.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/birthday05gifts.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/birthday05giftsm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />That’s a <a href="http://www.frictionlessinsight.com/Hardware/insTandTable/insTandTable.htm">laptop table</a> for my laptop computer (perfect when I want to blog from a comfy chair), a <a href="http://www.englishteastore.com/miibelke.html">bodum mini ibis</a> (to make tea when I travel), and (the best of all) an antique gaiwan from <a href="http://www.maritimeasia.ws/desaru/index.html">the Desaru shipwreck</a>.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/birthday05gai.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/birthday05gaism.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />I believe it was <a href="http://teamasters.blogspot.com">Tea Masters blog</a> where I first read about the pots and cups/bowls from the Chinese shipwreck. I’ve been looking at them with longing for several months, and I’m incredibly excited to have my own piece of history. It’s also interesting to see the accompanying video of the history and archaeological techniques used in excavating the shipwreck. I love that this isn’t a piece of fancy pottery; instead, it was a regular everyday trade item. <br /><br />Indeed, one of my favorite parts of writing and reading about tea has to do with discovering the everyday tea cultures from around the world. In many ways, tea introduces me to the flavors, the agricultural products, the heritage, and the “comfort foods” of cultures. That is something I’ve been thinking about quite often lately, which means I’ll ponder it a while and then probably blog some more on the subject in a month or two. :)<br /><br />Not long after opening presents, my postal carrier knocked on the door and handed off three boxes of tea and samples – yay! More tea! I haven’t ordered any in a couple of months, so I needed to restock favorites and (of course) try a few new teas. I’ve sipped a couple of the oolongs, and I can’t wait to try some of the puerh samples I’d ordered. I’ll write some reviews soon.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/birthday05teas.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/birthday05teasm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The day ended with a trip to one of my favorite sushi places for dinner – <a href="http://www.sushiman-issaquah.com/">Sushiman</a>, in Issaquah, WA. No tea, only sake, great food, and a sweet husband who made sure my birthday was relaxed and filled special moments.Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1126235450100946092005-09-08T19:39:00.000-07:002005-09-08T20:12:06.956-07:00Recently Clicked: September 8, 2005<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/08/10/taiwan.tea.ap/index.html">Alishan Delivers Cool Tea Taste</a>, CNN World article from Aug. 11. A nice look at the parks, tourist industry, and premium tea of Alishan, Taiwan.<br /><br /><a href="http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn:80/english/doc/2005-07/20/content_461608.htm">AIDS Sows Ruin of Malawian Tea Industry</a>, China Daily article, July 20. The sad news of an African tea industry in decline because of the HIV/AIDs pandemic. The country has grown tea for more than a century and is Africa’s second largest producer behind Kenya. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/tea/">Chinese Tea,</a> photos, history, and general information from TravelChinaGuide.com.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/22/content_471168.htm">Travel Along the Ancient Tea Horse Path—Changdu</a>, from China Daily, traveling to and drinking Tea in Changdu, a pass which is a gateway to Tibet.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.takeme2tea.com/">World Tea Expo</a>. I’m thinking about going to this annual conference next spring. I don’t have my own tea business, but it still seems like a great time. Plus, Las Vegas is a sunny antidote to the rainy winter of Seattle.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/artists_view/cjwalker.html">Tea Time at Madame C.J. Walker’s Beauty Salon</a>, a wonderful photo from the 1920s.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.photoshopcafe.com/tutorials/sketch/sketch.htm">English Tea Can Painting</a>, a tutorial will show you how to use Photoshop make a photo look like the painting on old English tea cans.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.archive.org/details/ArrangingThe">Arranging The Tea Table</a>, a 1940s video from the Internet Archive that “explains the reasoning behind attractive and correct tea-table arranging.” It is kind of interesting to see the table setting skills, but be prepared for a 1950s-era-how-to-be-the-perfect-housewife film.Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1126219549327066472005-09-08T15:22:00.000-07:002005-09-08T15:45:49.336-07:00Comparison: Tie Kuan Yin OolongsThrough a happy set of circumstances, I have three samples of Tie Kuan Yin sitting in my oolong tea chest. I’ve been wanting to have a nice comparison-tasting session, so I got out my camera, the teas, and my glass gaiwan, then started the water boiling.<br /><br />All three oolongs were prepared gongfu style (or at least my homestyle version of gongfu). I used brita-filtered tap water brought just to a boil. This was poured over about one teaspoon of leaves steeped in a gaiwan for 1 minute (the first steeping). The tea was then poured into a cup for tasting. <br /><br />Tasting Notes and overall comments follow.<br /><br /><br /><b><a href="http://gourmetteacompany.com/tie_kuan_yin.htm">Gourmet Tea Company’s <I>Tie Kuan Yin</i></a>, sent to me as one of several introductory samples.</b><br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/tiekygourmet.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/tiekygourmetsm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />This has quite a roasted aroma. The liquid is very light green with a hint of copper. The flavor is fuller than the color of the liquid would indicate (once again, I learn that color doesn’t always correlate with flavor). <br /><br />Both the aroma and flavor have that roasted coconut overtone that I associate with aged oolongs. I’ve only tried two aged oolongs, so perhaps the flavor I thought to be characteristic of aging is actually characteristic of a type of roasting? <br /><br />Second steep: more than a minute later, and I’m not noticing as much aroma. Should I have put more leaves in? I’m going to let this sit for another minute, to see if it just needs more time. 60 seconds later, and yes, I can smell that toasted coconut again. I poured the tea into a cup, and am enjoying the sweetness of this second steeping. It leaves a buttery, sugary coating on my tongue – quite an interesting aftertaste. As it cools, it gets even more sweet. It could make an interesting iced tea.<br /><br />Third steep; very subtle flavor, more like a good cup of fresh spring water than a cup of tea. I actually like ending with this, a quiet finish that reminds me of the nature of water and leaves.<br /><br /><br /><b><a href="http://teamasters.blogspot.com/">Tea Masters’</a> <I>Tie Guan Yin</i>, one of several samples Stephane included with <a href="http://cuppablog.blogspot.com/2005/07/wild-pu-er-from-yi-wu-2001.html">some wonderful puerh</a> he purchased for me. Place:An Xi, Fu Jian. Harvest: Spring 2005. </b><br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/tiekyteamasters.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/tiekyteamastersm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Color is a bit darker, but still with a rusty or coppery overcast. The Flavor is quite robust, and it brewed up more quickly than the previous. Again, this is a naturally sweet tea – very pleasing, and with a lingering, buttery aftertaste. This tie guan yin is a sharper-edged tea. It’s not bitter, but perhaps “stouter.” The aroma is that toasted/roasted scent, but it’s not quite what I think of as coconut. <br /><br />Hmmmm…perhaps I’m equating some oolongs with toasted coconut because of the sweetness? That aroma of roasting sugars could be what I’m associating with coconut. Does roasting (and re-roasting, in the case of aged oolongs) bring out more of the natural plant sugars in a tea leaf?<br /><br />Second steep: This tea brews up much faster. I increased the time only by 30 seconds instead of 90. The color is more green, less red than the first steep. Where the Gourmet Tea oolong had many interesting notes as it cooled, I prefer sipping Tea Masters’ Tie Guan Yin when it is fresh and hot. It is perfectly fine as it cools, but there is a very satisfying element to the steam as it rises from the cup – the aroma lingers and adds to the overall taste of the tea. There are nice floral elements to the tea, and their fragrance also adds quite a bit to the experience.<br /><br />Third steep: Still holding well, but I’m stopping after a couple of sips in order to move on to the next tea. My eyes are spinning a bit from all of this tea, but I am still going to try one more. :)<br /><br /><br /><b>TenFu’s <I>Tieh Kwan Yin</i>, purchased at a <a href="http://www.uwajimaya.com/bel/">nearby Asian grocery</a> for $4.50US. Yes, it’s a cheap bulk-produced box of tea, but I am interested in how this holds up to the higher quality tea samples.</b><br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/tiekytenfu.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/tiekytenfusm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The furled leaves are less uniform in color – some are green while others are browner. Does this indicate less consistency in roasting or oxidizing? Or, is it a sign that the leaves came from multiple sources? <br /><br />Aroma & Color: no toasted coconut or sense of sweetness, although it doesn’t smell bitter either. There is a heavier floral fragrance to this tea. The color is very green, without much of a rust or red tone. <br /><br />The tea also tastes much greener to me. There’s even a hint of that vegetable or brothy flavor that comes across in many greens. The buttery nature that was so prevalent in the previous two is still here, but it doesn’t coat the tongue or leave an aftertaste. Floral notes dominate this tea, which isn’t a bad thing, but it does mean that other notes are subdued. <br /><br />As the tea cools in the cup, the floral turns just a tad astringent, but the buttery notes come through more. <br /><br />Second steep; it held up to rebrewing, still quite floral, this time with more of the broth characteristic. I like the second steeping better, since the astringency disappeared.<br /><br /><b>Overall: The buttery, silky nature of Tie Kuan Yin is fabulous. I think this will be a favorite oolong for me. I’m looking forward to trying more, and to seeing how these vary from one season to the next.</b><br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/tiekyleafcomp.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/tiekyleafcompsm.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />So, which of the above three oolongs did I like best? The first two were both wonderful, and I can see myself sipping either one in the future. The sugary elements to Gourmet Tea’s oolong were intriguing, and I want to experiment with that a bit. Tea Masters’ oolong was also a treat to sip – it’s one of those “ahhhhhhhhhhh” teas that warm you to the tips of your toes. <br /><br />The cheaper tea from the grocery store doesn’t stand up to the complexity found in other two, but I must say that it was still darn good. At less than a dollar an ounce, that comes out to a pretty cheap cup of good oolong. I’ll probably use this as a carry-along tea, for hikes and trips where I want a thermos of oolong.Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1125792016602614002005-09-03T16:43:00.000-07:002005-09-03T17:00:16.616-07:00Chile & Tea in Las Cruces, NM, USAEarlier this week, I returned from a quick trip to southern New Mexico. I'd spent a few days visiting a good friend in Alamogordo, then drove to the other side of the Organ Mountains for a day in my old home town of Las Cruces. <br /><br />The city of Las Cruces spreads from the mesas to the low-lying fields of Mesilla Valley, about 40 miles north of the Mexican border. The mesas are cactus-filled, sandy desert; creosote bush, mesquite, and huge yucca dot the landscape. In the lower valley, which lines either side of the Rio Grande, the fertile soil supports miles of chile and cotton fields, as well as the second largest expanse of pecan orchards in the world.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/lascruceschiles.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/lascruceschilessmall.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The food of New Mexico is amazing – hot, spicy, flavorful, and hearty. Southern New Mexico is especially known for chile rellenos (chile peppers stuffed with cheese, dipped in a light batter, and fried). One of my major goals was to buy fresh green chiles and pecans to take home, but I also wanted to visit the place where I first learned how to brew loose leaf tea. <br /><br />That place was <I>Spirit Winds</i>, a coffee and tea café. In addition to good food and drink, there’s also an attached gift shop full of funny cards and southwestern-themed gifts. <I>Spirit Winds</i> is just a couple of blocks from New Mexico State University, so it has a funky college student vibe. I spent many evenings there, studying and sipping tea while listening to someone strum a guitar or read poetry out on the patio. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/lascrucesspiritwinds1.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/lascrucesspiritwinds1small.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The tea served is all Republic of Tea, so much of it is flavored, herbal, or a blend. Back when they first opened (mid-90s), they served the tea in small bodum pots. After a year, they decided to go to plastic brewing pots instead (too much breakage). It was an easy introduction to loose-leaf tea, and I quickly moved on to find online discussion groups and tea vendors. <br /><br />This week, a decade later (and 5 years since I’ve been in Cruces), I was happy to see that <I>Spirit Winds</i> still exists. It looks much as it used to, with a bright purple exterior and a funky décor. There are small café seats inside, and larger tables outside. When it gets too hot, they turn on the outdoor misters for cooling. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/lascrucesspiritwinds2.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/lascrucesspiritwinds2small.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />It had been a long night, and I was in dire need of a stout cup of tea. After checking out from my hotel, I drove uphill to Spirit Winds. A few minutes later, for $3 plus some change, I carried a pot of Assam and a piece of streudel out to the patio. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/lascrucesteapot.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/lascrucesteapotsmall.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Much refreshed, I headed back downhill toward the chile fields and the town of Old Mesilla, where I picked up a 30-pound sack of Hatch Green Chiles and some fabulous Stahmann pecans. The chiles arrived a day after me, and they are now roasted (to blister the skin), tucked in bags, and stacked in my freezer. I’m set all year for chile rellenos, green chile stew, and breakfast burritos. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. :)<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/lascruceschilesgrilling.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/lascruceschilesgrsmall.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />If you’re in Las Cruces, there are still only a few places to find a decent cup of tea. <I>Spirit Winds</i> is my favorite because of its character, and I’d recommend a stop there (the food is always great, and vegetarian options available). Make sure you drive downhill into Old Mesilla as well – one of the oldest towns in the U.S., and you’ll get a great fix of wonderful old adobe dwellings as well as incredible food.Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1125450024362917242005-08-30T17:43:00.000-07:002005-08-30T19:49:43.746-07:00Help Victims of Hurricane KatrinaThe gulf coast of the U.S. has been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, and the now Tropical Depression Katrina continues to cause problems to the north. <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050830/ts_nm/weather_katrina_dc">Hundreds are feared dead</a>, and the devastation is staggering. Rescue and evacuation efforts are underway, but getting assistance to people who are still stranded is crucial for their survival. Please help those who are saving lives; make a donation to the <a href="http://redcross.org/">American Red Cross</a>.<br /><br />I'm putting on a CD of good ol' delta blues in honor of my neighbors to the southeast, making a cup of tea, and loading up the <a href="https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp">American Red Cross Online Donation Form</a>. <br /><br />I encourge you to do the same, or to make a donation by calling toll free <b>1-800-HELP NOW</b> (1-800-257-7575 for Spanish speakers). Even $5 can help!<br /><br /><br /><I>7:48pm Update: I'm turning off comments on this post because of too much spam</i>Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1125289358697034602005-08-28T21:12:00.000-07:002005-08-28T21:56:04.246-07:00Visiting New MexicoYay! I've finally got a computer connection. I've been visiting a friend in southern New Mexico -- a trip that was happily planned to coincide with the green chile harvest. No, it's not tea, but green chiles are another necessity of life. Tomorrow I plan to go find somewhere that I can moan over the smell of roasting chiles (those of you who have lived in New Mexico will understand), then I'm buying a big sack and shipping them home before catching my plane.<br /><br />Oh, and in the morning I'm going to try to get to one of the first places I ever had loose tea -- Spirit Winds, near the NMSU campus in Las Cruces. It is the place where I first tried different types of teas and learned how to brew instead of just dunking a bag. I'll be home in a few days and will let you know how the tea is at Spirit Winds. :)<br /><br />In the meantime, here are a few photos from my trip. They have nothing to do with tea, other than having been taken by a tea lover. Click each image to see a larger, more detailed picture. <br /><br /><HR><br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/NMroadrunner.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/NMroadrunnersmall.jpg"></a><br /><I>A roadrunner came running up to me while I was watching birds in my friend's back yard.<br /><br /><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/NManvilcloud.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/NManvilcloudsmall.jpg"></a><br />The anvil-shaped thunderheads were building at sunset, and later that night a strong monsoon rain blew through Alamogordo.<br /><br /><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/NMorgans.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/NMorganssmall.jpg"></a><br />I took this photo of the Organ Mountains today in Las Cruces. There wasn't a cloud to be seen, but within two hours another monsoon thunderstorm blew through.</i></center>Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1124904675324154602005-08-24T10:09:00.000-07:002005-08-24T13:51:52.633-07:00Seattle-Bremerton Ferry (with tea)The Puget Sound is that part of the Pacific Ocean that pushes its way through the straits and narrows of western Washington, winding around islands, streaming into inlets, and creating a watery wedge between the peninsula and the rest of the state. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=WA"><img src="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/WA.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The Sound provides sheltered ocean waters for pods of Orcas, migrating whales, shellfish, salmon, and a huge variety of birds. It is ringed by mountains, with the Olympic range on the peninsula to the west and the Cascade range inland to the east. As you drive along the Cascades from north to south, it is easy to spot three volcanoes: Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. St. Helens (which is <a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/">the only one currently smoking</a>). Most of the mountains in the Cascades are around 4,000-6,000 ft tall with a few shooting up higher, but Mt. Rainier towers above the others at 14,000+ feet. When fog or low clouds roll in, Rainier visually disconnects from the earth and seems to float in the sky. Often, though, it and most of the other peaks are hidden behind the clouds that catch in them. This is the first mountainous place I’ve lived where people refer to “the mountains being out today.” <br /><br /><b>On those days when the mountains are “out,” the sun is blazing, and high pressure offshore keeps the mist away, there is nowhere better to see the view than from a ferry crossing the waters of the Puget Sound. </b><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryrainer1.jpg"><img src="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryrainer1small.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />It was with those views in mind that I headed for the waterfront on a very sunny and warm day a few weeks ago. There are <a href="http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/info_desk/route-maps/">many state ferry routes leaving from the Seattle area</a>, but on this day I decided to take a ferry to check out a tea shop in Bremerton, a cute town on the inner side of the peninsula. <a href="http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules/current/index.cfm?route=sea-br">The boat ride across the water</a> is about 1 hour each way, so there is plenty of scenic viewing time. I filled a thermos with iced oolong, grabbed my camera, smeared on some sun screen, then headed for the ferry terminal. <br /><br /> After parking the car below deck, I went topside and found a sunny spot to watch as we left Seattle:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryspneedle.jpg"><img src="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryspneedlesmall.jpg" ></a></center><br /><br />I sat back and enjoyed the view while sipping my iced tea (<a href="http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/Nantou_Oolong_p/ot075.htm">Nantou oolong from IPOT</a>):<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferrythermos.jpg"><img src="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferrythermosmall.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Can you see Mt. Rainier floating over the morning mist in the background of the picture below? Click the photo for a larger version, and you'll get a sense of the ethereal quality to the mountains here. They're watery and misty, not at all like the rugged and dramatically defined Rocky Mountains where I've lived in the past. Of course, once you get closer and start hiking or driving in the mountains, the clarity and depth change (but that's for a future post). <br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryrainer2.jpg"><img src="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryrainer2small.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />I forgot to take a picture of the town of Bremerton on my recent trip, so I'm including one from this past Spring. You can see the Olympic range peeking out from behind the clouds in the distance. <br /><br /> <center><a href="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferrybremerton.jpg"><img src="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferrybremertonsmall.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />After docking in Bremerton, it was just a quick 5 minute drive to <a href="http://www.specialteapots.com/">SpecialTea Pots</a>. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryteashop1.jpg"><img src="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryteashop1small.jpg"></a></center><br /><br /> It’s a small, cozy shop, with herbal tisanes and select teas, as well as a wide range of Yixing-style clay pots. The prices are quite reasonable, and the shop owner is a warm and friendly woman who poured me a very nice cup of iced herbal tea to try while I shopped. I spent some time looking at different pots and cup sets before deciding on a few items. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryteashop2.jpg"><img src="http://www.wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryteashop2small.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />One of my goals with this trip was to find another yixing pot for puerh. Instead, I found a larger clay pot that I now use for golden yunnans. I wanted a chocolately-looking pot for the cocoa-mocha tones of my favorite yunnans, and this one suited me. It is larger than my Yixing pot, and it has a brewing basket which works well for a black tea. It was a relatively inexpensive teapot, and that’s what I wanted for my first attempt at seasoning a clay pot. All went well, and I’ve been using it for my first cup of tea each morning.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryyunnanpot1.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryyunnanpot1small.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The shop owner has a Chinese speaking person come in to do translations of pots with text, and she had a few notes about the text and images on this one. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the specific meaning, but it had to do with purity or essence of water. That seemed quite fitting for my trip across the Sound.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryyunnanpot2.jpg"><img src="http://wambeam.net/teatime/bremferryyunnanpot2small.jpg"></a></center><br /><br /><b>A few last thoughts:</b><br /><UL><br /><LI>I missed one spot with the sunscreen, and oooooooooooooooh what a 5-inch sunburn that was! <br /><br /><LI>Shiuwen of <a href="http://floatingleaves.com/">Floating Leaves</a> found me the perfect little Yixing with the snubby-nose that I love. I’ll be using it for puerh (Shiuwen is seasoning it for me now).<br /><br /><LI>My next ferry adventures will be Seattle – Bainbridge and Mukilteo – Whidbey Island. Both of these destinations have places for taking tea, so I can combine a boat ride with tea and sightseeing (or, in the case of Whidbey Island, some really fabulous hiking). More on those in the months to come.<br /> </ul> <br /><br /><I>Note: click any of the above photos to see larger versions.</i>Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12285313.post-1124896079060550402005-08-24T08:04:00.000-07:002005-08-24T08:07:59.066-07:00Me and My TeethThanks for all of the commiseration about dental work. I must admit that this particular procedure was actually painless –- my dentist gave me a free teeth whitening as a thank you for all the work I and my husband have had recently.<br /><br /> After years of sipping tea, I figured that getting rid of the staining and having a whiter smile might be a good thing. I just didn’t realize (until I had a mouthful of clay for molding the teeth guard) that it meant two weeks sans tea. The problem is that the whitening gel makes teeth more porous, so tea and coffee (or other staining foods) need to be avoided. <br /><br />If any of you are considering a teeth whitening process, here are a few thoughts from a tea drinkers’ perspective:<br /><UL><br /><LI> If it’s free, take it! What you get from the dentist is much better than products you find at the grocery or drugstore, but it’s also quite a bit more expensive. <br /><br /><LI> If you’re paying anyway, you might want to choose one of the shorter teeth whitening procedures. Some are only 3 or 4 days long, and some are done in-office. <br /><br /><LI> Iced tea with a straw is only semi-effective. It’s still really tough to drink without getting any on your teeth, and it just doesn’t taste as good. I tried it once or twice, but in the end it was more frustrating than rewarding.<br /></ul><br />Now, back to getting a batch of photos ready for my next blog post. . .Cindy W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02304700017629325072noreply@blogger.com0