Vacation

Starting today I will be away on a trip. I have lined up a few periodic posts while I am away, but I will likely be unable to moderate any comments which might be left until I get back. I am saying this to try an avoid ruffling any feathers, as I know I can be a bit slow moderating them sometimes, but I do not think I have ever gone more than a few days without at least publishing a comment left on the site that I felt contributed to the discussion.

Searching for Amazing Green teas

I am issuing a challenge to myself, to seek out amazing green teas. As it is already well into July I may need to wait almost an entire year to seek out some very high quality and fresh Chinese greens. I would like to solicit some recommendations as to where I can find and order (online) some of the best green teas from the following categories: Gyokuro, Sencha, Matcha, Long Jing, Bi Lo Chun, and a few other Chinese Green Teas.

I will say I am a bit clueless as where to find some very high quality Chinese greens. I do want to try a Japanese Temomicha (hand made tea). I will also be trying some Korean Green teas also, but there are very few places online that those are available and I have already started sourcing some.

In a couple of days I will post my first contender, for the title of the best green tea. I will say that this one is a doozy, and based on some of the great green teas I have tried already, this will be incredibly hard to beat.

Teas I feel should be on the list to try:

Matcha:

Wakamatsu-no-mukashi (ippodo)

Gyokuro:

Tenka-iichi (ippodo)

Yume no Ukihashi (O-Cha)

Sencha:

Ujibashi San no Ma (O-Cha)

Kaboku (Ippodo)

(Need suggestions for Fukamushi and Chumushi suggestions).

Long Jing: (Some or all of the following)

Lion Xi Hu Long Jing (Teaspring)

Emperor Long Jing (Teaspring)

Shi Feng Long Jing (Jing Tea Shop)

Wang Jia Shan Long Jing (Jing Tea Shop)

Again I am looking for suggestions, so if you have had an absolutely amazing green tea please let me know.

Sessions that make you...

There are many different types of tea sessions, there are those when you are in a hurry, need a pick me up, and so on. I want to talk about to very specific types of tea sessions today. Those that make you want to stay, and those that make you want to run away.

I hate to say it but lately I have been having to many of the latter, even more troubling is even the better sessions were still not that good. It seemed that my best sessions now, would have been considered some of the worst prior to grad school. But mind you at that time I was so well practiced at brewing, even when incredibly distracted, my internal instincts were so good, I barely botched a brew. Now being a bit out of practice even when focusing entirely on the tea I seem to only be getting mediocre sessions. As such lately I had been feeling like walking away from tea for awhile. Taking a step back, and no longer pursue it with the emphasis I have been trying to give it for these past few years.

Today I had a session, that honestly reminded me of why I drink tea. Even more than that, it felt like it opened up so many more doors in relation to tea of things I want to look into. Challenges I want to undergo. It even made me consider cutting back on spending in so many other areas of my life so I can spend more on tea. While I have always liked tea, and it has been by my side many times over the past 10 or so years, I actually never had a story that I felt was a true answer to the question "What made you get into tea?"

This session-- ooooh-- this session is that answer alright. It might even be the answer to "What has kept you focused on tea?" It was one of those things that was so enjoyable, all you want to do is to try and recreate it.

In a future post I will tell you what tea this was.

Thoughts on Highfire Tie Guan Yin

I have been trying quite a few different High Fire Tie Guan Yin's lately, and I can honestly say they can be quite surprising and wonderfully varied. Now my definition of Highfired is a bit loose, but in general if the leaves are the same color as you can see on some sort of chocolate bar, then its what I would consider High Fire. That rule is only for more recent teas from the past five years or so, as aged teas that have seen very little roasting can also appear dark once old enough.

It is quite interesting to see the difference between levels of roast on these different teas. I will say I think I am a bigger fan of the wonderfully fruity flavors that the slightly less roasted, teas can develop. Although the very, very heavy roast teas have their place also, as they remind me a bit of coffee, and are wonderfully warming and welcome in the cold winter months. But then again just about all warm drinks, especially ones with a fair bit of roast seem incredibly welcome in the middle of winter.

I wish I knew a little bit more about the production of these teas, as in part I wonder if some are more or less oxidized than others, and how that contributes to the tastes. I have a hunch, but I am not entirely sure that if the leaves are oxidized more prior to roasting, many more wonderful fruit flavors develop such as apples with certain spices, and plums.

All I can say is my little bargain 50 ml yixing has gotten lots of use these past few months and I still have quite a bit of Highfire Tie Guan Yin to work through, not to mention the fact that I will likely order much more.