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I try to stay away from any materials that are not made of earth, wood, glass or metal. Another concern for people in southern parts of Asia: silicone or softer plastics tend to get sticky over time in the hot climate of Asia. Not sure what the chemical process is, but those materials sweat out some...

Dr. Chen's son, Snac, told me that the time of day leaves are harvested also makes a significant difference. The best & most expensive tea that I get from them, Father's Love, was harvested at noon, the time which Snac said was ideal. Such talk may seem silly at times; until we put teas to the test...

Very interesting for sure. It is possible that the leaves were plucked from different parts of the field, or different fields altogether, and processed by a different person leading to very different results. This bring up something I also experienced with Floating Leaves; seasonal LiShan yielded v...

Have been testing fresh Lishan winter harvest over the last few days. I always do that to account for uncontrollable circumstances outside of brewing parameters, like mood, food eaten, weather etc. Very interesting in this case that the two teas I sample are from exactly the same farm, same spot etc...

Previous posts could be instructive as well - I figured I would have to drink the Lishan and the Fu Shou Shan rather quickly once opened, but tealife.hk's experience suggests letting it sit for a while might not be such a bad idea. If in the vacuum pack unopened they can stay a year easy, but in a ...

Tea is already a lighter and milder drink as compared to others Compared to what drinks? I can drink coffee on an empty stomach, but would never do so with black or green tea! Makes me dizzy and feeling sick. Chocolate? While not light, certainly a mild sort of drink, unless you go for pure cocoa w...

Just saw this post on fb from Kim Whye Kee’s (Qi Pottery): “Many people will tell you that when you brew a tea thick, you can get the 韵(yun) and 回甘 after-taste better. This might be true. Both happen because of your glands reacting to the flavours and chemicals in the tea. Train your glands to be se...

Thanks for the input! Kind of confirmed of what I was thinking.

Theres 2 sides to single hole vs multi hole strainer. Multi hole does strain finer particles better, but single hole will give you a faster pour, which allows for more precise brewing time. I like multi hole for pu, but id never use anything put a single hole for my rolled oolongs. Chinese multi-ho...

The canisters are pewter; MarshalN once wrote that if the pewter is dark and dusty, avoid (lead). If it isn't dark, there is no lead. There are lots of lead-free ones on the market! I have two. One vintage HK-made one and one Royal Selangor. The Royal Selangor one was a lucky score as I got it for ...

Thanks for the input Victoria! I have a few acquaintances who go there frequently, for spiritual advice so to speak. Tea master status is as Taiwanese hearsay has it more by reputation, as he seems to have an excellent palate in regards to tea. Not sure if he really is a monk though. Don’t think he ...

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 07, 2017 1:37 am

Cheap porcelain cups are 1 RMB a piece on the Mainland. If I break them I'm out a whole 50 cents US.

True that.
Might not be as cheap for someone outside of Asia to acquire

Please do not use lead caddies, the lead accumulates in your system and can cause serious issues. And they are often nowhere near as good as modern containers as far as quality of seal! How are you tightly sealing your original packs? With tape? I'd wager that the quality of your tea is falling off...

Double lidded canisters for many of my oolongs, or even Chinese single lidded canisters that do a great job at keeping tea dry! I also use glass jars (Bormioli). Smaller amounts in bags get the sealing rod treatment or if it's something special I know I won't get to for a while, I go ahead and heat...

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 04, 2017 10:22 am

I always take a portable teapot in a padded case and this time I took a set of three Chaozhou cups. Carry a little pu in a pouch and buy water and you're set!

Mostly I just have one pot with me that I do not care too much about, a little workhorse, cups can be omitted as you’ll always find those.