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Spring 2012 Light roast Wild tree purple varietal black tea of Dehong from Yunnan Sourcing. I don’t remember when I first got this small sample, but I’m sure it sat in the back of the tea cupboard for a long time (neglected rather than aged deliberately!). Today, I am enjoying a session of plummy/fr...

Matcha was here....

Sipping on Ippodo’s 2020 Kanro Gyokuro, lower/mid-priced in their line up. It has similar characteristics to their higher priced gyokuro as well as Maiko’s gyokuro, although just not as dense. Fruit forward with savory notes, slightly less elegant and more youthful in character than their top of th...

Another thing to note is that you may want to avoid turmeric as it is very commonly adulterated with lead to give a more appealing color for buyers while also cutting the amount of actual turmeric. It’s not trace amounts of lead either, but enough to cut the product with. I now avoid all turmeric u...

Many of us around the world did not have a deep tradition of tea drinking and informal guidance to help us develop that 'gut' feel for how much is enough, or when the temperature is right. I start my tea days now with green teas, but had such bad experiences with getting them *wrong* at first that I...

1 gram each of several different teas....

Why I prefer a scale by debunix, on Flickr

This store on EBay sells a lot of stuff from famous artisans’ workshops that are made ‘under the direction of’ the master, using their preferred shapes and glazes quite inexpensively; I’ve gotten some very pleasing pieces here to share as gifts for my office colleagues who enjoy sharing tea: https:/...

Tsuen gyokuro Yume no Ukihashi: this is of course a reliably delicious gyokuro, but something about today’s session has made it exceptional, and I’m not sure what; the floral and delicate fresh vegetable notes are just stronger and lovelier today. It’s just a beautiful moment. And today’s session is...

When making my own herbal tea blends, I also find less can be more: I try less to mix ‘one perfect blend for all seasons’ and more one time more tulsi and spices, another time more ginger and citrus, another time hibiscus with hydrangea (gamro). Several versions with variety and pleasing flavors are...

Bit of a sniffle and a snuffle today--smell seems fully intact, think this is a minor cold and not COVID--but still an excuse to think about herbal tea. I am out of lemons, but I found a rather dry blood orange in the back of the fridge, and that plus some ginger and a tiny bit of cinnamon bark has ...

2007 organic Menku Sheng from Yunnan Sourcing. Earthy, herbaceous notes with a hint of bitterness and bit of camphor.

Yesterday, the Lala Shan Hong Shui from Floating Leaves grandpa style, enjoyed from a Tony Ferguson shino chawan. Watching the beautiful leaves unfurl, while enjoying several infusions of lovely tea, adds to the pleasure of the session. These photos cover 40 minutes and 3 infusions of fruity, plummy...

And you're also paying for all those made but discarded because they didn't meet the standard required.

Phoenix Village Light Roast Shui Xian from Yunnan Sourcing, a 2014 harvest that has been sitting in my tea trunk a long time. This is not a green oolong by any means; the dry leaves are light brown, not remotely green, and wetted they're still brown. Bu here are delicate floral notes with a deep fru...

Banana, yam, and honey with cinnamon sounds wonderful. Mmm.