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GaoShan , I don’t count either. My pouring hand gets an agitated feeling when it is time to pour, even when I am momentarily distracted. For example, I may have an email arrive from work that grabs my attention during a steep and when it’s time my hand will feel anxious, hot, fidgety. It’s kind of ...

What steeping times would people suggest for baozhong? I don’t use a timer. Eventually you just know. I wouldn’t bother with a rinse btw. Baozhong is an excellent tea to hone your craft on. Find an elusive note in a single baozhong and then alter time/temp/weight until you can consistently get that...

teatray , all good advice above regarding baozhong. Expect to find a very floral aroma with baozhong. Usual floral notes for baozhong are honeysuckle, gardenia, and “orchid”. There should be a spice flavor in the throat, like allspice. The aroma as the empty cup cools will change from floral to sou...

I might be using "stewy" incorrectly (as a non-native speaker). What I mean is not necessarily spinachy (though that note would definitely be enhanced/exposed). It's more like a kind of celery-parsley-potato-y general overcooked blandness of vegetal tones, present regardless of sencha quality. Prob...

@Victoria, I am happy to hear you were able to take a break. It sounds like a restorative time.

Andrew S ’s description of tea as a daily ritual reminds me of many things people call rituals which are not by definition a ritual. The ones that come to mind involve a drug and paraphernalia used in its consumption: absinthe, smoking, coffee, tea, illicit drugs. There seems to be an intersection ...

@bliss, I’m with you on digital to vinyl transfers. Additionally, I haven’t been impressed with streaming (Tidal) compared to CD or vinyl. Sound matters.

Also, thoughts about a flat bottom kyusu vs a hohin like the one pictured below? Thank you! ./download/file.php?id=11360 A hohin, esp. this shape, will burn your fingers badly, if you use it for anything other than gyokuro (sencha may be possible but pretty uncomfortable when you increase temps for...

Round porcelain was stewy and not too nice (as is my usual experience with sencha), flat tokoname was more flavorful and crisper, but still not really exciting. This elicits two questions: 1) A spherical pot should generally perform better than a flat pot, all other things being equal. They are not...

The lid stays on for teas that are slow to open, especially these modern tightly balled teas (why are they doing this?!). Otherwise, I usually vent the immediate steam for 20 sec or so and replace the lid to keep the pot warm. I’m not easily distracted and it is simply part of the flow. I don’t time...

Would have been a good choice when I was trying to coax a decent brew out of a fussy oolong. :lol: I don’t think I’ve encountered a fussy oolong, but then I’m not drinking silverfish poop from “oolong” packaged in the 70s and made for sale at Safeway. I can’t imagine anyone successfully coaxing a d...

I am fairly new to drinking quality loose leaf tea. This morning, I opened my first pack of Long Jing tea sold by FullChea. It is supposed to be from the West Lake region of China and was listed as a First Grade tea. Since it was my first experience with Long Jing, I have nothing to compare this wi...

I’m enjoying a kyô-bancha from TDJ: https://www.thes-du-japon.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_130_114&products_id=726 [...] It would be a wonderful tea for cold days. Cheers! Also gives no buzz that I can feel, so should be good for afternoons. It tastes very foody, I want to sprinkle ...

I am trying Ketlee’s “2022 Winter Frost Green” and it’s finally a tea that impresses. 3g/120ml at 185° and it is silky smooth. I’m getting coconut milk, jasmine, and dulce de leche candies (probably the marzipan they refer to). I don’t detect rose, which is listed in the tasting notes. It’s delightf...

After the Jun Chiyabari Shiba impressed me so much in 2021 I decided to try some of Ketlee's teas. I've tried two of their oolongs so far: " Arunachal Handrolled Oolong " and " 2021 Charcoal Roasted Wild Oolong ". Both were interesting in that they felt clean and had unique woody and earthy fragranc...