What Black Are You Drinking

Oxidized tea
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LeoFox
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Tue Oct 20, 2020 1:30 pm

StoneLadle wrote:
Tue Oct 20, 2020 1:06 pm
Sado sounds kinky... I'll go look see in the Hojo store
https://hojotea.com/en/posts-186/
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Victoria
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Tue Oct 20, 2020 1:54 pm

With black teas I prefer to use my Japanese porcelain kyusu or very dense, high fired, thinner Tokoname-ware like Yohei Konishi. Haven’t found a need to mute higher oxidized blacks, instead I’m looking to enjoy aromatics and not over steep with water that’s too hot. Seems that thicker walled lower fired teaware could over-heat the leaves and absorb aroma.
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LeoFox
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Tue Oct 20, 2020 3:12 pm

Victoria wrote:
Tue Oct 20, 2020 1:54 pm
With black teas I prefer to use my Japanese porcelain kyusu or very dense, high fired, thinner Tokoname-ware like Yohei Konishi. Haven’t found a need to mute higher oxidized blacks, instead I’m looking to enjoy aromatics and not over steep with water that’s too hot. Seems that thicker walled lower fired teaware could over-heat the leaves and absorb aroma.
Those kyusus are stunning!
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OCTO
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Tue Oct 20, 2020 6:49 pm

Two nights consecutively drinking the same tea. 10 years vintage HongCha from Hojo. The tea is smooth in your mouth and is exhibiting an onset of aged aroma and taste. There is a sweet aftertaste to it that has a finishing like red dates.

Here’s the link to the tea... https://hojotea.com/en/posts-242/

Brewed the tea with gaiwan and a thin walled featherweight teapot. I had a previous pot that’s similar in thinness and it worked well for HongCha. Tried my luck and the results are very much similar.

Cheers!!

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LeoFox
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Tue Oct 20, 2020 7:13 pm

Shoot! Hard to resist Hojo!
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joelbct
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Fri Oct 23, 2020 11:51 am

@LeoFox

Cool. Yeah, YS' dianhong has beautiful leaf appearance, but is not the best, and I tried most of their offerings. I think he goes for affordability over taste. Teaspring's doesn't look as pretty, but tastes far more complex and refined. And is costlier, $24/100g, though still a good price imho.

I've also had very good golden yunnan from I think Seven Cups (theirs is $60/100g now!), and before they shut down, SpecialTeas, and a teashop in New Haven, CT called Oolong's Tea Bar, that helped introduce me to quality loose-leaf back in the early 2000's. Also now-defunct. And another excellent Connecticut-based tea vendor, theteastop.com, had great golden Yunnan, and is also no longer in business.

I may have had one from Hojo too, can't remember, but I'm sure if he stocks one, it's good. Oh and the Ito En shop on Madison Ave in NYC sourced excellent golden yunnan. Also shut down, though. Tough business, retailing quality loose-leaf.
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LeoFox
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Fri Oct 23, 2020 1:22 pm

joelbct wrote:
Fri Oct 23, 2020 11:51 am
LeoFox

Cool. Yeah, YS' dianhong has beautiful leaf appearance, but is not the best, and I tried most of their offerings. I think he goes for affordability over taste. Teaspring's doesn't look as pretty, but tastes far more complex and refined. And is costlier, $24/100g, though still a good price imho.

I've also had very good golden yunnan from I think Seven Cups (theirs is $60/100g now!), and before they shut down, SpecialTeas, and a teashop in New Haven, CT called Oolong's Tea Bar, that helped introduce me to quality loose-leaf back in the early 2000's. Also now-defunct. And another excellent Connecticut-based tea vendor, theteastop.com, had great golden Yunnan, and is also no longer in business.

I may have had one from Hojo too, can't remember, but I'm sure if he stocks one, it's good. Oh and the Ito En shop on Madison Ave in NYC sourced excellent golden yunnan. Also shut down, though. Tough business, retailing quality loose-leaf.
Thank you for your suggestions. Yes, I will definitely try teaspring and hojo black teas after my current stash is depleted.

Overall, i have not been too happy with YS aside from some of their pu-erh. Since they are in yunnan, i thought their dian hongs would be better.
gregcss
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 8:43 pm
Location: Virginia, US

Sat Oct 31, 2020 10:35 am

OCTO wrote:
Tue Oct 20, 2020 6:49 pm
Two nights consecutively drinking the same tea. 10 years vintage HongCha from Hojo. The tea is smooth in your mouth and is exhibiting an onset of aged aroma and taste. There is a sweet aftertaste to it that has a finishing like red dates.

Here’s the link to the tea... https://hojotea.com/en/posts-242/

Brewed the tea with gaiwan and a thin walled featherweight teapot. I had a previous pot that’s similar in thinness and it worked well for HongCha. Tried my luck and the results are very much similar.

Cheers!!

Image
Image
Looks great. I ordered a teapot from Hojo long ago and have since forgot how to order from them. Can someone remind me how to do that? I think there is a price list then you have to email the order? Thanks in advance.
faj
Posts: 710
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Location: Quebec

Sat Oct 31, 2020 10:55 am

gregcss wrote:
Sat Oct 31, 2020 10:35 am
Looks great. I ordered a teapot from Hojo long ago and have since forgot how to order from them. Can someone remind me how to do that?
Go to https://hojotea.com/item_e/available.htm.

The price list is hidden in plain sight, just click the big banner at the top, which looks so much like an ad banner that many people probably just mentally filter it out like I did early on. It is a PDF file.

You need to contact them through email, indeed. The email address is shown at the left, under Mr. Hojo's picture.

You may need a bit of patience. And sometimes a reminder. :)
gregcss
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 8:43 pm
Location: Virginia, US

Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:37 pm

faj wrote:
Sat Oct 31, 2020 10:55 am
gregcss wrote:
Sat Oct 31, 2020 10:35 am
Looks great. I ordered a teapot from Hojo long ago and have since forgot how to order from them. Can someone remind me how to do that?
Go to https://hojotea.com/item_e/available.htm.

The price list is hidden in plain sight, just click the big banner at the top, which looks so much like an ad banner that many people probably just mentally filter it out like I did early on. It is a PDF file.

You need to contact them through email, indeed. The email address is shown at the left, under Mr. Hojo's picture.

You may need a bit of patience. And sometimes a reminder. :)
Thanks. It really was in plain sight :lol:
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StoneLadle
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Sat Oct 31, 2020 7:48 pm

I can go check out their store physically if anyone needs me to muahahahaa
faj
Posts: 710
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:45 am
Location: Quebec

Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:04 pm

StoneLadle wrote:
Sat Oct 31, 2020 7:48 pm
I can go check out their store physically if anyone needs me to muahahahaa
If you are going to tease us with how easy it is for you to visit all these nice tea stores, at least keep on doing it with pictures like to did recently... :lol:
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OCTO
Posts: 1120
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Location: Penang, Malaysia

Sun Nov 01, 2020 12:58 am

faj wrote:
Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:04 pm
StoneLadle wrote:
Sat Oct 31, 2020 7:48 pm
I can go check out their store physically if anyone needs me to muahahahaa
If you are going to tease us with how easy it is for you to visit all these nice tea stores, at least keep on doing it with pictures like to did recently... :lol:
@faj

You do realise the photos that are coming with that request rite?? hahahahah.... @StoneLadle time to start clicking.... hahahaha.....
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StoneLadle
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Sun Nov 01, 2020 3:16 am

faj wrote:
Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:04 pm
StoneLadle wrote:
Sat Oct 31, 2020 7:48 pm
I can go check out their store physically if anyone needs me to muahahahaa
If you are going to tease us with how easy it is for you to visit all these nice tea stores, at least keep on doing it with pictures like to did recently... :lol:
LOL... my girlfriend just left that mall actually hahahhaa... i'll be there again on Wednesday, so what do you need looking at again?
faj
Posts: 710
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:45 am
Location: Quebec

Sun Nov 01, 2020 4:59 am

StoneLadle wrote:
Sun Nov 01, 2020 3:16 am
i'll be there again on Wednesday, so what do you need looking at again?
Well, if I were you, I would focus on whatever will crank up the jealousy factor the most. :mrgreen:
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