Hey, I'm Marc B^)
I'm from Toronto, Canada, and am 37 years old.
How long have you been drinking tea?
Since I was a kid - my folks were really into going for hikes when I was growing up, and we'd get cream tea at the half way point at a cozy little tea house. All Twining's in bags from what I remember. I started drinking tea as a hobby intermittently, and began taking it particularly seriously when dating my girlfriend, who doesn't drink.
What kind of tea do you drink?
It depends, but I own and drink more sheng pu'er than anything else. Unlike many Western drinkers, I prefer aged sheng to young, so that's what I tend to gravitate to the most. In second place, I drink a lot of heicha - fu, liubao, and even some Japanese pickled teas like awa bancha now. Also a lot of yancha and dancong oolongs. In summer, I gravitate towards greens.
When I work, I tend to drink South Asian teas, primarily Assam and Darjeeling, though would love to learn more about Ceylon teas and more.
How do you prepare your tea?
Grandpa or Western style when busy, but try to make time for a bit of gong fu in the evenings to relax. Like many, I probably paid a lot of tuition with not so good tea ware when I started. Now I've got a small and mediocre yixing collection that keeps me very happy, and I don't really plan to build on. Also, a couple gaiwans and ceramic pots for assorted purposes.
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Would be fun to learn more about Japanese greens, South Asian teas, and aged sheng is a rabbit hole of infinite depth, so that'd be cool too!
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I honestly just feel very relaxed when I drink tea, it's a nice reprieve from the world, in a healthy way.
Introduce Yourself
-
DonnerJack
- New user
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sat May 20, 2023 11:25 am
- Location: Israel
Hi there!
How long have you been drinking tea?
Most of my life, but only a couple of years ago I found out most of what I considered as “tea” or even “good tea” was tea dust in bags or low quality loose leaf
What kind of tea do you drink?
Pu’er(sheng/shou), Chinese green, very rarely a red/black one and lately mostly Japanese tea of all kinds
How do you prepare your tea?
Mostly gong-fu (gaiwan or teapot) or Japanese way, but lately I’m trying matcha and due to workload also trying grandpa style
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Still trying to find good sources for tea, and always trying to learn more and try new stuff. Still didn’t find hei-cha beside pu’er that I liked (beside some interesting Japanese ones that I really liked). Not many sources for quality tea where I’m at so most of it I need to buy overseas.
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I always liked tea and tried the “fancy stuff” to try and see what the hype was about and trying to find healthier options but never found anything really nice beyond a good earl-gray. I never understood how people drink green tea when following the instructions of brewing a tea bag for a few minutes, resulting with a bitter and unpleasant brew. Only by chance I found a local source for tea that had a single type of pu’er mini-tuos and TGY (both of low quality) but the unknown teas intrigued me so I tried. The pu’er was nice and new, but the TGY (even though it was what I now consider as lower grade) was mind-blowing and I had to redefine what I consider as tea.
From that point my wife and I cannot go back to lower grade tea, plus we actually feel better as a result and really enjoy it.
What is your location?
Israel
How long have you been drinking tea?
Most of my life, but only a couple of years ago I found out most of what I considered as “tea” or even “good tea” was tea dust in bags or low quality loose leaf
What kind of tea do you drink?
Pu’er(sheng/shou), Chinese green, very rarely a red/black one and lately mostly Japanese tea of all kinds
How do you prepare your tea?
Mostly gong-fu (gaiwan or teapot) or Japanese way, but lately I’m trying matcha and due to workload also trying grandpa style
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Still trying to find good sources for tea, and always trying to learn more and try new stuff. Still didn’t find hei-cha beside pu’er that I liked (beside some interesting Japanese ones that I really liked). Not many sources for quality tea where I’m at so most of it I need to buy overseas.
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I always liked tea and tried the “fancy stuff” to try and see what the hype was about and trying to find healthier options but never found anything really nice beyond a good earl-gray. I never understood how people drink green tea when following the instructions of brewing a tea bag for a few minutes, resulting with a bitter and unpleasant brew. Only by chance I found a local source for tea that had a single type of pu’er mini-tuos and TGY (both of low quality) but the unknown teas intrigued me so I tried. The pu’er was nice and new, but the TGY (even though it was what I now consider as lower grade) was mind-blowing and I had to redefine what I consider as tea.
From that point my wife and I cannot go back to lower grade tea, plus we actually feel better as a result and really enjoy it.
What is your location?
Israel
-
Kawaramono
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun May 21, 2023 10:08 am
- Location: Northeastern US
Hello Tea Forum Folks; happy to finally be joining the conversation...!
In the simplest terms, I find myself interested in tea because of its near limitless diversity, complexity, and opportunity for evolving experimentation. I enjoy things with minute details that allow for fruitful tinkering and nuanced appreciation. And of course, as many of you, I simply enjoy the taste and experience of drinking tea. You could say I came for the flavor inside the cup, but will stay for the journey into the complex worlds of craft and culture that make it so.
I tend to gravitate towards things that appear simple on the surface, yet with the manipulation of nearly imperceivable nuances, can be steered into the heights of art or masterful function. A hand carved spoon, the pattern of a cooking knife, the spout of a kettle, the leaf of a tea plant. I like to experiment with parameters and see where they go.
In my personal life I enjoy foraging for wild foods (plants & mushrooms), carving, spending time in the forests of the Northeast (US), and generally being picky about everyday things and the ambiance of a given room with my equally picky girlfriend. I work as a Japanese Gardener, hence my username - and am lucky to be adjacent to a practicing traditional chado/tea ceremony school as part of what I do.
For now my tea journey will likely be focused on acquainting myself with what is out there, acquiring (taste) preferences that will hopefully one day lead to some useful understanding and aptitude in chasing down and sharing what I like with others. When I am wiser and older and greyer, I forsee myself shedding the microscope (read: digital scale), opening the window, and going full on vibes mode with wares that seemingly curated themselves long ago with spring water bubbling over a charcoal boiler, waiting to wake up a pinch of leaves that have forgotten their own name from a lack of ever needing one. Though as of this day ...I remain dumber, younger, and actively hued - so I'm here to talk shop with the tea forum fam: (variable temp kettle and notepad at the ready
)
On a flavor chasing mission
In the simplest terms, I find myself interested in tea because of its near limitless diversity, complexity, and opportunity for evolving experimentation. I enjoy things with minute details that allow for fruitful tinkering and nuanced appreciation. And of course, as many of you, I simply enjoy the taste and experience of drinking tea. You could say I came for the flavor inside the cup, but will stay for the journey into the complex worlds of craft and culture that make it so.
I tend to gravitate towards things that appear simple on the surface, yet with the manipulation of nearly imperceivable nuances, can be steered into the heights of art or masterful function. A hand carved spoon, the pattern of a cooking knife, the spout of a kettle, the leaf of a tea plant. I like to experiment with parameters and see where they go.
In my personal life I enjoy foraging for wild foods (plants & mushrooms), carving, spending time in the forests of the Northeast (US), and generally being picky about everyday things and the ambiance of a given room with my equally picky girlfriend. I work as a Japanese Gardener, hence my username - and am lucky to be adjacent to a practicing traditional chado/tea ceremony school as part of what I do.
For now my tea journey will likely be focused on acquainting myself with what is out there, acquiring (taste) preferences that will hopefully one day lead to some useful understanding and aptitude in chasing down and sharing what I like with others. When I am wiser and older and greyer, I forsee myself shedding the microscope (read: digital scale), opening the window, and going full on vibes mode with wares that seemingly curated themselves long ago with spring water bubbling over a charcoal boiler, waiting to wake up a pinch of leaves that have forgotten their own name from a lack of ever needing one. Though as of this day ...I remain dumber, younger, and actively hued - so I'm here to talk shop with the tea forum fam: (variable temp kettle and notepad at the ready
) On a flavor chasing mission
