I did get to try some tea at Tsuen tea house, and it was lovely, and I bought a bunch of tea to take home. if I recall correctly, we were joined for part of our session by someone who identified as a member of the Family that owned the shop. It's not far from Kyoto!
But tea was not high on Mom's to do list, and I never did get into the one or two tea fancy shops that I had hoped to visit in Kyoto itself.
Introduce Yourself
Tsuen tea house seems to be interesting. However it is quite far from where we will be staying (around Gion area), so I may not be able to visit them.debunix wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:13 amI did get to try some tea at Tsuen tea house, and it was lovely, and I bought a bunch of tea to take home. if I recall correctly, we were joined for part of our session by someone who identified as a member of the Family that owned the shop. It's not far from Kyoto!
But tea was not high on Mom's to do list, and I never did get into the one or two tea fancy shops that I had hoped to visit in Kyoto itself.
Would you care sharing the fancy tea shops that you had hoped to visit in Kyoto? I may want to get some teaware to start with too.
Welcome to TeaForum @tagheuer. Some Kyoto shops are mentioned in this Nippon Banzai 2017 thread in our Travel section. I can recommend you try and visit Robert Yellin‘s Yakimono Gallery in Kyoto. Besides having an incredible collection, he will be able to fill you in about all the teaware and tea shops in Kyoto.
Thank you for the information, link and warm welcome.Victoria wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:47 pmWelcome to TeaForum @tagheuer. Some Kyoto shops are mentioned in this Nippon Banzai 2017 thread in our Travel section. I can recommend you try and visit Robert Yellin‘s Yakimono Gallery in Kyoto. Besides having an incredible collection, he will be able to fill you in about all the teaware and tea shops in Kyoto.
I will try to squeeze in some time in our hectic schedule to visit the recommended places.
How long have you been drinking tea?
Only a couple of years.
What kind of tea do you drink?
Almost exclusively roasted oolongs. After trying most of the tea categories (never got my hands on yellow tea and did not delve deep into puerh or heicha), it seems like my taste buds and nose have chosen the roasted oolong: mostly traditional style dong ding and yancha. If I’m having a couple teas in a session, I might drink a hongcha or dancong.
How do you prepare your tea?
Gongfu. Used a gaiwan for the first two years or so, and only now am I getting into using teapots, after picking up a couple on a recent trip to Taiwan.
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Yixing teapots and which ones may work best with my penchant for roasted oolongs. Tetsubins and old porcelain cups. Basically, I’m interested in improving my cup of dong ding tea
Would also like to explore aged oolongs at some point.
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I can’t remember what exactly was the catalyst for my getting into tea but it was during COVID that my interest was sparked.
Many elements of tea keep my interest: the daily ritual aspect, the increased sensitivity, the teaware, the caffeine. But first and foremost is the chase for that feeling of drinking a really great tea. The lasting impression of a great dong ding is perhaps the pinnacle moment that I always want to return to and improve upon.
What is your location?
Reno, Nevada and Japan
Only a couple of years.
What kind of tea do you drink?
Almost exclusively roasted oolongs. After trying most of the tea categories (never got my hands on yellow tea and did not delve deep into puerh or heicha), it seems like my taste buds and nose have chosen the roasted oolong: mostly traditional style dong ding and yancha. If I’m having a couple teas in a session, I might drink a hongcha or dancong.
How do you prepare your tea?
Gongfu. Used a gaiwan for the first two years or so, and only now am I getting into using teapots, after picking up a couple on a recent trip to Taiwan.
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Yixing teapots and which ones may work best with my penchant for roasted oolongs. Tetsubins and old porcelain cups. Basically, I’m interested in improving my cup of dong ding tea
Would also like to explore aged oolongs at some point.What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I can’t remember what exactly was the catalyst for my getting into tea but it was during COVID that my interest was sparked.
Many elements of tea keep my interest: the daily ritual aspect, the increased sensitivity, the teaware, the caffeine. But first and foremost is the chase for that feeling of drinking a really great tea. The lasting impression of a great dong ding is perhaps the pinnacle moment that I always want to return to and improve upon.
What is your location?
Reno, Nevada and Japan
Welcome to the TeaForum journey @SwissYaku
-
raven_freak
- New user
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2024 4:30 pm
- Location: Southern California
How long have you been drinking tea?
27yrs
What kind of tea do you drink?
started off with black tea (most likely english breakfast), then moved to green teas (preferance towards roasted rice tea), and in the past 10 years I discovered masala chai and matcha and more recently other teas thanks for kung fu tea.
How do you prepare your tea?
Mostly in my kitchen with boiled tap water. Nowadays I use bottled water with a gooseneck kettle.
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Mainly where to buy some good quality teas online
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I visited london to see my aunt and her roommate introduced me to english tea and I've been hooked since.
What is your location?
Southern California
27yrs
What kind of tea do you drink?
started off with black tea (most likely english breakfast), then moved to green teas (preferance towards roasted rice tea), and in the past 10 years I discovered masala chai and matcha and more recently other teas thanks for kung fu tea.
How do you prepare your tea?
Mostly in my kitchen with boiled tap water. Nowadays I use bottled water with a gooseneck kettle.
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Mainly where to buy some good quality teas online
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I visited london to see my aunt and her roommate introduced me to english tea and I've been hooked since.
What is your location?
Southern California
-
TaiguliRebel
- New user
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Fri Mar 29, 2024 3:18 am
- Location: Hungary
How long have you been drinking tea?
- As far as I can remember.. I drunk linden, chamomile, mint 'teas' as a kid; then the only available teabags, with occasional private import loose leaf Ceylon, British or Soviet-era Georgian and Russian blends.
What kind of tea do you drink?
My daily teas are:
How do you prepare your tea?
- gaiwan, shiboridashiat home
- grandpa-style in the office
- in a cooking pot, with my family (we decant 2-3 liters in thermo bottles for the whole day)
I'm too clumsy with tea pots - gave up on them after I dropped and broke several lids and pots...
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Taiwan, Mianmar and Vietnamese teas.
Tea and food pairing.
Japanese green teas.
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I enjoy the varieties and the subtleties of teamaking. And I have 'tea heroes' (Finch from Person of Interest or Uncle Iron from the Avatar, among others.)
And the good company.
What is your location?
Hungary, Europe
- As far as I can remember.. I drunk linden, chamomile, mint 'teas' as a kid; then the only available teabags, with occasional private import loose leaf Ceylon, British or Soviet-era Georgian and Russian blends.
What kind of tea do you drink?
My daily teas are:
- Roasted oolongs
Georgian black teas (modern cultivars)
Hojicha
Pressed blacks and shu pu'erhs
Green oolongs
White tea
Bilberry tea
Mint tea
How do you prepare your tea?
- gaiwan, shiboridashiat home
- grandpa-style in the office
- in a cooking pot, with my family (we decant 2-3 liters in thermo bottles for the whole day)
I'm too clumsy with tea pots - gave up on them after I dropped and broke several lids and pots...
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Taiwan, Mianmar and Vietnamese teas.
Tea and food pairing.
Japanese green teas.
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I enjoy the varieties and the subtleties of teamaking. And I have 'tea heroes' (Finch from Person of Interest or Uncle Iron from the Avatar, among others.)
And the good company.
What is your location?
Hungary, Europe
Welcome to TeaForum, quite a spread from Hungary, Southern California, Reno to Japan @SwissYaku @raven_freak @TaiguliRebel
-
Valentin1331
- New user
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Tue Apr 16, 2024 10:10 pm
Hey there, my name is Valentin.
As a child, I started having intense belly aches in the morning at school. We first thought it was due to drinking cold orange juice first thing in the morning, so I switched to cold milk in cereals, hot milk, and as nothing was durably improving my situation, I went on with tea, and this was a game changer (though I also figured out much later that it was all because of schoolphobia). Since then, like most Europeans, and since my mom already drank some Earl Grey regularly, I've been mostly drinking Twinning black teas. I started with Earl Grey, then explored English Breakfast, Ceylon, Darjeeling and finally ended up preferring the Yunnan Black tea, as it was a much lighter and far less bitter taste. It was clearly not meant to be oversteeped and then mixed with milk, like most black teas here.
I went on like this, drinking a pint of tea in the morning every day, until I visited China on a work trip in 2017 for a company assessing the human rights in textile facilities. As I went to Wenzhou, I asked my Chinese colleague if she could take me to the tea store and ask the man for a green tea I had never had. I will never forget that tea. It had a distinct taste and smell that I cannot name and that I have been looking for ever since, sometimes smelling it in some teas, but never quite getting it completely. Maybe it was strong tannins? I am not even so sure what tannins taste like in tea, so...
After coming back home and starting another job, I went on a quest to find that green tea, always getting green teas in restaurants/asian supermarkets, hoping to one day find this flavour again. I once found it in some Kukicha in a restaurant, but when trying other Kukichas and Karigane Kukicha from online stores, it simply wasn't that taste anymore. And I can't believe that they sold me Japanese Kukicha in Wenzhou small town tea house, so the quest went on.
But since Kukicha was so good, I started delving deeper into Japanese teas, getting myself a Tokoname Kyusu, some Sencha, Fukamushicha, Asamushicha, Gyokuro, Karigane Kukicha, Bancha from Yunomi and learning to taste the differences in flavours and to use my kyusu.
This all led me to today, with another chance to visit Asia. I had 2 months in China at the moment, where I took on the quest to discover as many Chinese teas as I could, and as far as I can tell, I think I have been doing a decent job with the time I had!
In the series of Green Teas, I have tried: Longjing, Huangshan Maofeng, Bi Luo Chun, Hou Kui, Anji Baicha, Maojian, Shandong Laoshan (Pine Needles), Zhu Ye Qing, Silver Strands, Gua Pian, Jade Dragon, Yu Lu, Lushan Yunwu. In the series of Oolong, I have tried: Tie Guan Yin, Ali Shan, Jin Xuan, Maoxie (Hairy Crab, as recommended on Discord), Da Hong Pao, Dan Cong Duck Shit, Wuyi Rougui, Shui Xian, and then, to a lesser extent, a few red teas, sheng puer, shu puer, white peony, silver needles and yellow tea.
I also started delving into the rabbit hole of Yixing teapot, getting myself a Zhuni teapot which I love the shape of, and tried to find if I could spot a higher quality old Yixing teapot from pre-77 factory 1 era, but it proved impossible with my small experience, to tell a real from a copy. I decided to give up on this and wait for someone to post on TeaSwap a F1 teapot that I like.
Speaking of the devil, TeaSwap was my entry point to this forum, as I am ready to patiently wait for someone to sell the Shui Ping of my dreams (early 70s, approx 100ml), and reach out to them (which I can't seem to be able to at this point). I also started to engage in discussions on the Communi-tea discord.
Next steps for my tea journey: 3 weeks in Japan, where I want to open my world of Japanese greens. So far, I know that I like some Senchas better than others, and some Kukichas better than others, and I am willing to find out why, and hopefully find some teas I love for my daily drinking (though TGY may become one of them as well).
Finally, I will start a business plan, once back home (Scotland), to explore the possibility of opening a tea house in Edinburgh. I would love to have a chance to discuss with some people in this community who already opened a physical tea business and learn from their experiences. Is there such a place here?
As a child, I started having intense belly aches in the morning at school. We first thought it was due to drinking cold orange juice first thing in the morning, so I switched to cold milk in cereals, hot milk, and as nothing was durably improving my situation, I went on with tea, and this was a game changer (though I also figured out much later that it was all because of schoolphobia). Since then, like most Europeans, and since my mom already drank some Earl Grey regularly, I've been mostly drinking Twinning black teas. I started with Earl Grey, then explored English Breakfast, Ceylon, Darjeeling and finally ended up preferring the Yunnan Black tea, as it was a much lighter and far less bitter taste. It was clearly not meant to be oversteeped and then mixed with milk, like most black teas here.
I went on like this, drinking a pint of tea in the morning every day, until I visited China on a work trip in 2017 for a company assessing the human rights in textile facilities. As I went to Wenzhou, I asked my Chinese colleague if she could take me to the tea store and ask the man for a green tea I had never had. I will never forget that tea. It had a distinct taste and smell that I cannot name and that I have been looking for ever since, sometimes smelling it in some teas, but never quite getting it completely. Maybe it was strong tannins? I am not even so sure what tannins taste like in tea, so...
After coming back home and starting another job, I went on a quest to find that green tea, always getting green teas in restaurants/asian supermarkets, hoping to one day find this flavour again. I once found it in some Kukicha in a restaurant, but when trying other Kukichas and Karigane Kukicha from online stores, it simply wasn't that taste anymore. And I can't believe that they sold me Japanese Kukicha in Wenzhou small town tea house, so the quest went on.
But since Kukicha was so good, I started delving deeper into Japanese teas, getting myself a Tokoname Kyusu, some Sencha, Fukamushicha, Asamushicha, Gyokuro, Karigane Kukicha, Bancha from Yunomi and learning to taste the differences in flavours and to use my kyusu.
This all led me to today, with another chance to visit Asia. I had 2 months in China at the moment, where I took on the quest to discover as many Chinese teas as I could, and as far as I can tell, I think I have been doing a decent job with the time I had!
In the series of Green Teas, I have tried: Longjing, Huangshan Maofeng, Bi Luo Chun, Hou Kui, Anji Baicha, Maojian, Shandong Laoshan (Pine Needles), Zhu Ye Qing, Silver Strands, Gua Pian, Jade Dragon, Yu Lu, Lushan Yunwu. In the series of Oolong, I have tried: Tie Guan Yin, Ali Shan, Jin Xuan, Maoxie (Hairy Crab, as recommended on Discord), Da Hong Pao, Dan Cong Duck Shit, Wuyi Rougui, Shui Xian, and then, to a lesser extent, a few red teas, sheng puer, shu puer, white peony, silver needles and yellow tea.
I also started delving into the rabbit hole of Yixing teapot, getting myself a Zhuni teapot which I love the shape of, and tried to find if I could spot a higher quality old Yixing teapot from pre-77 factory 1 era, but it proved impossible with my small experience, to tell a real from a copy. I decided to give up on this and wait for someone to post on TeaSwap a F1 teapot that I like.
Speaking of the devil, TeaSwap was my entry point to this forum, as I am ready to patiently wait for someone to sell the Shui Ping of my dreams (early 70s, approx 100ml), and reach out to them (which I can't seem to be able to at this point). I also started to engage in discussions on the Communi-tea discord.
Next steps for my tea journey: 3 weeks in Japan, where I want to open my world of Japanese greens. So far, I know that I like some Senchas better than others, and some Kukichas better than others, and I am willing to find out why, and hopefully find some teas I love for my daily drinking (though TGY may become one of them as well).
Finally, I will start a business plan, once back home (Scotland), to explore the possibility of opening a tea house in Edinburgh. I would love to have a chance to discuss with some people in this community who already opened a physical tea business and learn from their experiences. Is there such a place here?