Introduce Yourself

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Eyvind
New user
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2017 2:48 pm
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:14 pm

I was in the Tea-chat forum previously and wanted to continue here.

How long have you been drinking tea?

Since childhood, I have drank bagged black tea. I have learned a little more since then.

What kind of tea do you drink?

Mostly Japanese green tea. I picked up the habit of English-style blacks from a Welsh friend. Sometimes oolongs, or puerh. If it comes from Camellia sinensis, I will try it.

How do you prepare your tea?

In a teapot ;)
Gaiwan, kyusu, shibashidori, chawan, or whatever is appropriate.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?

I'm interested in traditional tea wares. I enjoy learning about the production of tea.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?

I started further down the rabbit hole when a friend of my parents introduced me to some herbal teas. Then I discovered the teas at the Asian market. I was the weird kid with the thermos of jasmine in tea in high school. While I was at University, I took part in a Sister-City program in Japan. It was May and the shin-cha was arriving. I found a new tea avenue to explore. While in Yangshuo, I stopped in a teahouse and was amazed by the Gongfu tea culture. Then then was the Teachat forums and copious information from tea enthusiasts worldwide. The journey continues...

What is your location?

Lemon Grove, California. Right next to San Diego.
User avatar
S_B
Posts: 118
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:17 pm
Location: Reno, NV.
Contact:

Mon Jan 01, 2018 1:17 am

Hello all, you can call me Nug. Sean works, too. I've been drinking tea for a while, don't have quantifiable time. I have more recently been ordering/drinking more tea and branching out, having a good time. I drink Taiwanese Oolongs primarily. I am quite interested and beginning to explore pu'ers now. I'm afraid of it for many reasons, and the "knowledge" people like to put out there is hard to weed through. I'm overall enjoying my time though. My largest pull into tea was through drinking tea with friends and family in Taiwan. I'm currently in Reno, NV. Don't visit~
Looking forward to learning more and exploring/growing in this community!
the_skua
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2018 8:22 am
Location: central NY

Fri Jan 05, 2018 8:59 am

I'm Tom and have been drinking tea since 2009. Around that time I got overly serious about it, had a blog and then burned out on writing (and obsessing) about tea. I'm back now at a more sustainable level.

How long have you been drinking tea?
Been drinking puer and good greens since 2009.

What kind of tea do you drink?
When I'm slowing down and paying attention to the tea, I'm mostly drinking sheng puer, with the occasional shu. At the office, I'm often drinking shincha, matcha, or shu pu. I definitely have a taste for the young, old tree sheng, those electric, yellow sweet and bitter teas. Although, I'm now starting to appreciate mid-aged teas, as that's what's accumulating in my stash.

How do you prepare your tea?
Shengs are in a 75mL molded yixing pot (my caffeine tolerance is low), my office pot is a 125mL porcelain.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Staying on top of what's happening with the sheng world, trying more aged sheng, and different shus.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
The variety of sheng available and the ageability.

What is your location?
Ithaca, NY. If anyone wants to drink in person, I'd be very happy to meet up.
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VaratPh
Vendor
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2018 8:34 am
Location: Thailand

Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:00 am

Hello to everyone here

How long have you been drinking tea?
My tea journey is approaching 20 years. I started getting serious about tea in 2000 when work opened the opportunity for me to make frequent visits to China and I have been drinking tea ever since.

What kind of tea do you drink?
In the beginning I drank pretty much everything, the good, the bad and even the ugly looking and tasting ones. As I gained more experience and started to understand tea and my own body I found myself drinking age puerh tea more and more. I pretty much love the category of age tea and this covers Liuan, Liubao, Heicha, Oolong as well as Puerh tea.

How do you prepare your tea?

Gongfu when there is time otherwise using the thermo for an easy way out.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Tea history, aging tea, tea as medicine … things along the lines of natural herbs, remedies, practices for maintaining the body and contributing to good health.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I got into puerh tea at a time when I had problems with my digestion and acid reflux. I like age tea for the comfort it brings to the body. Age tea that has reached a certain point of maturity possess a heavy and substantial profile that is calming so it simply washes over you with a blanket of warm and comfort. Also I find the development and changes that a tea undergoes as it ages fascinating so that in itself will hold my interest for a lifetime.

What is your location?
Thailand
joiedwards
New user
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2017 12:15 pm

Tue Jan 09, 2018 2:16 pm

Hello to everyone here

How long have you been drinking tea?
I have been drinking tea since before my college days.

What kind of tea do you drink?
I drink mostly Oolong and Japanese green teas.

How do you prepare your tea?
I used gaiwans, and a variety of tea pots and bowls

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Tea history, and ceremonies.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I have always been a Japanophile and interested in Asia generally. The foods and ceremonies. I studied Zen Buddhism and Zazen.

What is your location?
USA
TeaV
New user
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2018 10:10 pm
Location: Tasmania, Australia

Wed Jan 10, 2018 12:49 am

How long have you been drinking tea?
I have only started drinking tea in the last 12 months which came about when I did a coffee free month as a fundraiser and haven't turned back since.

What kind of tea do you drink?
I enjoy herbal teas (particularly Rooibos), green tea and black tea (lapsang souchong is my recently found favourite). It is only just recently I have realised just how many other types of teas (and then the endless blends on top of that) there are in the world and am working on trying as many as I can.

How do you prepare your tea?
I currently brew my tea in a tea pot when not using a tea bag but am looking at trying new ways.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
I'm trying to soak up all the knowledge I can at the moment.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
After I had my coffee free month I didn't feel like going back. I was enjoying the variety of options that tea opened me to. Infact I'm enjoying tea so much that I have started a tea reviewing youtube channel to give an "everyday man's" view of teas.

What is your location?
I live in Tasmania, Australia
Teachronicles
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:13 am
Location: SF Bay Area, CA

Wed Jan 10, 2018 1:01 am

Hey all,

I'm pretty new to tea, been drinking loose leaf for about a year. What got me into it was an article about a bay area (where I'm located) local named David Lee Hoffman and his eccentric property in marin, where he has a huge stock of puer he's collected over the years. It's been an expensive but very delicious journey so far as I went crazy buying all sorts of tea. I started out with green tea, which was my favorite for a while, but now I favor oolong and puer (sheng). I use a gaiwan and various pots to brew my tea. I've already learned a lot on this forum and have found some great sources for tea (hauyang chen).
User avatar
Ragamuffin
Artisan
Posts: 71
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2018 4:26 pm
Location: Clearwater, FL

Wed Jan 10, 2018 4:59 pm

Hey all, I frequently lurked Tea Chat and am on Steepster as tperez and Reddit as redpandaflying93. I’m a little late to the party, but I decided to sign up for this new forum and see what it’s about!

How long have you been drinking tea?

Always liked tea, but got into the good stuff about five years ago.

What kind of tea do you drink?

My favorites are puerh, hong chas, and roasted oolongs, but I drink just about everything. The teas that I don’t like are the “nuclear” green oolongs, first flush Darjeeling, and the more vegetal/savory greens.

How do you prepare your tea?

Mostly gongfu if it’s gongfu-able, but sometimes in a one mug sized pot if I don’t have time. My favorite teapot is a 90mL red Jian Shui shi pao from Crimson Lotus tea which I use for aged sheng.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?

Right now I’m doing some experimenting with tian jian hei cha and aged white teas. Also getting more familiar with the different Wuyi oolong varieties.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?

I was a big coffee drinker, and I found a coffee shop that offered loose leaf tea. I enjoyed it (even though it was pretty mediocre in retrospect) and went online to learn more about tea. Then I found out just how huge the world of tea is! My favorite thing about tea is the nearly endless variation in styles, flavor, and terrior. I’m still drinking tea beacause it has become my favorite beverage and there is always more to learn and experience.

What is your location?

Currently in Clearwater, FL and would love to meet up with other tea drinkers.
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Elise
Posts: 235
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 2:22 pm
Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Thu Jan 11, 2018 5:29 am

Clearwater... what a good place name for a tea drinker :)
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Excelsior
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2018 1:13 pm
Location: Irvine, CA

Thu Jan 11, 2018 1:23 pm

How long have you been drinking tea?
Living in Japan, as long as I can remember. Started drinking less tea after moving to the US. After graduating from UCLA, moved back to Japan and really got into tea there. All sorts of specialty tea stores and tea salons in Tokyo. That’s where I fell in love with Mariage Freres.

What kind of tea do you drink?
Mainly First Flush Darjeeling. Every year, a tiring process of trying 25+ teas from all estates and finding the ones I like for that year. Darjeeling teas are extremely temperamental and the taste changes each year. Even teas from the same estate, same flush, same DJ number, and same grading scale (SFTGFOP1), vary greatly depending on the prevailing climate conditions in Darjeeling for that year.
Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong Teas
Cold Brewed Green Rooibos
Japanese Greens
Matcha. My wife’s friend is accredited with the Highest Tea Ceremony Honors in Japan. The Matcha she can prepare is unbelievable. My wife is certified in Tea Ceremony and I asked her if she can make Matcha this good. Her flat answer was/is “NO.”

How do you prepare your tea?
For First Flush Darjeelings, 350ml at a time, in a western tea pot, depends on the Darjeeling but anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes with water at 95C. I don’t weigh the tea but about 1 tablespoon, sometimes more depending on the size of the tea leaf. Have different types of vessels I use depending on the type of tea I am brewing.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Maybe the health benefits of different types of tea. The worst tasting tea I have ever tried was what my wife’s father would grow in his backyard. She said it will keep me from getting sick. I took the tea with me to my business trips to China. My colleagues and I drank snake blood. They got sick, I did not. Ate some bad pork and my colleagues got sick. I did not. Two of our members got food poisoning and had to go to the hospital. I felt fine. It tasted like tree bark but the benefits, by far, outweighed the bad taste of the tea.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
Living in Tokyo. A large city where each ward has a different flavor/atmosphere. Want that Blade Runner experience? Go to Shibuya Station where gigantic video screens cover all the buildings in that area. Shibuya not busy enough? Go through Shinjuku Station. 3 million people pass through this station every day. Not the largest but is definitely the busiest train station in the world. Want to spend some money? Go to Ginza. Try some esoteric sushi places where you will need a briefcase full of cash to pay the bill. Poisonous Blowfish? It’s usually safe but there are some restaurants where they will leave a tiny amount of poison in the fish making the end of your fingers tingle at the end of the meal. As for tea, Mariage Freres, Fortnum & Mason, TWG, Harrods, Lupicia, Marina de Bourbon, and a myriad of small tea shops and salons are scattered throughout Tokyo.

What is your location?
Irvine California
User avatar
teabone
New user
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:12 pm

Sat Jan 13, 2018 3:05 am

Greetings to all!

How long have you been drinking tea?
Probably since I was a kid. Seriously for about 3 years now.

What kind of tea do you drink?
Started my tea journey with Long Jing and Bi Luo Chun greens. Delved into raw puerh and the rest was history. Am currently savouring ripe puerh, Phoenix Dan Cong oolongs, Yancha/Rock tea, Blacks and Whites, in addition to the aforementioned starter teas.

How do you prepare your tea?
Gongfu style whenever I have the time. Tumbler with sieve for tea leaves to work on a daily basis.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
How different teawares and materials affect the taste of tea. Different preparation method for different tea. Developing a consistent gongfu skill through Tea Knowledge & Friendship.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
Attended a conference in a hotel few years back where tea was served using teabags by Jing Tea. I was intrique by the flavourful loose tea leaves from the teabags. Ordered a few boxes of them online and started my adventure on loose leaf teas.
The oomph and zen are what's still keeping me there.

What is your location?
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.



Best regards,
teabone
User avatar
chaolystea
New user
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:30 pm

Sun Jan 14, 2018 9:18 pm

How long have you been drinking tea?
I've been drinking tea since 1994, but with intent since 1999.

What kind of tea do you drink?
Whole leaf teas. I especially enjoy deepening my exploration of oolongs from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. Tie Guan Yin is my favorite everyday tea. I also enjoy the complex world of aged sheng and shou puers (usually with my tea friends). I'll whisk my own matcha regularly and I enjoy fresh green teas in the spring. I am more of a "tea for every season and every mood" kind of person. I am never too proud to graciously enjoy any offering of any kind of tea- bags, blends, or otherwise. A cup of tea is a cup of hospitality offered!

How do you prepare your tea?
I usually prepare my teas in a 100ml gaiwan by myself. I'll prep my matcha in a ceramic bowl with a bamboo whisk. I have a stainless steel electric kettle and candy thermometer to watch my temperature. I am learning about ceramics specific to tea preparation such as yixing pottery.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
I am exploring the history, ethnography, anthropology, etiquette, around tea. I am very curiously dabbling in to the current trends in the tea business as tea interest grows in the West amongst non-Asian demographics. I am especially interested in recommendations to books, magazines, and media to aid in my exploration.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
In 1999, I chanced picking up genmaicha and a gold canister of a shou puer at a local asian market in the town where I was attending college and I suddenly realized tea was much more than the Lipton tea bags I had grown up with. Recently, I have been drawn to tea as a career and I am exploring where I could fit in to the industry. I love learning about tea and expanding my taste understanding. I LOVE the community of people I am meeting through learning about tea!!

What is your location?
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
miig
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:12 pm
Location: Germany

Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:12 pm

Hey guys,
I'm online in other forums and would like to participate in this new and promising effort as well.


How long have you been drinking tea?
Bagged tea since childhood, tea as a serious hobby - about 10 years.

What kind of tea do you drink?
Almost anything. Especially Sheng & Oolong, but most other things as well.

How do you prepare your tea?
Mostly in a gongfu-light approach in glazed teaware.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Hmm - luckily, I found some very good sources along the way. As of now, I'm mostly interested in developing my sensitivity and mindfulness.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I've always been a foodie, did whiskey before. But I wanted to reduce alcohol, and tea has proven to replace wine and spirits very, very well.

What is your location?
Central Europe - Germany.
User avatar
beforewisdom
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:31 am
Location: Washington D.C.

Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:49 am

Hey all,

I just found out about TeaForum.org when I visited the "other place".

Glad for the invitation.

Glad to be here.


How long have you been drinking tea?

Probably for about 10 years. Like most Americans I didn't particularly care for it one way when I was younger as all I was exposed to was crap tea.

What kind of tea do you drink?

I'm mostly a Japanese green tea guy.

I mostly do sencha. When I am really tired I have some matcha tins a friend bought be back from Japan.

I know next to nothing about Chinese teas, though my go to Chinese teas are Early Grey and Longjing ( Dragon Well ).


How do you prepare your tea?

With a tea scale, a thermometer, an electric kettle, a glass tea pot, and a reverent spirit for the gift I am about to receive :-)


What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?

I'm mostly a Japanese green tea guy. I came for the urban folklore about the health effects, stayed for the taste and the zen feeling of the theanine content :-). I also like the feeling of getting away when I visit a Japanese tea shop about 45 minutes from my home. It is in a historic stone building, mom & pop shop, they also serve Inarazushi, and it is a nice place to hang out.

What is your location?

I live about 30 minutes outside of Washington D.C. in the United States.
User avatar
Jo
Mrs. Chip
Posts: 268
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 6:48 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Wed Jan 24, 2018 3:10 pm

Hello fellow TeaLovers. For those of you who may not know, yes, I am Chip's wife.

How long have you been drinking tea?
Since 2008 I have been enjoying tea daily with Chip at our TeaTable. We rarely miss a morning session.

What kind of tea do you drink?
Japanese greens are the teas of choice at our household. O-Cha is my vendor of choice with Yutaka Midori and AOI my top fave senchas, but Gyokuro is my all time favorite.

How do you prepare your tea?
I am most fortunate, Chip is my own personal brewmaster, I sit and thoroughly enjoy the process.
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