Introduce Yourself

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joopbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2019 10:54 am
Location: Vancouver

Sun Mar 31, 2019 11:56 am

Hi tea buddies,

Really happy to have stumbled upon this forum on all things tea. Been Lurking around other forums and blogs but for some reasons I feel like it’s time to say hi here so I can get to know you all better.

How long have you been drinking tea?
Pretty much all my life. Being Chinese has its advantage since we drink tea all the time in all occasions. But then tea also got placed in the “not cool” category simply because its something my parents and their peers do.

Growing up in Hong Kong and Canada, I gravitated toward the “western” beverages. At one point, I thought coffee could be my soulmate.

That was until about 10 years ago, I was served tea the gongfu style in a coffee shop in Xiamen unexpectedly. I purchased my first gaiwan and the rest is history.

What kind of tea do you drink?
All kinds, I would say oolong and green tea is probably my favorite. But black tea has its place too...

How do you prepare your tea?
I use gaiwan a lot. I will breakout my clay pot for Shou pu er. I also have travel sets to use on the road.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Even as a Chinese who’s been drinking tea all my life, I feel that I have only scratched the surface. Love to keep learning and trying tea from around the world.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
The sheer pleasure from tea brewing is simple addictive.


What is your location?
Vancouver, Canada
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pedant
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Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 4:35 am
Location: Chicago
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Sun Mar 31, 2019 12:05 pm

welcome, @joopbie :mrgreen:
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Jo
Mrs. Chip
Posts: 268
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 6:48 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Sun Mar 31, 2019 2:50 pm

Joopbia, welcome to the forum. Looking forward to your posts.
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joopbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2019 10:54 am
Location: Vancouver

Mon Apr 01, 2019 12:02 pm

Thanks for the warm welcome. I already could sense that this is a dangerous place since it made me wanna try so many tea mentioned... :lol:
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TeaMastersBlog
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Joined: Fri Apr 05, 2019 6:55 am
Location: Taiwan
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Fri Apr 05, 2019 8:12 am

My name is Stéphane Erler, the French dude behind the TeaMastersBlog and the Tea-Masters online boutique.

Since I've been blogging since 2004, I think that most of you already know who I am. But in case you don't, I've been living in Taiwan since 1996 and that's where I discovered Oolong tea at a time I wanted to become a wine connaisseur. I then realized tea was very similar to wine, but more tricky to prepare. So, after many frustrating tea sessions, I started to take lessons with a journalist turned tea expert, Teaparker. And I have been taking weekly lessons with him for 16 years now!

I drink almost any kind of tea, even scented (when it's natural), provided it's good!

Most of the time, I prepare tea using the Chaxi approach. It's creating a harmonious and beautiful tea setup that resonates both with the tea and a certain feeling that I'd like to express.

Tea pairing is a current point of interest. This brings me back to the similarities between wine and tea. But there are so many subjects to learn and explore with tea. Chinese tea ceramics, for instance, open the door to art, Chinese aesthetics...

I decided to join this forum (after a long lurching), because of the high level of the discussions and because I'll soon visit the US again. The Penn State tea club has invited Teaparker and myself for an Aged Tea Exhibition: 4 days of (free) public lectures from April 18 to 21. If you have time and are not too far away from PA, this kind of event promises to be extremely interesting. Also, I will be in NYC prior to that. Maybe it would be possible to meet some interested tea drinkers on April 15...
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Victoria
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Fri Apr 05, 2019 3:39 pm

Welcome to TeaForum Stéphane. I am so glad you joined. I have enjoyed reading your blog for many years. Having weekly tea sessions for 16 years with a teacher and a friend is so special. Your approach to tea and it’s setup as an aesthetic emotive experience resonates with me also. I have heard many good things about Penn States Tea Institute, wish I could join you there and in NYC, but I’m in Los Angeles.
hawkband1
New user
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2019 2:14 pm
Location: Central Iowa

Fri Apr 19, 2019 2:57 pm

How long have you been drinking tea?
About 15 years? I started with tea bags, moved to Teavana when I found out they had a store nearby and gradually moved over to loose leaf. Teavana was my loose leaf gateway. I found out about online tea stores in 2015 through YouTube. :D

What kind of tea do you drink?
Black, white, and oolong are probably my favorites. I like raw pu'erh and some ripes. Green and herbals occasionally. I like blends but I don't like them to be artificially flavored.

How do you prepare your tea?
Pseudo western (short steeps in a mug) or western in a mug a lot of the time. I do like to use gaiwans and small pots, but I feel like I need more time to do those. Those usually only happen on a weekend.
Cold brewing in the fridge in the summer.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Storage solutions for the pu'erh I'm slowly collecting. I don't want anything complicated, but I need a better solution than two different shoeboxes in separate corners of the living room. I'm sure the dry midwest winters do me no favors either. :P


What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I love the variety of flavors. That it tastes good with no sweeteners. I'm pretty sure I started drinking tea after I stopped drinking soda. I like to try new teas (and beers). I like the community and the people I've met through it. I like brewing - I'll use it as a kind of meditative ritual - it helps calm me especially after I've been stressed or after a lot of socializing.

You can also find me on Steepster and Instagram under the same name.

What is your location?
Central Iowa
BendTea
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2019 1:19 am
Location: Bend, Oregon

Sat Apr 20, 2019 4:23 pm

Hi, my name is Anders and I'm 29 years old from Bend, Oregon. New to the forums and working on getting connected to the community.

# How long have you been drinking tea?

About 6 months, I just entered into recovery from alcoholism and was searching for the "next beverage" that I could appreciate. Tea sounded like a wonderful and new territory to explore that would make up for a lack of wine haha... So very new to the tea space and excited to learn more.

# What kind of tea do you drink?

Green and herbal mostly, occasionally a black breakfast blend.

# How do you prepare your tea?

Tea bags in a mug :) I'm not as cultured as I ought to be...

# What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?

I have a lot to learn... I'm interested in the following:
- Distribution, finding both specialty tea vendors and bulk loose leaf providers.
- Brewing methods, does it really matter how long the tea steeps for? Is the water temp really that important?
- Equipment, what should I have in the kitchen for drinkware, brewing equipment, water boilers, filters, bags, etc.
- Tasting practices, with wine we have entire tasting profiles to help calibrate our senses. Interested in how to "tea taste" and if there are good references on what to look for in taste, texture, etc.

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

As I mentioned above, I recently quit drinking alcohol and am interested in picking up some new hobbies/habits. Tea seemed like a generally healthy alternative that would offer some challenge :)

# What is your location?

Bend, Oregon
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Bok
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Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Sat Apr 20, 2019 7:39 pm

Welcome! Tea sure is a healthy addiction, though expensive if you go down the rabbit hole :)

As a beginner I would recommend to try and sample as much as you can to narrow down your preferences.
BendTea
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2019 1:19 am
Location: Bend, Oregon

Sat Apr 20, 2019 11:49 pm

Ha, thank you for the kind welcome! I am starting my exploration with green tea... I figure I'll continue to refine my tastes as I go :)
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Bok
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Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:55 am

Importantly, do not give up on any tea too quick - It might just be that you do not have found the best way to prepare it yet!
BendTea
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2019 1:19 am
Location: Bend, Oregon

Sun Apr 21, 2019 7:44 am

Thanks!

I just ordered a variety of different teas to get me started... Black Dragon Pearls, Oolong, Pu-Erh, Bai Mu Dan white loose leaf, and some Darjeeling!

Will give it a whirl.
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pantry
Posts: 389
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2019 10:34 am
Location: US East Coast

Sun Apr 21, 2019 10:50 pm

Hi, my name is pantry. Have been lurking here for a while. Great place for tea lovers!

I'm adding more info here, since my original intro was quite short. (Thanks, Victoria, for the reminder!)

How long have you been drinking tea?
Since I could remember! Tea is an integral yet ordinary part of my culture. However, I only started drinking tea mindfully/intentionally (with a spiritual aspect) maybe 3-4 years ago.

What kind of tea do you drink?
All kinds! English-style black in a teabag was a novelty in college for me (along with coffee)! Then I branched out to Japanese for a long while. I'm now exploring Chinese tea.

How do you prepare your tea?
Whatever suitable to the type of tea and the occasion.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Yancha and Dan Cong. Different clays for teapots. History.
Last edited by pantry on Fri Mar 13, 2020 12:26 am, edited 3 times in total.
Sweetestdew
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:33 pm
Location: Huang Shan, China
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Mon Apr 22, 2019 1:43 am

Hello Hello

My name is Dylan, from Brooklyn New York.
I first got into tea around 2011, and more seriously in 2012 when I Worked at Harney and sons, and then even more seriously in 2013 when I worked at Tea Drunk.

I generally stick to Chinese teas, they have always been my favorite and it is such a complex world that I almost dont have time for anything else. I am a strict gaiwan user. Tried to get into teapots, but they dont seem to do it for me.

Right now I am living in Huang Shan China. I spent the last year studying Mao Feng, which really just means drinking a lot, and now I plan to study Hou Kui or Qimen. I want to be able to look at a leaf and know how it was made. (machine vs hand vs semi hand)

I slowly got into tea and now I just dont know anything else.

The eventual plan is to open my own teahouse in New York City, but I think that is many years of studying tea away.
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Mrs. Chip
Posts: 268
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 6:48 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Mon Apr 22, 2019 10:32 am

Welcome Stéphane to the forum. I am looking forward to your contributions to our communiTea!

Also anxious to hear how things went at Penn State.
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