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Welcome to our forum, looking forward to seeing you around.

Hi all, been offline for a while and found this forum, registered, but didn't post anything for another couple months. I know some of you guys from teachat where I username was 'kuanglong' (the Darjeeling nut).
Anyway, in the meantime I made the move to the Canary islands where I curently live in the hills close to the capital with an almost ideal climate for my sheng collection.

Looking forward to a fruitful exchange with you!

Welcome to TeaForum, we remember you well .

Glad you found us
Welcome!

Ken wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 22, 2018 4:05 pm

I made the move to the Canary islands where I curently live in the hills close to the capital with an almost ideal climate for my sheng collection.

Looking forward to a fruitful exchange with you!

What are the best local fruits grown in the Canaries? Here in LA the local specialty is citrus, of course....

right on! great to see you again, @Ken!

debunix wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 23, 2018 10:13 pm

Ken wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 22, 2018 4:05 pm

I made the move to the Canary islands where I curently live in the hills close to the capital with an almost ideal climate for my sheng collection.

Looking forward to a fruitful exchange with you!

What are the best local fruits grown in the Canaries? Here in LA the local specialty is citrus, of course....

Mmh, Deb … the main crop of Gran Canaria are bananas and tomatoes but they grow all kinds of fruit over here … avocados, papaya, cherimoyas, mangos, cactus figs, dragon fruit, citrus, … My personal favs are papayas and the local avocados, growing right next in the valley where I live, the latter being pretty small but very tasty, yum …

@pedant & Jo … thanks for the welcome!

How long have you been drinking tea?
I've been drinking tea in some form or another my whole life. This summer I discovered matcha and have fallen into the rabbit hole of teaism.

What kind of tea do you drink?
I drink a lot of varieties - herbal, green and black teas - but I have come to drink matcha a couple of times a day, more than any other variety.

How do you prepare your tea?
I use teabags for herbal teas. I've done some steeping with a strainer, but haven't found any loose teas that have set me on fire. I whisk usucha matcha and I am playing with/learning koicha.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
I am interested in Japanese green teas in general. Considering my enjoyment of matcha, I want to give other green teas like Gyokuro, Sencha, Genmaicha, etc.
I am also interested in Japanese ceramics and teaware.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I started looking at green teas in general and matcha in particular for the health benefits. I am getting pulled into the associated culture and aesthetics.

What is your location?
Alexandria, VA

How long have you been drinking tea?
20+ years. Loose leaf only for the last 10.

What kind of tea do you drink?
Mostly hongcha and sheng.

How do you prepare your tea?
sheng: gongfu
hongcha: western or grandpa

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Oolongs and better storage for sheng. Can already feel my sheng being less aromatic as the weather gets colder.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
Wait, I thought everyone here understood that this was an addiction and not a matter of choice?

What is your location?
Paris/Oslo

@sqt welcome!

Might it be that it is due to the usually drier climate in Europe’s Winter that your tea feels less aromatic? Humidity is quite important for the enjoyment of tea. When I go home from Asia, my good teas all feel a little flat in the dry air... :/

Bok wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 08, 2018 8:22 am

sqt welcome!

Might it be that it is due to the usually drier climate in Europe’s Winter that your tea feels less aromatic? Humidity is quite important for the enjoyment of tea. When I go home from Asia, my good teas all feel a little flat in the dry air... :/

Bok: I am pretty sure that is the case. It happens every fall and then improves again in the spring. And since my teas are stored at about 68% humidity it seems to be more an issue of the humidity in my drinking environment rather than the storage. Firing up a humidifier today to try and confirm.

sqt wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 08, 2018 10:01 am

And since my teas are stored at about 68% humidity it seems to be more an issue of the humidity in my drinking environment rather than the storage. Firing up a humidifier today to try and confirm.

Imagine what your teas could taste like in Asia!

Although your tea is wet, when nasal passages are dried out by low humidity, you're not going to get as much of the scent component of tea flavor...

Bok wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 08, 2018 7:39 pm

sqt wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 08, 2018 10:01 am

And since my teas are stored at about 68% humidity it seems to be more an issue of the humidity in my drinking environment rather than the storage. Firing up a humidifier today to try and confirm.

Imagine what your teas could taste like in Asia!

No need for that. Northern Italy is closer and equally humid. We have no access to the sea, and the Alps block off all those dry northern winds.

Welcome aboard, sqt! If you don't feel like moving to Italy, I can keep some of your pu'erh in storage for you!

Hi everyone! Looks like I found a really good forum here!! Hope to learn from everyone and hopefully share some of my experiences as well.

How long have you been drinking tea?
Since I could remember, Chinese tea has always been a culture and routine that comes alongside meals here.

What kind of tea do you drink?
Chinese tea and Green tea (Japanese mostly; Sencha (asamushi, chumushi, fukamushi), Kabusecha, Kamairicha (not often), Genmaicha (not often), Hojicha (not often), Gyokuro and Matcha (mostly usucha at the moment)).

How do you prepare your tea?
Loose leaf. For chinese tea, I just use a glazed porcelain pot. For Japanese tea, I use yokode no kyusu (unglazed) for sencha/kabusecha, regular glass tea pot for kamairicha, genmaicha and hojicha, shiboridashi (glazed) for gyokuro and chawan (glazed) for matcha.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
I've been trying to figure out how to best explain "umami". There are references out there but still seems pretty vague. As for tea, I've been dabbling a bit more into gyokuro and koicha.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
Primarily taste. Other factors are probably the excitement of experimenting and just having a relaxing hobby. Yep, the 2 can sound quite contradictory.

What is your location?
Selangor, Malaysia.

I found this forum on Instagram where I go by the handle @brewlintea. Nice to meet all of you and hope to make some tea friends here!