My name is Jean-Nicolas, I am French but I live now in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
How long have you been drinking tea?
One year, I'm new to tea.
I thought tea was only tea bags and flavored tea, didn't like any of it...
Then I tried puerh and was immediately hooked.
What kind of tea do you drink?
I'm a puerh addict.
I doubt any other type of tea can be more enjoyable to me, but since I'm a newbie, I regularly try other types of tea to make sure
I also enjoy, yancha oolong, Taiwanese oolong, aged white tea, the occasional hongcha, and Liu-an.
How do you prepare your tea?
Simplified gongfu session.
At home I use gaiwans and a regular electric kettle.
At work I do tea in front of my computer with a Kamjove Press Art Cup, and a good vacuum flask to keep the water hot an hour (I find it difficult to bring a gongfu set at my company... it wouldn't fit on my tiny office desk anyways, and i can't be in the kitchen all the time - employee life
).
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
Well being new to tea, I have everything to learn...
My main concern is puerh, and there is always more to learn about that type of tea, starting with preparing it well...
I'd also need to learn how to buy a teapot that suits me, I haven't found the time yet to study the subject and choose what clay / shape I want.
Ideally, I'd like to know how to buy aged tea (20+ years) that's not a waste of my money (I have a limited budget, can't make too many newbie mistakes !)
I'd also like to learn more about making tea for other people, to help a friend set up a few tea options for his new coffee shop :
- prepare oolong western style (nobody I know is patient enough for gong fu sessions, and not enough employees in this shop to use a gaiwan anyways)
- prepare cold matcha latte and other good looking teas with sugar in it (it's really not my thing but it sells)
- naturally flavoured tea - reasonably prices jasmine tea that is made with actual jasmine flower, or something similar.
- any idea people on this forum have
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
Last year a Chinese doctor advised me to try puerh to treat some minor health discomfort... and I started collecting puerh 2 weeks later.
Bad ripe mini tuos, of course, at the time
I drink tea mainly for the effect and the routine, but it also has to taste good - I'm not drinking bitter green tea (or boring tea bags) because "it's good for health" - no, thank you.
I used to take a lot of stimulants, coffee and cigarette, sugar and alcohol... Tea is now my main drug - most days, my only drug - and I drink at least a liter of it everyday now.
And in the case of puerh, I'm also fascinated by the complexity of the taste - I never drink the same tea two days in a row, enjoying raw and ripes of all ages.
Plus it's a hobby, the hunting and collecting is part of the pleasure, if I'm being honest with myself
What is your location?
Chiang Mai, Thailand.