Your day in tea

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Bok
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 6:06 am

Andrew S wrote:
Wed Mar 09, 2022 4:19 am
I think that no-one would suggest that making a cup of espresso (even with apparently-prescriptive quantities, timings, grinder settings, etc) is some kind of Italian 'coffee ceremony', and I doubt that such a label is any more appropriate in the context of tea.
Hear hear. I’m one of these espresso people, I fully agree.

Belows my espresso maker for tonight.
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Andrew S
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 6:32 am

@Bok: a Chao Zhou pot? A lovely spout for an 'espresso maker' in any event.

My first CZ pot has taught me that I was quite correct to disbelieve the 'common internet wisdom' that CZ pots are 'absorbent', 'porous', 'muting', and therefore only good for teas that need to be 'muted'.

Mine's been quite lovely with all sorts of yancha (and I've even been brave enough to order some dancong from someone recently, after a decade of being too scared after some uninspiring early experiences).

I might post a photo to compete with yours when I wake up again in a few hours and start another day with that little ritual...

There's definitely something lost in speaking about tea over vast distances, and in the abstract, which is better learnt through practice and sharing the experience, and this 'espresso style' tea is something that I'll probably keep making in the background for a while

Andrew
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Bok
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 6:42 am

@Andrew S I see how you might get the idea that this pot is Chaozhou, alas it’s Yixing Zhuni! One of the most elegant spouts I’ve seen so far…

Chaozhou ware does indeed get an undeserved reputation. I’m not complaining too much though, only means that it’s still a lot more affordable than Yixing. Works for me. I’m using mine for all sorts of teas with good results from green to dark.
.m.
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 7:52 am

Andrew S wrote:
Wed Mar 09, 2022 4:19 am
I've been stuffing some tiny pots full of ('everyday') yancha and brewing them hard again.

It is mostly a matter of 'practical necessity'. It's not to appreciate or maximise the quality of the tea, but rather just to wake up and keep going, before I have to subject myself to The Other Caffeine Source whose name we dare not speak (which is another 'practical necessity' at the moment, albeit one that makes me feel queasy).

While I appreciate that there is an art to gong fu cha that I am yet to learn, and that it can indeed provide a very different character and profile to many teas, I also feel that I can understand how making tea in this way is a 'ritual' for some people, not in the sense of a prescriptive formula like some kind of 'tea ceremony', but rather a 'ritual' in the same sense as a small cup of espresso is a 'ritual' for others.

I think that no-one would suggest that making a cup of espresso (even with apparently-prescriptive quantities, timings, grinder settings, etc) is some kind of Italian 'coffee ceremony', and I doubt that such a label is any more appropriate in the context of tea.

My ability to make such tea intuitively is improving, slowly, so perhaps tea-method will start to be more of a 'ritual' for me.

Andrew
I like your take. Here's my two cents:

ritual: an action performed according to specific procedure (repeated, formal) for its symbolic meaning
ceremony: a performative action to mark a special occasion, often lead by someone on whom symbolic powers are bestowed.
One could talk about someone's private rituals but it wouldn't make sense to talk about a ceremony involving single person.

So when it comes to tea: a tea ceremony or a tea ritual would be all about the symbolic and performative action, not about the quality of the brew, unlike the practices that some call gong fu cha.

Personally, my daily tea making is more of a routine than a ritual, despite the negative connotations of the word. :D
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Victoria
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 8:54 am

Enjoying many of @Ethan Kurland’s teas while on a much-needed break in Cape Cod. Perfect time of year to enjoy this wind swept maritime promontory paired with warming higher oxidized, high roast oolong.

Since Ethan operates so close to the Cap, out of Boston, it made sense to bring oolong that I happen to have of his in Annapolis; Father’s Love, Championship Black, Himalayan Orange Black, Competition roasted oolong, and Ruby Jade.

I only brought teas and a tall SS mug filter on this trip. Very paired down! No time for ceremony or ritual and traveling very light. Ended up using my friend’s small espresso pitcher to place the filter into. Works very well, like camping. The dimpled porcelain cup is made by a friend of my host, Japanese ceramicist Hanako Nakazato out of New York City. There is a nice collection of her yunomi and chawan here at the house. Luckily the water here is excellent, just letting it off gas overnight in a tall glass pitcher to remove any chlorine fluoride scent.


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Baisao
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 2:49 pm

@Andrew S’s description of tea as a daily ritual reminds me of many things people call rituals which are not by definition a ritual. The ones that come to mind involve a drug and paraphernalia used in its consumption: absinthe, smoking, coffee, tea, illicit drugs.

There seems to be an intersection between periodic usage, some chemical, and pleasing paraphernalia.

We can see this through all ages and across all cultures. This makes me think that these rituals are, not to exclude other animals, as human as language or music.
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Baisao
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 2:52 pm

@Victoria, I am happy to hear you were able to take a break. It sounds like a restorative time.
DailyTX
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 3:26 pm

Chinese green tea + Japanese Kyusu + Gaiwan for drinking vessel. The Chinese green tea is Mao Jian from Hu Bei, China harvested in Spring of 2021.
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LeoFox
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 3:33 pm

DailyTX wrote:
Wed Mar 09, 2022 3:26 pm
Chinese green tea + Japanese Kyusu + Gaiwan for drinking vessel. The Chinese green tea is Mao Jian from Hu Bei, China harvested in Spring of 2021.
Image
Image
Is that this one?

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=1827

How's the tall form working out for you?
DailyTX
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 3:53 pm

@LeoFox
Good eye 👍, it is this pot. I like to brew my green teas in this tall pot. Leaves sink to the bottom, pour is good, and the filter is small enough for sencha. I have been using it for mao jian, long jing, and sencha.
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LeoFox
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 4:11 pm

DailyTX wrote:
Wed Mar 09, 2022 3:53 pm
LeoFox
Good eye 👍, it is this pot. I like to brew my green teas in this tall pot. Leaves sink to the bottom, pour is good, and the filter is small enough for sencha. I have been using it for mao jian, long jing, and sencha.
Sounds like a winner!
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Bok
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 7:23 pm

Victoria wrote:
Wed Mar 09, 2022 8:54 am
Father’s Love, Championship Black, Himalayan Orange Black, Competition roasted oolong
Those are always winners. Never dissapoint, always comfort.
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LeoFox
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Fri Mar 11, 2022 8:49 am

White tea in black pot.

Over time, I am learning the pleasure of simply stuffing my reduction pot with as many white tea leaves as I can and then infuse with boiling water without too much care.

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Quentin
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Fri Mar 11, 2022 4:30 pm

Last night I thawed a frozen bag of gyokuro I had from last year’s shincha harvest, and found it to be exceedingly savory - which meant it was perfect to have with lunch today!

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Andrew S
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Fri Mar 11, 2022 6:13 pm

@Baisao: on the topic of "illicit drugs", I'm finally relaxing with some of my loose leaf puer from the 70s.

There's something strangely pleasant for me about being overpowered by a tea, and letting it take me on a little ride (though I appreciate that that is not everyone's idea of a pleasant experience).

I suppose that tea is more a 'ritual' than a 'routine' for me, in the sense that a routine tends to be mundane and requires little thought, whereas, for me, the word ritual connotes an activity undertaken with some sense of purpose, even if it is something that is done every day, and even if that purpose is pursued without much active thought.

@LeoFox: it sounds like you are treating your white tea as if it were a yancha in terms of stuffing the pot, and as if it were an old puer in terms of brewing it lazily... White tea is something that I have only ever brewed very casually, it tall glasses, big pots, or overnight in the fridge.

Andrew
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