Where did you get your tea education?

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Baisao
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Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:27 pm

faj wrote:
Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:06 pm
Baisao wrote:
Wed Aug 04, 2021 3:25 pm
then focus on one tea, brewing daily for at least a year before branching out to other teas.
I would be curious to know if you meant one type of tea (i.e. say, sencha), or really one specific tea.
Start with one very specific tea. Make as many servings of that one tea as you can so you become familiar with its every nuance. Don't muddy the study with various cultivars and seasons, locations, etc. For example, if you were to decide on a gaoshan, begin with the same producer for the same harvest/release.

For myself, I love the smell of gardenias and found it elusive but present in the gaoshan I began with. I could alter different things to pull that aroma forward. By the end of the year, I could do this consistently. I then moved to other teas and applied what I learned from that first tea. It ultimately resulted in an intuitive knowledge of how to get what I want out of teas I prepare. Eventually, there's very little thought involved. It becomes second nature.

HTH
faj
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Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:17 pm

Baisao wrote:
Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:27 pm
Start with one very specific tea. Make as many servings of that one tea as you can so you become familiar with its every nuance.
I have not dedicated to a single tea for a prolonged period, but as time passes I have been purchasing larger quantities of fewer teas. I did not start with the method you suggest (quite the opposite), but it seems I am moving in that direction, generally speaking. I certainly see the point of narrowing down the focus. Even having a given tea daily, it takes a lot of time to decently explore its variations and "average out" your own variations as a tea drinker.
Gong_Fu_Chaddict
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Tue Sep 28, 2021 4:49 am

I try to educate myself with books, internet content and people I encounter or might encounter during my work.
As Baisao wrote I try to "play" with a specific type of tea, for me it will be my first tea encounter so Black Yunnan. My thinking is that you will know the tea better after some years of practice, like a person (which may sound funny) but I guess you know what I'm trying to express here.
But those are some guesses, I still have to brew for some more years before getting to the end of it and realizing there is no end...
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klepto
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Tue Sep 28, 2021 11:21 am

Experience is the best teacher but I have more than a few occasions asked Bok and Octo about some things. They both are thoughtful and cut through the BS. They throw you in the adult pool and just when you are drowning it starts to make sense :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I've had some conversations with Baisao and Leo about tea myths or misinformation that is harmful to newbies. TF has a wealth of information and you can get multiple perspectives on subjects.. try those different methods and use the one you like best.

TBH: Being in various tea communities you see what tea drinkers are the most interested in. Some are learning pottery to make teapots based on their preferences, others are learning what minerals in water make for the best tea and they do experiments and also there is a lot of interest in aroma and how the shape of cups can improve aroma. When I got into tea I didn't think about how much of an abyss I was jumping into. At the time I just wanted tasty tea and wanted to learn how to make it good consistently. That person and who I am today are vastly two different people but I still want tasty tea :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Tillerman
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Tue Sep 28, 2021 4:36 pm

When I began to approach tea seriously (mid-90s) I often referred to books. I also have learned a very great deal from other tea aficionados and vendors who have been kind enough to share their knowledge and perspectives with me (e.g. Kevin Gascoyne. Lu Zhen.) However, by far and away the most influential teachers I have had are the tea makers whom I have been fortunate enough to meet. This is especially true of Chen Kuan Lin (Andy), Wu Fang Zhou (Marty) and above all my Laoshi, Chen Huan Tang.
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