Introduce Yourself

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wuyiyancha
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 12:55 pm
Location: Switzerland

Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:05 pm

Hello teaforum community!

A moderator told me i should introduce myself on here so before i forget i better get to it.

How long have you been drinking tea?
In some form or other for a long time but only occasionally and never out of my own initiative. Then maybe about three years ago i decided to try and make iced tea myself and started buying some loose leaf teas and experimented. Out of that i learned to appreciate green tea with moroccan mint but i haven't had that tea for about two years now. It got serious once i discovered oolong. I had to study for an exam while at university and while procrastinating i learned a whole lot about tea. That's when i first learned about gaiwans and small teapots etc. and started acquiring teaware and different kind of oolongs. This coincided with me discovering yancha. This was about two years ago and ever since i have been drinking tea every day and tried to expand my knowledge about it.

What kind of tea do you drink?
While i started out with green tea i mainly drink oolongs. About 95% of my tea stash consists of oolongs. The first oolong i drank that really started out my journey i would not drink today because my palate changed a lot while trying out the different bounties this tea category has to offer. I am a sucker for taiwanese oolong. Especially those that have been roasted to bring out more flavour and i also like the guifei teas a lot. Dong Ding was my first love and still is one of my favorites and by Dong Ding i mean the more traditional processing style not the low oxidized non-roasted stuff that is sold as Dong Ding in lesser shops nowadays. I also enjoy exploring aged oolongs. Apart from that i really enjoy drinking yancha which is easily learned from my username ;) . Apart from oolong i like tasting other tea categories as well but none have amazed me as much as good old wulong-cha. Other than oolong i sometimes drink the occasional sheng puerh.

How do you prepare your tea?
I enjoy using a gaiwan most i think and a close second is using teapots in between 80-150 ml to brew my tea in. I use filtered water because the rather mountainous area i live in has a lot of calcium in it. If i have enough of a tea i prefer to use a high leaf to water ratio because i really enjoy getting that thick tea liquor.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
How to brew a good cup of tea is still high on my list as i find one keeps finding out how to better one's tea practice and i think the development never stops. Another aspect i'd like to know more about are of course all the oolong teas out there. And another area of interest is the effect of different teaware on the taste of tea and how to source the teaware that does that best.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
As mentioned above procrastination is really to blame for me getting into tea. What's keeping me here is definitely the sheer possibilities in flavour, mouthfeel and such that exist within tea. And i feel that one can drink tea for ages and still learn new things about it which makes it a very interesting activity which is also rewarding because one will never completely master it or know all about it. Might be frustrating to some but that's what i admire about tea.

What is your location?
I hail from the mountains of Switzerland.

Looking forward to learn and discuss.
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Jo
Mrs. Chip
Posts: 268
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 6:48 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:17 pm

Nice intro, welcome to our forum, wuyiyancha.
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Victoria
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Posts: 3043
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:33 pm
Location: Santa Monica, CA
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Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:28 pm

Welcome to TeaForum wuyiyancha. I always knew there was an upside to procrastinating :) certainly openend a few doors for you. Many serious oolong drinkers here to join you in your exploration. Where are you in Switzerland? My mother’s family is from Zurich, Lucern, St Gallen.
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Tillerman
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Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:58 pm
Location: Napa, CA
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Mon Jan 07, 2019 1:02 pm

Welcome to the forum. You're right, no matter how much one may learn there is always more and that is fascinating.
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wuyiyancha
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 12:55 pm
Location: Switzerland

Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:12 am

Victoria wrote:
Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:28 pm
Welcome to TeaForum wuyiyancha. I always knew there was an upside to procrastinating :) certainly openend a few doors for you. Many serious oolong drinkers here to join you in your exploration. Where are you in Switzerland? My mother’s family is from Zurich, Lucern, St Gallen.

I am from the far east of the Canton of St. Gallen close to Austria and Lichtenstein. The cities Zürich and St. Gallen are about an hours trainride away.

@Victoria @Tillerman @Jo Thanks for the warm welcome!
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Victoria
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Location: Santa Monica, CA
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Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:17 pm

wuyiyancha wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:12 am
I am from the far east of the Canton of St. Gallen close to Austria and Lichtenstein. The cities Zürich and St. Gallen are about an hours trainride away.

Victoria Tillerman Jo Thanks for the warm welcome!
Oh @wuyiyancha it is so beautiful where you are, if you are into photography maybe you can share some outdoor tastings with us :) .
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wuyiyancha
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 12:55 pm
Location: Switzerland

Wed Jan 09, 2019 9:43 am

Victoria wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:17 pm
Oh wuyiyancha it is so beautiful where you are, if you are into photography maybe you can share some outdoor tastings with us :) .
If things work out i might. Since i have been gaining an interest in different water i plan on making some hikes and brewing tea with water from mountain streams. If successful i'll be sure to share!
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Jo
Mrs. Chip
Posts: 268
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 6:48 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Wed Jan 09, 2019 10:11 am

wuyiyancha wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 9:43 am
Victoria wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:17 pm
Oh wuyiyancha it is so beautiful where you are, if you are into photography maybe you can share some outdoor tastings with us :) .
If things work out i might. Since i have been gaining an interest in different water i plan on making some hikes and brewing tea with water from mountain streams. If successful i'll be sure to share!
Wow, sounds like fun, and an interesting TeaExperince.
Sub_Salac
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:37 am
Location: New York City

Thu Jan 10, 2019 8:14 am

How long have you been drinking tea?
About a year and a half.

What kind of tea do you drink?

All kinds, except for herbal or tisanes(occasionally will do some traditional chai and Jasmine stuff, that's about it). Bubble tea is a huge guilty pleasure :D

How do you prepare your tea?
Almost always Gong fu brewing.


What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
As far the tea that calls to me the most, has to be Puerh tea. But I have two very uncharted territories in Indian tea and Japanese tea. I'd love to learn more about those, given that I've tried nothing apart from supermarket stuff from those regions.

What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
I was introduced to gong fu brewing by a friend, and I was just hooked. When I get into a hobby, I go all in and it becomes part of my lifestyle. Tea was a natural fit for me to nerd out with :D

What is your location?
New York city
bigboybillus
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2019 4:22 pm

Thu Jan 10, 2019 4:26 pm

Hello Gentlemen and Miz Ladies, I'm bigboybillus and I'm new in town
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Jo
Mrs. Chip
Posts: 268
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 6:48 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Thu Jan 10, 2019 5:03 pm

Welcome to our forum Sub_Sulec and bigboybillus. Great place to come to share your tea passion and learn more about tea ... and teaware.

Bigboybillus, why not share a little more info with us about you and tea :)
impromptuandy
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2018 5:23 pm
Location: Memphis, TN

Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:05 pm

Howdy folks. I've been keeping up with some of the discussions on the forum for a little while, but haven't posted yet and hoped to change that, so figured I'd introduce myself.

How long have you been drinking tea?
I've been drinking tea for about 4 or 5 years now.

What kind of tea do you drink?
My favorite is yancha, though more often I drink liu bao and puerh. I also enjoy red tea (usually from Yunnan, although I've been meaning to drink more Taiwanese reds, as they are often incredibly delicious). Also sometimes roasted Taiwanese oolongs.

How do you prepare your tea?
Almost always gongfu style, but sometimes just leaves in a bowl or travel mug. I've been meaning to experiment with boiled tea. I usually stick to a dedicated "tea space" with many of the usual instruments (Yixing pot, porcelain cups, various kettles, etc).

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with kettles. Not too long ago I bought an antique tetsubin off ebay, and have been comparing the results with my usual set-up, which involves heating water in a glass kettle and transferring it to a zisha kettle which stays warm on an alcohol burner. And I'm frankly obsessed with cups, their effect on tea has been interesting to me since the beginning.

What factors do you think brought you to delve into the world of tea?
Originally I was a coffee drinker (the discovery of coffee improved my life immensely, haha), but once I discovered fine tea, it became clear that tea was a more natural fit for me. I still drink and enjoy coffee, but mostly just out of necessity -- I much prefer drinking tea. A good meal and a good tea session are usually are enough to set me right after a stressful day. Also, I was attracted from the beginning by a lot of the ceramics involved in tea preparation, and have since allowed myself to investigate that world more for its own sake.

What is your location?
Memphis, TN (USA)
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Jo
Mrs. Chip
Posts: 268
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 6:48 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Sat Jan 12, 2019 7:50 am

Welcome impromptuandy to the forum, glad you are here and enjoying your teajourney with us.
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Isarite
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2019 8:01 am
Location: Lithuania

Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:03 am

How long have you been drinking tea?

Since I was eight to ten, so about 12 - 14 years now. That was only cheap Ceylon tea, though. Only really got into tea, when the only tea I could drink was lipton green tea bags (which was about 4-5 years ago). I got sick of them, then began to try to find some better tea.

What kind of tea do you drink?

Mostly shou pu'erh. I also like black and white tea. Oolongs and green teas are more hit and miss for me. On occasion I drink some tisanes, like Rooibos, mint, or tisanes from preserved berries.

How do you prepare your tea?

Gongfu style, mostly. Either in a teapot or a gaiwan. Feels much more comfortable and relaxing that way.

What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?

I am most interested in various clay teapots and pu'erh as of now. That is subject to change at any time, though.

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

I got tired of cheap tea, and since I decided to keep my nutrition reasonably healthy, I began to drink tea exclusively. The other alternative - coffee, doesn't appeal to me, though I've never tasted anything else than industrial grade coffee, so that may change, too.

What is your location?

I live in Lithuania, which is in East/North Europe. Good tea is pretty scarce here, unless you like herbal tisanes, though quality tea sellers have been increasing recently.
dfo
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2017 12:29 am
Location: US

Tue Jan 15, 2019 11:27 pm

Great forum!
Last edited by dfo on Fri Mar 29, 2019 5:08 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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