Your day in tea

[debunix]

I enjoyed the conversational variety of the 'question of the day' topic in the old TeaChat forum when it was administered by Chip. It was a nice place to share thoughts on teas and life and not just about one type of tea or teaware or otherwise limited topics. So I'm starting this topic to see where it goes.

My tea day started off with a rush, because I realized I did not have time to prepare a sencha session. I left my favorite Petr Novak wood-fired shino kyusu on the tea table* but reverted to plan B, and just prepped Red Alishan in the bigger Stanley thermos for a day away from tea prep options. I was settling down to some more of the Red Alishan--so reliably lovely, earthy, spicey, fruity, holds so well for this all day 'brew', I adore this tea--sitting next to the tea tray when Nebula the cat thumped down on top of the tea table from a cabinet above--he usually aims for a bit of clear counter but I was blocking the best landing spot with my arm.

I don't know quite how it happened, but I think he landed partly on the spout of the kyusu, and slammed it down on the table, and the spout broke off and into pieces.

It's a good thing I love this cat very very much, because I loved that pot more than was reasonable for a little bit of flamed earth. And the natural mellowing effect of the Red Alishan probably helped too.

Now I really need to work out a contact with a traditional Kintsugi artist. I've considered it before when other pieces met their ends, but this is the right pot to go for it.

*

[polezaivsani]

I enjoyed the conversational variety of the 'question of the day' topic in the old TeaChat forum when it was administered by Chip. It was a nice place to share thoughts on teas and life and not just about one type of tea or teaware or otherwise limited topics. So I'm starting this topic to see where it goes.

I'm also curious about different modes of communication beyond the
long form conversations fitted into a defined structure.

Nebula the cat thumped down on [...] the spout of the kyusu, and slammed it down on the table, and the spout broke off and into pieces.

I hope you'll get out of it with an even more cherrished kyusu and no
less of a love for the trickster. Meaning that you could mend the
kyusu in some way. You prob know about him, but in case you don't -
there is this Nissan Haque (https://knjitea.com), doing some
impressive mod work *.

I'm finding myself falling more so in love with all the quirks the
wares accumulate over time, chips, scratches and anything else as long
as i can put the piece to some (not necessarily the intended) use.

[debunix]

Thanks for the reply and especially the link. When I’ve recovered enough calm (applying more Red Alisha’s, now me looses overnight, to work on that), I will take some photos and send them to that kintsugist (?) and see what he/she can do for my beloved Petr-Yaki.

There’s little I can do about the feline criminals; and knowing that anything I buy is subject to risk of cat has saved me much money over time.

[Ethan Kurland]

....There’s little I can do about the feline criminals.....

The word "can" from a cat-lover is interesting. Some less kind non-lovers of cats might try some tough training. Your cat is lucky.
Anyway, thanks for returning "Your day in tea."
Brought a ? to my mind, are any metals much cheaper than silver & gold, good for repairing ceramic pots. Any of them if there are any, easy to work with?
Cheers

[belewfripp]

....There’s little I can do about the feline criminals.....

The word "can" from a cat-lover is interesting. Some less kind non-lovers of cats might try some tough training. Your cat is lucky.

I don't know about anyone else, but my experience is that cats are about as trainable as goldfish

[debunix]

I don't know about anyone else, but my experience is that cats are about as trainable as goldfish

You brought it up....

Goldfish training video (from a seller of goldfish training 'kits'
Synchronized swimming by goldfish

But when it comes to cats, I think the training is 99% one way, cats training me to feed them at their preferred time, provide the proper lap and cuddles, keep the litter boxes clean enough, and play wand toy games now or else the claws come out.

Meanwhile, today I've enjoyed the rest of that giant thermos of Red Alishan, followed by some Da Hong Pao from Wing Hop Fung, relaxed sessions while mostly doing paperwork today, and the DHP is still good enough that another session with An Ji Bai Cha may have to wait.

[wave_code]

Lately I've been trying to go back through various teas to check in on them and see how they are adjusting to new storage conditions to see what is doing well and what might need something different, but because of the sort of non-existent spring this year though a lot of teas seem to still be asleep. I was in the mood for something lighter and with strong sheng-like notes, so I decided to check in on a particularly strong raw liu bao yesterday after about a year, which was kind of a mistake. Also as a result of the weather everything seems to want to bloom or pollinate all at once in short burst making for the worst allergy season for me in I don't know how long. Despite being up and down (mostly down on the couch) all week I went against my better judgement and went with the strong raw tea. I started off in a pretty generous gong-fu proportion and very quickly got shut down feeling totally out of sorts and had to stop drinking it after a couple rounds followed by feeling pretty awful the rest of the afternoon.

It was a good solid reminder to not do things like that . What might sound really appealing in terms of flavor or character at the moment isn't always going to be the best thing for the body as a whole, and to keep in mind which one of the two should really take priority when feeling sensitive. Finishing off said tea this morning having moved it to a large pot and having a couple slow brews was much nicer- not exactly great for waking up super quickly but getting much more a mellow relaxed feeling I was hoping for initially.

[Andrew S]

@wave_code: I found your description of your day in tea to be quite interesting.

I've often struggled to drink the tea that's most 'correct' for any given day. I'm tempted by factors which shouldn't be guiding me too much, such as drinking a cheap tea if I'm busy, or an expensive tea when I've got plenty of spare time, or a heavily roasted tea that I've been saving up and that I want to try even though it's a hot day, or a brand new Taiwanese high mountain tea that I'm learning about even though it's already late at night. Then, invariably, I have to deal with the consequences of my poor self-control and I regret my choices.

I've been consciously trying to change that sort of thinking over the past few years and have been trying to drink teas which are appropriate to things like how I feel mentally and physically, how hot or cold it is, how humid it is, what time of day it is, and what I'm doing that day. There's still some strange mental hurdle that I have to overcome, and the temptation not to 'waste' an expensive tea is always there, but I think that I'm improving my choices.

I'm curious to see if other people try to match the nature of their tea to what their body and their environment is trying to tell them (and how successful they are).

Andrew

[wave_code]

@Andrew S its tricky business isn't it?? especially when the temptation is there to try something new. sometimes waiting the initial week or more for something to rest and settle a bit is already tough. I find though if I build up a little stash of samples this tends to go away - the thing that arrived yesterday is tempting and I'm curious about it, but theres 3 other things in front of it in line that I'm also curious about then it can wait.

I think I'm quite lucky in that over the last couple years what I drink narrowed down a whole lot - mainly liu bao followed by shu 80% of the time, lately more liu an, and thats more or less it the occasional other thing as a rarity. since a lot of liu bao and lighter shu is pretty suitable to most conditions for me I usually don't have to worry about this too much, though some teas like yesterday I do know can really knock me for a loop if I know I shouldn't be drinking it then. also then I've got a lot of those teas around in different styles - drier or wetter stored, lighter or heavier fermentation, so I can drink the general type of tea I want despite season/temperature/temperament.

Price and circumstance can be tough too, and I've also noticed a shift in what I buy the last couple years. I generally can't afford to buy lots of super aged higher grade material so I try to be careful and sparing of what I do have for when I can give it due attention, and sometimes that means stuff I have to buy in small amounts for special occasions. Mainly though I lost a lot of interest in teas where I can't reasonably get a hold of 400+ grams since sometimes the first 100 grams feels like thats really the sample and I'm watching a tea settle in and figuring out what is ideal for it- if I run out of something just when I'm 'figuring it out' it isn't so much fun. for me I think the flexible middle priced tea is the real gold in this way at the moment- something that is good tea at a reasonable price and that I find also brews really favorably in a number of different ways. then I can get in larger quantity so I don't need to feel precious about it, but can still make 'nicer' by when I really sit down with it and maybe use a higher ratio and better water/brewing. for nicer teas though I always try and remind myself I'm lucky that my taste leans for fermented teas and that as long as I'm storing it well its not like an opened green tea that needs to be consumed quickly- its only going to get better if I just let it sit and wait for the right moment.

evening is also tricky - I'm lucky that for the last couple years my work is all out of my apartment so I can get my nice tea in when I want and not have to worry about being up all night. also finding non/reduced caffeine teas I like was a big help. I'm not really into Japanese teas/greens, but I have found I really like kyo/sanen bancha and roasted kukicha so I can drink those at night and still get something that has a bit of sourness and roasted/cooked character without the caffeine. but if high mountain oolong is what is calling to you at 11pm - good luck there

[debunix]

Andrew S its tricky business isn't it?? especially when the temptation is there to try something new. .... if high mountain oolong is what is calling to you at 11pm - good luck there

This is where Grandpa style can be so useful....just a few leaves in a cup can be very satisfying and very little caffeine....been there, done that.

I was so tempted to open a new TGY from TeaHabitat but held off because it was too late in the evening, and I didn't want to open it and only take out 3-5 leaves....eventually I compromised on a few leaves of Bird Pick milk oolong instead.

[LeoFox]

As a new parent, I am finding it more and more difficult to fit in a proper tea session in the morning. Most of the time now, I start the kettle and while the water heats up, I prep the food for the baby and and the mom. Do 1 or 2 infusions, get the baby ready and help with feeding. One more infusion, do work, and then sporadically do infusions across several hours. Sometimes, I grandpa brew instead if I am really busy.

In the evening, I can do one session, but about a third of the time now, I feel too tired to do it.

[Bok]

@LeoFox haha, I know the feeling... it gets better after about 2.5 years. Unless you’re foolish enough to add-on.

[polezaivsani]

I've had a good little tea today... i know, that doesn't sound exceptional so far =). What does, at least after a couple seasons of tea-over-endulgence, is that it was the first session in 3 days. I don't want to spread the heresy too far with it, it was just my payback for a little feast i had before. But i've certainly curbed my steeping a good deal, to some nifty benefits. It's much easier to appreciate all the fine details a tea has to offer - this morning it's been almost glowing with delight. Another plus is that this way it's easier to go for pricier teas without being affected by the price tags as much.

[LeoFox]

Today I woke up early at 5 am and decided I would have enough time and space to do a proper session with a good tea. But instead, I picked up a book of zen koans and brewed up the remainder of some nuclear green oolong - about 2-3 grams in an 85 mL gaiwan. I brewed it very lightly- a rinse followed by a 30s infusion followed by fast infusions without a timer. It was an interesting experience simply to taste the mild tea soup and the water while reading Mumon's commentary on the dog koan. I paraphrase:

A monk asked a master if a dog has "buddha nature". The master said none

In Chinese, the word for none can also be shorthand for "no" and also mean in the abstract "nothing".

Pondering this, and drinking the mild infusions, I was pleasantly surprised to experience from within the blank canvas of the "empty" water, the pale colors of the tea like whispers or a gentle wind that comes and goes. I found a similarity between meditating on the koan and drinking this tea. Free of judgments, I sat there experiencing the arrivals and departures of the fugitive flavors and thoughts. They reminded me of those people who entered and left my life; people who I would not meet again, whose names and faces I cannot remember but who made lasting impressions both sweet and bitter.

[belewfripp]

I don't know about anyone else, but my experience is that cats are about as trainable as goldfish :D

You brought it up....

Welp, shows what I know (not much) :)

My days in tea have been no tea - trying to palate reset and stave off caffeine sensitivity. Appreciate the info and remarks in the earlier posts on that subject - i should probably grandpa style more often.