Gynostemma

Life got super busy for a while, and while I did stop posting, I certainly did not stop drinking tea!  I share a few minutes of tea time with one of my professors, and today he gave me a new tea to try.  It's called gynostemma.  I looked it up after I left, and found some really interesting information.  It is similar in property to ginseng, but is more closely related to cucumbers.  I didn't care for it very much.  It has a definite medicinal flavor that wasn't very enjoyable for me.  Still, it was a new experience and I'm glad I tried it.

Anxi Rou Gui by Canton

I'm meeting a study partner at starbucks this morning, so naturally I packed up my teapot and a couple cups so that I could take tea.  This is the last of the little sample bag I had of this particular oolong, and I'm sad to see it go.  Next time I order from Canton, I will definitely get more of this.

A day without tea is a sad thing indeed

Between school work, church, and family stuff, these last few days have been really crazy.  I realized last night that I didn't drink any tea at all yesterday, and I felt very sad.  The first thing I did this morning was wash out my teapot and brew a pot of green tea.  I felt my whole body relax after the first sip.  I didn't know how much tea plays a part in my daily routine, until I didn't drink any and things just felt wrong. 

Is tea an important part of your daily routine?

Top Leaf by Mello Monk

I've been meaning to try this for a while now, and I have to say that I'm not super impressed.  My first disappointment came when I looked at the bag of leaves I have.  The bottom layer of the bag was completely powder, and the rest of the dried leaves looked really small and broken.  I dumped some leaves in the pot and started my first infusion.  As the leaves expanded, my first guess was right, every last one was cut or torn.  The flavor wasn't bad, as far as green teas go.  It was very light, even the last cups of the pot.  I did have to pour the tea through a strainer into my cup because of how small the pieces were.  It was a satisfactory tea, and one I won't mind drinking while I have it.  I doubt that I would ever order it.  The only reason I might order some, is to see if the leaves really are as broken up as these seem to be, or if these are broken because it was shipped to me by an acquaintance.

Ti Kwan Yin

So, I had to go to school early this morning, and rather than miss my morning tea time, I packed up my little glass pot, two small cups, a strainer, and of course a bag of tea! and set up my tea in the cafeteria.  I'm sure I've been on the receiving end of many strange looks, but so far no one has approached me to ask what I'm doing.

My tea for this morning is a Ti Kwan Yin I received as a gift.  It's from a tea shop in San Luis Obispo, CA called Steinberg Gallery, but I don't know more about it than that.  It's a very light tea, and one I have enjoyed on many occasions.  I'm brewing it for the first time in my glass pot, and I love how much the flavor changes as I drink.  halfway through the second pot, I notice that the flavor has gone from a strong yet light vegetal flavor to a softer and more subtle flavor.  Because I am "on the go" it's hard to really experiment with water temperature and steep time, since I only brought a small supply of leaves with me.  Still, it's so nice to sit in the busy cafeteria and have my little spot of peace and quiet.

Jasmine Pearls by Canton Tea

I actually brewed this last night and this morning.  I had two pots last night, and both were simply amazing.  I think brewing this in my cast iron pot added an edge to it or something.  When I brewed it in my glass pot, the flavor was light and just the right amount of flowery.  I think the leaves steeped out rather quickly though, because I left them in the pot.  This morning, the taste of flowers is gone, and the green tea is very rough and grassy.  The liquor is dark, even though I didn't steep the first cup very long, and much of the flavor is gone.   It's very flat.  I will try brewing it again in an infusion basket, or using a strainer and pour out all the tea at once.  I really like the way the pearls uncurl.  It was very fun to watch, so I'd hate to put them into a little basket and hinder that process.

An Xi Tie Guan Yin (grade 2 modern green style)

I got this tea from someone on steepster who was giving tea away to interested parties.  I believe it comes from Life in a Teacup, but I'm not positive.

I recently acquired a small glass teapot (approximately 2 cups), and I've been using it as a fairness pitcher.  I typically brew greens and oolongs in a cast iron teapot (I wish I had some yixing pots....), but today I decided to brew this in the glass pot.  It's hard for me to compare the differences in taste between the two pots, especially since I've been drinking a lot of different oolongs recently.  At some point I'll try brewing this side by side in the two pots.

This oolong is definitely heavier than some of the others I have right now.  The flavor is stronger and a bit more earthy.  This could be from the different brewing vessel though.  More experimentation is required.....

and isn't that just too bad... ; )

Tea School

I discovered Canton Tea's Tea School.
http://www.cantonteaco.com/tea-school/

This site was incredibly helpful.  I've learned a lot about the oxidation process, how each type of tea is made, and a little about the areas tea comes from.  I definitely recommend this site to anyone who is new to tea, or has been drinking tea, but wants to learn more.

Revisiting the Long Jing

Ok, so I didn't get a chance to resteep this yesterday like I was hoping, time was very crazy.  Anyway, I feel like I'm drinking a different tea this morning.  I had the chance to go to Canton's website and look up this tea.  Wow.  That's really the best word to describe it.  Suffice to say that as a new tea drinker, I might have been a little overwhelmed by the information about this tea, I'm still trying to make heads or tails out of some of it.  I looked at their brewing instructions, and adjusted my brewing accordingly.  The difference is huge from the tea I had yesterday.  Canton recommends more leaves and a shorter steep time.  1 tbsp! of leaves per cup, 150 degree water, and steeping for 1-3 minutes.  This made for a wonderfully light green tea that I am thoroughly enjoying.  This may have just become my favorite green tea.

Check out this link for more on this tea:
http://www.cantonteaco.com/superior-dragon-well-green-tea-long-jing.html

Canton Tea's Superior Long Jing

This is a very interesting tea.  I will have to write more on it later, but for now I will say that I love green tea, and this one certainly took me by surprise.....I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

Tea Novice and Enthusiast Seeks Knowledge

A very good friend of mine has influenced me to not only drink and enjoy tea, but to learn about this wonderful drink as well.  I'm not great at remembering everything I read, and I'm even worse at remembering to keep track of what I have and have not drank.  So, I'm hoping by recording all my findings and research here, I will help myself remember all of the fascinating things about tea that I learn.  I will also try to make at least a short post about what I'm drinking, even if I don't remember to do any research on the tea itself.  I welcome any advice and suggestions more experienced tea drinkers want to share.