Black Dragon Tea Bar

The Next Level

2012-02-09T19:34:00.000-08:00

The pursuit of tea is a never-ending quest and nobody is able to brew perfect tea every time. I know many tea lovers, myself included, who happily absorb every bit of tea information we can find, sorting through the relevant and the ridiculous, in order to enhance our own tea knowledge and improve our tea brewing skills. To that end, here are 10 tips that have helped me to move beyond the basic brewing parameters and bring my tea brewing to the next level.

1. Relax, take a deep breath and focus on the ritual.

2. Engage all five senses.

3. Great tea can only be made from quality loose leaves and good water.

4. Choose teaware that appeals to you. Beyond beauty and functionality, advanced tea brewers will often have pleasant stories or memories associated with their favorite cups and teapots.

5. Choose teaware that allows the tea leaves to expand properly and infuse evenly.

6. Mindfully drink tea as often as possible, alone and with friends. Until you know exactly what you like (which may never happen) I recommend drinking a wide variety of not-so-good-tea and oh-my-god-this-is-amazing-tea as both will further your personal tea education in their own ways.

7. Watch experienced tea brewers closely while they're brewing tea for you. Pay attention to the grace and fluidity of their movements and the care with which they handle their teaware and tea leaves.

8. Learn to trust your instincts. Advanced tea brewers develop a “Zen-like” ability to use the right temperature of water and correct steeping time.

9. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. If you really over-steeped your tea, that’s okay, live and learn. Even though the traditional way to brew a certain tea is almost always the best way, I recommend being playful and trying out some more "unorthodox" tea brewing experiments from time to time.

10. Be confident. As your experiences build upon each other, your tea brewing skills will increase.

2006 Banzhang Lao Man E Sheng Cake

2012-01-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of The Tea Urchin's blog and I hope someday to follow in his footsteps exploring the birthplace of puer tea. One of The Urchin's finest posts in my opinion is called From Lao Man E with Love. Lao Man E (老曼峨) is a village in the Banzhang (班章) area of southern Yunnan province. It is known for its many old tea trees.

That post reminded me that I had purchased a 2006 Lao Man E cake several years ago from pu-erhtea.com but I have yet to try it. So today I'll be tasting and reviewing this cake for the first time.

In the middle of the external wrapping paper you'll see the words Banzhang Wang (班章王) or "King of Banzhang." This name is very common for many tea cakes from this popular origin. It does not guarantee the cake will be completely (or even mostly) comprised of actual Banzhang leaves. Because I'm not an authority on puer tea I must trust the vendor and hope that it really has a high percentage. The wrapper goes on to advertise old trees (老樹) and across the bottom it specifies Yunnan Xishuangbanna Menghai Banzhang Tea Factory Production (雲南西雙版納勐海班章茶廠出品).

I used about 5 grams of dry leaf in a 100ml glass gaiwan. After a 3 second rinse with boiling water I settled in for 7 nice infusions. The scent of the damp leaves reminds me of peppermint.

My first pour had a very savory, minty flavor with peppery, and foresty notes too. The color of most pours was between yellow and orange and the mouth-feel was medium bodied, sparkly and playful.

Several of the middle steeps had a little more sweetness, reminding me somewhat of basil, but even then it was always more savory than it was sweet. Tea Urchin's post made me wary of potential bitterness in Lao Man E tea but I didn't find this cake to be bitter (perhaps I was being too careful). As the session wound down a pleasant apricot note emerged.

It has a clean aftertaste that feels good in my throat. The cha qi left me feeling sharply alert and slightly fidgety. Although I like this cake, I've had more delicious and memorable tea sessions with other Banzhang cakes. I think this cake was a good buy (it wasn't too pricy) but I think I'll stick to higher quality offerings from this area in the future.

Welcoming the Black Dragon Year

2012-01-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

新年快樂 - Xīn nián kuài lè
恭喜發財 - Gōng xǐ fā cái
Happy New Year !

I found this cute little dragon teacup at a thrift store many years ago. On the back it says: "Ong's Royal 1& One Green Tea ™." I'm really not sure why they didn't print 2012 on the cup, it would have fit just fine.

Kubota Garden in Winter

2012-01-19T06:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my wife took these beautiful photos of Kubota Garden in the snow.

Urban Herbs #5 - Snowy Sage

2012-01-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

We expect to get 5 to 9 inches of snow in Seattle today (right now we're at about four inches) and around these parts, even 1 or 2 inches is enough to stop school and work. So that means today is a snow day!

After some fun time spent sledding, making snow angels, and knocking the snow off of my tea bushes, I felt like sipping something a little different. I think an infusion of sage leaves will be just the thing.

People have been using sage for culinary and medicinal purposes for well over a thousand years. It is a popular remedy for many different ailments such as digestive problems and sore throats. We have a hearty bush growing in our front yard.

Sage green leaves in front of my sage green house.

I harvested about 20 of the fuzzy fragrant leaves and clicked on my electric kettle.

My daughter helped me to muddle the leaves. This step breaks up the tough leaves which allows a lot more flavor to be extracted during the infusion. I've been finding this is a "must do" before steeping freshly picked herbs from in or around my yard.

I steeped it for five minutes with boiling water and it was so good. Of all my five Urban Herb experiments this was the biggest success. It had a wonderful savory, smokey, peppery, earthy, sage flavor that made my mouth and throat feel great and lingered pleasantly for hours. I will certainly be infusing this herb again!

Oolong Brewing Video

2012-01-16T12:20:00.000-08:00

This is a short video of me brewing Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong Tea (杉林溪高山烏龍茶) at Phoenix Tea in Burien, Washington. It was filmed by my business partner Cinnabar a couple days ago.

Brewing Taiwanese Oolong from Cinnabar Wright on Vimeo.

League of Pots #31

2012-01-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

Code Name: Woody

Material: Wood
Height (without handle): 10.5 cm
Length (back to spout): 8.5 cm
Volume: O ml
Weight: 175 g

Brews: Imaginary Tea
Specialty: Whatever tea your heart desires.
Story: Woody was made by elves at the North Pole. He was delivered to our house by Santa Claus at 12:30 AM on December 25, 2011.
Super Powers: Woody is a master of disguise. He is particularly adept at hiding in the forest.

My Precious

2012-01-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

Back in 2002 my wife gave me a wonderful Christmas present. It was my very first tea tray for serving gongfu style tea. The tray is a very high quality bamboo piece made by Bamboola - 大禾竹藝工坊 in Taiwan.

Isn't she lovely?

My wife purchased the tray and matching tea tools from the sadly-long-gone Blue Willow Tea House on Capitol Hill. The owner, Frank Miller, even included an ounce of his finest Lishan High Mountain oolong tea as a thank you gift for purchasing this treasure.

The tray came with a certificate of authenticity.

Pictured here:

My local tea friend Dr. L. Chang recently helped me to translate this certificate and I learned the following about my tray:

It won the Taiwan Handicraft Institute top award in a Taiwan daily appliance exhibition in the year 85 (i.e. 1996).

The tray's official product name is Big Wood Medium Tea Tray (大木中茶池) and it's made of meng zong zhu (孟宗竹) (a specific type of bamboo).

The certificate goes on to say: Bamboo is a material full of eastern color. Simple design and delicate craftsmanship, bringing out in full view the texture and simplicity of bamboo material. Not only is it tasteful, distinguishing itself from those made by clay, wood, or stone, it displays the modern example of Taiwan's handicraft. Although the product is expertly produced, we hope the user will perform maintenance regularly. Do not expose to sun. The surface underwent anti-bacterial treatment. Please do not use any type of solvent to wipe the surface which will cause damage to the treatment.

Over the last nine years this tea tray has been a supporting character in hundreds of my tea classes, tastings and events. Chances are if you've ever had tea with me you've seen this tray. It is my most beloved piece of teaware.

Pouring green tea at Phoenix Tea Shop.

(photo by Jon G.)

Six Famous Tea Mountains - 2006 Bang Wei

2011-12-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

I purchased this 2006 Bang Wei (邦崴) sheng puer tea cake (生普洱茶餅) back in 2006 for $10. It was pressed by a large operation called Six Famous Tea Mountain (六大茶山). I'm drinking it today for the very first time.

It looks nice and has a pleasant grassy, dried apricot aroma off the dry leaves.

Every pour of this tea has been very saponic. On some infusions the liquor almost looked like jelly with long lasting bubbles. I get excited when puer behaves this way as it often indicates a satisfying, nourishing and delicious tea.

Unfortunately this tea did not deliver for me. I did find a bit of complexity as the tea soup entered my mouth but it was mainly on the tip of my tongue and quickly faded out, leaving behind a flat, boring liquor and bitter aftertaste. Nice flavors such as citrus rind, vanilla and pine were overtaken by harsh flavors like tobacco smoke and an occasional mustiness that reminded me of a wet towel. I'm sure those undesirable flavors did not come from my storage because all of my puer tea is kept on the same bookshelf behind a curtain in my bedroom and none of my other cakes have those flavors.

I can't be too sure what the value of this cake is today and I'll bet there are some folks who would appreciate the tobacco notes but for me, I suppose, I got what I paid for. I've come a long way in my puer tea collecting since 2006 and if I had a time machine I'd go back to 2006 and tell myself to save my ten dollars.

Ba Bao Cha Part IV

2011-12-25T08:13:00.000-08:00

Today marks my fourth Christmas as a tea blogger. Ever since my first year I've had a little tradition of drinking ba bao cha (八寶茶) (eight treasure tea) every year around this time.

Since I've already written over and over about what ba bao cha is and how I generally feel about it today's post will be short and sweet.

Dried fruit, sugar, chrysanthemums, goji berries, and green tea.

Looks pretty in a glass gaiwan. Smells like prunes!

Syrupy, fruity, amber liquor.

These 6 things + sugar does not equal 8 treasures.

(...maybe I was supposed to count water as the 8th treasure?)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TEA FRIENDS!

Thing One and Thing Two

2011-12-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

These fine fellows were photographed near some old graves and shrines in the Mucha (木柵) area of northern Taiwan. I'm not sure what they are called or what their exact roll may be. Perhaps some of my more Taiwan savvy readers could enlighten us with a comment?

2006 Rougui Oolong Roasting Experiment

2011-12-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

Back in 2006 I purchased a few pounds of Rougui oolong (肉桂烏龍) from Josh at J-Tea. This tea was made either in Taiwan, or mainland China under Taiwanese management (Josh was not certain which). The dry leaves are rolled into a ball shape instead of the long, twisted shape of many Rougui teas. I've always really loved this tea's toasty cinnamon notes and pleasant substantial mouth-feel.

In the years since, I have sold, traded, gifted and imbibed about half my stash. The remaining ~17 ounces have been resting in a plastic bag inside of an old competition Wenshan Baozhong tin in a forgotten corner of my tea cabinet.

I opened the bag on the evening of 12-4-2011 to smell it for the first time in years. The smell is nice, a tiny bit musty and sweet. I let the leaf air out for a couple hours and made a plan to roast half of it the following day.

On 12/5/2011 at 9:30 AM I used my electric stove to bake ~8 ounces of this tea in an aluminum pie pan. I let it go for one hour at 200° F. The leaf was about 3/4 inch deep and was not stirred.

Towards the end of the hour a sweet cinnamon granola aroma started to emerge from my stove. After baking I allowed the leaf to cool completely and put it in a new plastic bag to wait until the following morning.

After First Roast

On 12/6/2011 at 7:30 AM I stirred the leaves and baked them again, this time at 215° F. I gently stirred them every 15 minutes for 2 hours. I choose these parameters based loosely on the recommendations of several tea people I emailed for advice.

Finished Roasting - 9:30 AM on 12/6/2011

After the leaves had mostly cooled, ~10 minutes later, I set up a cupping of the unbaked and the baked leaves. I used 5 grams of tea in two identical glass cups with 6 ounces boiling water.

Unbaked on left; baked on Right.

The two teas were quite different but I didn't prefer one over the other. The unbaked tea was unsurprisingly brighter and greener with more cinnamon notes on the tongue. It still tasted roasty to me and had a slightly sour taste that hinted at grapefruit and clove. The baked tea was mellow and toasty. I was happy that it didn't taste burnt or smoky but I felt that it lost some complexity going sip for sip with the unbaked tea. The baked tea was smoother and more warming with muted cinnamon and whole wheat bread crust notes.

Both teas are great and I feel lucky that I didn't ruin the baked tea. Now that I've finished the experiment I do not feel like the tea really needed to be roasted again at this time. Perhaps the careful airtight storage at my house and the original roast back in 2006 made this experiment redundant. I think I will cup these two together again in a few months to see how they're coming along.

Bamboo Leaf Tea

2011-12-05T06:20:00.000-08:00

Last month I purchased one ounce of Organic Bamboo Leaf Tea from Bamboo Leaf Tea in Florida. This company, which produces the product completely by hand, makes the following statements about the health benefits of drinking Bamboo leaf tea:

1. Bamboo shoots and tea are high in antioxidants as well as other vitamins and minerals that help maintain a healthy lifestyle.
2. Bamboo Leaf Tea quickly rehydrates the body making it a great after workout drink.
3. The tea aids digestion and may help in detoxifying the body. Because of these properties it is widely used in Asia as a tea for weight loss.

I find this interesting even though real tea and some other herbal beverages also have these same benefits. The producers also promote the content of silica and a tiny amount of fiber in each cup. Bamboo leaves do not contain caffeine which makes it a nice late evening sipper for me. For any readers interested in learning more about bamboo's use as a medicine please check out this great link that was recently shared with me by my acupuncturist friend Seth P. http://www.itmonline.org/arts/bamboo.htm.

The real reason I purchased these leaves is because I wanted to know what they would taste like. So here is my review:

It looks like dried grass and has a sweet, nutty, grassy aroma.

I've found that it's very hard to oversteep these leaves. A five minute, boiling hot, one quarter full gaiwan will pour a pale moon yellow and have a clean, bright aroma.

"Grassy in a good way" is probably the best way I can describe it. It reminds me a lot of Japanese Bancha green tea. It has light to medium body and brothiness depending on how long you steep it. The subtle nutty notes are more present in the aroma than in the mouth. I enjoy the flavor of Bamboo leaf tea.

It can be steeped twice to good effect but three times is "pushing it too far" in my experience.

Phoenix Tea House

2011-12-02T00:11:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy to announce that today, Friday December 2nd, is the opening day of Phoenix Tea! We are located at 902 SW 152nd Street in Burien, Washington. My business partner Cinnabar and I have worked very hard over this last month to create a beautiful and comfortable space that welcomes tea lovers of all levels.

Our tea shop will sell loose leaf tea and teaware, feature a tea tasting table, sell cups of freshly brewed tea to go, and house a small tea museum and library. Our hours, at least for now, will be Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sundays from Noon to 5:00 PM (although we may be able to accommodate other times by appointment).

I hope to see you soon at our tea shop!

League of Pots #30

2011-11-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

Code Name: Koroibos

Material: Ceramic
Height (without handle): 8.5 cm
Length (back to spout): 14.5 cm
Volume: 600 ml
Weight: 375 g

Brews: Any type of tea.
Specialty: Unfortunately Koroibos doesn't really brew any teas very well. Sometimes he will make a decent pot, but his lid is too small to fit a basket infuser inside and he doesn't have an infuser in his spout so leaves always slip in and get stuck. The tiny lid also makes it very difficult to get the spent leaves out of the pot once they have been steeped.
Story: Koroibos was a gift from my dear friends S and B who traveled around the world in 2008. They spent time in China while the whole country had Olympic Fever. Koroibos is shaped liked the iconic Bird Nest Stadium (actually called Beijing National Stadium). This stadium is a symbol of many different things to many different people.
Super Powers: Koroibos has super speed. He can run the Stadion race much faster than any other Chinese-made Olympic souvenir!

Genmaicha with Matcha

2011-11-22T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today was cold and rainy here in Seattle. I made a pot of genmaicha with matcha for my afternoon tea. An unusual choice for me but it really hit the spot.

"美味しい"

Bamboo Haiku

2011-11-17T06:34:00.000-08:00

I think bamboo is such a beautiful and fascinating plant. It can be made into all manner of useful things such as tools, houses, musical instruments, paper, clothes, food, etc. In my house we even have bamboo cloth diapers. In Asia there are many myths and stories that equate bamboo with longevity, nobility and elegance. It has also inspired some breathtaking paintings, stunning poems, and the following five haiku.

Bamboo carved tea tools,

warming vessels, rinsing leaves.
The tea is ready.

Dearest thirsty guest,
today we will sip as one.
Whip it, whip it good.

Rode for many miles,

All through jungles dark and old.
Think I lost my bike.

Rustling bamboo grove.

Filtered sun through verdant leaves.
A cute girl smiling.

Dude in search of tea,
I hope you can find your way,
among yellow bamboo.

Urban Herbs #4 - Blackberry Leaf

2011-11-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

My Urban Herbs series is monthly chronicle of my continued quest to taste an infusion of every nontoxic plant I can find growing around my house. In this month's installment I've selected blackberry leaves.

These leaves were picked from a particularly wild corner of my backyard. I took care to select smaller, more tender leaves and not to poke myself on the wicked thorns. It is very important with all urban foraging to be sure you're harvesting in areas without any pollution. Lucky for me, Seattle is filled with such places.

Blackberry bushes can be found all over the northwest and in the late summer I certainly eat my fair share of their ripe sweet berries. I've never tried infusing blackberry leaves before but I've recently learned that many people do, and that certain medicinal effects are attributed to the beverage. Some sources suggest the infusion is a good source of vitamins C and E, good for fighting colds and flu and for relieving sore throats.

I chopped up eleven fresh leaves of varying size and steeped them for 10 minutes in ~6 ounce of boiling hot water.

The resulting brew was light yellow and had a delicate grassy, citrus aroma. The flavor of the infusion was similar. It yielded wild weed and grass-like notes with soft peaks of citrus peel and tart blackberry flavors. It was a little tannic but not unpleasant. I think if I were to drink this herb again I would try picking more leaves, drying them, crumbling them up and make it a bit stronger.

Aged Wenshan Baozhong

2011-11-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

I was lucky to visit Red Blossom tea company back in 2007. One of several treasures that I purchased during that trip was their Aged Wenshan Baozhong oolong tea. I was told that it was made in the "early 80's."

I was curious to know if they still had this exact tea in stock so I emailed their customer service department. I quickly received an informative response from Red Blossom's Peter Luong.

He wrote:

"When we made the original purchase of the 1980's Aged Wenshan, there were two distinct batches. They were similar age range and from the same source. The appearance of the leaves were slightly different but nearly identical in character/taste/aroma. I think we were working off the first batch when you made the original purchase, and have gone on to the second batch."

So it sounds like you can't actually buy this tea that I'm about to review. Oh well. I'm going to write about it anyway.

I filled my small gaiwan ~half-full of dry leaf and gave it a 3 second rinse with boiling water. The fragrance off these damp leaves was breathtaking. It smelled earthy and roasty with luscious brown sugar and raisin notes.

I was surprised by the dark color of the liquor. It looked a little bit like a cup of Da Hong Pao oolong.

The richness of this tea was deep and mystifying. As I sipped, I felt soothing energy spreading down through my shoulders, arms and hands. It presents subtle wine notes like oak, plum and blackberry along with fire notes such as wood and charcoal.

This tea is complex, full-bodied and slightly sweet. It is very much what I'm drawn to these days.

Cupping 2005 & 2006 Wenshan Baozhong

2011-11-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Six and a half years ago I set aside ~4 ounces of fresh spring 2005 Wenshan Baozhong (文山包種) tea in a tall mason jar with a screw on lid. One year later I did the same with my 2006 Wenshan Baozhong, but this time I used a shorter jar with a rubber gasket lid.

Since that time the leaves have been stored in the dark corner of a bookshelf, behind a curtain, along with my humble puer collection. I have only opened them once, a few years back, to take a little sniff.

Today will be the first time I've cupped them since they were new.

2006 (left) and 2005 (right)

I chose two identical glass mugs for this cupping. In each mug I used 2.5 grams of leaf and 80 ml of boiling water. I sipped directly from the mugs and added more water several times.

I realize that today's cupping will provide me with very little useful information. This is because I do not have any notes or memories (except the notion that they were once really good) about how these two teas originally tasted. So today I will just describe my impressions so that I'll have a useful "baseline" a few years later when I decide to repeat this cupping.

The dry leaves look similar but I noticed a few more woody stems in the 2005. The 2006, on the other hand, had a few more broken leaves. For both teas, the aroma off the dry leaves is muted and underwhelming. The 2005 reminds me a little bit of stale graham crackers and the 2006 reminds me of stale graham crackers in the grass.

The flavor of 2005 was slightly darker and earthier and its aroma was a bit mustier. It was still a little bit floral and had a nice thick mouth-feel. I also perceived a soft ocean flavor in this tea.

In contrast, the 2006 drank much more like a new tea. It had a delightful lilac aroma and a crisper medium-body with buttery notes. Perhaps the rubber gasket sealed in more freshness?

Both teas were long lasting and soaked for hours without bitterness. All in all I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of these two teas.

Although these two specimens are both spring Wenshan Baozhong teas from Pinglin, Taiwan they really have little else in common. They were made at different times by different people on different farms. But now they share the same fate. I'll now put them back in their little hide-away to await the next cupping.

Big News from Phoenix Tea!

2011-10-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

I have some exciting news! My business partner Cinnabar and I just rented a perfect little spot in downtown Burien, Washington. The space, at 902 SW 152nd Street, will be the home of our business Phoenix Tea.

Over the next few weeks we will build a retail tea shop and tasting bar. We will paint, decorate and stock our store then, with luck, we'll be open for business by the end of November.

Any friends who would like to donate money or invest in Phoenix Tea (no amount is too small) or volunteer their time or advice please email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com. I will find a way to reward your generosity.

I'll post again (with photos) when the shop is ready for its grand opening. I look forward to drinking tea with you in Burien real soon!

Urban Herbs #3 - Lemon Balm

2011-10-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is all over the place here in Seattle and we can always find a few of these shrubs growing around our yard. My kids like to nibble the leaves. I'll sometimes nibble them too, but more often I'll just pick a few, rub them between my fingers and smell their nice lemony aroma. Until today I've never tried drinking a plain infusion of lemon balm (though I'm sure I have had them before in blended herbal beverages).

Lemon balm tea is considered a healthy infusion for colds and flu as well as a calming and soothing beverage. It makes a nice addition to aromatic and medicinal herb gardens and has the added benefit of attracting beneficial bees who help to pollinate nearby plants.

I picked ~10 fresh tender leaves and minced them up with a knife. I steeped them for 5 minutes using 5 ounces of boiling hot water. The resulting infusion had a pleasant grass and citrus aroma and a pale watery yellow-green color.

In my opinion it tastes great. Like most herbal infusions, lemon balm is probably hard to over steep. Next time I going to use more leaf and a longer steep time. The flavor was not at all bitter and was too weak to be perceived as tart. I was reminded of lemon juice, lemon peel, rose hips and meadow flowers. It left with a nice aftertaste and feeling in my throat. I can easily see myself drinking this infusion often throughout the winter and sharing it with my two young children.

Taiwanese Shaken Tea

2011-10-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

The first time I heard about Taiwanese shaken tea was back in 2005, when my friend Josh C. hosted me for two nights in Tainan (臺南). We went to a beautiful teashop where Josh was clearly considered a VIP. While we savored some of the finest oolongs I've ever experienced, Josh pointed out the servers behind the counter, who used martini shakers to blend chilled tea with natural flavors and sweeteners. These shaken beverages were then poured into lovely glasses and served to delighted customers. During my first few trips to Taiwan, these shaken tea beverages seemed to be all the rage.

My first taste came a year later. While waiting for a bus in Fengyuan (豐原), my buddy Darald and I walked around the nearby streets in search of tea. We randomly entered a stylish teahouse and attempted to order some good tea using our limited Mandarin. It turned out they didn't serve regular tea, only shaken tea. We almost left, then decided "what the heck" and placed our orders.

After a few minutes of waiting next to an indoor waterfall our drinks were served. I can't remember what Darald ordered, but I got this:

It turned out to be "honey, grapefruit juice, and baihao oolong garnished with a cherry tomato." I saw the server shake it up. I'd never had anything like it before and yes, it was delicious.

I've since tried similar beverages a few times and have learned a few interesting tidbits in the process. For one, shaken tea is synonymous with bubble tea in Taiwan because it has foamy bubbles floating on the surface of the glass. My previous notion that bubble tea must contain tapioca pearls turns out to be a misconception. Also, the reasons for shaking the tea go beyond just mixing the ingredients and making bubbles; it is believed that shaking oxygenates the tea which results in cleaner, bolder flavors.

I wonder what would happen if you were to vigorously shake a martini shaker full of plain pure tea and compare its flavor to its unshaken counterpart? Perhaps I should try some experiments.

Bike in Tree

2011-10-21T18:31:00.001-07:00

Essence of Tea's 2010 Mansai

2011-10-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

Today I'm reviewing Essence of Tea's 2010 Mansai Sheng Puer Cake. Many thanks go out to my friend Israel in MT for sending me this sample.

It appears that a handful of other sheng puer tea lovers already wrote about this tea last year. Check them out at Half Dipper, Sip Tip, and The Skua Steeps. I'll wait until after I publish my post before reading these others.

I can't recall ever trying tea from Mansai before and Essence of Tea states that it is a very remote location on the China / Myanmar border.

The dry leaf is a lovely mix of greens and silvers. They smell alive with subtle hints of pine and sage.

I use my normal puer reviewing parameters (5 grams dry leaf / boiling water / ~100ml gaiwan) and bring the leaves through 8 awesome infusions.

The liquor presents itself as medium bodied, though some infusions were more substantial. It has a peppery, flowery aroma that reminds me of honeysuckle and grassy meadows. For me this is clearly a nice tea and very complex. Some of the pours were a little fruity/appley while others were more herbaceous and incense-like.

I'd say this tea is spirited and feels great lingering in the back of my mouth and throat. The way this tea left my body feeling reminded me a little bit of white tea. I had a solid, alert, high-frequency buzz. This would be my typical response to young, tippy, sheng puer. It's not my usual "puer mellow" but it's not too uncomfortable either.

Zina Tea's '06 '07 '08 Shu Puer Cake

2011-10-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Donia has some excellent connections for Chinese tea. She recently started a Seattle-based business called Zina Tea (website coming soon) to bring these treasures to the North American market. Last weekend, she debuted her current selection at this year's Northwest Tea Festival and I was lucky enough to procure a small sample of an interesting shu bing (熟餅) called "2006-07-08 Blend Puer Cooked Cake" to review here on my blog.

The cake is beautifully presented in a wrapper advertising 喬木古茶 (tall trees old tea) in bold black characters. The factory is listed as Chang Yun Tea Company (昌雲茶業有限公司出品).

In her product description for this cake, Donia describes the production of shu puer as it pertains to this product. She notes that the level of fermentation differed for each of the three batches, 2006, 2007, and 2008, and that care was taken to ensure good air circulation for the leaves between batches. At a certain point, while processing the 2008 leaves, 2006 and 2007's leaves were mixed in. This melange waited three more years before being pressed into cakes.

The dry leaves appear dark brown and black with a few golden buds and stems. They have a sweet, toasty smell.

I used a ~100 ml gaiwan with 5 grams of leaf and boiling water. A short rinse released a pleasant malty, earthy aroma.

As expected, this cake performed very well for me. Six infusions poured silky, smooth and complex. The broth was a little bit lighter than most of my favorite shu puer teas so I'll try a couple more grams of dry leaf for my next session. My tasting notes included walnut, old growth rainforest, and vanilla bean.

I'd recommend this cake to anyone looking for a delicious and interesting shu puer blend. I also encourage my readers to contact Donia directly (dalexandra@zinatea.com) to receive her tea list or to ask her any questions about her business.

Northwest Tea Festival Wrap Up

2011-10-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend my business partner Cinnabar, her husband, and I, were all at Northwest Tea Festival to represent our business Phoenix Tea. On Sunday, we were joined by our talented potter friend Chris Shaw who displayed his work at our booth. We all had a great time, met many new tea lovers, and saw a lot of old tea friends too.

Many thanks are due to Julee, Doug, Kyohei, Annie, Ken, and Anne Marie. These local tea lovers put in a ton of hard work and months of planning to pull off this grand event.

I'd also like to thank the thousands of lovely folks who attended. What a beautiful, diverse and vibrant tea scene we have in the Pacific Northwest!

Here's a peek inside our booth.

And another peek.

Beautiful clay teaware crafted by our buddy Chris Shaw.

Northwest Tea Festival

2011-09-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited that the Northwest Tea Festival is coming up in just one week. My tea business will have a booth and I'll be teaching a Tea 101 class and leading a session in the tea tasting booths. I really hope to see you there!

Time
October 1st - 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
October 2nd - 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Location
Fisher Pavilion at the Seattle Center

Website
http://www.nwteafestival.com/

Urban Herb #2 - Fennel Seed

2011-09-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

All over the garden plants are going to seed. One of them happens to be this large, healthy fennel plant by my front door.

The Plant.

The Seeds.

I've always liked fennel seeds but I never thought about drinking them. In fact I used to wonder why, back when I worked at Teacup, random people would occasionally ask me if we sold "fennel seed tea." We didn't, so I would redirect them to a health food store or other local apothecary.

I did a little research and found out that fennel seed is considered a "carminative," which according to wikipedia is "a herb or preparation that either prevents formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract or facilitates the expulsion of said gas, thereby combating flatulence." (As an adult-vegan-male I found this tidbit particularly interesting.)

Because of all this I've decided to feature fennel seed tea as this month's "Urban Herb."

I picked off a few umbels of fresh young seeds and put them in a small gaiwan. I bruised them slightly with my fingers and then poured in boiling water. I let them steep for five minutes.

Seconds before the steep.

The resulting herbal infusion was a light pale yellow color with an intense fennel aroma. I sipped it and found it to be quite pleasant. It was surprisingly mellow in my mouth, I might even say that it was a little bit too weak for me. It had a licorice-like sweetness and vibrant mouth-feel. It was very one dimensional but I'd say if you're into this particular flavor you'd probably really enjoy it.

... and as for the infusion's carminative effect? Let's just say I haven't farted in a week and I'm now beginning to worry!

Ha... just kidding... I'm really not sure if it did anything at all.

Arts-A-Glow Photo gallery

2011-09-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday evening my tea company Phoenix Tea served free tea for many wonderful new friends at Burien, Washington's Arts-A-Glow festival. Here are a few photos from the evening.

Our new sign.

Our friends Barbara and Leslie pouring tea for guests.

The sun sets behind my snacking daughter.

Sunlight glows amongst the trees.

Awesome owl puppet took 5 puppeteers to control.

Beautiful performance art by local artist Lucia Neare.

The Swan Queen is here!

It's not everyday you see dancing clock-head people in the woods.

More dancing in the dark!

Anxi Rougui Oolong

2011-09-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

Today I'm reviewing an interesting oolong called Anxi Rougui. Anxi is the name of a county (famous for Tie Guanyin / 鐵觀音) in China's Fujian province. Rougui (肉桂), which means cinnamon, is a tea plant cultivar. My business, Phoenix Tea, is the primary American source for this tea.

I've had several wonderful experiences with Rougui oolong from the Wuyi mountains. Those teas were all darker and more heavily roasted teas with long twisted leaves. This tea, on the other hand, looks like a greener Tie Guanyin.

Despite its greenish color, the dry leaf smells rich and roasty with a promising hint of cinnamon aroma.

The brewed liquor is also a bit darker than I would have guessed and very sweet smelling. It reminds me of when I make granola and the whole house smells amazing all day.

The flavor is satisfying and toasty. At first it struck me as a somewhat savory, herbaceous Tie Guanyin-like tea. It lacks slightly for body but it makes up for it with great complexity. The strong cinnamon-like notes don't hit me right away, but instead they wait until I've taken a breath after each sip. At that point there is a distinct icy-hot cinnamon sensation in the very back of my mouth and tongue.

I'm really enjoying this tea and look forward to drinking it more often in the Autumn.

1993 Menghai 7542

2011-09-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

Last week I received a small box of puer samples from my buddy Israel in Montana. Among them was a chunk of Essence of Tea's 1993 Menghai 7542.

I've never purchased anything from Essence of Tea myself but my friend Bev has brought a few to several local puer tastings and they have always been show stoppers.

The dry leaf is a lovely mix of earthy, autumnal colors. It's not too tightly compressed and its aroma is subtle, sweet and clean.

I used about five grams of leaf in a 100 ml gaiwan with boiling water (which is my usual parameters when reviewing a new puer).

The aroma on the wet leaves is wonderful. It's heady and thick with soft notes of vanilla bean, unscented beeswax candle and the faintest touch of incense-like smokiness.

The liquor is dark reddish brown with a halo of orange. Although I'm using a filter the broth appears cloudy on most pours. (I don't consider that a fault, but I still found it worthy of mention.)

This tea is delicious. I find it to be woodsy, rich and smooth. It strikes me as tasting older than it is but not damp or marshy. A few infusions did have a touch of harsh tobacco-like flavor in their aftertaste but I think it was mainly my own fault (over-steeped them) and when the next sip entered my mouth, all was forgiven. My tasting notes included: ginseng, cocoa, and a lush northwest rain forest.

Know Your Stones?

2011-09-01T03:33:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I received my very first stone teapot. Since that day I've been using it often and getting some surprising results. While testing teas that I know well, I've been able to coax out many different flavors. Sometimes better and sometimes worse. Please check out yesterday's League of Pots post for a photo of this new teapot.

I wanted to know what type of stone my teapot is made out of so I've been doing some online research. In no time at all, I found myself buried deep in the enormously complex world of stone art. I'm still not sure what type of stone my new teapot is made from, but my guess is soapstone.

People have been carving and polishing precious and semiprecious stones (aka gemstones) for thousands of years. Many stones, whose names I recognize, include granite, onyx, jasper, marble, agate etc.... These, and others, are used to produce all manner of useful objects, vessels, jewelry and decorative items.

Know your stones?

I'm now on a quest to learn more about the types of stone used to make teaware. I'm pretty sure I'll always favor porcelain or clay for my own tea brewing but there is still something deeply appealing about stone. Perhaps it has something to do with the hundreds of millions of years that most stones have been on the earth and/or the trace minerals it could add to one's water.

I've only just begun to scratch the surface of this hugely fascinating subject, but the following seven stones seem to pop up often during my research of Chinese stone carving art:

Muyu (木魚) (Wood Fish) - I find this stone very interesting because it is touted as improving your health if you use it to brew tea. I'm skeptical, but it does appear to have a long history for use as teapots and I really like its beautiful dark wooden appearance. I wouldn't mind adding a Muyu teapot to my humble collection.

Soapstone (皂石) - This is a relatively soft stone that is still durable and can handle high temperatures. Many good looking teapots have been carved out of this ancient and versatile family of metamorphic rocks.

Chicken Blood (雞血) - I'm including this stone in my list mainly because of its cool name. The stone, which blends cream colors with blood-red colors, is used mainly for decorative pieces. It contains cinnabar, which contains mercury, so I'm not about to actually use a Chicken Blood teapot. I don't want to go "mad as a hatter."

Cheng Ni (澄泥) - This is one of the most popular stones for making ink-stones (for calligraphy and painting). I only found one reference to this type being used for teapots.

Jade (玉石) - Not surprisingly, I found tons of very expensive jade teapots online. Many of these are being sold by shady-looking live auction websites. I also found mixed reviews of their usefulness in brewing good tea. They sure are pretty, though.

Shoushan (寿山石) - Hailing from Fujian province, this is another type of stone that I'd really like to know more about. The Shoushan stone teapots that I've seen online are pretty wicked looking, in my opinion. They are really "rocky" with muddled red, gold and yellow hues. Also, they are described in several places as being "fully functional" and "excellent for tea brewing."

Qingtian (青田石) - Named for a small county in Zhejiang province, Qingtian stone encompasses a large category of beautiful decorative sculpture. Alas, I could only find a few vague references to its use as teaware.

I would really love to hear from anyone who has used stone teaware (especially teapots) to enhance their own tea drinking. I'd also love to hear from any "rock buffs" who may be able to point me towards some good books, websites or other resources pertaining to tea related stone art.

League of Pots #29

2011-08-31T13:26:00.000-07:00

Code Name: Pebbles

Material: Stone
Height: 7 cm
Length (handle to spout): 15.5 cm
Volume: 230 ml
Weight: 300 g

Brews: Any type of unscented tea.
Specialty: Lightly Oxidized High Mountain Oolong.
Story: Pebbles was an unexpected gift from my neighbor.
Super Powers: Pebbles' rock hard exoskeleton makes her virtually indestructible. She can transform into a massive boulder and crush her enemies flat.

Phoenix Dancong Aha Moment

2011-08-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where the term originates but according to psychologist John Kounios an Aha Moment is: "Any sudden comprehension that allows you to see something in a different light."

I had my first Tea Aha Moment with my mentor Donna Fellman back in 2001. Since that day I've had many of these little epiphanies for many different types of tea.

I've always liked Phoenix Dancong (鳳凰单丛) oolong tea but I never really understood why some folks are crazy for it. The 2007 Winter Fenghuang Wudong old bush from Hou De almost qualified as an Aha Moment, but because that particular tea was so unique I could not compare it to a normal Phoenix Dancong.

Normal (by which I mean "commercially available in North America") Phoenix Dancong, in my experience, has those beautiful, carefully twisted leaves...

...like this...

...and appears slightly red and green after it has infused many times...

...like this.

Their are many different cultivars used to produce them. One of the most common is called Milan Xiang (蜜蘭香) (Honey Orchid Fragrance). I've had quite a few nice experiences with these teas, but they've never satisfied me the way a good Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong, Ti Kuan Yin (鐵觀音) or Yan Cha (岩茶) could.

My Phoenix Dancong Aha Moment finally came earlier this month while taking care of my kids and doing household chores. I was drinking the Phoenix Dancong that my own tea company is selling. I used a small gaiwan about 2/3 full of dry leaf and steeped the first couple infusions for about one minute. It was very pleasant.

Then I made my 3rd infusion. I forgot about it. It steeped almost 20 minutes and I was sure it would be terrible.

But it wasn't!

I liked that cup of tea so much! The flavor was really rich and presented big apricot and honey notes. It felt so thick and malty with bright, sparkly peaks of complexity. I instantly knew why people love this type of tea so much.

Since that Aha Moment I have tried hard to learn how to coax those delicious flavors into every infusion.

It hasn't been easy but I have found a happy balance. I tend to like this Dancong better with longer steeps. I also prefer using spring water or plain tap water instead of my usual filtered water. Finally, I recommend using slightly cooler water, (around 180° F) after the 3rd infusion, and not giving up on the tea until at least the 7th because my favorites seem to be the later infusions.

Adagio Roots - Pi Lo Chun

2011-08-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

Here in Seattle, I often see a bumper sticker that simply states "No Farms, No Food." It's so true and you can easily replace "Food" with "Tea."

Many people need to reestablish connections with the producers of their food and drink and this is one reason why the Association of Tea Bloggers is presenting a blog carnival to highlight Adagio's Roots campaign. The goal of this campaign is to celebrate the tea farmers that produce Adagio's tea.

Ten years ago, when I started selling loose leaf tea, not many companies were doing this. Old school tea sellers were woefully secretive and proprietary about their tea sources. Thankfully, the tea world is now better connected and better educated. Modern tea lovers demand a tea industry that is open, honest and friendly about where their teas are coming from. I believe that tea sellers should freely provide as much information about any tea they are selling as the customer wishes to know.

One tea that I now know the source of is Adagio's Pi Lo Chun (aka Bì Luó Chūn) (aka 碧螺春) (aka green snail spring).

This tea was produced by Huang Jian Lin in Jiangsu, China. I've even seen a photo of the man wearing camouflage pants and swinging a wicked looking stick.

(Photo courtesy of Adagio Tea Co.)

The man makes a fine tea. The dry leaf is very beautiful and has a sweet, nutty aroma. The flavor is brothy and satisfying. I'd say this bi luo chun is a little bit bolder than many of the other pricier bi lou chun teas I have tasted in the past. Huang's is also a bit more floral in my opinion.

Kudos to Adagio (and all the other worthy tea vendors out there) for introducing us to the makers of their teas and kudos to all the consumers, like myself, who care about this sort of thing!

You can find links to all the other ATB members who are participating in this blog carnival here:

Gongfu Girl

LeafJoy

Notes on Tea

The Tea Enthusiasts's Scrapbook

Tea For Today

Tea Pages

That Pour Girl

Walker Tea Review

Teaspoons and Petals

Urban Herb #1 - Wild Chamomile

2011-08-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

This is the alley behind my house.

It is filled with many urban herbs. One of which is wild chamomile (aka pineappleweed).

As it turns out this useful and tasty plant can be found all over Washington, especially in sandy soil near trails and paths. I've gotten into the habit of picking a little flower and crushing it between my fingers because it really smells amazing.

Wikipedia says: "The young flower heads can be used to make tea by steeping a handful of the flowers in hot water for ten minutes and then straining."
OK. I can try that.

I used about one teaspoon of flowers in a half full gaiwan with boiling water. After a ten minute infusion the liquor is a pale yellowish-green color.

The smell is lovely in my opinion. It's like the freshest chamomile aroma I've ever smelled with a twist of ripe pineapple juice. The flavor is sweet, soothing and floral like any great chamomile flower infusion would be.

If you dig chamomile tea then you would probably like this.

It's very relaxing.

[Yawn]

I am starting to feel pretty sleepy.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Shu Shu's Odyssey - Part 3

2011-08-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

(Continued from Parts 1 and 2)

Shu Shu had apparently regained consciousness a few minutes before I did. He ran to my side and yelled "Thank God you're alive!"

Half-conscious and completely disoriented as I was, I could tell that he had been crying for some time.

"What's wrong?" I managed to ask despite my many aches.

"Look around," he whispered between sobs.

We seemed to be deep in the core of a dark dank cave. The only light came from a small naked light bulb dangling from a dusty black cord. All around us stood the lifeless statues of thousands of Mews. Their tiny faces appeared to be frozen in agony. It was as though they had suffered some unspeakable mistreatment just seconds before they were all turned to stone. Their shadows swayed lazily on the cave walls like ghostly dancers.

"We have to find a way out of here," I whispered to Shu Shu.

"You're right," he replied as he stopped crying and took a deep breath. "I've got an idea. Let's try following that wire connected to the light bulb."

We took the naked bulb down from a rusty ceiling hook and started walking along a dark corridor. We had to stop every ten feet or so to pull down more wire as it was tacked up along the cave wall.

We started to doubt our decision after walking for what must have been an hour. The featureless gray walls seemed to be teasing us. The dusty wire trailed on for ages behind us and before us. We began to hear things.

"Something is not right." I said to Shu Shu.

"You can say that again. We're trapped miles under the ground in an endless narrow cave!" Shu Shu snapped.

I could tell that he was getting claustrophobic and agitated so I suggested we sit for a minute and try to come up with a plan.

"It's not like we can get lost down here." I said while trying to sound more confident than I really was. "I didn't even know this island had electricity before seeing this light bulb. We're following the wire and it has to lead someplace. That was a good plan."

Just then the light bulb flickered and died. We were left in absolute darkness.

"Are you st-still holding the w-wire?" I asked. I was trembling and my heart was pounding.

"Y-y-yes," stammered Shu Shu.

We decided to stay the course and both held the wire tightly as we continued slowly down the corridor. It was difficult to pull the wire off the wall without any light, but we managed, and seemed to be making progress. Then we heard a muffled voice coming from somewhere very close.

Shu Shu and I clung to each other and trembled in the pitch black passageway. To say we were scared would have been a gross understatement.

The voice sounded like it was right next to us yet we couldn't make out the words. It cracked and hissed in a ghoulish timbre.

"I th-th-think I kn-kn-know where it's coming from." I whispered after a minute of heart-pounding terror. "It's coming from inside the tea tin."

Shu Shu carefully took off his knapsack and opened the flap. Then he slowly took out the tin and twisted off the top. A soft red light emerged from the tin and, for the first time since the light bulb burned out, Shu Shu and I could see each others' terrified faces. Along with the light, THE VOICE was now louder and could clearly be discerned. It was coming from the evil red egg-shaped stone that Shu Shu and I had found after we had been attacked by a cursed zombie.

"...I can't believe that meddling Mew came back to my island and brought that sickening man-boy to help him. My zombies almost had them at the spring but now they're somewhere deep inside the mountain where I've imprisoned the hapless Mew. No matter. Nobody knows this island better than I do and I will kill them soon enough..."

At this point the voice trailed off and Shu Shu and I looked up at each other in disbelief. Could we somehow hear Wuhh's thoughts transmitted through this egg shaped stone? Or was this some sort of evil spell that Wuhh had employed to scare us? And if we could hear him, could he somehow hear us too? We quickly closed the tin and returned to the blackness, then we continued to move along the tunnel.

About a half hour later, Shu Shu and I saw a light. Our spirits lifted slightly and we hurried forward. The tunnel entered into a large chamber where a bright shaft of sunlight beamed down from a small hole located about a hundred feet up on the ceiling. The walls were too steep and smooth to climb and there were no tunnels into this room, other than the one through which we had entered. The thin wire that supplied our bulb with electricity ran along the surface of the wall and out the hole in the ceiling. It was not strong enough to support my weight, but maybe tiny Shu Shu could use it to climb out.

Shu Shu committed himself to the task at hand and grasped the thin cord with his claws. He shimmied along for a few feet and then lost some ground as his weight pulled the cord away from the wall. It was only attached by a few rusty hooks and would likely continue to pull off the wall as he climbed higher. Shu Shu made quick work of the first half and hung dangling way up above my head. I held the cord steady as he inched his way up; pulling first with his front paws and then pushing with his hind paws. His attention was on his footing... but mine suddenly shifted to the hole in the ceiling.

"Shu Shu Stop!" I yelled.

First Shu Shu looked down at me and then he looked up at the hole. The black silhouette of a head could be seen peering into the chamber through the shaft of light. It wasn't easy to tell but I think it was a zombie.

"@#$%!" yelled Shu Shu as he started sliding downward. I saw a twisted smile appear on the face above. It took out a large knife and as it hacked through the cord I could see its hideous face illuminated by streaks of light reflecting off the blade.

The cord broke and Shu Shu fell about 3o feet. I dived to catch him but failed. His brown Mew body was growing brittle from too many days without a hot tea shower and because of this his right front paw broke clean off. He lay on the ground in agony as I picked him up and held him close. Shu Shu fiddled around in his knapsack and I stared at the hole in the ceiling. Together we trembled in fear.

Just then a rope ladder was lowered in to the chamber. It swayed as if it was being used but no one, or no thing, could be seen. After a few minutes we heard the same evil voice that we heard from the egg. It was coming from the other side of the chamber.

"How dare you return to my island," hissed the voice.

At that moment, a gate slammed closed behind us, blocking the tunnel through which we had come.

"Now give me back my red stone!" yelled the voice.

"And what if we won't?!" Shu Shu answered defiantly.

"Then I will kill you slowly and painfully," snorted the voice.

"Who are you?" Shu Shu asked. "We're not afraid of you!"

I shot Shu Shu an irritated look as I quaked in fear, but then I took a deep breath and pulled myself together. My little friend's bravery inspired me to rise to the challenge.

"We'll never give you the stone!" I shouted. "Show yourself, coward!"

With that, a hot blue ball of flame suddenly appeared on the other side of the room. Half a second later it was flying towards me at great speed. I jumped out of the way and rolled on the ground as the fireball hit the wall behind me. It left a large smoking black dent in the cave wall. Far above our heads we could hear a couple of ugly zombies laughing as they watched the scene from the hole in the roof.

"My name is Wuhh," answered the voice, "and I have lived on this island for many centuries. You are not welcome here."

"You're the bastard that killed all of the Mew. We came back here to help them and now we're going to kill you!" Shu Shu was fuming with rage as he spoke. "The Mew are a peaceful race. How could you do this!?? You are a Mew yourself!"

"Ha. How little you know, Shu Shu. Captain Jones and his son Ben's story is only the half of it. First of all, I didn't kill the Mew. I cursed them into statues and I can undo it at anytime," Wuhh snickered. "Secondly, I'm not a Mew. I'm a human wizard who took the form of a Mew when I first came to this island many centuries ago. I pretended to work with the Mew as I practiced my dark magic. Before long I had perfected my poisons, invisibility and zombification spells. I waited until the right time and then started my ultimate plan to take over the wor..."

Shu Shu cut him off mid-word. "Why are you such a pompous ***hole?" Shu Shu yelled as he took the tea tin out of his knapsack and gave it a bold shake. "Your precious stone is in here, Mr. Wizard. Come and get it."

A furious blue flame erupted in the corner of the chamber. Behind its intense burning glow we could make out the shadowy figure of a tall man.

"Get down!" I yelled as I dropped to the floor. Shu Shu ducked down low and covered his face with his remaining left paw, which was still clutching the tea tin.

A massive wall of flame expanded in a circle around Wuhh. It spun violently as if caught in a hurricane. The heat was unbearable and Shu Shu and I writhed in agony as it scorched our faces. We were being burned alive!

Shu Shu screamed, "Take your stupid stone. Please stop." He held out the tea tin as we coward together on the chamber floor. In a flash, a magical hand snatched the tin from Shu Shu and returned to Wuhh in the corner of the room. All of a sudden the flames stopped and Wuhh's ghostly human figure could be seen quickly ascending the ladder. Then the zombies above rapidly pulled the ladder up and out of the chamber. A heavy lid was placed over the hole and we were once again helpless in a world void of light.

A few minutes passed before Shu Shu and I spoke to each other.

"Shu Shu, do your feet feel wet?" I asked.

"Yes." He replied.

We blindly felt around the chamber floor with our hands and, sure enough, water was present. We could hear it flowing in through the gated tunnel. An hour later it was up to my knees and Shu Shu had to stand on my shoulder. We began to panic as we felt our way desperately around the perimeter of the room. Wuhh meant to drown us in this black pit.

To be continued....

Bamboo Storage Mini Cakes

2011-08-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

These bamboo stored mini cakes were among several wonderful puer teas that we sampled at the latest monthly meeting of the Puer Tea Appreciation Club of Seattle. This particular tea was brought and brewed by my friend Andrew G. He purchased it 10 years ago from Imperial Tea Court (back when they were at the Great Wall Mall in Kent, WA). He believes they were already around 10 years old at that time, making this a twenty-ish year old tea.

The tea is packed in a pretty bamboo tube and each cake (tablet may be a better word for them) is about 10 grams. The cakes can easily be split into two halves.

These two photos were taken by my friend and business partner Cinnabar during the club meeting:

I was lucky enough to keep one of the cakes to review on my blog and I'm sipping it now on a peaceful, sunny, Seattle afternoon.

I used half a cake in a small gaiwan. I rinsed it twice with boiling water and then steeped it about 45 seconds. The liquor was a nice reddish-brown color and had a unique aroma. It reminded me of tomatoes, brandy, and steamed bamboo.

This was the first infusion.
The following three infusions were a few shades darker.

The flavor of this tea is unlike any puer I've had before. It tastes a little like bamboo and has some decent aged sheng puer flavors, but it also delivers some brash tomato, carrot and citrus notes, especially in the first few infusions. Thankfully it smoothed out around the 4th or 5th pour and started to present some velvety and woodsy qualities.

I've only tasted a few puer teas that have been aged in bamboo. All of which have been lack-luster and I'm really not sure why that is. This was my best experience to date, but I'd still say that for me this tea was more "interesting" than it was delicious.

Have you ever tried any really great bamboo stored puer teas, or have your experiences with the genre been similar to my own?

Phoenix Tea Announcement

2011-07-25T01:26:00.000-07:00

Last year my friend Cinnabar started an exciting new tea business called Phoenix Tea. During her first year she has worked hard to grow the business. I've watched as she sourced some incredible teas and served them to friends and clients at local tea clubs and festivals.

Soon after I lost my job at Teacup, Cinnabar emailed me about possibly working together on our own tea business. After several wonderful meetings with Cinnabar, I am now excited and honored to join Phoenix Tea as an owner/partner!

Continuing what Cinnabar has started, our focus will be on selling superb tea and tea ware from all over the world as well as building community, fostering sustainability and promoting tea education and tea culture. We currently have lots of exciting plans bouncing around in our heads and look forward to keeping you all up to date on any new teas and new developments.

Korean Lotus Root Infusion

2011-07-21T04:45:00.000-07:00

My new friend Jason C. (president of the Penn State Tea Institute) recently returned from another one of his Asian tea treks. While he was in Korea I emailed him about my desire for some "primo Korean green tea." Jason didn't find any worthy specimens so instead I was so generously treated to a small can of dried lotus root tea!

The lotus is a beautiful and useful edible plant. It carries deep symbolic meanings for Buddhists. I've eaten lotus root before and found it to be quite delicious but for some reason I'd never thought about infusing it as a herbal tea. As it turns out lotus root tea is a very popular beverage the world over. The folks at Eden Foods state that lotus root tea is a macrobiotic staple and "long valued for its contribution to respiratory health."

I steeped about 8 slices of lotus root in ~8 ounces of boiling hot water for 5 minutes. The resulting cup had a pleasing amber color. The aroma was roasty, earthy and savory and it reminded me somewhat of french fries. The flavor in the mouth was a lovely surprise. It had a sweet, nutty, oolong-like flavor that I found slightly floral and very satisfying. I'm excited to have discovered this exotic infusion.

Garden Tea Party

2011-07-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, on a lovely summer afternoon here in Seattle, my wife and I hosted 12 friends to an afternoon of fine tea and light snacks in our garden.

On the tea menu was: Spring 2011 Alishan Zhang Shu Hu, Spring 2011 Wenshan Baozhong, Summer 2010 Formosa Bonita hongcha, 1999 Baked Tie Guanyin and a wee nip of Communitea Kombucha.

The all-vegan-nibbles included: cherry almond tart, fresh baked sourdough bread, hummus, strawberry jam, cherry-vanilla jam, and coconut date balls (all homemade by my brilliant wife).

DoMatcha's Organic Ceremonial

2011-07-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Last week my good friend and former coworker Tiffany P. asked me if I'd like to review DoMatcha's Organic Ceremonial tea on my blog. I've had a couple of great experiences with DoMatcha's products in the past at World Tea Expo so I happily agreed. Just two days later a can of tea and a new bamboo whisk (aka chasen) appeared at my door!

You may already know this (but it bears repeating) in order to taste good, matcha must be prepared well. It really takes skill, and that means a lot of practice. I'm by no means a skilled matcha whipper. I've only had a couple of short tutorials and seen a few videos. I don't drink matcha very often but I am lucky to already possess a very nice Japanese matcha bowl and chasen.

This morning I set up a serene matcha tasting under my cherry tree. As I opened the can I was delighted to find a small red booklet explaining matcha preparation waiting under the lid. Very classy.

The tea smells fresh and has a lively green color. I'll try my best to whisk it well!

I used two scoops from my bamboo matcha scoop (aka chashaku) and a few ounces of 190° spring water. I whisked as smooth and quick as possible in a zig-zag pattern for about 20 to 25 seconds until it looked like this:

Wide shot:

Close up:

The tea has a heady, sweet aroma and felt rich and substantial in my mouth. The texture was not at all chalky. My tasting notes included green banana (in a good way), and sugar snap pea. My daughter, who has never tried matcha before, took one small sip and stated that "Drinking matcha tea makes me feel like a sweet apple." (It should be noted that she is three years old and happened to be eating an apple at the time.)

I don't claim to have a well developed palate for matcha tea but I'd rank this one as very good.

2005 Gu Yuan Chen Xiang Shu Puer Cake

2011-07-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today I'm reviewing the Cang Yuan Wa Mountain Tea Factories' 2005 Gu Yuan Chen Xiang shu puer cake (滄源佤山茶廠-古遠陳香-熟餅). I was recently given a half-cake-chunk by my generous friend T.Bass in Georgia (the state, not the country). He also included the beautiful gift box for this tea.

The box.

The wrapper.

The chunk.

The session.

I used a ~5 gram chunk of tea in a small gaiwan. I started with a three-second rinse before inhaling the sweet, earthy and smoky aroma on the wet leaves. The underside of the gaiwan lid presented a similar aroma with more fruity and rosy aspects.

When I drink shu puer tea I'm usually looking for something smooth, rich and pleasant. The liquor on this worthy specimen was very smooth and pleasant but not too rich. Compared to its cousin, the Cang Yuan Wa Mountain Tea Factory's 2006 Ripe Puer Brick (滄源佤山茶廠熟普洱茶磚), this tea seems pretty light.

Although lighter than I expected, it did display many lovely little bursts of complexity. My tasting notes included old wood, vanilla and ripe red grape. I'm also glad that the liquor was not very smoky. This cake will make an excellent summer shu.

CommuniTea Kombucha

2011-07-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today is a beautiful, sunny day here in Seattle (Happy 4th of July btw!) and my beverage of choice is CommuniTea Kombucha. It is a fizzy, crisp, refreshing, local micro-brew made with organic green tea.

I've enjoyed this Kombucha many times over the last few years but yesterday evening I finally met Chris J. (the man behind the brew). We drank some Makabari estate Darjeeling green tea together and talked for quite a while about running a sustainable, community based small business, biodynamic farming and several other shared interests.

I'm happy to announce that this Saturday and next I'll be helping Chris sell his Kombucha at the University District Farmers Market!

Three Grades of Spring 2011 Baozhong Tea

2011-06-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I cupped three grades of Spring 2011 Wenshan Baozhong Tea (文山包種茶) produced by my buddy Amin (and his family) in Pinglin, Taiwan. If you read Chinese (unlike me) and/or if you'd like to see videos of Amin making tea with his family, here is the link to his blog.

For this post, I will call the teas C (lowest grade), B (middle grade) and A (highest grade). I've tasted A a few times already on its own and I really like it, but I've never tried B and C before this cupping. According to Amin, these teas were picked in mid-May using the qing xin (清心) tea plant (which is common in Pinglin for Baozhong tea), and pass SGS tests for pesticide residue.

I set up a "more casual than usual" cupping station and then measured out 5 grams of dry leaf for each tea. I used spring water at a full boil.

C (top left)
B (top right)
A (low middle)

I was very pleased that my tasting notes and Amin's descriptions were analogous. Not that I ever expected otherwise. He has earned my trust over these last 4 years by always selling me great tea at a fair price.

This was a very pleasant cupping indeed (wish you could have been here). The window was open and the cool misty morning breeze filled the house with delightful garden aromas. I poured into each cup and then just put my nose in real close. Ahh.

C was nice... but when it was compared to the other two teas it didn't stand a chance. It came across as grassy and bright with fleeting fragrance and weak body.

B was the creamiest. It also appeared to be a little heavier oxidation. Great texture, even a little bit better than A, but lacking for aroma. It had a nice ripe honeydew melon note.

A: This tea was the king for floral fragrance, yielding lots of sweet lilac and mock orange blossom notes. The liquor felt thick and buttery with many wonderful pine, fruit and herbal notes.

PS: I have about 12 ounces left of A and I'd really love to place it in good homes (for $10 per ounce). If you and your teapot (or gaiwan, I don't discriminate) are looking to adopt some Baozhong tea (or Spring 2011 Alishan Zhang Shu Hu for that matter), please email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com

What's new with me, you ask?

2011-06-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

I was unexpectedly terminated after 9.5 great years working at Teacup. I do not agree with any of the reasons given to me for the termination. I love Teacup and all my old customers with all my heart and I'm very proud of all the work I've done at Teacup up to my very last minute. I wish Teacup nothing but the best as it goes forward into its 3rd decade.

To Collect or To Simplify?

2011-06-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

I have always had an inclination to collect things. As a young kid it was action figures (especially Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), as a teen it was rock albums, and throughout my life I've been known as "a penguin collector" by my friends and family. So... as many of my readers can totally relate, my growing tea obsession triggered a major teapot and puer tea cake collecting phase of my life. I now share my home with around 40 teapots and approximately 20 kilos of puer tea. Some of you might think that's a lot, while others will think that it's "barely anything."

I'm proud of my teapots and my puer. Even the puer cakes that I know are not very good have a place on my tea shelf. I'm sure every puer collector must, for one reason or another, purchase bad tea. I've even heard the venerable MarshalN refer to this concept as the collector's "tuition." Looking at, and organizing, my teapots and my puer brings me pleasure and I feel they are worth every penny.

That being said, I've really put on the breaks lately when it comes to collecting tea and teaware. Inspired in part by books such as Radical Homemakers, The Urban Homestead, and Simplicity Parenting, my wife and I have been on our own journey towards self reliance, simplification, and community building. Mainly we are doing little things like getting to know our neighbors, producing more of our own food, and limiting (sometimes easier said than done) our own and our children's screen time. We're not interested in living entirely "off the grid," instead we're just trying to be more conscious of where our money is going and focus most of our efforts on building a happy and fulfilling home life. Buying "stuff," especially when we can make it ourselves, barter for it, or simply "do without," no longer seems to fit with our lifestyle.

This doesn't mean I'll ever stop buying new tea and teaware. I'll still occasionally treat myself to small quantities of seasonal tea when money allows. It just means that I won't be impulsive (also easier said than done), and I'll only buy new or used things when I need to replace something else and I can't figure out a free way to acquire them.

My tea friend J. (first mentioned in my 2009 Gratitude post) once told me, "You know you've made it when you don't have to buy your own tea anymore." He alluded to his father in Taiwan whose friends and family give him more than enough great tea. He can drink all he wishes and re-gift any surplus. I want to be more like J's father in that respect. I hope that the more I write about tea, share homegrown produce, and help out my friends and neighbors the more great tea and teaware will come my way.

Thai Iced Tea Recipe

2011-06-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

If you ever find yourself looking for a great Thai Iced Tea recipe that is delicious, healthy, vegan and all natural please give this one a try. It serves two.

Ingredients:
• 4 teaspoons of strong black tea (I use an Assam OP)
• 1 pulverized star anise pod (more or less depending on how much you like star anise)
• 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric (basically "a pinch")
• 2 cups boiling water
• 6 teaspoons of sugar (I like brown sugar in this recipe)
• 1 to 2 drops of vanilla extract
• 2 ounces of soymilk
• Ice cubes!
• 2 ounces of coconut milk (I prefer the organic, full-fat kind).

Steep the black tea, star anise and turmeric for 10 minutes using boiling hot water. Strain the leaves and then mix in the sugar, vanilla extract and soymilk. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Fill glasses with ice. Pour in chilled tea. Then top it off with a big spoonful of coconut milk.

Taiwanese Night Market Gallery

2011-06-17T00:12:00.000-07:00

I normally avoid shopping and crowds but whenever I'm in Taiwan I'll always make an exception (or two) to visit a night market. I'm sure if you're a local they seem like a totally normal, ho-hum part of city life... but for an outsider like myself they can be very chaotic and surreal. This photo gallery attempts to capture some of the mind-bending excitement and disoriented delight that I've experienced at night markets in both Taipei and Taichung.

A Never Ending River of People

SOMEONE

All Hail the Shiny Blue Octopus!

That Tricky Turkish Ice Cream Man in Taichung

R-rated Holiday Signage

The Perfect Gift for your Sacrilegious
Cubicle-Working Friend

Young Man getting set up for some
two-necked, delay pedal, shoe-gazing fun!

This gal rocked.

Night Market Shirt #1

It says:
evirob is the essence of weird life it will make you too ill try our extraodiary works you can find it's another stadard Produced and Designed by Devil Robots licened by intel

Night Market Shirt #2

It says:
Radic Color We Love Music and You
...and on the back it says:
Addicted to Junks!

Do you have pictures of fun (or crazy) things that you've seen at a Taiwanese night market? If so, and this post inspired you, please email them to me and I'll put together a second gallery consisting of reader submissions. Please adhere to the usual online photo rules by only sending photos that you yourself took, and are free of nudity. (R-rated or suggestive photos that are "more funny than they are rude" may be considered.) Xiexie!

Organic Summer 2010 Shibi Hong Cha

2011-06-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

I teased a review of this organic Taiwanese hongcha (紅茶) at the end of my May 11th post. I would have posted this review sooner but I only had a small sample and I used too large of a teapot. The resulting tea was way too weak to fairly review and so I had to wait until my friend Nicole of Green Leaf Tea Company got her new shipment from Taiwan. Now that that has happened I'm ready to sip and share!

The dry leaf is slightly twisted and dark with little flecks of gold and fat twigs. The aroma is nutty and sweet with a slight note of potato chips.

This time, determined not to be "under-leafed," I brewed it in a small gaiwan about 60% full of dry leaves. This method yielded 6 tasty infusions.

Here's the third:

But even when brewed in this heavier manner, the tea was still pretty light when compared to most hongcha I have sampled. Despite its lighter body the tea did not lack for complexity. It sometimes yielded a pleasant, creamy caramel-like flavor, and sometimes it had a wonderful brisk, Ceylon-like, raisin flavor.

This tea is very smooth and yummy but it did occasionally display some distant savory, broth and marine notes. The only other time I can remember detecting this particular flavor was in the stunning Summer 2009 organic A'a black tea from Hawaii's Big Island Tea Company. Interestingly, I just read Alex Z's Chicken Soup Aroma in Black Tea post from earlier today and I think that was maybe what I was tasting. Possibly it's perceived differently to me because I've been vegan for almost 12 years?

For me this tea was at its best when it had cooled to room temperature. For some reason the cooler liquor tasted thicker and really appealed to me with its clean, fruity, and refreshing taste.

I'd recommend this Summer 2010 Shibi hongcha to anybody looking for a smooth, light and spirited black tea and/or to anybody who (like myself) wishes to support small-scale organic tea production in Taiwan.

Click here if you'd like to see the vendor's own review of this tea.

Spring 2011 High Mountain Oolong Sale!

2011-06-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

Hello tea friends. I have some Taiwanese oolong for sale! Three spring 2011 high mountain oolong teas arrived at my home yesterday from my mentor and friend Penny Yang in Taipei.

The three teas are: Alishan Zhang Shu Hu (阿里山樟樹湖), Meishan (梅山), and Shan Lin Xi Long Feng Xia (杉林溪龍鳳峽). I cupped them all together this morning.

Shan Lin Xi is on the left,
Alishan is in the Middle,
and Meishan is on the Right.

Here are my tasting notes from this morning's cupping session:

Alishan Zhang Shu Hu: The most buttery and floral. Savory and sweet with notes of apple and wild herbaceous dandelion. In the middle for body.

Meishan: The brightest and greenest of the three. Refreshing and crisp. Sugary with lingering orange rind and other fruit notes.

Shan Lin Xi Long Feng Xia (sorry this tea SOLD OUT on 6/9/11 ): Toastiest with thickest body and mouth-feel, a little bit floral with notes of almond, earth and meadow grass.

In my opinion these three teas are all very wonderful and unique and they all have great aftertastes. I am so happy to once again have some fresh high mountain oolong in my house!

I am selling these teas for $12.50 per ounce. Shipping to the lower 48 states adds $5 (more for other places). Of course you can skip the shipping if you arrange to pick the tea up from me at my home or work.

If you're interested in buying some tea from me please email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com. I can be paid via paypal, cash or check. Thanks!

My Thoughts on Organic Tea

2011-06-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

I don't really like the term Green guilt. To me, it is just an ostentatious way of saying "conscience." Everybody has a conscience and everyone (at least everyone I know) wants their food, drink and environment to be clean, healthy and natural. To that end, we try to make sustainable choices.

I'm confident that I'm doing a fair job but I'm far from perfect and I'll never be perfect. Being perfect and feeling guilty is not what life is about. Life is about loving, growing, making mistakes, learning, and evolving.

How does this relate to tea? Like anything we humans choose to consume, this issue is extremely complex and very personal. Many teas are as good as organic but not certified, while others (thankfully very rarely) may have fake organic certifications. Sometimes organic teas don't taste half as good as non-organic teas but they cost twice as much. Other times organic teas are worth every penny. The truth is that most tea is primarily a cash crop being produced on high yield mono-crop tea estates. Because of this, I find myself always on the lookout for more sustainable tea growers. These growers usually turn out to be dedicated and caring farmers with low yield farms... and their tea is often very amazing and more expensive. I would love to be able to drink these sorts of teas all the time, but the fact remains that I still drink a lot of non-organic tea. I drink all types of tea from all types of places and I like it that way. I believe that quality, non-organic tea from reputable tea vendors is a healthy and sustainable choice (especially when it's compared to some of the other things we humans chose to eat and drink).

For any readers who came to this post looking for real insights based on objective research (not always my strongest suit) I urge you to read the following articles which helped me on my own path:

"Organic Tea" by the good people behind RateTea.net

"Sustainable, Organic, Fair-Trade: A Conversation with Nigel Melican / Parts 1, 2 and 3" [Chadao blog] by Cinnabar

"Discussions on Organic Cultivation of Tea / Part 1 and 2" [Life in Teacup blog] by Gingko

Further Discussions of Quality" [The Leaf, Issue #7] by Thomas Leons and Wu De

Teacup Tea Classes - June 2011 - Canceled

2011-06-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

This class has been canceled. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.

This month, I am very excited to present a special tea tasting event at Teacup (2128 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA, 98109).

Sunday, June 26, 2011 - 4:30 to 5:30 PM
Spring 2011 New Tea Tasting - For this special tasting I have selected several delicious fresh spring 2011 teas. We will sip and savor while discussing tea culture and brewing techniques.

My tea classes are great for tea lovers of all levels, so feel free to bring a friend or family member that you'd like to "get hooked" on tea. The cost is $3 per guest and a RSVP is required. You may RSVP anytime by visiting or calling the Teacup (206-283-5931) or by emailing me at blackdragontea@gmail.com.

I will let you know as new classes are scheduled, and please feel free to suggest a class idea on a subject you'd like to learn more about. I hope to see you soon at a class!

Blueberry Tisane

2011-06-01T01:06:00.000-07:00

Today the Association of Tea Bloggers is presenting a new Blog Carnival. Our topic is, "Write about how you brew one type of tea." To find links to all of the participating ATB members' blogs please visit the the distinguished tea guru known as Gongfu Girl.

I chose to write about how I brew Blueberry Tisane. I don't usually drink herbal beverages or tisanes (Ha. If only I had a dollar for every time a "serious tea drinker" makes this claim!) but lately my three-year-old daughter has been requesting "Blueberry Tea."

I don't have any blueberry tea... but I do have frozen blueberries... so I came up with a new recipe.

Here's what you do. First, gather the equipment: a little mortar and pestle and ceramic teapot (my preferred teapot is Sapphire). Then take the blueberries out of the freezer and pop a few in your mouth for good measure.

The key to making it so delicious (and it really is) is to smash up the berries. I've been using around 10 berries per cup but I find that you can't use too many. The stronger the better in my opinion.

It also helps to make sure your teapot is very hot before you begin. Steep the pulverized berries for at least 10 minutes with boiling water. Placing a tea cozy over the pot while it steeps will help keep the water as hot as possible. If your infusion doesn't have a dark purple color it will probably taste too weak.

À votre santé!

Cha Xi

2011-05-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

Cha Xi (茶席) generally refers to an artfully arranged tea session or tea ceremony. Several beautiful books about Cha Xi exist in Chinese, but outside of Taiwan the concept is still little known. If you're new to Cha Xi, I invite you to do a Google Image search for "茶席" to view hundreds of enlightening photos. I'd also suggest you read the wonderful and inspirational Tea Masters blog where author Stéphane Erler has been writing about Cha Xi and sharing lovely tea photos and stories with readers for many years now.

A mentor of mine, Thomas Shu, recently informed me that Cha Xi seems to be growing more popular among Taiwanese tea lovers. We discussed which English words, if any, could capture the meaning of Cha Xi as the practice begins to make its way to the West.

I had a hard time coming up with any great ideas. Cha of course, means tea, while Xi (according to the online Chinese-English dictionary mdbg.net) means: banquet, woven mat, seat, or place in a democratic assembly. None of those words accurately expresses the concept in my opinion. I personally kind of like the translation "tea gala" but I would gladly welcome other suggestions from any readers who are fluent in Chinese, English and Tea.

If this idea of Cha Xi is new to you and my post has inspired you to try using it to enhance your own tea brewing, here are four tips I've collected to help you get started:

1. Incorporate elements of nature. Try moving the tea session outside or even just opening a window with a nice view. If that's not possible bring nature to your tea table. A bouquet of flowers is always a nice touch, but rocks, shells or other found items can be just as beautiful when they're displayed cleverly.

2. Try using a favorite mat or cloth to help set the stage for tea. Sometimes a shallow bowl or a cool stand is a better fit than your normal gongfu tray. Think outside the box. A man in Taiwan once served me tea over a rustic tray filled with golden sand and little flat stones on which he rested his teapot and cups.

3. Choose teaware that will resonate with you and your guests for aesthetic and sentimental reasons. You can do this by sharing some stories about your teaware and by having a unifying theme for your session.

Which brings me to my last tip....

4. Have a unifying theme that ties together your Cha Xi. For example: seasons, the weather, or even a special holiday. More esoteric themes such as an element, a song or a color are also possibilities, so use your imagination.

League of Pots #28

2011-05-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

Code Name: Panther (豹)

Material: Black Clay
Height: 10 cm
Length (handle to spout): 15 cm
Volume: 440 ml
Weight: 315 g

Brews: Hong Cha (紅茶)
Specialty: Big Leafed Taiwanese Hong Cha
Story: I found Panther last month at a south Seattle rummage sale for just $1. He appears to have never been used.
Super Powers: Panther is a ninja assassin who can transform into a "dark shadow cat" which allows him to sneak undetected into any place, and even go through the cracks underneath doors.

30 Years Old

2011-05-19T05:19:00.000-07:00

My friend John H. recently returned from two weeks in Taiwan. One of the many tea houses he visited, Water Moon Grass (水月草堂), sounds like a particularly posh establishment and has a good reputation for aged teas.

I am a truly lucky guy because John gave me a small bag of 30 year old loose-leaf puer tea that he purchased at Water Moon Grass. The tea is from Tong Qing Hao (同慶號), a business that is said to be 272 years old.

I think this tea is one of the most complex and delicious puer teas that I have ever tasted. It is dark, rich, earthy, sweet and ever-so-luscious. The aroma teases notes of potato, ginseng and soil while the broth delivers ripe stone fruit, cocoa and malt. The aftertaste is clean, sweet and long-lasting and the effect on my body is serene and comfortable.

This ripe old tea and I have already shared 3 wonderful sessions with our friends and family but I did save one last serving just for today. Now I shall toast the start of my thirties with a tea the same vintage as myself.

Organic Winter Shibi Oolong tea

2011-05-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Nicole (the same generous, globe-trekking tea lover that gave me the Indonesian Teh, Ba Bao Cha and Tibetan tea) has recently started her own tea business called Green Leaf Tea Company.

Today I'm going to review one of her new offerings called Organic Winter 2010 Shibi (石壁) Oolong tea.

Shibi is a small township in Taiwan's Yunlin (雲林) county where the organic tea farm is located. Last year Nicole spent a little time working on this farm, so it could be said that she helped care for the plants whose leaves I'm now drinking!

Here is what Nicole says about this tea: "The small family owned farm is nestled in the mountains near Alishan near the Gu-keng township of Yu lin county. The tea is grown at 1,500 meters, and is Taiwan Agriculture and Food Traceability System Certified (TAP - Taiwanese certification). Their farm does not have organic certification because of the cost (because are a small family owned farm many can't afford the certification). However, she does follow organic practices and uses no pesticides (which I can personally attest to). This farm is the only one in her immediate tea growing area, and thus is trying to set the example to her neighbors." I'm hoping to learn more about all of this and read some of her travel stories when she begins writing her own tea blog.

The dry leaves are vibrant, green, and beautiful with lots of long fat stems. They have a delicate floral pine forest aroma.

I was lucky enough to be given about an ounce of this tea, so I had a little wiggle room to experiment with different brewing methods. What I came to learn, at least for my own taste, is that this tea likes it hot. First I tried it in a bowl with a spoon and it was awesome with lots of fragrance, then I tried it in a glass gaiwan but it was lackluster and I just couldn't coax out all of the aroma or the mouth-feel that I wanted. Then I tried it in a small thick clay teapot set within a bowl of hot water with boiling hot water used for every pour, and it was truly transcendent. It makes since to me that this tea would like such hot water because these leaves are so thick and strong.

I poured 8 wonderful infusions each with a nice, complex, heady, floral, aroma. My tasting notes included: sugarcane, rose, bamboo, coconut milk and nectar. I really enjoyed this tea and I'm still enjoying its aftertaste hours later.

Nicole is currently selling this tea ($6 for 25 grams) and welcomes any orders or queries at greenleafteabar@gmail.com

She also gave me a sample of a Summer 2010 Hong Cha made on the same tea farm which I'll be reviewing soon!

Garden Tour Spring 2011

2011-05-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

Our house is a very very very fine house...
with two raised beds in the yard...

...and two kids too!

Here's our newest garden (still under construction).
It's home to the blueberries and the tea.

Welcome to Potatoville.

Here is our back deck, apple tree and two Rainier cherry trees.

And this is the new strawberry patch!

How about a little peek under our umbrella-shaped birch tree...

...where you'll find a little stump table and a fiery red rhododendron in bloom.

On the left we have peas, nasturtiums, cilantro and green beans.
On the right we have lettuce, kale, beets, onions and carrots.

Yum Yum.

The sun is shining and the lilacs are blooming.
Spring is officially here.

And let's not forget my two tea plants.
They had a pretty rough winter and I don't plan to make any tea this season.
I'm sure they'll be fine...

... and here is my proof!

Tips for Buying Yixing Clay Teapots

2011-05-05T05:55:00.000-07:00

A few of my readers recently asked me for some advice on where to buy Yixing (宜興) clay teapots here in North America. Each of these potential buyers did not want to spend a lot of money and they wanted pots that they could use often (rather than just sitting on a shelf looking pretty). They also appeared to have already done a fair amount of online research and had run across tons of (sometimes contradictory) information and a baffling array of options and prices.

So for those readers and any others who might be interested, here are my tips for buying Yixing clay teapots:

1. Buy teapots that appeal to you aesthetically, feel well made and balanced, and pour well. Easier said than done eh?

2. Buy local if possible. Small retail tea businesses are truly a wonderful thing and deserving of local support. If you live near a place that sells Yixing teapots you should feel really lucky. Ask the buyer where they get their stock. Some may import directly (which is wonderful) while others will wholesale from larger domestic distributors (such as a notable Bay area company called CCCI). There is really nothing too special about these mass produced teapots but they can still be a good choice if they look nice, pour well and are well priced.

3. Buy used. This might be a controversial tip when talking about a porous, flavor absorbing, highly personal item such as Yixing clay. (Sort of like buying used underwear.) But I'm a big fan of thrift stores, antique stores, garage sales and rummage sales and you really never know what is going to turn up. All I'm saying is keep your eyes open. Even if the teapot is well used it may still brew great tea or be otherwise salvageable... and for just a couple dollars it is probably worth the risk. You could even get lucky and score a well seasoned treasure. Also, sometimes clueless people will receive unwanted teapots as gifts, never use them, and then just give them away. In fact, just last weekend, I found such a pot for $1 at a rummage sale. I am drinking Alishan out of it as I type this. It looks like a panther. I'll add it to my League of Pots later this month.

4. Who said you have to "buy" anything. No, I'm not suggesting you go out and steal a teapot, but there may be other ways for you to score your dream pot. If you have a marketable skill, art or craft, perhaps you could make a trade with another tea loving friend (including an online tea friend). If that's not going to work, you could always start dropping hints with friends and family around Christmas or your birthday.

5. Don't buy teaware at a corporate chain store (especially if it's in a mall). This last tip is just my own personal opinion. You're invited to do your own research about individual stores and make up your own mind about where to spend your own money.

I hope some readers will find this post to be a useful tool. I'm certainly no expert on this hugely intricate subject and I'd really appreciate it if some of my truly Yixing savvy readers would add more helpful comments. I'm also inviting readers and trustworthy vendors to share links to themselves or their own favorite places to buy Yixing teapots.

Kenya White Rhino Matcha

2011-05-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Today I tasted a tea that I'd never tried before, in fact before last week I'd never even heard of it. It's called "Kenya White Rhino Matcha" and it was imported by a well regarded, Can-Am outfit called Metropolitan Tea Company.

The Rhino (as I've come to call her) is a Kenya grown white tea that has been powdered like matcha. The powder...

...which looks like this...

...has a very nice, heady, fresh, white tea aroma. I tasted a tiny bit with my finger and it was very bitter.

I used a small, level, half teaspoon, of powder (about what I wound use when I whip myself a bowl of regular matcha) and about 4 ounces of 180° water. I'm certainly not a skilled matcha whipper, but I gave it my best, and the result looked and smelled pleasant.

Ick... way too bitter... like badly over steeped yinzhen (銀針) (silver needle white tea) (think 30 minutes, with boiling water and too much leaf). It was undrinkable and just two sips made me feel shaky.

I cut the amount of tea powder down to about 1/8 flat teaspoon (almost like a "finger nail" amount") and tried again with 160° water. Ah... much better flavor for me. It was a bit too weak and watery but I think that an experienced matcha whipper could probably coax out a little more body and sweetness.

If you've ever had a decent Indian or African white tea you can sort of guess at the flavor profile. I really struggled to put my taste perception into words with this tea so I'm just going to stick with "malty and grassy."

I didn't love the Rhino, nor the shaky, "not-mellow-buzz" that she left me with... but I did find her to be a very interesting and worthwhile beverage. Has anybody else ever tried any powdered white teas?

Teacup Tea Classes - May 2011

2011-05-01T01:11:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to present one tea class this month at Teacup (2128 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA, 98109).

Thursday, May 12, 2011 - 7:00 to 8:00 pm
Tea Tour of Japan - In this class we'll focus on the production, history and customs behind Japan's many delicious green teas. We will also use traditional Japanese tea ware for a more authentic experience.

My tea classes are great for tea lovers of all levels, so feel free to bring a friend or family member that you'd like to "get hooked" on tea. The cost is $3 per guest and a RSVP is required. The money for this one class will not be kept by Teacup, instead it will be donated to Tsunami relief in Japan. You may RSVP anytime by visiting or calling the Teacup (206-283-5931) or by emailing me at blackdragontea@gmail.com.

I will let you know as new classes are scheduled, and please feel free to suggest a class idea on a subject you'd like to learn more about. I hope to see you soon at a class!

Vegan in Taiwan

2011-04-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

**Note** This blog post was originally written as a guest post for the incredible Vegan Backpacker blog. I wanted to post it here too, in case any of my BDTB readers were also interested in the subject.

Taiwan is a vibrant and beautiful island filled with great people, incredible tea, and abundant delicious vegan food. It is not difficult to find all of the above even if your Guoyu (Taiwan's word for Mandarin) (國語) is limited to Xiexie (謝謝) (thank you) and Ni Hao (你好) (hello). The key is to have a few phrases written in Chinese before you travel.

Lucky for us, Taiwan is home to many practicing vegans and countless vegetarians, some of whom regularly update websites and blogs with vegan tips and restaurant reviews. Before you go, search the web, and your guidebooks, for restaurants that sound intriguing. Write down, or print out, their names and addresses in Chinese as well as English.

As a vegan in Taiwan, the Chinese word Su (素) will quickly become your best friend. It means "simple" but is commonly used to mean "vegetarian." If you see it on a sign or a menu, the chances that you can eat something are pretty good (though not 100%). When ordering food at a new restaurant try opening with wǒ chī sù (我吃素), meaning "I eat vegetarian." If they can't understand you, show them the printed Chinese. Things will only get easier as your Mandarin skills improve and probably after a few days in Taiwan you'll master several more advanced phrases such as wǒ bù chī jīdàn (我不吃雞蛋) meaning "I don't eat eggs" and wǒ xǐhuan dàsuàn (我喜歡大蒜) meaning "I like garlic" (which, along with onion, is not considered Su).

For the most part, vegan foods in Taiwan will seem really cheap. You can self-cater with lots of fresh exotic fruits, tasty snacks and street foods, from numerous grocery stores, night markets and convenience stores. There is even a popular breakfast chain called Yong He Doujiang Wang (Eternal Peace Soymilk King) (永和豆漿王) which makes fresh soymilk every day. At Yong He, you can order a cup of soymilk and a vegetarian steamed bun (sùcàibāo 素菜包) for about $1 US.

Another great option for vegan backpackers in Taiwan are the Buddhist buffets (素食自助餐) which you'll find all over the island. Upon entering these restaurants you will see greens, rice, faux meats, soup, buns, and noodles presented on large tables. It's all vegetarian, but some dishes may contain mayonnaise (these are easy to spot) and some of the dessert cakes may contain eggs or cream. Best to avoid them if you're not sure. After you've got the lay of the land, find a paper tray and a pair of metal tongs and then go to town grabbing tasty bites. Be careful that your eyes are not bigger than your stomach, but don't worry too much about the cost. After you get all the food you need, they will weigh your plate and give you a total. They may then ask you if you want a bowl of rice which usually adds an extra $0.30. Your whole meal will probably end up costing less than $3.00 US. Wash down your meal with a bowl of thin, nourishing soup which is included in the price of you meal, so help yourself.

If you feel like treating yourself to a truly innovative and delectable meal, most of Taiwan's major cities do have a handful of fancy vegetarian restaurants including the world's only totally-vegan
international chain restaurant, Loving Hut (愛家). I have had wonderful experiences at Taipei's Kuan Xin Yuan (寬心園) restaurant and Lavender Garden Restaurant (天母古道森林花園).

During my time in Taiwan I have really come to love the island and it's amazing vegan-friendly food culture. This post barely scratches the surface of all the culinary and cultural treasures Taiwan has to offer vegan backpackers.

If you would now like to visit my two Vegan Taiwan Food Gallery posts here are direct links:
http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2009/03/vegan-taiwan-gallery-1.html
http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2010/02/vegan-taiwan-gallery-2.html

Carrot(s)

2011-04-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

Infuser Basket vs Tea Bag Experiment

2011-04-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

Last week, my coworker Elliot and I conducted an "Infuser Basket vs Tea Bag Experiment" while working at the Teacup (a retail tea shop and cafe here in Seattle).

The three products we tested were: a medium Finum brand brewing basket, a Finum brand paper tea sack and a (sadly not compostable) polyester tea bag from Japan.

The Packaging

The experiment was conducted in three rounds with the exact same weight of leaf, water temperature, steeping time and cups used each time. Round #1 was Dragon Well green tea, #2 was Darjeeling black tea, and #3 was Kukicha green tea. I choose these three teas because I drink them often and thus already know them quite well.

Round #1 - Set Up

Round #1 - Steeping

During the first round (the Dragon Well) I knew before I started sipping which cup had been used for each brewing method. The next two rounds, on the other hand, Elliot poured the liquor into new cups while I wasn't looking, so that I was cupping them "blind."

The results of the Dragon Well round were as follows: The Finum basket yielded the nicest, nuttiest flavor with the most color, depth and complexity. The Finum paper tea bag was pleasant, a bit lighter than the basket and had a slight dusty note. The Japanese tea bag tasted like garbage compared to the other two. It was too weak with a very faint unpleasant "envelope glue-like" aftertaste.

The results of the Darjeeling round were as follows (keep in mind that this time I didn't know which of the three methods was used until after I'd formed my opinions): The Finum basket had the nicest, richest, cleanest flavor. The Finum paper tea bag fell flat with and odd sort of "filmy" texture in my mouth. The Japanese tea bag actually tasted fine. It just tasted a little weak.

The results for round #3, the Kukicha, were pretty much the same as with the Dragon Well. Even though I didn't know which method was used to brew each cup, I right away guessed the basket because it yielded the greenest color (the other two looked more yellow). Elliot and I thought the basket tasted twice as good as the others and I even picked up a tiny hint of that "unpleasant envelope glue flavor" from the Japanese tea bag cup.

These results were in line with my past experiences but it was still a great exercise to test them with all the variables controlled.

2005 Haiwan factory sheng brick

2011-04-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I had the great pleasure of once again meeting my new friend Richard for tea at the Teacup. This time he brought me a sample of that 2005 Haiwan factory sheng brick that I mentioned he was trying to sell in my last post. I took a few photos of the packaging but we didn't drink it together because we already had a lot of other really exciting teas we wished to drink.

The real star of this epic tea gathering was my newest tea friend Bev (author of the gorgeous and insightful listening to leaves blog). Bev brought in a few teas including a breathtaking 1970's sheng sample from Bana Tea Company which she brewed to perfection.

This morning I finally made some time to drink the Haiwan brick, and I'm now ready to offer up my first review.

Each brick comes in a lovely little box...

...and has a paper belt with a card tucked inside (classy, eh?).

The leaves are quite beautiful...

...and the liquor is dark, sweet and a little bit "aged tasting."

I used a 100 ml glass gaiwan with about 5 grams of dry leaf. The first rinse with boiling water stirred up a lot of pleasant aromas such as peppermint, camphor and orange rind.

The soup itself was darker than expected, with mellow warming qi, and nice throat-feel. I got hints of those three formerly mentioned aromatics, but new ones such as blackberry and clove flitted about as well. The fourth infusion is when the earthier aged-flavors began to come out. Their smell sometimes reminded me of a 100 year old book with a leather cover.

I enjoyed this brick wholeheartedly.

If you're interested in adding one (or more) of these bricks to your own puer collection please email my friend Richard at wuyi06@gmail.com

Richard's Sheng Puer

2011-04-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

I recently met a Bainbridge Island tea lover named Richard. On Saturday, April 9th, we shared an unforgettable puer tea session at Teacup in Seattle. Hopefully it was the first of many.

Richard came across my tea blog while searching for someone who might be able to help him sell some of his puer tea.

In particular, he wishes to sell the following 3 teas:

2005 - 250 gram bricks from Haiwan (海灣) Tea Company
$20 each or $8 for 100 grams

2005 - 500 gram cakes Yi Wu Cha Wang (易武茶王) from Yan-Ching Hao (楊慶號)
$120 each or $25 for 100 grams

2006 - 500 gram cakes Gu Shu Cha Wang (古樹茶王) from Yan-Ching Hao (楊慶號)
$95 each or $20 for 100 grams

I told him that I would probably be interested in helping him... but we both agreed that first we should meet for tea before making any formal plans. After several hours sharing great tea and conversation, I was convinced that Richard was a kindred spirit and a true lover of the leaf. I got the impression that he drinks a ton of strong sheng puer (which he called his "medicine").

After meeting the man, I'm am honored to tell you more about his teas and hope that you'll contact him directly if you're interested in purchasing any. His email address is wuyi06@gmail.com and he is open to discussing different methods of payment and shipping depending on the individual needs of anyone who contacts him.

Richard and I did not have time to cup his 2005 Haiwan Brick. Maybe I'll get a sample and write about it in the coming weeks. We did, however, enjoy many awesome infusions of the Yi Wu Cha Wang and the Gu Shu Cha Wang cakes.

Firstly, here is my review of the Yi Wu cake: Wow. It's not often that I get a chance to drink tea this flavorful and satisfying. All of the leaves are beautiful, long and plump and the yellow-orange liquor is like sweet nectar to me. The broth is crisp, clean and floral. I really liked this tea, and may have to buy one for myself.

Yi Wu Cha Wang

Yi Wu Cha Wang - Dry Leaf

Yi Wu Cha Wang - Spent Leaf

Click here for Houde Asian Art's product listing for this Yi Wu cake.

Click here for Tuocha Tea blog's review of this Yi Wu cake.

And now... my review of the Gu Shu cake: The leaves are an attractive blend of broken and whole pieces with a fair bit of stem. They appear plump and juicy. Richard brewed this tea a little strong for me at first but I didn't mind and I could still tell it was a very high quality cake. I wasn't in love until the fourth or fifth infusion when the richest plum and brown sugar notes started to emerge. The tea was always complex and interesting and like the Yi Wu cake left me feeling very mellow and comfortable.

Gu Shu Cha Wang

Gu Shu Cha Wang - Dry Leaf

Gu Shu Cha Wang - Spent leaf

Click here for Half-Dipper's review of this Gu Shu cake.
Click here for Houde Asian Art's product listing for this Gu Shu cake.

2006 Gu Zhuang Loose Leaf Shu

2011-04-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

My online tea buddy, John Jelly, gifted me this 50 gram pack of loose leaf shu puer (熟普洱) back in 2007. I'm not sure how he came by it.

The brand, Li Ji Gu Zhuang (李記谷庄) is based out of Jinggu (景谷) in Yunnan, China. They appear to me to be an upscale, though relatively new tea company. Royalpuer.com claims their owner is a descendant of the inventor of the Tuo Cha (沱茶) and that "they still use traditional processing methods that were passed down from one generation to another for more than a hundred years." That may just be marketing but it all sounds pretty good to me.

Here is the wrapper for my 50 gram bag:

Everything appears to be in order... so let's have a drink!

I filled Xiao Xiao about 1/3 full of dry leaf and gave the leaves a 5-second rinse. They had a warm, toasty aroma with delicate forest and soil notes.

The first infusion (about 25 seconds) poured a dark reddish-black color and had a milky texture with soft smokiness. My daughter took a little sip, and when I asked her opinion, she replied "it tastes funny, and it tastes like honey."

This is a shot of the second infusion.

I enjoyed four more dark, malty infusions and one weak, orange-colored fifth infusion. My tasting notes included: fat ripe blueberry, carob and sugar cookie. I found the Gu Zhuang to be a smooth and worthy shu puer.

Teacup Tea Classes - April 2011

2011-04-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

This month, I am excited to present a fun new tea class at Teacup (2128 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA, 98109).

Saturday, April 16, 2011 - 10:00 to 11:00 AM
Tea and Mandarin Chinese - In this class, participants will taste three different and delicious Chinese teas while we practice speaking Mandarin Chinese together. My Mandarin speaking skill is barely elementary level but I think this class will attract a mix of people whose skills range from newbie to fluent. I will prepare a handout of Chinese tea names and other tea-related vocabulary so everyone will have a fun time chatting and sipping.

88 Treasures Tea (八十八寶茶)

2011-04-01T04:11:00.000-07:00

A week ago, while browsing the tea aisle at 99 Ranch Market in Kent, a little red box of tea caught my eye. It was called 八十八寶茶 or 88 Treasures Tea, and I could see that it was from a tea company based out of Xining (西寧), China. It didn't cost too much so I decided to give it a try. In the least, it would make a good blog post.

You may already know that ba bao cha (eight treasure tea) is very popular in Xining. Eight is considered a lucky number to the Chinese and so the blend will always contains eight ingredients.

I looked closer at the package in my hand... and, sure enough, this blend appears to actually contain 88 ingredients!

I knew it would take me a hundred years to translate the packaging on my own, so I asked a Chinese friend who sometimes visits me at Teacup. He took the box home and then emailed me his translation a couple days later.

Here's what it says: "New Organic 88 treasure tea is the perfect, healthy gift for dad! Our unique blend of herbs and teas contains eleven times the power and longevity of simple eight treasures! Our tea is good for the prostate and vitality. Give dad the gift of life and great taste!"

The box even has a little picture of a young man giving a cup of tea to an older man printed above the product name. At this point it dawned on me that the 88 also appeals to the Chinese love of puns, because 88 and dad can both be pronounced "Ba Ba" in Mandarin. (That's why Chinese father's day is August 8th.)

So what's in the blend you ask? Here's the list that I was given:
Chrysanthemum, Astragalus, Wolf Berry, Jujube, Ginseng root, Tuckahoe, Tangerine Peel, Danshen, Snake Gourd Seed, Star Anise, Common Squill Bulb, Horsetail, Longstamen, Common Smoketree, Fritillary, Wax Gourd Peel, Sweet Osmanthus Flower, Dogbane Leaf, Rock Sugar, Ginko, Pricklyash Peel, Elm bark, Chamomile, Rosehips, Towel Gourd Stem, Raspberry leaf, Korean Monkshood, Loquat Leaf, Papaya leaf, Peppermint, Shanlu Tea, Spearmint, Drug Sweetflag Rhizome, Raisin, Oak Bark, Strawberry Leaf, Bat Guano, Vanilla, Passionflower, Kelp, Red Clover, Wild Cherry Bark, Rhubarb, Peony, Sand Root, Licorice Root, Damiana, Goldthread, Ma Huang, Hyssop, Candied Hawthorn, Stinging Nettle, Dong Quai, Lemon Peel, Puer Tea, Wintergreen, Tuberous Sword Fern, Lavender, Lemongrass, Bombax Flower, Ginger Root, Nux Vomica, Elder Flowers, African Plum, Salvia, Japanese Climbing Fern Spore, Nine Winter Monkey Tea, Echinacea, Marshmallow, Fermented Yarrow Flower, Clove, Lycopene, Water Vapor, Gut Flora, Selenium, Nut Husk, Saw Palmetto, Balloon Flower Root, Gypsum, Zinc, Snow Lotus, Urea, Dandelion, Valerian, Linear Stonecrop, Mustard Seed, Wooly Datchmanspipe, and Green Tea!

Here's what it all looks like:

I steeped it for five minutes in a small ceramic teapot (Chip to be precise) using boiling hot water...

...and here's the result:

So what does it taste like you ask? It's very sweet, with an odd metallic note and a surprisingly mild finish. The most noteworthy flavors were mud and syrup. I did pick up a little bit of gingery-heat in my throat about an hour after drinking.

As for the health benefits of imbibing so many exotic herbs... I really can't make any firm declarations. I feel a little bit light-headed and sweaty and my pee has never looked darker.

I probably won't drink 88 Treasures Tea again.

Working with Glass

2011-03-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

2010 Denong Ancient Tree Sheng Brick

2011-03-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I purchased this 100-gram puer tea brick from fellow Seattleite Jeffrey McIntosh. Jeffrey recently returned from Kunming, China, where he spent several months intensively studying all aspects of puer tea. He has a very good relationship with Denong (德農) Tea Company and imported these bricks himself. Lucky for us, he is now selling top quality puer teas to North American Chinese tea lovers like me!

Jeffrey's 2010 Denong Ancient Tree Sheng Brick.

On first sight, the wrapper looked familiar to me. I now remember having tried a couple of very nice Denong bricks a few years back. Those bricks were from Bana Tea Company and had similar size and floral paper design.

I also found it interesting that, besides the brick's Chinese name (德農古樹普洱生茶), the wrapper is entirely in English. Perhaps the producers fully intended this one for export?

This brick was marketed as very smooth, and very clean and natural. The wrapper even includes a certification sticker from SGS Taiwan to back up the seller's (in this case Jeffrey's) claim that there is zero pollution, pesticides, or other residues (i.e. bad stuff) in these leaves.

Sure looks good to me!

My wife and I spent some time getting to know this brick on 3/13/11 after we finished our Sunday gardening.

I used my ~100 ml gaiwan with about 5 grams of dry leaf and boiling water. A three second rinse opened the session nicely with a wonderful fruit and herb aroma. It was hard to describe the scent, but I'd say it had a hint of strawberry.

I pushed the leaves through 9 satisfying infusions and, as advertised, found no bitterness. The soup had a great amber color and good throat-feel but it lacked slightly in the mouth. The wet leaves always smelled so good but were elusive in the cup.

I found many things to like about this brick. It had moments of great complexity yielding snap pea, rosemary, bay and straw flavors. It also delivered a syrupy eighth pour that coated my mouth nicely.

Although I have had other sheng puer teas that I have liked just as much or more for the same price, I am still very pleased with my investment. This pretty little tea brick left me feeling light, clean and refreshed and I look forward to many future sessions.

Formosa Bonita

2011-03-08T04:33:00.000-08:00

I recently had the great honor of tasting a rare and organic Taiwanese hong cha (紅茶) (red tea, aka black tea) made from the Jin Xuen (金萱) cultivar, and imported by the amazing Josephine Pan.

Josephine said the tea was produced in the Summer of 2010 in Nantou county. The locals call it simply "Mr. Chen's Organic Red Tea," but Josephine, at least for now, calls it Formosa Bonita.

Que Bonita!

I brewed this tea in a small gaiwan ~1/3 full of dry leaf. I used boiling water and started with a one minute infusion. Gradually increasing to 7 minutes for my 5th and final infusion.

It smells as good as it looks.

I really love this tea. It is bold and aromatic with a round, smooth mouth-feel. My tasting notes include caramel, malt, Assam black tea, toasted almonds, and chicory. The aroma under the gaiwan lid is sweeter and fruitier with a hint of cherry cider.

Josephine told me that the farmer is sold-out of this batch and that she only has a little bit left... so I bought myself a kilogram. I'd happily sell some (at $8 US per ounce) if anybody else wants to try it. Just email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com

Seattle Pottery Tea Ware Show

2011-03-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

My friend Chris, a talented local potter, organized this show for regional artists to display their tea related work. Unfortunately I wont be able to attend the opening and tea tasting on March 27th, but I'm certainly going to try to make it over to the gallery before April 9th.

Here is their postcard for more details:

2001

2011-03-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

Exactly ten years ago (just days after the Nisqually earthquake) my then-girlfriend-now-wife Alanna and I loaded up our cars and headed north to Seattle. She was transferring to UW from UNR and I was excited about landing a vegetarian cooking job and making music in one of my favorite cities. We were both 19 years old.

We broke the drive up into two days, spending the night with friends of my wife's family in White Salmon, WA. The following day we rolled in to Seattle and made our way to my uncle's house on Queen Anne Hill. We moved ourselves into his half-finished basement.

During the next 6 months, Alanna started school and I looked for work. I did cook at a few places but never got any real momentum. My favorite memories from these months are of playing "house boy." Nearly every weekday, after I did some chores, I would explore new parts of the city before buying groceries and then coming home to prepare a big vegan dinner.

Unfortunately, after six wonderful months I ran out of money.

Alanna and I wanted to get our own place so I ramped up my job search. In October, fate smiled on me as I noticed a small help wanted sign in the window of the Teacup. I think Brian Keating (then owner) and Donna Fellman (then manager) decided to hire me because I had a small amount of cafe experience and great availability.

One thing I did not have was tea knowledge.

I liked to experiment with my tea and was often drinking my own blend of 40% Keemun, 40% White Peony and 10% Yerba Mate which I called "Liquid Love." I also added soymilk and sugar to more teas than I now care to mention.

In those days it seemed like Phoenix Dragon Pearls and Keemun Hao Ya A were the "be all end all" of Chinese tea at our little store. We also sold small amounts of several oolongs, one loose-leaf shu puer and one white tea which I'd say was pretty good for 2001. The sale of strong black tea, scented tea and herbal tea has always been of greatest importance to Teacup and I've always been proud selling many types of tea to many different people.

My greatest joy during this period was learning more about tea and tea business from my new mentors Donna and Brian. They guided me through the basics of tea with daily cupping sessions and pointed me towards numerous resources to help cultivate my own budding tea career.

My first truly inspiring tea session was when Donna brought in some of her own Tie Guanyin oolong and introduced me to gong fu style tea preparation. My second was an introduction to Darjeeling tea, which included a Darjeeling green and oolong, all imported by Brian from the biodynamic Ambootia tea estate.

My third most memorable early tea experience actually occurred in Spring of 2002 when Brian partnered with Teahouse Kuanyin to import a couple 600 gram cans of a prize winning Wenshan Baozhong. We sold that tea for $10 per ounce... seems like a good price now... but back in 2002 we all thought that it was the most expensive tea possible. How the times have changed, eh? Needless to say, I thought it was amazing and I couldn't help falling in love with Taiwanese tea.

This last decade has been an awesome ride. I'm sure my thirties will be too... and like most bloggers, you can bet I'll keep writing all about it.

Teacup Tea Classes - March 2011

2011-03-01T00:45:00.000-08:00

This month, I am pleased to present a special tea tasting event at Teacup (2128 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA, 98109).

Saturday, March 12, 2011 - 10:00 to 11:00 AM
Taiwan Tea Art - In this class I will prepare many infusions of two rare and delectable Taiwanese teas using my finest teapots and cups. Participants will get tips on gong-fu style tea preparation while we sip together, mindfully and meditatively.

This photo was taken by my buddy Darald.
(Can you tell that it is the very same tea pickers
seen from a different angle as on my blog's banner photo?)

Iced Tea Plant

2011-02-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

Recorded Tea Music

2011-02-22T19:53:00.000-08:00

Underneath the enormous umbrella that is "World Music" there exists a relatively small genre of recorded music that would best be labeled "Tea Music."

I'm not a fan of all music that falls into this genre. I don't really like tracks to contain too many sound effects like ocean waves or chirping birds. I also steer clear of repetitive harmonic drone-notes and chanting.

I usually love tea music that features Asian instruments being played by talented artists, especially when the recordings sound organic and unpolished.

Guqin (古琴) music such as on Wu Ziying's (吳自英) staggeringly beautiful record "Art of the Guqin" can sound bluesy and soulful with the occasional pop and buzz of the strings adding richness to the listening experience.

My first real tea music CD was Zhang Wei-Liang's (張維良) breathtaking Tea Drops, purchased back in 2003 from Tribute Teas online. The album is mainly Zhang's flute along with some pipa and dulcimer among others. This record added a lot of nice ambiance to some of the first tea tastings I presented right after I began Black Dragon Tea Bar.

In 2004 I first heard the hauntingly sublime erhu (二胡) playing of Fred Ji while he was busking at Pike Place Market. I purchased a home recording from him and love it. In some ways it's like a punk record because it has over 30 raspy edgy tracks, most of which are under one minute long... but the way they blend together with a cup of tea smooths them out and feeds my soul.

Another local artist to whom I frequently listen is Elizabeth Falconer. She is an American Koto master who I saw play live at Floating Leaves many years ago. I have since purchased most of her sweetly serene albums.

The latest album to join my small collection of tea music is the Meaning of Tea's movie soundtrack. This record features 16 original instrumental tracks that are appropriately cinematic with soaring and sweeping crescendos. I find them to have just the right amount of moodiness to keep me tuned in.

As many ancient Chinese paintings and poems will attest, there is little in this world better than sipping a great tea while blissing out to some beautiful music.

What tea and music pairings do you suggest?

Pile of Squid

2011-02-21T21:07:00.000-08:00

I saw these stinky little fellows on sale near Yeliu in northern Taiwan.

Would you eat one?

I would not.

2006 Xi Zi Hao "Ban Zhan Natural Habitat" Cake

2011-02-16T05:24:00.000-08:00

I picked up this 2006 sheng puer cake back in 2007 from Hou De Asian Arts. According to Hou De, the mao cha for this cake was sourced from "...a plantation in Ban Zhan (班章) that is co-planted with camphor trees (to deter insects) and naturally allow a balanced ecosystem." The cake itself claims to be "special ecological tea" (特製生態茶). I'm not too sure what that means... but it sounds good!

Xi Zi Hao (囍字號) is an upscale brand offering their own recipes of boutique puer. Their logo is usually a double happiness (囍) with X-rated drawings inside. It is not hard to find more information about Xi Zi Hao online along with countless opinions about the quality and the prices of their offerings.

This particular cake is marketed as "daughter tea" (女兒). I've seen this description before on other puer teas, but I'm not clear what it means. Any puer pros reading this post please comment if you know what is meant by "daughter tea."

I found this tea to be quite satisfying. For me it had notes of rosemary and cedar with a thick, syrupy liquor. The sweetness reminded me of fat, ripe, organic carrots. It tasted clean, healthy and nutritious.

The Paper.

The Leaves.

The End.

Super Bowls Sunday

2011-02-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

Introducing the Super Tea Bowls!
(They are the sidekicks to the famous League of Pots.)

Pokey

Watson

Robin

Chewbacca

Spock

Fall Out Boy

Orko

Tonto

Woodstock

Barney Rubble

Arthur (the moth)

A Sneak Peek at the Seattle Chinese Garden

2011-02-03T04:15:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, the fine folks at Seattle Chinese Garden (西華園) threw a party to celebrate the opening of their main courtyard and I was invited to pour the tea.

The courtyard is called Knowing the Spring (知春院) and was recently finished by Chinese artisans visiting from Chengdu. Although there is still lots of exciting work to be done over the next few years, the garden will open to the public starting February 6, 2011 (please check the official website for hours).

Here is a little peek at the finished courtyard.

Fireworks popping outside the elegant and humble entry gate.

Inside the courtyard

Beautiful Stones

Ceremonial gate interior view

Ceremonial gate exterior view

Before you go.... Click here to view an über dreamy map of how amazing our city's garden will someday be.

Teacup Tea Class - February 2011

2011-02-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

This month, I am excited to be teaching the following new tea class at Teacup (2128 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA, 98109).

Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 10:00 to 11:00 AM
Black Tea Cupping Workshop - In this class we will sharpen our tea tasting skills by "cupping" several rounds of unscented, loose-leaf black teas. The selected teas will represent most major black tea growing regions which will provide guests with a great opportunity to compare and contrast many unique and delightful flavors.

This class is being offered in the morning for any black tea drinkers who are sensitive to caffeine.

My tea classes are great for tea lovers of all levels, so feel free to bring a friend or family member that you'd like to "get hooked" on tea. The cost is $3 per guest and a RSVP is required. You may RSVP anytime by visiting or calling the Teacup (206-283-5931) or by emailing me at blackdragontea@gmail.com.

I will let you know as new classes are scheduled, and please feel free to suggest a class idea on a subject you'd like to learn more about. I hope to see you soon at a class!

J-Mo's Wedding Rehearsal Dinner

2011-02-01T00:06:00.000-08:00

In June of 2009, my wife, daughter and I took a little trip down to California to celebrate the wedding of our good friends Janice and Mo (affectionately nicknamed J-Mo around our household). Their wedding was truly beautiful and we were so honored to be included in the ceremony.

Well before the wedding, Janice and Mo asked me if I'd like to serve tea for their friends and family at the rehearsal dinner. I had served tea for similar sized groups before (40-ish people) but it was always around Seattle and with my own equipment. It felt so good to be asked but for some reason I was really nervous about it. I agreed, and then I put it out of my mind for a while until the wedding drew near.

Traveling with a one-year-old meant that we already had a ton of important stuff to bring. I didn't want to pack too much tea or teaware so I only brought a couple little tins of tea. I chose a nice fresh Alishan High Mountain Oolong to serve at the rehearsal dinner.

The dinner was originally set to take place at Janice's parents' home but was moved last minute to Berkeley's Sushi Solano restaurant. The restaurant had a cool vibe and the menu was a mix of house-made Japanese delicacies and take-out from the amazing Udupi Palace vegetarian Indian food restaurant.

As the guests started to arrive, the scene became festively chaotic and the strong smells of delicious food filled the room. Up until now I hadn't even started to think about just how I was going to make enough tea, serve it to the guests and have it be worthy of my friends and their guests. I started getting cold feet and even thought about backing out. I started making lame excuses in my mind such as "the tables were not arranged well for a tea service" and "the strong foods will eclipse my delicate tea selection."

The guests have arrive.

Fortunately, my wife and a few other friends helped me to come to my senses. Also, the restaurant, who until recently only had large teacups, had just found a bunch of new small sake cups with my tea pouring in mind! That sealed the deal. I couldn't let down my friends. I was going to do this!

Sushi Solano loaned me their four largest teapots (two were ceramic and two were iron) and they had a couple of electric kettles at my disposal. After the feast, I was introduced to the guests and then I talked a minute about myself, the tea I had brought and my relationship to the bride and groom.

A friend and groomsman named Sandhi came to my aid. He was an experienced server and, with the help of a few other volunteers, fragrant Alishan began to make its way to the hands of excited guests!

Readying the cups.

Straining the tea.

Serving the tea.

Together, everyone sipped their tea. To my great relief it turned out fine! I relaxed a little and steeped the tea several more times. I was happy to hear some good reviews of its flavor.

I led the guests in a short "tea toast" to our beloved Janice and Mo. Everybody shared the same great feeling knowing that these two fantastic people were about to get married.

The soon to be newlyweds!

This post is my contribution to the February 2011 Tea Blog Carnival as presented by the Association of Tea Bloggers. Our theme for this carnival was "What is the most uncomfortable place where you prepared tea and how were you able to overcome the difficulty?" This month's carnival was hosted by the always fabulous Gongfu Girl and links to other participating posts can be found here.

Working with Clay

2011-01-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

Lavender Garden Restaurant

2011-01-21T03:55:00.000-08:00

Exactly one year ago today, I was treated to an unforgettable meal at Taipei's 天母古道森林花園. This beautiful vegetarian restaurant is located in Taipei's Tian Mu (天母) neighborhood and uses the English name Lavender Garden.

It was pretty dark when my hosts and I stopped in for dinner, so we were not able to see much of the lush green hills that stand mostly undeveloped in the background of the restaurant. I was also told that, as its Chinese name suggests, this restaurant marks the entrance to a lovely hiking trail around Yang Ming Shan (陽明山).

With its spacious and arty interior and its focus on healthy upscale cuisine, Lavender Garden reminded me a little bit of Seattle's own little veggie treasure "Cafe Flora."

I would without a doubt recommend this place to any travelers who want to splurge on a delicious and innovative meat-free meal while in Taipei.

Check out pictures #6 (vegetarian black tea jello) through #12 (the only raw salad I've ever had in Taiwan) on my post Vegan Taiwan Gallery #2 to see all of the things I ate at Lavender Garden.

Cool Monkey

2011-01-19T13:11:00.000-08:00

This is the organic Golden Monkey that I purchased from The Meaning of Tea a couple months ago. Like most black teas I brew it with boiling water, about one teaspoon of dry leaf per cup, and steep it for about 3 minutes. It always turns out delicious.

But what if I were to brew it cooler?

Excuse me? Why bother?
Just keep using boiling water.
It is a black tea after all.

Who are you?

I'm one of the voices in your head.
You can call me the "voice of reason."

Uh... alright... but I just have this strange feeling that it might be really good.

You're going to waste good tea.

Yeah, but how will I know for sure if I don't at least try?

OK. Suit yourself... but when you end up with a cup of
"warm swamp tea" don't say I didn't warn you.

Alright then. I'm going to do it!
Let's start with about 155° F for 7 minutes.

Looks good. Smells good.

(sips tea) Whoa... this turned out really sweet.
The peach and honey elements have been turned up to eleven.

(sips tea) You're right. I do like this.
It's mellow, clean and fragrant.

OK. Let's go cooler!
Second infusion will be 135° F for 10 minutes.

It's ready. (sips tea) Yum.
This is even sweeter.
How is that even possible!?

It's pretty good but this level of sweetness should be balanced by something.
I miss the astringent notes in the traditional brewing.

I hear you.
Plus the aftertaste seems to be compromised.

Lets go even cooler.
This time I'll do 120° F for thirty minutes.

Are you insane?

(thirty minutes later)

It's ready! The color is much lighter.

Well this is our third infusion after all.

(sips tea) It's smooth as silk... and has tons of ripe stone-fruit and honey notes.
It almost tastes like a cold brew of silvertip oolong.

I'm surprised that I like it... but I'd still much prefer boiling the water for this tea.
Also, I prefer to drink a hotter cup of tea.

But you've got to admit this was an interesting experiment.
I think it proves my theory that:
"When it comes to tea there are no right or wrong ways to do things."

I'm not sure if I agree with that.

Floating Leaves' Winter 2010 Lishan

2011-01-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

Last week I treated myself to a belated Christmas gift. I bought a couple ounces each of Floating Leaves' new Winter 2010 Lishan High Mountain Oolong (梨山高山烏龍) and Winter 2010 Honorable Mention Wenshan Baozhong (文山包種). This was the first time I'd purchased some tea just for myself in a very long time. Today I'm going to review the Lishan.

I covered the bottom of a small gaiwan with dry leaf and then whipped it up into a "tea cyclone" with boiling hot water. I did not rinse the leaves. After about 50 seconds I decanted my first infusion.

the first infusion

The liquor poured thick and yellow with a delicate floral aroma. My mouth began to water. I haven't had great high mountain oolong in over 6 months.

the third infusion

I really love this tea and I feel like its price ($15 per ounce) is just fantastic for its level of quality in the current North American retail market for seasonal Taiwanese oolong.

My tasting notes during the first 6 infusions included: sugarcane, crisp tart pear, nectar, substantial broth, delicate sulfur aroma, buttery, honeysuckle, and dandelion. My notes for the final two infusions were: thinner broth with delicate pine and rosemary notes.

the spent leaves

The aftertaste lingered all day and I am now one happy oolong drinker. Thanks Shiuwen!

Chuan Cheng Yin Hao Tuocha

2011-01-06T05:07:00.000-08:00

Today I'm reviewing a 100 gram, 2004, sheng puer tuocha (生普洱沱茶) that I purchased several years ago from Silk Road Tea. It is called Chuan Cheng Yin Hao (傳承銀毫) (Inheritance Silver Tip).

Here's the wrapper.
(I'm betting that symbol in the middle represents a leaf bud.)

And here's the tuo!

The compression is very tight but I still managed to flake off a reasonable amount of dry leaf using my puer knife. As I often find with similar tuo-cha, I ended up with a mix of small broken leaves and little leaf clumps. I used very short steeps at first (5 to 10 seconds) in hopes that they would balance the potential astringency of so many tiny broken leaves.

I covered the bottom of a small gaiwan with leaf and began my session with the customary (though not mandatory) short rinse. The now steaming leaves had a familiar camphor and incense aroma.

My first infusion was 5 seconds long and poured orange and fragrant. Because the resulting liquor's surface had tons of sparkly oils and many long lasting bubbles floating upon it, I gave this tea an A+ for appearance.

I prepared my palate for astringency and took a sip. It was smooth... and it had an amazing ripe cherry note that really lingered.

All ten of my infusions tasted nice (even the ones I slightly over-steeped) and the tea had consistently good body and complexity. The smooth start and the pleasant cherry note transformed into some drier champagne- and Darjeeling-like flavors. Still quite enjoyable.

This puer tea gave me a very focused, high-vibration energy. I felt a little buzzed and my feet and hands kept tapping or shaking. I have found that I'll often get this feeling when drinking a lot of sheng puer made with lots of silver or white buds. It's time for some food.

Teacup Tea Classes - January 2011

2011-01-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

This month, I'll be teaching a new class at Teacup (2128 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA, 98109).

Monday, January 17, 2011 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) - 1:00 to 2:00 PM
Intro to Oolong Tea Production - In this class, students will sample three delicious and unique oolong teas brewed in the Chinese gongfu cha style while learning about common oolong tea production methods step by step. Visual learners will benefit from many photos of tea production.

Ba Bao Cha Year #3

2010-12-27T13:29:00.000-08:00

I have started an odd little holiday tradition. I drink a small cup of Ba Bao Cha (八寶茶) (eight treasure tea) and then I blog about it.

As I mentioned in my post Ba Bao Cha Revisited from 364 days ago, my friend Tiffany gifted me 19 single serving packs of Ba Bao Cha. I only drink one pack per year so...

...now I have these 18 packs left.

Besides rock sugar and a scant amount of green tea, every pack is a little different. I chose that pack on the top which appeared to be the only one with an orange slice in it.

The dry contents looked like this.

I steeped it for five minutes with boiling hot water. The resulting soup had an orange color and a fruity aroma.

I asked my wife to try a little sip. She did, and then instantly made a "yuck face." She did not want anything to do with it.

I then asked my almost three year old daughter, who was busy playing by herself in the living room and had not witnessed her mother's negative reaction, to taste it. She did... and had the exact same reaction as her mother.

I, on the other hand, didn't mind the flavor too much (although I'm quite sure that I could never drink more than 2 ounces in a single year). I liked this pack a little more than last year's sample because it was fruitier and less like drinking perfume.

Here is a shot of this year's eight holiday treasures!

Now lets see... I have: two cherries chopped in half / four goji berries / two chrysanthemum blossoms / rock sugar (which I'm not sure I would actually count as a treasure but hey whatever) / some sliced strawberry / one orange slice / and about 1 gram of broken green tea leaves.

1...2...3...4...5...6...7... uh... wait a second now... that's only SEVEN treasures! I've been robbed!

Oh well. I guess it's now time to go and brew some good tea anyway. Maybe next year I'll get eight treasures. Whether or not you even care, you can still count on me to tell you all about it in December of 2011.

Happy New Year!

A Christmas Card from Shushu

2010-12-25T04:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

聖誕快樂!

Love, Shushu T. Dragon

On Warmth

2010-12-21T03:12:00.000-08:00

With credit entirely due to my brilliant wife, 2010 is the year I discovered Waldorf education. The ideas, rhythms and rituals that I have recently learned from my daughter's "Waldorf Tots" preschool and from certain books on the subject have really helped me on my journey towards becoming the parent I want to be.

One of these new ideas for me has been the concept of Warmth. Waldorf teachers have stated, "warmth is an essential ingredient in transformative work." This simple quote is often included in passages about young children and their complete dependence on their caregivers to keep themselves warm. The idea is that growing up is a transformation. As a new parent I can wholly relate to that idea, but as I delve deeper, the quote reveals for me other layers of meaning. I now believe that feeling warm, safe and comfortable benefits everyone spiritually just as much as it does physically. Maybe that is why we humans have developed so many wonderful ways to keep ourselves warm and cozy. I'll bet some of these methods, such as relaxing near a crackling fire, snuggling with our loved ones, and sipping delicious hot beverages are even coded into our DNA.

Many people can relate to the euphoric feeling associated with smelling and sipping a fragrant cup of tea. Sometimes the feeling is so powerful you have to stop and sit down for a minute. When drunk with an open heart, any type of tea (or sometimes even plain hot water) can be helpful for spreading warmth throughout your body.

Happy Solstice!

(Art by Alanna)

Uncle's Aiyu Shop

2010-12-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

Aiyu jelly (愛玉冰) is a vegetarian jello-like treat made from the seeds of a certain Asian fig. It is common in central Taiwan where I'm pretty sure it originated. I first tried Aiyu at an adorable cafe in Fenchihu (奋起湖) called 愛玉伯ㄟ厝 which I believe translates closest to "Uncle's Aiyu Shop."

Uncle's provides a very inviting and relaxing open-air cafe that serves homemade Aiyu jelly in many different flavors. I've tried lemon, berry and passionfruit. They also serve cakes, pies and fresh juice. I really appreciate their use of natural elements in the decor and their great views of the lush green mountains surrounding Fenchihu.

This is where you order...

...and here is their seating area.

The view.

Uncle's Aiyu shop displays a cute little cloth hanging on clothespins with a few photos to help illustrate the complex process of making Aiyu jelly.

The cloth.

It starts like this...

... and ends like this!

So, if you ever find yourself in Fenchihu and you're in need of a short rest after hiking through the beautiful bamboo forests, stop by Uncle's Aiyu Shop to try this refreshing regional specialty.

BDTB's Holiday Sale!

2010-12-06T20:15:00.000-08:00

Hello Tea Friends. I am currently in the possession of a few high quality vendibles and I would really love to place them all in good homes. So, if you're doing some holiday shopping, and feel like giving some of your money to a good-natured, 29 year old, tea-crazed, Seattle dad (aka yours truly)... please take a look!

#1 The Meaning of Tea Documentary film on DVD
Status: 2 available at $22 each (the best price I could find online)

#2 The Music of The Meaning of Tea on CD
Status: 6 available at $12 each (the best price I could find online)

#3 The Meaning of Tea Book "A Tea Inspired Journey"
Status: Sold Out

#1, 2 & 3

#4 Organic "Golden Monkey" Chinese Black Tea (Meaning of Tea brand)
(I really love this tea and think you will too.)
Status: Sold Out

#5 Organic "Rejuvenation Tea" Herbal Blend (Meaning of Tea brand)
Product of Vermont. Contains Nettles, Peppermint, Raspberry Leaf, Milky Oats, Lemon Balm, and Calendula blossoms.
Status: Sold Out

#6 Blue Glaze Cup and Aroma set from Taiwan
Status: Sold Out

#7 Floral Glaze Cup and Aroma Set from Taiwan
Status: 6 available at $5 per set

#8 Small Glass Cha Hai (aka fairness cup, aka decanter)
Status: 1 available for $5

#9 Medium Sized Glass Cha Hai (aka fairness cup, aka decanter)
Status: 1 available for $5

#10 Small Pretty Gaiwan (Perfect condition except for a little rough glaze on lid's handle)
Status: Sold

#10

#11 Small Clay Teapot
Very well crafted by a friend of my mentor Jason Chen.
Status: Sold

#11

#12 Medium Size Clay Teapot
Very well crafted by a friend of my mentor Jason Chen.
Status: 1 available for $40

#12

Please email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com if you're interested in buying anything. Payments can be made via cash, Paypal or check. Orders can be shipped (add $5 for the lower 48 states and more for other places), delivered, or picked up depending on your individual needs. All items are in perfect condition and I guarantee their quality 100%. I'm not expecting you'll have any problems but if you do just email me and I'll find a way to make you happy. Thanks! 謝謝您!

Dai Fragrance Puer Cake

2010-12-05T04:36:00.000-08:00

A few years back my friends Robert, Jessie and Tiffany gifted me this fine cake of shu (aka 熟, aka black, aka cooked, aka ripe) puer tea. It is called Dai Fragrance (傣香) and was purchased from Seattle's own New Century Tea Gallery. I'm not sure of the vintage but I estimate it to be early to mid 2000's.

Along the bottom it reads: 中國 (China) 雲南省 (Yunnan Province) 勐海 (Menghai) 雲妹工藝茶廠出品 (Yun Mei Gong Yi factory produce) and the internal ticket includes the famous Menghai "Dayi" logo. I've never taken the time to translate the text in the middle of the cake.

Here she is.

This cake has been one of my "go to" cakes lately and I've been looking forward to sharing a blog review of it for a little while now.

The dry leaves are mostly small and dark but they do have quite a bit of gold and rust colored flecks. The compression is loose and the aroma is malty and mellow.

Sans paper.

A few of the early infusions can have a coffee-like-acidity if over steeped but mainly it is silky smooth. I'll usually do a nice long ten second rinse before I steep the first infusion. Then I'll do many super-hot short infusions. This way it tastes clean and pours thick as oil. To me, it yields a very nutty flavor that reminds me of walnuts, amaretto, and cocoa. I'm sure some folks would disagree (because every one's palate is so different) but in my opinion this cake is neither earthy nor smoky.

The soup.

This "Dai Fragrance" cake is a winner in my book but I'm not sure why it was given its name. Do the Dai minority people have a particular marketable aroma? I bet a few of my readers have the experience and/or connections to wager a guess. If so, please leave me a comment.

League of Pots #027

2010-12-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

Code Name: "Old Brown"

Material: Thick Brown Ceramic
Height: 15.5 cm
Length (handle to spout): 25 cm
Volume: 1110 ml
Weight: 937 g

Brews: Any type of tea.
Specialty: Strong black tea and spiced chai.
Story: I found Old Brown last year at the Burien Value Village (a thrift store) for only a couple dollars. I had always wanted a fat brown English teapot so I snatched him up!
Super Powers: Old Brown enjoys a quiet kingly existence on a small island... but if he is ever angered or annoyed he will transform into an enormous super-strong owl and bite the legs, head or tail off of anyone who wrongs him.

League of Pots #026

2010-12-02T05:40:00.000-08:00

Code Name: "Nutkin"

Material: Dark Brown Clay
Height: 5.5 cm
Length (handle to spout): 9.5 cm
Volume: 70 ml
Weight: 79 g

Brews: Nutkin has yet to brew any real tea.
Specialty: He's very good at brewing imaginary tea!
Story: Nutkin was a gift to my daughter from my friend Shiuwen about a year ago.
Super Powers: Although Nutkin is very impertinent, he is extremely clever, great at riddles, and can transform himself into a stealthy squirrel.

Teacup Tea Classes - December 2010

2010-12-01T00:44:00.000-08:00

I plan to take December off from presenting my regular tea classes. Instead I am offering a special tea movie and tea tasting event! The movie is called "The Meaning of Tea" and it is one of my favorite films. Space is limited so please email me to RSVP.

The Meaning of Tea documentary film screening & tea tasting
The Venue: Teacup @ 2128 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA, 98109
Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 7:00 PM
$3 per guest

The following promotional blurb was written by Alexis Siemons, a talented free-lance writer and tea blogger:

Brett Boynton, the manager of Teacup in Seattle, WA, invites you to a tea tasting and special screening of the lyrical documentary film, The Meaning Of Tea. Guests will enjoy fresh organic tea, such as an exquisite black golden tipped organic tea, and a recently harvested Vermont certified organic herbal tisane called, Rejuvenation tea, each from the TheMeaningOfTea® brand tea.

The Meaning of Tea is a 74-minute documentary film that explores the calm and purposeful life of tea. The film is a tea-inspired journey that celebrates the history, rituals, spirituality and simple, pure enjoyment of tea through the eyes of tea lovers in places where tea is revered-from India to Ireland, from Taiwan to Japan, from Tea, South Dakota in the USA to Morocco, England and France.

Through interviews with people from all over the world of tea - tea pickers and plantation owners, street sellers, traders, teapot makers, tea tasters and eloquent tea scholars - The Meaning of Tea film explores the profoundly positive role that tea can play in the renewal of our modern world. The Meaning of Tea film is also accompanied by its companion book and a soundtrack of original tea-inspired music.

Join Brett and fellow tea lovers for an organic tea-inspired evening that explores the deeper meanings of tea.