Sometimes a full gongfu cha ceremony is beyond the scope of time or practicality or attention span. One method that I use at times like this employs two gaiwans. I use the first one to brew the tea. Then after the requisite steeping time, which is dependent on how many infusions I have already brewed, [...]
Organic Rou Kuei Oolong from auraTea is a wonderful and unusual tea. It is a darker oolong with pretty long red leaves. The dry leaves emit a nice woodsy scent, foreshadowing a nice tea liquor. The brewed tea has a rich flavor that tastes almost like it has been roasted, like mesquite coated in molasses. [...]
Seattle and the surrounding Puget Sound region are in the midst of some atypically harsh winter weather. The mix of steep hills and icy streets has severely restricted transportation. This has had a pretty dramatic impact on most people and businesses here. One of the ways that this strange weather has affected me is that [...]
My first exposure to a tea mascot was at New Century Tea Gallery. As the owner prepared and served tea gongfu style, I noticed an inexplicable yixing sculpture hanging out on the table and accepting a wash of tea and water every so often during the course of the tea service. I was told that [...]
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I hardly ever drink Ceylon tea, so when I received the sample of Broken Orange Pekoe from Plucker’s Pick, I was a little concerned that I would dislike it due to its type, regardless of its quality. I was delighted to find that my concern was completely unfounded. As most tea drinkers know, Sri Lanka [...]
The cicada is quite a fascinating little creature, appearing as a symbol of longevity or immortality throughout the arts of China and Japan over the past several centuries. The accompanying photographs are of a yixing teaset that we sometimes use for brewing and serving pu-er. The tea pouring down over the pot was the initial [...]
This being the time of year when everyone starts getting all stressed out and panicky about buying stuff for other people, I thought it would be a good time to offer you three hopefully useful recommendations for the tea lovers on your lists. Or, even better, you can talk other people into buying these things [...]
