Author: payton
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How to pour a teapot
What a ridiculous title for a post, eh? “Grab the handle and pour”, is the expected response. However, as anyone who’s tried to use a yixing pot for the first time can probably tell you, there’s a little more to it than that. First of all, let’s clarify that I’m mostly talking about fairly small…
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Jalam Bada 2014 Sheng
“Bada bing!” That’s what I crow every time I make some of this great Sheng Puer from Jalam Teas. Not just because it’s really fun to say (and it is!), but also because for a relatively young Sheng (Summer 2014) it’s got quite a lovely character. (The tea is harvested on Bada Mountain and “Bing”,…
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2015 Spring Tea Anticipation
So it’s Spring. And by “Spring”, I mean apparently Summer because within one week the temperature here in Vermont went from 40°F (4°C) to 80°F (26°C). But I’m not complaining, because Spring is Fresh Tea Time! My first hits this year have been from India. I’ve been drinking some great 2015 Darjeeling First Flush (Rohini estate…
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What are we even drinking? Tea and Tisanes
In the US, it’s extremely common for people to walk into a shop asking after “a cup of tea” and then ask for Chamomile, Peppermint, or some blend of flowers and spices. What these customers actually want is a Tisane. Tea : a shrub (Camellia sinensis of the family Theaceae, the tea family) cultivated especially…
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Tea as Meditation
Just this past week I was privileged to be able to prepare tea for a meditation group I attend weekly. Our practice is Insight Meditation or Vipassana, a very old Buddhist practice that migrated to the West through Thailand. Besides wanting to share some delicious tea, I also had an interest in discussing and experiencing…
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Tea in the Year of the Wood Sheep
This weekend morning I drank some lovely Lishan Winter Sprout (kindly sourced by Song Tea) as the chill wind shifted the piles of snow outside my window. It was a peaceful and delicious way to start the day. To bring a timely quality to this gathering, a small ceramic sheep (who followed me home from…
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Alishan Oolong Black
This morning’s treat was to share some waffles and a pretty unique tea with my wife as we watched the snow gently fall outside. This is one of the teas I bought from a small shop in Taipei called DigniTea, which is a family-run artisan tea company that grows (as far as I know) all…
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San Lin Shi Winter Sprout 2014
What an interesting oolong that I discovered in a small package I brought back from my trip to California. I remembered good things from this tea, and today’s snowy conditions seemed like the perfect day to bring back some memories of sunlight. The first thing that hit me upon opening the package was the scent.…
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Old Man Camphor
What a great name Wu De and associates have chosen for this month’s tea. The gift from Global Tea Hut this December is a bit of loose Spring 2007 Shou Puer they call “Old Man Camphor” (老夫樟 or Lǎofū Zhāng). Earthy and with a wonderful aroma. Just by the smell it makes me think of…
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A Reprisal of Gaiwans
I posted a while ago about how to pour a gaiwan, but I wanted to talk a little more about this super-useful device. What is a gaiwan? Why should you have one? Where do you get one? How do you use it? These are all good questions! Let’s break it down. What is a gaiwan? It’s…