Comments for A Tea Addict's Journal

Comment on Dumping bad samples by Ian

Ian — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:02:44 +0000

I agree, spitting out tea would definitely result in a loss of a lot of the flavor experience, for example I think it would greatly reduce the huigan/aftertaste, as well as some of the feelings/tastes only perceptible in the throat. It’s interesting, because I know wine people often justify spitting by claiming the entire flavor experience can be had without swallowing, and I know most people most of the time spit out coffee samples while doing cuppings (although you can still end up feeling quite the caffeine buzz anyways, something to note w/r/t/ tea..). However, in contast to wine and coffee, in my experience doing craft beer tastings, I’ve always heard that one should never spit because an essential part of beer’s flavor comes out only after swallowing, perhaps because of the carbonation or something with the flavors involved, I’m not entirely sure why but I would definitely agree when it comes to evaluating a beer. So I think it really just depends on the beverage, for some, swallowing is more important for tasting all there is to taste. And this is to say nothing about the way the beverage makes us feel, which as this blog’s author has effectively argued before, is an often overlooked/undervalued step in evaluating the quality of tea, especially with things like puerh.
Keep up the good work marshaln! As a long-time tea nerd just starting to dig deep in the wide and wonderful world of puerh, I’ve become a fan of your blog recently and find it extremely informative and refreshing in many of its philosophies, especially your noting of the many uses and merits of “grandpa style” brewing.

Comment on Saturday tasting with friends by JakubT

JakubT — Sun, 12 May 2013 20:20:36 +0000

Hi, indeed, the 2001 CYH is strange. I’m inclined to believe that the weirdness (especially in aroma of wet leaves) is due to storage, as two teas from Chawangshop, one from Mengku and one from Bulang, had the same sort of weirdnes – therefore, I think it probably won’t be linked to the area.

I think that the lack of thickness, substance and some sharp sour overtones could be attributed to overly dry storage (why people like it so much, I can’t fathom). But there’s additional weirdness, the sort shared with the Chawangshop’s teas I mentioned above.

It’s a pity, I think there are some good things about the tea… but it’s nowhere near how I imagine a reasonably aging 2001 tea.
J.

Comment on The retaste project 14: 2003 Menghai Early Spring Arbor Tree by MarshalN

MarshalN — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:43:51 +0000

Microwave? I can’t imagine that’s any good. Yeah, you do need to taste a tea before you buy, in quantity anyway.

Comment on Dumping bad samples by MarshalN

MarshalN — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:42:45 +0000

I think what happens there is that you lose the ability to taste the finish of the tea – which I think is a very important component of evaluating something.

Comment on The retaste project 14: 2003 Menghai Early Spring Arbor Tree by JoeyL

JoeyL — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:03:18 +0000

One of the main problems i run into with puerh is all the fakes quickly aged in a microwave… Like you said you really need to taste the tea before buying especially at that price!

Comment on Dumping bad samples by JoeyL

JoeyL — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:56:54 +0000

As someone who worked at a Winery have you considered spitting out the tea like wine tasters do? It seems almost disrespectful to the tea but in honesty i think its a good practice for anyone tasting/drinking many teas in a single day.

Comment on Steepster is useless by Rae O Fearghail

Rae O Fearghail — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:03:31 +0000

Steepster is not for me, high brow, navel gazing, elitist attitudes in most cases.
The true experts in my opinion are the working people in the UK and their independant colonies around the world who drink working peoples tea everyday.
They don’t give a fiddlers fig about sitting round splitting hairs about tea, they haven’t the time.
They know what they like and drink it with no fuss.
No need for fancy this and fancy that.
Keep it simple.
Find out what company’s “”sells the most tea”" in all of the UK and your 7/8th the way there.
The masses of working people are usually never wrong.

Comment on Digging for gold in basements by MarshalN

MarshalN — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:37:37 +0000

Wrapper? No wrapper. Not in Deng Shihai either, or any other book, so it’s a mystery cake.

Comment on Digging for gold in basements by Brian S. Kirbis

Brian S. Kirbis — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:36:39 +0000

Great story! Am I mistaken or are there wrapper lines on the back of the cake? Highly unusual for teas of that era. A clue?

I’m sure you have many references, in the vein of Deng Shihai, for antique tea. However, if you can get a detailed image of the neifei, I’d love to have a go at it!

Comment on No new tea by Darius Wilkins

Darius Wilkins — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:44:28 +0000

Well, before this year, I would have thought it okay to buy a couple of cakes of tea from really nice trees. However, the prices have more or less become untenable.

Comment on No new tea by zzenster

zzenster — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:25:04 +0000

For most of “small” hobby collectors, “investment” is more like “justification” for buying more.

Comment on Two teas by zzenster

zzenster — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:18:28 +0000

I also have a few of the spring ones. They are truly excellent in my opinion. Thank you for the comparison.