tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72204987834193668122024-03-12T16:27:12.966-07:00Richmond TeaA blog about tea in Virginia and beyondGordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-49651209380508396892009-02-11T13:02:00.001-08:002009-02-11T13:29:02.486-08:00Pouchong--competition 2ndI recently acquired a competition grade Pouchong from Ping Ling, Wenshan. It is the second place grade and came in the tea tin on the left, the tin on the right holds Pouchong Supreme tea which is very good, but no where near as good as the competition grade tea. Each tin holds a kilogram of Pouchong.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SZM9Mm9q3ZI/AAAAAAAAAOo/q6885Hwj8nE/s1600-h/pouchongtin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SZM9Mm9q3ZI/AAAAAAAAAOo/q6885Hwj8nE/s400/pouchongtin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301648473172139410" /></a><br /><br />A kilogram of tea fits into this bag.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SZM9Mucaw1I/AAAAAAAAAOw/aCpNZLYo634/s1600-h/pouchongbag.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SZM9Mucaw1I/AAAAAAAAAOw/aCpNZLYo634/s400/pouchongbag.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301648475180155730" /></a><br /><br />This Pouchong has a beautiful dark dry leaf that turns bright green when steeped. The dry leaf smells like the brewed tea. The bouquet is slightly fruity and flowery. The taste is very full and well balanced with a very slight astringency. This tea seems to synthesize everything I like about tea into one cup.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SZM9M9axWJI/AAAAAAAAAO4/KLNplClfyTw/s1600-h/pouchongdryjpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SZM9M9axWJI/AAAAAAAAAO4/KLNplClfyTw/s400/pouchongdryjpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301648479199778962" /></a>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-78962135926385984612009-02-05T11:12:00.000-08:002009-02-05T11:24:35.152-08:00The Village Tea Room, New Paltz, New YorkYesterday I visited the Village Tea Room in New Paltz, New York. It is also a restaurant and wine bar (as evidenced by the sales counter). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SYs6Wr4s74I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/qy94UpWdsCI/s1600-h/counter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SYs6Wr4s74I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/qy94UpWdsCI/s400/counter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299393547943604098" /></a><br /><br />It has a respectable selection of tea for sipping there and a very nice atmosphere. The old red farmhouse building is removed from the street so that there is room for a garden and outdoor seating, or snow (depending on the time of year). I sat down with a pot of Lapsang Souchong and an orange cranberry muffin. The tea was a safe bet and very warming for a snowy day and the muffin did not look special from the outside but it was full of cranberries and thus delicious.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SYs6XMQJpyI/AAAAAAAAAOY/Wngby4Z_QZU/s1600-h/teaandmuffin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SYs6XMQJpyI/AAAAAAAAAOY/Wngby4Z_QZU/s400/teaandmuffin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299393556631889698" /></a><br /><br />One nice touch was the tea timer to let you know how long your tea has actually been steeping for:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SYs6XfXlQSI/AAAAAAAAAOg/goZU67Unnhs/s1600-h/timer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SYs6XfXlQSI/AAAAAAAAAOg/goZU67Unnhs/s400/timer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299393561763332386" /></a><br /><br />All in all a nice place to stop and contemplate as long as it does not get busy; the server lets you be and they have a few varieties of tea that I like.Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-91267160803186864532009-02-04T17:55:00.000-08:002009-02-04T17:58:01.209-08:00Tea-photo 02-04-09Today I traveled from New York to Virginia. I ended up brewing tea with Starbucks water, which was not that bad, but it did give the tea a mild minty taste.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SYpHZetVjAI/AAAAAAAAAOI/2KrG8lJsC1c/s1600-h/feb04-09.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SYpHZetVjAI/AAAAAAAAAOI/2KrG8lJsC1c/s400/feb04-09.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299126414620331010" /></a>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-50968407132016387142009-02-03T16:13:00.000-08:002009-02-11T13:30:23.480-08:00Tea TastingHere is a catalog of blog posts for different teas I have tasted:<br /><br />China Green (in substance):<br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2008/12/third-picked-wild-green-tea.html">Third Picked Wild Korean Green Tea</a><br /><br /><br />Japan Green:<br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2009/01/chiran-kanayamidon.html">Chiran Kanayamidon</a><br /><br />Pu-erh:<br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2009/01/yunan-bo-nay.html">Yunan Bo-Nay</a><br /><br /><br />Oolong/Pouchong:<br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2009/02/pouchong-competition-2nd.html">Pouchong 2nd place competition grade</a><br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2008/10/morning-tea-october-20th-2008.html">Pouchong Special</a><br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2008/10/morning-tea-tuesday-october-21-2008.html">Our Good Life Winter Picking High Mountain Oolong</a><br /><br /><br />White:Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-22617956911815596392009-02-03T16:01:00.000-08:002009-02-05T11:27:48.405-08:00Tea House ReviewClick on a Tea House below to go to any relevant blog entries:<br /><br /><br />Virginia:<br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2008/11/carytown-teas.html">Carytown Tea, Richmond VA</a><br /><br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2008/10/olde-world-tea-company.html">Olde World Tea Company, Smithfield VA</a><br /><br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2009/01/twisted-branch-tea-bazaar.html">Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, Charlottesville VA</a><br /><br />New Jersey:<br /><br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2009/02/holsome-tea-princeton-nj.html">Holsome, Princeton NJ</a><br /><br />New York:<br /><br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2008/11/franchia-nyc.html">Franchia, New York NY</a><br /><br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2009/02/village-tea-room-new-paltz-new-york.html">The Village Tea Room, New Paltz, New York</a>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-44112765009332519122009-02-03T15:57:00.000-08:002009-02-03T15:59:43.948-08:00TeaPhoto 02-03-09Pouchong brewing in a glass:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SYjaMUyGOmI/AAAAAAAAAOA/QQwD2e0P56s/s1600-h/Feb012009_0019.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SYjaMUyGOmI/AAAAAAAAAOA/QQwD2e0P56s/s400/Feb012009_0019.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298724866873506402" /></a>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-24674904779306873122009-02-03T14:20:00.000-08:002009-02-11T13:31:17.010-08:00Photo of the DayI am starting a new post theme: a photograph of the day. There will not be a photograph every day, but if there is not a photograph, there will be a more substantive post. I hope to have all photographs tracked back to this post.<br /><br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2009/02/tea-photo-02-04-09.html">TeaPhoto 02-04-09</a><br /><br /><a href="http://richmondtea.blogspot.com/2009/02/teaphoto-02-03-09.html">TeaPhoto 02-03-09</a>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-33486347907952674602009-02-03T14:06:00.000-08:002009-02-03T16:09:11.579-08:00Holsome Tea, Princeton NJ<a href="http://www.holsome.com/site/">Holsome tea</a> is an awesome tea shop. It carries many varieties of tea. The highlights for me are competition grade Long Jing, Oolong and Pouchong as well as excellent Pi Lo Chun. If you are looking to try something new, just learning about tea or want one of the above mentioned styles of tea, this is probably one of the better places to come--it is the best place I have been too, but I still have many places to go to. The tea shop also has Traditional Chinese Medicine and other herbs in a very calming space with an interesting sculpture hanging by some yixing pots (sorry, no pictures of this, but you can find some on their Web site). <br /><br />Back to the tea: <br />The owner, Dr. Shu has direct connections to many of the tea growing regions that he acquires his tea from. This is most evident for his high grade Pi Lo Chun; the Pi Lo Chun is only picked on the first day of day picking. The only way Dr. Shu can ensure that it is so, and not just picked in the first few days is because his relative oversees the picking and shipping of the tea. For the high grades of High Mountain Oolong and Pouchong, Dr. Shu picks his favorite region for the tea and orders directly from the growers. (I do not know the story for the Long Jings, but I assume it is similar and that he also ensures that they come from the Dragon Well, or Lake) In upcoming posts I will look at a Competition grade Pouchong and a High Mountain style Oolong--though not competition grade.<br /><br />If you are ever traveling through or near Princeton, NJ, I highly recommend stopping in.Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-30036630745990701912009-01-22T08:25:00.001-08:002009-02-03T16:19:38.431-08:00Yunan Bo-NayToday I am finishing Yunan Bo-Nay (acquired from Holsome Teas in Princeton, NJ). The tea is from Yunan Province (as the name may suggest) and the tea is also a pu-erh, or aged tea (Bo-Nay is one of many synonyms for pu-erh). The dry leaf has a spicy aroma along with the earthy smell of many pu's. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SXieKZb3bMI/AAAAAAAAANQ/BDQzidZVsGw/s1600-h/yunan-bo-nay.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 389px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SXieKZb3bMI/AAAAAAAAANQ/BDQzidZVsGw/s400/yunan-bo-nay.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294155263437663426" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SXieK0UtW6I/AAAAAAAAANY/1JcATAWtG1M/s1600-h/bonayliquor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SXieK0UtW6I/AAAAAAAAANY/1JcATAWtG1M/s400/bonayliquor.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294155270655400866" /></a><br /><br />The liquor of the tea seen here is after the first 2 minutes of steeping, I kept the leaves in the pot and by the end the tea I poured out was black and almost syrupy. The first cup was very pleasant, it was light and warmed my stomach and my body with a mild sweet and earthy taste. I am now on the last cup and the tea has grown astringent and it creates a numbing sensation in my mouth after I drink it.Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-87032033747760787592009-01-19T06:47:00.001-08:002009-02-03T16:19:59.072-08:00Chiran KanayamidonToday I am drinking Chiran Kanayamidon (which I procured from Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar). Chiran refers to the place where the tea is from--Chiran is now part of Kagoshima Prefecture, which is in the South of Japan. The area is also home to the kamikaze museum. The meaning of Kanayamidon is still being researched at this time. Like so many of my recently purchased teas, I have been drinking this almost exclusively and I am on my last steaping.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SXSSuGv3rcI/AAAAAAAAANA/vM1P5xklx20/s1600-h/Kanayamidon-dry.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SXSSuGv3rcI/AAAAAAAAANA/vM1P5xklx20/s400/Kanayamidon-dry.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293016782850207170" /></a><br /><br />The tea leaf is dark green and has the characteristic look of many Japanases teas--namely the fine cut nature of the leaf. The liquor of the tea is an emerald green and the taste of this tea is slightly vegetal with much less astringency than most other Japanese Teas.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blog<br />spot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SXSSuWIyDuI/AAAAAAAAANI/SOSUuiTSULQ/s1600-h/Chiran+Kamayamidon-wet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SXSSuWIyDuI/AAAAAAAAANI/SOSUuiTSULQ/s400/Chiran+Kamayamidon-wet.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293016786981228258" /></a><br /><br />Above are the spent leaves, again one can see how the leaves are cut to pieces.Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-47124534131351384572009-01-15T13:04:00.000-08:002009-02-03T16:12:27.390-08:00Twisted Branch Tea BazaarI visit Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar almost every time I travel West (for example: Nashville, or hiking in the Blue Ridge). It is located on the downtown mall in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it is one of the few tea shops that stays open after dinner. Their selection of tea is on the smaller side, but they do carry some of the most interesting teas in Virginia. Highlights include a selection of Japanese Green Tea that goes beyond Sencha and Matcha and rotates frequently. They also have a decent collection pu-erhs, blacks, greens and white teas. Below are some photographs from the tea shop at night, when the scene changes a little from enjoying tea to more of a hookah bar and music venue.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SW-liINoCmI/AAAAAAAAAM4/vKFeUW0CZnA/s1600-h/20090103_0038.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SW-liINoCmI/AAAAAAAAAM4/vKFeUW0CZnA/s400/20090103_0038.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291630092922391138" /></a><br />Above is a view of their "shoeless" sitting area for enjoying tea. The seating is not for lounging but for contemplation and tea enjoyment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SW-lhztB7iI/AAAAAAAAAMw/SmqwmPyr_TI/s1600-h/20090103_0019.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SW-lhztB7iI/AAAAAAAAAMw/SmqwmPyr_TI/s400/20090103_0019.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291630087416966690" /></a><br />The mirror wall.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SW-lhs3jZnI/AAAAAAAAAMo/n69d7TpcSRE/s1600-h/20090103_0002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SW-lhs3jZnI/AAAAAAAAAMo/n69d7TpcSRE/s400/20090103_0002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291630085582055026" /></a><br /><br />The counter with tea tins in the background.<br /><br />While there I enjoyed a pot of Gyokuro and left with a cup of pi lo chun to go.Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-5842110277104000152009-01-09T06:08:00.000-08:002009-02-03T16:13:15.584-08:00More tea travelsFor the holidays I traveled to Nashville, stopping briefly in the Asheville and Knoxville. I used google and teamap to help me scout locations before my trip. I found three possible tea locations in Asheville, one in Knoxville and one in Nashville. All of the places I found on google and teamap were a disappointment. Two of the locations did not carry tea-just stuff, most of which was not related to tea--one place was no longer, one place served high tea but did not have a wide selection of tea and was more concerned with the art of Victorian High Tea than tea the drink.<br /><br /><br />I found the most interesting tea shop that I have been to in Nashville--and this one I found by word of mouth. The shop was mostly a kitchen wares store with a corner in the back piled high with tea bags--large bags full of loose leaf tea (see picture). I talked with the owner about tea and I tried to get him to show me some tea so that I could decide what I wanted to purchase--at this point I was in need of tea replenishment. At first he was reluctant to show me any teas--it was as though I first had to prove I possessed great knowledge of tea by telling him what I was interested. I could not just say that I wanted green tea, I also had to tell him the type of tea I wanted (gyokuro, sencha, dragonwell, etc) as well as the location I wanted the tea to be from. Once we got past this step and I started to decide on some teas, he warmed up to me (and, I suppose, me to him). I was still, however, skeptical of the way he stored his tea; in a disorganized fashion in plastic bags. It was also hard to decide on teas because the smell of plastic overwhelmed the smell of the tea. After smelling numerous teas, I decided on a Dragonwell from a freshly opened bag and a Tung Ting Oolong. I also received four sample teas when I purchased the Dragonwell and Oolong, the one I am most looking forward to is called "witch's brew" and is a long leaf pu-erh.<br /><br />This store was a welcome find--and the only one of the two places worth writing about--after being disappointed in Asheville and Knoxville. I do, however want to share the rest of my tea adventures in Asheville and Knoxville. <br /><br />Asheville is a cool city with lots of good coffee shops, it however lacks a shop dedicated to Tea--in the sense that a shop carries a wide variety of tea and its primary concern is tea, the actual brew. Below is a photograph of the one place there that billed itself as a tea room and actually served tea (there are at least two other "tea rooms" in Asheville, one sells clothes, the other jewelry and other assorted house gifts).<br /><br />I do not have a photograph of the tea shop in Knoxville because I called them beforehand and asked them what tea they carried. The answer, "ummm... I don't know..., Earl Grey and Constant Comment." This sentence along with the fact that it was called Applecake Tea Room is why I decided to skip this establishment.<br /><br />The last tea shop I visited was in Charlottesville on my return from Nashville. I have been here many times, and it deserves its own seperate post.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SWdbFMhM6AI/AAAAAAAAAMg/zZMRJIr6s7U/s1600-h/20081230_0624.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SWdbFMhM6AI/AAAAAAAAAMg/zZMRJIr6s7U/s400/20081230_0624.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289296432187893762" /></a><br />Tea shop in Asheville<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SWdbE4aNnNI/AAAAAAAAAMY/V1bhQm6uJCM/s1600-h/20090101_0256.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SWdbE4aNnNI/AAAAAAAAAMY/V1bhQm6uJCM/s400/20090101_0256.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289296426789870802" /></a><br /><br />bags of tea piled high in NashvilleGordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-6583581275795682642008-12-12T09:30:00.001-08:002009-02-03T16:20:28.561-08:00Third picked wild green teaThe third picking of the green tea from Mt. Jilee, Korea has been my go-to tea since Thanksgiving. The unfortunate side-effect of this is that I am down to my last brew of the leaves which means it is time for some photos and a brief overview of the tea. The photographs below show the dried leaves, the color of the steeped tea and the leaves after three steepings. The tea has a much more bite to it than the color of the liquor would suggest and it finishes with a sweet and nutty flavor. The advantage of this tea over its first-picked cousin is that the third picking maintains its flavor longer (whereas the first picking looses a lot of its appeal the older that it gets).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SUKf3AOmhoI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/5vf3wFqH8Zk/s1600-h/3rd+picked+spent.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SUKf3AOmhoI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/5vf3wFqH8Zk/s400/3rd+picked+spent.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278957480534509186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SUKf2_tyZGI/AAAAAAAAAMI/hBSgU97n13E/s1600-h/3rdpick_liquor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SUKf2_tyZGI/AAAAAAAAAMI/hBSgU97n13E/s400/3rdpick_liquor.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278957480396874850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SUKf2lG6y1I/AAAAAAAAAMA/imrlor9KODM/s1600-h/3rdpick_leaves.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SUKf2lG6y1I/AAAAAAAAAMA/imrlor9KODM/s400/3rdpick_leaves.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278957473254525778" /></a>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-79127977374720242942008-11-26T13:22:00.001-08:002009-02-03T16:09:44.817-08:00Franchia, NYCFranchia is the tea house I visit the most in NYC, simply because it is very near to Grand Central, my usual arrival point. Franchia also serves a range of Korean vegetarian fare that is prepared very well. The tea selection is not large, but the tea it does have is excellent. The highlight of the tea menu is the selection of Korean tea, particularly the wild green tea--of which they have a first, second and third picking. The tea is from Mt. Jilee, Korea and each picking is very unique. The first picking has the subtlest and purest taste, while the third picking is stronger and not as pure (because it was picked later). Each picking is visibly different: the first picking has more buds and is downy (maybe fuzzy would be a better descriptor) while the third is darker and not downy. This is also the only tea shop that I know sells Korean tea. The interior of the tea house is also very calming and interesting (see photos).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SS2-VeXEz5I/AAAAAAAAAJg/Be9_tQI8Ut4/s1600-h/franchia_05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SS2-VeXEz5I/AAAAAAAAAJg/Be9_tQI8Ut4/s400/franchia_05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273080014857097106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SS2-VUSIWYI/AAAAAAAAAJY/Atkr1TF0Rxo/s1600-h/franchia_04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 367px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SS2-VUSIWYI/AAAAAAAAAJY/Atkr1TF0Rxo/s400/franchia_04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273080012152002946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SS2-VEG7wBI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/pZL-DaF1HOM/s1600-h/franchia_03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 367px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SS2-VEG7wBI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/pZL-DaF1HOM/s400/franchia_03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273080007810072594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SS2-VAloctI/AAAAAAAAAJI/5oYDHtuenm8/s1600-h/Franchia_01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 367px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SS2-VAloctI/AAAAAAAAAJI/5oYDHtuenm8/s400/Franchia_01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273080006865089234" /></a>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-23033110130901156392008-11-26T13:14:00.000-08:002009-02-03T16:11:25.950-08:00Tea in New York City<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SS29SLRBBtI/AAAAAAAAAJA/49Wri3kzzl4/s1600-h/teagallery.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SS29SLRBBtI/AAAAAAAAAJA/49Wri3kzzl4/s400/teagallery.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273078858680174290" /></a><br />Yesterday I traveled from Richmond to Poughkeepsie, via New York City. And I visited two tea shops while in NY. The first tea shop I visited was The Tea Gallery, but it was closed. This saddened me because it was the tea shop I really wanted to go to. I am now relegated to staring at their website until the next time I visit NYC; http://www.theteagallery.com/.Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-24742551566695372322008-11-24T13:06:00.000-08:002009-02-03T16:10:33.220-08:00Carytown Teas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SSsY1faUicI/AAAAAAAAAI4/CHS_Pig9BGs/s1600-h/carytowntea_01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 252px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SSsY1faUicI/AAAAAAAAAI4/CHS_Pig9BGs/s400/carytowntea_01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272335096011327938" /></a><br />A view of the interior of Carytown Teas, located across from the CVS and Ukrops at the western edge of Carytown. (I will hopefully have more photos to share later).<br /><br /><br />This tea house review is going to look at my everyday tea shop, Carytown Teas. I live six or so blocks away and as far as I can tell, Carytown Teas has the biggest selection of tea in Richmond.<br /><br />Carytown Teas claims to carry over 100 varieties of tea as well as teaware and limited baked goods. I like this store because it is all about tea and Patricia (the owner) and Misty (the tea mixologist) are friendly and always trying to please whoever walks in the door--spreading their interest in tea. They are also the most knowledgeable tea shop purveyors in Richmond, at least out of the tea shops I have been to (TeaCo, Cuppa Tea, Torman's).<br /><br />The strength of Carytown Teas is their different tea blends and selection of pu-erhs. Their weakness is in the variety of green and oolong tea (ofcourse, almost every tea shop in the US has this problem, as far as I am concerned). <br /><br />So go to Carytown Teas to get some loose leaf tea or a cup to go if you are in Richmond or passing through looking for good tea without frills (at least almost without frills).Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-8075736751134300302008-11-16T17:18:00.001-08:002009-02-03T16:18:53.634-08:00Tea on the James River<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SSDGjZD8tzI/AAAAAAAAAIo/N5DKOdTXsms/s1600-h/richmondtea_14.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SSDGjZD8tzI/AAAAAAAAAIo/N5DKOdTXsms/s400/richmondtea_14.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269429875348649778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SSDGjZLeRRI/AAAAAAAAAIg/LDTDyoQYYLc/s1600-h/richmondtea_10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SSDGjZLeRRI/AAAAAAAAAIg/LDTDyoQYYLc/s400/richmondtea_10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269429875380208914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SSDGjHyEk8I/AAAAAAAAAIY/eC-GGe64OIA/s1600-h/richmondtea_09.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SSDGjHyEk8I/AAAAAAAAAIY/eC-GGe64OIA/s400/richmondtea_09.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269429870710264770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SSDGjG_TibI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/avVpUvkbj7o/s1600-h/richmondtea_08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 367px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SSDGjG_TibI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/avVpUvkbj7o/s400/richmondtea_08.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269429870497335730" /></a><br /><br /><br />Today, I went to the James River and brought some Pi Lo Chun and a portable tea set with me. It was a little windy and chilly, but otherwise beautiful.Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-26193543249068703272008-10-27T07:16:00.001-07:002009-02-03T16:11:52.329-08:00Olde World Tea Company<div>On Saturday October, 25 2008 I visited Olde World Tea Company in Smithfield, VA. I had a pot of Lapsang Souchong and lunch--a chicken, artichoke and feta quiche with a cup of soup. The food was good and almost all of the menu items used some local ingredients or local taste--all the items were also made from scratch. I did enjoy the Lapsang. I enjoyed it even more because I had not had that type of tea in months. It was brought out already brewed to a good strength. And I got all of this at a very reasonable price ($9 with taxes for a pot of tea, quiche, and cup of soup).</div><div><br /></div><div>Olde Worlde also sells tea wares and loose leaf teas (about 50 varieties). Below I do have some photographs of some of the teas offered. I thought that the range of selection was very good and appealed to a variety of tastes. My favorite items in the tea shop are the pu erh cakes and discs because no other shop that I have been to in Virginia carries them (at least none that I have been to). The discs are also a good conversation piece because most people have no idea what they are.</div><div><br /></div><div>website:</div><div>www.oldeworldtea.com</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SQXONXhoREI/AAAAAAAAAGk/gH7W83qvnnA/s1600-h/oldworld_04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 367px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SQXONXhoREI/AAAAAAAAAGk/gH7W83qvnnA/s400/oldworld_04.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261838468700980290" /></a>above (L to R and bottom to top): White tea Pu Erh disc, jasmine pearls (my first favorite tea), rolled oolong, pu-erh tuo cha, and two varietes of artisanal flowering teas that open into the shape of a pineapple or a flower. (sorry, I did not write down the details--I will next time)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SQXONEsn57I/AAAAAAAAAGc/x7Dq69UDSTE/s1600-h/oldworld_03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SQXONEsn57I/AAAAAAAAAGc/x7Dq69UDSTE/s400/oldworld_03.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261838463646820274" /></a>A close up of the white tea pu-erh disc. This demonstrates Olde World's commitment to the tea-fanatic/connoisseur. (Although if you buy this I would start drinking it right away. I wouldnt recommend buying this specifically to age it and drink it 5 or 20 years from now as your house or basement probably does not have the right microbes to make the taste any good) <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SQXOMzp9mtI/AAAAAAAAAGU/VVQRwr0TRgk/s1600-h/oldworld_02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SQXOMzp9mtI/AAAAAAAAAGU/VVQRwr0TRgk/s400/oldworld_02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261838459072256722" /></a>Another photograph of the same teas above. (L to R) Jasmine Pearls, some variety of rolled Oolong, Pu-Erh tuo cha, and two varietes of flowering teaGordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-19943314136758039822008-10-27T07:09:00.001-07:002008-12-14T18:02:57.584-08:00portable tea drinking<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SQXMmirc_JI/AAAAAAAAAGE/QVjFw-DChpE/s1600-h/jetboil_02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 367px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SQXMmirc_JI/AAAAAAAAAGE/QVjFw-DChpE/s400/jetboil_02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261836702168448146" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SQXMmXGpm8I/AAAAAAAAAF8/hESTuJbKMe8/s1600-h/jetboil_01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 367px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SQXMmXGpm8I/AAAAAAAAAF8/hESTuJbKMe8/s400/jetboil_01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261836699061296066" /></a><br />I do a lot of traveling and when I travel I still like to have tea, but usually have a hard time finding good water or a microwave or stove to heat the water. Now while I usually can use the tap water at hand to brew some sort of tea, heating up the water is more problematic.<div><br /></div><div>The solution:</div><div>Jetboil. It is a portable camp stove that boils water in two minutes or less.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-73973536465744809702008-10-21T20:32:00.000-07:002009-02-03T16:21:26.064-08:00Morning Tea, Tuesday, October 21, 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SP6f_feNqFI/AAAAAAAAAE8/fY_XSsY3bn8/s1600-h/tea_leaves1_10-21-08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SP6f_feNqFI/AAAAAAAAAE8/fY_XSsY3bn8/s400/tea_leaves1_10-21-08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259817327944116306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SP6f_Q5soKI/AAAAAAAAAFE/5hqBrjl6QeU/s1600-h/tea_leaves2_10-21-08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SP6f_Q5soKI/AAAAAAAAAFE/5hqBrjl6QeU/s400/tea_leaves2_10-21-08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259817324032860322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SP6f_-74tRI/AAAAAAAAAFM/sQ50xe8a_Tg/s1600-h/tea_leaves3_10-21-08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SP6f_-74tRI/AAAAAAAAAFM/sQ50xe8a_Tg/s400/tea_leaves3_10-21-08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259817336390071570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SP6gAFYrXXI/AAAAAAAAAFU/LBDGbRFMYqk/s1600-h/tea_leaves4_10-21-08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SP6gAFYrXXI/AAAAAAAAAFU/LBDGbRFMYqk/s400/tea_leaves4_10-21-08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259817338121444722" /></a><br />For my morning tea I had a high-mountain style oolong from taiwan--"Our Good Life Tea". This tea was also acquired from Holsome Teas, www.holsome.com. It was a winter picking. I was told that I had to listen for the flavor and smell of this tea when i procured it. I like this image. Above are some photographs of the brewed leaves and the first and second steeping. The second steeping is the darker color.<div><br /></div><div>I have decided that this is my favorite tea out of my current stock. You do have to listen to the flavor, which has floral overtones, but perhaps why I like it the most is because it has excellent qi--it doesnt impart too much nor too little energy. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now an aside on qi:</div><div><br /></div><div>Qi is the energy the tea gives you. On a basic level, you could interpret qi as the level of caffeine and other stimulants present in the particular tea, but the qi is affected by other qualities. Other factors that can affect a tea's qi are the water quality (water can ofcourse also affect the taste of the tea), the conditions of the tea growing region, cultivation methods, place where the tea is tasted and numerous other factors.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thus the soil, water, stimulant content, cultivation methods and location of tea drinking all affect how one feels after a cup of tea.</div><div><br /></div><div>A tea with good qi leaves you alert and energized</div><div>A tea with bad qi can leave you feeling sick or give you a headache</div><div><br /></div><div>A tea with good qi is probably grown in an area that has very little pollution, using little to no pesticides or other chemicals. It is probably picked by hand (at least in China and Taiwan) by skilled pickers and then dried and processed by skilled tea artisans. A tea with bad qi may be quite the opposite of this, although I am sure there are exceptions.</div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-3600294799026646502008-10-20T11:08:00.001-07:002009-02-03T16:22:37.042-08:00Morning tea, October 20th, 2008<div>This post kicks off the Richmond Tea Blog. </div><div><br /></div><div>I brewed some Pouchong that I ordered from Holsome, a tea and medicinal shop in Princeton, NJ. The packaging the tea comes in--if you order enough of it--reads as follows:</div><div><br /></div><div>FRONT:</div><div>Bao-Chung Tea </div><div>from Pinglin, Wenshan</div><div><br /></div><div>BACK:</div><div>Tea Making Instruction</div><div><br /></div><div>Put Bao-Chung tea in the teapot for about two-third pot ' the pour boiling water (90 C is better) into it for about 20 seconds. In the second times ' pour the boiling water into it for about 30 seconds. It needs about 40 seconds in the third times ' 50 seconds in the forth time and 60 seconds in the fifth times... The flavor of tea could be strong or lightened by personal.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>That is the exact wording and punctuation that appears on the packaging. </div><div><br /></div><div>Poor translations like the one above run rampant throughout tea literature written in English. And while the translation above is a poor one, it is still easy enough to understand the meaning in english. When the translations get longer, however, it does become harder to know just how much was lost in translation. This, coupled with a severe lack of good books about tea originally written in English, makes it very hard to: 1) find a truly good tea, 2) brew it properly 3) acquire knowledge about the tea growing region and 4) know anything at all about how the tea is grown or processed. Thus one goal for this blog is to find, report and share useful knowledge about tea.</div><div><br /></div><div>This Pouchong will be discussed again at a later date, now I want to share some photographs of the Pouchong:</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzJYgF_yFI/AAAAAAAAAEE/1zfEq-VfpJE/s1600-h/pouchong5_10_20_08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzJYgF_yFI/AAAAAAAAAEE/1zfEq-VfpJE/s400/pouchong5_10_20_08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259299887631026258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzJY1_eTaI/AAAAAAAAAEM/6hLW2LhvhtM/s1600-h/pouchong4_10_20_08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzJY1_eTaI/AAAAAAAAAEM/6hLW2LhvhtM/s400/pouchong4_10_20_08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259299893509246370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzJZPV9_XI/AAAAAAAAAEU/YStH1oc9OZU/s1600-h/pouchong6_10_20_08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzJZPV9_XI/AAAAAAAAAEU/YStH1oc9OZU/s400/pouchong6_10_20_08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259299900314484082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzJZtC3sEI/AAAAAAAAAEc/4nzceQIPTHs/s1600-h/pouchong3_10_20_08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzJZtC3sEI/AAAAAAAAAEc/4nzceQIPTHs/s400/pouchong3_10_20_08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259299908287443010" /></a>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-56153934927906504932008-10-20T11:06:00.001-07:002008-10-20T11:08:29.351-07:001st post cont'd<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzI30iFIFI/AAAAAAAAAD0/vGvtexXygMo/s1600-h/pouchong2_10_20_08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzI30iFIFI/AAAAAAAAAD0/vGvtexXygMo/s400/pouchong2_10_20_08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259299326181843026" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzI4BlrI_I/AAAAAAAAAD8/5VmiRMMd0tg/s1600-h/pouchong1_10_20_08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P_3x00HQaWY/SPzI4BlrI_I/AAAAAAAAAD8/5VmiRMMd0tg/s400/pouchong1_10_20_08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259299329686578162" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">pouchong and pot 10-20-2008</div>Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220498783419366812.post-2824896044278743852008-10-19T15:33:00.000-07:002008-10-19T15:34:19.131-07:00Richmond TeaThis will be a blog about my tea experiences.Gordon Stillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074502122078331876noreply@blogger.com0