Celadon jar

My latest find, a beautiful celadon jar. I don't know what to use it for yet. It's just lovely to have it around.

Taken from http://tea-obsession.blogspot.com/

Bi Lo Chun: a comparison between Taiwan and Mainland China

Sunday, I got a sample of Bi Lo Chun from San Hsia, 30 km south of Taipei.
I wanted to compare it with the Mainland Bi Lo Chun from Jiang Su I got from Teaparker, my tea master.

The Taiwanese leaves, left, are bigger. Definitely post Qing Min Festival. I had to use at least twice as much (half a gaiwan when dry) to get the same concentration as the
Jiang Su Bi Lo Chun (picked 2 days after the Qing Min Festival).
Bi Lo Chun should have lots of hair on the leaves. But Taiwan's almost has none, as you can see on this second picture:

As for the smell, Taiwan's is quite similar and pleasant. But the yun, the after
taste, is almost non existant, whereas I found Mailand Bi Lo Chun's yun
especially powerfull (Teaparker says delicate, maybe depending on the amount used).
This was just one sample of Taiwan Bi Lo Chun, but it seems to be quite
representative, from what I heard elsewhere.

If you put more emphasis on the fragrance, then the Taiwan Bi Lo Chun can be a good alternative to the expensive bi lo chun, which I can't provide. But if you are looking for after taste, then it can't compare to the original Bi Lo Chun from Jiang Su.

Taken from http://teamasters.blogspot.com/

士林社區大學茶道藝術社, Tea Arts Society, Shihlin C.C.

士林社區大學茶道藝術社在Yahoo!奇摩開部落格囉!!

http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/tastscc2001

Tea Arts Society, Shihlin C.C.

茶道藝術社團,臺北市士林社區大學 Tea Arts Society, Shilin Community College
老師, Teacher: 涂國瑞 Tea Master Instructor Tu Kuo-Juey
台北市士林區社區大學開設「茶道藝術社」，班級結合社區經營，學員「以茶會友」，還到養老院表演茶道敬老；學員情牽「茶緣」，有近8成學員都是捨不得畢業的「舊生」。
士林社大「茶道藝術社」於民國89年創設，開課以來吸引不少學員參加；社大統計，97學年有31名學員，其中有5人是新生，26人是舊生，舊生「回鍋」比例高，「學齡」最長者從89年就報名上課，也有美國、日本籍學員來上課。社大打趣，學員都捨不得畢業。
士林社大主秘劉君英表示，茶道藝術社的班級經營不錯，課前有學員主動準備開水，也有學員自動排桌椅，感情融洽，此外，班級結合社區服務，學員在重陽節或假日定期到老人會、養老院舉辦敬老茶會，或與位於士林的知名餅店共同舉辦吃餅配茶公益活動，將喝茶的概念推廣到社區。
劉君英說，茶道藝術社課程著重學員心得分享，半數課程探討泡茶基本功，其餘課程以不同主題讓學員發揮；上學期就以茶結合茶點，讓學員自己動手DIY。由於社大僅發給研習證明書，講師還鼓勵學員取得泡茶師或無我茶會證照肯定技藝，去年度的茶道藝術社就有15人擁有泡茶師證照。
茶道藝術社講師涂國瑞表示，古人「以茶會友」，現代的社區大學開設的茶道課程，茶不僅成為人際橋梁，也是修身養性的方式，學員則有年輕化趨勢，另也不乏老外慕名茶文化而報名上課，跨國文化可以帶著走，老外的學習態度反而比本國人還專注。
士林社大茶道藝術社「上課最久」的學員林淑珍，在茶道藝術社開班就上課至今，她說，講師傳授的是20 年習茶經驗，她才習茶9年，不算什麼，雖然有時與初級學員同班，對舊生而言反而是「溫故知新」，同學間因「茶緣」成為好朋友，才是最大的收獲。

臺北市士林社區大學，
是一所坐落於臺灣臺北市的社區大學，始創於1999年9月，校址設於百齡高中，由財團法人崇德文教基金會承辦，校長為張明致。課程主要有三類，學術性課程、社團活動課程、生活藝能課程，學生三千多人。2010年，士林社大接受了地方政府的委託，認養了外雙溪公園的溼地生態池。

電話：28806580
地址：台北市士林區承德路四段177號
http://www.tscc.org.tw/index.asp

http://tscctscc.blogspot.com/

Taken from http://teaarts.blogspot.com/

David's Tea's Sencha Ashikubo Review

Type: Green
Origin: Ashikubo Valley in Japan
Price: Sample (regular price - $18.75 for 50g. Also available in 25g and 100g packages)
Vendor: David’s Tea
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 200°F-205°F, steeped for 4 - 6 minutes
Overall Score: Their Instructions: 1.5 out of 5; My Instructions: 4.2 out of 5

Sencha Ashikubo is said to be “less grassy” and have a “hint of toast that comes from the firing process,” according to David’s Tea’s website. The dry leaves certainly look and smell like Sencha. However, I do notice a slightly roasted smell in the background. The leaves are, although small, are long, thin strands. They kind of remind me of blades of grass. There are a lot of tiny broken particles, as well.

The aroma of the freshly brewed tea is stronger than normal for greens. It is very grassy, vegetal, with a hint of nuttiness. The liquor is a bright yellowish-green color.

Left: Steeped for 5 minutes. Right: Steeped for 1 minute.

After being steeped for 5 minutes, the taste is just as expected - extremely bitter. It was all I could do to choke down one 2 oz. cup. The tea is very strong and astringent, also. The bitterness coats my tongue which ends up being the only thing I can taste. About 15 seconds after swallowing, the grassiness of the tea finally shows up in the aftertaste.

So, let’s try this again. This time the tea will steep in 160°F water for 1 minute.

The aroma is very subtle. It is ever so slightly grassy with a buttery smell, as well. The liquor is a very light green color – much lighter than the first cup.

Ah, there is the Sencha that I know and love. A subtle but sweet grassiness is what I taste first, and then a pleasant mix of nutty and buttery fills in. It is a lot smoother on the tongue than the first cup. I found this cup to still be faintly bitter and a little astringent, but it didn’t really hurt me any.

When I do tea reviews, I always brew it according to the vendor’s instructions because that is how non-tea-freaks are going to do it. When you buy from a specialty store, you trust them to be experts on what they are selling – so you are going to do as they say.

However, I still do not understand why the instructions for this tea are the way they are. I don’t mind some bitterness with tea now and then (I NEVER add sweeteners) but I think brewing this tea as instructed by the vendor is undrinkable.

I know my instructions are not perfect either. Everyone has their own tastes. However, my suggestion is to lower the water temperature A LOT and set the steep time to around 1-3 minutes.

Taken from http://mysteepedidentitea.blogspot.com/

Meyer Lemon Tart & Your Favorite Drink the Leaf Loose teas

We have lemons coming out of our ears. A few years back my husband planted a Meyer lemon tree- we patiently waited for the bounty. Well, it has arrived- loads and loads of lemons; bright and beautiful. Now what the heck should we do with all of these lemons? I thought I had the perfect answer- display them in a big red bowl and set them on my dining room table. I pranced by admiring my brilliant creativity & domesticity. I was feeling pretty good-even a friend commented on how nice our table looked. But, there it was, the guilt. It was creeping in….Good people across the world nurture and care for their gardens, and not to just display their good fortune in a bowl! Okay, I give in. I would create something with this gift and share my bounty.

I recalled that my Mom had given me a cookbook back in 2005 for Christmas- Luscious Lemon Desserts,by Lori Longbotham. The inscription said- “looked so good, I bought one, too. Love, Mom.” Well, my copy has been sitting in the cupboard stuffed behind Bobby Flay and the like. I dug it out, and flipped through the pages. I conferred with the tea drinker- “This could be fun. We can bake all day, drink fabulous Drink the Leaf loose leaf teas, and eat dessert in the middle of the afternoon!” He was not convinced. (read: Dan thinking- not a healthy way to spend the day). So I forged on without him. Lemon bars, lemon meringue pie, lemon tart, and shortbread. The choices were limitless. I chose “The Perfect Lemon Tart”. And, you know what, it was pretty darn close.

I presented the Tea Drinker with the masterpiece. He even raised an eyebrow while eating, and asked me to cut two slices for our neighbors. The next day, the phone rang. The Perfect Lemon Tart had made an impression on the neighbors. Were the lemons actually from your tree??? Yep, I was proud. So much in fact, the following weekend I hopped to it again, and made a lemon tart and lemon bars, to boot. The Lemon tart was shared with my co-workers- to express my gratitude for all their help with recent festivities.

Give it a go, and let me know what you think. The whole process took me less than an hour.

Recipe:
Adapted from: Luscious Lemon Desserts

Shopping List:
10-11” tart pan with removable bottom
1 stick unsalted butter
2 TBSP. Lemon Zest
1 ¾ cups Flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 pinches of salt
6 eggs
1 cup of fresh lemon juice( about 7 lemons)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Confectioner’s sugar( optional) for dusting

Action:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Melt butter in saucepan over med heat, add 1 TBSP of zest. Stand for 5 minutes
Whisk flour, ½ cup of sugar, pinch of salt in small bowl.
Pour butter mixture slowly into flour-mix with fork until dough sticks together between two fingers
Transfer mixture to pan and press to bottom and up sides of pan. Bake for 25 minutes or light golden brown. Remove and rest on wire rack.
Process remaining 1 cup of sugar with 1 TBSP of zest. If you do not have a process just mix well, and chop zest finer.
Whisk together eggs, sugar with zest, lemon juice, and pinch of salt in mixing bowl.
Beat cream with mixer until small peaks form. Fold into egg mixture until just blended.
Place pie crust in pan on baking sheet, and pour filling into the warm crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes until just set. Let tar cool.
Sift confectioner’s sugar, cut, and enjoy!

Oh, and Mom- if you are out there reading this- Dust off that cookbook, and give me a call. I would be happy to send you some lemons.

Taken from http://www.wifeofateadrinker.blogspot.com/

Remember How Good Tea Can Be For You?

Of course we know how great tea is! But it's always good to have a reminder of all its benefits. Here is a summary from Eat. Drink Better.

Tea contains antioxidants. Antioxidants can help slow down the aging process, and help cells regenerate and repair. Many studies suggest antioxidants also assist our bodies in preventing cancer.

Tea can lower stress hormone levels. Black tea can reduce the effects of stressful events by lowering the amount of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.

Tea fights cavities and reduces plaque. Compounds in tea are capable of killing or suppressing growth and acid production of cavity causing bacteria in our mouths.

Tea keeps you hydrated. Every cup of tea you drink, especially low or no caffeine varieties, counts as a cup of water with the added bonus of providing antioxidants as well.

Tea may reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Tea can help prevent formation of dangerous blood clots which are often the cause of strokes and heart attacks.

Tea can help lower blood pressure. Drinking green tea daily can reduce your risk of hypertension by up to 50%.

Tea aids your body in digestion. Tea has been used for thousands of years as an after-meal digestive aid. It can also help relieve stomach cramps.

Tea may help prevent diabetes. There is some evidence to suggest that green tea might help to lower the risk of getting Type 2 Diabetes.

Tea can help beat bacteria. An Egyptian study testing the effects of green tea on antibiotics found the tea to enhance the bacteria killing effects of the drugs.

Tea aids your immune defenses. A study comparing the immune activity levels of coffee drinkers vs. tea drinkers found the tea drinkers to have levels up to five times higher.

Source: Eat. Drink. Better., "10 Health Benefits of Drinking Tea"

Taken from http://teaquilibrium.blogspot.com/

Ripe old Puerh Magic

When the weather is hot and the sun shines with all its strength, it's often time for a green tea or a light mountain Oolong. Teaparker had another idea: a brew of 7638, the 33 years old ripe brick from Kunming Factory (3) using leaves recipe number 8 (not necessarily the grade of the leaves). (Note: they inverted the number for factory and leaves in 1976 for this brick.)

Amazingly, it works! The tea is so soft, pure and mellow, that it managed to cool us by its calm. It has the smell of ripe puerh, but the taste is so soft, almost non-existant that we didn't rinse it. I contrast this to most recent ripe puerhs that I've tested recently. Their first 2 or 3 brews are best thrown away, because so unpleasant in the mouth and throat. But with this old brick, it's perfect with the first sip. We did notice some white oily shine on some dry leaves, which means that this brick is still evolving. Time has made it better, but I don't think that time alone is responsible for the perfection of this ripe puerh. First, in 1976, the leaves used were still mostly wild or old arbor. Second, the ripening process was done well. This isn't always the case with ripe puerh, though...

Teaparker told us so pretty scary stories on how some make ripe puerh:

- Dig a hole in the ground, fill it with puerh leaves, cover with a plastic blanket, wait 4 weeks approximately. Et voilà! It's magic! (This method brings a very 'earthy' taste to ripe puerh!)

- Put the puerh leaves in an exposed cabin with thin walls in the countryside (like where a farmer keeps his tools). Sun and humidity from the fields next and under the cabin will do the rest! (This method also involves pesticides to keep insects away from the leaves!)

The right way to ripen puerh is in a clean building, with concrete floor. Ideally, the leaves would be put on bamboo mats. Then, only pure local mineral water would be used to water them, and the ripening process would last around 7 weeks with regular checks.

Now it's time to see if ripe puerh is also a good choice at my sunny tea spot! I grab my oldest cooked puerh, the 1990 '9016' Fuhai Tuo Cha.

I choose a Chaozhou teapot and 3 small old porcelain cups.

The porous teapot will help soften the tea and the thin cups aim to catch its finesse. The natural colors of the background echo to the ripe puerh, while the refinement on the Cha Bu suggest that even ripe puerh can become a wonderful tea.

After rinsing the tea once, I proceed with my tasting. Of course, it can't measure up to the 7638 brick, but it remains one of the nicest ripe puerhs I could find. Sweet and calm. It's a different way to cool down (than young green tea), but it works!