Disaster in Japan

First off, I received an email yesterday from Ilya at Adagio, in which he informed me of a support program they have going on:

Adagio Teas is donating 15% of its Japanese Tea sales to the American Red Cross and for every one of these sales we will post a paper crane to our site to mark all of our collective efforts.

Check it out: Adagio Teas - Japanese Relief

Secondly, I want to encourage you all to continue supporting the Japanese economy by buying Japanese tea products when the new harvest comes out. If Japanese teas aren't... (I'm so sorry for this) your cup of tea (groan), they also make some pretty nifty teapots, tea cups, tea canisters, etc. that you can use for whatever teas you like.

I know some of you may be concerned about radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant incident contaminating your Japanese tea, but fear not! While some crops in areas in the vicinity of the reactor have demonstrated unsafe levels of contamination, the tea-producing regions of Japan are quite far to the south and are extremely unlikely to be adversely affected.

I understand if you don't just take my word for it, though. Fortunately there is some excellent discussion on the issue going on over at TeaChat; I suspect this thread will be updated as more information becomes known.

Spring come early

There's something about unseasonably spring-like weather that causes me to revert back to my hopelessly romantic teenage self.


I thought I might find some inspiration to write about this gorgeous tea— a 2009 Shan Lin Xi oolong from The Tea Gallery— but it turns out I'd much rather just get tea drunk and listen to old crooners sing love songs. I'll get back to you about the tea. :)

Starting over.

It has been a long time since I had any sort of meaningful experience with tea. At some point I just... gave up. Looking back, I think one can see this in my last several entries; fearing that I would lose some important part of my life if I accepted my budding lack of interest, I desperately grasped at new ways to find meaning in the hobby I had spent so much time exploring. Sometimes it even worked, however briefly.

But sometimes we just have to let ourselves let go. Do I regret that I gave up on a beautiful thing, a creative outlet, and a means to meet interesting people and have stimulating discussion? Absolutely— I'd be stupid not to. But did dwelling on it accomplish anything?

Over the past year (probably even longer) I often had the thought, "I really should put together a new post..." I would look over at my tea stash and associate it with the burden of taking photos, looking up information, writing, formatting, etc.; it got to the point where I felt obligated to write about tea whenever I so much as looked at it. This obligation eventually turned into a weird guilty feeling I couldn't help but dwell on, and, well, it's no surprise that tea lost its magic.

Dwelling on guilt is an incredibly easy way of telling ourselves how much better we could be— how much better we should be. You know what? Screw that. You're just as shitty a person as you know you are; no more, no less.

"Quitters never win and winners never quit." A noble sentiment, but ultimately harmful. Does this mean we fail every time life takes us down a new road? Is one failure all it takes to permanently label us as failures? Where did we get this notion that we have to, or are even able to, win everything? Why do some of us give ourselves endless amounts of grief for not achieving the level of perfection we expect?

Take comfort in your revolting humanity, the piss-poor excuse of a god that you've become. Suffering from guilt is not righteous suffering, and freeing yourself from it is not a resignation to complacency but rather the first step in getting out of your own damn way.

All this to say, hopefully I can put this mode of thinking behind me and start (among other things) enjoying tea again. And who knows? Once that happens, maybe I'll start writing again, but forget about regular updates for the sake of regular updates.

Fortunately, my readers are used to waiting. :)

Light

[As with my post on mindfulness, this is more a personal reflection than a lesson. Hopefully you can glean something useful from it, but I certainly do not want to imply that I know what is best for you.]

I recently noticed that light is a critical part of my great tea sessions. Of course one needs adequate light in order to brew tea adequately, but for a special tasting I need remarkable light. It has to create a sense that something is different, special, not merely mundane.

Whether it be bright sunlight outside, soft diffuse light through a window on a cloudy/rainy day, or dim incandescent lighting in a quiet room at night, the best light is simply and unpretentiously beautiful. It shouldn't be contrived, melodramatic studio-like lighting; it should be natural, effortless, and not distracting. Finding great light, whether planned or accidental, is more rewarding than my attempts to cobble something together myself.

The light should resonate with me; if my mood doesn't match the quality of the light, things don't quite fall into place. When everything harmonizes, though, and the cha qi of the tea is just right, and I feel as though I am dissolving into the light around me... Perfect!

Tea notes

I feel increasingly weird posting tasting notes here, especially for old teas you can't buy anymore. They make sense for group tastings where others may actually want to compare observations but... let's be honest, you don't really want to read about the bag of unlabeled oolong I just found in the back of my cupboard.

So, if you wouldn't mind, check out the poll to the right. Be honest, you won't hurt my feelings... much. *whimper*

Mindfulness

This article is about something I take very seriously, though not often enough. I generally try to live by Oscar Wilde's maxim that "Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about," but there are a certain few things in this world that I cannot help but revere. Mindfulness is one of them. The others are so corny they would probably make you puke. (Alright, so maybe I can't be completely serious.) I am no philosopher, so I'll try to keep my ignorant musings about mindfulness to a minimum, but I can at least relate how I try to cultivate mindfulness while making tea.

It starts with setting up my tools. I pour water into my kettle; I taste the cool water, watch and listen to it splash. I like to close my eyes for as long as I feel comfortable doing so; without sight, one gains an appreciation for how dependent we are on it. I like to see how much I can do without vision, just to feel the uncertainty and anxiety of being without my dominant sense.

As the water is heating, I set out the rest of my things. I don't place much importance on the overall plan of how I will arrange these things, other than a simple yet pleasing composition, but I pay attention to the act of moving and placing each object. I see and feel the different materials and textures, and listen to how they interact with each other.

I pick up the bag of tea leaves. Today I've chosen a dancong from The Tea Gallery called "Essence of Ginger." I like dancong, especially when I can set some time aside to get serious about it. I open the bag and smell the leaf. I breathe into and out of the bag (I wouldn't recommend this if you share this tea with others or if you don't plan on finishing the bag relatively soon) to circulate the aromas and immerse myself in them. This tea smells soft, sweet, and floral; not overpowering, but confidently defined. I take a breath of fresh air, for contrast.

The water is coming to a boil now; it is violent and a bit unnerving, and starkly different than anything else at the moment. I pour it into an empty gaiwan, listening and watching it as it first splashes against porcelain, then itself. I let it sit, then pour into two cups to warm them as well. As I pick up the cups to empty them, I hold on a bit longer than I normally would; they are not hot enough to burn, but enough to cause minor pain and discomfort. Mindfulness allows us to experience pain and other "negative" experiences in a more (though not completely) objective light; they are simply sensations like any other. After I put down the cups, I run my warm fingertips across my face. Why? Hell if I know, why not?


As I take a few photos, I wonder why I don't take more photos of the water I use for my tea; I typically focus on the leaves and teaware to the exclusion of all else.

I place the dry leaf in the still-warm gaiwan, close it up, then open again to smell. It is different now; stronger, fruitier, more lively, with an unmistakable hint of ginger. I pour boiling water onto the leaves in a thin stream, again watching and listening as it splashes. I place the lid back on the gaiwan; it sings as I lightly scrape porcelain against porcelain. I wait a while, then decant into the cups.

I get jolted back to reality by an advertisement so abruptly interjected in my Pandora playlist. Damn. But, I slowly make my way back to tea.

I lift the gaiwan lid to my nose and smell. Again, it is different than before; woodsy, slightly acidic. I pick up the cups, once again savoring their slightly-uncomfortable heat with my fingers. I smell again, breathe out, then take a sip. First small sips, then big sips (though not so big that I burn myself), and everything in between. I play around with it a bit. Why not? I feel for oiliness on my lips, and warmth in my nose. The flavor is delicate, sweet, floral. I overbrewed some of the infusions, but for the moment I don't really care; I try to be mindful of the bitterness and astringency and experience them fully aware of their usual negative bodily reactions, like I did with pain earlier.

This reminds me a bit of something the composer John Cage said. "The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason."

I don't know if it is cha qi, various poorly-understood chemical interactions, or just plain-ol' caffeine, but after a few infusions I begin to feel the tea's effects on my body. Most notable is my jaw tightening; not usually a pleasant sensation, but mindfulness and objective perception help to sidestep some of the discomfort. I also feel a bit drowsy and heavy-headed, which only deepens the trance-like state this tea session has put me in. It is around this time that I start to pay attention to my breathing; not as much as one would in full-on meditation, but enough to feel its effects on the body.

Then, another advertisement yanks me back out. Shit, that's annoying.

I don't do this enough. There is something remarkably peaceful and satisfying about spending a couple of hours mindfully preparing tea. I'm not sure this post is particularly useful as a guide, but hopefully you find something here that you can incorporate into your own mindful tea practice. And please, feel free to share your own musings and observations! I would love to post some links to other similar tea blog posts as well, so don't be shy...

Thoughts on minimalism

My preferred "style" is definitely minimalist-leaning without being completely spartan (Proper capitalization and punctuation? On a blog? Gadzooks!), as you may have noticed through my teaware choices and the various templates Tea Nerd has sported in the past. Even putting aside aesthetics, there is something elegant and satisfying about having a clean, simple, capable set of tools.


Oh right. Well, uhh, about that...

(Happy Thanksgiving!)

Stale tea

I brewed up the last of a sample of 90's Golden Pearls Dancong. A bit stale, but still tasty. I have to say, I'm not sure tea would be quite as good if I knew it would never go stale.

Hope you weren't expecting a lot of text!

Tea and Weight Loss | IT'S ALIVE, kind of

Bwahaha, I'll bet I had you going for a minute there with this title. It's actually exactly the opposite of what you are thinking.

This is mostly a "look guys, this blog really isn't dead" post, but here's a fun fact: over the past few months, despite drinking almost zero tea, I have lost 20 pounds. Now, I could use this anecdote to launch into a satire about how dumb the customers of weight-loss tea companies are, but this has already been done to death so I'll spare you.

Anyway, look guys, this blog really isn't dead. ["Comatose" works, though.] Like I said, I just haven't been drinking much tea at all, for various reasons. I'll get back into it eventually, but I don't want to stuff this blog full of boring filler reviews about teas I'm really just not that interested in (no offense to the vendors whose teas I have stockpiled) right now.

I greatly appreciate that some of you still regularly check this site for updates, and I'm sorry that this post isn't more substantial! This blog isn't gone for good though, so keep checking back every couple weeks (or whenever); you never know when this fickle mind will want to write again. :)

Newbie's Guide to Teaware: Getting Started and T.O.C.

Table of Contents

The Spartan
The Lone Ranger
The MacGyver
The Orient Express (Part II, Part III)

Where's the matcha guide? I wrote this before I started the Newbie's Guide series, but it is probably still helpful to mention it here:
Matcha Madness (Part II, Part III).

Which is best for me?

If you have no experience brewing tea, or have only dunked teabags in coffee cups, you will likely find The Spartan and The Lone Ranger guides the most useful.

If you have some experience brewing loose leaf tea, you probably already have a setup similar to The Spartan. You may find The Lone Ranger refreshing and convenient, or you might want to step up your game with The Orient Express.

If you are absolutely broke but have some basic kitchen equipment, or like doing things the wrong way, read The MacGyver first. Then, read The Lone Ranger.

Want to brew tea in an office environment? The Lone Ranger is low-profile and low fuss, and The Orient Express can be equally convenient if you go with a very basic setup. The Spartan may work, but it doesn't really do anything the Lone Ranger can't, in less space.

Untitled, as always | Poll Results

I don't like to title my photos, unless it's a simple description like the name of the place or the item in the photo. To me a photo title is suspiciously similar to the foreword of a book; it really only exists because the author wants to tell you how to read the book. The other reason is that the only clever titles I can ever come up with are cynical ones like "Self Indulgence" or "Cliché." (See?)

[First: Tri-X @ EI 320, Rodinal 1:50, Yashica 12. Second: Fomapan 100 @ EI 80, Rodinal 1:100 (50 min stand), Yashica 12.]

****************************************
The poll results showed that around half of you (47%) don't mind seeing the occasional unrelated post, like this one. For the 35% of you who would like me to relate these posts back to tea somehow: I'll try to do that most of the time. For the 17% who don't like these posts at all and are now reading this: that wasn't so bad, was it? :)

Yashica 12

Meet my newest acquisition, a Yashica 12 TLR. I just gave it a thorough cleaning and plan on running some film through it in the next day or two; hopefully there are no major problems!

Townshend's Tea in Portland

While in Portland several days ago, a certain family member brought me to this little tea place on Alberta Street called Townshend's. I don't usually expect much from these sorts of shops, but I was pleasantly surprised.


It is a contemporary tea house, as opposed to the stereotypical dusty/overstuffed Chinese tea shops and doilies-and-pinkies Victorian tea rooms. I thought it worked well; it's the same sort of design that Starbucks had their way with, but I don't mind. It was peaceful (it seemed to be a nice spot for studying or reading, for those of you who go places to do either), comfortable, and the staff was friendly.

Oh yes, and the tea isn't bad either. From what one of the employees told me, the place used to be focused on chai and bubble tea, but they have recently developed a pretty decent loose leaf tea list. Don't get too excited-- I doubt there is anything there that you couldn't find online for a better price, and there isn't a ton of variety (I don't remember if they have any puerh actually, probably just some cheap shu), but their selection was very good for a small brick-and-mortar store.


We ordered a Tie Guan Yin and a Wuyi yancha (probably a Shui Xian), which were served in gaiwans (large ones-- probably 7 oz) with cups to decant into. Also provided was a reasonably-sized kettle over a tea candle. It is hard to see in the photo, but they actually gave us a lot of leaf! The little tea light didn't keep the water very hot, but I imagine that is one of the more difficult challenges in serving tea to customers. Even Imperial Tea Court (the Ferry Building location, anyway) doesn't take any measures to keep your water warm, though I'm sure they would reheat it for you if you asked.

The employee I was talking about earlier (Sadly, I forgot his name) came over to talk and we chatted for a bit about the teas we like and what vendors we buy from. I was happy to find someone really interested in tea working at this place. I've heard the horror stories about Teavana employees and assumed the worst, but this store seems to employ people that are genuinely interested and pursue tea as a hobby on their own time.

Overall, I had a great time, and this place exceeded my expectations. Check it out if you are in the area.

New Teaware, Teas

It was a good holiday season this year. Among other things, I got a lot of new teas and teawares. Much of the bounty is courtesy of ABx from TeaChat, including this lovely gaiwan (made famous by GeekGirlUnveiled, also from TeaChat) from Serenity Art in Portland.



Also in that photo are two new celadon cups from Dragon Tea House and a neat little plate from Daiso. There's plenty more en route (I wasn't smart enough to bring a big suitcase home with me), so stay tuned. Between the teaware and the samples ABx sent, I have a lot to write about.

Yes, yes, I'll take some color shots too. :P

Teavana: An ex-employee's account

Just a quick note; if you shop at Teavana (or are considering it), please read this. I have never been a fan of Teavana, but the prescribed sales methods described in this account (not to mention the behavior of Teavana owners) are revolting. I will never give them another dime.

A few (mostly) unimportant tidbits

***Actually important info:***
I will no longer be checking emails sent to admin@teanerd.com. It was a pain anyway (Booooo POP3), but then I started getting quite a bit of spam. If for some crazy reason you actually want to converse with me, you can find an email address on the About Me/Contact Info page (link is to the left). Sorry for the confusion.

***Entirely unimportant personal drivel:***
Given my penchant for obsession and preference for the totally impractical, it's really not surprising that I would eventually develop (oh yes, pun very much intended) an interest in film photography. I'm just getting started, but I am encouraged by the results of my first few rolls.


I think film has so much more character to it. Even aside from the medium itself, using film has indirect effects on the photographic process. Most importantly, it makes me slow down and actually think about composition and exposure, rather than just doing rapid-fire, hope-I-get-something-useable bracketing.


Fortunately, my TAD (teaware acquisition disorder) has gone into remission lately. I say it is fortunate because I now lust over lenses and cheap Soviet rangefinders (cheap is, of course, a relative term).


I had to include something tea related in this post, didn't I? :)

New search feature

You may or may not have noticed the new search box (powered by the folks at Lijit.com) here on Tea Nerd, but you will probably be a whole lot more interested when you hear about how awesome it is. This search box now searches not only this blog, but several others that I have selected.

This should make it easier for you to find what you are looking for, whether you want to get several opinions on a particular topic/tea/vendor/etc. or have forgotten which blogger wrote an article you remember.

In case you doubt my motives, I don't get any kickbacks from the company that sponsors this search. I just thought it might be useful. The rest of you bloggers might like it too, so check it out.

Meet _______, my new friend.

I just picked up my first houseplant today. It's a jade plant, and it's just a baby right now, but it should grow into that pot if I don't kill it first.


On that note, I thought I'd ask you all to help me name him (Yes, it's a him. My girlfriend and I decided to give it a male name so she doesn't get jealous of how much time I spend with it). I thought I'd go with the name of a mythological figure who is either prophesied to die or dies despite the best intentions/precautions/etc., as I expect this poor little plant to share the same fate.

The two names I am considering at the moment are Acrisius (thanks Mary), an ancient Greek king accidentally killed by a discus thrown by his grandson, and Baldr, a Norse god killed by an arrow made of mistletoe (the only thing that could harm him) that Loki, another god, tricked Baldr's brother Höðr into shooting him with.

Let me know if you like one or the other better, or if you have any other ideas because frankly, neither of these names is all that pleasing to the ear. Thanks!

[Edit: I found a couple others that could work. They don't strictly fit with the theme I was going for, but they are funny nonetheless. One is Mallory, which in old French apparently means "ill-omened." The other is Erysichthon, another ancient Greek king who, due to his insatiable hunger (thanks to Aethon, the god of famine), ate himself. Charming, eh?]

Morning Tea

It's amazing what light you can catch in the morning, if you look.


A warm, soothing cup of lao cong shui xian.

Mystery Yancha Revealed

Thanks to Rob, who reminded me that I had not yet revealed the secret identities of those two yancha.

Sample A was... 2002 Rou Gui from Teacuppa (now out of stock, sadly)
Sample B was... 2007 "Exquisite" Da Hong Pao from Teacuppa

On another note, I have now passed the 100 posts mark! Wooooooo!

Anyway, sorry for the delayed absence. I haven't been in much of a tea mood (or a writing mood) lately. :/ I'll pick up the pace soon enough.

A random photo, taken on a hike with the girlfriend last week: