What is in your cup?

[CRussel]

As ProfCrash says, it's the second picking of the season. First flush is the early spring picking and tends towards mild, even delicate, flavours and a lighter liquor. A delightful afternoon tea when you have time to sit and contemplate. Second flush is the second growth spurt, and produces a more full bodied tea with the full characteristic aroma of a Darjeeling and a rich and complex liquor. Later in the season will come harsher and less well-rounded pickings, though some properties do well with an autumn picking.

Most of what you get in the typical tea-bag "Darjeeling" is broken-leafed late season leaves. Strong, dark, and not nearly as complex or interesting as it should be. I personally find second-flush Darjeelings to be a good compromise between price and quality, especially when they come from good estates. First flush Darjeelings tend to be a bit light for my tastes much of the time, though when I'm feeling contemplative on a Saturday afternoon, they're perfectly appropriate.

India Blacks, in general, tend to be quite different from China blacks, though I often think that there's a certain similarity between a good Keemun and a good 2nd flush Darjeeling. They both have a strong nose and a well rounded flavour, though the Keemun is much earthier and less astringent.

[Stitchawl]

I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm
Yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new
In city and in forest, they smiled like me and you
But now it's come to distances and both of us must try
Your eyes are soft with sorrow Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

I'm not looking for another as I wander in my time
Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme
You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me
It's just the way it changes like the shoreline and the sea
But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie
Your eyes are soft with sorrow Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgI3BOA8ky8 )

Good morning, all! Welcome to Wednesday! Rainy day today, and a good day to go for a long walk through the underground shopping arcades in Osaka. The halls go on for mile after mile, branching every few hundred feet, until I'm so lost I have to come up to the surface streets to figure out where I am! But first... East India Company's "Royal Breakfast" tea, a bowl of rice and crab, with another of miso soup. Still keeping the calories down and the exercise up!

Originally Posted by Quake1028

We are high school sweethearts so we are both still relatively young (33 & 32), so we hopefully have many more decades together!

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Smart move waiting until you were ready to marry.

How true that is! I was married and divorced twice before I was 33!

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

How about a camera and lens like this setup -- where you need to hire an assistant just to hold the lens?

Two of my lenses have tripod mounts. Not nearly as big as this bad boy, but still... If I mounted the lens and put the camera on the tripod instead of the lens, the lens would probably snap right off! The one I used for these shots isn't nearly as big, but it still weighs several pounds!

Originally Posted by CRussel

As ProfCrash says, it's the second picking of the season.

Having spent quite a bit of time in various tea plantations in India, Japan, and Malaysia, I've only run into a few these days (mostly in India because the wages are so low) that actually still 'hand pick' their tea leaves. Most commercial growers have these really neat mechanical rolling hedge clippers with a meter-long curved blade. The really big plantations in Japan that we ride through in Uji use what looks like narrow mini-golf carts with the cutting blade extended to the side. The tea hedges look perfectly manicured when they are done with the harvest. Very different from what you see in hand-picked gardens in India.

India Blacks, in general, tend to be quite different from China blacks, though I often think that there's a certain similarity between a good Keemun and a good 2nd flush Darjeeling.

TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!!!!!!! (I'll stop screaming and sit down now...) I really don't like Darjeelings, regardless of the flush or estate, (I've tried. God KNOWS I've tried...) but I've rarely found a black tea from a reputable source that displeases me.

Stitchawl

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!!!!!!! (I'll stop screaming and sit down now...) I really don't like Darjeelings, regardless of the flush or estate, (I've tried. God KNOWS I've tried...) but I've rarely found a black tea from a reputable source that displeases me.

Stitchawl

That's OK, I'm not a big fan of Assams, so we're even.

All that being said, I find myself liking most teas to one extent or another, but I keep coming back to Keemun and Lapsang Souchong when I want a good black tea, or to a good mountain Oolong for something lighter. I find myself drinking less green tea right now, and that probably won't change until spring, at least. But I confess to still liking a good Darjeeling, especially 2nd flush Darjeelings. However, one thing I've come to is a realization that Darjeelings do better at 90 C (195 F), than the more commonly suggested 95-100 C.

[Stitchawl]

A cup of Tea Kwan Yin oolong... something a bit lighter for a later evening drink.


Stitchawl

[ProfCrash]

Water. Thinking about a Starbucks run.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Water. Thinking about a Starbucks run.

You have one of those fancy jogging strollers for that run?

[ProfCrash]

Nope. I can walk across the street and grab a coffee. Anything tog et away from the twits at work discussing politics.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Water. Thinking about a Starbucks run.

Do they have Starbucks Cards in the US? Every time I refill my card, I get a coupon for a free beverage. My wife gave me the card as a Christmas present a couple of years ago, and I just keep refilling it every other month or so. It's my habit when doing chores around the 'hood to stop in and read for an hour and drink a glass of ice tea. Starbucks also works out well for my diet as they sell 3-4 different lunch foods (sandwiches and wraps) that are under 250 calories.


Stitchawl

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Do they have Starbucks Cards in the US? Every time I refill my card, I get a coupon for a free beverage. My wife gave me the card as a Christmas present a couple of years ago, and I just keep refilling it every other month or so. It's my habit when doing chores around the 'hood to stop in and read for an hour and drink a glass of ice tea. Starbucks also works out well for my diet as they sell 3-4 different lunch foods (sandwiches and wraps) that are under 250 calories.


Stitchawl

Yes, but I have the IOS app so do not need yet another card.

[Quake1028]

Sweet iced tea.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Yes, but I have the IOS app so do not need yet another card.

What is the IOS app?


Stitchawl

[ProfCrash]

There is an IPhone app that you can use to buy and pay for your coffee.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

There is an IPhone app that you can use to buy and pay for your coffee.

That's neat! The Japanese Apple App site doesn't offer that one, and I've never seen anyone using their phones at the register. I know there is such an app for McDonalds here though. I see the kids flashing their phones to the counter staff. Unfortunately, there are quite a few apps that are only available from the US Apple Store. I've run into this before.


Stitchawl

[ProfCrash]

Bummer. I have an old fashion phone without a camera but I love my IPad.

The cards are nice. I have been using it a lot more at my current work location. Mainly because they have not givne me any work to do. I move back to my old job next week.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

That's neat! The Japanese Apple App site doesn't offer that one, and I've never seen anyone using their phones at the register. I know there is such an app for McDonalds here though. I see the kids flashing their phones to the counter staff. Unfortunately, there are quite a few apps that are only available from the US Apple Store. I've run into this before.


Stitchawl

Seems odd for Starbucks not to release it to Japan. But they are integrating it with the new "Passbook" app from Apple, so maybe you will see via that soon?