MobileRead Forums - View Single Post

LDBoblo · 09-01-2009, 03:45 PM

I live outside the USA now, but when I did live in the USA, I really rather liked ordering my preferred teas from Essencha. It's been some years since I ordered from them, but they were quite good when I was a customer.

I have, as a general practice, stuck to wulong teas and whites, rather than greens and blacks, but sometimes a good black tea really hits the spot, or a green tea can soothe the nerves without being too light.

I practice Chinese tea ceremony passively as a hobby, but I've learned that I can handle even cheap bagged tea without going into snob-mode and demanding a proper gaiwan and loose-leaf baihao (Taiwanese wulong) or gyokuro (Japanese green). I've been known to kick back to a mug of Lipton Yellow Label with a little sugar without gagging. It doesn't have the romantic style of sitting in a small pavilion on a mountaintop sipping expensive pu'er whilst reading Tang dynasty poetry (been there done that), but it's a hell of a lot more convenient.

It's fine to develop a fine taste, and to appreciate and enjoy and prefer quality. I know types who won't touch tea that costs less than $20 an ounce. It just seems like such an arbitrary kind of snobbery...only expensive hot leaf water (or bean water for you coffee folks) will do. I'll just try to enjoy the process of making it, deeply smelling a good cup of tea after emptying it (if you've never used smelling cups, just stick your nose into the cup after it's empty and smell. It's delightful), and getting on with whatever it is I'm supposed to do while drinking my tea.

09-01-2009, 03:45 PM	#71
LDBoblo Wizard Posts: 1,385 Karma: 16056 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Asia Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Sony PRS-505	I live outside the USA now, but when I did live in the USA, I really rather liked ordering my preferred teas from Essencha. It's been some years since I ordered from them, but they were quite good when I was a customer. I have, as a general practice, stuck to wulong teas and whites, rather than greens and blacks, but sometimes a good black tea really hits the spot, or a green tea can soothe the nerves without being too light. I practice Chinese tea ceremony passively as a hobby, but I've learned that I can handle even cheap bagged tea without going into snob-mode and demanding a proper gaiwan and loose-leaf baihao (Taiwanese wulong) or gyokuro (Japanese green). I've been known to kick back to a mug of Lipton Yellow Label with a little sugar without gagging. It doesn't have the romantic style of sitting in a small pavilion on a mountaintop sipping expensive pu'er whilst reading Tang dynasty poetry (been there done that), but it's a hell of a lot more convenient. It's fine to develop a fine taste, and to appreciate and enjoy and prefer quality. I know types who won't touch tea that costs less than $20 an ounce. It just seems like such an arbitrary kind of snobbery...only expensive hot leaf water (or bean water for you coffee folks) will do. I'll just try to enjoy the process of making it, deeply smelling a good cup of tea after emptying it (if you've never used smelling cups, just stick your nose into the cup after it's empty and smell. It's delightful), and getting on with whatever it is I'm supposed to do while drinking my tea.