Tokoname Teapot KI703 from O-Cha
Technically, when you buy someone a present it’s supposed to be because they want it, not because you want it.
But I seriously love this tokoname teapot I bought for Bec this Christmas. I got her a green tea starter pack from O-Cha, which means you pick a teapot, cup, tea and extra accessories or tea and get a 10% discount.
Denong Wild Ripe Pu-erh Tea from Bana Tea Company
Today’s tea: Denong Wild, Bana Tea Company’s newest offering. This is a 2009 pu-erh tea made from 100% rare wild ancient arbor trees.
With pu-erh, parameters are important. Here’s what I used: Six grams for the gaiwan. A twenty second infusion, the first time around. Add ten seconds for each of the next three infusions. Two minutes for the fifth infusion, and then add a minute for every infusion after that.
Brewing tea like this lets you experience how the tea opens up, as each infusion coaxes a little more out of the leaves.
Sungma Clonal Wonders 2009, 2nd Flush Black Tea from Darjeeling
Chocolate.
That was the first thing that came to mind when I opened this packet of Sungma Clonal Wonders ‘09, a 2nd flush Darjeeling tea sent to my by Benoy of Thunderbolt Tea. I was amazed at how clear and distinct the aroma was.
That was a few weeks ago. Since then, I have been drinking this black tea on a regular basis. To me, it seems like a middle-of-the-road sort of Darjeeling tea — it exhibits some characteristic Darjeeling traits, with a few noteworthy aspects, but in some ways I come away feeling a little disappointed that it doesn’t live up to the promise offered by its aroma.
I’m one!
On Wednesday, Tea Finely Brewed turned one year old.
It’s been a fun year. Some of the highlights for me have included:
- Reaching 100 subscribers back in August (the blog now has over 200 subscribers)
- Having a few posts go viral on StumbleUpon
- Interviewing Mary Lou Heiss, who co-wrote The Story of Tea, one of my favourite books about tea
- Meeting other tea bloggers, tea store owners and others with a passion for tea through the blog and Twitter
- Signing up my first advertisers (thanks Bana Tea Company and Teavana
!)
- Drinking tons of tea, including many I’d never even heard of before starting the blog
All in all, Tea Finely Brewed has been a great project for me personally. I hope you’ve enjoyed it along the way! As always, I would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions for topics you would like to see covered on the blog. Just send me an email.
Bai Lin Gong Fu from Tea Trekker
When I was a kid I dreamed of becoming a writer when I was older. Over the years that dream has faded, but I still enjoy putting pen to paper. This morning, as I drank Tea Trekker’s Bai Lin Gong Fu with the intention of reviewing it, it suddenly struck me how writing a tea review is great practice for a writer, because it forces you to be deliberate and thoughtful about the words you use.
When I write a review, I usually base it around two or three words or phrases, which I think accurately depict something about the tea — either its appearance, flavour, aroma or character. You could condense any of my reviews down into two or three words or phrases, and you would have roughly the same thing, minus all the contextualizing with which I pad the reviews.
4 Places to Buy Fair-Trade Tea Online
Fair trade is a tricky thing. I’ve written before about why I believe fair trade is important, but there’s a flipside: too often, fair trade tea is of lower quality to similarly-priced, non-fair trade tea. Which leaves a tea lover to decide between sacrificing quality or sacrificing an ethical stance.
Over the past year I have bought primarily non-fair trade tea, for one big reason: there are very few fair trade tea options around here in Melbourne, and the ones that I can find tend to be in teabag form. But one goal I’ve set for myself over the next few months is to explore some of the fair trade tea options available online. Here are five online tea stores that sell fair trade tea.
Shui Xian Oolong from Teas Etc
“May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and all your heart might desire.”
When Bec and I got married, we had those words printed on a card and placed on a table by the entrance to the winery. I still love them. There is something so homely and comforting about them — truly a wonderful benediction.
I am reminded of those words today, as it rains outside (a much needed rain) and I enjoy my morning tea ritual inside. Bec and Benny are asleep and I am trying a new tea: a shui xian (also known as dancong) oolong from Teas Etc.
Teavana, Mighty Leaf Tea and Bana Tea Company specials
Just a quick note to let you know about two specials currently being run by this month’s Tea Finely Brewed sponsors.
Teavana are offering free shipping on all orders (no coupon codes and no minimum orders required) between now and Wednesday, December 9th.
Bana Tea Company have a special 20% discount for Tea Finely Brewed subscribers. Quote 3838383838 at checkout.
If you run a tea shop and would like to know more about advertising on Tea Finely Brewed, please get in touch.
Steampunk Teapot
How cool is this?
The Steampunk Teapot is the work of Michael Morarity. It’s inspired by steampunk, which according to that great arbiter of all human argument, Wikipedia, is a sub-genre of the “fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Treasures from Five Mountains: Vintage 2008 Raw Pu-Erh Tea from Bana Tea Company
I’ve been writing about tea for almost a year, and drinking it for much longer than that, but sometimes I still feel like a kid in a candy shop full of sweets he’s never tried. There is an almost never-ending variation in the world of tea. How one tree can yield such an immense array of flavours never ceases to amaze me.
