non-Gong Fu multiple infusions

Last week I wrote about Gary Vaynerchuck, Kevin Rose, and Jesse Jacobs talking tea and wine at http://leafboxtea.com, and I wrote about social media but not about tea. When asked about how much tea and how long for steeping times, he repeated several times that he often advised more tea and shorter steeping times.

I've been doing this more and more with varying results. When I put green tea in a paper filter, the third or fourth infusion is sometimes the last one that really has reasonable taste. Oolong lasts for a few more infusions, but I still think this form of brewing is not the optimal one for multiple infusions.

The Gong Fu style of brewing seems to be much better for this. As much as I've tried to modify more tea/shorter brewing times in a larger pot with a paper filter, it's not yet working so well.

I know this isn't normally a place where you find practical tea-making advice, but it is a teablog. I have to talk about tea sometimes, don't I?

'be part of the community'

Just watched Gary Vaynerchuck, Kevin Rose, and Jesse Jacobs talk tea and wine at http://leafboxtea.com, and I want to take a different tack than I normally do. There was plenty about different teas and how to prepare them, as well as wine (that's what Garyvee does after all), but at the very end they talked about tips dealing with social media and getting a product/idea out there.

The thing that's often said is 'scratch your own itch', which is something I take really seriously here. The whole prospect of this teablog lark was set in motion because I kept seeing people on twitter obsessed with tea like I was. I thought if I documented what I was learning, it'd be interesting to someone other than just me. At first I was daunted by how little I actually knew about tea, but eventually decided I'd let that be a plus. I'd be really upfront that my knowledge was limited and the blog was a record of my search.

I was obsessed about numbers of visitors to a degree, and I still gauge how much people enjoyed the post by how many people comment on it. Rationally, I know people read the blog without ever saying anything, but I still judge my performance by reaction. I really do.

But here's what I liked most about what was said at the very end of the video: 'be part of the community.'

I used to write my blog and make snarky comments at twitter about anything but tea. I'd make a teanote at steepster.com, and see what was said at leafboxtea. Might even go read a wikipedia page about a tea I didn't know about. But I believe this really started to work for me when I read other blogs. Mostly teablogs, but I read a lot of other stuff too. And I really try to comment when I can. Sometimes the only thing I have to say is 'great post-thanks for writing this,' but I try to make it more than that.

The thing is that I'm really part of my little corner of the teaworld. I really get excited when I read about the World Tea Expo, write about it, and then I find out Sir William was there. He's part of my tribe here, and when things go well for him, they go well for me.

Although I really make a point that my content is original, I will credit when I find something interesting and want to write about it. I still think there's so much opportunity for growth in this Web 2.0 thing. If I try to make this blog like anything else I see out there, it won't sit right with me.

The more I inject my kookiness into it, the better response I get and the more people come looking for more kooky.

So the other thing that gets good response is when I ask questions. Here goes:

Do you feel like a part of a community with tea sites and teablogs? Is it a bit overwhelming when you see the obsessive blogs that're out there? I stay focused on black tea partly because it seems like most tea freaks are obsessed with green and Oolong, but I love those as well. I write about what I know, and I try to leave more than I take. How about you? Are you in my tribe?

Celebrity tea drinkers

Whether you like it or not, celebrity drives media. Papers are sold not because people want to know what’s in the new financial regulations for the Greeks. A few people want to know that hard news stuff, but most people just want to know which celebrity is dating whom, whether Nick Nolte has had another airport meltdown, or if the new season of Lost will finally explain what the hell Lost is all about or not.

So all of this has trickled down to my laughable teablog. Even this site is celebrity driven. The increase in traffic when I mention Kevin Rose and his tea tattoo is only win-win. Or that Larry King killed Michael Jackson with his own hands for ratings week (until now it’s an unsubstantiated rumor).

Everything you’re about to read is an out and out lie. I made all of it up. Every word. It’s not even based on a whit of fact. Still, it could be true. All of it is within the realm of possibility. England could with the Cup in South Africa this summer. Not remotely likely, but a nation can dream, right?

What tea are our celebrities drinking these days? Hmmm…good question, Lahikmajoe. Let’s explore. You know Woody Harrelson drinks the green tea. Something that looks and smells like turtle urine. But green tea it is. Although it’s clearly primarily tea, this is Woody Harrelson. The aroma might very well be a mix between green tea and green leaf. To each his own, eh Woody?

What’s in Nicholas Sarkosy’s cup? I’d say, based upon my nuanced understanding of geo-politics, Nicky’s drinking a second flush Darjeeling. He and Carla Bruni might tipple in the afternoon, but the day starts with some very upscale tea. Figures.

You might think Richard Branson’s drinking coffee or some ridiculous energy drink. Wrong on the first guess, but his energy drink is tea. No doubt. He likes almost any Assam blend. Almost. And he wouldn’t turn down a smoky Lapsang Souchong.

The pope drinks Chamomile. The Archbishop of Canterbury is partial to a hearty English Breakfast blend that’s mix of a strong morning tea with lighter black teas. He’s not going to ask for it by name. Too conspicuous. Again: all true. Every word.

I know for a fact Boris Becker could care less about the tea they’re serving him. Give the guy a cup of Earl Grey. He won’t ever notice that the Bergamot oil is overwhelming. And other athletes/actors? Chuck Norris? Chuck Norris drinks the sort of tea that vanquishes your enemies and leaves time for a picnic at the end. One where Chuck Norris leaves early to go either brew up more tea of catch some bad guys.

Speaking of bad guys, how about Kim Jong Il in North Korea? What kind of tea would keep him from launching his next ill-advised loony campaign? Why not a nice cup of Green Temple of Heaven ‘Gunpowder’ tea? Certainly couldn’t hurt.

Be sure to include these factoids in your dinner party banter. You’ll be the envy of the party. Or seen as the equivalent of a mental patient who needs the kind of tea that comes in a prescription drug bottle. I’d aim for the former rather than the latter option. If you’re the life of the party, you can more easily find out what tea the celebrities are drinking. When you find out, could you let me know?

A couple of greens

Recently Sir William o.t.L. mentioned that he'd like to read more tea tastings/tea notes from me. I aim to please, so this evening I prepared two very different green teas to review here.

One I bad mouthed a long time ago. In the comments to that post, someone recommended I try other Yunnan teas and I'm really glad I did. This one is simply called China Yunnan, which is so vague I almost don't want to review it. Both of these teas I got from Claus Kröger in Hamburg. The other one is much different, and has character that this specific Yunnan could only hope for. It's a Sencha called China Dong-Bai. The Sencha is not a light, soft green tea. Not by a long shot.

I have to say that since that bad experience with one questionable Yunnan, I've tried several and was pleasantly surprised. Have come to understand that Yunnan greens can be very very good, and I just picked a lemon at the outset. It happens. This one I'm drinking tonight is mild, but that's not always a bad thing. It'd be perfect if I'd just had something stronger and wanted a break.

The Sencha, on the other hand, is fantastic. Not a tea for people who're trying to ease into green tea. Very strong and earthy taste. Now, one of the Japanese teas I like most is also a Sencha, but this only tastes remotely like that one. The Japanese is called Schattentee (Shadow Tea) and is very smooth and almost hesitant. This Dong-Bai is the exact opposite. There's something smoky about it. Something so much like Lapsang Souchong. I know that's a black tea and this is green. Nevertheless, the smokiness ties them together in my mind.

So many green teas are called grassy. I guess that's how I'd describe the Yunnan. A bit like the taste of grass. But the Sencha is in no way grassy.

When I first started this blog, I focused on the different kinds of black teas at first. I knew more about them and had more connections to India, so it was a logical decision. The thing was that I was and am very curious about China and Japan and wanted to dig deeper into their teas. I knew even then that the more I got into green tea, the more obsessed I'd be.

Well that's exactly what's happened. I read more about the specific greens and whites, and all I want to do is go there and see where this tea is grown. There was a video blog last summer from Kevin Rose and some of his friends travelling across China drinking tea and eating bar-b-que out of the back of a portable grill pulled behind the guy's bicycle. As I watched the footage, all I could think of was, 'I wish that was me. I wish I was hoofing it across China, looking at tea plantations and interacting with the people.'

Not too late. I could be taking just such a trip later this year. We'll see.

Floating above the Japanese clouds

If you haven’t noticed already, I’m a bit of an Orientalist. Well, to be more specific, I’m crazy about Japan. Nuts. If I acted on every thought, it’d be an obsession. I think when I was moaning about the winter several weeks ago and daydreaming about going to the Nuwara hills in Sri Lanka, my real thoughts were of going to pre-modern Nippon.

Maybe it’s because I went there when I was young and impressionable. Maybe it’s my fascination with Japanese history and custom. It’s very fashionable to be into China right now. I have absolutely nothing against China. Nothing.

But it just doesn’t do it for me. Maybe if I went there and met the people and saw the tea plantations and drank tea and ate Chinese shish-ka-bob (a la Kevin Rose) out of a rickshaw bar-b-que cooker…maybe then I could become more interested in China.

But as of now, I’m on the way to Japan in my thoughts. I’m above the clouds and flying through the air. It’s not enough to go to modern Japan. In my mind I’m floating back in time as well. To the time when tea ceremony wasn’t yet an institution. If we go back that long ago, this is the thirteenth century and we are Japanese monks.

Our brother monk, Dai-o, has been on a long journey to the Chinese monasteries where he observed and learned about the way the Zen monks in China prepare their tea. It’s so much more than the practical aspect of dunking leaves in heated water. He has shown us that the harmony between the people drinking the tea and the tools or implements that we use to make the tea is very crucial.

There are three things he referenced about the tea ceremony that were true back then and are still true today. Respect, cleanliness and tranquility. There’s no way that I can cover everything about this this in one simple blogpost. Am doing quite a bit of research about tea ceremony and might write an article on the topic soon. Stay tuned. Am enjoying this immensely.