Puerhshop.com (review) from the Year of Green Tasting Kit (store link).
Year of Green review: 2006 Arbor tuo, 2004 CNNP Old Tree, 2007 Mengsa, 2007 Old Banzhang, 2007 Menghai Crab.

Dry leaf looks nice, with the orange stems poking around here and there,

seems well compressed, there are marks on the bottom of the cake piece.

one little piece seemed the right size for this trial, so lets get tea-ing…

Methodman: 4oz gaiwan but using 2-3-4oz depending on leaf volume. 200F, times follow:

30                                            30                                        35

40                       30                                        40                scary crab         leaf tree

30s wash discarded

30s: (1st pic) watery faded “metallic” green
30s: green astringent, “apricot skins”, less watery, some astringent aftertaste.
35s: 4oz: more astringent, some harshness, at end tastebuds seem “numbed” (=cant taste much, due to  tannins coating mouth or whatever), no sweet aftertaste or anything else i can describe or detect.
40s: still numbed, but can still feel more astringency, maybe now a little bit sweet in the aftertaste.
30s: same…………
40s: *rolleyes* meh…same…

Wet leaf: got bored, played with my food…

Overall: meh. not me. i cant feel anything.

tea emoticons…
not sure if they’ve been ‘invented’ already but here’s my tries:

have a cup of tea:  |_|<(^_^< )

|_|<( >_< ‘)  : eeechhh… thanks? …..

puuuu : (* .* )

c{__}r   : yixing

\(>.<)/  @#usps$#$*$#tea   : where is my $&!% tea you lazy USPS postal workers !!!!!!

1. they deliver 1 of 7 , 50lb packages (each insured to 500$, and tracking#’ed)

2. they update tracking# on a pkg saying on the day i received their unwanted spam trash mail, they aparently ‘ATTEMPTED’ to deliver package (2 of 7)… i was home and i specifically asked the stupid lazy postman ‘DO . YOU. HAVE. ANY PACKAGES FOR ME. I GOT LIKE 6 of THEM.?” he says “uh, no, i just started, today my first day coming here” and later in the day i find their website saying that bullshit of attempted bullshit.

3. they dont update tracking#s 3-7

4. i suspect they’re too lazy to move them so i rent a motherf* car, and drive there in the motherf* rain, between 2 post offices they miraculously ‘find my packages’. which then after 2 hours, i proceed to take 1 by 1 , myself, a delivery which i had paid for, to the stupid rented car.

later in the year,

6. order tea from china, regular mail. 2 months pass…not here. i call postoffice, nooo nothing for my address.

7. i order tea from china again, this time with tracking#, 10 days later… guess what…

Notice Left, September 27, 2007, 2:55 pm, XXXX, NY XXXX

… MOTHERF\/CK@RS !!! I WAS HOME YOU LAZY ASS POST OFFICE BASTARDS !!!

i sign the redelivery slip, and give it to the mail lady who says they’ll redeliver it monday.

monday comes, day’s spam mail comes, but no package!

i call the postoffice and 10 minutes later they discover the package (aparently signing the fukin redelivery slip didnt do shit), and i get the “will there be someone there tomorrow to accept the package?” …

guess what you incompetent lazy shits

youre not getting my packages anymore. (except the ones from china, with tracking).

i got ALL ~ 30 packages UPS/FEDEX no problems. 3/4 USPS packages end up sitting in your gdamn offices.

screw you USPS and you stupid lazy employees. the BBB.org is coming for you (yeah right).

YES MAJOR PROBLEM. as you can see very well messed up… :((

this is zoundry desktop blogger for wordpress free enter blog address, login, passw and it configures automatically gets categories, and downloads previous posts!

1. interface is kind of clunky, lots of buttons

create link to previous posts>>Green Mountain Ti Kuan Yin .Atlantic Trading didn’t find anything to work with imageshack.

• images must be uploaded to blog. bullets work

indent works

alternative is to post the imageshack HTML like before. i think it keeps the same wordpress font (other softwares used arial) it displays post properly with images, but not in the way you view it posted on the blog (where the post column is less wide than the screen) , its viewed as wide as the screen window is. theres a WYSIWYG editor and a HTML editor as well just like online. :edit: lets see how it does with re-edit old post… seems to work __ the powered by footer is selectable___

^^after re-edited online the post is seen messed up here offline
hmmm…

problem problem???

Powered by Zoundry

u h g. tea withdrawal . tremors. sweating. hair falling out .but not more than usual.

delivery .not. here. yet. >5weeks . china is real far. or. the postman drank my shit.

f**ck. ill show him some shit and stuff it down his nose. lazy ass NY postalworkers.

ito en, what can i say… im kind of disappointed, but hey…marketing, money, they want to sell their product

but Dr Andrew W … i mean…maybe you want to help people, thats nice, but being a media whore, selling pots and pans!, vitamins, hemp oils, and now tea. Thats pretty sad, …doctor.

Actually… you make me sick (n/v & diarrhea). Its enough that many doctors have a poor attitude and little care towards their patients, but taking advantage of your title “MD” and exploiting people with your profession that is supposed to make good?

you know, working hard and graduating Harvard… does not make one a better person … and you’re proof.

is this guy even licensed? he is in Arizona, and California, that is if his middle initial is “T”
1 year internship
General practice

I think graduates from those years dont have to maintain their license with any exams or CME. i may be wrong.

i wonder if he ever practiced as a physician…maybe he thought being in general practice he wouldnt have enough money to score the top notch quality ganja (i read it can be quite expensive for those mexican organic hydrophonics)

Thankfully he is on Quackwatch on Dr W-eil and his VitaminAdvisory *BUSTED*

Due to messed up work schedule
decided to take on some coffee drinking. about 2-3 cups/day mostly in the morning.

In about 2 days, i would wake up so dizzy and feeling like shit, like i was hit in the head with a ton of bricks, like my head was stuffed with flour… after 1 week i gave up on the coffee, reverted to tea(even so, i dont usually drink any black tea in the morning, i wait for my body to wake itself up).

2-3 days, no headache, clear head, no dizzyness, maybe a little tired feeling, but it sure wasnt nasty as during that coffee week.

most important to me in this tea review notebook “blog” which i did forget:
the still subjective, “good/bad” rating:
YES - NO - MAYBE , meaning…
yes = yes, get this if you run out! quick! withdrawal symptoms!!!
no = no, dont buy this (referring to me… me, dont buy it)
maybe = how confused must i be to decide whether or not to repurchase a product?

the number rating:
I am thrilled to announce our new tea rating system!
oh wait, uhm, not yet in working order

It has donned(is this the right word? never used it) on me that rating a tea is a tough job
and that my current rating system is not,,.. i dont like it, its rather random,
and being based on some memories from long ago- its not accurate
pretty much due to the fact of not tasting tea continuously,
which sadly is not my job , sniff, sniff

why even rate it with numbers? why not go : good/bad/soso ? … oh wait, i do have something like that
anyway….mmm… must be my undiagnosed OCD… or my like for numbers? i like 7 , 4… 5 ..3, 6 not so much, 1 is nice , 2 not really, 8 is confusing, 9 is chubby… 10 too complex

brainstorming (with halfabrain, otherside is sleeping)

a numbered system by which 7 is max = superb tea

how about starting with the number 3
+1 flavor strength = strong flavor without distortion,
+1 flavor complexity … ?
+1 infusions = preserving of flavor strength, new flavors get good grades, fading is no good
+1 leaf appearance = your chopped up leftover tea is not liked here
-1 liquor appearance eg cloudy, bugs= gets discounted, should be clear for good rating
-1 astringency = that tanninic (not bitter, not sour) black tea specific astringency is not liked gets discounted on rating (if its not the brewing/infusion technique… which could be a point of debate
-1 sour, bitter = discount
-1 vitamin c taste
-10 taste of shit tea*/carboard, ass, feet, benzene/gas/chlorophorm/aspirin/yo mamas dirty laundry

*it may happen that my opinion feels a tea is shit, in which case SN’s TGFOP TRS DOES NOT APPLY and the tea gets rated a -10, or if unlucky a -100. and this comes with the do not sue me disclaimer. i plead mental disease your honor, tea bugs ate my brain.

… to be continued when i wake up

moved to NY. not fun.

USPS are a bunch of lazy incompetents. Only thing i like is that they put rubber bands on the letters: now i have a collection, and dont need to buy any thanks!!!

ABF U-Pack is good. Fedex is good. UPS mostly drops packages without knocking on door.

services in NY are no different than LA. some employees are good, some are bad.

clouds.

moisture makes hot hotter, cold colder.

NYC subway is a filthy dumpster. hello cockroaches on my seat, hello rats in the station. dirt, smells.

NY chinatown is full of crap. “You want buy Prada bag?”, “I got new movie DVD”…

NY is fun for the ladies… 5$ bags, lots of shopping to do … oy!

driving rental truck thru Jamaica… never seen such horrible roads in a large US city…

traffic sucks, drivers are morons+idiots+assholes here (comparable worse driving in LA ive experienced on the 101 around White Oak, and on the 5, and also around Oakland(SF)).

while that sounds like complaints,… after 2 months … i love NY . There is no city like it in the world (maybe HongKong, i’ve not been there).

I never thought possible, but there it was,
at the Palms thai restaurant on Hollywood blvd,

the worst hot tea ever tasted in a restaurant,
barely any kind of flavor, and poor jasmine was afraid to come out,
couldnt taste almost any of the jasmine flavor,
tea was hot, so  they got that right.

food was ok, and service too.

techniques of arranging a meeting of tea liquor and taste buds:

1. sift/strain leaf from liquor - pour liquor in cup, drink from cup. works for any size tea.

2. the gaiwan method separates leaf with its lid - pour liquid in cup, drink from cup. may not work with very small-dust leaves.

3. brew in cup, clamp down top teeth to inside of cup, drink liquor thru the teeth which will separate the leaves and keep them out of your mouth. works with large leaf teas. sometimes pleasant as you get to chew on a couple leaves too.

ranges: low/medium/high/very

Pacific Rose .Ralphs (4122): very crisp, clear taste, flavor: medium/low, sweet: medium/low.

Gala .Ralphs (4133): high/very crisp, clear taste, flavor: medium, sweet: medium.

Fuji .Ralphs: varied crisp medium/high crispy, flavor: medium/high, sweet: high.

Braeburn, Large .Ralphs: medium/low(mealy) crisp, flavor: medium, sweet: medium/high.

Gala royal .Costco: varied medium crips, flavor medium

Granny smith .ralphs (green apples): varied mostly medium/low crips, flavor medium-low sour green apple, sweet: medium.

should make a table here somehow…

that sounds like an official PR release. but its not.

Mitsuwa Market
many various bottled teas
many tea soft drinks

Famima!!
ItoEn products
Republic of Tea or tea repubic… bottles, small and expensive - just the way i aint buying tea.

Ralph’s
lipton crap
snapples
Tejava
some boxed teabags

Trader Joes
Tejava
some boxed teabags

Whole Foods
has bunch of RTD bottled teas mostly ItoEn products incl large 2L bottle.
some new crap showed up in the fridges: GT’s somekind of a tea mixed with something spanking the monkey of cure-all snakeoil, but it didn’t specify about hemorrhoids - disappointed.

Kmart
the usual Lipton crap
snapple
Fuze (oolong!… sugarized)

if someone has new information where to find RTD teas, whip it out.

SF/Chinatown

Was accosted by the lunchtime flyer waving woman with low english comprehension
- when asked ” is the restaurant far ? ” she says ” YES ” !…but anyhow i went there,

Meal was ok, the dim sum shrimp was rather tasteless, mongol beef good but lots of onions, wonton soup was ok. Price was low.

Got served tea … pu erh tea! ! ! refreshing change from the same old jasmine crap i always receive in LA.

(flavor was mild, mostly tree bark and sweet, but went good with the food, finished the whole pot).

so here it is, not a tea store of any kind, but acknowledged for serving pu-er. cheers!

i love sugar, when i was young i used to eat it from the bag, or on bread with butter…

now i try to keep a low intake of sugar, hopefully mostly from fruits (but probably cola)

sugar and tea…

i sometimes put sugar since (i theorize) the tannins bind the sugar so it lowers the bitterness,
but i dont use it much because with sugar it leaves a unpleasant aftertaste.
also some teas lose flavor with sugar.

i did use maple syrup in assam, and hehe, i like it alot.

Tea Bags in Hand, Senator Says Coffee Never Flew

“State Senator Ada L. Smith says that she does not even drink much coffee, let alone throw it at members of her staff. ”I usually have tea, with milk and sugar,” she said, reaching into her purse and producing two bags of Earl Grey.”

well, if i had some looseleaf earl grey, i’d certainly throw the filthy coffee on someone’s suit, preferably a white suit…

just some quick jots on this.

“USA is the one of large markets for tea, more than 80% of household consumes tea” ? (i find that doubtful…probably includes bottled tea, and herbal infusions which technically is not tea.)

“95% of all tea consumed is black tea”

“the US beverage market: Soft drinks 30%, milk 12%, beer 12%, coffee 10% …tea 3.9%” (i think this only refers to ready to drink -bottled drinks)

thanks merrill lynch: RTD tea is at 3.8% of the RTD beverage industry.

hmmm… its pretty hard to find free marketing info, unless you have some $5000 for a friggin copy.

apparently the largest market to exploit is the ‘RTD’ Ready to Drink, aka Snapple, and other bottled crap.

so i got 2 pounds of delicious fresh chinese food, chicken vegetables, soup. 16$

then i go buy 2oz of tea … 12$ …

!?

maybe i got my priorities confused…

pooerh (well… that got me on google…somehow)

you can choose between me and pooh!

very nice, this WordPress.

from now on unless noted otherwise

brewing method IHW = in hot water (probably Trader Joe’s mountain spring water).

brewing method CBW = cold bottled water (room temperature)(probably Trader Joe’s mountain spring water). no, dont like tap water, here in LA my DWP pumps over some nice full of flavors type of water.

Well, i think i’ve had enough supermarket tea for now…so i drove down to the local tea store.

(some good tips Google groups Rec.food.drink.tea or for your newsreader Rec.food.drink.tea)

Here we enjoy all kinds of tea (hopefully the good quality kind), and we tell you about it in our simple -straight- from- the- horse’s- mouth- who- just- had- a-cup-of-tea- words.