Tea Obsession

Cities I had been to in China

2009-12-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

Landing city: Guang Zhou, then Chao Zhou, Xia Men, Fu Zhou, Fu Ding, Tai Shun, Wen Zhou, Shen Zhen, back to Guang Zhou to fly back.

Total of 8 cities in less than 3 weeks. There were days we hit 2 cities in a day. Along the way, I was getting free teas left and right.

Gifts from my master:
74 Lu Tian Cha Bing, a museum piece now collected by the Hang Zhou Tea Museum. priced at upper 4 figures USD
45+ years old bush dan cong (was sold for 5 figures USD)
20+ years old bush dan cong
50+ years old dan cong worm shit (extremely medicinal) in a Ming dynasty blue white ceramic container (This is in the 5 figure range USD)
All of these teas were once belonged to the state run tea factory in Chao Zhou, they were yearly samples kept through out the years. What I have are small quantities, prices are per 500 g. They mean a lot more to me than its market value.

Tieguanyin from Xia Men
A whole bunch of teas are shipping to me from Fu Zhou (not sure what they all are)
White and black teas, 92 Bai Mu Dan White tea and some extremely rare white tea from Fu Ding, I was told DO NOT give these away, they were sold in the 4 figures USD.

San Bei Xiang, Long Jing, Silver Needles and some other green teas from Tai Shun, affordable prices and great teas. Much better green teas than most of what I had. Will consider offering their products next spring.

No tea from Wen Zhou

03 Liu Bao small flower buds teas, 09 Liu Bao large flower buds tea from Shen Zhen.

I love China! :D

Free Dan Cong oolong tea if you can proof me wrong

2009-12-17T02:17:00.000-08:00

What is truth and what does it take to make believe of such truth?

I have been selling single bush teas for almost 3 years. From what I gathered online, most tea drinkers find them better in quality regardless of price. However, there are still speculation on whether I am misinforming tea lovers about the true single tree batch. Or rather the concept/practice of single tree process simply does not exist.

I make it clear here: on my website, I separate the single processed teas from commercial mass produced teas in 2 different categories. The prices reflect the quality difference as well. I do not claim the commercial Dan Cong are single tree processed, they are NOT.

What bothers me the most is that some long time tea drinkers are misinforming others simply they have a group of blog followers whom will take their words as facts while they have never been to Chao Zhou, never been up on the Phoenix mountain, never have seen such tea made, never learn to brew them properly, never even tasted enough of such teas to make their own judgment. What backs up such judgment???? Some speculated reasons without proof? SHOW ME PROOF! That's all I am asking, not some made up "this is what I think" out of thin air because you have drank lotsa tea for a long time. Hearing something, searching online does not give you accuate information compare to historical documentations and real practice. See it with your own eyes can only be the truth. Until then, we should all be modest and learn from good source before we say something. Then again, the pity part is good sources are hard to find.

There are plenty of documents on historical single tree process practice off line. If you want to go further, go to Chao Zhou city hall, you'll find a "CHAO ZHOU ZHI" documenting all varietals and history up today since Qing Dynasty. While you are there, go up to the mountain and see it for yourself. I am not telling you what I say is right, I am telling you to find the truth yourself in reality (not from cyberland), at least proof me wrong with real evidence. I am sick and tired of such meaningless speculation, quoting misinformation from the internet back and forth time after time with the same bs from the same sources.

Here is my proposal, take your phoenix oolong teas to Tea Habitat, I'll match you with a tea, if you can proof my tea isn't high mountain single tree processed, I'll send you home with a pound of my single bush oolong. I can show you the difference between single processed old bush teas and commercial mass produced dan cong oolong teas while you are here. People can lie, but teas don't.

This is why we have to learn to identify good teas and not fooled by sellers or whoever tells you BS. As Xun Zi (author of The Art of War 3000 years ago) said, arm yourself with knowledge, know your own army (tea in this case), know your enemy (tea sellers/bloggers in this case), you win half the battle already.

It's unfortunate that some sellers do tell lies to make a sale, or simply don't know enough and had to make up stories. However, my question is does an iphone user know how the iphone is made? Using the device daily since day one, mastering all the buttons and functions does not make you an engineer that knows how to design and put together an iphone. Does a long time tea drinker know everything about how tea is made from every region??? I don't even think Yao Guo Qun would claim that. I have vented enough.

Guessing game

2009-12-17T01:44:00.000-08:00

Can you tell which leaf would make better tea and why?

Ah, Dong Quan Hot Spring Resort

2009-12-16T02:04:00.001-08:00

江南烟雨如画也如诗

Lang Qiao - Covered Corridor Bridge

During the 3 weeks trip, there were only 1.5 days of playing, the rest of the time were business related unintended. One day in Chao Zhou checking out the temples and eating out on the street. Yes, I am still alive after lived through the horrific traffic condition in Chao Zhou and eating out on the street. You can find cars going the same direction on the other side of the street all the time! They do not stop for nothing!

The other 1/2 day of play was in Tai Shun, Zhe Jiang province. Tai Shun is a tiny little town about 400 meters above sea level, growing condition is great for small leaf tea varietals which make great green tea. My master and I met up with 2 of his classmates from graduate school in Tai Shun then headed off to the country side for sight seeing. Tai Shun is tiny but preserves many wooden bridges without a single nail, over 900 bridges in the area - the bridge museum is Tai Shun known as. They are called Lang Qiao - Covered Corridor Bridges. It was a rainy day, rather typical of Jiang Nan - South of Yangzi River. It added a layer of mystery to the beautiful scenery which greatly enhanced my mood. We then had dinner at a farmer's house style restaurant, great food and a weird smoked rabbit. :P

Farmer's house style restaurant
Our dinner table

Our dinner :P
We checked in to a hot spring resort at 8 pm and took a walk around the compound, walked down a LONG steep flight of stairs toward the bottom of the mountain valley in the dark impulsively. It was a drizzly misty night without moon light. The 4 of us stopped at a pagoda half way, enjoyed the tranquility and swifts of osmanthus flower fragrance. The cleanest air I have ever breathed in China! It's more relaxing than a spa treatment I say. At that moment I forgot about chores of my business, I forgot about everywhere else on the planet. There was nothing but my master and his close friends for over 10 years quietly joking in the misty darkness surrounded by trees, running water from the bottom of the valley was music to our ears. For all 3 of us business owners and 1 government official, quiet and stillness worth more than gold at this moment. Great companions with same thoughts which made the evening extremely cozy and warm in this damp cold night.

The 3 classmates chatted about the old days, then out of impulse, they proposed the 10th class reunion in 2010 in Hang Zhou, inviting all 8 students and their professors for a couple of days meeting, perhaps returning to same resort afterward, bringing stoves and olive pit charcoals, have tea at the same pagoda at the same late hour well into dawn instead of in the hotel room. I was invited to tag along, my happiness is unimaginable.

Upon returning to the resort, we had tea for hours using the hot spring water pumped into our hotel rooms. The feeling of drinking tea and chatting about Chinese classic literature, history, poems, customs, opera and more brought me through time to past live. Drunken Beauty is a tea made by my master, when he named this tea he must had a Song dynasty opera singer walking in small steps in her embroidered shoes, swaying her body with long sleeves singing softly. The beauty is drunk!

Chao Zhou Clay Pot making

2009-12-16T01:18:00.000-08:00

Raw clay from mine

Sifters for sand making
Small grains of sand to be mixed in cured clay before pot making
Soaking of ground raw clay for 2 years

Drained clay and put away for 10 years of curing before using
Making a pot belly

Making a lidRough mode of body and lid
Redefining body shape/smoothness and footing

Smoothing the lid and body together for perfect fitting

Added spout and handle rough draft
Tools for Ming Zhen - Clear needle, meaning resurfacing refining the tea pot which could take up to a day for only 1 pot without any carving.

Phoenix Moumtain Pictures

2009-12-16T00:51:00.000-08:00

Blooming season for tea trees.
Who would argue this tree does not produce enough tea by itself?

Wu Dong Village

Checking out moss on tree branches

Half dead 700 years old Song Zhong Tree

Back to LA - 2 tea expos

2009-12-14T02:32:00.000-08:00

Private Tea Museum in Shen Zhen.

I am back for a day from my 3 weeks long trip to China. Went to work at the shop on Sunday, and very happy to see some familiar faces! Had dinner with friends on Saturday (landing day) night and Sunday night. I am now jet lagging and sleepless in early hours on Monday.

Thinking I should catch up on the pictures and turns out my card reader won't read this flash card I bought from China. I ran out of space fast (less than a week). Will find a way to download pictures tomorrow or whenever that happens.

Anyways, I'll just write along as I fast reverse to 3 weeks ago. It was great experience, great trip with some minor dislikes. If I were there alone, I'd have hated most of the trip and came home much earlier. Over all I enjoyed the bigger and positive aspects of the trip, hated the air and common people quality.

My plane landed in Guang Zhou on the 25th. I attended the Guang Zhou tea expo from the 26th thru the 30th, hang around the exhibit booth of my tea master's most of the time. It had over 1100 vendors, green, white, oolong, red, black, pu-erh, herb, tea pots, furniture and some other odds and end stuff. It's overwhelming, all I bought at the show were tea wares, not even 1 tea. I was frighten by the pretty sales girls, they follow you so close and bark at your ears constantly, they actually spit on your face. I HATE pretty sales girls in China at any store. Speaking of which, most people in China only speak to you when you dress nicely and LOOK rich. Otherwise they won't answer your questions and give you dirty looks. *sigh* When I am on the road, sweat pants and t-shirt or long sleeve shirt are my preferred and only outfit, comfort comes first no mater what. So after 20 hours of flying, 1 hours of taxi ride to the hotel. The girls at the front desk informed me my reservation did not exist. No cell phone, no master insight, I panicked a little and asked for a public phone. Her answer was "it's out side". Out side of where????? I walked over to the next hotel and ask for reservation and phone, they were nicer and charged me for phone usage. So I was told the first hotel was the correct one, I wandered back and book a room right there and then. After a shower and changed into decent clothing, I walked down to the lobby all refreshed. Guess what, the 2 exact same girls were looking at me like I am a whole new person WITH money. They nicely initiated conversation with me for no reason other than I looked like I had money. I wanted to slap the shit out of these snobbish bitches. What right do they have to discriminate anyone based on packaging. Sadly this is common in China. If you can be nice, be nice equally, or discriminate equally! I'd have more respect for them if they weren't nice to me after I changed clothing. Anyways, enough bitching of 1 out of many little incidents I disliked.

4.5 days at the tea expo was fun. My perception is lots mediocre teas, most of them are in the range of 300 to 400 rmb (it's the most common spending level per 500g). 80% of the teas fall in this price range. There are some good teas, but NO outstanding teas. I was later told that, most people ask for free samples, the vendors can not afford to give away good teas, so you won't find them at the expo or any ordinary tea shops. Simply there is not enough great teas to go around, either people keep them for self consumption or sold to the elites and powerful only. Some times money can't buy you happiness, in this case great tea. You need to know the right people, show you are worthy and genuine, and have the money to pay for it. Well, this is a problem created by 12 billions population. There are way too many people fighting for the small quantity, also wealth in general. Business sales in China are VERY aggressive. Life is less complicated here in the west I supposed, and gladly so.

Thursday night, my tea master was invited to give a lecture about Tea culture emphasizing on Gong Fu Cha at the Hua Nan Nong Ye University-China South Agriculture University in Guang Zhou. This is the first time I had the chance to sit in his lecture. I ONLY learned how to brew tea during this trip, as I did not know how to brew tea previously. No one can brew tea with that much science to back up each and every move like he does. I learned a lot about Dan Cong, but very little on brewing technique from him previously. This is a whole new level of tea brewing for me. This is also the first lecture he talked about the science of tea brewing (because his best student is in the class :P), reason being not that many people know enough to comprehend and able to utilize it. And surely but sadly, after 2.5 hours of lecturing, a graduate student brewed tea for the 7 of us, he did not get a word out of the lecture, after my master showed him twice how to pour water and tea, he still didn't get it. I walked away and I could feel my master's anger and despair. He later told us he wanted to scold the professor for misleading the kids. Today's young minds in China are so naive and immalleable. It makes me ill to think all the knowledge of the wise could be lost because today's young people do not find them meaningful and valuable. One thing my tea master said has sadden me: when you drink tea at this level, you become lonely and self-isolated simply because no one else can understand you even though a trainful of people swam you inquest of your knowledge. I think this philosophy applies to anyone who has mastered extremity of any given subject.

The last 3 days of my trip I spent in Shen Zhen, a city only 1.5 hours away from Guang Zhou. This wasn't on my original plan, but turned out great. The primarily reason for the detour was to attend the International Tea Culture Research and Exchange Meeting. This meeting also coincided with the 2nd annual Shen Zhen Tea Expo which is much smaller than the Guang Zhou expo. The first evening we had Hang Zhou cuisine, which I didn't have to be there to enjoy. I felt my detour from Hang Zhou was made up in a way. :)

During the meeting a bunch of the top guns showed up, researchers, city councils, provincial agricultural department heads from most of the tea producing regions showed up. My grand tea master - master of my master showed up as well. The meeting began from the 9th to the 12th, about 80 attendees from 16 provinces, Japan, Korea and me from the US. The group was invited to have a casual tea meeting at a private tea museum. A collection of clay pots, old teas, tools, books and paintings were opened to our viewing. My favorite is the long scroll of Chinese calligraphy of Tea Classic goes from the front all the way to the end of the hall way, about 50 yards long.

I picked up a couple of teas at this expo knowing I am coming home at the end of my exile. I'd buy more if I had more time. Both are tea flower teas from Liu Bao tea trees, one is all tiny flower buds about 6 years old, one is large buds-almost open, freshly picked recently (tea trees bloom in Nov). They are very different, the fresh one is spicy, the older one is sweet and soothing, my British boy calls it aromatic air as you swallow it. The fragrance lasts 15 brews. I wanted to buy her out if I could carry that much weight. :P
My eyes are sleepy finally... Will continue with my stories in early mornings of god knows how many more to come... :D

Back to Korea again

2009-12-12T01:45:00.001-08:00

I love this airport. Free computer with wifi for travelers.

Just a quick update, I have been to 8 cities so far... It's great fun but I am TIRED!

Over 4000 pictures, yikes! Some interesting tea performance videos from 2 tea expos I had been to. Went to 3 tea mountains in Guang Dong, Fu Jian and Zhe Jiang provinces. Had the honor to attend the second annual tea house managers meeting, had tea at a private tea museum in Shen Zhen. Met the tea master of my tea master - de grand tea master of mine Yao Guo Qun (the most recognized in tea industry in China today for his contribution and knowledge).

Some odd teas I am bring home with: 40 yrs old Dan Cong, some over 50 years old Dan Cong worm shit (literally shit of worms that fed on Dan Cong), some 20+ years old OLD bush dan cong, 92 white tea (bai mu dan) from Fu Ding (sold for over 10k rmb, but I got it for free). Some best silver needles and silver needle jasmine I have ever had from Tai Shun, but out of stock this year. Also some other pricey teas that I didn't really care for as well. A bunch of books and tea wares and antiques are on their way on the ocean, should be back in 2 months...

Some Chao Zhou tea pots, and most proud of all, some chao zhou clay tea canisters! They are so small and so cute. Ah, speaking of that, I have a video of how chao zhou tea pot's made, not that you guys have not seen one before, this one is mineeeeeee... :P

The most interesting time I had was in Zhe Jiang province, visited a hot spring resort, and took some most amazing pictures there... I didn't go to Hang Zhou or Yang Zhou. This whole trip wasn't planned and end up really well. Next year is the 10th reunion for the 8 and only 8 masters graduate students of Zhi Jiang University, they are scheduling a meeting of all 8 and their professors in Hang Zhou, I am invited to tag along! I met 2 professors and 3 out of 8 students this time. It was such honor and privilege.

Ok, I gotta board now.... I'll be back in 15 hours...

In Korea, waiting to hop over to Guang Zhou

2009-11-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

Greeting to all from Korea. Happy Thanks Giving Turkey Day!

Passionate Tail Ant

2009-11-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

Well, happiness has happened twice in just one weekend at Tea Habitat. The 2 love birds in the picture announced that they are getting married to their parents on Saturday. They made their announcement while drinking Passionate Tail Ant Dan Cong - Ni Wei Yi. We were all over joyed!

Today - Sunday, a young lady informed us she's getting married as well while drinking the same exact tea Passionate Tail Ant Dan Cong.

It's a SIGN!

Congratulations to all the lovers who are meant to be together! May happiness with each and everyone!

I will drink the Passionate Tail Ant tea fast! And I will reserve this tree till I die. Perhaps this is the tree calling for my ashes... hahaha...

Leaving next week for China

2009-11-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

Got my tickets and Chinese visa, and I am ready to go! Well, not really ready, but ready or not, I am leaving for China on the following Monday.

Agenda:
25th to 30th: Guang Zhou, visiting friends, family and attend the biggest tea expo in the world.
31th to open date: Chao Zhou
After work is done in Chao Zhou, visit Hang Zhou, Tai Yuan, Shang Hai, Yang Zhou, Su Zhou, if time allows, Ning Bo, Wu Xi, Qian Tang, Zhao Qing.

Business will continue as usual, Tea Habitat store is open regular hours during my absence. Web order will be shipped regularly except fragile tea ware items. I'll follow up each order while I am in China. You will have your teas. :D

New arrivals - more Phoenix Dan Cong oolong teas

2009-11-10T16:20:00.001-08:00

Lao Cong Jin Si Xian - Old Bush Golden Silk Thread
Cheng Hua Xiang - Mandarin Orange Flower Fragrance
Au Fu Hou Huang Zhi Xiang - Orange Flower Fragrance
Wu Ye - Dark Leaf
Lao Cong Quin Ti - Old Bush Osmanthus Fragrance
Ye Lai Xiang - Night Jasmine Fragrance
Bo Zai Ye
Yang Mei Ye - YangMei Leaf (Taste like plum wine)

菊枕梦

2009-10-30T00:38:00.000-07:00

深宵夜探陆游梦
沈园肠断钗头凤
宋人痴心泪犹垂
哀叹今人情意轻
何日圆我菊枕梦
莫待红粉变飞灰

Thought of a man 9 hundred years old... his love, poems, eternal romance....

Lu You is one of the greatest poets in Chinese history, born during the end of Northern Song dynasty, having lived through the down fall of one dynasty and the weak new formed Southern Song, his patriotism for the Song, his ups and downs in his political career, his heart beak were inspirations. Essenes of his love life, his view of current political climate, his despairing hopes for China's unity, expressed through poems. He wrote more than 10 thousand poems, more than 9 thousand of which are preserved today.

At age of 20, he married his cousin Tang Yuan, the 2 were greatly in love with shared poetic ideas. Females were seldom educated in those days. Lu You wrote a poem about them collecting yellow chrysanthemum flowers to make a pair of pillows, expressing his love for his wife and the happiness they shared (This poem was not recorded). Later Lu's mother demanded him divorcing Tang Yuan (later found that she wasn't able to have children). The 2 were heart broken and helpless. Both of them were remarried under pressure.

10 years later, Lu You accidentally ran into Tang Yuan and her current husband in the Shen's garden (Shao Qing, Zhe Jiang Province). Lu wrote a poem on the garden wall (littering :P ) expressing his anger, helplessness, and sadden lasting love for her. Tang Yuan later wrote an other poem pairing with her sorrows, and died soon after. The combined poem is the famous Chai Tou Feng - Phoenix on a Hair Pin.

Lu You spend the next 40 years fighting the Mongols and was dispatched in various provinces and cities during his political career. At age of 63, he saw some one making a chrysanthemum pillow, his broken heart struck him once again, and wrote a poem about his memories of young loving marriage with Tang Yuan. In this poem, can we only know about the existence of his previous chrysanthemum pillow poem written at age 20.

At age of 67, Lu You revisited the Shen's garden, Chai Tou Feng was a spear stabbing his bleeding heart again. An other poem was written in Tang Yuan's memory.

He moved close to Shen's garden at age of 75, every time he's in town, he'd look into the garden from a hill top afar in silence. He wrote one last poem for Tang Yuan a year before he died.

What does it take to receive such life long immense love from a man....

Fall with a day dream

2009-10-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Fall is a dreamy season in its own style, a little sad, a little lost, a bit anxious. Golden leaves drift in between wind, red leaves dance in autumn sun. I thought of driving up north aiming Montreal on a New Jersey turn pike, diving into an oil painting of fall forest in high speed, days when I was young(er) with impulsive excitement. California has more ever green vegetation, palm trees lost its lush green in fall, leaving a sight of dull green and layered with heavy smog on top sliding off the dried edges. A shower would be heavenly, but a luxury in LA.

A friend invited me for a day of tea on a rainy day a couple of week ago. It was too early for rain in LA, but much welcomed. I didn't go to tea, rather enjoyed a day of rain and tea at my store, tranquility, quiet music, warm fire an arm away, a cup of flower warmed my fingers. My mind had crossed the ocean, rain drops smelled as soil of Phoenix Mountain, spring water swam through my bare toes tickling my senses, wild flowers immersed in water fall of rain shower in the forest, tender, vibrant and proud as a child.

I have longed to smell the soil of Phoenix mountain again, each time I sip a cup of Dan Cong, the more I needed to be near. Once I am there, my will may be captured and surrendered, I may no longer wish to return. Every time I walk at the edge of Pacific ocean, looking far into the other edge, there lays the culture of my blood, soil that once nurtured my bones and flesh, soil that nurtures tea trees that nurtures my soul today. My feet are standing on soil of LA, my spirit is already in Chao Zhou. Wish I could make an impulse decision as I was young(er), pack up and go as wish. Impulse or not, the excitement is still within, going to China next month is the plan. One might wonder why Winter instead of Spring. This trip is a personal trip, business on the side. The purpose is not to watch how teas are made. I am there to cultivate my root and connection. Also, my battery is running low, hence recharging is necessary. I need to soak up the rains on Phoenix mountain, I need to wander the ancient streets of Hang Zhou city, submerge in the romance and pain of ancient poets. Not one person in time could be exempted from pain, and every one in any time are included in seeking happiness. Pain is a magnifier of happiness, a guide to our eternal longing for happiness. Indulge it and be happy!

Perfume

2009-10-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

This is an off topic yet closely connected to tea, especially to Dan Cong teas for its renown fragrances.

Thi the writer of the LA Times article about my tea shop and Dan Cong teas is extremely well versed in many subjects. So naturally his friends are similar contributing even wider versed interests. I had the honer and privilege to become part of his group, expanding rapidly in my own horizon and every one else's in the group.

The US is an allergy swamp! I never heard of the term allergy during my childhood years in China. We had regular seasonal rains in the south, defined seasons, a lot less pollution than today. I was happy as a bug on a bamboo tree after a Spring shower. Soon after we moved to the states, 2 years was all that it took for my allergy to develop in full swing, the serious kind that crippled my social ability for many years. Living with such sensitivity, I avoid scent, wash my hands every 30 minutes, would not touch my own skin after 5 minutes of washing them or after touching anything else. A few perfumes I had purchased out of curiosity and impulse shopping, a few were gifts, most of them are still in the bottles aging like brandies with sealed packages. Mint condition antiques you can refer to one day. I hate strong scents worn by others, they put me out like chloroform I swear. Strong perfume and tea don't mix of course. So to sum it up, I did not like perfume, I did not wear perfume for over 20 years, and I refuse to date anyone showers with cologne.

SP introduced me to hundreds of her perfume collections, most of which are not over the counter perfumes. You can find them at :
http://www.cbihateperfume.com/perfume.html
Definitely not an average joe perfume collection. Those who lives in Brooklyn New York, lucky fools! CB has a gallery in Brooklyn.

It has been a few months since I first met SP and sniffed her perfumes. I did not attempt to put any on until a few weeks ago fear of my allergic natured being. Under some fine liquor influence, I tried a few on at various spots of my arms. Next day woke up with my nose next to my arm, good morning I said in a happy liquefied mood. I then sniffed both my arms in an outward reach order, it started with sweet water with an innocent love affair for 4 inches, musky smoked Russian Caravan without milk and sugar for the next 3 inches, wet stone of the north east forest extended toward my lower arm, fresh snow and fir was where I lost before a mushroomy aroma stopped me before my palm. The memories, imaginations, sensuality are all part of these scents, alarming in a gentle but profound way. ALL of these perfumes are so light and airy, one can not smell you from a distance. They can only be smelled about 1/2 inch away or less, so delicate you want to chase your nose down beneath the skin. This is the quality of some Dan Cong teas, fragrance is in the golden liquid sipping down your throat, scenting your entire breathing system, tracing all the way deep into your lungs.

These scents combined with my own scent and had modified itself from what they were in the bottle. Upon reading more about CB I hate Perfume's website, my mind was blown away, a part of life I blocked off due to my health condition. During many tea drinking sessions with Thi, SP and his (mine too now) friends, I kept mentioning if there was a natural perfume smells exactly like any of my Dan Cong teas, I'd wear them everyday! How sensual and divine that might be! I might be able to market that in Chao Zhou. :P

I'll get a ginger flower scent for Christmas! It's a present for myself... I'm currently in love with the water #5 accord - gift from SP, it works very nice with my skin and chemistry. Accord means single scent. Go get lost in these scents! Male, female, natural, floral, dirt, smoke, leather, dried leaves and mushrooms, scents of the 60's and 70's, the possibilities are endless, and they smell very nice despite the names. Let there illusive scents illuminate your senses!

Most human have expression complication, some are introverted, some are verbal, some through music, writing, etc. Scent is another catalyst to open one's mind, imagination, express in ways one finds comfort. Tea has been a great catalyst for many as a social medium, chit chatting amongst friends, even strangers through a cup of tea. Some teas are more expressive than others. I found my expressive tea, Dan Cong. Perfumes from CB are the new addition, opening channels I intentionally shut off. It makes me feel whole, or more whole than previous.

New arrivals - tea, pots and cups

2009-10-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

This is the longest wait for some pots, so it seems to me.

Finally they have arrived safely and wholly!

20 Wu's Chao Zhou Sandy Red Clay Pots
09 Ya Shi - Duck Poop Aroma (It's actually Ginger Flower Fragrance), last of this years production
09 You Hua Xiang - Pomelo Flower Fragrance, last of this year's production

08 Dong Fang Hong #2
Hand made small white cups - egg shell thin

Large Leaf - Small Leaf Varietals

2009-10-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

Many of us know of Large Leaf varietals, Small Leaf varietals, wild varietals and such. What are the difference?

Large Leaf:
Arbor tea trees grown in the Southwest part of China and other bordering southeast Asian Countries. These are considered wild varietals or wild to domesticated varietals. The term wild does not only mean grown wildly. Wild species contain stone cells in leaf structure. Wild to domestic varietals also contain stone cells but fewer. Such genetic cell formation is for survival in wild with a hearty structure. Pu-erh teas and Feng Huang Hong Yin are both arbor large leaf wild varietals, Feng Huang Shui Xian/Dan Cong are mutated wild to domesticated varietals. These species can be found and live happily in warm and moist climates.

Small Leaf:
Shrubs with smaller tree size and leaf size. As tea trees migrate from warmer to cooler climates, the genetic changes to adopt to local condition, soil, temperature, moisture, altitude, etc. Small leaf varietals are found in mid to east and mid to north areas of China. Long Jing, Bi Lo Chun, Yan Cha, Tie Guan Yin are all small leaf varietals, also domesticated varietals. These varietals no longer contain stone cells. They can endure cooler temperature than large leaf varietals.

Too see leaf difference:
Wild Hong Yin - Wild varietal
Feng Huang Dan Cong - Wild to Domesticated varietal
Bi Lo Chun - Domesticated varietal

I'm often asked: can one tea tree be made into every kinds of tea, green, black, and such. Leaf varietal is the determine factor of its suitability for type of tea to be made. Wild, wild to domesticated varietals are too strong for green tea. Domesticated varietals are too fragile for oolong tea process. These are factors aside of how young the shoots/buds to pick. Large leaf varietals are more flavorful than domesticate varietals, the hearty nature of the leaf can also endure longer and detailed process that intended for more complicated chemistry reaction.

How to time a good brew without a timer

2009-10-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

I have been pondering how to write this article for a while, with my limited choice of words, precisely explain something imprecise has its own challenge.

Many years of brewing tea without a thermometer and a timer is the path took me to where I am with tea today. Reading others brewing reviews with precise time and temperature written down, I always wonder if anyone actually follows with again modern gadgets of thermometer and timer. The bigger question is with all these tools involved, is outcome of tea really at its best? After all, the Chinese or other parts of the world have been drinking tea for centuries if not millenniums without a thermometer and a timer beside them. How did Gong Fu Cha refine its technique by nothing but skilled hands, observing minds and sensitive palates?

While training my new employee Peter, I realized learning to brew tea with borrowed data can not improve ones skill. Peter can now brew DCs really well after some side by side boot camp style training which he learned the initial technique, then later learned to observe color and consistency. This experience has improved my skill in teaching how to brew tea. My brewing has been some what subconscious, kinda like driving. My consciousness does not aware of the subtle difference in technique. Here I propose a simple way to start then transcend your skill level in leaps and bounds.

For oolong and pu-erh teas in general, as a starter brew, use 3 g of leaves, 100 to 120 ml cup or pot

1, preheat utensils (cup or pot)with boiling water
2, add dry leaves in to utensil IMMEDIATELY upon emptying and cover lid
3, shake utensil in circular motion (not up and down) occasionally for 1 minute
4, pour hot water (boiling or off boiled) on side of utensil at one spot (do not go all over the utensil), avoid hitting leaves directly, with force and from high up (6 inches above)for oolong teas, low for pu-erh teas.
5*, cover lid for 15 seconds for 1st brew, empty to pitcher

***For step 5, use 15 seconds as a standard for every NEW tea comes to hand as a reference point. You can change it as you get to know the teas in future sessions.

The most important part begins here, how ever the first brew comes out is your reference, observe color and consistency of liquid. After tasting this brew, you'll find out whether it's 1)just right, 2)too weak, 3)too strong for your own taste. Base on your own preference of strength, when making the 2nd brew, adjust the color and consistency in comparison to the first brew. Current brew will become the reference of the follow brew.

Out come 1, just right: brew subsequent brews with same or "similar" color and consistency as 1st brew.

Out come 2, too weak: make 2nd brew into darker color and thicker consistency. Timing is irrelevant since each tea is different, but the color and thickness of liquid are your most tell tail signs of what's being extracted and at what ratio, which is the influential factors in how strong your tea will become.

Out come 3, too strong: make 2nd brew into lighter and thinner consistency. Same as out come 2, timing is not relevant but the color and thickness of liquid are the indicators of how strong your tea is.

Each brew should be a reference of the following brew as for how long to brew and how strong you prefer your tea. Timer is soulless, it does not recognize your palate preference, it can not smell the aroma of tea, most importantly, a timer does not understand each tea individually. Only you the tea drinker can recognize those desirable attributes of a tea through tasting and more tastings. Practice makes perfection perfect!

The key to this is reproduce the same color and consistency of the brew that you like. It can be achieved for the first 4 to 6 brews depending on the quality of tea. Later brews will have lighter color, consistency can keep up or thinning depending on the quality of tea again.

This is the only way to perfect your skills in making a good cup of tea. A timer and thermometer are not going to get you there.

For other variables (temperature, utensil, leave quantity, type of tea, water, etc.), you can experiment with them in future sessions, after you get familiarize with the tea. No mater what parameters you change at one given session, the fundamental remains reproducing the same color and consistency of liquid that best suited for your own taste, without a timer and a thermometer.

You might wonder how does one know if the potential of the tea has been reached. This will come with experience, and become consistent. No one can tell you how you prefer a tea. No one can formulate a mechanical brewing process for a tea using tools.

无奈

2009-10-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

予若乘风攀杨柳
柳垂杜鹃何堪接
几许奈何花自落
花飞柳扬水自催
卿心柳意雾中隔
银河月照丝丝意

Chinese poems can express so much more in a few simple lines than I can explain in a full page article.

How hard is it to brew a good cup of tea?

2009-09-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

Just a thought on what Gong Fu can do to your Cha:

It's really easy to mess up a cup of green tea. In the case of Dan Cong, commercial grade products. Some can actually taste bad.

It's really hard to max the potential of great oolong tea. In the case of Dan Cong, the high end old bush Dan Cong. Without gong fu, it won't taste bad, with some serious Gong Fu, you can maximize its potentials and be rewarded by its beauty.

Cups and such

2009-09-25T01:26:00.000-07:00

This is a lid of some sort, beautifully hand painted. I am using it as a saucer. Next to that is my flaming gay red hot orange rice bowl cup which I lug around a lot. Everything is old but the orange bowl, I also have a brown one with gold shimmers, a few pink ones, a few soft yellow ones, a couple of dark blue ones. Rice bowl is my favorite shape although not conventional in tea terms. Up side down cup is old as well, I have 4 and each one of them taste different. Yeah, it's insane! Same tea, different cup, different flavors. P suggested this monster experiment to try each cup to see if they taste different. I didn't think I should start a whole new controversy on cups, since there are enough to go about clay pots, but we couldn't help it. Anyways, I refuse to dig further into this. This can turn into a big monster obsession on top of all my other obsessions. I have only 24 hours a day and limited supply of brain cells.
Tiny cups, hand made and hand painted, god knows how old they are. White translucent clay, imperfect shapes.
My newly acquired cup sets, 6 sets of hand made and hand painted cups with matching saucers. Very nicely made with even thinness. Each cup and saucer are different from another although precisely made with fine details. Old but not sure how old. They are a bit too small tho, it's so small, the tea turns cold really fast, so fast that moving from the table to my lips is not fast enough to have a cup of hot tea. I'll use them for something else.
Gift from JM, these are Japanese made cups with crackle clear glaze. The bottom of the cup has a dot of blush pink. Such darlings! They go well with shu pu-erh in taste, also appealing in looks with amber color matching the light pale earth green. Although I messed up with leaving shu pu in it over night, some tea sipped through the crackles and left minor stain marks.

60 hand made white cups (new) will arrive in the next shipment, made in Chao Zhou by hand.

Russian Tea

2009-09-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

A couple drove more than 100 miles from San Diego county all the way to Palos Verdes for some tea. They found out about Tea Habitat through a Russian news paper, not the LA Times. I was stunned to find out the LA Times article was translated and republished in a Russian news paper.

Thanks to NL for sending the news paper to me! I have no words to describe my surprise and excitement. :D

Goose feather fan

2009-09-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

Goose feather fan, one of the 18 essentials of Chao Zhou Gong Fu Cha.

It's funny how perception by the norm in my childhood days, things that are ugly and old (out of fashion) last long into my adulthood. I knew this goose fan was one of the essentials of Chao Zhou gong fu cha, but I didn't want to have one because compare to the new wood carved, nice paper/silk fans, not to mention the electric fans, it just looks too neolithic.

When I first used the Chao Zhou clay stove, starting a fire with a few pieces of wood charcoal was a bit of challenge, although I had a very good idea how to get it going. But in reality, the speed of starting the fire is what's important and needed be perfected. A slow fire can bring a pot of water up to boil in 40 minutes, vs a flaming hot fire can boil a pot of water in a few minutes. The very first fan I had was a hand held electric fan runs on batteries. Ha, I thought I was smart and that must be better than a goose fan. It worked, with some constant fanning. After I dropped that a couple times and broke it, I switched to a piece cardboard paper. It was working as well, also takes some constant fanning, but I didn't have to pay for it. :P

Reading Chinese classics really open my mind about ancient traditional philosophies, tools, medicines, and much more. I realize if something has lasted for thousands years and still in practice widely today, there must be a significant function of such existence which is better than others including new inventions. The western mentality is newer the better, invent and invent and more new inventions. The eastern mentality is re-invent and refine. Anyways, I told myself, I should get a goose fan because it's still being used today by the cz locals.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, it brought me sooo much joy when using it the first time. Literally started a fire from charcoals with a few small red spots to flaming fire in under a minute. It was soooo fun, I intentionally burnt most of the charcoals down to small pieces in between sessions, so I can use the fan again to start a flaming fire with newly added charcoals. :P

Scientifically, I have not studied why a feather fan works better than anything else, including the electric fan. My guess would be the feathers used are from the wings portion of the geese. They are "designed" to fly, therefore the natural feather curve is "designed" with aerodynamics. Nature is magical! Yi Jing's fundamental is also about nature, nature is the base track of human way of living. Stay on track can get you far and beyond, off track will eventually throw you back into track and start over again where you left off. I am going to learn to be smart and stay with the track. :D

I also learn to listen, accept ideas from the right sources, although with questions in mind. Sometimes I wonder if I should put aside the questions, practice with the idea to find the outcome before asking questions. Pure skepticism will not get you too far. Learn with an open mind. When the truth unfold, questions will vanish.

Tea tasting with Wu's, Zhang's CZ pots and gaiwan

2009-09-15T23:09:00.000-07:00

This is a long over due post, as most of you read my blog knows what had happened and how my time was spent for the last few days.

Anyways, back to business as usual, and blog as usual.

A couple of weeks ago, 3 tea drinkers and myself conducted a tasting test with 3 different vessels (left to right):
Wu's Chao Zhou Sandy Red Clay pot
Zhang's Chao Zhou Red Clay pot
White porcelain gaiwan
Tea we used was a commercial special grade of Da Wu Ye - Big Dark Leaf. DWY is one of my favorite tea with a ginger flower aroma when it's made well. The commercial grade is not as great in fragrance, flavor and texture compared to the old bush teas. When comparing to the same class/grade of tea, it's on top of my list.

I brewed with 2-3 grams of leaves in each vessel, used the same water, same timing.

Gaiwan being the first one: aromatic, sharp flavor with some dry throat feeling
Zhang's Chao Zhou Red Clay pot: very smooth-almost buttery, rounded, aroma subsided a bit
Wu's Chao Zhou Sandy Red Clay pot: aromatic, richer, smoother but not buttery, sweeter, thicker texture.

The initial brew was an open answer tasting. The second brew was closed "book" tasting. I switched the pots order to Gaiwan, Wu's then Zhangs. 2 people liked the Gaiwan, and 1 preferred the Wu's. Both people preferred the gaiwan like it because the flavor is richer, in my opinion, it's more flavorful with everything presented in the cup, the good and the flaws, but not necessary a better cup. The flavors (both good and not so good substance) are more detectable in a gaiwan.

The Zhang's muted the tea a little too much, buttery to the point it feels soapy slick, the aroma was missing quite a bit. A Yixing is even more so compare to the Zhang's conducted previous with green tea. I think this is why it makes great green pu-erh, young in particular, since most pu-erh are not as fragrant as DCs, some with sharp dryness.

The Wu's is the winner in my opinion. It has the aroma as much as a gaiwan, the texture is refined with rich full texture, sweeter.

I have been using a couple of Wu's pot to re-taste many of the dc teas, single bushes mostly. I found that it made roasting/toasty flavor disappear.

The 07 Po Tou - ginger flower was reroasted and I can taste the roasty flavor in a gaiwan and was not as desirable as I first had it in 2007. When I made it in the Wu's, the aroma came back although not as fresh as flowers after rain (that's how it felt in 2007), it turned into a matured sweet floral aroma, the after taste was amazingly sweet and clean. 2 tea tasters were quite impressed by the sweet after taste. It was actually more sweet and lingering than I had it in 2007. I am glad the Wu's brought Po Tou back to my favorite, at one point, I thought of writing it off my favorite list.

Chao Zhou pots are well known, or much more well known than Yixing in Southern China-Guang Dong and Fu Jian oolong drinking regions and many South east Asia countries. It's better suited for most oolongs. But you'd wonder why areas outside of those mentioned use Yixing mostly or unheard of CZ pots? It's because they are not made in large quantity, also not artistically made as the Yixings.

This is the reason why the more I know about Chao Zhou culture, tea culture and people culture all together (people culture reflects in tea culture), the more I love the region. It's rich, unassuming, not flashy, but full of substance in literature, culture, rites, food, tea, teawares. All of which are great without the fancy packages, most of which are designed for practicality for best use. The people are not as fashionable as Shanghai or Guang Zhou. Phoenix mountain is not as famous as most well known Chinese mountains such as Tai Shan, Huang Shan, etc. Dan Cong teas are not as well known as Long Jing or Tie Guan Yin. Tea pots are not as well known as Yixings. But over all tea culture known as Chao Zhou Gong Fu Cha is world renown although the components are not, which is quite weird. Chao Zhou tea culture is the richest, deepest and most fancy in technique and equipments, but at the same time, not that many people know of the actually details. Seems like a controversy in itself eh?

What does Cong 丛 mean?

2009-09-14T00:31:00.000-07:00

There are many confusion about Dan Cong - 单丛.

It's 单丛, not 单枞. The correct Chinese character has always been 单丛 used in Chao Zhou. Out side of Chao Zhou, it's aslo commonly seen as 单枞. Yes, even the Chinese in China-alot of them too misuses the character.

丛 (Cong2): bush, shrub, a cluster of branches grow from the same root as one single plant.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%B8%9B

枞 (Cong1): Fir - Abies Firma
http://www.nciku.com/search/zh/detail/%E6%9E%9E/6423

The 2 characters have extremely different meanings with different sound/tone, mismatching doesn't even make sense. It's quite disturbing to see the Chinese misuse the character in China, hence misleading foreigners. You can even hear Chinese national TV hosts say 枞 (Cong1), emphasizing the incorrect pronunciation as correct. This problem perhaps can be corrected when over all education improves in a couple of generations if not longer. Tea farmers are mostly illiterate in China, great tea making skills but lack of eloquence. When China is open to private business again in the last 20 some years, a flood of misused characters can be seen everywhere, logos, signs, fliers, ads, menus, etc. English translations are even more hilarious during the Olympic games.

Dan Cong, literal translation is Single Bush, as a bush is a cluster of growth from ground up feeding off from the same root as one plant. In Chinese, a bush has no limit of height and size, unlike the English term, it's limited to a small short shrub. Hence, a tall tree with many large separate branches attached to the same roots is also call a bush (1 丛) as a unit of tree.

Cong is also loosely translated as trunk, grove, and some other meanings. While not entirely wrong, but not quite precise either.

Translation and interpretation from one language to another is never 1 = 1. As long as 1 = .9 is rather understandable. If someone claims 1 = -1, that wouldn't be so acceptable, eh?