tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49677751909742266152024-03-04T23:12:21.240-08:00Cup OfRichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-87782938270446773722019-03-29T15:18:00.000-07:002019-03-29T15:18:02.206-07:00Master Big Way's "Way!"
“I
am going to transmit the essence of my teaching to you, and you can translate
my teaching for the benefit of others. To make good tea, you begin with
your best intentions and your inner wisdom. You put your best into the tea that
you will serve.”
Master
Big Way smells your cup after you drink from it, and from that, he can sense
your tea level, and possibly your level of personal Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-45887714111773229142019-03-15T15:19:00.003-07:002019-03-15T15:21:50.118-07:00Meeting a Tea Saint - Master "Big Way"
“Imagine
that you are dealing with royalty, with a delicate, regal, but moody princess
who has just woken up. She’s not a morning person. You throw boiling water on her face, do you
think she would like it? Do you think
she would be pleasant to be around after that?”
Of
course not, I’d actually be exceptionally grateful if she didn’t order my
beheading!
We
must Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-39166797410863494032018-02-01T20:00:00.001-08:002018-02-11T10:11:15.030-08:00When a Tea Reminds You of Fruit Loops, but in a Good Way!<!--[if !mso]>
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Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-3229305519303062902018-01-15T21:37:00.000-08:002018-01-15T21:38:01.011-08:00Martial Tea ArtsMy friend Daniel owns a tea shop in Vancouver. Aside from being very knowledgeable about tea and teaware, he is also an accomplished practitioner of Wing Chun Kung Fu. He can size up another martial artist by the way they move. He intuits how good they are within just a few cycles of Sticky Hands. He can also size them up by the way they talk and what they say.
Experienced practitioners of Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-12013938002011505842018-01-02T01:00:00.003-08:002018-01-02T01:02:18.647-08:00Grow by Letting GoI try to spend about a week at the end of each year in solitude doing a "year in review" and to make goals for the upcoming new year. It's a great way for me to recall past successes, areas I can improve upon, reflect on gratitude, as well as to catch up on reading and correspondence. I spent some time on my most recent retreat writing outlines for new blog posts to come.
AlthoughRichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-12724592885370710332017-11-04T13:45:00.000-07:002017-11-04T13:45:03.129-07:00Reboot!
About 5 years ago, I lost the custom site name for this blog. I procrastinated on the renewal and a spammy company took my URL and redirected my readership to nowhere land. I found an opportunity to buy back my URL for 5 figures, scoffed at it, and carried on with life.
Recently, I randomly checked for the availability of my old URL and it was free again!
My blog is a way Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-38595379843041037452017-10-14T15:49:00.000-07:002017-10-15T11:41:08.628-07:00Yesterday...
Long ago, before this blog’s first lines were published, I was gifted a free ticket to Taiwan. There are few words I appreciate more than “free,” “travel,” or “tea!” I fully expected that my first trip to Taiwan would turn out to be an amazing experience - and it was. I met my first 2 Taiwanese tea teachers, Mr. Purple Clouds and my Tieguanyin teacher, during this first trip toRichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-45602069008894100232013-05-23T21:26:00.001-07:002013-05-23T21:28:04.474-07:00Neglect…Oops….It’s been nearly 4 months since I last made an entry…and most of the readership has disappeared because I made a mistake and didn’t update my credit card for auto-renewal of my domain.  myteastories now goes to some random site with someone that has been squatting the domain name with no new content.  My bad. Life has been really busy as business has picked up and time for tea has Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-78366306728618499972013-01-24T21:26:00.001-08:002013-01-24T21:26:27.607-08:00Don’t be so quick to judge the brewTea can be temperamental and need some warming up before it will brew a really solid cup. You may have found that if your pot is too hot or if the water temperature isn't just right, your ideal cup of tea doesn't turn out quite the way you may have expected it to. Tea also seems to get jet lag sometimes. It may be the high air pressure, the cold of the cargo hold. . . which leads tea to taste Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-78427761238601593772012-10-13T15:08:00.001-07:002012-10-13T15:08:28.474-07:00Why Drink Old Tea?"Ha! Why do you look for old teas?  There is so much good, fresh tea to drink.  It is easier to find and costs less.  You have too much money!!  Why do you like old tea so much?"  The old man still had so much black hair left; he had to be at least 80.  Impressive...Mr. Forever Young. "It reminds me of the first teas that I've had.  Strong teas Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-21487183297382642392012-08-04T23:19:00.001-07:002012-08-04T23:19:42.876-07:00Deep Fry Leftover TeaWe are a household of fooders; we are too varied and sometimes too indiscriminate as eaters to be foodies.  We wouldn’t be ashamed to follow up an excellent 5-course French meal with popcorn (although at $6 Hurricane popcorn is kernel royalty). We love fried stuff: fried chicken; fish and chips; French fries...all of these are household favorites for which a deep fryer is an Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-29928700858209738172012-06-25T23:15:00.001-07:002012-06-25T23:15:53.348-07:00Many Teas Deserve a 2nd ChanceMany old oolongs can taste rather odd.  Older oolongs - those with at last 20 years of age - can taste exceptionally sour, bitter and "wet.”  They can smell musty, “ripe,” and seem otherwise unappealing.  There can be an indescribable taste/aroma of "oldness" that is referred to as "陳味.”  While the aging process can be thought of as “softening” the tea, I Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-83299418891118526922012-06-16T21:34:00.001-07:002012-06-16T21:37:54.441-07:00Spring 2012 Oolong…Liquor!!!My last post was 2 months ago, wow, long break.  Work has been intense without much opportunity to concentrate on a nice cup of brew, let alone write about it. The experience of tea, as we all know, can be calming and induce self-reflection.  Sometimes, though, what I crave is something intense, with a kick.  No, I’m not talking about a high-fire oolong…I mean something with a lotRichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-91734700962056639322012-04-15T16:40:00.001-07:002012-04-15T16:40:24.855-07:00Local shops need your $ support!“$280, green pu’er, you will like it, very popular…” WHOA!  That’s a lot of money for a cake I’ve never heard of, with coarse, mismatch-colored and uneven leaves. “8 years old, aged, very good.  Sweet!” “No thanks, I’m just looking, what brand is the tea?  Where did you get it?  What does it taste like?”  I felt bad asking questions, I was probably not going to buy Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-32667918719888975822012-01-15T17:59:00.001-08:002012-01-15T18:09:13.114-08:00What tells YOU that a tea is worth buying?My recent tea inventory led to panic (not enough!), then to a frantic pursuit of more product.  Storing tea for my retirement…it’s not too early to think about the future, especially with green pu’ers that need to mature. I’m continuously curious about what other tea lovers are buying, wanting to buy, and most importantly, what they’re currently enjoying.  Many tea lovers have Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-27723676161341137762011-12-31T11:04:00.001-08:002011-12-31T11:06:13.993-08:0030% or more tea, NO additional cost, ACT NOW!!Tough economic times have dramatically increased people’s interest in squeezing more out of what they already have.  Use less toothpaste/soap/detergent, lower the thermostat, drink milk past its sell by date…. Get more brews from your tea.  Increase your yield 30%, 50%, 100% or more?  It can be done! A few years ago, my Dong Ding teacher taught me to triple the number of brews Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-11145303515776956912011-12-25T01:26:00.001-08:002011-12-25T01:26:16.601-08:00A near-empty tea packet brings back unexpectedly pleasant memoriesI finally finished a full inventory of my tea last week.  The result?  Not enough!  It’s been a couple of winters since I’ve been to Asia, so I definitely need to re-stock on my next trip. Although I have written about a few of the more well-known tea retailers that I’ve visited, there are many more that I have yet to mention.  Hole in the wall places, previously well-known Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-80418315605636137942011-11-30T22:52:00.001-08:002011-11-30T22:52:19.469-08:00Over-roasted tea may not improve with ageWhen an oolong has been over-roasted, time and patience are necessary for it to have a chance to recover.  Weeks or years may pass before the fire subsides and one can taste the tea base again, but all too often, the fire remains long after the roast.  Some of the aged oolongs that one may come across were once over-roasted teas that have been set aside to rest and recover over the Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-27162184562779040692011-10-26T22:58:00.001-07:002011-10-26T22:58:08.060-07:00Oxidation Levels and Flavor ProfilesThe process for making oolong involves more steps than other types of tea.  The most important steps for determining the fundamental taste and base of an oolong during its processing are in the oxidation. Oolong oxidation will produce 4 major categories of flavor/aroma.  From light to heavy oxidation, those categories are: 1)  菜香 (Cai Xiang) - Vegetal, such as Baozhong. 2)&#Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-28331066147513511152011-10-05T16:46:00.001-07:002011-10-05T16:50:13.890-07:00Food and Tea…TogetherI love Vancouver BC’s Chinese food and its availability of all things Chinese (herbs, snacks, music…).  Vancouver’s Chinese radio station is great as well, especially on Sunday afternoons when they have cool talks on a variety of life and lifestyle topics.  It’s Fall, time for darker, full-bodied teas like this traditional Dong Ding A few months ago, the station did a segment on ideasRichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-61193525936449999732011-09-04T00:29:00.001-07:002011-09-04T00:29:13.800-07:00The invisible energy around usThe subtle energy and air of the human body – how does one measure it?  Does it even exist?  If so, how do we make use of it? I know that this debate continues both within the tea community and beyond.  Qi manipulation is a part of the body of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  Last year, a Qigong doctor traced my leg pain to a misaligned disc in my back that months of Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-68195497524803392972011-08-22T01:43:00.001-07:002011-08-22T01:43:05.653-07:00Slow Brew for a New ExperienceA flame, a stand and a tea pot.  Room temperature water and tea goes into the pot; heat the pot over a slow flame. Works well with a full-bodied oolong tea or a complex pu’er that’s already been infused a few times. New dimensions of flavor and taste.  This method forces you to really slow down to enjoy a nice cup of tea. Drink good tea and enrich your life.   Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-55156247671027878842011-08-05T21:42:00.001-07:002011-08-08T09:02:52.265-07:00A Cheap Spot Roasting SolutionA good, well-oxidized oolong can last for years.  Some teas are OK just being put into a jar and kept over time, but most will benefit from regular re-roasting.  I usually spot roast by putting tea in a sheet of paper that I circle over a flame.  A quick touch-up makes a stale tea more enjoyable, but doing more than 10 minutes of spot roasting by hand gets tedious.  There are Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-62513845817844779452011-07-31T14:29:00.001-07:002011-07-31T14:29:09.457-07:00Competition Oolong can taste funny as it agesIt can taste magical when it's fresh, with so many layers of flavor and aromas that a thesaurus may be needed to adequately describe its characteristics.  They can also be very expensive.  Depending on the tea, the top-prize oolongs can go for more than $1000 USD/pound – that’s if you even get the chance to buy them.  Depending on the tea and the competition, there may be quite aRichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-46801626856479189572011-07-14T16:59:00.001-07:002011-07-14T16:59:48.995-07:0010 Bucks for 15 Years of Aged teaTen bucks an ounce, fifteen years old, real Dong Ding tea…and you can buy it right here in the US. Shiuwen at Floating Leaves brought back a limited supply of aged Dong Ding from her recent tea-buying tour.  I tried it when it came in over a month ago, but I haven’t (and still haven’t) experimented too much with it or taken the time to understand the tea.  It is aged and its musty/Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0