Space 6/30/05


> I never got around to taking pictures of the seed or pod grade tea but
> the vendor did. These shapes are a little more irregular than the TKY
> pods and the Zui Mei Ren seeds but definitely the 'sealed' style I've
> tried to describe. These seeds, pods, nuggets essentially never open
> in the pot. Here the vendor claims 15 infusions for this Fujian grade.
> I wouldn't disagree from what I've seen so far with my two samples.
>
> On IE hold the cursor over the picture till you get the enlargment icon
> to zoom in on the pictu
>
> http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...zhong_wang.jpg
>
> Jim
>
> Old post "More seed style grade"
>
> The only difference between the 'seed' of the Zui Mei Ren, whatever
> variety that is, and the 'pod' of the Tie Kwan Yin is the size of the
> leaf. I only knew that from 3 ten minutes of boiling infusion where a
> few popped open. Any rolled leaf I've seen is still discernable as a
> leaf such as surface irregularities, a beginning or end, a twist and a
> roll, a tuck, etc such as the herbal Kuding Pearls or the photos. All
> I can say as before the grade looks like a teardrop seed with point. It
> is completely smooth with no visible seams. The leaf looks like it has
> been seamlessly sealed. You can find a few irregular shapes which
> looks like a bulge or the end of a stem. I know rolled leaf but
> nothing like this. I wouldn't even think that much about it except it
> doesn't behave in the pot like other knots of leaf. I would say it
> looks rolled and then somehow seared but it doesn't looked burned or
> baked. Since there seems to be some interest I'll take some photos and
> email the curious. It won't be this week or even probably next. I'd
> send samples but that is all I have till I order some and then that is
> a shipment from China.
>


Jim,

Could you fill me in here. The picture -- it's a great picture, btw -- looks
like stones of granite. Are these petrified pods? Also, I'm not familiar
with "pod grade tea." Is this one of those semi-official terms for tea
repleat with tea pods and seeds? I haven't encountered such, except in a
lone Pu'erh now well known in NYC.

Michael