HobbesOxon wrote:
> I certainly wouldn't dream of adding to a killfile any poster who is
> able to provide good information in an area of which I have little
> technical familiarity. I prefer to provide a gentle prod towards
> making that valuable content appear in a more congenial form.
>
>
> Addio, addio,
>
> Hobbes

Very respectfully and with no malice or bad intentions, I would say
that in my time here a few posters can be a bit too "heady" for their
own good and really go overboard trying to sound important. Not to
single out, but I could summarize most of what Dog Ma said in many of
his paragraphs into single sentences in plain English.

At first a few posters here rubbed me the wrong way, but in general
they are harmless. I've learned to just stay out of certain posters
threads/topics and my enjoyment skyrocketed.

I try to stick to actual topics about tea now, and I also keep in mind
that this NG is very different than most with an almost absolute lack
of SPAM and junk... as well as a group of different folks who all enjoy
tea. I do my part to try to keep things light-hearted and fun, instead
of going down these long dark roads to nowhere about minutia. I have
read a number of great texts, and as always I reccomend "The Book of
Tea" by Okakura (available free online at Project Gutenberg) or for $4
at a local bookstore. I also place myself in the mindset of ancient tea
masters and the technology/techniques of the time when it comes to such
discussions as these. Think about the tools, environment, technology,
and surroundings. Think about how they would be using fresh spring
water for the most part, think about what minerals/contents of that
water would be. Think about using a wood fire and iron pot to heat the
water, how would that affect the taste? Think about how they most
certainly would reboil their water to conserve the heat and to minimize
trips to a stream. Etc.

Tea is a very singular experience. Tea ceremonies are nice, but not
what tea is truly about. Try to understand and appreciate other's
experiences, but do not judge your own by them. IMHO trying to make tea
a scientific endeavor is pointless. I also feel we spend too much time
on semantics and minute unimportant details and are missing the bigger
picture much of the time. All that said, though, I have learned a lot
about other's experiences and also had some new teas opened up to me
that would otherwise have not been known here at this NG and still
enjoy my time here even with a few rough spots.

- Dominic