Hi!

I've been following the postings for a few days, so it's now time to
post something about myself.

I've kinda-sorta been dabbling with the tea bags off and on for a while
and then went to San Francisco last month for a vacation and found
myself at a tea shop in Chinatown, as a part of a tour. I got to taste
many types of Chinese tea and wound up going home with a Chinese tea
set, some "blue tea" (an oolong), and a tea strainer. Once I got home,
I started investigating tea vendors, knowing that I wanted to try even
more tea; that's where I found Upton Tea and started ordering samples,
as well as a Chatsford teapot for brewing them in. Off of eBay came a
couple of larger gaiwan sets and a Bodum Chambord teapot/press that's
on the way. The money keeps running out, so I've had to slow down.

As for which teas I'm liking the most at this point, white tea seems to
be my favorite for hot tea and as for iced tea, Upton's No. 1 Tippy
Orthodox Darjeeling is impressive (markedly better than the iced tea
bags!) and I have some Extra Bergamont Earl Grey cold brewing in the
fridge now. I've got some samples of Adagio's flavored white teas on
the way that I'm looking forward to trying.

Besides all that, I'm a librarian who likes to cook, scrapbook, read,
and stay involved in church activities, among other things. I'm married
have a couple of 4-legged children of the feline persuasion.

My husband and I are opposites on a lot of things, so it doesn't
surprise me that I've taken to hot tea since he knows the location of
just about every Starbucks in our area and will not hesitate to stop at
one when he needs to.

Anyway, I'm glad to have found this group and look forward to more
reading and posting.

HeatherB

Welcome, Heather!

Yep, it's great to use a vendor from whom you can buy samples,
isn't it? And I use the "cold steeping" method for iced tea
exclusively - super easy, works great.

Another tea I can recommed iced is Upton's China Lychee,
but it isn't at all tangy or slightly pungent like a Darjeeling, it
has a unique sweetness because of the Lychee juice (a Chinese
fruit). So if that isn't your thing, it may not be for you.


--
Randy

In article . com>,
"HeatherB" > wrote:

>
> Anyway, I'm glad to have found this group and look forward to more
> reading and posting.
>
> HeatherB

Welcome, HeatherB. Stick around and post whatever/whenever
you want. There's a lot of knowledge around here.

Hi Heather,
This is a wonderful NG and you can ask as many questions you want
and everyone is nice. I am somewhat of a newbie and was given great
information and I am enjoying great tea on my limited budget. Do worry
that a question may sound stupid, as I did, because these experts will
treat you as a friend.
While I got a lot of help from many people, Dominic T. helped me out
so much and I appreciate all he suggested to me. My tea-drinking is so
much more flavorful and enjoyable thanks to him

Good luck,
Jane Hudson

FERRANTE wrote:
> Hi Heather,
> This is a wonderful NG and you can ask as many questions you want
> and everyone is nice. I am somewhat of a newbie and was given great
> information and I am enjoying great tea on my limited budget. Do worry
> that a question may sound stupid, as I did, because these experts will
> treat you as a friend.
> While I got a lot of help from many people, Dominic T. helped me out
> so much and I appreciate all he suggested to me. My tea-drinking is so
> much more flavorful and enjoyable thanks to him
>
> Good luck,
> Jane Hudson

Welcome Heather, and thank you Jane, I'm humbled. To think my ramblings
helped someone is great I'm not a technical tea drinker, and I tend
to be very simple and real about my tea. I don't overthink things and I
don't abide by much more than my own senses. I always reccomend reading
Okakura's "The Book of Tea" to newcomers as it was a great intro for me
a good number of years ago. It is available to read for free online on
Project Gutenberg.

There is a great blend of knowledge and personalities around here, and
it makes it a great NG especially the low amount of spam and flaming.
There are specialists in different areas and a great mix of
backgrounds. I fully believe in staying true to older ways of tea, and
simplification of tea when things become too overly complex. I also
follow my own judgement for the most part and manage to do so on a
pretty small budget. I splurge once or twice a year on high-end tea but
tend to always go back to my old standby's that are middle-of-the-road.
I, in fact, reccomend starting out drinking low-grade tea and teabags
from local asian/indian markets to get a good foundation and then once
you have learned which teas you enjoy, then home in on some better
quality versions of those and you will then appreciate what makes a
middle to high-end tea so great at times. I have also received some
great suggestions from members here that have taken me on totally new
journey's I would have missed out on otherwise.

Welcome aboard!

- Dominic

"HeatherB" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hi!
>
> I've been following the postings for a few days, so it's now time to
> post something about myself.
>
> I've kinda-sorta been dabbling with the tea bags off and on for a while
> and then went to San Francisco last month for a vacation and found
> myself at a tea shop in Chinatown, as a part of a tour. I got to taste
> many types of Chinese tea

What a great experience for you!

> and wound up going home with a Chinese tea
> set, some "blue tea" (an oolong), and a tea strainer. Once I got home,
> I started investigating tea vendors, knowing that I wanted to try even
> more tea; that's where I found Upton Tea and started ordering samples,

Samples are the best way to get into different teas.

> as well as a Chatsford teapot for brewing them in.

One of my favorites.

> Off of eBay came a
> couple of larger gaiwan sets and a Bodum Chambord teapot/press that's
> on the way. The money keeps running out, so I've had to slow down.

<sigh> It's always the money, isn't it?

> As for which teas I'm liking the most at this point, white tea seems to
> be my favorite for hot tea and as for iced tea, Upton's No. 1 Tippy
> Orthodox Darjeeling is impressive (markedly better than the iced tea
> bags!) and I have some Extra Bergamont Earl Grey cold brewing in the
> fridge now. I've got some samples of Adagio's flavored white teas on
> the way that I'm looking forward to trying.
>
> Besides all that, I'm a librarian who likes to cook, scrapbook, read,
> and stay involved in church activities, among other things. I'm married
> have a couple of 4-legged children of the feline persuasion.

Some cats like tea, too. Mine drank the ones she liked until I learned to
use a cover to keep her nose out, either a proper lid like for a Chatsford
mug or a plastic lid like from a can of nuts.

> My husband and I are opposites on a lot of things, so it doesn't
> surprise me that I've taken to hot tea since he knows the location of
> just about every Starbucks in our area and will not hesitate to stop at
> one when he needs to.
>
> Anyway, I'm glad to have found this group and look forward to more
> reading and posting.
>
> HeatherB

Welcome to the group! Have you seen our FAQ? Here's a link:
http://pages.ripco.net/~c4ha2na9/tea/faq.html.

--
~~Bluesea~~
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Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.