tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18320371034095268422024-03-05T08:31:29.804-08:00Black Dragon Tea Bar(aka Brett's World!)Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.comBlogger424125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-46558387147742271752022-10-04T12:44:00.005-07:002022-10-09T09:39:14.988-07:00Aged Puer Tea "Garage Sale"<p>Hi Tea Friends! It's been a long time since I've popped up in this space! I hope you're all doing well :)</p><p>As many of you know, I've been collecting puer tea for two decades. I really love puer but to be honest I don't drink it very often. For me it's more of a social beverage. These days I drink a lot more black tea and oolong and I've come to realize I have way more puer tea than I'll ever actually need.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOIoZ5U3YP672mfOhSVzjUKSNpCA_sIUy-4DN1VJwkkhRhYOLO9Sx_gyZmwMwSDik0ei31-VMb7poqZ2V5zV7DgP-VJAG6KteTIbv9-bSdRSH03scJtXpgJGTxdoy_50RhYB1ZLiJ8vXbdzfy5OoEihpiLydJUbyrDv-bGu0RTlCEn5Z1LF2WQJtq/s4032/IMG_4923.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOIoZ5U3YP672mfOhSVzjUKSNpCA_sIUy-4DN1VJwkkhRhYOLO9Sx_gyZmwMwSDik0ei31-VMb7poqZ2V5zV7DgP-VJAG6KteTIbv9-bSdRSH03scJtXpgJGTxdoy_50RhYB1ZLiJ8vXbdzfy5OoEihpiLydJUbyrDv-bGu0RTlCEn5Z1LF2WQJtq/s320/IMG_4923.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I will always adore high quality loose leaf tea, but the main passions in my life these last 5 years have been music (especially the mighty UKULELE!) and helping my brilliant wife <a href="https://alannapeterson.com">Alanna Peterson</a> promote her amazing YA eco-thriller series, the <i>Call of the Crow Quartet</i>. Alanna and I are currently raising money to produce an audiobook of <a href="https://alannapeterson.com/books/when-we-vanished/">When We Vanished (book one of her Quartet)</a>. We need to raise about $3000 to do that project right. </p><p>My goal with this blog post is to sell some of my puer collection to help finance the audiobook. I have lots of great aged sheng puer that I'm willing to sell. All the prices below are negotiable.</p><p><b>How was the tea stored? </b> </p><p>All of my puer tea is stored together on four shelves in the corner of my office in Seattle, Washington, USA. A curtain is hung over the front to block out light. Most cakes are wrapped in their original paper. Some cakes are broken up into tins or ceramic jars.</p><p><b>How will sales be handled? </b></p><p>Please email me to get the ball rolling [ blackdragontea [at] gmail [dot] com ]. I'm happy to answer any specific questions you have. You can pay with PayPal or Venmo (or cash if you're local and we can manage to get together). Then, I'll ship or deliver your tea ASAP. </p><p>Here's what I'm selling! *If I ever did a review on my blog of the tea I'll provide the link in the title :)</p><p>1. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2012/05/cupping-two-awazon-organic-puer-cakes.html">2004 Awazon Sheng Cake</a> Whole Cake 340g $75 (2 available)</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg055eLE49GlykROajzteyLrBmW6uwVvziDgL_7xsJk4HP22tdL2pdKCe4ZxksgGQhpvVm9Qg6EFLBWv2q_YJton49nxfgF3DTF5GtosJhn3MGP9DH7qIWOwHA4QC3D1lN56lYXQWWcoyufBhJMfdyRXoEKNIeLm9ZYi5zDoURHkUiym-qac6b9rAbr/s4032/IMG_4938.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg055eLE49GlykROajzteyLrBmW6uwVvziDgL_7xsJk4HP22tdL2pdKCe4ZxksgGQhpvVm9Qg6EFLBWv2q_YJton49nxfgF3DTF5GtosJhn3MGP9DH7qIWOwHA4QC3D1lN56lYXQWWcoyufBhJMfdyRXoEKNIeLm9ZYi5zDoURHkUiym-qac6b9rAbr/s320/IMG_4938.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>2. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2010/06/2002-menghai-dayi-zi-yun-hao-puer-cake.html">2003 Zi Yun Hao Sheng Cake</a> Whole Cake $350g for $200 </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYg2FIs9h11X5t-OBlOPH8DV8_HLn0KlBnTTnrSVmi72HpcXp7ldYtYSHSWLHmrtEY9zxi4qFzG0TvRvXSUSkMIYRVjUJR1DyQywXlGuB1vsjbDKIqtwwuPFFdGT2d6AY96coBzIgybpf2_nC_8KM4OnoVbx4kgrB-ZEm04Lh7CbWfiD21vlfT5KmR/s4032/IMG_4924.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYg2FIs9h11X5t-OBlOPH8DV8_HLn0KlBnTTnrSVmi72HpcXp7ldYtYSHSWLHmrtEY9zxi4qFzG0TvRvXSUSkMIYRVjUJR1DyQywXlGuB1vsjbDKIqtwwuPFFdGT2d6AY96coBzIgybpf2_nC_8KM4OnoVbx4kgrB-ZEm04Lh7CbWfiD21vlfT5KmR/s320/IMG_4924.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>3. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2011/02/2006-xi-zi-hao-ban-zhan-natural-habitat.html">2006 Xi Zi Hao Ban Zhang Natural Habitat Cake</a> Partial Cake 370g $125 *SOLD</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTUFTTQqtau_09weWEA76E4H3LmPRBQXv700Gbi6gInzRZZS8hChmjqTXJvvNaNhOTc7GJX27TLorCGD-w100-dmPHzuyLG-P7244G0i4Rm8Mparzb6nzRFtv5k9eGtr5L_JahqBhGuV65Pwstnqzj9Cah6asOsMB5FwzMD6WeRxs2Cfmq38OBtOS/s4032/IMG_4930.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTUFTTQqtau_09weWEA76E4H3LmPRBQXv700Gbi6gInzRZZS8hChmjqTXJvvNaNhOTc7GJX27TLorCGD-w100-dmPHzuyLG-P7244G0i4Rm8Mparzb6nzRFtv5k9eGtr5L_JahqBhGuV65Pwstnqzj9Cah6asOsMB5FwzMD6WeRxs2Cfmq38OBtOS/s320/IMG_4930.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>4. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2009/09/2006-jinggu-da-bai-hao.html">2006 Jinggu Da Bai Hao</a> Partial Cake 320g for $100</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuySKFLx_w4dhwcJ6zjH5WtnDToexR5adMqqWPSFomPDDP6uvLZeHw6HsZRHIBEN740YmdUC_4T_2DCc_31rBBMK-4IylJSYeqRW6XnGjWPPt1hie93jXchgLmpkPUEN830rtURDn6rTvFIJNKrWZkMZ0SRRz1XwakS5YJwgizEY9sXFS6XDLjyg5Z/s4032/IMG_4940.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuySKFLx_w4dhwcJ6zjH5WtnDToexR5adMqqWPSFomPDDP6uvLZeHw6HsZRHIBEN740YmdUC_4T_2DCc_31rBBMK-4IylJSYeqRW6XnGjWPPt1hie93jXchgLmpkPUEN830rtURDn6rTvFIJNKrWZkMZ0SRRz1XwakS5YJwgizEY9sXFS6XDLjyg5Z/s320/IMG_4940.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>5. 2002 Nu Er Gang Tea Sheng Cake. Whole Cake 395g for $100 (1 available); Partial Cake 390g for $90 (1 available)</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGklnoPYiMnBMV5yUg5nULTUp8yIDDBi0uSUX53ZXp7KDyf7eECUwH0gTY0E5XUDnDLjtjXKiW4kJdfc09AZFpfm9EwvoxYcIXThdOvoNK-3qnmpoHr5HyUB-i0DOLzoRySh0JibY1XAPb1y21vGulhRTktVv5lTa-LzIucTEurfiemnMzEw_6VxQ/s4032/IMG_4933.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGklnoPYiMnBMV5yUg5nULTUp8yIDDBi0uSUX53ZXp7KDyf7eECUwH0gTY0E5XUDnDLjtjXKiW4kJdfc09AZFpfm9EwvoxYcIXThdOvoNK-3qnmpoHr5HyUB-i0DOLzoRySh0JibY1XAPb1y21vGulhRTktVv5lTa-LzIucTEurfiemnMzEw_6VxQ/s320/IMG_4933.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>6. 2009 Wu Liang Lan Xiang from Yunnan Sourcing Partial Cake 340g $225</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmZW8KisHMSLK7whXsgU1bAEyIRjTYDUMJW_VIZMeUcLNNueASEz-qZh7t1nL992qmWkkrrwZr9xMcQXLIfcxogRFxJ3t36DloKmt5se3Se-X8OZKdDwA4axcTMa8Pfs-FApJSnd2dB5BVfSqLnlnbfMRIJpX6CFM3zhnj9eZ0QqsHTuK3jWd-wxd/s4032/IMG_4925.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmZW8KisHMSLK7whXsgU1bAEyIRjTYDUMJW_VIZMeUcLNNueASEz-qZh7t1nL992qmWkkrrwZr9xMcQXLIfcxogRFxJ3t36DloKmt5se3Se-X8OZKdDwA4axcTMa8Pfs-FApJSnd2dB5BVfSqLnlnbfMRIJpX6CFM3zhnj9eZ0QqsHTuK3jWd-wxd/s320/IMG_4925.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>7. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2009/01/2002-langhe-factory-sheng-cake.html">2005 Langhe factory Sheng Cake</a> Partial Cake already broken up into chunks ~218g for $100. I will include this cool ceramic caddie it's been living in if you want it. *SOLD</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2QxysOTqG3iMtnHsElKMwYuLjGoBi2GsPSrs9d46k6pPEMPXvfxbRSgTqk-teKp1HFOcYm7wGU30vOE29Tyhdb6r98VdhW06FImhNpM1gjMsCpILmo2yGgCzamRRzrAMnwfIvEeFah0rhRyVEDbr1nAOtE35reN7nl7TFTXjMYuBh_zx2wu1ZTRX/s4032/IMG_4941.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2QxysOTqG3iMtnHsElKMwYuLjGoBi2GsPSrs9d46k6pPEMPXvfxbRSgTqk-teKp1HFOcYm7wGU30vOE29Tyhdb6r98VdhW06FImhNpM1gjMsCpILmo2yGgCzamRRzrAMnwfIvEeFah0rhRyVEDbr1nAOtE35reN7nl7TFTXjMYuBh_zx2wu1ZTRX/s320/IMG_4941.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>8. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2010/08/2007-5th-international-aged-puer-party.html">2007 5th International Aged Puer Party Memorial Cake</a> Partial Cake ~320g $125</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvomPjYXRwWkm-WqIqpTTo9NNA2hBRD9lTgToR8b-yUbgD4f-8dANY6L_EfKgNN3UjPDZWpUV_47X5cpOHI-558hgrZcLD2vkcRFmYGTQjnKv92rMfd3X7-sGnKDT_z5zzrYhtPGhuLcAS866maLDfRMfoDVEp6GZ9OSK3IH5W-JuLhE0U5Tyvjbp/s4032/IMG_4926.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvomPjYXRwWkm-WqIqpTTo9NNA2hBRD9lTgToR8b-yUbgD4f-8dANY6L_EfKgNN3UjPDZWpUV_47X5cpOHI-558hgrZcLD2vkcRFmYGTQjnKv92rMfd3X7-sGnKDT_z5zzrYhtPGhuLcAS866maLDfRMfoDVEp6GZ9OSK3IH5W-JuLhE0U5Tyvjbp/s320/IMG_4926.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>9. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2012/07/2010-ban-pen-sheng-puer-cake.html">2010 Ban Pen Sheng Cake</a>. Purchased from Essence of Tea. Almost whole cake ~235g. $50 *SOLD</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyY-R4KS3EIMOqjPNg2hkZjbQ6SD6uyY32skdAH5JIlbgdizFtN-rS5phHVK9k6qklhFYCm8GjMamiOnJpEhhRwWJH4RGgOeUWjefNfdfvKc4GftdZkl_vjktxcm_Hi9Sy4mIjuRicPjio9CALDALzfJQSAaRZTCjVOGKsTbj1fwHxX32YYuLZLh5/s4032/IMG_4937.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyY-R4KS3EIMOqjPNg2hkZjbQ6SD6uyY32skdAH5JIlbgdizFtN-rS5phHVK9k6qklhFYCm8GjMamiOnJpEhhRwWJH4RGgOeUWjefNfdfvKc4GftdZkl_vjktxcm_Hi9Sy4mIjuRicPjio9CALDALzfJQSAaRZTCjVOGKsTbj1fwHxX32YYuLZLh5/s320/IMG_4937.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>10. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2010/04/cupping-two-puer-cakes.html">2009 Da Qiu Feng</a> from Yunnan Sourcing Partial Cake $340g for $225</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjypKcG7kLtIA1yypIfmni_vHam7ZvV3bKbXrNbbtwercpAt-PPD74b56ObmS-hoSjYZKJAU70uBRSWj-JublYI7f4bAhTCZH1XOONm3DWoDTiUkMjcMU2Xg-7mFPo5G7P5CkvjbuN4sBm13VhDWueYzeU-8qRTyhnrtdlPf6zbWbAIkSH-uUjrZ5wy/s4032/IMG_4932.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjypKcG7kLtIA1yypIfmni_vHam7ZvV3bKbXrNbbtwercpAt-PPD74b56ObmS-hoSjYZKJAU70uBRSWj-JublYI7f4bAhTCZH1XOONm3DWoDTiUkMjcMU2Xg-7mFPo5G7P5CkvjbuN4sBm13VhDWueYzeU-8qRTyhnrtdlPf6zbWbAIkSH-uUjrZ5wy/s320/IMG_4932.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>11. 2006 Da Bai Hao Partial Cake 370g for $100</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHH_mQ7LFGj8KkEYpBQ9S8StIzW58_wflNr9Fg6WAbKJLtw-YAM2-67BC43T9qSAdHWTykWWFYB3I3_0-rbhAsTG6QwzMJ9zp_OhGcFxMj73DE_TYr2KUPIbZPpYPjnAOcB5XEoQa_SfyLUTvLwKDLf7-J7KbE2Y6TTfs6-owWd5K5xzbnF-8iyxb/s4032/IMG_4931.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHH_mQ7LFGj8KkEYpBQ9S8StIzW58_wflNr9Fg6WAbKJLtw-YAM2-67BC43T9qSAdHWTykWWFYB3I3_0-rbhAsTG6QwzMJ9zp_OhGcFxMj73DE_TYr2KUPIbZPpYPjnAOcB5XEoQa_SfyLUTvLwKDLf7-J7KbE2Y6TTfs6-owWd5K5xzbnF-8iyxb/s320/IMG_4931.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>12. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2009/12/2009.html">2009 Guan Zi Zai Zao Chun Nan Nuo Shan</a> tea cake from Yunnan Sourcing. Partial Cake 390g for $225</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLLUOl4jGUdXdBBoZkd-_ZVu_DqoZ0yk3IoER0sM4VyzOmsVa7m8PlZsQ3Evve-4XJUTYNmcEUHRulxC5GuK_V0eEBDyWTohJS1dFGfRrDTlO-eAajCQWSc1d6TJ6EbIdOQyxJLR9aVqs8r0Dplznbchh-Ev9WZ3gARiGdpxNaOiOZb2dd8eZp5Nz/s4032/IMG_4936.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLLUOl4jGUdXdBBoZkd-_ZVu_DqoZ0yk3IoER0sM4VyzOmsVa7m8PlZsQ3Evve-4XJUTYNmcEUHRulxC5GuK_V0eEBDyWTohJS1dFGfRrDTlO-eAajCQWSc1d6TJ6EbIdOQyxJLR9aVqs8r0Dplznbchh-Ev9WZ3gARiGdpxNaOiOZb2dd8eZp5Nz/s320/IMG_4936.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>13. 2006 Nan Nuo Shan Six Famous Tea Mountains. Whole Cake 350g $75</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkhB-v9RSrmyPqHTVEsGQhyMzXXCACrAlFDoFfD_sWwHtneLuo297SreApUSdE23Zv_buHcbHLiKf_vWUGcMs1wC3OjiyXTRoLL8X5T5NseOmhydPv5ZtWUdmLF54pjjXVoVKCUWZg3CQZds0iiqVq3oZmJXddRHskWZFKaeTO2YAcfTlHShALw00/s4032/IMG_4927.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkhB-v9RSrmyPqHTVEsGQhyMzXXCACrAlFDoFfD_sWwHtneLuo297SreApUSdE23Zv_buHcbHLiKf_vWUGcMs1wC3OjiyXTRoLL8X5T5NseOmhydPv5ZtWUdmLF54pjjXVoVKCUWZg3CQZds0iiqVq3oZmJXddRHskWZFKaeTO2YAcfTlHShALw00/s320/IMG_4927.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>14. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2012/01/2006-banzhang-lao-man-e-sheng-cake.html">2006 Banzhang Lao Man E</a> Purchased from pu-erhtea.com. Whole cake 370g for $100 (1 available); partial cake 330g for $75 (1 available)</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc5IfJ4vbCnerYrkBV0oDXBIurWWy5hbZLDCOIDU-BiTOvnof7w8Z7hxPxEjOYw1vj29AwS1a1F8nKgLG-UHxPxqwROQBslxddFCGGn1GuKdjtYrxPt9pnIH-WfubBaGcECIAdF41iN7dXBsPYMpv98508rfw1rNYCKblw9Hvg6gBpRZ4PqAmyaPi/s4032/IMG_4934.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc5IfJ4vbCnerYrkBV0oDXBIurWWy5hbZLDCOIDU-BiTOvnof7w8Z7hxPxEjOYw1vj29AwS1a1F8nKgLG-UHxPxqwROQBslxddFCGGn1GuKdjtYrxPt9pnIH-WfubBaGcECIAdF41iN7dXBsPYMpv98508rfw1rNYCKblw9Hvg6gBpRZ4PqAmyaPi/s320/IMG_4934.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>15. 2005 <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2012/10/2005-tian-yi-sheng-puer-cake.html">Tian Yi Sheng Cake</a> Partial cake 360g $75 *SOLD</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoiJhlbqnzl2OcqLjLfC-I0Uqm2phLletud9UgLSs26-4nvfAotIva9BHpDgsAlk-We2geavMvcym9beXYJPsKyGYSqbB-dJn5iZgx8P86lHPUU2ZQf_Wg2JAMCXmn_Ha_pgUZhVXXSk/s1600/DSC00377.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoiJhlbqnzl2OcqLjLfC-I0Uqm2phLletud9UgLSs26-4nvfAotIva9BHpDgsAlk-We2geavMvcym9beXYJPsKyGYSqbB-dJn5iZgx8P86lHPUU2ZQf_Wg2JAMCXmn_Ha_pgUZhVXXSk/s320/DSC00377.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>16. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2011/12/six-famous-tea-mountains-2006-bang-wei.html">2006 Bang Wei</a> Sheng Cake from Six Famous Tea Mountains. Partial Cake 340g for $50 </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVH48Sdcrr6KtNuEt2LF3jIidfyHGHudccjloKzcLSuK_Ya9v69f8k0cwZb9w3GCz_F7_bQd3Tdoh8y8qoWTgaD9Pd2J3KgHmIyLWcbtGNPE_W-JfdRopHolAYCsTSiOlGRRvZXn6Ns3M/s1600/DSC08721.JPG" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688799392156865042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVH48Sdcrr6KtNuEt2LF3jIidfyHGHudccjloKzcLSuK_Ya9v69f8k0cwZb9w3GCz_F7_bQd3Tdoh8y8qoWTgaD9Pd2J3KgHmIyLWcbtGNPE_W-JfdRopHolAYCsTSiOlGRRvZXn6Ns3M/s320/DSC08721.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 271px; width: 320px;" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>17. <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2010/04/cupping-two-puer-cakes.html">2009 Man Zhuan</a> Partial Cake 330g for $225</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHotS2dCozOuMrzAEtJzo8utePMrMyo6jT4OsuriHaJjtUcbt-pVD-gOfej1Ipdhl7kjFjD21RPqrhSG7QWQgPtzHjen_b55xkGV_8loKkgHXIoLQSsAvmmsKfLim5GLiqo3Qs_7ZA1tg/s1600/DSC05453.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457224766307155490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHotS2dCozOuMrzAEtJzo8utePMrMyo6jT4OsuriHaJjtUcbt-pVD-gOfej1Ipdhl7kjFjD21RPqrhSG7QWQgPtzHjen_b55xkGV_8loKkgHXIoLQSsAvmmsKfLim5GLiqo3Qs_7ZA1tg/s320/DSC05453.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-63462149870815315172021-11-18T10:23:00.010-08:002021-11-21T14:02:50.272-08:00Gongfu Cha (工夫茶) Demonstration Video!<p>Hi Tea Friends! It's been a whole year since I popped into this space. I still drink lots of loose leaf tea but my main gig at this point in my life has been playing and teaching Ukulele and Guitar. My other passion these day is supporting my brilliant wife Alanna's emerging career as an Author!</p><p style="text-align: center;">Today I'm bringing you a video that combines my 3 passions! </p><p style="text-align: center;">1. It's a Gongfu Cha demonstration video!</p><p style="text-align: center;">2. It supports my wife's new book Within Every Flame!</p><p style="text-align: center;">3. It features my original tune Tiger Relay! </p><p>Within Every Flame is book 3 of her AMAZING Call of the Crow Quartet. If you've been "sleeping" on her first two books, When We Vanished (#1) and Where Shadows Grow (#2)... what are you waiting for!? These books are so so good. So good, that they make my heart ache... but in a good way somehow! :) All of Alanna's books are so rich with darkness, light, emotion, plot, intrigue, and many amazing characters. I've read them a few times now and each time I make new connections and discover fascinating new details. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qFHqIBSlmr4" width="320" youtube-src-id="qFHqIBSlmr4"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can buy <a href="https://alannapeterson.com/">Alanna Peterson's</a> printed books or ebooks from our indie publishing company <a href="https://www.rootcitypress.com/">Rootcity Press</a> (US customers only) or order them from your favorite bookstore (available in many countries)! </div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-80392466848873403952020-11-17T09:34:00.004-08:002020-11-17T09:34:24.609-08:00Where Shadows Grow Music Video!<p>Hi Tea Friends. I hope you're all doing OK and drinking lots of awesome tea.</p><p>Big News! My favorite author <a href="https://alannapeterson.com/">Alanna Peterson</a> just released her second novel Where Shadows Grow TODAY! </p><p>Where Shadows Grow is book 2 of Alanna's epic <i>Call of the Crow Quartet</i>. </p><p>You can now buy When We Vanished (book 1), and Where Shadows Grow at <a href="https://www.rootcitypress.com/">Rootcity Press</a> or your favorite bookstore. If you're an ebook reader When We Vanished is currently on sale for just $0.99!</p><p>Alanna and I made this music video inspired by the book to help celebrate it's launch! (There's tea in this video so it works for this blog ;) Please check it out and let me know what you think!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JygdJioSzpY" width="320" youtube-src-id="JygdJioSzpY"></iframe></div><p>If you're looking for a great YA eco-thriller with rich characters and an incredible, intriguing plot... check this series out! </p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-26366914285731300282020-06-02T03:15:00.001-07:002020-06-02T03:15:07.718-07:00When We Vanished - Release Day is Here ! ! !Hi Tea Friends! I'm dropping in today to tell everyone that my wife Alanna Peterson's debut novel When We Vanished comes out today! I love this YA Thriller so much and I'm so excited for it to reach more readers in the days to come!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqNpV1GqdqFzx1Xm6muSOyNkVFlZ0_8_Nk-8hjiDsTtdaOtP2JT686XIVS23cGe5Wk1HpT1Al31soOckpnPL6yjIXrhQE_ltopZ6SGqOUmNpkMuh2QnIrqEh0OyUBinApPQyecIUJZSQ/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqNpV1GqdqFzx1Xm6muSOyNkVFlZ0_8_Nk-8hjiDsTtdaOtP2JT686XIVS23cGe5Wk1HpT1Al31soOckpnPL6yjIXrhQE_ltopZ6SGqOUmNpkMuh2QnIrqEh0OyUBinApPQyecIUJZSQ/s320/WhenWeVanished-Cover_WEB.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Please order the book from your favorite book store or from the publisher <a href="http://rootcitypress.com/">Rootcity Press</a>!</div><div>More info at <a href="alannapeterson.com">alannapeterson.com</a> Find the book here on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52020495-when-we-vanished">Goodreads here</a>.</div>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-22189559949916533282019-07-01T15:02:00.003-07:002022-10-05T12:01:51.322-07:00Banzhang Chun Qing - 10 years old - Revisited Hi Tea Friends!<br />
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For 15 years I've been a puer tea collector. <br />
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My puer collection lives behind this curtain in the corner of my office where it stays dark, dry and shielded from kitchen smells.<br />
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Peek-a-boo!</div>
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10 years ago I purchased one of Yunnan Sourcing's Banzhang Chun Qing Puer Tea Cakes (班章純情普洱茶餅) This tea was pretty hot on the 2009 tea blogger scene for good reason. It is delicious. For a little background on the cake and my original impression you can check out this <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2009/11/banzhang-chun-qing-puer.html">old post</a>.<br />
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On June 15th, I randomly grabbed this Banzhang Chun Qing cake when I had some friends over for a party. When I looked at the production date I smiled! The tea I had chosen to brew was very close to being exactly 10 years old!<br />
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♪♫♪♫ Happy Birthday to You ♪♫♪♫</div>
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I've enjoyed three sessions with this cake over the last couple weeks. When I posted a pic on my Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/brett_uke/">brett_uke</a>), the venerable <a href="https://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/">Geoffrey Norman</a>, suggested I write a follow up comparing the ten year old cake with it's younger self. Today I did just that! </div>
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I used my white ceramic gaiwan and a 5 gram chunk of tea cake. This tea is sweet and fruity with peach aroma in some early infusions transforming into a musky ripe papaya. It has nice cinnamon, cedar and camphor notes in the back of my throat.<br />
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~5 gram chunk</div>
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The color is a few shades darker orange than it was 10 years ago. The liquor pours thick and brothy. I can't remember if it had this level of saponic thickness 10 years ago but it sure is satisfying today.<br />
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Earthier flavors and some sweet raisiny notes come to me after infusion #4. Mostly, the tea is all about the stone fruits and totally not smoky. Sometimes it reminds me of first flush Darjeeling.<br />
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Looking back on my decade old post I'd say this tea is aging just fine. It is a bit smoother, mellower and older tasting. I'm lucky to still have about half the cake left so I can brew it again in another decade!<br />
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3rd infusion</div>
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Any of you other old school tea bloggers out there still have any of this cake left? If you do, let me know! I'd love to hear how yours is aging!<span style="text-align: center;"> This tea has slightly renewed my enthusiasm for puer tea! </span></div>
Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-45212381093001008412019-06-10T13:27:00.000-07:002020-04-24T07:54:39.493-07:00You Should Read My Wife's Amazing First Novel!My brilliant wife Alanna has been hard at work for over 7 years writing an incredible, thrilling, young adult fiction Quartet! (that's 4 amazing books ya'll !). This series has something for everyone. I've read them all (at least 4 times now :), I love them beyond reason, and I can't wait to talk with other people about them.<br />
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Alanna is releasing book one, "When We Vanished" in June 2020!!!<br />
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For details visit her website <a href="http://alannapeterson.com/">alannapeterson.com</a> .<br />
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If you use Goodreads please put When We Vanished on your "Want to Read" shelf and give it a review after you read it! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52020495-when-we-vanished">Here's a link to the book on Goodreads!</a><br />
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Thank you So Much!<br />
Brett Boynton, Tea Lover, Uke Player and Alanna Peterson FanboyBretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-15557105386740529302019-06-06T20:16:00.000-07:002019-06-06T20:24:00.591-07:00Sri Lankan Tea Tasting Event at Redwing Cafe!<br />
Hi Tea Friends! It's your old tea geek pal Brett. I've been cooking at Redwing Cafe in southeast Seattle for 4 great years now. Although I'm no longer in the tea industry, I still drink high quality loose-leaf tea everyday.<br />
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Recently I met Simon, an owner of Amba organic tea estate in Sri Lanka, who asked to present a Sri Lankan tea tasting event entitled "Teaology" at Redwing Cafe to promote his tea garden and to benefit the Suriya Women’s Development Centre, a grass-roots charity working with conflict-affected communities in eastern Sri Lanka<br />
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The tasting is Thursday, June 13th starting at 5:00 PM. It is $25 per guest, which is a great deal considering you get a flight of 6 delicious unique teas, paired with light vegetarian treats and snacks (let me know in advance if you have any specific food allergies). Plus you're helping to support a great organization.<br />
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A flyer about this event is pictured below. This Tea Tasting event will fill up quickly so please RSVP asap.<br />
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Please email me if you have any questions or to RSVP and I hope to see you there!<br />
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-83770741058287784502019-01-10T13:01:00.000-08:002019-01-10T18:50:36.651-08:00Cupping Two Winter Wenshan Baozhong TeasHi Tea Friends! Happy New Year! Long time no see!<br />
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I've been doing well. These days I stay busy taking care of my home and family, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/mittensforkristel">playing ukulele and guitar,</a> cooking at a busy neighborhood vegetarian cafe, and drinking lots of great tea. I mostly drink oolongs and black/reds, but I'll happily drink some green tea or puer in social settings.<br />
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My tea blogging goal for 2019 is a minimum 300% increase in posts compared to 2018. That should not be too hard because I only had one post in 2018! Hashtag "setting the bar low" am I right ?!<br />
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Today I cupped up a couple of fresh, high quality, Winter Wenshan Baozhong teas (文山包種茶) from my friend's farm in Pinglin, Taiwan! (Check out my <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2018/04/taiwan-travel-gallery-2018.html">previous post</a> for a photo of my daughter looking out at the very tea bushes these teas were picked from!)<br />
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-I'll call them Tea #1 and Tea #2.<br />
-Tea #2 is about 25% more expensive than tea #1.<br />
-Both teas were made by @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/pinglin54/">Pinglin54</a> in November 2018.<br />
-For each tea I used 4 grams of dry leaf in identical ceramic bowls.<br />
-Water at about 200° F.<br />
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Ah! I love that sweet Baozhong fragrance!!! </div>
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Tea #1</div>
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... and Tea #2</div>
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(I realize they both look pretty much exactly the same :)</div>
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Let me just start by singing ♪♫♬♪♫♬ I LOVE WINTER BAOZHONG! ♪♫♬♪♫♬<br />
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Both of these teas are superb but they did cup up very differently for me today.<br />
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Tea #1 had a grassier, thinner liquor. It was refreshing and crisp with a pleasant honeydew melon aroma, and pine-forest flavor notes. The body was good compared with most Baozhong teas, especially most Spring Baozhong, but it lacked mouthfeel and body compared with #1. It did win for throat-feel though. It left a really wonderful, peppery, sparkly aftertaste in the back of my throat that I didn't get much from #2.<br />
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Tea #2, as I just mentioned, was tops for mouthfeel! It was very thick and buttery and much more floral than its less expensive sibling. #2 was also more fragrant off the spoon too. I enjoyed its alluring flavor notes of lilac and mock orange.<br />
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In my happy place!</div>
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<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-86879492700500877012018-04-16T13:58:00.000-07:002018-04-16T14:08:25.438-07:00Taiwan Travel Gallery 2018<span class="st">大家好</span>! Last week my family and I returned home after 8 awesome days in Taiwan. This was my sixth time visiting my favorite island. We had fun eating, shopping, swimming, hiking, drinking tea and exploring in Taipei (台北), Yeliu (野柳), Pinglin (坪林), Jiufen <span class="st">(九份)</span>, and Guguan (<span class="st">谷關)</span>. Here are a few photos from our trip!<br />
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Produce shopping in Taipei</div>
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Walking the lanes near our apartment</div>
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A visit to Taipei 101</div>
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Looking down from up high!</div>
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A view of the Danshui River from the window of friend's apartment</div>
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Awesome pool that we had all to ourselves</div>
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Walking the streets of Taipei</div>
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Tea with Amin in Pinglin!</div>
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The Guanyin in Pinglin</div>
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On the trail with our buddy "Golden"</div>
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Dez finds a friend</div>
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Cora at the Tea Farm</div>
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Cool suspension bridge near Pinglin</div>
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A stormy and fun day at <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2010/01/yeliu-rocks.html">Yeliu</a></div>
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A pretty cafe in Jiufen</div>
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Walking the alleys of Guguan</div>
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Cora chillin' with her ocarina</div>
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7-11 selfie in Guguan</div>
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Lunch Time!</div>
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Massive grasshopper on the Shao Lai Trail (捎來步道)</div>
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Guguan post office</div>
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Dez plays his ocarina in Guguan</div>
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Dinner at the hotel</div>
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Kiss Fish! Eating the dry skin cells on our feet.</div>
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A view of our Hotspring Pool</div>
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Mango Jelly, Boba, & Passionfruit Shaved Ice!</div>
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Busy Old Street of Jiufen </div>
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Ready for some Lishan High Mountain Oolong! </div>
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Walking to the elementary school in Guguan </div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-55955744209878527482017-10-09T16:38:00.000-07:002017-10-09T16:43:28.729-07:00Northwest Tea Festival 2017 and Colombian Black Tea CuppingOn September 30th and October 1st I attended the <a href="http://nwteafestival.com/">Northwest Tea Festival</a>
at Seattle Center. Both days, I presented a session in
the tea tasting booths called <u>Oolongs with Brett</u>. As the name suggests my sessions featured me
serving and discussing oolong tea (along with a bit of ukulele strumming). It felt great to get behind a bamboo serving tray once again!<br />
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After my tasting sessions I spent my time sampling tea
and connecting with friends on the expo floor. I picked up some fantastic Alishan from <a href="https://www.floatingleavestea.com/">Floating Leaves</a> and miscellaneous other goodies from some of my favorite stores (like <a href="http://www.phoenixteashop.com/">Phoenix Tea</a>, <a href="http://smacha.com/">Smacha</a>, and <a href="https://youngmountaintea.com/">Young Mountain</a>). My tea cupboard is now ready for Autumn!<br />
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At one point my old boss Brian
Keating wanted to introduce me to a <a href="https://bitacotea.com/">Colombian tea producer called Bitaco.</a> I had never tried Colombian tea so I was excited to give it a shot. After chatting with Brian and the Bitaco representatives, I had faith that Bitaco cares about the people in their community and the lush mountain environment at which their tea is grown. Also, their tea looked and smelled super fresh and the price was great.<br />
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I picked up these 3 Colombian black teas:<br />
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Tippy 2 </div>
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Wiry 2 </div>
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Black Wiry 1</div>
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During the past week I enjoyed mugs of each tea, but today I decided to cup all three side by side to see how they really compared. I used 3 grams of leaf in three identical 6 ounce glass mugs. Each tea was steeped 3 minutes with boiling water. </div>
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Wiry 2 (top left) </div>
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Tippy 2 (top right)</div>
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Wiry 1 (bottom middle) </div>
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The teas cupped up nicely. Here are my tasting notes:<br />
<span class="st">✵</span>Wiry 2 had the lightest body, but not by much. It was brisk, sweet and clean tasting. Compared to the others it was mellow, but the delicate notes of fruit, honey, and wood made it the most complex. It's a black tea that drinks more like a dark oolong. <br />
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<span class="st">✵</span>Wiry 1 was the most peppery. It reminded me of a mid-grade Yunnan hongcha. It is a great cup of tea but it slightly lacked complexity when sipped alongside the other two.<br />
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<span class="st">✵</span>Tippy 2 was very nice. It had the most body and mouthfeel. It was malty with a sweet stone-fruit aftertaste. If you like high quality Assam tea this would be one to try.Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-14177236644989527992017-06-18T19:18:00.002-07:002017-06-18T19:19:40.031-07:00Chilling with my Ukes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Baritone, Tenor, Concert, Friend's Concert and Soprano!</div>
<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-80705345714452573672017-01-17T12:49:00.000-08:002017-01-17T12:49:24.782-08:00Red Miso is Done!<br />
After 3 whole years fermenting in my basement I am excited to announce that my homemade Red Miso is finally ready! Yesterday I packaged up the entire batch into 3 quart sized mason jars. That's a lot of Miso. I'll definitely be sharing with local friends and family.<br />
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For more information on how I made this Miso please check out my post from last January called <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2016/01/red-misos-second-birthday.html">Red Miso's Second Birthday</a>. <br />
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It turned out great! I tasted it side by side with an all natural, no preservative, store bought Red Miso that I had in my fridge. Mine is bolder, smokier, saltier, and less sweet, but still a little sweet, very rich and delicious.<br />
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Miso Selfie!</div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-61920375869644610252016-12-24T10:42:00.000-08:002017-02-07T13:15:23.745-08:00SHELL - Brett's original Board Game!Origin Story: One night in 2008, I had this dream. I was in a
youth hostel in Vancouver B.C. watching a young Canadian woman with
massive dreadlocks putting away dishes in a cramped kitchenette. I
watched her for quite a while as the cups and plates kept popping back
out at her from the overloaded cupboard.<br />
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Out of the blue, a young man with a shaven head and Northern European
accent asked me, "Do you want to play The Princess Shell?" As I turned
to face the man, he said, "It is the best game in the world."<br />
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I was startled and intrigued. "Uh, OK," I replied. At this, the man
reached up to pull a large solid-wood game board off of a high
bookshelf. With dramatic flair, he blew all the dust off the board
before setting it before us on a low coffee table.<br />
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"These small tiles are called Secrets," he explained. "They are blown
around the board by an ever-present Wind. This one is the Blind Dog,
this one is the Liar's Mask, and this one is called Grandfather's Axe...."<br />
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Unfortunately, at this point in the dream, my brain decided I'd had
enough intrigue and pulled the plug. Even though it was 2:00 AM, I was
too excited to fall back to sleep. With the dream fresh in my mind, I
went into our office (now our kid's bedroom) and started making
notes. I knew I wanted to make The Princess Shell into a real board
game, but I had no idea where to start. After I made a few sketches and
notes, I forced myself to go back to bed. <br />
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Over the last 8 years, I have worked on my game in fits and starts.
Thanks to massive amounts of help from my family and friends, it has
evolved into a very original and fun board game with clear,
easy-to-learn rules. I named my game SHELL (the "Princess" part of the
title was abandoned early on) and it is a game of strategy, memory and
luck. I love my game and would like it to reach a larger
audience. Visit the official <a href="http://shellboardgame.blogspot.com/">SHELL website here</a>. <br />
<br />
Please email me (blackdragontea AT gmail DOT com ) if you...<br />
... have any questions about SHELL (or tea or ukuleles :) <br />
... are in the Seattle area and would like to play SHELL. <br />
... would like to order your very own handmade
SHELL board game.<br />
... have connections or advice regarding the
board game and/or computer/app industries. <br />
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My original SHELL board from 2008 at the start of a new game. </div>
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Photo taken after several turns.</div>
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Working on a new handmade SHELL board November 2012!</div>
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Finished! (November 2012)</div>
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Pretty Floral SHELL Board (Sold!)</div>
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Beautiful SHELL Board (Sold!)<br />
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A cool Green SHELL board </div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-60163792338413974982016-09-19T13:48:00.000-07:002016-09-19T13:53:14.170-07:00Bitter Melon Tie Guanyin - 苦瓜鐵觀音Several months ago while drinking tea with my friends Jason and Andrew at Smacha, I received (among other things) a little sample of Bitter Melon Tie Guanyin (苦瓜 <span class="st">鐵觀音</span>) oolong tea.<br />
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These days I typically choose either an oolong or a hongcha for my daily brew, and I tend to stick with teas I know. But today I was feeling more adventurous so I decided to give this novelty a try.<br />
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I was surprised to find the tea leaves are actually packed into a dried bitter-melon rind shaped like a little bumpy cylinder! The leaves themselves look and smell pleasant. It is a roasted oolong tea. <br />
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I used freshly boiled water and gave the "unit" a three second rinse in my gaiwan. It smells quite good, roasty, sweet and mellow.<br />
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The first infusion was about 30 seconds and poured pretty light. As you might imagine it took the water a few infusions to get into the center of this "wheel of leaves" and start to push the real flavor out. I continued to do short steeps because I was afraid of the bitterness that actually never came. After the second infusion, with the leaves pushing their way out of the melon rind, the liquor turned a medium-dark amber color. I enjoyed the flavor but it does have a weird vegetable note. The sweet caramel-like oolong flavors are muddied up by a tart cucumber-skin aftertaste. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOGvMxYZPHUpcmX73sgPKTLky6Bag9OIipohohmyevF23XzDo8NXlIAug7UFUzCyVw2z0nCeb7-iLKuqZyxbur_pPi9gjp8smuXW4WBkhBPLhrQq2EGIwSZI-dkcBFv2GUkvgeaqp-Q4/s1600/IMG_3060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOGvMxYZPHUpcmX73sgPKTLky6Bag9OIipohohmyevF23XzDo8NXlIAug7UFUzCyVw2z0nCeb7-iLKuqZyxbur_pPi9gjp8smuXW4WBkhBPLhrQq2EGIwSZI-dkcBFv2GUkvgeaqp-Q4/s320/IMG_3060.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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After 15 years as a heavy tea drinker I have a pretty good understanding of what my body craves. I drink tea for the satisfied feeling it gives me, the flavor, and the energy (<i>qi)</i> (<span class="_Tgc">氣</span>). Maybe it's because I do not have any sentimental connections to bitter melon or it's potential health benefits that I found that this tea was ultimately not worth my time. Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-33413863557095745312016-05-08T06:42:00.000-07:002016-05-09T08:28:14.971-07:0010 Years Ago TodayOn May 8, 2006, during my second trip to Taiwan, my friend <a href="http://floatingleaves.com/">Shiuwen</a> treated my buddy Darald and me to an unforgettable tea tour. We met up with her bright and early in Taipei and had a hearty breakfast of steamed vegetable buns, fried <span style="font-style: italic;">youtiao</span> and fresh soymilk. After our meal, and after we took care of a few errands (including sending my mom a Mother's Day card), we proceeded via metro to Xindian station, which is where we got the bus up to Pinglin.<br />
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It was a very hot day in Taipei and the air was barely moving but once we got off the bus in Pinglin we were soothed by a lower temperature and a gentle breeze. The air in Pinglin is sweet and the surrounding hills are lush and green. Our first stop in town was Shiuwen's friend Farmer Chen's tea shop where we drank some unforgettable Wenshan Baozhong tea. After tea we had a satisfying lunch of tea oil noodles (a local specialty), fried tofu, and soup with lotus flowers.<br />
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After lunch, we headed up to Farmer Chen's tea farm by car. Once at the farm I was excited to learn that we would be able to pick tea leaves. Darald and I were shown the basic technique, given a hat and basket, and put to work. In one hour I had plucked less than one tenth of the tea the locals had harvested. I watched as their hands moved quickly and skillfully over the tea bushes while my hands brought to mind those of an intoxicated sloth. I was still given a pat on the back and told that I didn't do too bad for my first try. It was a wonderful experience that left me with even greater respect and appreciation for the professionals.<br />
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After tea picking time we spread our leaves on rattan trays to wither...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_clQomckcqGR8vYGyFMki7e_CKrmDGGtWcr5m9wlUGg7jOEiLev_k6GGNxsLp-Vv2hvvmCMz5PYZxPaZ_EL1FUSvPpzzeWiH-RtLN_efldpJSukwdQdOpZ9p_cSTyH0no5xxxWdHRJcc/s1600/014_11A.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729225528002522674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_clQomckcqGR8vYGyFMki7e_CKrmDGGtWcr5m9wlUGg7jOEiLev_k6GGNxsLp-Vv2hvvmCMz5PYZxPaZ_EL1FUSvPpzzeWiH-RtLN_efldpJSukwdQdOpZ9p_cSTyH0no5xxxWdHRJcc/s320/014_11A.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 214px;" /></a><br />
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...then we walked over to the neighbor's farm to see Dong Fang Mei Ren (<span class="st">東方美人) </span>oolong tea in various stages of production.</div>
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As we walked around the misty, green farms, Chen and Shiuwen pointed out the different cultivars of tea bushes we passed. Qing Xin (青心) was the most common, but Jin Xuan (金萱), Fo Shou (佛手) and even Wuyi Mountain Shui Xian (水仙) tea bushes were planted in this area.<br />
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(This one is Fo Shou.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvHrVyWaPzU-ItwT4sGbL0WPUv4DDM7zREmL8TzEoGZZi8j-40sSKE37DTM31bezYuHxilxc2poYNhOmm44Lt-jeJowOihYPrWhYmI1a_O3Cg5Of2VM7yiKXBEZ8oL-hrJ0iU0O83kpg/s1600/DSC02117.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729234677480500002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvHrVyWaPzU-ItwT4sGbL0WPUv4DDM7zREmL8TzEoGZZi8j-40sSKE37DTM31bezYuHxilxc2poYNhOmm44Lt-jeJowOihYPrWhYmI1a_O3Cg5Of2VM7yiKXBEZ8oL-hrJ0iU0O83kpg/s320/DSC02117.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
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We drank some more fresh tea and then traveled back to town. Shiuwen, Darald and I visited a large facility for de-stemming and sorting hundreds of pounds of Wenshan Baozhong tea. It was fascinating.</div>
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We stopped into another tea shop where I purchased some baked Baozhong for Teacup (the store I was managing at the time), and two clay teapots (for myself). I also took a small shot of Baozhong wine offered to me by some locals. It was strong stuff.<br />
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In the evening we said goodbye to Pinglin and hopped aboard a bus headed back to Taipei. The ride was somewhat eventful because an air conditioning unit was leaking water all over one vinyl seat. About halfway to Taipei the bus was full except for that seat. An old lady came in with two plastic bags. She looked all around for a seat and was dismayed by her only option being soggy. I was close by so I sprung up to offer my seat. She tried to protest but I insisted and she sat down while I stood. Then she gave me a present. It was a special local food. Some type of gummy rice pocket with a bright, artificial-red, raw-onion-tasting filling. I thanked her and ate a little bit. I gave the old lady a smile and a big thumbs up... but I really didn't like it, so I put it in my pocket to deal with later.<br />
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The evening in Taipei was not too hot and we all had a great dinner at a Buddhist buffet. Then we headed over to Shiuwen's friend Lao Ji Zi's shop for even more great tea.</div>
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(That's our own fresh picked Baozhong leaves on the tray.)<br />
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Although we were already quite tea drunk we made room for some more amazing tea. I had an Alishan High Mountian Oolong that was so incredible. It was the type of tea that makes a tea-person empty out their wallet and say, "How much will this get me?"<br />
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We also cupped up the Baozhong leaves that we picked that afternoon. By this point they had only been withered slightly and jostled about in our bags during the commute back to town. They had a subtle sweet floral aroma and clean clear broth with notes of lilac and dew. A very refreshing way to end the night.<br />
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(Those are our jade green leaves in the large bowl.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenhdyrQ1oiGg3iOzAQuKGQ357qhnO_37HkWxs7zW9ys6YXiQni0HIGtXkNkWEs2ciJbswYD775oPg0fOzAT5yOdHt4_GZ5RN0P2DmAYtb414X-GJkrHmfgdVSnr5xfx4EIiPedRSCG2Q/s1600/DSC02141.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729225303527993522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenhdyrQ1oiGg3iOzAQuKGQ357qhnO_37HkWxs7zW9ys6YXiQni0HIGtXkNkWEs2ciJbswYD775oPg0fOzAT5yOdHt4_GZ5RN0P2DmAYtb414X-GJkrHmfgdVSnr5xfx4EIiPedRSCG2Q/s320/DSC02141.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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All in all it was a wonderful day in Northern Taiwan. I can never thank Shiuwen enough!</div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-14344835345258501992016-03-03T11:16:00.002-08:002016-03-03T13:41:10.752-08:00Been Scribbling <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back in high school I would draw and paint all the time but during the last ~15 years the only art I've been involved with has been tea related or musical. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Recently my family has been getting together in the evenings to make art which has been a really fun way to spend time together. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My style is pen scribbles with random marker and crayon highlights added later. Here are a few pieces I made these last few weeks:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Band Camp</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1xGQfckGJQUeZxLJrRdfd5u-BP0AqMtuLeOUfXPqM3uVYGMtGykH8IELFDOdaYVWdtBGgghTfukyavkyZvuXfo1z27C_VaqmMdE8cQCfrmVri6ejE2_I-22Ds4kJc8qKM8gOkrB8Neo/s320/IMG_1751.jpg" width="240" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Lair</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96J2LNSsyVPbu5Yr4VfoBWxcS_uZ91kfKh6UKMnHWECDEY3V2J147cXbfJcAFJqeeDGtunj8dMhP0Aq3Lv6Dg5Us4Gl09mQj8h2rUx45zLghJsjZqn4kN6Pi4fLCMuk1SqxUjLs_ihSU/s1600/IMG_1755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96J2LNSsyVPbu5Yr4VfoBWxcS_uZ91kfKh6UKMnHWECDEY3V2J147cXbfJcAFJqeeDGtunj8dMhP0Aq3Lv6Dg5Us4Gl09mQj8h2rUx45zLghJsjZqn4kN6Pi4fLCMuk1SqxUjLs_ihSU/s320/IMG_1755.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Thinker</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYas2HwKnsrT5bdZlSImUSDgZlhLsRL8ThQMlt3mA_swokJE76J5_pKuC7Qz-GppW3GNKt0IsD9fw1fbnUZET1VKoRa-ICLVxIVPhfYwPeEiw_o44dGUy_TJmDsyd7Ab0go5SMbQbxn4U/s1600/IMG_1756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYas2HwKnsrT5bdZlSImUSDgZlhLsRL8ThQMlt3mA_swokJE76J5_pKuC7Qz-GppW3GNKt0IsD9fw1fbnUZET1VKoRa-ICLVxIVPhfYwPeEiw_o44dGUy_TJmDsyd7Ab0go5SMbQbxn4U/s320/IMG_1756.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Witch</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIF6P002Vo3QEIIcQ2LNYeX6bbM70Cqs3ZF6V-xk6MZS3CfY50aKu63M1HWNbOUIwX0R2tQ7A5670-wI96tOmXL4DoXUQg-0_vTvf0Pzq32PWzGyGDVrvQSgSC_ZR9Jr2a5p-yv-y5q8/s1600/IMG_1749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIF6P002Vo3QEIIcQ2LNYeX6bbM70Cqs3ZF6V-xk6MZS3CfY50aKu63M1HWNbOUIwX0R2tQ7A5670-wI96tOmXL4DoXUQg-0_vTvf0Pzq32PWzGyGDVrvQSgSC_ZR9Jr2a5p-yv-y5q8/s320/IMG_1749.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">UKE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmtSktkMWCQss4MFfV58j8cu9wWs0lqPqT5iWDM1jEDV8btI-3FqV6J9XYwgfdce7cIfTg0uXCGSgOaShypOwGBSanwC-uX3bdLJ3-IgCOmmaJ1L9R6PBMz2oWvyB3xQKEf7SZNpCws8/s1600/IMG_1750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmtSktkMWCQss4MFfV58j8cu9wWs0lqPqT5iWDM1jEDV8btI-3FqV6J9XYwgfdce7cIfTg0uXCGSgOaShypOwGBSanwC-uX3bdLJ3-IgCOmmaJ1L9R6PBMz2oWvyB3xQKEf7SZNpCws8/s320/IMG_1750.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-33692914694979206872016-02-24T13:04:00.002-08:002016-02-24T15:17:01.881-08:00A Treasure Trove of Japanese TeasLast Saturday I attended the event "A Treasure Trove of Japanese Teas" hosted by <a href="http://nwteafestival.com/">Northwest Tea Festival</a>, Heather Porter of <a href="http://www.hanamichiflowerpath.com/">Hanamichi Blog</a>, and Cinnabar of <a href="http://phoenix-teashop.com/blog/">Phoenix Tea</a>.<br />
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The Luminaries at Work</div>
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Some of the incredible teaware used during this event: </div>
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Heather has been to Japan many times and has some great tea connections. At the event, Heather told us charming stories from her latest trip to Japan while Cinnabar brewed and distributed perfect cups of tea. Below are my tasting notes on the 8 wonderful teas presented.<br />
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Kuradashi Sencha<br />
This first tea was light, refreshing, buttery, and sweet. A great start to the tasting.<br />
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Kamigokoro kabusecha<br />
From a family in Uji that has made tea since the 1500's. It was buttery, grassy, with a slight artichoke note. Super delicious.<br />
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Baisen Hiirecha<br />
This tea had a rich toasty note. Very hearty and brothy compared to the first two. Loved it!<br />
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Tougenkyou<br />
This is a super fragrant tea. It's a little floral and also crisp, clean and brothy. It was my favorite tea at the event!<br />
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Harigane Hojicha<br />
This Hojicha was strong and fragrant. Most guests really loved it but I wasn't too into it. It was good, but I got a slight burnt popcorn aftertaste.<br />
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Gyokuro<br />
My second favorite tea at the event! It was like drinking pearls (in a good way :). Very brothy, nutty, and luscious. <br />
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Fukucha (good luck tea) sencha<br />
This tea was cheerful and bright. I liked it, but compared to the other greens we tasted it was lacking complexity for me.<br />
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Wakocha (black tea)<br />
I'm very into this tea! It's peachy, and floral with a note that reminded me of an heirloom tomato. I would drink this often if I could.<br />
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<span lang="ja" style="font-size: large;">ありがとう Heather and Cinnabar!</span></div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-24843396296148221662016-02-12T15:21:00.001-08:002016-02-12T15:21:57.142-08:00New Uke!I got a new ukulele today! It's a Cordoba Tenor. I love it!<br />
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-65678078947020605052016-02-08T05:15:00.000-08:002016-02-08T05:15:01.254-08:00Welcome the Year of the Fire Monkey<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="zh-Hant">新年快樂 - </span><i>Xīn nián kuài lè</i><span lang="zh-Hant"> </span></div>
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<span lang="zh-Hant">恭喜發財 - </span><i>Gōng xǐ fā cái</i><span lang="zh-Hant"> </span></div>
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<span lang="zh-Hant">Happy New Year !</span></div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-45826141829731964502016-01-26T13:13:00.001-08:002016-01-26T13:13:24.874-08:00Red Miso's Second Birthday!On January 26, 2014, I started my first batch of red miso using the recipe in Sandor
Ellix Katz's book Wild Fermentation. I'm sharing the process here for
anyone who is also a fan of home fermenting!<br />
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First I cooked 4 cups of dried soybeans until they were very soft. I also boiled a clean stone to use as a weight.<br />
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This is the koji (rice with <i>Aspergillus oryzae) </i>that I purchased from a local Japanese supermarket.<br />
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After the cooked soybeans cooled, I mixed them and mashed them with the Koji and a brine made with 2 cups of the beans' cooking liquid and 1 cup of salt.<br />
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I'm fermenting it in my Rumtopf crock. I cleaned and dried the crock, salted the bottom, and then pressed the miso inside (taking care to eliminate any air pockets). Then I sprinkled more salt on the top.<br />
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I used a ceramic plate and a heavy rock as a weight. <br />
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Then I covered the crock with a thick tea towel, labeled it with the date, and stored it in a dark cabinet in my basement. <br />
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Exactly one year later (January 26, 2015), I checked on my miso for the first time. It had a tiny spot of fuzzy mold on top and looked a little bit redder than it had when it started. I scraped off the mold and tasted the miso. It was great but not as mellow as I would like. I sprinkled some new salt on top, replaced the weight and cover, and put it back in the cabinet. (Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures that day.)<br />
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Now it's time for my miso's two year check-up. Let's take a look!<br />
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Looks great. A wee halo of mold grew around the edge. Quick and easy to scrape that off and toss it in the compost.<br />
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Definitely looks redder than last year. Smells good too. My wife and I each took a little taste. Very nice flavor with a delicate caramel note. Mellower than last year too!<br />
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I'd say it's getting there! I cleaned it up, sprinkled in some fresh salt and put it back to bed. Sandor's book hinted that the third year (or maybe even later) is when the real magic happens. He teased that some 9 year old Red Miso he tasted was "sublime." Not sure I can wait that long but I will update you all again in 366 days! <br />
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Tasty!</div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-35650664900677397672016-01-11T13:41:00.000-08:002016-01-11T13:44:26.710-08:00New Winter Baozhong!Last week I treated myself to a couple ounces of Winter 2015 Wenshan Baozhong <span class="st">(文山包種茶) </span>tea from <a href="http://phoenix-teashop.com/">Phoenix Tea</a> in Burien, Washington. Today I'm trying it for the first time.<br />
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Beautiful, fragrant dry leaves.</div>
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For this session I used ~7 grams of dry leaf in my 100 ml gaiwan and freshly boiled spring water. Water was full boil (or very close to it).<br />
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You know how sometimes a cup of very fresh tea seems to sparkle with all those essential oils floating on the surface? This tea has lots of that, which I love!<br />
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The mouth-feel is thick and amazing. I can feel the tea coating my tongue and lips. The fragrance notes are: blossom, awesome, yum, and plum. My tasting notes are: clean, green, and nectarine. When the winter days are particularly dark and drizzly this tea will bring me a lot of good cheer. <br />
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-64880844958966595852015-12-31T11:50:00.000-08:002015-12-31T11:50:36.540-08:00What Are You Doing New Years Eve?Happy New Years Everyone!<br />
Here's a little New Years tune I sang with my ukulele.<br />
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<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-12836497504290327502015-12-30T23:23:00.000-08:002016-01-10T20:27:06.935-08:00A New ChapterHi Friends! After 14 wonderful years as a tea seller and tea educator, I've decided to retire from the industry. I'm so happy that <a href="http://phoenix-teashop.com/">Phoenix Tea</a>'s owner and founder <a href="http://gongfugirl.com/">Cinnabar</a> will continue operating the business. As long as she is the proprietress I will proudly buy most of my tea from Phoenix Tea! <span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5"></span></span><br />
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<span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5">Besides continuing my part-time cooking job at <a href="http://redwingcafe.com/">Redwing Cafe</a>, h</span>ere are a few of my plans for the new year: </span><br />
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<span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5"><span class="_5yl5">Spend more time with my family. </span></span></span> </span></div>
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<span class="_5yl5">Work on my house and garden. </span></div>
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<span class="_5yl5">Make music.</span></div>
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<span class="_5yl5">Drink lots of great tea!</span></div>
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<span class="_5yl5">Post whatever random crazy stuff I feel like on this blog.</span></div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-32515159311101313052015-04-30T14:45:00.001-07:002015-04-30T14:48:22.523-07:00Mauna Kea Tea's 2015 Green TeaLast week I received a half ounce of fresh green tea from <a href="https://www.maunakeatea.com/">Mauna Kea Tea Company</a> on the big island of Hawaii! Since my <a href="http://blackdragonteabar.blogspot.com/2010/09/kamaaina-green-and-oolong-teas.html">first post</a> about this wonderful family farm five years ago, I've only tasted their teas a couple times, but I often think about them and enjoy following them on facebook and reading about Hawaiian tea production on their <a href="https://www.maunakeatea.com/blog/">blog.</a> Today I will share my review of their new <a href="https://www.maunakeatea.com/organic-premium-green-tea-2015-first-flush.html">2015 Premium First Flush Green Tea. </a><br />
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The dry leaf of this green tea is really beautiful. It is made up entirely of long, twisted, leaf-and-bud sets with flecks of jade green, forest green, and silver. It smells fresh and sweet. A nice toasty aroma remains from the pan firing. <br />
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For this cupping I used a large pinch of dry leaf, 165<span class="st">º</span> F spring water, and a 1 minute steep in my glass gaiwan (steep time increased slightly with later infusions). The tea liquor is pineapple-yellow with a thick body and grassy fragrance. <br />
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I poured eight awesome infusions of this green tea. My notes bounced all around including herbaceous, floral, buttery and vegetal notes. This is my kind of green tea, it's complex and refreshing with a smooth and substantial mouth-feel. If you've never tasted Hawaiian grown tea I can think of no better place to start than this green from Mauna Kea Tea company. <br />
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1832037103409526842.post-33581785036392734432015-04-06T10:41:00.001-07:002015-12-31T10:06:04.865-08:00Tea Catering RevisitedHi Tea Friends!<br />
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Wow... nine whole months have past without a single post here on my tea blog. It's not like my life has been any less tea-focused than usual, it's just that all facets of life seems to be online more and more. Everyday I have emails, texts, and comments to reply to from wonderful customers and friends around the world. These communications keep me busy and fulfilled but sometimes lessen my desire to blog. I'm not going to be too hard on myself though. The blog is here when I need it and I'll post when I feel like it. And today I have something to say!<br />
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I love to serve tea for people. That has always been my favorite part of the tea industry and it is how I've met most of my friends and built my brand as a tea-seller and tea-educator. This past weekend I got a chance to do some tea catering. On a beautiful morning in Normandy Park, Washington, I put hot, delicious tea samples into the hands of nearly 100 people at a high school art festival. It was a lot of fun and will no doubt lead to a few new customers for <a href="https://www.phoenix-teashop.com/store/">Phoenix Tea</a>.<br />
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Setting up.</div>
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My station after set up. </div>
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Ready for Action! </div>
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A display of the five teas I offered. From left to right:</div>
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<a href="https://www.phoenix-teashop.com/store/oolong/40-shui-xian.html">Shui Xian (Oolong Tea)</a>, <a href="https://www.phoenix-teashop.com/store/oolong/94-alishan-high-mountain-oolong-spring-2012.html">Alishan High Mountain (Oolong Tea)</a>, <a href="https://www.phoenix-teashop.com/store/green/229-jasmine-pearls.html">Jasmine Pearl (Green Tea),</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.phoenix-teashop.com/store/black-red/228-burien-breakfast-blend.html">Burien Breakfast Blend (Black Tea)</a>, <a href="https://www.phoenix-teashop.com/store/non-tea-infusions/146-rooibos-chai.html">Masala-Spice Rooibos (Herbal and Spice Blend) </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDPf351iYwl4UDAL4r0xmWI-X9Bz3chVsTqJDo3L6vhcN1sQI_JtcxixBMOWCpcQBDQaz4tE0ZI9HW3gZLL-D4orcLG1NEWIOGqSYD7emSrzkBzsgskCE4uf3Rg6dCqKVRJ0lSoZ_9S8/s1600/IMG_1232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDPf351iYwl4UDAL4r0xmWI-X9Bz3chVsTqJDo3L6vhcN1sQI_JtcxixBMOWCpcQBDQaz4tE0ZI9HW3gZLL-D4orcLG1NEWIOGqSYD7emSrzkBzsgskCE4uf3Rg6dCqKVRJ0lSoZ_9S8/s1600/IMG_1232.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am always excited to represent <a href="https://www.phoenix-teashop.com/store/">Phoenix Tea</a> by catering events. If you are interested in having me at your event please email me at brett[at]phoenix-teashop[dot]com. The cost varies depending on the nature of your event and the convenience of the time and venue required.Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07391009406909467410noreply@blogger.com0