Garden Tea Party

Last Sunday, on a lovely summer afternoon here in Seattle, my wife and I hosted 12 friends to an afternoon of fine tea and light snacks in our garden.

On the tea menu was: Spring 2011 Alishan Zhang Shu Hu, Spring 2011 Wenshan Baozhong, Summer 2010 Formosa Bonita hongcha, 1999 Baked Tie Guanyin and a wee nip of Communitea Kombucha.

The all-vegan-nibbles included: cherry almond tart, fresh baked sourdough bread, hummus, strawberry jam, cherry-vanilla jam, and coconut date balls (all homemade by my brilliant wife).

Spring 2011 High Mountain Oolong Sale!

Hello tea friends. I have some Taiwanese oolong for sale! Three spring 2011 high mountain oolong teas arrived at my home yesterday from my mentor and friend Penny Yang in Taipei.

The three teas are: Alishan Zhang Shu Hu (阿里山樟樹湖), Meishan (梅山), and Shan Lin Xi Long Feng Xia (杉林溪龍鳳峽). I cupped them all together this morning.

Shan Lin Xi is on the left,
Alishan is in the Middle,
and Meishan is on the Right.

Here are my tasting notes from this morning's cupping session:

Alishan Zhang Shu Hu: The most buttery and floral. Savory and sweet with notes of apple and wild herbaceous dandelion. In the middle for body.

Meishan: The brightest and greenest of the three. Refreshing and crisp. Sugary with lingering orange rind and other fruit notes.

Shan Lin Xi Long Feng Xia (sorry this tea SOLD OUT on 6/9/11 ): Toastiest with thickest body and mouth-feel, a little bit floral with notes of almond, earth and meadow grass.

In my opinion these three teas are all very wonderful and unique and they all have great aftertastes. I am so happy to once again have some fresh high mountain oolong in my house!

I am selling these teas for $12.50 per ounce. Shipping to the lower 48 states adds $5 (more for other places). Of course you can skip the shipping if you arrange to pick the tea up from me at my home or work.

If you're interested in buying some tea from me please email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com. I can be paid via paypal, cash or check. Thanks!

Formosa Bonita

I recently had the great honor of tasting a rare and organic Taiwanese hong cha (紅茶) (red tea, aka black tea) made from the Jin Xuen (金萱) cultivar, and imported by the amazing Josephine Pan.

Josephine said the tea was produced in the Summer of 2010 in Nantou county. The locals call it simply "Mr. Chen's Organic Red Tea," but Josephine, at least for now, calls it Formosa Bonita.

Que Bonita!

I brewed this tea in a small gaiwan ~1/3 full of dry leaf. I used boiling water and started with a one minute infusion. Gradually increasing to 7 minutes for my 5th and final infusion.

It smells as good as it looks.

I really love this tea. It is bold and aromatic with a round, smooth mouth-feel. My tasting notes include caramel, malt, Assam black tea, toasted almonds, and chicory. The aroma under the gaiwan lid is sweeter and fruitier with a hint of cherry cider.

Josephine told me that the farmer is sold-out of this batch and that she only has a little bit left... so I bought myself a kilogram. I'd happily sell some (at $8 US per ounce) if anybody else wants to try it. Just email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com

Teacup Tea Classes - March 2011

This month, I am pleased to present a special tea tasting event at Teacup (2128 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA, 98109).

Saturday, March 12, 2011 - 10:00 to 11:00 AM
Taiwan Tea Art - In this class I will prepare many infusions of two rare and delectable Taiwanese teas using my finest teapots and cups. Participants will get tips on gong-fu style tea preparation while we sip together, mindfully and meditatively.

This photo was taken by my buddy Darald.
(Can you tell that it is the very same tea pickers
seen from a different angle as on my blog's banner photo?)

My tea classes are great for tea lovers of all levels, so feel free to bring a friend or family member that you'd like to "get hooked" on tea. The cost is $3 per guest and a RSVP is required. You may RSVP anytime by visiting or calling the Teacup (206-283-5931) or by emailing me at blackdragontea@gmail.com.

I will let you know as new classes are scheduled, and please feel free to suggest a class idea on a subject you'd like to learn more about. I hope to see you soon at a class!

A Sneak Peek at the Seattle Chinese Garden

A few days ago, the fine folks at Seattle Chinese Garden (西華園) threw a party to celebrate the opening of their main courtyard and I was invited to pour the tea.

The courtyard is called Knowing the Spring (知春院) and was recently finished by Chinese artisans visiting from Chengdu. Although there is still lots of exciting work to be done over the next few years, the garden will open to the public starting February 6, 2011 (please check the official website for hours).

Here is a little peek at the finished courtyard.

Fireworks popping outside the elegant and humble entry gate.

Inside the courtyard

Beautiful Stones

Ceremonial gate interior view

Ceremonial gate exterior view

Before you go.... Click here to view an über dreamy map of how amazing our city's garden will someday be.

BDTB's Holiday Sale!

Hello Tea Friends. I am currently in the possession of a few high quality vendibles and I would really love to place them all in good homes. So, if you're doing some holiday shopping, and feel like giving some of your money to a good-natured, 29 year old, tea-crazed, Seattle dad (aka yours truly)... please take a look!

#1 The Meaning of Tea Documentary film on DVD
Status: 2 available at $22 each (the best price I could find online)

#2 The Music of The Meaning of Tea on CD
Status: 6 available at $12 each (the best price I could find online)

#3 The Meaning of Tea Book "A Tea Inspired Journey"
Status: Sold Out

#1, 2 & 3

#4 Organic "Golden Monkey" Chinese Black Tea (Meaning of Tea brand)
(I really love this tea and think you will too.)
Status: Sold Out

#4

#5 Organic "Rejuvenation Tea" Herbal Blend (Meaning of Tea brand)
Product of Vermont. Contains Nettles, Peppermint, Raspberry Leaf, Milky Oats, Lemon Balm, and Calendula blossoms.
Status: Sold Out

#5

#6 Blue Glaze Cup and Aroma set from Taiwan
Status: Sold Out

#6

#7 Floral Glaze Cup and Aroma Set from Taiwan
Status: 6 available at $5 per set

#7

#8 Small Glass Cha Hai (aka fairness cup, aka decanter)
Status: 1 available for $5

#8

#9 Medium Sized Glass Cha Hai (aka fairness cup, aka decanter)
Status: 1 available for $5

#9

#10 Small Pretty Gaiwan (Perfect condition except for a little rough glaze on lid's handle)
Status: Sold

#10

#11 Small Clay Teapot
Very well crafted by a friend of my mentor Jason Chen.
Status: Sold

#11

#12 Medium Size Clay Teapot
Very well crafted by a friend of my mentor Jason Chen.
Status: 1 available for $40

#12

Please email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com if you're interested in buying anything. Payments can be made via cash, Paypal or check. Orders can be shipped (add $5 for the lower 48 states and more for other places), delivered, or picked up depending on your individual needs. All items are in perfect condition and I guarantee their quality 100%. I'm not expecting you'll have any problems but if you do just email me and I'll find a way to make you happy. Thanks! 謝謝您!

Seward Park Tea Party

Last Sunday my wife and I hosted a Chinese Tea Party at Seward Park in South Seattle. The theme of the party was "tea and nature" and it would have taken place rain or shine... but as it turned out, we got shine. Lots of glorious shine! In fact our 25 guests were treated to one of the most beautiful fall days that has ever occurred in our green city.

Here is a view of Mount Rainier from our outdoor tea house
(aka Picnic Shelter #2).

The party featured these four teas: Da Hong Pao Oolong, Cang Yuan Wa Mountain Puer Brick, Phoenix Dragon Pearls and a lightly oxidized Tie Guanyin from New Century Tea Gallery. All were well received.

My wife Alanna is truly skilled at preparing delicious vegan nibbles! For this event she presented a boiled spice cake, sweet potato blondies, cashew-date balls, chocolate-pecan balls, tea sandwiches, blueberry-corn bites, crackers, grapes, almonds, carrots and dips. As with my previous two tea parties, the food was a major hit.

Big thanks to my good friend and "Hot Water Man" Jon. Without his camp stove and diligent kettle filling we'd all have been drinking cold-brew tea. Also, thank you and 謝謝 to my tea friend Nicole. She was an incredible helper and her flowers and Indonesian cloths really helped make our outdoor "tea house" extra beautiful!

Da Hong Pao for Sale

Last week I received a couple kilos of high quality Da Hong Pao (大紅袍) (big red robe) oolong from my vendor/online-tea-friend Mr. Daniel Hong (of Yun Xiang Tea Company).

Mr. Hong told me that the tea was produced May 1st to 3rd, 2010. He described the farmer as: "...not rich but looks very happy every day, has too many kids, maybe because he is not good at business so although his tea is very good he still doesn't get rich. His price is very fair, more fair than others I know. I'll visit him few days later. As he said 'keep simple, keep happy'."

Currently that is all I know about this particular tea but I'm sure that if you have some other specific question about it, Mr. Hong will be able to answer them for us.

Here is my review of this tea:

The dry leaves are mainly dark brown but when you look at them closely you can also see flecks of light brown and gold. To me these long twisted leaves have a "happy-making" aroma with notes of charcoal, coffee and baked sugar.

The liquor is full bodied and redolent. It has a smooth baked tea flavor that teased notes of cookies, maple syrup, blueberries and whole wheat raisin bread. A ten infusion session left me feeling peaceful, mellow and pleasantly hungry.

I am very happy with this tea and plan to serve (and sell) it at my Chinese Tea Party on October 17th. I also hope to sell some of it to any online tea friends who are currently hunting for some really satisfying Wuyi Mountain (武夷山) oolong tea. My cost is $15 per ounce and shipping is $5 to the continental US (more for other places). A small free sample is available for certain people who ask very nicely. Payments can me made via cash, check or paypal. Please email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com for more information. 謝謝您! Thank you!

Next Month in Seattle!

There are only a few days left until the Northwest Tea Festival at Seattle Center. I'll be there both days (October 2nd and 3rd) helping out in the tea tasting booths. There will be many wonderful speakers and tea tasting opportunities so I really hope to see you there!

I'm also excited for my mentor Jason Chen, who will be at the Northwest Tea Festival selling and signing his new book: "A Tea Lover's Diary" which contains lots of beautiful, original photography along with great information about Tie Kuan Yin and Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong production!

In other news... my "Third (almost) Annual Black Dragon Tea Bar Chinese Tea Appreciation Party" (I know that is quite a mouthful) will take place at Seward Park's picnic shelter #2 from 2:00 to 4:30 PM on Sunday, October 17th. The theme is "Tea and Nature" and will include three wonderful teas, vegan treats, and a few games with prizes. This party costs $10 per guest and still has some space available so please email me (blackdragontea@gmail.com) if you wish to RSVP.

Here are links to posts about my 2007 "Tea and Music" and my 2008 "Tea in the Garden" events.

Spring 2010 Alishan High Mountain Oolong

Yesterday afternoon I received twenty 150-gram bags of Alishan High Mountain Oolong (阿里山高山烏龍茶) from my friend Penny Yang in Taipei. This tea was made in the Meishan (梅山) (Plum Mountain) area of Alishan and its production was closely monitored by Penny and her husband.

I've been drinking this tea all day and I really love it. It yields a fruity, clean, crisp liquor with a golden yellow color. The aroma is a touch flowery and reminds me of butterscotch. As the aroma evaporates, it starts to smell really sweet, like sugarcane. The flavor is spirited and bright on the tongue. Its taste reminds me of honey, nectarine and orange juice with a tiny hint of cinnamon bark.

This tea was for sale... but in only 24 hours it sold out! Many thanks to all of you who bought a bag or two! Sincerely, Brett.

Spring 2010 Wenshan Baozhong tea for sale!

In the mid-afternoon of June 2, 2010, three kilograms of 2010 spring Wenshan Baozhong (春文山包種茶) tea arrived at my house! I wasted no time breaking open the box and brewing some up.

my precious

I decided on an al fresco session on my back deck. Here is a goofy little video I took to amuse myself between sips:

To me this is a superb, lightly-oxidized, floral Baozhong tea and it provided me with seven clean, smooth, dewy-sweet infusions. The aroma flitted about with pleasant notes of lilac, honeysuckle and cantaloupe. My tasting notes included buttery yellow corn and macadamia nut.

before 7 tasty infusions

after 7 tasty infusions

These leaves are now for sale! I brought some of my stock to Teacup to sell, serve and sample, and the rest I'll sell from home. The cost at Teacup is: 1 oz $8.50 / 2 oz $17 / 4 oz $30 / 8 oz $60 / 1lb $108.

The cost if you buy it directly from me is $8 per ounce or $75 per 300 gram bag. Email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com if you're interested. I can only take cash, check or paypal and shipping is $5.

Lishan Ming Gang Tea Garden

One of the highlights of my most recent Taiwan trip was tasting tea with the proprietress of Lishan's Ming Gang Tea Garden (梨山明岡茶園). In my opinion, this little garden, about 3 kilometers outside of Lishan town, produced some amazing tea in November 2009. I bought only three jin (mainly because I didn't bring enough cash up to Lishan and there were no ATMs that took foreign cards).

Of course I really love all of the high mountain oolong teas that I chose to import during this month's buying and learning trip... but my two personal favorites were this Da Yu Ling and this Lishan.

For today's review I used my small gaiwan (100 ml) with about 5 grams of dry leaf. I steeped it many times using boiling water. In between the later steeps I played with the beautiful limp leaves. I recorded the following tasting notes during this session: fruity (mostly peach and pear), rosy, sulfur (as in natural hotsprings), buttery, and mineral.

My Da Yu Ling

On January 18th, I bought five jin of winter 2009 Da Yu Ling high mountain oolong tea from a nice little tea shop in Yingge, Taiwan. I was with my new friends Jeremiah and Allison from Oregon and we were sampling some great teas with a woman named Lin Xiu Hong. Although Miss Lin was a bit heavy handed in her brewing (it was strong!), I fell head over heels for this tea from my very first sip.

Da Yu Ling (大禹嶺) is located near Lishan (梨山) in Taiwan at around 2400 meters elevation. It produces small amounts of very highly esteemed oolong tea in the spring and winter.

For this review I used a small gaiwan with about 5 grams of dry leaf. I infused it 10 times using boiling water. To me this tea drinks like nectar. Its soup is fragrant with a thick orange-yellow color and very lively. My tasting notes included spirited, candy, clean and violet.

Taiwanese Tea Sale!

This morning I picked up my tea from US customs at Sea-Tac airport. Needless to say, I am so happy to finally have my tea back!

isn't it lovely?

The following is a quick rundown of what I got, how much it costs and where you can buy it. More detailed information and descriptions of some of these tea will be posted in the next couple weeks but in the meantime, feel free to ask me any questions via email (blackdragontea@gmail.com) or leave them as comments on this blog post.

茶 茶 茶

These 3 teas are available immediately from Black Dragon Tea Bar (aka me)*:

1. Lishan Ming Gang Tea Garden (梨山明岡茶園) Winter 2009 High Mountain Oolong
An unopened 150 gram bag in a cool green tin = $45 (or you can pay $9 per ounce).

2. Mei Shan Bei Huo (梅山焙火) Winter 2009 High Mountain Oolong -SOLD OUT-
An unopened 300 gram bag = $80 (or you can pay $8 per ounce).

3. Da Yu Ling (大禹嶺) Winter 2009 High Mountain Oolong
An unopened 150 gram bag = $45 (or you can pay $9 per ounce).

茶 茶 茶

These 3 teas are available starting Friday, January 29, 2010 at Teacup**:

1. Shan Lin Xi (杉林溪) Winter 2009 High Mountain Oolong = $160 per pound

2. Alishan Zhang Shu Hu (阿里山樟樹湖) Winter 2009 High Mountain Oolong = $160 per pound

3. Lishan (梨山) Winter 2009 High Mountain Oolong - $160 per pound

茶 茶 茶

These 2 teas will be available at Teacup in 2 to 3 weeks**:

1. Wenshan Baozhong (文山包種) - This is same tea I blogged about here.

2. Wenshan Baozhong Hong Bei (文山包種烘焙) - A medium roasted Baozhong tea from Pinglin.

*Please email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com if you're interested in buying one of these first three teas. Payments can be made via cash, Paypal or check. The tea can be shipped (add $5), delivered or picked up depending on your individual needs. All orders over $40 will include a free gift. 謝謝您!

**Please call Teacup at 206-283-5931 (or stop by) in Seattle if you want to buy any of these teas.

I'm Back

Yesterday evening I returned from a wonderful 8-day trip to Taiwan. I'm just now starting to sort through all of my new photos and I'm brainstorming many ideas for future blog posts.

Unfortunately the following is being held by US customs at Sea-Tac airport:

About 30 pounds of various high mountain oolong teas (which is actually a bit less than I carried home during my 2008 trip).
5 clay teapots.
30 small teacups.
12 tea towels.
12 misc. wooden tea utensils.

As with all of my previous trips, I noted that I was carrying items for resale and described them on the provided form. I also didn't have many receipts, because much of the stuff was purchased with cash at small businesses or tea farms.

In the past, the good folks at Sea-Tac airport's US customs have always just breezed me through, but this time they said I needed a broker to file a "formal entry registration" to import items for commercial purposes. That is all common knowledge to many of my importing friends and colleagues, but it kind of surprised me, because I was just expecting (read: "hoping for") another easy-breezy customs experience.

Oh well, I'm not going to get too hung up about all that. After I get my tea back I'll begin to post some reviews (read: "advertisements") on my blog and I'll let you know whether it will be for sale directly through me or at Teacup.

I'll tweet the results of this "customs caper" early next week and in the meantime I'll start to write some fun posts!

Regarding Taiwan - January, 2010

Dear Tea Friends,

As some of you already know, I am once again bound for the lovely island of Taiwan! I leave on January 14, 2010 and return 8 days later (making this my shortest trip to date). On this trip, I plan to focus most of my time exploring new high mountain tea farms and hope to return with several very special new oolong teas, as well as many new photos and stories for this tea blog. I will also visit a fun little town called Yingge which is famous for teaware, pottery and tea shops. Besides finding great new tea to sell, my other goals include: learning more about tea culture, improving my Mandarin speaking skills, and eating as much great food as possible!

As I have done prior to each of my four previous trips, I am trying to gauge my potential customers' interest in buying any new tea or teaware from me.

When I return home, I will announce all of the new teas that I have found... But if you are already sure that you will want something, you can let me know before I leave.

You may pre-order tea or teaware by emailing me your potential wish list. My email address is blackdragontea@gmail.com. I will email you a cost estimate and after we negotiate prices, we can arrange payment. I will contact you within one week of my return from Taiwan. All pre-ordered tea and teapots are 100% guaranteed and I will give you a full refund if you do not love it.

If you do not wish to pre-order tea or teaware, but you are still fairly sure that you will be interested in buying something from me after I return from Taiwan, it will still help me to hear from you before I leave.

Thank you!
Brett

Cang Yuan Wa Mountain Ripe Puer Brick

I would like you to meet the Cang Yuan Wa Mountain Tea Factory's 2006 Ripe Puer Brick (滄源佤山茶廠熟普洱茶磚).

Hello. 你好.


Pleased to meet you!

These bricks were imported by my friends at Tacoma Trading Co. and have been floating around various Northwest tea shops for the last few years. Teacup has been selling them off and on for the last three years and they have been given the nickname "those sweet and smooth bricks" by several of my regular puer customers.

According to T.T.C. these bricks were crafted by a talented female puer master name Tanmei who used to work for the Kunming tea factory. Now she is independent and works with her husband to market her tea.

I recently scored 10 of these bricks from T.T.C. with the hope of making a little extra tea buying money before I head off to Taiwan in mid-January 2010 (more about that soon).

This puer is long lasting and dark with a smooth and silky mouth-feel. I tried to over-brew it but I failed. It can get very dark and pour like thick black oil, but it will stay sweet and smooth. My tasting notes for this morning's session included: fresh soy milk, walnuts, and amaretto. To me this ripe puer is not smoky but it does have a hint of a rosy, fruity, some-might-say-smoky, Keemun* note in the finish.

Infusion #2
(but infusions 1 to 5 pretty much looked like this)

Updated 2-1-12 = Cinnabar's and my tea shop Phoenix Tea in Burien may have these in stock. Please email us for details.

*Keemun (Qimen) (祁門) is a popular Chinese tea. We call it black tea but the Chinese call it red tea (hongcha) (紅茶).

2008 Awazon Puer Cakes

A few days ago, I received a small order of Awazon (阿佤山)* puer cakes (普洱餅茶) directly from the source. I have ordered from this tea company several times in the past and I am always very happy with their prices, quality and service. The two teas I imported are 2008 Awazon "Jingmai Ancient Tree" Organic Sheng Puer cake and 2008 Awazon "Manjing Ancient Tree" Organic Sheng Puer cake.

Jingmai (景迈) Cake


Naked Jingmai

Manjing (芒景) Cake

Naked Manjing

This afternoon, my wife and I cupped both of the teas together using two small gaiwans, each with about 5 grams of dry leaf. I steeped them about 10 times before I was "waterlogged" but I'm sure they had a few more brews in them.

The wet leaves have a very pleasant aroma. It was not very smoky with an earthy, wildness that reminded me of raking leaves. My wife mentioned a "dried fruit" aroma, and I would certainly agree.

The Jingmai always yielded a slightly lighter, crisper and fruitier broth, while the Manjing's was consistently stronger, woody and more robust. My Jingmai notes included: "honey, clarity, and apple," and my Manjing notes included "floral, cedar, and peppery."

The next time I brew these cakes, I will take more time to savor their thick full bodied tea soup and I will brew them a little lighter because they are very young and lively.

Cupping the teas on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

While I definitely plan to keep a few of these cakes for my own puer collection... I would like to sell some too! I currently only have six cakes of each tea available (so they may sell out quickly). The cost is $5 per ounce or $40 per whole 357 gram cake. Payments can be made via cash, paypal or check. The tea can be shipped (add $5), delivered or picked up depending on your individual needs. Please email me at blackdragontea@gmail.com if you're interested in buying some of this wonderful organic puer tea. Thank you!

My daughter examining the puer cakes.

Or, you may choose to buy directly from Awazon in Kunming (昆明) China. In that case, please tell them that you read about their tea on my blog. 謝謝您!

*The Awazon tea factory uses the spelling "zon" for 山 (mountain). The standard pinyin is "shān."