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TEA! (because coffee is so western european)

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  • MJRH
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2006
    • 418

    #46
    De Quincey in Confessions of an English Opium Eater, holding forth on the history of the tea-spoon (speaking in the context of laudanum servings):

    Now, a single quantity of one hundred will about fill a very old-fashioned obsolete tea-spoon, of that order which you find still lingering amongst the respectable poor. Eighty such quantities, therefore, would have filled eighty of such antediluvian spoons--that is, it would have been the common hospital dose for three hundred and twenty adult patients. But the ordinary tea-spoon of this present nineteenth century is nearly as capacious as the dessert-spoon of our ancestors. Which I have heard accounted for thus:--Throughout the eighteenth century, when first tea became known to the working population, the tea-drinkers were almost exclusively women; men, even in educated classes, very often persisting (down to the French Revolution) in treating such a beverage as an idle and effeminate indulgence. This obstinate twist in masculine habits it was that secretly controlled the manufacture of tea-spoons. Up to Waterloo, tea-spoons were adjusted chiefly to the calibre of female mouths. Since then, greatly to the benefit of the national health, the grosser and browner sex have universally fallen into the effeminate habit of tea-drinking; and the capacity of tea-spoons has naturally conformed to the new order of cormorant mouths that have alighted by myriads upon the tea-trays of these later generations.
    "adjusted chiefly to the calibre of female mouths" is quite some phrasing.
    ain't no beauty queens in this locality

    Comment

    • galia
      Senior Member
      • Jun 2009
      • 1719

      #47
      Originally posted by Faust View Post
      Galia, and other Parisians, have you tried the little corner shop on Rue de Seine?
      I didn't but I heard some great things from fashionistas I know. I think the one on place monge is probably better, but no deserts and minimal packaging

      Comment

      • Faust
        kitsch killer
        • Sep 2006
        • 37852

        #48
        /\ Ok. And thanks for the Maison des Trois Thes recommendation - my girlfriend had a ball.
        Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

        StyleZeitgeist Magazine

        Comment

        • surver
          Senior Member
          • Oct 2007
          • 638

          #49
          DE CHUAN TEA
          http://www.dechuantea.com/



          CHA CHA THE
          http://www.chachathe.com/



          SONG FANG MAISON DE THE





          AVEDA

          Aveda's soothing, certified organic, caffeine-free herbal tea—with licorice root and peppermint—calms your senses, promoting a sense of well-being.


          Comment

          • surver
            Senior Member
            • Oct 2007
            • 638

            #50
            Originally posted by Faust View Post
            Cows, you are in luck - girlfriend is a tea fanatic and I will share some of her recommendations with you. But she says that cows are not for eating!
            They're for making shoes ;P

            Comment

            • surver
              Senior Member
              • Oct 2007
              • 638

              #51
              ... and you must boil the water in cast iron kettles/pots...



              ... traditional [antique/vintage]...






              ... in a more contemporary interpretation...





              Comment

              • trentk
                Senior Member
                • Oct 2010
                • 709

                #52
                or silver kettles.

                I prefer antique tetsubins for anything aged or roasted (aged sheng, shu, yancha, roasted oolongs, harsh young sheng too) , and silver kettles for anything lighter (dan cong, taiwanese high mountain oolong, good young sheng, some japanese greens).

                Some very interesting articles on silver kettles vs iron tetsubins and how they effect water:

                http://the-leaf.org/issue4/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/gong-fu-tea-tips-issue-4.pdf

                http://the-leaf.org/issue%205/wp-con...etsubin333.pdf

                Last edited by trentk; 03-01-2012, 11:06 PM.
                "He described this initial impetus as like discovering that they both were looking at the same intriguing specific tropical fish, with attempts to understand it leading to a huge ferocious formalism he characterizes as a shark that leapt out of the tank."

                Comment

                • Faust
                  kitsch killer
                  • Sep 2006
                  • 37852

                  #53
                  To break up the green tea nerdism, my favorite black tea, the south stockholm blend from the Tea Center of Stockholm.
                  Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                  StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                  Comment

                  • trentk
                    Senior Member
                    • Oct 2010
                    • 709

                    #54
                    WAYDT

                    Song Dynasty Plate (China, it had traces of a black tar like substance in the cracks when I bought it. Think it was opium.)
                    Hagi-Yaki Yunomi ((Japan, Shibuya Deishi)
                    80's Yixing (China)
                    2004 Shu Puerh (Yunnan, one of Ming Yi Wang's students. Normally don't drink shu, but I make an exception for anything produced by or with Wang.)
                    "He described this initial impetus as like discovering that they both were looking at the same intriguing specific tropical fish, with attempts to understand it leading to a huge ferocious formalism he characterizes as a shark that leapt out of the tank."

                    Comment

                    • cowsareforeating
                      Senior Member
                      • Jan 2011
                      • 1032

                      #55
                      trent they lied to u, those cast iron ones are ceramic lined inside ;)

                      Comment

                      • trentk
                        Senior Member
                        • Oct 2010
                        • 709

                        #56
                        only the cheap ones are lined, and those aren't used for boiling water. (but I think you already knew that)
                        "He described this initial impetus as like discovering that they both were looking at the same intriguing specific tropical fish, with attempts to understand it leading to a huge ferocious formalism he characterizes as a shark that leapt out of the tank."

                        Comment

                        • cowsareforeating
                          Senior Member
                          • Jan 2011
                          • 1032

                          #57
                          i do appreciate ceramic as an insulator though, im less traditional and into the ceremonial aspect as i am into to taste so electric kettle for me ..


                          but WOW that texture is real gorgeous wabi sabi right there

                          Comment

                          • trentk
                            Senior Member
                            • Oct 2010
                            • 709

                            #58
                            Originally posted by cowsareforeating View Post
                            i do appreciate ceramic as an insulator though, im less traditional and into the ceremonial aspect as i am into to taste so electric kettle for me ..
                            I drink tea predominately for taste as well - you would be surprised how much water boiled in iron differs from that boiled in an electric kettle. Especially when the kettle has been used for a while and is coated in mineral deposits. There are also porous clay kettles you can use over charcoal "stoves", and these really change the texture/flavor of the water - http://tea-obsession.blogspot.com/20...olive-pit.html

                            (anyone reading this who isn't into tea probably thinks I'm crazy for talking about water.... if you wish, try brewing the same loose leaf tea with two different waters, and you'll see that it does make a difference. If I was really a fanatic, I would add something about letting water before use in various ceramic water containers.... yes, I know people who have tried that. http://themandarinstea.blogspot.com/...ful-water.html )

                            EDIT: where do you get your tea? one of the guys at my favorite tea shop in santa cruz worked at a tea shop in san diego or la jolla a few years ago. can't remember the name, but they had really good taiwanese tea, and it was one of the only serious tea shops in the area.
                            "He described this initial impetus as like discovering that they both were looking at the same intriguing specific tropical fish, with attempts to understand it leading to a huge ferocious formalism he characterizes as a shark that leapt out of the tank."

                            Comment

                            • trentk
                              Senior Member
                              • Oct 2010
                              • 709

                              #59
                              Originally posted by cowsareforeating View Post
                              but WOW that texture is real gorgeous wabi sabi right there
                              double post, but, scroll through this thread for some of the most interesting ceramic texture I've seen.... this is a must for anyone who oogles say ccp leather or luc fabric. http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php...562&start=1515
                              samples:





                              what I find most interesting is the cracks that develop in the lighter colored pieces. the tiny little fractures are there from the beginning, but you can only see them as use stains the ceramic:

                              one more, good japanese green tea is almost fluorescent

                              wait, 2 more:


                              (I know... I'm obsessed)
                              SZ edition, ballers only, costs more than some ccp leathers:
                              Last edited by trentk; 03-03-2012, 08:52 PM.
                              "He described this initial impetus as like discovering that they both were looking at the same intriguing specific tropical fish, with attempts to understand it leading to a huge ferocious formalism he characterizes as a shark that leapt out of the tank."

                              Comment

                              • byte
                                Junior Member
                                • Nov 2012
                                • 9

                                #60
                                Those are some beautiful ceramics. I love the act of preparing and drinking tea, especially if one is fortunate enough to use such artful teapots and cups. I usually purchase teas from Adagio, vanilla green and gunpowder jasmine being my favorite, but I've bought pu'er tea lately on ebay that, while lacking the allure of the greens, is something interesting in its own right.

                                Thought I'd resurrect this thread since winter (now occurring in the northern hemisphere) is the best time for a hot cup!

                                Comment

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