Dexter said

New Year's Tea Resolutions

As 2015 is winding down, I’ve been thinking back on the year and the wonderful tea experiences that I’ve had. I’ve spend some time organizing my cupboard, updating spreadsheets, checking my Steepster cupboard, taking stock. This process has led me to ponder what might come in 2016.
Would love to hear about how others are viewing their tea journey and their thoughts on the coming year.
Are you planning on exploring a new style of tea? Are you thinking about starting swapping? Exotic vacation with tea purchases? Attending your first tea festival? Promises to FINALLY reduce your cupboard?
Just hoping that others will share their tea hopes/dreams/goals for the next year…..

77 Replies
soleiltea said

I bet this list will keep growing but I’ll start here:

1. Make new blends that make me go “wow”. Maybe something chocolatey without the cloying sweetness?
2. Clean out my cupboard. By that I mean moving my collection to a bigger cabinet! They just won’t fit anymore.
3. Take a ceramics class and make my own tea set.

Making your own tea set sounds awesome!

Dustin said

Shapeways 3D prints in ceramic. I’m temped to design a cup in CAD and have it printed.
Not very practical, but I love the looks of this one! http://www.shapeways.com/product/2V742HEVP/carnivorous-coffee-cup?li=nav-tab&optionId=57185384

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Jennifer said

I am getting into puerh. I will be sampling as wide variety as I can afford or wish to. I can be over eager when shopping online and then realize I have jumped in over my head so I am trying to take it slow.

I also want to try to drink tea everyday, if possible, and build up my Steepster account. (I just joined a couple days ago so my data is very sparse still).

Not tea related but I am trying to lose weight. Hoping to accomplish as much as possible in 2016.

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Oneironaut said

Basically more of this year. I’m new to tea and there are many types that I still haven’t tried, so I just want to keep trying new teas. I’ve got a sizable order from W2T on the way now to enhance my puer knowledge.

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-Try more Dancongs
-create a pumidor
-better organize my stash

so nothing too impossible

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1. Buy more puerh.
2. Try not to outgrow my pumidors.

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curlygc said

My tea purchases in 2015 were the equivalent of spraying buckshot all over the place; my plan for 2016 is to (metaphorically speaking) be a bit more of a sharpshooter with my purchases, especially now that I can rule out a whole lot of tea I do not like and rule in a Iot I do like. Having said that:

1. MOAR PUERHGRRRR!
2. Put a shelf in my pumidor. Because #1
3. Get some good liubao
4. Focus on the oolongs I like (dark and roasty)
5. Discover more Japanese greens in the summer
6. Tea-related: work on my pottery and get competent enough to make my own cups

and last, but not least:

7. Save the major purchases for November and December, because that’s when all the great sales happen!

Dexter said

(There are usually really good sales around the beginning of July too – just saying…..)

curlygc said

Greaaaaaaaaat. LOL.

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1. Clean out and organize my tea stash again.
2. Blog more.
3. Try more puerh.

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Dr Jim said

1. Sip down more teas (29 sipdowns from over 300 teas in 2015 was awful)
2. Buy to replace rather than to grow my stash.
3. Write more reviews
4. Buy for quality rather than quantity/value. Tea is cheap enough compared to most other beverages that there is no need to buy lower quality.

5. (added later): Drink every tea I own at least once in 2016

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1. Keep tea/teaware spending under $2000
2. Finish my Sommelier training
3. Begin a more in depth exploration of Pu’erh
4. Continue exploring straight oolongs (particularly more oxidized ones)

soleiltea said

1. has always been tough…

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1. Clean out and give away/swap all the flavored teas (that I generally don’t like) — as well as white and most green teas (which make me feel sick).

2. Establish a reasonably priced everyday breakfast tea from a shop that hasn’t gone out of business. I’ve just run out of all my Glenwood Reserve SFTGFOP1 from The Finest Brew, but it’s not always available, or discounted enough to work as an “everyday” sort of tea.

3. Learn enough about pu’erh to figure out whether or not I like it. I’m still not sure. I’ve only tried pu’erhs that taste to me like dirt and leather, and I don’t love that flavor profile at all. But apparently some are sweet and taste like molasses? I’d like to try out some of those.

4. Find good jin jun mei for a reasonable price.

5. Find a new Oriental Beauty to replace the one from Tea Setter since they were closing shop last time I checked. And at the time, I bought the only half pound they had left.

6. Establish some brand loyalty with companies that aren’t going out of business and that don’t close erratically for half the year with no announcement or explanation.

Rasseru said

If this OB ever comes back in stock its the nicest ive ever tasted:

http://www.mountaintea.com/collections/competition-grade/products/oriental-beauty-competition-grade

Im similar to you with the puerh – its taken me over a year of drinking it to begin to wrap my head around it. And still shu isnt quite there. Sheng ive learnt to embrace the bitterness a bit more

soleiltea said

Thanks for sharing the link, Rasseru! Will check back again when it’s back in stock

Rasseru said

its so good, as it cools honey comes out which balances with the spice & wood

Interesting. I’ll keep this in mind, although… Whoa, that’s a pretty steep price. I’m glad you reminded me of this company in any case, though, because a while back I bought some of that Formosa Jade Oolong they’ve had discounted for forever. It’s good tea, but just green enough that it makes me a bit nauseous. Still, I had wanted to buy from them again, but I completely forgot the name. And so many of these oolong companies have the word “mountains” or “high mountains” in the name, so it was hard to remember.

Edit: I just noticed they’ve got this, as well as some other low priced ones:

http://www.mountaintea.com/collections/organic/products/oriental-beauty-cake

I’ll keep it in mind as well, but honestly I can’t justify buying any new OB right now. I’ve still got several ounces left from Tea Setter.

Just looking over their website, I think this will be the place where I make my next major tea purchase. Most of what they offer is very reasonably priced — and probably lower than those at other Taiwanese oolong shops I’ve checked out — and they seem to have all the kinds of darker oolongs I really like.

yyz said

You might want to look at http://www.capitaltea.com/shop/home.php when searching for a new breakfast Tea. It’s been in business since 1997 and offers Tea ast good value with a generous sample size.

Rasseru said

Yeah it is expensive, but the nicest ive had to date. Sometimes I find OB too woody or spicy, and not always lovely. This one is.

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