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I’d thought that I must have oversteeped my big pot of Norbu Xi Hu Long Jing, as the liquor was darker than usual and more yellow—almost gold—as well. Gazing out the window, I lost track of time while watching the Salvation Army guys load my donations onto the truck. I cringed as they threw bags containing English-style tea pots into the back. I certainly hope that none of them were crushed!

So today was a turning point. I am now officially into the tetsubin scene and out of the porcelain English-style scene. I was hemming and hawing about whether I could give them away, but then I did, and fortunately the big truck arrived before I could suffer donor’s remorse and remove the teapots from my front porch. I have given a huge volume of possessions away over the course of the past couple of months because I lost about two-thirds of my space when I moved, and I desperately need air space to be able to breath!

I used English teapots for a decent chunk of my life—supplemented by glass Bodum filter presses (intended for coffee). Of late, I’ve been using only the tetsubin because they not only keep the brewed tea drinkable longer (without reheating), but are also ideal for instantly cooling boiling water to green tea infusion temperature! In fact, they are so good at temperature reduction that I have taken the variable temperature kettle off my wish list!

Now back to today’s first POD (pot of the day). It turned out that I did not oversteep the Norbu Long Jing, as it was delicious. I drank two glasses right after my first meal of the day, a hunk of walnut bread (which I picked up at a farmer’s market yesterday) toasted and smeared with butter. Yum!

second infusion (after dinner): also very smooth and flavorful!

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 4 min, 0 sec
boychik

Walnut bread with butter. Drool

sherapop

It is tasty indeed, boychik—wish I could share some with you! ;-)

Cheri

boychik, I was thinking the same thing: I want toasted walnut bread with butter.

boychik

you did without extra calories;)

TheTeaFairy

Sorry that you had to get rid of some of your teaware, but congrats on the tetsubin! I have 3 but use only one for Sencha. Been using it for 2 years now and it’s amazing, the tea tastes so much better as it seasons, just like a yixing pot.

boychik

I accumulated so much teaware but I don’t think I could give it away. Kudos to you ! I should do the same.

sherapop

It’s tough boychik, but I really need some breathing room, and my rule is supposed to be “give it away if you have not used it in a year”. Hard to believe, but I have not been using those ceramic pots for a long time… I hate to admit how many tetsubin I’ve accumulated… But at least I use them! ;-) I may assign one tea family to each tetsubin … just to give you an idea of the number I own. lol

boychik

I know the rule, just can’t follow. I got porcelain, ceramic, glass(not one ), then numerous gongfu glass, gaiwans, 2 Yixing and 1 in transit. I just hope I won’t catch Yixing fever. Must resist.

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boychik

Walnut bread with butter. Drool

sherapop

It is tasty indeed, boychik—wish I could share some with you! ;-)

Cheri

boychik, I was thinking the same thing: I want toasted walnut bread with butter.

boychik

you did without extra calories;)

TheTeaFairy

Sorry that you had to get rid of some of your teaware, but congrats on the tetsubin! I have 3 but use only one for Sencha. Been using it for 2 years now and it’s amazing, the tea tastes so much better as it seasons, just like a yixing pot.

boychik

I accumulated so much teaware but I don’t think I could give it away. Kudos to you ! I should do the same.

sherapop

It’s tough boychik, but I really need some breathing room, and my rule is supposed to be “give it away if you have not used it in a year”. Hard to believe, but I have not been using those ceramic pots for a long time… I hate to admit how many tetsubin I’ve accumulated… But at least I use them! ;-) I may assign one tea family to each tetsubin … just to give you an idea of the number I own. lol

boychik

I know the rule, just can’t follow. I got porcelain, ceramic, glass(not one ), then numerous gongfu glass, gaiwans, 2 Yixing and 1 in transit. I just hope I won’t catch Yixing fever. Must resist.

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Bio

I have fallen off the “tea log boat”, as I am now in New Zealand and was really flailing about for a while, having depleted all of my Chinese and Japanese green tea supply! Fortunately, my first order of 2015 has now arrived! I should begin writing very soon about tea at my new blog, sherapop’s tea leaves. Please stop by and contribute your ideas—all viewpoints are welcome!

A long-time tea and perfume lover, I have recently begun to explore the intersections between the two at my blog: http://salondeparfum-sherapop.blogspot.com//

The scent of tea can be just as appealing as—sometimes more than—its taste! Tea also offers boundless visual beauty in its various forms and states of preparation.

A few words about my ratings. In assessing both teas and perfumes, my evaluation is “all things considered.” Teas do not differ very much in price (relative to perfumes or any luxury items), so I do not usually consider the price when rating a tea.

What I do consider is how the particular tea compares to teas of its own type. So I might give a high rating to a fine herbal infusion even though I would never say that it is my favorite TEA. But if it’s good for what it is, then it deserves a high rating. There is no point in wishing that a chamomile blend was an Assam or a sencha tea!

Any rating below 50 means that I find the liquid less desirable to drink than plain water. I may or may not finish the cup, depending upon how thirsty I am and whether there is another hot beverage or (in summertime) a source of fresh water available.

From 50 to 60 indicates that, while potable, the tea is not one which I would buy or repurchase, if I already made the mistake (I have learned) of purchasing it.

From 60 to 70 means that the tea is drinkable but I have criticisms of some sort, and I probably would not purchase or repurchase the tea as I can think of obvious alternatives which would be better.

From 70 to 80 is a solid brew which I would purchase again.

From 80 to 90 is good stuff, and I probably need to have some ready at hand in my humble abode.

From 90 to 100 is a tea (or infusion) which I have come to depend on and look forward to imbibing again and again—if possible!

If you are interested in perfume, you might like my 2400+ perfume reviews, most of which have been archived at sherapop’s sillage (essentially my perfumelog):

http://sherapop.blogspot.com/

Finally, please note that after a great deal of debate with myself, I have decided to use the cupboard here at Steepster as a “museum” of sorts—to commemorate all of the various teas which I have purchased and truly enjoyed since December 2013.

I do not currently possess all of the teas listed in this cupboard, but am using the function as a way of recording how many times I drank every tea which I did own at some point and wish not to forget. Teas found both in my “cupboard” and on my “wishlist” are those which I did own and intend to restock. Teas best forgotten have been removed from the cupboard once depleted (in some cases tossed…).

I have also decided (beginning in 2015) to use the tasting note function to maintain a chronological record of the teas I’ve consumed since December 15, 2013. Most new reviews will now be posted directly at my blog, sherapop’s tea leaves.

Location

Curio Bay, South Island, New Zealand

Website

http://salondeparfum-sherapop...

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