Yet another tasting

A few friends and I had tea a week or 2 ago. Aged teas were the theme. Thanks to Paul of Sacret Tea for his generous gift of many pu-erh samples. Paul is a generous soul whom is passionate about tea and love to share his passion with the likes.

New Year tea party

Chinese New Year was last week. We celebrated this holiday tradition with a tea party. Many guests arrived with festive spirit, some were dressed up in Chinese traditional clothes. It was a fabulous event. However I was too busy to take any pictures. Above picture was taken today before all holiday decorations were taken off. I did not get a chance to drink tea with the LATA gang, aged pu samples sent by Paul of Sacred Tea were supposed to be tasted with members, but we did not get to drink any. We will try to schedule the next meeting soon.

Thank you for your generosity Paul! :)

Wish everyone a happy new year, may good tea fill every cup of yours in this new year! Cheers!

Chinese New Year 2008

Invitation to Chinese New Year party!

LATA members, local tea nerds and out of town tea nerds who happen to be in town, you are all invited to come to my party! New Year holds the most significant meaning to me and my family. It's time for celebration, family gathering and drink tons of tea to wash down the large amount of food.

Click on second picture for details.





Address:
Tea Habitat
21B Peninsula Center
Rolling Hills Estates
CA 90274
(Across from TJmaxx)
Map

Dan Cong feast

Tea brings people together as a Chinese philosophy for thousands years, it will continue to bring new people and the familiar together for many more years to come in every corner of the world. Here in the southern corner of California, we carry on the tradition on a Sunday afternoon. A few LATA members and tea enthusiasts frequent my shop got together for a session of tea tasting. Cha Xi (tea banquets) are often hosted here lately. Good teas are must, various types of snacks are also part of the feast. For a more complete documentation of this tasting, see Jason's story at pu-erh community. It's interesting how a typical Chinese banquet lasts a couple of hours, while a half day long tea banquet seems too short.

It'll require a larger area to host events like this in the future. I am looking forward to Chinese New Year when family, friend and selected customers are invited to attend a huge tea party, celebrating the culture with tea, how appropriate!

During the last tasting, we had a few interesting teas, and a few others we didn't have time to try. 86 vintage Dan Cong, 94 vintage Dan Cong, not sure if we had the 96 Wu Dong Da Ping DC, Chuan Du Lao Ming Cong - courtesy of Danica, Bor Tou - ginger flower. I had to part from the tasting for business issue while tea tasting continued.

Chuan du lao ming cong was sold out without any reserve shortly after its arrival. The few sessions of this tea I brewed varied from time to time. It was the most difficult tea to brew out of all the teas I had. At one point, I was quite disappointed, until I looked further into the "moodiness" of DC. During the latest gathering, I made a special request to Danica to share some of her stash of this tea, brewing with all Chao Zhou tea wares, from pots, to stove, to water boiling pot, to olive pit charcoals. The result was not satisfying either. The challenge was on and would not be settled until I could maximize its potential. I have confidence in the potential of the tea, it just takes all the right elements to bring it out, perhaps I'd have to wait till full moon?! Will came by the next day (Monday), and generously gave me shares of his stash. I roasted the leaves at 80 degrees C for 30 minutes before brewing, the intense floral flavor came out again, honey smooth texture reminded me one of the previous successful session, but more smooth and mellow.

I love Dan Cong, not only because its beautiful aroma, distinctive flavor, the beauty of Phoenix mountain, or just because it's originate from the soil where I'm familiar with. What made me partial to them is its unpredictable nature, its complexity, and the hidden quality of its beauty. It takes patience to discover those qualities, it takes practice to unveil its potential. It's a challenge that drives me to learn, to search, to bring out the best of these little leaves.

Tea party in Camellia blooming season

You just never know who's going to show up to start a tea party that would go on beyond closing time. My friend Ming brought her friend along this afternoon, a friend she'd consider as Cha Xian (tea fairy), who's quite elaborate with her utensils, especially for what she brought over to have tea at a "tea shop".

Camilia flowers are blooming brilliantly and vibrantly in the misty air. Pink petals are so delicate, seems as the pink would drip off the petal any second, soft as lover's kisses....

LATA celebrates Mid Autumn Festival

Last Saturday was the LATA (LA Tea Affair) meeting for yet another session of serial tea drinking. Members of the group including Will, Louise, Danica and myself, friend of mine Ming, friends of Danica - Angie and David from 1001 Plateau also joined the group and share their special teas. We had Moon Cakes, pumpkin seeds, Mochi, almond candies, dried plums and other traditional Chinese tea snacks while sipping tea and chatting away. Time flies when companies are great! Being Chinese, traditions as such are usually customary, however sharing with others whom embrace the cultural differences with such enthusiasm is rather touching to my heart. Toast to the Full Moon with a cup of Zhi Lan Xiang!



LATA is a group of tea enthusiasts join together occasionally to share tea, build friendships, learn from each other, most importantly share our passion for these precious leaves. The organization has been found less than a year, we already had many semi-formal/informal tasting sessions at private homes of members and my tea shop. We have come together as tea fanatics and transcending to friendships. No wonder the old Chinese wisdom says "Tea brings people together". I am one of those lucky ones to live it up.

Angie and David shared their rare Da Hong Pao and Rou Gui, which both are excellent teas. And warm welcome to both of them from all of us at LATA!


Leaves of Da Hong Pao: amazingly large leaf, very tasty and long lasting.

DRUNK

Today, I reach a new height in tea drinking experience. I had been tea drunk before, the experiences were over dose of caffeine. 2005 Lao Ban Zhang left me jittery hours after just a few grams. 12, 20 teas a day left my brain restless, but not organizationally functional. Today, I got drunk 2.5 times in 6 hours, I think. The last drunk was very similar to an alcohol drunk. My body was warm, itchy on my back, my eyes were stoned, I slurred, and I felt like walking on clouds when I got up. I had to make a quick head turn, and I saw a trail of lights from one shoulder to another. It's been 2 hours, I still feel drunk. After returning home, I just want to pass out.


Jason and Mark stopped by today for tea. Ming was here as well. As a bunch of tea heads, we without doubts had a ton of tea, at some point, we don't even know how much tea we had or what we had. We all got drunk a few times. I got so drunk, I refused to drink more tea after I got home. One tea that particularly hit all 4 of us hard was the Chuan Du Lao Ming Cong Dan Cong. Jason stopped drinking it after 4 cups. We were so buzzed, we all stopped drinking after the 6th infusion. I worried if I could make it home safely. My perception of depth was all off.

Chuan Du Lao Ming Cong is 1 of the 10 best Single Bush trees on Wu Dong Mountain. Only a few pounds are produced each spring. I got my hands on 500g, the anticipation of its arrival left me sleepless for many nights. Finally it arrived on Friday afternoon when Will's visiting, just right before he planned to leave. We tried 1g in a gaiwan, it was good but not what we expected (highly). However I did have 2 hours of sweet after taste lingered in my mouth. It was quite nice, but not mind blowing at the time.

This afternoon, I brewed 3g in Jason's Duan Ni pot. First infusion was __, I have no words to describe it. It does not taste like anything I can put a name on. Strange, not mind blowing, but interesting. I was curious to open the lid, WOW!!!!! It smells beautiful! Not nice, not fragrant, not just a regular word of flower. Just beautiful!!! The aroma is amazing, it literally smells like a real orchid, somewhere between a large white Cattlaya and a white Dandrobium. It's pure, drifty, clean, clear, lung opening, with a hint of winter honey sweetness. We kept drinking the second and third infusions, taking very small sips of tea at a time, 3 drops maybe. The flavor of the tea was magnified with each little sip. I still don't have a word for it. Honey like sweetness increased with each brew. Jason took away his cup while I was still trying to think of a word to describe it. By that time, we were all drunk and talking gibberish. I remember I said something like laying on clouds drinking cloud. Jason got up to walk off the buzz. Over all, I still don't know how to describe this tea. It left me contemplating, chasing something illusive. Maybe this is why it cost so much. The drunken effect justifies the price perhaps?! It was a fun eventful drinking afternoon.

Here is a list of tea I (we) drank today, I am still drunk that I may skip a couple here and there.

Small bud gold tip Yunnan black
Imperial loose pu 2006
Wuyi Rou Gui
Huang Zi Xiang Dan Cong
Honey Orchid Dan Cong
Bor Tou (ginger flower) Dan Cong (Jason, Mark and Ming arrived)
07 pu-erh mao cha
ALi Shan high mountain oolong (My roasting batch)
Fo Cha Ji loose pu 2004
Wuyi Te Luo Han
Zi Lan Xiang Dan Cong
Honey Orchid Dan Cong
92 CNNP Red lable Meng Hai
* first time drunk*
92 CNNP red label Meng Hai (roasted)
76 Roasted Baozhong
2007 Oriental Beauty
70's pu
Chuan Du Lao Ming Cong Dan Cong 07
*completely drunk*

The gang's in da house

Behind the bar are (left to right) Louise, Will, Phyll, me and Nick.


I am extremely thankful to the LA Tea Affair gang whom volunteered their knowledge of tea at my opening tea party. It was such a fun event that some of the customers came back today telling me how much they learned from these guys the day before. A 12 years old little girl came again today and talked the tea lingo she learned from yesterday, sounded like a little tea connoisseur. It's absolutely amazing and funny. It's how I envision LA tea affair will become with a bigger crowd! It'd be great to have more open tea-bar events in the future. A couple (both are teachers) suggested a tea function at the South Coast Botanical Garden or the local library. That sounds like a beautiful idea that I should explore the possibility.

I have to thank CM (front left, next to the orchid)! He's the one took me to the desserts cafe in SD which lead to my own tea lounge. We met in Singapore 2.5 years ago, on a tour bus to the botanical garden which is famous for its 1000+ species of orchids. Yes, I am a tea addict and obsessing over orchids at the same time.

Open House

aaaaah, pictures

Timing is everything! I came home around 12:45 last night and found a little package at my door. It's my nikon camera! After more than a month at the nikon repair shop, it made its way back to my hands. :) Here are a few shots of my new tea shop, Tea Habitat. :)

Tea Habitat - Grand opening!

I am in the final stage of preparation. Grand opening date is June 2nd, this Saturday. Grand opening celebration party is scheduled on the following Saturday June 9th at 2 pm till whenever. Everyone is invited! Free food and drinks! Formal invitation will be sent out and posted early next week.

Tea Habitat
21B Peninsula Center
Palos Verdes, 90274
teahabitat.com

At corner of Hawthorne and Silver Spur, across from TJmaxx
http://maps.google.com/maps?um=1&tab=wl&channel=s&client=firefox-a&hl=en&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=mammoth+beverage+mix

My camera is STILL in the repair shop. Nikon is taking their sweet time. I will have to borrow a camera and take some shots.

There will be loose ends here and there at the beginning. I expect to smooth it out in a few weeks, especially hiring and training the right staffs. I intend to improve as time goes by with better service and products.

Sorry for the broken writing, I am extremely tired and still a million things on my mind at this hour.

Tea at the beach

A tea crazed friend I met at the Vegas tea expo, having tea at the beach last night. We stayed from 6pm till 11:15pm, ordered pizza delivered to the beach. It was nice to watch the 3/4 moon oscillating and its silhouette changed its contour on the water. It went from a line to a spot light to elliptical then disappeared then an endless runway of shimmer to the end of earth.

We had Huang Jin Gui Ooglong at the beginning and Tea tree flowers when it was late.