Jan

27

Featured items are 10% off.

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1. Featured Tea: Yunnan Gold Thread
A very fine black tea made solely from hand-gathered golden leaf buds. Soft and supple to the touch with a distinctive aroma of rich chocolate and tobacco. The result is a golden red cup with a mildly peppery sweetness and silky smooth mouthfeel.

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2. Featured Teaware: Jade Gaiwan
Another selection from our stock of traditional Chinese teaware. This lidded cup is extremely versatile and allows you to experience a tea’s visual and aromatic characteristics during preparation. Excellent for multiple infusions, our featured Yunnan Gold Thread tea pairs perfectly with this piece.

We will have details for our Liquid Jade event coming very soon. As always, thanks for checking in!

- James

Jan

25

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If you’re a fan of Wes Anderson’s movies (Rushmore is my personal favorite), then you’re most likely a fan of Kumar. Here is a snippet of Kumar telling us how to make “the chai.” The info. is basic and brief, but it’s definitely worth checking out. Video via the Pardon My Hindi site/blog.

Come to think of it, it’s a nice day for some chai. The cold(er) weather is coming back after two weeks of Santa Ana conditions, and chai is the perfect way to keep warm.

I hope all is well with you; thanks so much for checking in.

- James

Jan

16

Featured items are always 10% off!

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1. Featured Tea: Wenshan Baozhong
Minimal processing and very light oxidation yield this larger-leaf Taiwanese oolong. Highly aromatic with fresh floral hints of gardenia and a beautiful light green liquor. Smooth and sweet with a subtle presence that is deceptively complex. An excellent example of finely grown tea and expert craftsmanship.

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2. Featured Teaware: Peony Gaiwan
This traditional Chinese lidded-cup is one of our favorite brewing vessels. Extremely versatile, we especially like to prepare our Chinese tea selections in these. Allows for a complete tea experience, with a tea’s visual and aromatic characteristics easily observed before tasting. Excellent for multiple infusions, our featured Baozhong tea pairs perfectly with this piece.

Thanks for checking in! We’re off to the Subtext re-opening, featuring a show of work from our good friend Frank Rogozienski. Have a great weekend!

- James

Jan

14

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We just received a new shipment of the ever-popular Beehouse teapots in a variety of colors. We had a serious run on these pots over the holidays; they are excellent quality everyday teaware. Stop on in and check out the latest selection. We’re always happy to make some time for tea and a chat.

Hope all is well with you. Keep an eye out for our new featured tea and teaware coming in the next day. Also, we will be announcing forthcoming events, so stay tuned.

As always, thanks for checking in.

- James

Jan

7

Featured items are 10% off!

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1. Featured Tea: Sencha Fukamushi Premium
A deep-steamed sencha with a full-bodied mouthfeel and very little astringency. This is an easy-brewing Japanese green tea with a darker color and thicker flavor than many lighter-steamed senchas. The deep-steaming enhances the tea’s natural sweetness and the thicker body enables the tea to be paired with your favorite sweet without being overpowered. We suggest sea-salt chocolate as a perfect complement!

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2. Featured Teaware: Hakusan Sabi Sensuji Tea Set
This elegant porcelain set is crafted in Japan and features a modern kyusu-style pot with two beautiful matching cups. The cups feel nice in your hands; they’re light with a medium-thin edge, perfect for Japanese teas. The pot is sturdy and well-balanced with a nicely fit lid. An example of style and function fully-realized.

Stop in for a taste and a browse. We’re enjoying some beautiful (if brisk) weather here at the shop this week. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Thanks for checking in.

- James

Jan

6

Tung Ting

January 6, 2009 | 1 Comment

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As many times as I have prepared Tung Ting and other clustered-leaf oolongs, I never cease to be amazed with the volume of the unfurled leaves. This is from a nice end-of-day tea session Paul and I had tonight. This was a little more than a tablespoon of tea in our 4.5 oz. gaiwan. It was a particularly nice round of infusions. We stopped after the fifth only because we used the last of the hot water (195 degrees), and it was time to close shop. It could have easily gone for a few more very satisfying infusions. Tung Ting is a high-grown oolong from Nantou County, Taiwan. It infuses from pale yellow to gold with a deeply floral character. The first infusion can be very sweet with the pronounced floral qualities presenting themselves more with each subsequent infusion.

If you’re in San Diego and you would like to check out our selection of Taiwanese and Chinese oolongs, we are always happy to sit down with you to explore these wonderful teas.

We hope you’re well and enjoying the New Year so far. We appreciate you checking in.

- James

Jan

1

Tea in 2009!

January 1, 2009 | 5 Comments

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We hope you all had a fun, safe, and very happy New Year celebration. There are so many great things to look forward to in 2009. Don’t let all of the doom and gloom economic news, etc. get you down. We have much to appreciate everyday, especially time with those we care about. Today it was great to have a day off with my family, drinking tea with good bread and a variety of cheeses, jams, and other assorted toppings. I stay clear of the pickled herring, but Christi is all about it with the Norwegian background she has. It has been a day filled with many moments, the details that I enjoy so much.

Speaking of noticing details, the image above is from fellow tea lover and fine photographer Frank Rogozienski. He spent some time tasting tea and hanging out last week. I didn’t even realize he had his pocket camera with him. Frank penned a very kind post on his picture-a-day blog, 366|08. Be sure to check that out if you get a chance.

Our next e-news will be out shortly, and we are planning events for the New Year. Be sure to tune in here for our weekly in-store specials. If you’d like, check the post below for our current weekly feature (three really wonderful Darjeelings).

Thanks so much for checking in.

- James