I ran through my all the teas that I keep at my desk yesterday, except for this packet of matcha, a finely ground green tea from Japan. I had been putting off drinking it because the preparation is different from the teas that I normally prepare. I thought it would be difficult to get a good infusion because proper matcha preparation is at the heart of the elaborate Japanese Tea Ceremony. After poking around a little on the web, however, I found that like most tea you drink it as you like. The only hard and fast rule being that you not use boiling water in the preparation of matcha.

I put teaspoon or so of the fine powdered tea into the cup and wisked it up with a spoon (I did not have a regulation bamboo whisk with me). I am still playing around with the concentration of matcha to water. If you never have had tried this drink it is surprisingly thick and frothy because the tea powder is suspended in the cup.

We at tbdtea.com were recently contacted by Dr. Manjit Handa at Healing Matrix. He was looking for information on tea, its history and health benefits. We looked around their site liked what we saw and agreed to have our article on the history of tea reprinted. Now you can checkout the article again in either its original form or at its new home - now updated with a list of references for those of you who need to know more.

This past weekend I had some 2nd Flush Darjeeling, I cannot remember the estate right now, but the leaves came from SerendipiTea. We had a pot after breakfast and it was a bit weak, even after steeping for four minutes. The aroma from the pot and the leaves were very nice full muscatel, but out of the cup it was very thin.

In the interest of full disclosure, Darjeeling is not my favorite, but this one seemed weaker than most. I’ll try it again but it probably needs to be steeped upwards of five minutes to get the full flavor as the seller’s site suggests. Better luck next time I guess.

Cat’s been sick this past week so she’s been brewing lots of chamomile mint  to keep her going.  It doesn’t make her more fun to be around, but it helps her relax a little more and smell better too.  I picked up this blend from Portland’s very own Tea Chai Te on  the uber hip NW 23rd.

Cameron (the brother-in-law and tenant in common) says it is sweet without sugar or splenda (Cameron’s got a real sweet tooth).

Cat and I just received an new electric tea kettle from Capresso. We had been looking a glass kettle so we could catch the water just short of a boil for those green and white teas that suffer from steeping in 100 degree C water. My mom saw this kettle at her favorite tea shop in Kansas City, MO and shipped one out after rave reviews from the proprietor.

It is a very slick design. You can see the bubbles start to form on the chrome element so you can better guess when the water is just right for your that delicate white peony.

I’m here at my new Synotac home, enjoying the last of a Mao Jian green. Robin Stevens, a contributor to Fresh Cup Magazine, sent some along with her last article. It was made the women of Nanchang Women’s College in Taiwan. The liquor is quite light in color and has a subtle flavor, a little astringent (or is leftover from my yogurt?). Anyway, it’s rolled into tiny strips, around half the length of a silver needle and looks a heck of a lot like it as well—lots of tips. It’s a nice retreat from the (I know, horror of horrors!) machiatto I had this morning. I’m going to try and get a few infusions out of it, as I steeped it for only about a minute—let’s see what it will hold. Glad to be a part of TBD. Thanks Cat and Ben for creating the site—it’s very nicely done. i’ll be back… David

Thanks to my fading cold, I don’t have the overwhelming need to constantly drink a hot watery liquid. And on the upside, I can now taste my tea again. This morning, I trying out a new organic Earl Grey. It’s from a mystery distributer, but it smells lovely.

Sadly, it’s just doesn’t taste that good.  While I’ve been having mixed luck with my tastebuds and Earl Grey tea, this one is a bit harsh in a more absolute sense.  Organic teas seem to be harsh in my limited experience.  But, boy does that bergamot smell good!

What’s in your cup? I started the day off with pot of Keemun Hao Ya from the folks at Rishi.  Most of their description is apt, but did not get the smoky taste they note.  Overall a robust cup to start the day and do the people’s work.

Special thanks today to  Cat, my loving wife, who has created this space for you and me to talk tea.

How much do I love tea? Today, with my cold, it gives me such joy to have a warm, delightful liquid to hold, breathe over, and sip. I’m looking forward to being able to taste it more tomorrow!