77
drank Pu Erh Dante by Adagio Teas
2036 tasting notes

Sipdown no. 110 of the year 2014. My inaugural use of the Yixing pot!

It may not have been the best choice because I had very little left, not really enough to fill the 140 ml pot to one third or so. But I chose it because I had tasted it fairly recently and remembered what it tasted like well enough to compare the taste from the porcelain gaiwan to the clay pot.

This is a fascinating experiment in so many ways. First, there’s a definite effect on the taste of the tea. Though the tea is underleafed and a little watery tasting, it is also somewhat rounder than I recall it tasting before. So the clay is doing something. I just can’t tell how much of the taste difference is because of the underleafing or whether some of it is the pot drawing flavor into the clay. The little pot pours fast and very evenly! I expected to taste some clay, but I don’t really.

I got a little worried when I did the “clink” test on the pot because it doesn’t ring like a bell. It has a high pitched metallic clink, but not the ringing sound I heard on this Youtube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_OoIxP5zYE

I was impressed, though, by how quickly the water I poured on the outside of the pot was absorbed into the clay rather than rolling down the sides. Really fast. And I sniffed the pot (okay it had tea in it but still) after pouring hot water over it and it really does smell like a hot rock rather than something muddy or earthy. I take all of this as signs it’s a good little pot for the price.

While I was enjoying this experience, I might have accidentally ordered another pot or two from Yunnan Sourcing.

If you don’t see me online for a while it’s because the BF has tied my hands together to keep me from ordering more teaware. He very rightly made the comment that the whole point of us drinking tea was to clear space in the house, which I’ve been filling with teaware purchases, and which can’t be sipped down. I can safely say, though, that the ratio of space taken by tea to teaware at this point is probably about ten to one at least, so I can stop now (or soon) and still come out ahead. ;-)

boychik

Omg what have you ordered fr YS? I’ve been I that site for hours deciding on a pot.

scribbles

You go girl!!! I am living my yixing wants vicariously until I order my own…i’ve been eye-balling some Mandala teaware…

Sami Kelsh

Heehee, who needs space when you can have an abundance of teaware? Priorities!

keychange

Glad I’m not the only one who participated in successful experiments today!

MzPriss

I might have accidentally done the same thing. I ordered another one and then while I was at Zhi yesterday – they made me a screaming deal on the adorable one you see in my photo. So um, yeah. Three.

MzPriss

Oh and um, I have a pu-erh cake coming too.

__Morgana__

I may have accidentally ordered the Golden Zhu Ni Dragon Egg and the Bao Lan Zhu Ni Yu Lan….

MzPriss

ahahahahaha!!!

__Morgana__

scribbles, which of the Mandala are you eyeing? Sami, heh, I am with you on the priorities, but we really do need to reclaim some space in the kitchen. Just to a manageable level. ;-) Keychange, yes, I, too, am glad that we both had successful experiments today!

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Comments

boychik

Omg what have you ordered fr YS? I’ve been I that site for hours deciding on a pot.

scribbles

You go girl!!! I am living my yixing wants vicariously until I order my own…i’ve been eye-balling some Mandala teaware…

Sami Kelsh

Heehee, who needs space when you can have an abundance of teaware? Priorities!

keychange

Glad I’m not the only one who participated in successful experiments today!

MzPriss

I might have accidentally done the same thing. I ordered another one and then while I was at Zhi yesterday – they made me a screaming deal on the adorable one you see in my photo. So um, yeah. Three.

MzPriss

Oh and um, I have a pu-erh cake coming too.

__Morgana__

I may have accidentally ordered the Golden Zhu Ni Dragon Egg and the Bao Lan Zhu Ni Yu Lan….

MzPriss

ahahahahaha!!!

__Morgana__

scribbles, which of the Mandala are you eyeing? Sami, heh, I am with you on the priorities, but we really do need to reclaim some space in the kitchen. Just to a manageable level. ;-) Keychange, yes, I, too, am glad that we both had successful experiments today!

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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

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