This is a borrowed concept from the world of aging spirits, but very applicable to tea. In making tea gong-fu style the Angel’s share is the tea that is consistently poured over the yixing pot. Today I was also sharing

The Ska Polka of Tea

May 18th, 2020 42m

This little tuocha was brought to you by the year 1990. No brand affiliation. I can taste the dirty, green plaid and the wallet chains. Tastes like youth, but 30(!) years later. It tastes great, and even better shared. The

Drunk, Deeply

May 11th, 2020 18m 52s

Today we’re sharing a kyusu of sencha made by the Ihara family and discovered at the little JA agricultural co-operative storefront in the Shimizu Ward of Shizuoka City, Japan. I recently lost a pot that I bought at this shop

The Last Taste of Last Spring

May 4th, 2020 12m 38s

As tea is starting to be harvested and processed in Japan for 2020, we get to enjoy the last bit of fine tea in my collection from last year. Served in the spring cups and spring saucers that have just

It's Alive

Apr 27th, 2020 28m 50s

This is the time of year, at least here in Pacific Northwest America, that the climate begins to warm and well-kept puer tea begins to wake up. The winter temperatures are low, as is the relative humidity. As Spring presses

Dancong Peaches, No Cream

Apr 20th, 2020 20m 56s

A beautiful tea in a beautiful pot. This session was an ode to spring on many levels: An antique yixing pot that is the living incarnation of the spring of 1952; A 2019 spring dancong tea that is the embodiment

Old, Stale TGY

Apr 13th, 2020 23m 4s

This tea was a little treat waiting for me in a treasured tea container that I hadn’t seen in a while. I think the sounds of this container come through quite nicely, though briefly. The cup sound is also a

Spring on Pear Mountain

Mar 31st, 2020 24m 17s

Taiwanese teas are good. And sometimes they are great. I have what I thought was an example of good Li Shan, but in the course of this tea it turned out to be great. I love surprises.Today we’re using the

GONG FU: Knowing the Way of Tea

Mar 18th, 2020 13m 10s

One of my favorite books is an old instructional book on how to prepare tea for the Japanese Tea Ceremony. It is called (roughly translated), Knowing the Way of Tea or お茶の道しるべ. Today I prepared some matcha with that book

GONG FU: Rock on Tie Luo Han

Mar 10th, 2020 27m 1s

No, there’s no musical soundtrack today. The soundtrack is a Tie Luo Han (鉄羅漢) oolong from 2018. Tie Luo Han is one of the famous open leaf oolongs from the Wuyi tea growing region in China. See if you can

Down to Houraidou

Mar 2nd, 2020 21m 14s

Have a cup of some of the finest Japanese gyokuro green tea from my favorite little hole in the wall tea shop, Houraido (蓬莱堂). Today you’ll hear a 100+yo houhin teapot, a 60+yo tokoname water vessel, a 40+yo tin leaf container, and much more (i

225 years of tea: 22 and a half minutes.

Feb 25th, 2020 22m 11s

I’m having tea anyhow, and I want to bottle some of these moments for others. I hope you find this to be an intimate and comforting portable space. Do you ever have tea and think, “this would go well with some chainsaw noise” or “I wish

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