Calling on all noobs and not so noobs!

[TIM]

Moderator Edit: So, you don't want to create your own topic for whatever reason? Or you have been a member for a while and never really introduced yourself? Well, here is an opportunity to answer a few questions and introduce yourself a bit more discretely!

Thanks for the topic TIM!
Chip

How long have you been drinking tea?
What was your first Tea?
What is your favorite Tea currently?
What is your next purchase?
Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
------------------------------------------------

Hello all new and old tea chatters. I’ve been here for almost 4 years now, reading the archives, learning about tea, asking questions and meeting new tea friends.

One of the reasons most vets cite for not trusting/helping noobs is that they don’t know the beginners well enough or am afraid of being spam.

Well, this thread is started with the purpose of introducing new tea head and meeting other BOTLs. I’ll start.

I’ve been drinking tea for the last 30+ years. Seriously dived in for about 10 years ago (meaning following tea masters, whom they do not call themselves tea master)

My first tea was a High Fired Anxi TiKwanYin in Hong Kong when I was around 4ish still have the teapot which made that first cup, it is still one of my favorite tea, thus far, because of it’s intense flavor. My ongoing obsession are Light TGY, Wuyi and Liu An to name a few.

My next purchase is def. Wild Korean Birds Tongue and Single bush Shincha.

My favorite Tea experience is when I have my tea buddies over and we’re all partaking in the noble leaf/leafs (and old tea chat friend will know what I mean) together. Good times.

Please share yours And Thank You for new and old friends

~Tim

[Maitre_Tea]

I'll bite first....

How long have you been drinking tea?
Being Taiwanese, I guess the standard answer would be since birth ( ), but I only seriously drinking tea two years ago when I was studying abroad in Shanghai.

What was your first Tea?
My first tea was a high mountain tea when I was around 6. I thought it was a bit bitter but not overly so. I wanted to appreciate because I saw it as a "grown-up" drink. The first tea to spark this madness was a super-floral and green TGY that my friend served me (brewed gong fu style) in Shanghai. Ironically I don't drink green TGY anymore.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
Probably higher-fired yancha, which has been my love since I first dived in as a serious tea-head. Haven't bought much though, since it's getting harder and harder to impress me.

What is your next purchase?
good young sheng (a contradiction in terms for some, perhaps). I'm only 22 so I've got plenty of time to collect young stuff, and actually be one of those guys who can remember what his aged stuff tasted like when young.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
Most of the time I drink by myself, but I'm fortunate enough in be in the company of tea nerds like myself. Like Tim, and probably many of the people who will answer, the best tea experiences are those in the presence of others, esp. if they're fellow tea enthusiasts too

[Chip]

Great idea, tim. I hope to hear from new and old members alike. Perhaps modify the subject?

For those who do not know ...

How long? I have been drinking tea much of my life but it was always teabags. I became a serious tea drinker in 1999.

My first real tea was All Day Breakfast from RofT also in 1999, a blend of mostly Keemun and some silver tip oolong. I was instantly hooked on looseleaf tea. To this day, Keemun is my fave black tea. This tea also instantly got me interested in the blending of harmonious teas ... this carries over to today as well.

My favorite tea. For the first 6 years, I had to try just about anything and everything. I had most serious interest in blacks, oolong, and greens. I realized 5 years ago, I needed more focus as I was starting to drown in all the tea I bought and that I still wanted to try from these 3 groups.

It was a no brainer for me to pick GREEN. I further refined my faves to Japanese greens, and Sencha rules for me.

My next purchase ... SENCHA!

Fave spot to brew ... mostly in the kitchen on a butcher block table I refer to as the TeaTable!

[Victoria]

How long have you been drinking tea?
Well I have been drinking tea since I was a child, on and off occasionally until 3 years ago when it really became a passion.

What was your first Tea?
I have a very very vague memory that the tea my Grandmother used was loose and it was made in one of those metal type infusers A tea ball type with a chain. It was definitely black. Later on it was always Lipton's bags.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
Currently my favorite is oolong, specifically the greener high mountain oolongs. Ali Shan is usually the one that I would name as my favorite.

What is your next purchase?
My next purchase is three 2010 spring high mountain oolongs from TeaMasters. I am very excited to get these as the spring oolongs are my favorite.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
My favorite spot to brew is right here at my desk on my tea table, reading along and sharing with TeaChat.

[Janine]

Hi all ...

How long have you been drinking tea?
I have been drinking since I was a child.

What was your first Tea?
Not quite my first tea, but my first tea habit was with my neighbors growing up. My neighbor came from an English family, so we had tea every day after school. It was a wonderful time, a wonderful practice. The mother was my "second mom."

What is your favorite Tea currently?
I don't know. I just drank (yesterday) a totally knockout Refine Fired Old Bush Shuixian that knocked my socks off ... I had the perfume with me all night and through a very festive birthday party.

What is your next purchase?
Not sure, maybe this but it's a high price for me. I am trying samples now.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
At home - brew in kitchen and take it back to my desk. Drink tea while I write. Need it every day. Strangely after long years without coffee I now crave coffee w/milk (ie iced caps or lattes now that the weather is hot)

I love Chinese teas. For a long time (two years?) my absolute fave was Chinese black (hongcha) teas. But lately (spring) I started delving into my old love, oolongs - and so I am trying all kinds. Maybe it's the weather - and most likely my metabolic rate and its fluctuations. I've been drinking Chinese teas with real interest for perhaps 10 years ? Can't remember how long exactly. Got started on this habit seriously at Imperial Tea Court SF Chinatown which is sadly gone now.

[debunix]

How long have you been drinking tea?
What was your first Tea?
What is your favorite Tea currently?
What is your next purchase?
Where is your favorite spot to brew up?

For anyone who hasn't read more than you care to of my responses to Tea Day questions.....

Drinking tea for 30 years, starting with whatever I was served in asian restaurants, but my first tea that I learned by name was Sea Dyke brand Anxi Ti Kuan Yin (in the red tin). I drank pretty much nothing but that and The Au Jasmine (in the yellow tin) for 25+ years. I love oolongs above all, but have plenty of favorite puerhs and green teas too. My next purchase is up in the air. I'm going to run out of sencha before too long and I want to try some from a different supplier--have only used Dens so far--and it feels like a very big step to order from a japanese source directly. I like to brew up at home, in my kitchen, with the cat near or on my lap, and my laptop nearby.

[IPT]

How long have you been drinking tea?
I have been drinking Chinese Tea since I was 12 years old. I lived in a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere and there was a Chinese woman who I adopted as my grandmother. I don't know if she was lonely, or what, but she used to spend hours with me every day talking about Chinese tea and history and culture. I miss her very much!

What was your first Tea?
My first tea was Puer from the 1970's. I've been collecting Puer since the 80's and still do, but ironically, I don't drink so much Puer now.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
I love almost every kind of Chinese tea, but the one I tend to always go back to is Alishan Wulong. So I guess I'd say it was my favorite.

What is your next purchase?
I'm really not sure. It depends what treasure comes along. It might be some Sencha because I know virtually nothing about Japanese Teas and I'm dying to learn, so any advise you guys could give me would be incredibly appreciated.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
I live in Guilin, which is famous for its mountains. I also live in the countryside, which is surrounded by mountains, so occasionally I will put my traveling tea set together, pick out a mountain I've never climbed, and climb it. I'll then brew tea on the top of the mountain just enjoying the views and the day.

[iannon]

How long have you been drinking tea?
Since I was a chid living in England. So a long time..that was like first/second form (grade) i am over 40 now.

What was your first Tea?
I dont know the brand but it was an english breakfast tea. I drank tea off and on as a child..then more so stationed as a Marine in the far east. Okinawa, Korea, etc.. fell out for a while then came back strong and exploring more.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
hard to say. Japanese greens then Taiwanese high mountain Li shans top my list. I really like the Yamashita Gyo I just got too..

What is your next purchase?
Probably a hand rolled temomi..i HOPE

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
In my kitchen. I have an old "vintage" stove..it was the burners on one side and the oven on the other. so the stop over the oven is like a countertop for me. I put my tray there and make my teas.

[geeber1]

How long have you been drinking tea?
Bags and iced tea since I was little. Loose-leaf for about 2-1/2 years

What was your first Tea?
My very first tea was probably the sips my dad used to give me - bagged tea with sugar and milk. Or else it was iced tea made with horrible, overwhelmingly lemony Lipton powder.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
My favorites are black Nilgiri teas from southeastern India. I pretty much like all blacks with the exception of Assams, which is weird because they were the first loose-leafs that I tried. Now they give me an upset stomach. I also like Keemun and Yunnan teas from China, as well as many Oolongs.

What is your next purchase?
I've been eyeing a cup on one of our Teaware Artisans etsy site, but I would also like a tea tray. As far as tea goes, I'm not sure.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
At home I always brew my tea in the kitchen, but I usually drink it either in the living room or at the computer. At work I have a tea kettle and all of my tea stuff on a table behind my desk.

[Maitre_Tea]

*snip*
What was your first Tea?
My first tea was Puer from the 1970's. I've been collecting Puer since the 80's and still do, but ironically, I don't drink so much Puer now.
*snip*

do you mean that your first tea was an aged 70s puer, or are you actually one of the rare few to remember what young sheng tasted like back in the day?

[qiao2zhi4]

how long have you been drinking tea?
except the black no-name breakfast-teas in my childhood, i started in jr.high experimenting with all sencha/"japanese-green-tea" i managed to get ... 1979: no hobbies but japan

what was your first tea?
genmaicha in a japanese tea-room; the most impressive part was the elegant white porcellan cup, the small iron kettle, some japanese mochi-sweets, all served on a wooden tray ... 1979 ...
my first real tea: a bowl of macha in the first teaceremony i experienced in 2008.

what is your favorite tea currently?
still mainly japanese: gyokuro (maiko's yamashita jirushi);
now starting with taiwanese high mountain oolongs, the greener ones as alishan or lishan.

what is your next purchase?
looking for greener fujian/anxi oolongs.

where is your favorite spot to brew up?
in the kitchen, to start the day or sitting with friends ...

[AdamMY]

how long have you been drinking tea?

I have been drinking tea for roughly 10 years now, though for the beginning portion of that much of it was Republic of tea Tea bags.

what was your first tea?

The first tea I really enjoyed had to have been Republic of Tea's Honey Suckle White tea, which for awhile I was having it nearly daily. But Moving onto loose leaf tea my first loose leaf purchase was an Assam Tea from Teavana.

what is your favorite tea currently?

I do not know if I can actually answer this question, it honestly depends on the day. But a perennial favorite has been Wuyi Yancha, and Sheng puerh (young and old).

what is your next purchase?

Not really sure, probably a Puerh or Yancha.

where is your favorite spot to brew up?

For the next couple of days its going to be in my room next to my desk but once I move back home for the summer I am going to have to find a new favorite spot.

[tenuki]

How long have you been drinking tea? - this is my first sip
What was your first Tea? - yum
What is your favorite Tea currently? - yum
What is your next purchase? - no idea
Where is your favorite spot to brew up? - here

[IPT]

do you mean that your first tea was an aged 70s puer, or are you actually one of the rare few to remember what young sheng tasted like back in the day?

I drank it back in the day. I still have some. I honestly can't remember exactly what it tasted like though because that was 30+ years ago. I drank Puer and Liu Bao Tea back then. I do remember the Liu Bao having a sweet taste though and the newer stuff certainly doesn't now. Of course, it might have been aged when I was drinking it. I still drink aged Liu Bao, but do not like the newer stuff.

[cindyt]

Fun idea!

How long have you been drinking tea?
Another Taiwanese here, so I'll have to go with Maitre_t's answer here. Since birth?!

What was your first Tea?
My first real serious tea experience was when I was in college. Back then it was popular for college kids to spend time in tea rooms. I also learned how to brew gong fu style at that time. I remember drinking some good long jian and high mountain oolong.

What is your favorite Tea currently?
Dong Ding oolong, the "classic" style. It reminds me of Taiwan.

What is your next purchase?
2nd flush darjeeling because I heard dark oolong lovers usually like it too.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
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