We’re back! I can’t stay away from tea for very long after all, especially now that the winter harvest is here, the oolongs are arriving, and Winnie has brought back new oolongs in every sense of the word: a varietal…
For the longest time, I’ve been using the names “Taiwan Beauty” and “Royal Courtesan” interchangeably, believing that they were the same type of tea. However, they’re NOT. They are pretty similar, though: – Both are Taiwanese oolongs with high oxidation…
The mochi (or daifuku) are back at Teance! After a several-month-long mochi drought because Yuri san went to Japan, now she’s back and we once again can savour the delicate flavors she create. On the left is mochi with kabocha…
Last season, we had the best Bailin Gongfu. It was an instant eye-opener. It was one of the teas that I just had to buy. It had depth, layers, sweetness, kick, strength, warmth, everything. It was a tea that I…
The waiter brought out a kettle of tea, but Nancy Togami waved him back, asking for just plain hot water. Carefully, she used her thermometer to check the water temperature. One hundred and eighty degree Fahrenheit, too cool to steep…
When Cheryl steeped it, it made me think of coffee. Not the bitterness but the sturdy sweetness of roasted beans. It’s dark, vigorous, nutty and confident. I couldn’t replicate the taste even as I watch the time (~ 15-20 seconds?)…
Friday, Jun 17. 7 PM. Twice a year, Camellia sinensis is harvested to make oolong, but the spring yield is usually more floral than the fall. Winnie started the class with a taste test: between two oolongs, can we tell…
I stepped into this whole tea thing because I wanted to do tea pairing, so it started out strictly as a flavor endeavor. Then the world of real tea is so vast I can’t get enough of it, so I…
Sesame mochi is different from the other mochis. The coat is hard and chewy. The black sesame filling oozes out as I press the fork down. The filling, salty, sweet and resembling wet sand, is addictive. It’s a wonderful mochi.…
While listening to John Kokko about the benefits of tea, we tasted a white, an oolong and a pu’er. I’m ashamed to admit that I thought the oolong was a green tea. 1. Jasmine Silver Needle: white tea infused with…