First Rolling

Water Color, 2012        Chang Chiu-Tai (張秋台)

Indoor Withering & Oxidation

Water Color, 2012        Chang Chiu-Tai (張秋台)

Solar Withering

Water Color, 2012        Chang Chiu-Tai (張秋台)

Hand plucking tea leaves

 

Water Color,   2012                        Chang Chiu-Tai  (張秋台) 

"From Newbie to...Newbie. My journey with oolongs." by Thuy Ly (12/15/2012)

Holiday is here...a few friends were cancelling their RSVP for this meet-up.  I told Thuy, we will only have tea, just you and me...  Yet, by the time we start, we already have 10 friends here to join Thuy for her journey of oolong.  She decided to use Guywan for the tea tasting. 
The three teas are: Da Hong Pao (Big Red Rope from Fujian, China); Phoenix Dan Cong (from Canton, China) and Brandy Oolong FB-78 (from Hsinchu, Taiwan).
Thuy found Pomona College Tea Club with a few friends while she was studying in Claremont, CA.  I admire her willing to share and have the courage to lead tea tasting with friends. (*As we often say, the most effective way to learn is to teach...) Leading a tea tasting session can really enhance one's tea knowledge and expertise by preparing beforehand, and by the actual doing it in front of your audience.  It ain't easy...and Thuy has done a marvelous job today.
These three teas are quite similar from the leaf appearance and color.  Actually, their oxidation and baking level are so different...A tasting session like this one, the conductor might better run a cupping on the three teas...to find out each tea's special character.  Experience could be accumulated...and to examine the wet leaves will surely help.
I hope we can come up more topics and invite our members to lead the tea tasting from time to time.

Taiwan tea tasting in Manhattan...by Jeni Dodd (12/1/2012)

Jeni Dodd, who has been with TOST in 2011 and 2012, traveled to Taiwan for the field trip tea education last October.  She brought a few great teas on her way back...  She thought of having her friends over to enjoy a session of Taiwan tea tasting.  
From the display, we can tell how much efforts she has prepared for this one.  Both Josephine and I are so happy when she shared these photos with us.  We got Jeni's consent to share them with our tea friends.
Back in 1869, Mr. John Dodd made the first shipment of Formosa Oolong to Manhattan...
On 12/1/2012,  143 year later, Ms. Jeni Dodd has re-introduced Taiwan tea (Wenshan Pouchong, Oriental Beauty, Jade Oolong, Bi-Lo-Chun,...) in Manhattan.
Way to go... Jeni.