Tea Blog

This is just soooo funny, had to post it here!

It is actually a great recipe for Match Ice Cream, just taught in a very Japanese Way.

Match Ice Cream with Dog is a winner.

Last week my friend Nick stopped by the store with his bag of tricks. He suggested I take a well-deserved break and we could gung fu it for an hour or so to get my soul back on track.

Well, it definitely worked. He busted out the last remnants of a nice 1994 Aged Bao Zhong and we took it from there. I had to bust out my 2002 Aged Oolong to show off a bit as Nick was impressing me with not only his awesome tea (obtained from Hou De Tea) but his fantastic and humble execution of the gung fu tea method. I have witnessed the gung fu method of tea preparation several times, but never by someone who seemed to be connected to the process in such an unselfconscious way. It was fun and educational and very grounding, as well. We had a blast. And we got about 5 good steeps from both teas.

The Bao Zhong you could tell had lost a bit of its jinginess or freshness. That said, it still the great bao zhong qualities; the complex floral notes, misty lingering long finish, and that dark hint of granny’s attic in the background you get from some of these aged teas. I likened it to sitting in grandma’s house and she had baked a peach pie the day before, but had left the door to the attic open and the window in the attic was open and it had just started raining. Safe to say I was transported.

We followed up with the 2002 oolong. It definitely had more punch and presence; it was only 7 years old and was more highly oxidized to begin with. It was also really enjoyable. A solid roasted, round body, hints of chestnuts and spice. The next couple of steepings we were rewarded with some really nice floral richness. Very evocative. Earthy and sweet with a really long nectar finish. Very nice.

A great break from the day.

Well, finally did it. Released the promised oolongs finally. It is always so much more work than you’d imagine, Photos, labels, descriptions (long and short), pricing, last minute changes, awaiting shipments…

It_was_worth_the_wait. I always do this thing where I second guess a purchase or decision, so I go back to the grindstone, recupping said tea (I did it this year with the Golden Lily (a popular oolong that varies widely in quality). Suffice to say that after an evening of recupping and talking myself out of doing it with a few others, I realized we had totally scored again this year. A little luck, some great and deepening friendships, contacts, and connections, and an unwavering focus on quality and sustainability.

So, now I need to post some photos of a tasting session and tasting notes! Also, I need to give props to my friends Brett in Seattle who manages Tea Cup. He turned me on to a solid Ali Shan that was the first of the teas we got this year. It is almost gone, and a few others are disappearing rapidly, but I expect to have some well into the year. We got near whole crops of a few select ones from tiny farms. Totally sweet.

I’ll be scheduling a tasting on my meetup page zhi tea tasting group for mid-September. it is still 100 degrees here every day and no one is here or wants to do anything.

So now I will go and fill my gaiwan with some of my new favorite, a gui fei oolong we have dubbed royal courtesan. it is to die for. Maybe I’ll feature that in the next posting.

Check them out here…

Well, after months of hard work and perseverance, our new website is up and running! Not only that, but we are no longer chained to a hosting company with proprietary software, ridiculously expensive maintenance fees, and other ungodly things. But hey, that is the past, and now our site rests comfortably on open source Magento (kick ass) and we control every inch of its beauty. Loving it. While there is still a LOT to do in the site itself, it feels great.

The Tea Priestess has been doing all-nighters for awhile now and has just poured her love into the site and it shows. Her photos look better than ever and the layout is so sweet.

I have tons of text to still write, but hey, I love it, what can I say?

Thanks to everyone who helped test and launch the site. It’s time for celebration.

Today it was bursting at the seams today at BCF over here in East Austin. If you haven’t been yet, you’re missing out, padre.

After the spread in the month’s Saveur magazine (!) the farm got a bit of extra attendance from the curious, along with the “oh yeah, boggy creek farm”-ers, the out-of-town-ers, the regulars, and the die-hards. When I strolled up at 9:20 am (i would call myself a regular and neighbor) there was a line of about 50 people with sackfuls and armloads of amazing produce overflowing. Everyone was patient and beaming as the proprietors, Larry and Carol Anne, cruised around with fresh gazpacho for the queued up patrons.
I said to Carol Anne, “Is this your most popular day ever?”. Her trusty response, in classic farmer fashion, “You know the corn got ransacked by the animals, so no corn.” True humility! I wanted to shout, “Hey, you’re rock stars!” But somehow I think that would have missed the point entirely.

The truth is that this is a place run by people dedicated to the core. And it shows in every nook and cranny. It is something to experience for yourself. Over and over.

The fact that the humble farmer is finally getting his and her place at the table and on the stage is a delight for those of us who appreciate their work and dedication beyond words.

Here is a sample of what was piled up (in delightful artistic arrangements I might add). Direct from Carol Anne’s blog:
Plenty of Heirloom and Early Girl Tomatoes; Cherry Tomatoes; Cucumbers (Tasty Jade and Suyo Long); Summer Squash (4 varieties); Butternut Squash; Romano Green Beans; Green and Yellow Haricot Vert Green Beans; Yellow and Red Onions; White and Red Potatoes; Nutritious Native Greens (Amaranth, Lambs’ Quarters, Purslane); Rhubarb (probably the LAST WEEK/HEAT); Salads (Baby Chard, Baby Arugula, Tender Native Greens); Chard, French Sorrel (Sorrel pairs with potatoes, squash, eggs and of course it’s a great Vit C salad green!), Arugula; And, Wee Zinnia Bouquets…

By the way, the amount, varieties, and quality of the tomatoes was staggering. I was in tomato heaven. I got some big fat purple ones. I like to eat them sliced, straight up, with some sea salt. Divine.

Anyway, it was a great visit. Thankfully, when I dropped 40 dollars on the ground when I reached into my shallow pockets to grab my cellphone to take some pix, a kind lady asked me if they were mine. I shudder to think of how I would have felt had I gotten to the front of the line and I couldn’t have bought my veggies. I would have had to make a mad dash with ‘em!