Tea Tasting In Portland

I was away from Floating Leaves Tea a couple of weeks ago because I was doing a tea tasting in Portland. I travel to Portland twice a year to do tea tastings. I can't recall when this tradition started, but I love it!

getting read for a fun tasting!

Every tea tasting there of course feels different, but there is one thing that hasn't changed: the sweet tea community in Portland. Through the years, we have formed a wonderful tea friendship...and even more than that. I am treated like a family now and some of them welcome me to stay with them when I travel there.

At this particular tasting, participants seemed to be in a particularly bright and lively mood. It was so great to see these wonderful tea lovers:  Jan; Masa; Marilyn; Jim; Karen; Kate; Craig; Dana; Ana; Stephanie; Holly; Jennifer; David, and Jaynie. Plus the added, sweet surprise of two customers who moved to Portland from Seattle a couple of years ago: Chris and Kate!

Thank you, Jan, for letting us use your beautiful tea cups!

talking about tea and look at how much tea we drank!

We spent a couple of hours tasting 10 different Taiwanese teas while enjoying many tea conversations and laughter. For me, this is what tea is all about, sharing the goodness with good people. I feel so lucky that I get to be part of this great tea community. I wish in the future I could travel more to different places in the US and connect with more tea lovers like the ones here.

A couple of participants write a tea blog. Check it out! I think it's fun to read about the tasting from a different perspective:

Delight of the Heart by Marilyn Miller.
Steph's Cup of Tea by Stephanie Wilson.



If you live in Portland, or travel to Portland, and want to taste some good teas, my friend David hosts tea tastings. Good tea and fun guranteed! You can check out his tea tasting schedule here at PDX Tea.

Also, there will be a tea festival at Portland! You can find out information at Tea Fest Portland.

*the last two photos by Ana Martinez.

Our Newly-Arrived Spring Teas... and Upcoming Tea Tastings in Portland

The new spring Oolongs arrived about three weeks ago and they are opening up beautifully. I have been very happy with this season's tea. A lot of them have very full flavors with an exquisite softness underneath. Many people have already tasted this season's teas with me and the feedback has been very positive.

Normally by this time, I would have been able to choose my favorite tea for the season, but it has been difficult for me to make a decision. I like the warm and full-bodied 2011 Muzha Tieguanyin. I like our Dong Ding Traditional that has a solid mouth feel, whereas our Dong Ding Select is very soft and gentle through many, many infusions. I like the boldness of the Buddha's Hand, which at the same time, feels so soft on the palate. The high mountain Oolongs are all unique, but wonderfully complex with creamy, buttery textures. If you haven't tried out this season's teas yet, please do!

I am also very excited to share these delicious new teas with some tea friends in Portland. I will be in Portland on June 29th and 30th to present four tastings: a Baozhong Tasting; a High Mountain Oolong Tasting; a Dong Ding Tasting, and an Aged Oolong Tasting. If you live in Portland or know friends who you think would like to join me, please pass on the information. For detailed information and to sign up, please contact:

David, Portland Tea Enthusiastis' Alliance (PDX TEA):
www.pdxtea.org
mail@pdxtea.org
971-258-2832.

Special thanks to Jan Ellis and David Galli for putting this event together in Portland.

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