Muzha Tieguanyin

The brief sunny days left us and the threat of snow is here. Well, I should say it's actually already been snowing these past few days. I wear so much clothing now that I look like a teddy bear (10 years in Seattle and I am still not used to the cold weather).

I saw the postman opening his truck and knew there was a box of tea for me. Perfect timing! The second shipment of Muzha Tieguanyin has arrived. I heat up the water and put plenty of Tiequanyin leaves into a Yixing pot. Yum! Hearty, warm, and satisfying. We were able to get a really good price for a tea of this quality, so we can pass on the good price to you as well.

Also, please note that Floating Leaves Tea shop will be closed at 4pm from March 5th to March 8th.

Bright Day and Baozhong

We have had a lot of rainy and dark days in Seattle this winter (not much for news, I know). This morning, I was awoken by sunshine in my room and I knew it would be toasty warm at the tea shop today, which made me happy. The tea shop faces south. When it's very sunny during the winter, the sun will come into the shop directly. Today is one of those days. It's bright and warm inside. I suddenly thought of the Baozhongs that I haven't had much of in a while. I have been drinking darker Oolongs and high mountain teas for the past few weeks.


I decided to taste Farmer's Choice Baozhong and Hon. Mention Baozhong side by side. The rinsed leaves of Farmer's Choice has a hint of seaweed and those of Hon. Mention carry that typical Baozhong floral note. As I proceeded to drink the teas, I found Hon. Mention Baozhong to be very pleasant, light, and floral. When I sip the Farmer's Choice Baozhong, there is a new flavor that I haven't noticed before, some sort of special and nice prune taste. It reminded me of a specific type of dried plum that I can get in Taiwan. It's extremely dry and hard and tastes salty, sour, and sweet. As kids, we would take one and put it in our mouths and slowly suck the flavor out. On hot summer days, I liked to take a couple of them and soak them in a glass of water until the flavor infused into the water. Then I would add some ice cubes to make a refreshing drink.

While I was thinking all of this, I noticed that I was drinking Farmer's Choice Baozhong really fast. I suddenly realized how much I was enjoying it. I was enjoying the simpleness of the flavor, the cleanness of the liquid, and the well-balanced texture and feel of it in my mouth.

I was sitting in the shop, sipping the tea, looking at the people and cars going by. I thought about how most people must have grabbed at the rare chance to enjoy sunshine today, and I was enjoying the sunshine from inside, thinking of some place very far away. Taiwan, I'll be back soon..............

Dong Ding Dong Pian

This is the first time that I have carried a Dong Pian Oolong from Taiwan. Dong Pian Oolong is harvested after the main winter Oolong is harvested.

When I first tasted this tea, I had mixed feelings about it. The rinsed leaves smelled vegetal. I am honestly not a fan of vegetal-tasting Oolongs. After I swallowed the first sip, a bouquet showed up in the tea that was so big that it took me by surprise. The vegetal note remained in the second infusion, but some floral notes and a hint of citrus showed up. The aftertaste was very big and obvious. I have to say that this is for sure not a "boring" tea.

I enjoy drinking this tea. It is different, a welcome change, and provides a unique experience. You may initially feel like this is just an OK tea, and then just a few seconds later, the huge bouquet will hit you with a nice surprise.

Practice your Chinese with me at Floating Leaves!

Chinese Practice Night is back! We will start the Chinese practice class at the shop on February 10th. It will be a weekly practice from 6pm to 7pm every Thursday night. A $5 donation would be greatly appreciated.

Our tea shop is pretty small, so if you are interested in coming, please send me an email, tea@floatingleaves.com, so that I can save you a spot.

I will be focusing on correcting pronunciation, tones, increasing your vocabulary and helping you to communicate with some basic sentences. Therefore, I will only take people who know some basic Chinese language. If you're not sure what your level is, feel free to ask me. We will of course accompany our lessons with some good tea as well.

Looking forward to helping you with your Chinese over some nice pots of tea!

Muzha Tieguanyin

The brief number of sunny winter days have already left Seattle and we are having its usual gray and cold days. I like to have a pot of robust roasted Oolong to start my day when it's cold.
Lately I have been drinking Muzha Tieguanyin. This tea was made in 2005 and has been roasted from time to time. The first time that I had this tea, I made it in a Gaiwan. The tea is wonderfully roasted and the dried fruit notes are very apparent. In later brews, the tea turns sweet and the signature "metallic" taste from Tieguanyin will show up.

I just tried this Muzha Tieguanyin in a Yixing tea pot and noticed the tea tasted much softer. It lost some of the dried fruit notes, however, a Chinese herbal taste showed up. I found it very interesting. I like having this tea in either of the brewing styles. If you have this tea, please try it out using various brewing methods and see what you notice and like better.