Leo Captures His Gunpowder Stains

Gunpowder Green Tea comes in little leaf balls. It also has a very different smell than most Green Teas. However, the loose leafs unravel and expand as you steep it in 180º water for 3 minutes. The taste is only for fans of Green Tea, because it is quite potent, and naturally more bitter than other strains you'll find. The bitterness is not a bad thing, though, because it is what makes the taste so interesting and different. It almost has a "smokey" flavor to it, with the unmistakable Green Tea flavor in the background.



I didn't realize that I would receive so much tea from an $8.00 purchase from Adagio Teas. I'm going to enjoy many cups of tea from the batch I bought, even though I'll sometimes consume 2-3 cups of just Green Tea in one day. I recently got a Brita water filter in order to turn the shitty tap water from my college dorm into something drinkable. Because of that filter it tastes great now, and so does my tea. No more tea that tastes like copper, mercury, and chlorine.

My next task will probably be to try mixing 1/2 tsp of Gunpowder + 1/2 tsp of Bancha. I'd also like to finally make a good batch of Bancha, since I can use good water.

I'm also interested in trying this new Ali Shan Tea that is supposedly wonderful.

"Craig Norton followed his guide through a seemingly endless stream of flood-lights. What appeared on the other side of the hall was nothing short of lustful... the taste didn't match his own preference as much as it demanded his preference to match the taste. Craig no longer felt comfortable, so he left the guide and his midget Labrador alone with their trays of tea and cheese."
- S. Frucklotte

Tea & Music

Tea works well with good music! Although some emotions can only be described and felt through music, I will list some emotions that work well with tea:

Euphoria: Does this need an explanation? If you're listening to something so good that you enter this rare state of being, then tea will push you even further. Tea may even be responsible for pushing you over the edge into euphoria, if timed correctly. The image at the left is suppose to represent the state of euphoria...

Ecstasy: When you really feel like music is giving you energy beyond description, a cup of tea can center that ecstatic behavior directly towards your mind. This could then lead to a state of euphoria or feelings of well-being. Keep in mind that this is because a state of ecstasy feels more energetic and "gitty" than a state of euphoria.

Relaxation: Picture this feeling as a form of mild meditation. The warmth of tea can keep your mind wrapped in a little blanket of sereneness. Anything besides Breakfast Tea will help keep you calm while you relax and listen to your favorite music. The baby to left exhibits a perfect display of complete relaxation.

These are the three main emotions that tea works well with, and that tea can be responsible for making you feel. However, you must make sure that you are actually drinking tea that you enjoy. You must also make sure not to screw up the process of making tea, like I just did twice in a row with this green tea. Damn, it tasted like water the first time, and the second time it still wasn't strong enough! No worries, though, because I still enjoyed the first half of it.

I'm currently listening to the Revolutionary Road score, by Thomas Newman. That guy can write some super depressing music, but also some uplifting and beautiful tracks as well. The movie was a wonderful adaptation of the book (both were ridiculously depressing). I'd recommend seeing this movie if you haven't viewed a sad movie in a long time. If you just watched Into The Wild, Requiem For A Dream, The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, American Beauty, or Mystic River, then PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE.

This blog probably gets 1 view every month from just one friend of mine, so don't expect the next post to be anywhere on topic, Kenny! I can't say THAT much about tea.

Japanese Ban-Cha Green Tea

I received this Ban-Cha Green Tea on Christmas day. Since then I've experimented with different steeping times, and I've also researched about how to prepare it. I can assure you that there is a lot of misinformation circulating through the web about this Japanese-lady-with-basket-on-back Ban-Cha Green Tea.

Steep: 40 secs - 1 min (this is called "under-steeping"[see: opinion])
Temp: Just before boiling, even though they use the word boiling on the damn box. You don't use boiling water on Green Tea.
Opinion: To be safe, I would steep this tea anywhere from 1 min - 1.5 mins. This is because it is very easy to mistake water for being hotter than it really is, in which case cooler water would barely steep the tea after only 40 secs.

The image featured on the right depicts half of a tool used for steeping "Full Leaf" or "Loose Leaf" tea. I use one of these. It's simply a metal ball that functions in place of a tea bag. Tea bags suffocate your tea leaves and don't let water move through them. However, for something like Herbal Tea you shouldn't really care about this, as they are always going to be rather strong and well-flavored by just following the steep times.