Tea Shots with a Lytro

Ever since the Kamjove, I've been drinking more serious tea at work than at home. I can just rinse into a large mug and I can happily drink almost any tea I like at my very own desk. Why didn't I ever think of this before? Who knew an investment of $35 could change my work day around. I've been able to even host tea guests.

I've brewed Jakub's 2010 Yiwu Purple in the picture below.  Sadly, the allergy season has started early in the Bay Area this year and I can't taste much today at all. There are many enemies to tea enjoyment.

The above shot was taken with a Lytro. For those of you who don't remember the hype from last year, the Lytro is a revolutionary camera that let's you focus the end photo after you've snapped a picture since the Lytro captures the entire light field. I was hot to procure one of these gadgets except my husband firmly put his foot down. I was lucky that a coworker lent me his.  You extract your images all in post processing on your PC.  But sadly the Lytro application so taxed my poor laptop that I just took a screenshot and rebooted.  It's too late at night so I have to use a more powerful machine this weekend to play with macro tea shots.

You can see the long rectangular shaped Lytro above. I'm glad I saved my money.  

The Wrong Teapot

I have a pathological history of choosing inappropriate teapots. But such faulty proclivities are infinitely preferable to choosing inappropriate men. My biggest regret ia a century old Wedgwood basalt jasperware teapot-  I do not know what impulse seized me to buy such a dark and dreadful thing. It's too large to make decent tea. Like you, I make very poor decisions late night on ebay when I've repeatedly lost on treasures my heart really desired. Thank god I married my first choice of men then!

With my last tea order I included multiples of a tiny porcelain rong tian shaped teapot. After heartbreaks over chipping and cracking many a spout, I decided to treat teapots as consumables. These teapots were cute, cheap and tiny and for $5.4, they are not so bad. I tried one for work today and it's a fiddly affair- the hole on the lid is too tiny so it overflows when pouring. I have to open the lid to pour and the stingy spout takes forever to drain.

I've been trying fiendishly hard to make my new work setup more conducive to serious tea drinking. I can't seem to get used to the overly modern design of the space at all. Our new digs has twenty foot ceilings which make a hobbit like myself inherently uncomfortable so I try to hide behind a lot of foliage.  Although not visible in the photo, there is a little Frodo climbing the Fatsia stalk.

Negativitea

It's for real.  With such promises such as "Increases intestinal fortitude", who doesn't want a canister of small batch artisan-grade Negativitea. I took a screenshot in case their business doesn't pan out since they only sell one green tea.

My husband and I were trying to come up with the most groan worthy tea puns during dinner and almost all of them are actually taken. We lack of imagination I guess.

Not Taken Yet!  

• Tea-kwondo - with Cha Ninja, Cha Kungfu, Cha Samurai on the scene, better act now to grab almost the last available martial arts e-name. Kara-tea just sounds like a lady who likes tea. 
• NeferTeaTea - There must be an egyptologist or a mummy nut out there who is also a tea lover.
• Wet tea-shirt - Random and racy! (Or Titteas... clearly attributable to my husband. )

Taken

• Positivetea - obviously to balance out the force of Negativitea. They really missed their chance to push a Rasta theme.
• Nuditea - of course it's taken but only in tumblr. I wonder if you can get by the censors on teachat with this name. Someone needs to sex that site up a bit. It's just all tea tea tea...
• R2Tea2 - Star War fans are everywhere...

Okay okay, back to negativitea-  I've been quite grumpy lately at work for all sorts of reasons. This here HLF "Italian Design" espresso dispenser has forced me to drink dianhong all month.  The temperature goes barely above 160F and so even really good shu comes out tasting disgusting.  All the snooty coffee drinkers have rejected it as it makes insipid espresso as well. I'm gonna do something about this sad situation this weekend or else! (Does anyone have a Hario Buono Power Kettle? Do I dare buy something with out a single Amazon review...)

2012 YS Yiwu Purple Tea

Most mornings at work I don't have the luxury of a full brew. Because I'm always staying up in the wee hours with tea doings, I invariably wake up late and have to rush about. Today I came in late as usual but felt I needed to stop time and make myself a proper brew.  Since two people I have known have passed away this month, I feel keenly that more than ever, your life is always now.

I've been diligently squirreling away tea at work for years.  Since we are moving in two months to newer but smaller digs by the waterside,  I've been trying to clear out the accumulation of a decade a little each day.    The tidy photo of my tea station is quite misleading.  In reality, I have three separate shelves and two different desks filled with various jars of honey, chocolates, tea, beef jerky, nuts, dried fruit,  miscellaneous hardware, and unreported travel receipts- all mingling freely and quite smudged with honey. 

I recovered a sample bag of the 2012 Yunnan Sourcing Yi Wu Purple hiding behind various  dianhong. I had completely forgotten that I had even bought this tea as I don't register samples in my ipad inventory program. But there's nothing like a pack-ratter's joy in finding something you want at the right time.

The first sips reveal this to be a pretty and refined tea like other Yiwus.  The expected astringency is not too bad even on an empty stomach. Wow- only $23 for a 250g beeng I think to myself- tenth of the cost of the 2010 HLH Yiwu Chawang and maybe 75% as good.  The YS purple bud comes from 20-30 year old plantation trees unlike the ancient arbor of the Chawang.

However like most shengs, this one is not ideal for work as it is highly intolerant to overbrewing and I had to sadly pitch a cup or two.  But still I was feeling quite cheerful to squeeze in a casual tea session at work today.  The brewed leaves are quite plump and I definitely will thrown in a beeng or two in my next order once I feel confident purple tea can age.

I went for my usual Tuesday run during lunch and I was surprised I could still feel the sweetness on my tongue.  Then I injured my gluteus maximus trying to jump over a low cement wall at Jack London Square.  I saw stars,  I limped along in pain, then the huigan disappeared.  If the huigan had persisted, I would definitely have gotten me an entire tong.