These days I throw my bike on the light rail and get off at stops and explore areas of town by push pedal. I'm tooling around in a university neighborhood and came across a new tea shoppe that deals exclusively with Chinese teas. Luckily there wasnt much traffic because I took a sharp turn across the street when I saw it because it is the first tea shoppe I discovered on the bike. This was after having some scotched eggs at an Irish pub which I also didnt know existed and a failed experiment (or two) of making Guinness float on top of Boddingtons. Back at the tea shoppe the puers were $50/beeng and up just like SF Chinatown. Everybody was astonished when I told them no beeng was over $5 in 2000. I got several teas that was always on my buy-it-when-you-see-it list. One was 2008 Gu Zhu Zi Sun Purple Bamboo Shoot at $18.30/25g. This is the one the ITC in SF is always out of. Hey Dominic a 2007 Tai Ping Hou Kui was $17.10/25g not far behind. It filled up a 50g bag. It better be worth it. I thought a
2007 Dan Cong Huang Zhi Xiang wasnt bad at $9.50/50g but still expensive comparitively. The store has some Hong teas I havent tried so I'll get those on another trip. I may have to pay through the nose but I dont have to wait for China Post. People were going gaga over gongfu.Jim
PS Update: The Purple Bamboo is nothing to write home about. A delicate taste which can be enhanced by adding more tea. When I run out thats it. Usually what I do is keep enough for one last pot just to say I have some if people ask. Just now: The Tai Ping is worth it. It has a slight slippery oily/buttery taste. It is on my buy-it- again-when-you-see-it list. Both of these teas make me think there might be a purpose to gongfu afterall but the Tai Ping can handle the English method very easily why the Zhu Zi wilts.