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Itoen owns their own plantations and is also a major tea buyer for many others within and outside of Japan for Japanese style green tea. They have very fine gyokuro too, but you have to get it in Japan or in their Japanese online shop. I am not sure about their online shop in the US, but I heard that they are there mostly to back up their ready to drink products. I don’t blame them, most people nowadays still cannot cut the habit of bottled drinks.
@daihoh, I am glad that you have a basic concept and accept the idea that different teas have different TCM properties.
The TCM idea of dampness goes way beyond the modern understanding of the word as relating to water. A lot of times in the modern city life style when people have too much nutrition, too much sugar, cold drinks and a lot of sitting down, dampness is often related to nutrient wastes deposited anywhere in our lymphatic or circulatory system. Theanine, a unique substance in tea, helps the system get rid of those. The waste would ultimately be dispelled through urination, but that’s a lot more complex than just diuretic. This is one topic that I promise myself to write before the next Spring harvest. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it.There is another key issue to clarify: astringency in tea happens not as much in green tea than in black (red) teas, newer puers, and some oolongs. A green tea can be bitter. Would you like to write here the general TCM properties of things that are bitter?I’ll again follow up on that after you have written it.That’s okay when your tongue is white. It helps only very slightly, though and not at all in other conditions. I do not like brushing the tongue coz the endings on the papillae are extremely delicate and can be destroyed. When I brush my tongue at all, I’d do it very very lightly and using a very soft brush. It is, afterall, one’s own health that determines on how effective the taste buds work. On that note, overdose of wine and spicy food adversely affects your senses in tasting very fine tastes such as that of tea. Smoking and strong liquor are the worst enemies in taste. If you notice, those people or even chefs who drink and smoke a lot prefer food with much stronger tastes.
@happyman, this is a very difficult question to answer. There is an accreditation system in Hong Kong for TCM doctors but I’d say the majority aren’t that good. Think of it, it is the same for “Western” practice doctors. Some people rely on internet forums to check the reputation of a doctor. What I can say is, you have to try one to see if one really solves the problem for you.
@tea soul, Thank you for bringing this up. Perhaps I should write about that too. Actually new shengcha can be quite pleasant tasting when they have been steamed and baked through the compressing process.
@Betty, Thank you for bringing up the question. This is one fact that a lot of people, even some professional tasters, don’t notice. We rely on the papillae on our tongues to physically receive taste materials. Not only do the conditions of these little protrusions change throughout the day and affected by the different things that have passed through them, but also our very own health. The appearance of the tongue is actually one important indicator for TCM doctors during diagnosis. That is why when I don’t feel well, I don’t do tasting at all; the result won’t be true. I am posting an ancient drawing in a TCM book for your reference. There are modern photographic versions with very detail differences and variations, but they are too explicit to be posted here.
@sofie1212, I have the impression that you are in Hong Kong. If so, you have many choices.
I often encourage the use of ginger to drive TCM cold, wind and dampness evils because it is available in most places and it is simple to understand. It is not perfect. As one other reader points out, it can attract heat evils. It is spicy hot, so some people may not like it. There are also people whose yin qi is so overused to a point that they have hot TCM symptoms and yet any more TCM cooling agents would further weaken them. Each person’s condition is unique and what I am sharing are only some very basic common sense.If you feel that tea’s cool TCM would affect you, you may be weak in yin. The best thing is to find an experienced TCM practitioner to regain your balance. If that’s too much for you, include things like jujube (紅棗), wolfberries (杞子), yellow leader (北芪), and occasional chen-pi (陳皮) in your beverage or diet. These are are mild yin-tonic for supporting your fire energy. Some of them you can find powdered small packs for convenience. As you may know, nothing beats the real thing, but having the powdered ones is better than not having them.Find suppliers with reputation and who sell good quality ones. I trust only Eu Yan Sang.That sold zhuni pot is slab-bulit, ie without mould, if that’s what you mean by all handmade. Those that are produced with half-moulds are handmade too, don’t you agree? The Chinese term “手工壺” is not a precise term, I think. All new pots will be higher in price not only because the dramatically increasing price at the source, but also the value of the Chinese Yuan.
@M, my major income comes from exporting to wholesalers and larger retailers in various countries. Tea Hong is something that I hope will grow to be more profitable than that in the future. I do a bit of something to exercise at home. Just that I get lazy when without the peer pressure inside the gym. Very tired after the long hours too.
@Manila, will keep you updated. I have high hope for a few remaining selections. Hope you’ll like them too.
