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Recent photos I’ve posted to Instagram.

chacrusade

More hongcha for these chilly mornings. There's so

More hongcha for these chilly mornings. There's something so satisfying about a big pile of dry loose leaf.

2018 "Nightlife" from #white2tea looks pretty inte

2018 "Nightlife" from #white2tea looks pretty intense in photos with all the buds. It's pretty intense to drink too! Thick, smooth and lots of energy.

"Body & Soul" #ripepuer & #dianhong blend from #bi

"Body & Soul" #ripepuer & #dianhong blend from #bitterleafteas hitting the spot on a particularly cold and blustery day 🥶

Heading into winter here in the southern hemispher

Heading into winter here in the southern hemisphere has me reaching for aged #rawpuer more often.
Today I enjoyed this "Naked Yiwu 001" from @teaswelike. A fair amount of astringency but a nice bitterness that quickly transforms into a sweet raisin taste, lots of mouth activity and plenty of energy.
I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface of aged pu'er, but I'm in no rush!

Most mornings it takes me a while to figure out wh

Most mornings it takes me a while to figure out what kind of tea I most feel like drinking, but today I woke up with a specific hankering for a robust fruity black tea.
This 2022 "Recombinator" Yunnan black tea from #kuuracorp hit the spot nicely, with complexity, enduring aftertaste and a sensation of sticky sweetness on the lips to boot.
#dianhong #yunnanblacktea #yunnanredtea #tea #滇红 #茶 #滇红茶

Kicking off the weekend with some Yunnan red tea f

Kicking off the weekend with some Yunnan red tea from #farmerleaf.

The infamous "Quantitative Unease" spring 2020 Yiw

The infamous "Quantitative Unease" spring 2020 Yiwu huangpian #rawpuer from #kuuracorp.
Upon release several years ago this was a "pay what you want" cake and was snapped up and sold out very quickly as a result.
After having squirrelled it away for a long time I tried it for the first time today and enjoyed it a lot.
While huangpian-only pu'er might not be everyone's cup of tea, this one certainly has enough going on for me to like: sweet taste, engaging bitterness, long aftertaste and plenty of longevity in the gaiwan.
Keen to hear other people's experience with this one, for those who were quick enough to grab it!

Red tea in the sun ☀️ Drinking #farmerleaf "Yi

Red tea in the sun ☀️ Drinking #farmerleaf "Yingpan Shan Black" Autumn 2021.

Matcha latte at @kurumaccafe. Probably the most au

Matcha latte at @kurumaccafe. Probably the most authentic I have tried in Australia. Not sugary or overly milky but frothy and bitter throughout.
It's a popular place – we waited 45 minutes for a table. Being just down the road from @teaangle was a great bonus!

Grateful that @teaangle was open today (Easter Sun

Grateful that @teaangle was open today (Easter Sunday) while I happened to be in the area.
Tried some of their "White Fang" pu'er buds - delicate sweet taste that left a distinct tingly sensation on the tongue 😋

The first crisp and clear autumn morning of the ye

The first crisp and clear autumn morning of the year in Sydney had me hankering for some green tea (all the fresh spring green tea content everyone is posting may have also contributed)!
Fortunately this 2022 "Cloud Mist Green" from #white2tea is still delicious.

2020 "Lovebeamcake" moonlight white from #kuuracor

2020 "Lovebeamcake" moonlight white from #kuuracorp.
Dark berries and hay 😋

Last session with this sample of 2015 "Nagajuna" t

Last session with this sample of 2015 "Nagajuna" tuo #rawpuer once offered through #kuuracorp.
Potent Mengku material with very nice Taiwanese storage. This was a "special occasion" tea that didn't disappoint!

It's a full house today 😋 . Drinking Full Hous

It's a full house today 😋
.
Drinking Full House #dancong #tea from #white2tea.

The experimental 2022 "Blood Moon" from #white2tea

The experimental 2022 "Blood Moon" from #white2tea: Is it a white tea? A black tea? An oolong?
Perhaps this spooky Frankenstein tea that resembles a hairy spider curled up into a ball is best saved for Halloween. I'm not sure my cursedly small bag of minis will last that long, though, because it's quite delicious.
For anyone who has tried white2tea's "Hot Brandy" productions (a physical blend of Yunnan white and black teas), this tasted quite similar to me.
Very forgiving to brew, thick texture and "tingly" prolonged mouth activity, the taste itself is good: unmistakably moonlight white and dianhong black at the same time, but not overly strong as either, even with extended steeps. In a way I found this drew my attention more to those other aspects of the tea.
I feel that those with a Hot Brandy cake aren't missing out on much but with this production selling out quickly I'm sure we'll see it return of it in the future.

Aside from the convenience, one of my favourite th

Aside from the convenience, one of my favourite things about dragon balls is how all the unbroken leaves look as they expand through a session.
Here I'm drinking "Slow burn" 2022 Lincang #rawpuer from #bitterleafteas from the "Treat Yourself" standard set. Light taste but elegant bitterness that I definitely associate with 'older tree' material.

I've had a handful of sessions with this "Year of

I've had a handful of sessions with this "Year of the Tiger" (2022) Yiwu #rawpuer from #bitterleafteas and there's a lot to like about it.
It's billed as inexpensive but "possibly one of the best daily drinkers out there" – a big call! The price was indeed good for a 357g cake.
I found it to have low bitterness and a pleasant but 'pungent' green taste. There was some nice aftertaste but it didn't stick around very long. I found this pungency to be very engaging but also something I'd only want to drink when the mood strikes. It will be interesting to see how it changes with time!
The same material was used to produce a red tea and a white tea. I am a big fan of the red and posted about it earlier several times (I haven't tried the white).
I am also a big fan of the accompanying tiger artwork by @1percenttalent, with a different tiger variant for the pu'er, red and white productions. I was pleasantly surprised to find a sticker included with the cake!
It is unfortunately long sold out but no doubt Bitterleaf will be doing a similar production for the year of the rabbit soon!

Morning red tea with some #kuuracorp Recombinator.

Morning red tea with some #kuuracorp Recombinator. Glad to have reached the end of several busy weeks 😮‍💨

The journey continues: The cake is now at the stag

The journey continues: The cake is now at the stage where it's hard to maintain the disc shape, but my tea pick (actually an oyster shucker – an excellent recommendation by @oolongowl) has let me carve off enough for another session without having to compromise its circular purity... for now.
(Drinking 2021 "Prismo" #rawpuer by #kuuracorp)

Probably the cake from my 2022 #kuuracorp haul tha

Probably the cake from my 2022 #kuuracorp haul that I'm going through the fastest right now is "Subsurface" #rawpuer.
I've had many days at work where a single session of this has lasted the whole workday. Aside from the impressive longevity, it has decent bitterness with growing sweetness and good prolonged aftertaste.
While not super complex it hits the basics really well, especially considering its price.

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