Photos

Recent photos I’ve posted to Instagram.

chacrusade

"Old Master Baozhong" (Spring 2022) from #mountain

"Old Master Baozhong" (Spring 2022) from #mountainstreamteas is a beautifully balanced #baozhong #oolong.
They may not be the best looking leaves but they make up for it with hitting a really nice spot between grassy and fruity/creamy.

That wonderful time of year when the #bitterleafte

That wonderful time of year when the #bitterleafteas dancong order arrives 🙌

"Daily Jinjunmei" from #white2tea is undoubtedly a

"Daily Jinjunmei" from #white2tea is undoubtedly a great value black tea for its price. I find I have better luck brewing it grandpa style than gongfu, with the latter often giving me too much sourness.

I just tried this "Old Days" aged shui xian rock t

I just tried this "Old Days" aged shui xian rock tea from @teaangle for the first time. It's pretty rare for me to feel like yancha but this really hit the spot.
It's a thin brick of broken leaves/leaf dust of some nice aged rock oolong material. While the dust is a bit messy to deal with, the brick is thin enough to break pieces off by hand (instead of risking skewering yourself with a tea pick like with some compressed tea bricks).
The smell of the gaiwan lid is an intoxicating burnt caramel and the taste is not far off. There's also a nice aftertaste that lasts for a decent amount of time.
Despite being small broken leaves, the age on the material meant that it was pretty forgiving to brew. It lasted maybe half a dozen or so brews before fading out.
Even considering this is a brick of broken leaves + leaf dust, I think it's good value for its price and worth considering throwing into your cart on your next order.

It took me a while but I finally cracked into this

It took me a while but I finally cracked into this cake of spring 2020 "Ao Ne Me" #rawpuer from #farmerleaftea.
It's just as good as I remember it – a unique "pine"/floral taste and wonderful prolonged aftertaste.
From memory a free sample of it was included in a past order and I enjoyed it so much that I ordered the full cake later that year during their Black Friday sales.

Cloud mist green (2022) from #white2tea. Great to

Cloud mist green (2022) from #white2tea. Great to taste this one fresh year after year.

Few things as satisfying as pouring hot water over

Few things as satisfying as pouring hot water over these big gnarled leaves – especially when the result is such a delicious tea!
More "Year of the Tiger" Yiwu red tea from #bitterleafteas.

Saying goodbye to this autumn 2019 Jingmai shengta

Saying goodbye to this autumn 2019 Jingmai shengtai #rawpuer from #farmerleaftea.
I enjoyed this one as a daily drinker, usually while working.
Light, floral with slight bitterness and pleasant prolonged aftertaste. I actually think this might be the first 357g cake I've completely finished 🤔 (Most of my cakes are 200g.)

On a whim I decided to add some "Hulk" spring 2022

On a whim I decided to add some "Hulk" spring 2022 Simao green tea to my #bitterleafteas order.
I realised I'd never actually had any "pu'er green tea" before and it didn't disappoint.
Unlike more typical green teas, this has notably stronger (but pleasant) bitterness and loads of stamina. It has been really nice to drink while I'm working, where it doesn't demand much attention to appreciate.
It's not as refined or delicate as the more famous or pricey greens out there but it definitely fills a niche for me.

Happy to have received my #bitterleafteas order th

Happy to have received my #bitterleafteas order this week, which included this Yiwu red tea, made from the same material as their 2022 "Year of the Tiger" Yiwu raw pu'er.
I found it it be fruity (without getting sour) and very malty, with a prolonged pleasant aftertaste.
The tin also sports one of the awesome "tiger" (cat) artwork variants from @1percenttalent (there are different variants for the pu'er and white tea productions from the same material). I think this one is my favourite!

Today's tea was Electroflowercandy by #kuuracorp (

Today's tea was Electroflowercandy by #kuuracorp (a Yunnan white tea from 2020). After enjoying many gaiwan steeps in the morning, I boiled the leaves up in a kettle to continue enjoying it into the afternoon. Incredible longevity!

This Bamboo Forest (unsmoked lapsang souchong) fro

This Bamboo Forest (unsmoked lapsang souchong) from @teaangle is straight up chocolate malt.

Finally a day without rain in Sydney after another

Finally a day without rain in Sydney after another run of wet weather. An opportune time to enjoy more 2022 #anjibaicha 🍵

Happy #internationalteaday to all my tea friends!

Happy #internationalteaday to all my tea friends! This morning I've been celebrating my love of tea with some #crimsonlotustea 2021 "Love Potion" #rawpuer.
It's a very enjoyable tea, with its delicate bitterness keeping me engaged throughout the whole session.
Today also happens to be Australia's federal election. I hope all my local tea friends can enjoy a #democracycuppa while we wait to see which old white man is going to be victorious. #australiavotes2022 #auspol2022 #auspol

Some delicious Yunnan red tea from my favourite fa

Some delicious Yunnan red tea from my favourite faceless corporation. This didn't seem like a lot of leaf initially but it expanded to fill the entire gaiwan.
2017 "Floating Point" dianhong from #kuuracorp

Yet another one of the amazing walls of teaware at

Yet another one of the amazing walls of teaware at @topotea.

Flashback to the other week trying a 2014 aged shu

Flashback to the other week trying a 2014 aged shuixian rock oolong at @topotea.
I don't have much experience with aged oolongs but those I have tried tended to have a muted flavour. However this one seems to have maintained much of its potency, even without undergoing any re-roasting. A real treat.

Drinking my greens while fresh. #anjibaicha #topot

Drinking my greens while fresh.
#anjibaicha #topotea

Fresh 2022 anji bai cha from @topotea 😋

Fresh 2022 anji bai cha from @topotea 😋

Always a nice vibe inside @topotea.

Always a nice vibe inside @topotea.

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