Vendor: My first “real” puerh order arrives from Jing Teashop…
August 23, 2006
Vendor: Jing Tea Shop
This was hugely exciting for me! My first shipment from China, my first puerh that I chose on my own to have for myself, my first good gaiwan, yay!
Here’s the box that was so immensely satisfying to get:
And here’s everything all arrayed prettily:
This is what I ordered:
– 1 X Hei You Gaiwan
– 1 X 2003 Raw Puerh Beeng Tasting Series
– 1 X 1999 CNNP Red Label - sample
– 1 X Lao Tong Zhi 04
– 2 X Xia Guan Te Ji Tuo Cha
– 1 X 2001 Meng Hai Tea Factory Raw Wild Yi Wu Sample
– 1 X Feng Huang Jia Ji Tuo Cha 04
– 1 X Fu Hai Puerh 7536 sample
There were also four wonderful samples included! What a great treat–I don’t have written down with me here (at work) what they were, but rest assured that these and all of the above will be reviewed shortly. I was especially pleased to get the bonus samples since some of the samples I *ordered* come from cakes that, since my initial order, are no longer available. I hope I can fall in love with one or two that I can still get my hands on!
Even if I can’t, though, I have no worries–I know that the people at Jing Teashop will be able to steer me in the right direction. This was my first time ordering with them, but I’d heard nothing but good things, and I had a great experience! They checked to make sure my shipment had arrived and that I was happy, answered all my emails, and urged me to ask any questions I might have about tea, tea culture, etc. I would highly recommend them–excellent service, fast shipping, great packing, and super goods!
And, finally, a rather pretty shot of me *not* burning my hands as I use this gorgeous gaiwan:
August 23, 2006 at 9:40 am
Just out of curiosity - where did you order these teas? Were the shipping costs from China outrageous?
August 23, 2006 at 9:41 am
Never mind - I should have read the title - Jing Teashop! It’s one of those days!
August 23, 2006 at 9:53 am
No problem!
The shipping *was* a bit dreadful, a bit less than $30 for a $60-some dollar order. It’s hard to justify one-third of a $100 “tea dollars” going to shipping, but I decided it was worth it to explore some puerh of clear origin and good quality.
I’ve heard that the first kilogram’s shipping is the killer, and that after that it gets cheaper per/kg as you go. This was a fairly “light” order…I shudder to think how pricey a whole heap o’ beengs would be to ship.
The order arrived quickly, though, for coming from China–about two weeks start to finish, maybe a bit more.
August 23, 2006 at 12:19 pm
Wheee…!!! Tess, looks like there is going to be a Wisconsin Tea Party at your place! Excellent choices and samples. Looking forward to reading your notes on them.
Jing Tea Shop is a great, reliable vendor to buy tea direct from China from. Whenever I have any question, Sebastien has always been more than helpful. I’m not their promoter…just another satisfied customer.
August 24, 2006 at 12:21 pm
Not burning one’s hand. What a novel idea. I’m not sure if it’s been covered elsewhere on your journal, but there are generally two main ways I think. According to which gaiwan I use, I have a style.
On my larger 150mL gaiwan with thick walls, I “bear claw” or “monkey paw” it. Graph from top on the edge, use middle of fore finger to hold lid down. On my smaller 100mL gaiwan with thin walls, I do a side pour with thumb on top knob and hold it up by its saucer. I can’t paw it since even the edge get hot because of how it is made.
August 24, 2006 at 12:46 pm
Ooo, the latter method sounds like a good idea. This one might be small enough to attempt that with–I have monstrously long fingers, so I’ll try it. Over a quilt. (I’m also a klutz.)
Here: https://teadonism.wordpress.com/2006/08/09/at-first-i-burned-myself-on-my-gaiwan-almost-every-time/
I describe my initial inability to do *anything* with the gaiwan without burning my hands.
It’s not perfect yet, but is getting better.
August 25, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Nice stash! Have fun
A word of caution:
The way you’re holding the gaiwan will open yourself to some serious burns.
Your thumb and middle finger should hold the gaiwan at its widest, but your hand your be perpendicular — like you’re grabbing the gaiwan, instead of embracing it like you do now. Right now, if your tea is hot, the steam can escape through the back and the sides and seriously burn your fingers as your hand/fingers are right there. Your index finger should be pinning the top down — by pointing downwards and not by covering the top.
August 29, 2006 at 8:40 am
Thanks for the tip! I posted earlier about how often I was burning myself–it’s getting better, and the other day I tried your suggestion and was very pleased with it. Thanks much!
September 1, 2006 at 3:55 pm
wow, nice packaging coming from China. Mine came in torn up zip loc bags with more than one kind of tea in a bag, poorly labeled cramped in a nasty looking box with broken tea leaves scattered every where. I had to go back to Ebay to looking the name and descriptions of what I bought. My source was yunan sourcing from ebay. So far I tried 5 out of 15, only happy with 2, and I am not eager to try any more until I psych myself up for the dreading process.
I burned my fingers when trying to rush the flow by tilting the gaiwan more than 90 degrees at the early stage, the stuck hot tea heats up the rim VERY quickly. A cup of good tea takes much patience eh.