Yin Zhen Tea

Posted on January 13, 2018 by vanbraman

Tonight I am trying Yin Zhen or Silver Needle tea. This tea is a white tea and is from Fujian Province in China.

Yin Shen Tea, Tea sample, Tee Gschwender, tea infusionWhen in Jena, Germany last week I visited the TeeGschwendner shop several times. During my second visit I purchased several bags of tea and the shopkeeper also gave me a sample of the Yin Zhen tea to take home and try.

Silver Needle, Yin Zhen Tea, White Tea, Tea bud rootsYin Shen tea is made from only the leaf shoots of the tea plant and is the most expensive white tea. It is difficult to see in this picture but the shoots are covered with fine silver hairs.

Tea in infuser, Yin Zhen Tea, Silver Needle TeaHere I have placed the tea in the infuser of my TrendGlas Jena Teecup while waiting for my kettle to boil and then cool.

Tea Brewing, 177 degrees, Tea, Yin Zhen TeaWhite teas are brewed at a lower temperature of 80 degrees Celsius. This converts to about 176 degrees Fahrenheit. I let the kettle boil and then opened the lid and let it cool to the correct temperature.

Silver Needle Brewing, White Tea, Infuser, TeaI then filled my teecup and set the timer for three minutes. I like my teecup as I can watch the brewing process. Since this was the first infusion the leaves mostly floated since they are lighter when they are dry. In subsequent infusions they do not float as high in the cup.

Crystal tea, White Tea, Yin Zhen Tea, Silver Needle TeaThe color of the tea was very light although it did get a little darker as it cooled. The second infusion was a bit darker. It is difficult to see in this picture, but you could also see little hairs floating on the surface of the tea.

The taste of the tea is very delicate. It is recommended that you do not eat anything spicy or strong flavored before trying this tea. There was a very slight floral taste, but also some sweetness and a hint of fresh mown hay. The scent of the tea leaves reminded me of cutting hay when I was young.

I would definitely recommend this tea, but I would probably only buy it in small quantities as it is a bit expensive. The price in the shop in Germany was about 30 dollars for 100 grams.

Soon I will share my thoughts on some of the other teas that I brought back from Germany. Just let me get over the jet lag 🙂

Have you tried Yin Zhen tea?

Steven

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2018 Calendars

Posted on January 12, 2018 by vanbraman

This post is a little late, but I didn’t get my 2018 calendars until I arrived home yesterday from my trip to Germany.

I had ordered the calendars before Christmas, and figured that even though I did not opt for express shipping that they would arrive before the New Year. I though that worst case they would arrive early in the first week of the year.

Calendars, 2018 Calendars, Barns, Sherlock, National GeographicThe calendars were ordered through calendars.com which I have used for the past years as one of the calendars I get each year is usually not available at the kiosk in the mall. I usually check before I order.

I cannot fault calendars.com for not getting the calendars to me before I left on my trip to Germany. They sat at the local post office for several days before being delivered.

Barn Calendar, Barns, Red BarnFor the past few years one of the calendars that I get has been a barn calendar. There are usually several choices available. This year I chose one by brown trout. I really like this red barn that is on the cover of the calendar.

Barns bring back good memories of growing up in farm and ranch country. This calendar hangs above my computer in my home office.

Sherlock Calendar, 2018 CalendarLast year I bought a Sherlock calendar and so enjoyed it that I had to get another one this year. This one is hanging in my kitchen for now, but may get replaced if I can find a good food related calendar. If so, Sherlock will head to my bathroom since I did not get a free Orchard Supply calendar this year.

Calendars, 2018 Calendars, Barns, Sherlock, National GeographicHere are the four calendars that I ordered from calendars.com. The National Geographic Eagles and Elephants calendars rounded out the order. I have been getting the Eagles calendar for more that 10 years now and it is the one that I started ordering on-line to get.

I am remembering other calendar streaks that I have had. One that I remember was a streak of about five years getting an Amish Quilts calendar before they discontinued it. I also had Lighthouse calendars for a few years after winning an award that included a lighthouse shaped trophy.

Barn Calendar, Plymouth, New Hampshire, Red Barn, Snow, MemoriesHere is the January picture for the Barns calendar. I really love this scene in snowy New Hampshire. The red barn contrasted against the snow is absolutely gorgeous. I can just imagine tramping from the house to the barn in the snow to feed the animals before hooking up my horses for a sleigh ride through the countryside.

What calendars do you have this year?

Steven

Posted in Animals, Culture, Memories, Nature, Seasons | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment