As the month of April comes to it’s final few weeks, I’ve crossed the bridge of challenge and had my third foreign cup of tea. As noted in my previous post, I was looking for something wild. Something fierce. Something exciting. Having been a green tea fan sine the get-go, I opted out of the caffeine labyrinth that is Masala Chai and gone even deeper. Let’s talk about Matcha.
Matcha is a stone-ground form of Japanese green tea. We won’t touch on its history, though it’s renown spreads farther than its vegetal aroma. It has been used in Japanese tea ceremonies and social gatherings for ages. Typically, Matcha is made from the same leaves of the shade grown Gyokuro. The buds are placed on a grinding stone and made into a very fine powder, which is then added to the cup in which you drink it from. Sure, there’s whisking and such, but this post is already growing quicker than originally intended.
The first thing I noticed upon first sip is its strange, thick, milky consistency. It’s certainly a kick in the palate to your average tea drinker, though a welcome change for an open mind and tongue. My tea may have been a low grade, but I couldn’t help but feel a bitter snarl as I continued drinking. Unlike an average sencha or gyokuro, it completely lacks the smooth finish that you’re probably used to. I enjoyed it as much as I expected to, but it’s probably a distant season before I’ll try it again.
That said, this concludes my quest for an open-minded month of tea. I had a particularly incredible Pu-Erh yesterday that will receive prim and proper attention once Father Time has come back to my side. For now, let’s celebrate another accomplishment with a well wishing and good tidings. Cheers!
April has been as successful as it gets when stacked up against the list of afore mentioned goals. I found myself at a semi-local tea shop called “Souvia” in Scottsdale the other day only to bring that success to a whole new level.
In an effort to try something new and outside my comfort zone, I ordered a Pu-Erh tea. Pu-Erhs are aged and packaged in cakes, bricks, or leaves. My particular specimen was 5-7 years old and contained in a large tin. I had never had a Pu-Erh before, but they always seem to be described as having a similar taste to a cup of dirt. Naturally (excellent pun, I know), I dove right in.
Actually, it did taste quite a bit like dirt. Interestingly enough, it had a silky smooth honey finish to it. It was devoid of much flavor aside from tasting like a dusty green tea. You truly have to be in a certain mood to appreciate the taste, but it’s not a difficult tea to enjoy. Afterwards, I couldn’t shake the honeycomb aftertaste it left in my mouth. It was much more delightful and plush than I thought it would be and I can’t wait to delve deeper into the realm of Pu-Erh.
Next up? Let’s try something fierce. I’ve never been a black tea fan, but it’s April for Christ’s sake. This month is gangbusters, yo.
Thou shalt not promise free Wi-Fi if the network is unstable. In a feeble attempt to knock out an April goal this afternoon, I’ve taken a a trip to a local loose-leaf tea shop in Tempe Arizona. I’m patiently waiting for my “free wifi” so I can get some work done, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Instead, let’s talk about the first new tea of the month.
First of all, the tea shop I sit in is riddled with frat boys. I almost subconsciously added a suffix to my order and asked the barista for a “cup of ti-kuan-yin, bro.” The tea was steeped in a mesh/rubber infuser inside of a white porcelain teapot. They’ve packed the infuser with a solid quarter pound of tea leaves; certainly 4-5x as many as warranted with the size of the pot.
Regardless, the leaves seem to be of high quality. It’s smooth and flavorful on the first steep and extremely rich in color. The leaves have opened quite a bit, probably enough for another steep or two. It’s got an earthy aroma to compliment a leafy sweet taste. The temperature could be taken down a notch, but I wouldn’t have expected a drink this delightful from a psuedo-mainstream and “poprock” shop like this one. I’ve never had a ti-kuan-yin, though I love a good Oolong. It’s quite good and I’ll be ordering 50g as my pocket-purse permits.
The pickins are slim as far as selection goes, offering the typical variety of Gen Maicha and Gunpowder. Most of the menu takes a base leaf and adds a flavor to it, not for the faint-of-palet.
Five days into the month and a check off the list. April is going as fantastic as expected having learned the history of hats, the origin of weight measurement, and why bats are disappearing around the world. Marketing efforts have been escalated as spending habits have fallen to a standstill.
Cheers, folk. We’ll see you in two flicks of a dragonfly’s tongue.
As April looms ever nearer, change and creativity seems to have swept through my gray matter. In an attempt to “live it up” this year, I’m deeming April the busiest and most productive month of ‘09. You may refer to this period as follows: Affluent April/Adept April/Active April/Artistic April, etc. Allow me to present you with a list of achievable goals to be accomplished no later than May 1.
Ramp up marketing efforts for FullSignull. Achieve 700 followers. (Spam following not permitted)
Achieve second sponsor for FullSignull.
Maintain archery practice every Sunday. BONUS: Add a day a week.
Start and finish a book. BONUS: Start and finish two books.
Spend a grand total of $0.00 on fast food and frivolous junk food.
Penny pinch like it’s black Friday. No excessive spending to exceed $20/wk.
Wish a stranger “good day” once a day.
Begin forward motion on second (third?) side project.
Try three new teas. Photo document and blog about them.
Maintain at least four app reviews a week for 148apps.com.
Updates and status will be conveyed within this post and as new posts when the situation permits. I look forward to broadening my horizons as much as possible this month. For some reason, I can’t help but feel the end of my era sulking around the corner. It’s time to give life’s monotony the proverbial middle finger and proceed with, essentially, being alive. Pink Floyd said it best:
And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but its sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in the relative way, but youre older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
I saw this on SeriouslyInformal.com this morning and thought I’d post it up. Very cool to see what people are doing with the Red. Anyway, I’m a sucker for skateboarding. Enjoy.
Well well well… Nintendo finally decided to compete with the rest of the market and transform their coveted DS into a multimedia/gaming device. The Nintendo DSi was announced just two days ago at the time of this posting. I, along with the rest of the internet, intimately got to know my refresh button while following the various liveblogging events around the web.
Major updates are as follows:
Front facing camera
Rear facing camera
12% thinner than DS Lite
Omission of GBA slot (you read it right)
Internal memory
Music player
WiFi browser
DSi Shop functionality (think app store)
This is pretty big considering Nintendo has been the frontrunner for the whole “we’re strictly a gaming company” mentality. That’s why I think this redesign is a terrible move for not only the company, but the industry.
All That Remains’ 2008 release, Overcome, has been much anticipated since The Fall of Ideals from two years prior. Adam Dutkiewicz, who produced the bands first two albums, has been replaced by Jason Suecof of Trivium, Chimaira, and DevilDriver fame. A different formula is sure to breed a new sound, right?
Overcome’s lineup is as follows:
Philip Labonte – Vocals Mike Martin – Guitar Oli Herbert – Guitar Jeanne Sagan – Bass Jason Costa – Drums
As an avid All That Remains fan since their initial debut, I was highly skeptical upon hearing of a new producer for this album. I went into this one cold having not listened to any of the preview tracks that the band posted on their MySpace page months in advance.
Alright, it’s time to talk about Google/T-Mobile’s Android/G1.
Like many internet junkies, I’ve been looking forward to the launch of this operating system since the get go. It wasn’t until Tuesday morning that T-Mobile finally (formally) announced Android’s first mothership. Enter the HTC G1.
Courtesy Engadget.com
Right from the start, this wannabe iPhone competitor hos and hums with it’s cheap, plasticky lines and 70’s esque body. With a running mate like the slick, classy iPhone, this just doesn’t appear to be the right move for Google’s debut into the mobile OS war.
Internet commenters went rampant when learning of the G1s lack of 3.5mm headphone jack in addition to T-Mobile’s softcap of 1GB data transfer on their “unlimited” data plan. This was amended a day later, thankfully, but indicates that T-Mobile is indeed interested in keeping tabs on what you’re downloading. For such a coveted addition to the tech-world, Android’s first public announcement is being widely regarded as lackluster.
So I toured a pretty interesting castle this weekend in Napa. The Castello di Amorosa is between Calistoga and St. Helena. From what I recall, the castle’s owner imported every single brick that it took to build the castle. It took 171 shipping crates from both Austria and Italy. Excuse me if I’m incorrect, as their site currently won’t load for me. The doors are hand crafted along with each piece of metal being blacksmithed by hand. Most of the pictures turned out pretty terrible, but have you ever toured a castle? Didn’t think so.
Well, it’s been a great, albeit long, weekend in Napa/San Francisco and I can happily report that I am ready to return to the heat ridden abyss that is Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve seen all I want to see, done all I planned to do, and tried everything I wanted to try. The only thing I didn’t see that I would have liked is a ‘SOLD’ sign on a condo on Columbus and Bay St. I’m still dabbling with Flickr/Wordpress and such, so hopefully this turns out halfway decent. I’ll compile a formal walkthrough with videos and such once I return home. For now, enjoy the following:
As the month of April comes to it’s final few weeks, I’ve crossed the bridge of challenge and had my third foreign cup of tea. As noted in my previous post, I was looking for something wild. Something fierce. Something exciting. Having been a green tea fan sine the get-go, I opted out of the caffeine labyrinth that is Masala Chai and gone even deeper. Let’s talk about Matcha.
