At A Liang’s recent Tea Lecture, we got to enjoy fresh air, lush mountain scenery, and of course, some gnarly nature! His friend’s farm is home to all sorts of interesting critters. Two that stood out are featured here - if you’re squeamish, skip this one!

I arrived at their place around 10:00am to set up the teaware, and noticed this little guy hanging around the main door into the coffee shop. It had a very large web (about 5ft. across) from the eaves of the house to a small tree. There is also a large hive of bees up under the eaves, and they seem to be this fellow’s main diet. Around 11, the bees started swarming for some reason, and 5 or 6 got caught in this web within a few minutes, so naturally I got the camera out! For size reference, the body is about the length of my thumb, and the legspan is about the same as my hand with fingers outstretched. They are poisonous, although I’m not sure how dangerous to people they are.

Our ’special guest’ appeared in the early afternoon (around 1:00, when everyone was here for lunch, naturally). No doubt about this one - he’s called a ‘Bamboo Snake’, and is a kind of pit viper. One website I checked says this one most aggresively attacks people, although the poison is rarely fatal (Click HERE for more information on poisonous snakes in Taiwan). He was hanging around in the bushes right next to our lunch pavilion, and the owner said he’d probably been there all morning (note above where I mention I was setting up the teaware all morning right in front of this guy!). Fortunately he’s got a snake grabber (same as mine), and he said he gets at least 1 snake a week, and quite a few of these guys, so no big deal. He released it across the road in a small gully, and hopefully it won’t be back.

There were about 40 participants, and after the outdoor lunch, A Liang gave an introduction to tea, including a history of the Maokong tea area, and some general information about tea selection and brewing. I would have taken more notes to post here, but unfortunately it was a working weekend for me, as I was put in charge of brewing tea for the guests. For more about that, take a look at my Tandem Gaiwan post.

We had a very enthusiastic group, and  it was interesting to hear their questions and opinions. There seems to be an unspoken assumption that being Chinese makes one an expert on everything Chinese, but I was surprised at some of the basic misconceptions that many participants had - made me feel like I know a bit about tea myself!

Everything went smoothly except for an uninvited party crasher (see Nature Calls for details).  It was a great afternoon, and we all had a great time. I hope we’re able to organize another event soon, so that we can do it all again!

In preparing for the event, we discussed using a large teapots, but my large pots aren’t really that good for making tea, and A Liang’s are too good for use outside, where there’s greater potential for damage. In the end, we decided to go with a ‘double gaiwan’ program. I don’t practice brewing with my left hand too much, so I borrowed A Liang’s large gaiwan (which matches the one he gave me after the Tea Expo last year), and I practiced with them at home for the two weeks leading up to our event.

We brewed Oriental Beauty (Dong Fan Mei Ren), and of course, Tie Kuan Yin. An advantage to serving these teas is that they have what my brother would call a ‘fast release time’, and so you can do many rounds quickly. The two we served are also very ‘patient’, which means they give more brews per pot than some teas, so I didn’t need to change leaves as often.

Even so, I was pretty much pouring nonstop for about 2 hours, and it seemed there were always people waiting for their next cup. I guess I should be happy the tea was good enough to keep them coming back!

In keeping with the tourism growth of the Maokong area, they’ve built (by themselves) some covered seating areas for group meetings and lunches. There’s a small stream running through the property, and hiking paths lead up through the jungle for observing nature and wildlife (which generally means more snakes, as you’ll see in the Nature Calls post).

They aren’t open to the public during regular hours, but are by appointment only, partly because of staffing issues (he manages all the work himself, and his wife cooks all the meals for guests) and partly because they are off the beaten track, up in the eastern hills of Maokong away from the main concentration of restaurants and tea houses. It means they get less business, but they also have the quiet, ‘nature experience’ that Maokong advertises but no longer delivers. It’s a great place to relax, and if there’s good tea to drink, that’s even better!

The food is also very good - authentic ‘home cooking’, Taiwan style! They don’t really have a menu or anything like that; they just cook up what they have, and that’s what you get. I don’t know if A Liang had asked for special treatment for his group, but they did a great job.

The meal was a bit heavy on vegetarian dishes, but Aaron tells me that’s not a bad thing! Everything was very fresh, and the dishes weren’t smothered in MSG and other spices like a lot of restaurants do. I’m hoping to get an excuse to go back soon! 

I really struggled with the decision to write this post - it’s a hard thing to admit to the whole world one is getting older. I turned ?? on Friday, August 8th (let’s just say I was born in the Year of the Horse, and you can go figure it out on your own HERE, ok??) and I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Chinese Olympic Committee for having such a grand celebration in my honor!

I had a really hot celebration this year - 102 deg.F to be exact - because I caught a nasty virus and was (still am actually) feeling rather miserable. Although I managed to get through the work day on Thursday, I spent most of Friday sleeping, partly due to the fact that I (accidentally) double-dosed on my meds. The health care system is pretty good here, although it’s abused regularly. It was cheaper for me to see a doctor and get prescription drugs for 3 days (about US$5) than it would have been to buy cold medicine over the counter, so people often go to a clinic or even the emergency room for headaches and minor pains.

Anyway, the important thing is that Aaron is back from Malaysia, and had invited me down for tea Saturday, which I naturally wasn’t going to miss out on. I called up the Captain (my tea drinking buddy) and asked if he wanted to take a bike ride. We had a great trip down through Hsinchu and Miaoli counties, taking smaller back roads along winding river valleys and forests of bamboo, until finally coming out in Miaoli City. As always, Aaron’s hospitality was excellent, and we had a relaxing afternoon (with some great teas) and an awesome veggie lunch.

By way of gifts, I got a new teapot from A Liang, a Ching Dynasty teacup, and a Malaysian lucky charm (both from Aaron), plus a nice bike ride and some wonderful company, so all in all I had a very good birthday in spite of everything. When I got home Saturday evening, I put on some Van Morrison (Hymns to the Silence) and enjoyed some Tieh Kuan Yin in my new cup. It tastes pretty good Aaron!

Also, thanks to Aunt Yvonne & Uncle Sonny for the birthday card. You picked an extremely appropriate one for me this year!

THE LEAF

Most Oolong is usually easily identified by it’s semi-spherical, tightly-wrapped kernels, as shown below left. As the tea ages, however, the leaves slowly open up, exposing more surface to air and further oxidizing the tea, as shown below right.

The leaf color also darkens,  giving the tea a roasted look. In fact, aging and roasting produce a similar effect; the flavor becomes richer and mellower, developing an earthy, (almost Pu-er-esque) quality.

THE SOUP

No, that’s not a typo! ‘Soup’ is a Chinese word used to describe the tea liquid. This Oolong has developed a deep, brownish hue. It’s very nice for cool/rainy day drinking, or as a morning tea as well. As mentioned above, the flavor is very similar to medium roast oolongs, but is much smoother and more pleasant to drink.

THE BREW

We used a gaiwan (again), partly because I really prefer it for study purposes, and partly because I don’t have a dedicated pot for aged oolongs (yet). We don’t need very much leaf - about 1/5 or so, and we were able to get 8-9 very good rounds. I’m not sure if that’s just due to the quality of this tea, but it seems that aged teas in general are very patient (meaning they can steep more times) in relation to similar quality oolongs. 

Here you can see how the leaves expand out. This photo is the 2nd or  3rd round. By the 4th round, the leaves have pretty much filled the gaiwan. After our session, we had a look at the leaves. They have a fresh appearance, but are darker than ‘fresh’ oolong. Some of the leaves haven’t yet fully opened, indicating that they probably still have a few more rounds of good flavor left in them.

First, look at the outside of the pot. Check for cracks, bumps, imperfections, seams, or color variations, all of which can indicate poor quality workmanship. Remove the lid, and look inside. Is the inside smooth and well formed? If there is a screen or filter holes where the spout attaches? If so, are they cleanly made with no rough edges or blockages to impede the tea flow?

Pick up the pot (preferably with the lid on) and check the balance. You should be able to grip it comfortably, and pour off the tea without having to break your wrist over too far. In Taiwan, we usually ask to ‘check the pour’, which means to test how water flows out of the pot. Fill the pot to the rim (some spillage is good to help produce a good seal) and place the lid on the pot. Grip the pot firmly and pour the water out. Does the water shoot out at a wide angle, or dribble down the front of the pot? Does it pour fast our slow? It’s best if the water flows out steadily, without any gurgling (indicates a partially blocked air hole in the lid). The angle the water falls at shouldn’t be too wide, and the spout shouldn’t dribble when you finish pouring.

You also want to make sure the water has a good ’stop’. This refers to how well the lid seals with the body. Fill the pot with water again. Pick it up, and place a finger firmly over the air hole (usually located in the knob on the top of the lid). When you tip the pot up, no water (at most a drop or 2) will come out if the seal is very good. When you lift your finger, the water should flow out evenly.

Expensive pots are not necessary to make a good cup of tea, although as your skill level and appreciation of the world’s greatest beverage increases, you’ll probably want to add a few choice pieces to your collection. If a pot has a good seal, pours well, and is comfortable to hold and manipulate, you’ve got yourself a winner.  

There wasn’t a lot of damage in the Taipei area, but man, did we get a lot of rain! My dog pen behind the house ( a covered area between our house and retaining wall where I keep our two dogs) had about 5 inches of standing water in it, and I ended up putting the dogs in the house for most of Monday. The record for this storm was at Tai Ping Mt. on the east coast, which ended up with a total of 32 inches from Sunday - Monday afternoon. Other areas had between 15 - 20 inches of rain on average. The quickest accumulation was a city on the western plains in Chia Yi county, which had 3 1/2 inches of rain in 1 hour yesterday. Imagine what that would do to the Magic Valley!!

Overall, I guess we were pretty lucky this time, but we’re likely to get 3 - 4 more before the end of our typhoon season (October), so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

My first job after a late breakfast was to go out and secure my yard a bit better. I have a tarped roof over my picnic table, which we use for BBQ and tea drinking. I’m quite proud of it because I designed and built it myself (after a fair amount of trial and error), and it’s lasted for 4 years now. Fortunately, It’s built to be taken down quickly.

I start by taking out the bamboo supports that keep the tarp from sagging. Then it’s just a matter of unhooking the bungee cord (a great idea) from the hooks (I used 3″ cement wall anchors for the hooks - another great idea). After rolling the tarp off the frame, I wrap it around my lawn furniture, and tie everything down. If the winds get too strong, I can unbolt the frame and have it down in about 5 minutes, but usually I just tie it down as well. With the center of the storm coming across central Taiwan, I think we’ll be OK.

We’ll also tape our large picture windows (this keeps the glass from flying around if the windows break), but nobody here ever boards up their shops or houses like in the US. This is a shot of our upstairs balcony (off of the Teaboy’s bedroom). Three summers ago, the roof came off, and the windows shattered out (we still find broken glass in the yard). Last year, the wind was stong enough to take the paint off of this retaining wall, but the house didn’t have any damage.

These shots don’t show it very well, but the clouds are moving in really fast now. In any case, this is the view from our front yard (looking East). The post-typhoon weather is usually very clear, and I’ll try to get better shots Monday or Tuesday.

Oh, by the way, the bug in the opening shot is some kind of moth I found sleeping under some stuff - just thought it had cool markings, so I included the shot. 

Fung Wong appears to be a stronger storm. I’m including the graphics here from the cwb website, or you can click the link to get the latest update. The storm is currently (10:30 Sunday 7/27) showing center winds of 96 mph, with gusts up to 119. The box on the left shows the predicted direction over the next 3 days, and the graph below is a closeup of the storm’s influence on Taiwan. I’ve cleaned up the yard and tied everything down (see Typhoon Prep). The news just announced all schools and businesses island wide are closed tomorrow (which means everyone will go shopping or to the movies!!)