Mushishi

All right! So where we are: Finished up the first month of kettle bell. What an awesome thing! I was looking at myself and I am seeing things I don't think I have ever seen before. There is actual muscle definition! Now I am sure it has been there before. I was in rediculously good shape right out of the Army, but honestly, I haven't remembered seeing actual definition of musculiture this way. I can see definition in layers. It isn't large groups but small ones that are showing up. I can't wait to see what the next month of workouts brings. That said, my thighs and butt are killing me after Monday. Also, finished up the sleep journal (which was not very helpful at all other than learning that I don't sleep much more than 6 hours a night). This concludes everything that I had in mind for the meditation activities. I could move on to group activities, but that is pretty much what is left at this point. Now that this is here, it may be time to start considering another class. We will see. Went into the gym on Friday, just to see where i stood on some overall muscle strength levels. I was able to dead lift my own body weight and do .5 body-weight squats. I will say that I was quite surprised. Looks like all is going pretty well I would say. Thinking of taking up running. Maybe for next month's challenge. In the mean time, just need to keep on truckin'.

*Makes you a cup of tea with a smile and calm, ever-so-slight bow ... then pokes to help get the engine started.*

Held class again last night. You know, I think the Kettle bell work is very complimentary to my class work. I was asking how the group was doing with muscle soreness, and the right parts were all being activated. The conditioning work will take a while. A lot of sore thighs, but for me it all was well assembled and working well. Sure the shoulder work was painful, and I will need to continue to practice that, but by the end of the class, the students were wiped but feeling good. A couple of them are no slouches physically, so to see that it is a bit of a workout for them is awesome. My legs are .... stronger. Not in a bulky way, but in a steel and solid way. My knee is feeling better too. Maybe I should look into taking up running. Now that the weight is under 200 (for the first time in over 7 years) it might be about time to add that as well. No rushing. We will see. If I jack my knee again I am going to be pissed. Anyway, slow and steady seems to be going well. One more workout and the first month of my beginners kettle bell workout routine will be done. Second section is building up longer duration. They say it's for cardio but I figure it will be good to just get used to the motions. At the conclusion of the next month I step up to the 16kg bell. Most of all though, I feel pretty good, I think I look better, and I feel thinner (though that may have something to do with my "smaller" clothing starting to fit loosely). Ren faire coming up, so the wife is getting started making a new outfit for me. We are going with something simple that isn't fitted. Too much change in body shape to go with sexy German Landsknecht wear. Gotta keep it civilian and adjustable for now. Up side: never done civies before and they are much cooler in the So Cal heat. Learning a thing or two about layering and how the "German look" is generated that way. It's turned out to be a good idea. Now ... where the hell do I get thigh length socks that will fit me and don't make my legs look like a schoolgirl?

I teach a class based on the study of The Art of Combat: A German Martial Arts Treatise of 1570 by Joachim Meyer as translated by Jeffrey Forgeng. It is a study of unarmored combat (blossfechten) with the German Longsword (and other weapons) in the Liechtenauer tradition. I have been working with this material for a few years, but have also been away from it for a while so getting my feet back under me. Have a few friends that have asked me to take up teaching again, so I am. Trying a new engaging style of instruction this time. But damn, is my old sword wielding body out of shape. heh. My shoulders and thighs are killing me.

okay, sword drills yesterday wiped out my shoulders. Good to know. Putting it down here as a record for later should I need it. Footwork: Pass, side, side, pass back Pass, pass, side, side, pass back, pass back Pass, pass, pass, side, side, pass back, pass back, pass back Pass, pass, pass, pass, side, side, pass back, pass back, pass back, pass back Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, side, side, pass back, pass back, pass back, pass back, pass back Sword work: set 1: Oberhauw set 2: Unterhauw Set 3: Kurtzhauw with Oberhauw following Set 4: Ober Ober Unter Unter pattern. For now, this will do. Long time for a sword in the air and lunges.

It certainly is surprising the hell out of me. But hey, if I'm going Druid, might as well go all the way. Heh.

And so it is time for the white tea review: First, a note on white teas: They are very very light, and differences are distinct but fairly subtle by comparison, so though these reviews may make them sound different in comparison, the differences are sough for and very slight. I usually have to do a couple of teas side by side before the review to make more accurate notes on the distinctions, but in this case I had to test all 5 side by side to be able to experience the full pallet. Even then, brew length differences will offset these delicate differences as well. It was good to know, but it is something I really needed to pay attention to. That said, here we go. Palm Silver Monkey The legend of the pranking Monkey King has long been a favorite ever since I saw a Peking Opera performance on PBS when I was a kid. There is magic to the Monkey and this tea is no different. To take in the aroma it takes some searching to find a secret scent, sweet with an ever-so-slight floral accent. This doesn't come through in the taste at all, but it belies the oddity of this tea. This tea is all about the finish. There is almost nothing to note about the initial taste or any flavor at all, but in the finish there emerges from the back of the throat bringing a full bodied herbal presence. On it's own, it is an unexciting event, and I could see this for a slow day where enjoying this emergence of finish can be the entire focus of the time spent, but I do wonder at the possibilities of blending it with another tea or herb that has a weak finish, to see if it would blend. With the delicacy of the tea itself I don't think it can be brewed with non-white teas, but mixed after brew I think has potential. Silver Dragon Where there is a dragon there is fire, and where there is fire there is the smokey aftermath. Unlike the more belligerent smokey teas like the Lapsang or the Kemun. This is more like kissing the dragon lady and her smoldering perfume fills you with its presence. She is refined and elegant but will not suffer fools well. In her flavor we can find all the breath of flavors and effects of smokey tea behaviors ... it has a long lasting finish and will overwhelm other flavors, but rather than dominating the entire scene and calling to memory ashen pits still billowing, this tea makes an adventure out of smoke flavors. The delicacy of the white tea creates an interesting dimension of flavor by toning down all of the harshness. If you enjoy earthy flavors, or are perhaps a fiery spirit that enjoys the impressions of roasted woods rather than burnt, this may be worth a try. China White To come clean, this it the tea that the store uses in all of its white tea blended drinks. This is their staple white tea. I can see why. Of all the white teas it is the most full bodied, fragrant and flavorful. It has a smooth transition beginning to end, with a finish that lingers but not unpleasantly so. All in all it is a safe tea to use for mass appeal. It has a slightly floral, somewhat spicey fragrance but like the others, you have to go looking for it. It isn't as hard to find as the others though, and a hot cup on a cold morning, with the freshness of crisp air, this may make a soft and gentle entertainment to clear and entertain the mind. It needs that counterbalance though to get the distinction properly. In the utility of this tea, it does the job well, mixing seamlessly with just about everything without any surprises and few worries of it going wrong. Enjoy this as a stock white tea to keep caffeine intake down. Pekoe White & Floral Pekoe Okay, I had to test this on multiple occasions to see if I could get the distinction between the two and honestly it is a toss up. Sometimes it was sharp one way, then the other. The Pekoe White is organic, so much more expensive, and in my taste testing, when I could find the difference, it had a harsher flavor when directly compared. To try and find any difference on their own was impossible for me. The organic was more vegital than the floral and neither are as charming when compared to the full body of the China white, the fire of the dragon or the distinctive finish of the monkey. This is far more average than anything distinctive to talk about. The floral does even out the harsh tones of the organic and so I found ti to be the more pleasant of the two, but it did have a residual finish on the tongue that lingered. There is something to be said for organic over non-organic I guess, but in this case, flavor is not it. All in all it is a less special China white, a bit more subdued and uninspired. One of the tea servers insisted that I was wrong, and I may be, but for me, this didn't stand out as a tea to further any interest in. There we are, 5 white teas. Time for Oolongs next. We will see how that goes.

I will start with the update: Almost done with the white teas. Today doing a 5 way taste test to make sure I can identify the differences (white teas are very subtle, and perhaps too subtle for me to give a good analysis of). In any event, expect the write-up very soon. Then the second half of the challenge for this month, the Oolongs. I started a sleep journal using the Sleep Time app. It will keep an eye on my sleep patterns. I want to try and establish a baseline to see how I sleep. Once I have that I want to experiment with meditation before sleep to see if/how that impacts it. My first try caused me to have nightmares and very restless sleep so I want to investigate that. 10 days of data should give me a good baseline. Walked to work today. Slept stranglely and my upper back feels like there is a cracked rib. It's painful but not when I do any exercising. Will be careful tomorrow with Push-ups but we will see if I will be able to do the workout as planned. Diet is good, and it is now the occasional exception when I do not eat something I have personally prepared. I eat out 2-3 times a week when doing meals with friends, and I am dialing in to what I have when I do go out and where I prefer to eat. The teriyaki chicken bowl (sauce on the side) on steamed vegetables at Panda works really well for me for fast(er) food. Also, had a Wendy's cheeseburger with lettuce bun on Saturday and that was divine. I don't do that very often and it has been a while since I had a burger. Other than that it's all omelets and spaghetti squash and deliciousness with peppers for the most part. I am cutting back on the yam hash, and will be having that more on weekends when I am home. I prefer that made fresh and I don't do cooking during the week so much any more. Now, on to the fun stuff: Meditation news!!!! So in a past meditation I had last week I had a sensation of transitioning out of my body and then ascending upward and away from my body at about a 45 degree angle backward. This had my consciousness hovering a bit and overlooking my self. I was able to see the back side of my front, if that makes sense, like looking at a casting mold before it is used. I was also able to see the entirety of my awareness of the world I can physically perceive extending out in front through the eye holes of the mold. This was a limited view, almost as if that which was outside of my immediate perception was the very limit of existence. Everything else was black, huge and empty, like space but without stars. It had depth and openness, but nothing to give it substance or form, or any way to perceive dimension other than the mold of me, sitting on ... something. I had a sensation of something, or more a pair of somethings swimming by behind me and then around to my right and then headed off into the distance away from me. Long and fishlike, and about the size of a large dog, it was surprising but I allowed it to be and remained in my meditative state. I reached out to see if I could sense more, and I got the distinct impression there were. It was then that the idea I was sitting on something drew my attention. the something was too big to get an idea of what it was, so I backed up ... further and further. The something was huge by comparison, and eventually took form of a very large fish-like form, and I was sitting on it's back as a very tiny passenger. Anyway, this was last week, and I was tickled by it, I admit. I wasn't able to get back there until today. This morning I took up the goal of seeing if I could identify what it was. I returned to that state where I could perceive the giant beneath me and began to examine. I felt the curvature of the form, and it was definitely living flesh though there was no breathing other than my own. I recognized the pattern of the curvature, the smooth texture of the skin, and gradually it revealed itself to be a giant catfish. I dwelt with that for a while and interacted with it to confirm the initial thought and, yes, it confirmed itself as a catfish. Now, I am unfamiliar with catfish as an archetype, totem or spirit animal, or any symbolism related to catfish so I did a little digging and found some interesting things: http://www.spirit-animals.com/catfish/ http://www.primalastrology.com/catfish.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namazu_(Japanese_mythology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takemikazuchi Now, I am not a big proponent of astrology directly. I don't get too hung up on the date related symbolism, but having a wife that teaches astrology classes at the local spirituality shop I am necessarily well versed. What I have discovered is that the various descriptions of the archetypes are a wonderful means of self reflection, so the use of the Primal Astrological association (which seems to be a combination of Chinese and western zodiacs to create a new set of archetypes) was interesting. I read write-ups and see what intuitively hits. I take these and explore them as new retrospective paths to wander down. I only talk about this because on a lark I went and looked at my Primal Astrological sign based on birth date just to see what it would be and came up with this: http://www.primalastrology.com/mouse.html Again, more interesting resonances there. So I stopped there. I will need to go and do the general retrospection exercises with these and see what comes up, but in the mean time, if anyone has any other information on Catfish as a symbol, then by all means, please let me know. It was quite exciting and I can ride this intellectual high for a couple days.

And there it is, 300 minutes of meditation (and the one month meditation from the quest logs) complete. With that, I am a Level 9 druid! Woot! Also just completed half way through my kettlebell workout program for phase 1. Took a picture the other day to compare to my starting pictures. You know, I didn't have a bad self image until I did that. It's sobering, and honest, sure, but I liked myself a lot more before I did that. Anyway, the difference is certainly there. The tape tells the same story. About 3 inches off the waistline so far. The old muscle physique is starting to display again. The larger size clothing I have doesn't fit any more. The smaller wardrobe is back in reach again. Been a while for that. So the emotional identity roller coaster begins. Should be interesting to see where it goes. I actually shared my pics with one of my acoutabilibuds. It was hard to say "see that? That's me today, and this was me 5 weeks ago." But it's progress, and significant progress at that. If that keeps up then things are going to be very interesting to look at in March. Still, that kind of comparison is hard so not sure I will do that again any time soon. Head down, do the work, and stick witht he checklists and accomplishments. That DOES keep me positive. That said, need something to add now that the meditation is more just a thing I do. I could continue to rack up more and more durations, but I think I will just do it as part of my life. So ... what next? I have an idea to make a backpack for my tea set. That way I can take it and the equipment I need as a ruck on hikes to the top of mountains and make tea there. Could be interesting. I could also have a look through other people's challenges and see what to do. The Walk to Mordor seems to be popular. Maybe I can put some miles under my feet this month. Found the PVP Section yesterday. There were a number of ideas there. Just need to put the time in. But in the mean time, weekend is coming up! One of my accountabilabuddies will be in town and maybe we can do something. We will see.

Interesting perspective. I will have to think about that. I was taken more by the exemplar aspect. One seeks to inspire, the other to protect. Given these in a duality, I am not sure which leads to the greater outcome for the people. It's a false duality to be sure, but it has been a theme in my managerial career. Is it greater for me to empower my team to overcome challenges, or to provide "air cover" to the team from the problems given by higher. One creates a team where the borders of the job itself far exceeds the base description, requiring everyone to do their job as well as the jobs of others. The other reinforces a deep leadership structure and fiefdoms of tiny silos where the middle management, in "protecting" their team, also keeps them ignorant. It's been a struggle I have been working with. Both systems work well, with different costs associated. I just wonder if there is a larger notion that could be drawn on here for my coaching *smile*. The deep moral issues for ideal societies ... I don't have much impact on. How a Department Head chooses to engage his staff, and thus the work culture he creates ... that I do influence quite often. Ah the fun we have when we meditate often. *lol* Anyway, updates: New time table is working very well even though it has only been 3 days. Probably helps that class was canceled last night. The means are a bit spartan this week but the time savings is real. Need to evolve it. Did an experiment where I meditated to the Ghost in the Shell Original Soundtrack. It is about 45 minutes long and was quite interesting. I wasn't able to hold on to any thought. I was swimming in a constant swirl of confused attempts to grasp at something to anchor. 45 minutes was much easier with music, I admit, and there was little discomfort. If I find the time I may try it again tonight to see how that goes. The time was interesting though. I was able to jump pretty straight in to a 45 minute meditation session. Maybe I should build up to longer times. I suspect there will be another evolution there, but it could be done as part of this month's challenge. Considering that this 300 minute challenge is just about done, there will certainly still be time. Took progress pics this morning. Won't save them, I just wanted to see. I will wait until the 90 day point to save them. I just wanted to see where I was. I was not impressed, until I compared them to where I was a month ago. I didn't realize how big I was, and what a difference 12 pounds can make. So the progress is there. Down 4 inches on the waist too. Just at the edge of being in Army Regulation for my age. Yay me! Started in on the White Tea yesterday. Palm SIlver Monkey was the first. There are only 6 white teas offered at the store, so this may be the only white tea challenge. We will see. Reviews to come after all 5 have been sampled as usual. But it is on the way!

On my drive I listen to Anime episodes to pass the time. Right now it is Fate/Zero. In one of the episodes this below conversation took place. For context, I have changed the names. It is a conversation between King Arthur (female in this show) and Alexander the Great on the nature of being a king. I changed the names for this post to provide context. It is a good debate on ideals of living. There is treasure here, just not sure where yet.

Love it! This is one of my favorites, if not a little childish, as Zen should be. *pours a cup of tea and recalls the tale* Su Dongpo, an avid student of Buddhist teachings, very serious and self-disciplined, often discussed buddhism with his good friend, Zen Master Foyin. The two lived across the river from one another. One day, Su Dongpo felt inspired and wrote the following poem: I bow my head to the heaven within heaven, Hairline rays illuminating the universe, The eight winds cannot move me, Sitting still upon the purple golden lotus. The “eight winds†in the poem referred to praise, ridicule, honor, disgrace, gain, loss, pleasure and misery – forces that drive and influence the hearts of men. His poem was both a dedication to Buddha his declaration of his own spiritual refinement. Pleased, Su Dongpo sent a servant to hand-carry this poem to Fo Yin, sure to receive praise. When Fo Yin read the poem, the Zen Master wrote “fart†on the manuscript and had it returned. When Su Dongpo saw “fart†written on the manuscript, he was shocked . He burst into anger. He rushed out and ordered a boat to ferry him to the other shore as quickly as possible. He wanted to find Fo Yin and demand an apology. When he arrived he found Fo Yin’s door was closed, and on the door was a piece of paper, a note for Su Dongpo. The note read: The eight winds cannot move me, One fart blows me across the river. That story always reminds me to both celebrate my accomplishments and laugh at them too. XD

Vanity is the fountain of youth ... well ... or at least one hell of a motivator. I love the self honesty and embracing the fight for what your heart wants! Cheering you on, knowing that bikini bod is definitely on the way. Great work last month. So happy to see you keeping it up this month. Inspired by your emotional stamina. Keep it up! And thanks for motivating me by just being you.

Now that's a bit of a monster XD. What kind of tea has Uncle recommended for your challenge?

So, the big issue of last week, as my work took a dump on my schedule, is time management. Not making it part of the quest as others are (mainly because I didn't think of it, awesome idea) but it is something that I do need to address. That being said, here are some areas I am looking to modify this month and see if it helps. 1) The Shave I LOVE my straight razor shave. It focuses the mind (any distraction results in loss of noses and such) and is a pamper process, at least the way I do it. Hot towels, pre-shave prep, decadent silver tip badger hair brush, and a phenomial razor that makes shaving an elegant and magnificent event first thing in the morning. Unlike a safety/disposable razor or electric, it exfoliates the skin as well leaving a remarkable shave and amazing skin to the touch. A little post-shave balm for comfort and hydration and ... well ... yeah ... it's a remarkable way to start the day. I have optimized my pattern to get it to 25 minutes beginning to end (including clean-up). That said, my morning grooming is 45 minutes with all that, plus shower, dressing, etc. The truth is, I need those 25 minutes back. So, the test for this month: Spoil myself with straight razor shave on weekends (and maybe fridays when my schedule isn't so hectic) but back to safety/disposable razor shave for the week days. This I do as part of my shower, takes about 90 seconds and gets the hair off my face. Not much elegance, grace or finesse, just part of the regular shower. Not as fun, but gives me the time back. So that's on the list. 2) Cooking and Cleanup I loose about half an hour to cooking and cleanup every time I eat at home. Breakfast is the biggest offender, or at least the one that creates the biggest issue. First off, certain of my meals require being cooked when eaten (yam hash is not great as leftovers, let alone a sunny side up egg), and in the morning is when I am trying to salvage time to allow for a workout, without interfering with work timetable and evening activities. So, need to change up the breakfast routine. This week I pre-made omelets. Onion, jalepeno, red and orange peppers and ham. I haven't made omelets for storage so I had to learn how to do that. Needed to change the way I have made them for years, which is more of am egg cornucopia than anything need and clean. Took 5 tries but I finally worked it out. That said, I now have a container of pre-made omelets sitting in the fridge. These will not need prep, cooking or cleanup (microwave doesn't count, and I may have to buy one of those for the apartment in LA), and that means I can reduce the time down to eating. I am prior service so when on my own that means my 30 minute breakfast is down to 3. Which leaves me a little extra time to enjoy my coffee (mandatory non-negotiable intake, interruption resulting in disembowelment of offending party). 3) Workout OR Walk My walk to work takes about 15-45 min depending on route (usually determined by if I have meetings with India that morning), and I want the longer routes if I can. My Temple (Kettel) Bell quest right now takes about 30 minutes including warmup and cool down. Doing both on a work day is a hardship. For this month I will be only doing one OR the other. If I do my workout, I will not be walking. This actually works out pretty well. Mon - workout, and my evening is usually spent with my Mason meeting Tues - Walk to and from work, with sword class that night Wed - Workout, with evening meetings with India, so don't go home until 10-11 at night Thurs - Walk to and from work, with no plans in the evening so can do extra long route home Friday - Workout, and evening is driving home from LA (2.5 - 4 hours) All this to accommodate a bit more sleep. With my evening activities taking me to 11 PM most nights, this is making my 2.5 hour routine in the morning a burn out pattern when I have to be at work by 7:30. With the reduction, I can shift the wakeup to 5:30, feel accomplished, and still get things done. In all honesty this just means I can afford to his snooze a couple of times in the morning without too much trouble, but hey, that in itself is a pleasurable indulgence. Anyway, it's a new experiment. We will see how it goes. Did the workout this morning, and meditation, and a wonderful breakfast, so all is right in the world this morning. Now to get some work done.

TEA TIME!!!!!!! WooT! ... ahem .. err ... I mean ... Cheering you on! Be Epic!

Oh yeah, the time beast. Having major issues there myself. Will be watching with great interest for inspiration and cheering you on. You go!

You can do it!

Okay, that freakin ROCKS! I gotta get me one of those!

For the February challenge I am adding two components to the continuation of my tea work: Ringing the Temple Bell and my meditation practice. Some of this is left over from last month, but I wanted to record things here. First: Tea Having done Black and Green in January, this month it is White and Oolong. Again it will be 5 teas of each type within 2 weeks, with full write-up. Expect more of the same. Second: Ringing the Temple Bell The Kuchinawa is a large Mushi that looks like a white serpent. It has a voice that sounds like the large Buddhist temple bells of Japan. This inspired an idea of strength training using these bells. They are large and very heavy. As a serrogate I am using kettle bells for my workout. I may, if I do well and keep at it for a year, buy myself one of those temple bells (a smaller one, not the ones the size of a house) and have it as a meditative focus and a reminder of my strength practice. I begin this with a 12 week workout regimen on basic kettle bell workouts. No need to rush. For this month, my quest is to get through the first 4 weeks. (I started this last week so I am already complete with week one) Third: Meditation Last month I built up my meditation to be able to last 30 minutes, and then I began a quest to get in 300 minutes of meditation (30 min/day at 10 days. Seemed legit). That was not finished in time, so I am going to finish that one off. Once that is done I will be adding another meditation journey for this month. I am not sure what it should be though. If anyone has suggestions, by all means let me know. May try pushing it out to 45 min, but that is a lot of time that I may not have as the exercise routine gets more time consuming (which it does).

Wow, Toshimi, thanks for that! I have to admit that is pretty expensive ceremonial grade they have there. I will have to go see if it is worth the price. If it is, then I will be a very happy man! It isn't easy to find good ceremonial grade outside of the internet. At those prices though, it needs to be top grade stuff. There is a ceremonial grade at the asian market I usually go to ont he West side that is half that price and is very good. Worth an experiment though. Thank you!!!

Quest: The Green Cup Try 5 new green teas in 2 weeks Gyokuro Tama no Shizuku This is a light and clean green tea. This is a green tea of my memory. When I was a kid, we would go to a japanese restaurant. As part of our meal we always had a green tea. It was my definition of green tea. It was clean, light, with a distinct flavor that became my definition of japanese tea in my child mind. It has a slight herbal feel to the way the tea and water interact. It is less a tea as it is a light infusion of green purity into a cup of water. The finish is refreshing and leaves nothing behind. It is a pallet cleanser for any meal where detecting subtle flavors is required (like sushi). I hesitate to call this a favorite because that isn't fair. It is a memory, an experience, a sensation. It is a tea I have been looking to experience again for the better part of 30 years. Finally I have found it. If I ever take up extensive Japanese cooking, this will need to be part of my pantry. It is an elegant tea, refined and subtle. A little delicate on the oversteep, as all green teas are, but when done right, it stands alone for what it is, clean jade elegance in a cup. Kagoshima Sencha Of all the green teas in this collection, this is the one I would drink as a regular tea supply. It isn't quite right for a very nice meal, but for a good cup of afternoon or evening tea, or for getting warmed up in the cold, this is a great choice. This particular version is a blend, and from that blend there are sometimes hints of butteriness and sometimes a slight nuttyness. Sometimes they even alternate. The flavors persist a little, so being careful to note any flavor corruption is probably a good thing to keep in mind. Other than that, this is a distinctly utilitarian tea. It is a standard, a go-to, for general tea drinking. It is like the difference between a steam room and a sauna. There is a little woody earth in here as opposed to a clean steam, but that adds to the experience a bit. Not fancy, by any stretch. Just good. Silky Green Okay, this isn't a green tea, this is a milk oolong. I like milk oolong, and think that for keeping warm in the cold, snuggling up in a blanket, this tea is a wonderful alternative to hot chocolate. It was a surprise to find it among the green teas, but it was a delight none the less. The flavor is very buttery. I expect that I will get some of this for the holidays this year. It will make a great activity during the year end break to find out how to elicit the subtle flavors of this tea, while still being wonderfully comforted by it. Blending this tea with herbals would also prove to be an interesting experiment. I can easily see the flavors blending in a decadent way, bringing a non-sugar sweetness to the body of the complimenting tea. Kagoshima Genmaicha Let me start by saying I was not a fan of this tea. This tea is blended with roasted rice, a practice historically done by the lower classes to make the tea last. When tea is harvested, it sets the ammount available for the year. In Japanese Tea Ceremony, there are different forms of serving tea that are used at different times of the year as a formalized practice of the practical realities that at the end of the growing season, there is often little if any tea remaining until the next tea harvest. I could easily see this practice of adding the rice being used as the stores get low to help with making it last throughout the year. I can also see this as a very cultivated taste. To be direct, it tastes like burnt popcorn. The label did say that it was called "popcorn" tea because sometimes rice will pop in the preparation. That may be true, but it also has the exact same flavor as the popcorn left a little too long in the break room microwave. I imagine like other "smokey" teas, this might be useful in particular blends, and I hear it makes an interesting lemonade but I was not so brave. It is logged as an education, and I am glad to know it is there. San Bei Xiang This is an interesting little fellow. This one is intended to have multiple steeps, though I did not test this over this week. I only had the first steep, but what I found was intriguing. It has some of the butter of the silky green, but restrained. It also has a bit of a floral presence, sometimes shifting into the slight nutty flavor of the Sencha. It is subtly complex. The color is a bright yellow/green and it leads me to want to play with it. I expect it will go well as a full service. The finish is lasting, and will keep with you a minute or two, which is not really a bad thing, but does interfere with others if not prepared for it. It is not an every day drinking tea, but a tea for the curious and adventurous. Not bold, but gracious in the flavors. I would like to experiment further, and will be buying myself this as the tea to learn how to brew green tea in a ceremonial service. And there it is, the 5 green teas done. Next is the whites, then herbals and oolongs. So far so good. Enjoying the quests and motivated to keep going. By mid March I should have a third of the teas sampled. It is a flavorful challenge.

Thank you for sharing the festival, Toshimi. I may need to stay the weekend that weekend to make that. It might be well worth it. Just as a heads up for this thread, the green teas are almost done. Need one more and then the reviews will come. The candidates for this one are: Kagoshima Sencha, Silky Green (Bird Pick custom), Gyokuru Tama no Shizuku, Kagoshima Genmaicha and one other that I will pick this week. I need to taste the Sencha and the Guokuru again but the others are pretty much wrapped up. One more green to add and on to whites.