Now

Currently drinking

Morning: A Yabukita sencha from Shizuoka — same farm as last year, 2026 first flush. Slightly more vegetal than the 2025, which I prefer.

Afternoon sessions: Rotating between a Lishan oolong I bought too much of (no complaints) and a 2019 Shou Mei white tea from Fuding that keeps revealing something new every session. Today it tasted like dried apricot and something almost savory underneath.

Experimenting with: Shu Puerh. Currently on a Menghai Dayi 7572 cake, 2021 production. Still adjusting to it. Short infusions, very hot water, always a quick rinse first.

Reading

The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura — slowly, for the second time. More interesting now than when I first read it two years ago, before I understood what he was actually describing.

Also working through a Dutch-language monograph on Delft pottery that I found at the Prinsenhof museum shop. Heavier going but worth it.

Thinking about

Whether to invest in a Yixing clay pot for the rock oolongs, or whether the difference is real or placebo. I've heard convincing arguments both ways. I'll probably buy one eventually and convince myself it was worth it regardless.

Also: the chado sessions continue. Three so far. I'm getting better at the grip. Still working on whatever "correct breathing" means.

What's next on the blog

A post about Shu Puerh — what it is, why it's strange, why I can't stop drinking it. And eventually something about aged white teas, which I think are underrated and undersold in Western tea writing.