Colorado COLD

I'll be in Colorado, Denver area for a week .. sitting at 10 degrees Fahrenheit, (-12 centigrade) I don't foresee any sightseeing on the schedule.That's 10 degrees F on the car dash ....

Fortunately at these low temperatures its very dry

Pu-erh .. sign of the Times

Story and pictures from: "The New York Times"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/world/asia/17tea.html

A County in China Sees Its Fortunes in Tea Leaves Until a Bubble Bursts.MENGHAI, China — Saudi Arabia has its oil. South Africa has its diamonds. And here in China’s temperate southwest, prosperity has come from the scrubby green tea trees that blanket the mountains of fabled Menghai County.

Over the past decade, as the nation went wild for the region’s brand of tea, known as Pu’er, farmers bought minivans, manufacturers became millionaires and Chinese citizens plowed their savings into black bricks of compacted Pu’er.

But that was before the collapse of the tea market turned thousands of farmers and dealers into paupers and provided the nation with a very pungent lesson about gullibility, greed and the perils of the speculative bubble. “Most of us are ruined,” said Fu Wei, 43, one of the few tea traders to survive the implosion of the Pu’er market. “A lot of people behaved like idiots.”

Link to full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/world/asia/17tea.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

You can find this story in other international publications from: the Malaysian Insider to The Herald Tribune.

.. Express Ten Thousand Words. 畫意能達萬言

A Picture's Meaning Can Express Ten Thousand Words:Picture e-mailed from a friend (unknown source)

Postcards, Home and Abroad

A busy time around our small planet ...
My friend Rick sends this postcard from Taiwan: ...

"While sitting around drinking tea with my new Taiwanese friends I was thinking of you! Yepper, I'm in Taipei now. I arrived Thursday and will head back to Thailand Tuesday. Just a short emergency business trip at the last minute.

The days have been busy and long but today (Sat) I was able to play tourist a little. I went downtown and to the top of the 101. While walking around the shops I came across a nice tea shop and snapped a pic for you. Well, it's a little past midnight and I need to hit the sack. I hope all is well with you and your family.

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas and New Year holidays. I took 2 weeks off, the family and I went to the in-laws as well as our place in Surin providence. I took many pics and will update my daughter's blog soon. I'll let you know when that occurs as she being almost 3 now has an understanding of Christmas, 'Santa brings big toys!'... haha"

Heather, this for you .. view from the fire trail....

Our own backyard .. Saddle-Back Valley (orange county) just as the sun rises:

Fun with Language: .. Humor in Idioms

A comment (and response) to a fellow Blogger .. brings to mind these quotes:

"England and America are two countries separated by a common language." --George Bernard Shaw.

Wilde wrote: "We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language"

NB: Bertrand Russell and Dylan Thomas have similarly opined.

And Winston Churchill said, "Our two countries were divided by a common language"

Being a Scot, English (at least spoken) is not recognized as a native language, so I'm off to a bad start plus many years of: Sing-lish, Chin-lish etc, I often make a communications faux pas

Tea and Tulips

As a Christmas present, friends gave Robbie some:

Hydroponic 增长在水中, Zeng Zhang Zai shui zhong - To grow located within water.

Tuilps 鬱金香 Yu Jin Xiang.

Two of the four have opened
The first a beautiful deep rich red:..
The second: a variegated, lighter red and white:...

Standing tall in early morning winter sun:..

Small bowl, 小碗, Xiao Wan, of; 普洱, Pu'er (pinyin variant Pu-erh)
Not a Tulip: ... but still Hydroponic ...

A Pu-erh kind of a day

Enjoying relatively warm weather the past couple of weeks, the thermometer snapped back to the mid 50'sF .

So when I reached the office it was a Shu Pu-erh I reached for.

Produced in 2003, by: Meng Hai Li Ming Factory in; Xishuangbanna. Kong Que Zhi Xi Ang Qi Zi Bing Cha.
357gm cake for; 175 RMB, in Dongguan, Feb 2008.Strong rich tea .. In the past year the cakes have improved over my initial encounter. A true daily tea.

Gaiwan: Drinking Cup and or Brewing Cup

Are there differences between a Gaiwan “Drinking” cup and a Gaiwan Brewing” cup ?

My personal experience and observations lead me to conclude: “Yes Virginia, there is a difference” The variations that demonstrate (to me) that distinction.

The Drinking Cup: Used as a personal: covered (with the lid) drinking vessel, that also contains a share of tea leaves.

The Brewing Cup: Used to contain a share of tea that will be infused, and decanted into either a drinking cup or a Common Pouring Jug. Serving a similar purpose as a: Tea Pot.

Both Gaiwan types are made of three parts: Base, Body, and Lid. The: Base and Body serve similar functions in both applications.

The Base provides: Aesthetics, Thermal insulation when held in the hand. Most often this is not used in commercial tea houses. Body: Contain Leaves and Water .. The subtle shape of the top third and interaction with the lid that separates the functions (Drinking vs. Brewing Gaiwan)

The Lid is where I see the first distinctive difference, a second a major functional difference is in the interplay between Lid and Body mouth.

The Drinking Cup Lid: function is to filter/ hold back the leaves when in use, and to cover the tea and maintain heat when temporally set aside. First visual difference is: a small vent hole. (see above) As the drinking cup lid will cover the hot liquid for some time, this vent purpose is self evident.

The Brewing Cup Lid: may or may not have a vent hole, by function it is not required. The interplay between the Lid and Body Opening is where I see the greater distinction of uses.When buying a Gaiwan as a Brewing Cup it is imperative you test its function in the shop. This is easy in China/HK/Taiwan .. so good luck in your particular local ..What is required in the Brewing cup is: Lid/Body combinations that provide a nice opening to dispense tea without having a large opening in the rear that can let HOT vapors caress your unsuspecting palm, when dispensing into the pouring jug.

Mrs Yang at work:

You can see in the 2nd video the large gap in back of the Gaiwan, and poses no threat to the experienced server.

In this day and age I see the use of a Gaiwan as a drinking cup, relegated to scenes in period movies, however one style can provide the services of the other

Happy Hogmanay -- Taiwan Aged Oolong

1/1/09 .. "Happy New Year" 新年快樂 -- xīn nián kuài lè.

Aged Oolong .. "Old Tea" 老 茶 -- Lao Cha ..

There are many appellations for this type of tea. In both Taiwan and Mainland I mostly hear "lao cha" amongst tea drinkers ..

BUT when it comes to selling / buying .. look out, long names and longer stories abound ..

Rule of Thumb:

"The longer the story, the more expensive the tea"

Almost a year to the day, I visited Wang Tea in Taipei City ...

http://chawu.blogspot.com/2008/01/taipei-tim-and-tea.html

From this adventure I listened to many stories with a delightful host: Charmaine Wang, the eldest of 3 grandchildren.

I picked up one of each: Short - Medium and Long story tea .. I cannot overstress that you MUST taste before you buy .. The unbelievable array of sense filling aromas, tastes and "long .. long after-tastes are unique to aged Oolongs .. With major variations between Taiwan and Mainland teas ..

Starting 2009 with the "long Story / expensive tea"

The initial assault on the olfactory senses is very pronounced in a wonderful way .. distinctive, warm roasted, only surpassed by the long (surprisingly long) aftertaste ..

Third infusion, the full leaves open in the Gaiwan: 
 
   Two Gaiwan infusions fill the pouring jug .. must share with; "She who must be obeyed"

A beautiful sunny day in So. Cal to usher in the new year, as the morning sun filters in.

Sitting back, it is easy to relax and enjoy....

"Wing Hop Fung" --- "Together Forever Prosper"

Wing Hop Fung: "Together Forever Prosper,"

In Southern California .. we are lucky to have a good sources of "Mainland China" products available, at very reasonable prices. One source is: Wing Hop Fung, with two stores near downtown LA ..

http://www.winghopfung.com/index.html

Also On-Line at:

http://www.asiachi.com/

On Sunday Robbie and I visited the store in Monterey Park. This location is just like being in Dongguan (except for the cars in the parking lot) A highly ethnic Chinese population, awash in great stores and restaurants ..

Some of the Yi Xing pots on offer:

They also have a comprehensive selection of "quality" teas .. we left with about $80.00 worth of booty.

Tea - A World-Wide Commodity Business

History is awash with stories were Tea is at the epicenter of commerce, vast profits have motivated countries and armies to fight over it .. .. this story from the London Times speaks volumes as history unfolds ...

Indian tea company Sapat eyes troubled Whittard

From Times Online December 23, 2008

Rhys Blakely in Mumbai, Ian King, Marcus Leroux and Helen Power:

Sapat, the family-owned Indian tea company, is eyeing Whittard of Chelsea, the upmarket British retailer that is on the brink of entering administration.

Nikhil Joshi, the owner of Sapat, said today that he was following the situation at Whittard closely. "We're waiting for some clarity to assess our next move," he told The Times. "We are in a position to make an acquisition. We have looked at this brand in the past. For us, an entry into the UK would make sense."

However, Mr Joshi stressed that a bid was by no means certain. Last night, Whittard, which is backed by Landsbanki, the collapsed Icelandic bank, called in Ernst & Young as standby administrator after Landsbanki cut its funding lines, it is understood.

It is thought that Sapat, which is expected to make a turnover of more than £100 million this year, has at least £20 million in cash on its books to spend on acquisitions.

It was founded 110 years ago by Mr Joshi's grandfather and is one of India's largest growers and blenders of tea, but it has no brand recognition outside of its home market. Earlier this year, it made an unsuccessful £24 million bid to buy Clipper, the Dorset-based company that specialises in organic and Fairtrade brews.

Mr Joshi also mentioned Taylors of Harrogate as a possible target. Sapat's advisors in Mumbai include KPMG. Mr Joshi said that Whittard, founded in 1886, had been neglected for decades, a situation that he said continued after Baugur bought the chain in 2005 for £20.5 million. "The company has been plagued with problems," he said. "The core problem: it's a place you might go to buy your mum a present, but don't want to visit for yourself." He added: "Our business is not in a downturn. We're very much in a position to make acquisitions."

Whittard, which has 500 employees, is likely to trade through the holiday period but Ernst & Young is in parallel talks with a number of bidders who are considering buying some of its 130 stores.

It is believed that Landsbanki, which the Icelandic Government nationalised in October, decided to stop lending to Whittard after a team from KPMG appointed to sell the business last month failed to find a buyer.

Whittard faces a rent bill on Christmas Day and it is believed that lenders are concerned that landlords will send bailiffs to seize stock. The chain’s predicament raises the threat of a wave of bankruptcies at retailers backed by Landsbanki if the bank’s creditor committee, which is advised by Deloitte, has decided to get tough with the chains that it backs.

It is believed that Landsbanki could be going through the process of deciding which retailers to support and which to allow to go under as Britain’s retail woes continue.

In recent years, Indian companies have been especially active in the UK, one of the world's most lucrative markets for black tea.

Tata bought Tetley in 2000 for £271 million, India's largest overseas acquisition.

Earlier this year Tata made another tilt at the UK market when it bid £30 million for Clipper. It was outbid by Fleming Family and Partners.

Three years ago, Apeejay Surrendra group acquired Typhoo for £80 million.

Pre-Christmas Party (with Video)

With hectic year-end commitments and demanding travel plans ..we snuck in a "Pre-Christmas Party" last Sunday .. my bad in not posting pictures earlier .

a little chilly outside ....

Sunset that evening ......

Knitting in Hawaii

It's not just: Paradise, Beaches -Sun - Surf - a little work gets done.
Heather is off to a Craft Fair in Hanalie, on the North Shore of Kauai. Proof that there is a hereditary; "k" Gene, passed from her Scottish Grannie.
Baby Booties ..

Designer Hats:...

Home sweet home

Nice to be home. Early sunsets in So. Cal can often produce our best vistas.
Especially sweet when its from your own backyard and not distant lands.

Scottish Christmas Card

Long time family friends Johnny & Anne just sent this great picture .. Looking out from the Ardrossan shore, over the Firth of Forth, on the horizon; Snow covered peaks of Arran Island. "Hi Guys, Received your Christmas card today along with your letter and photo. They have grown up that much you will have to tell me from L to R who is who. I like Johns white wig, did he get it made in China ? We were up in Aberdeen last week-end to see Adelle, she had just come back from her honeymoon in the Maldives. I think married life agrees with her.I have attached a photo taken from Ardrossan harbour the other day, ask John if he recognises it. Give our regards to the family and we hope you have a good Christmas."
Love Anne & Johnny

Tea exports from India rise 15% in first quarter

Story from; Taipei Times. BLOOMBERG: Tuesday, Dec 09, 2008, Page 11.

Tea exports from India, the world’s largest producer, rose 15 percent in the first 10 months of the year after production rose and drought reduced output in Kenya, the world’s biggest exporter.

Overseas sales climbed to 156.5 million kilograms between January and October from 141.9 million kilograms a year earlier, said the Indian Tea Association, an organization of tea producers and exporters. Production rose 4 percent to 832.6 million kilograms year on year, the association said.

India’s exports may rise 28 percent this year to 200 million kilograms from a year ago because of reduced shipments from Kenya, Tea Board chairman Basudeb Banerjee said in June. Production may rise 1.6 percent to 960 million kilograms on good monsoon rains. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2008/12/09/2003430689

Cold at the Old Mill

As Heather tuff's out winter in Hawaii .. Robbie SCUBA diving around Southern California's Channel Islands .. looks like I drew the short straw ... Minus 5 degrees this morning with a cutting wind. Don't let the clear Sky's and bright sun fool you .. Picturesque yes but COLD.
Despite the fast flow over the weir, ice forms from the spry on trapped branches and boulders.

One from the Warm Side - Thailand

My friend Rick just sent a note ... before I opine on the how cold it is here .. I'll share some of Rick's news from Thailand...

.... "Even though it is winter here in Thailand I’m still wearing T-shirts and shorts.

But many Thais are wondering around in coats, sweaters, and hats.

Actually here in Chiang Mai winter time is pleasant unlike other areas of Thailand where it is either hot or hotter.

The nice part about winter time is that I don’t need the fan or AC to get to sleep at night…haha

The wife and daughter are doing well, thanks for asking. We will travel to our place in Surin providence the last few weeks in this month.

The company here is shutting down for the end of the year and we’ll go back to check in on our store/apartment as well as visiting with the wife’s family and relatives.

The only dreaded thing for me is that it’s almost a 1000 kilometer drive (one way). No flights in that direction and we could take a bus but it’d take twice as long so I will just drive it.

I feel more comfortable driving now that I obtained a Thai drivers license.

I had to take both the written test and driving test. Actually I had to take the written test twice as I flunked it the first time. Little did I know there would be questions about tanks on the streets… (Chit you not).

New England - Light Snow

A bleak Sunday .. a dusting of snow adds interest to the landscape. Small islands of ice form on ponds around the area.
A perfect morning for comfort tea .....