Monday, August 20, 2012

Patty-pan Squash Teapot

We held three ceramic workshops this summer. Rather busy time with many new people and new experiences in our house and studio. The last class was focused on making molds from products of nature as apples, pumpkins, cantaloupes...This class was the only one where an external instructor was needed. When it comes to plaster then we know just basics. Fortunately our friend Ola Hořavová has studied those techniques on ceramic high school and continued on university. She also uses molds and hendbuild techniques in her own ceramic work. She have shared her knowledge with our students for almost a week. All students worked hard (we made them to:)). Thanks to big enthusiasm of all participants we round off the week by firing of our small woodkiln. Clicking here, you are going to open picasa album with many pictures from the event.


 On pictures below you can see one of patty-pan teapots I have made during my demonstration on the workshop. Body of this teapot was shaped in plaster mold. I will probably not use this technique for my own, regular production (at least, not any time soon). Nevertheless, work on teapots this way was more then interesting experience. Teaching how to make teapot I have learn not just how to work with plaster. It also help me to keep my eyes open to shapes growing around us. It is always beneficial to see your own work from another perspective and this was the case. Big thanks to Ola, and to all creative people around us!

Here it sample fresh sheng from Youle...
The Patty-pan which was used for making mold of this teapot was eaten:) So those two are here just for their beauty.


Thanks for reading!

Monday, August 6, 2012

Butterfly from 1996


1996 Xia Guan Butterfly Spring Tou Sheng is packed in lovely paper, the name and the year of origin are promising...

 Before we will take a look inside, let's read vendor's words about it:

"This tea was made in 1996 for Taiwan market. According to the supplier, leaf maretial of this tea was from 300 years old arbor tea three. Although this connot be physically proved, it is very likely to be true, as indicated by the leaf quality. The tea has been in purely dry storage over the past 15 year and demonstrates features of high quality dry-aged sheng. The flavor is significantly different from that of shengs aged in humid storage. Current price of this tea is based on supplying cost. The price is subject adjustment in the future based on rarity" 

More you can find here, on Gingo's blog

On pictures bellow you can see naked leaves.
 As usually, it is not easy to take pictures of leaves. Especially if those pictures should be reflective of  real color of aging. I did my best, so maybe you can see the mixture of dark green, brown and hairy, grey leaves- all unified by passed years. Maybe, you can also see light. white dots (like small flowers) I consider the white flowers as those here to be crystallized essential oils.

 Pressing is, compare to other Xia Tou I have, lighter. It is still Xia Guan toucha and inside you will find more compressed, not-easy-to-separate, leaves. But taking leaves from side, I did not even have to use my puehr needle and I got leaves like that...


Smell of dry leaves is gentle, just light wood and ripe fruits. These are stronger on wet leaves. First infusion (ten second) already gives dark orange tea. As you can see on picture bellow, color is (as always) very relative...

First infusion is in both cup and faircup. Fair cup is just deeper.
Second infusion...


In first infusion I can find mixture of light pine nuts, oranges and some flowers. From second brew, the Xia Guan origin is already unconcealed. There is smoke, resin, orange-peel- all mellowed thanks to  sixteen years of aging.

 Focusing on taste and mouth feel during the fourth infusion I found spicy, hot, almost pepper like, effect on my lips and tongue. It was in contrast to cooling menthol-camhor sensation in my throat. I know that this is probably not attractive for everybody. It is like Islay Whisky- peat, iodine, pepper... Why should one drink something like this? Yet, there are many Islay fans as there are many fans of traditional Xia Guan products. And I do understand them...

Another opportunity to test another stove...


I have this tea at home for more then year now and I am still happy that I decided to buy it then. I can imagine that many of you would find it to be "too dry stored". I like it as representative example of good, half-aged, dry stored tea. And it is still for rather reasonable price. When I have purchased it, it was for less then 100usd/250g toucha. Now it is 135usd, which is not cheap tea. When we talk about 16years old, rarity Xia Guan, then it is, al least, reasonable. Especially when one can go for sample first...

Why are you smilling? Is it the tea inside you or sun up in the sky? 
After my tea session I have felt calm and happy. I am not sure if it was tea itself, or also power of the fresh morning with birds flying around. Maybe all was just right.










Thank you for reading!