Black Dragon Tea Bar profile picture

Black Dragon Tea Bar

A life spent searching for the perfect cup of tea would not be wasted

About Me

I am a tea person.

My Interests

Chinese Tea Culture, Gong Fu Cha, Oolong, Pu-erh, Taiwan, China, Mandarin, Bai Hao, High Mountain Tea, Alishan, Lishan, Wenshan Baozhong, Yixing Clay Teapots, Guywan, Tie Guanyin, Long jin, Yunnan, Maocha, Xishuanbanna, Old Tea, Sheng Cha, Tuo-cha, Brick Tea, Studying Mandarin Chinese, Chinesepod.com, Cake Tea, Vegan Lifestyle, Healthy Plant Based Diets, Vegan Cooking, Animal Rights Issues, Art by Norm!

I'd like to meet:

People who already love Chinese and Taiwanese tea and people who want to learn more about China's tea and tea culture. Anybody who wants to practice speaking Mandarin with me! You can also find me on facebook.

Music:

Guqin, Pipa, Erhu, Guzheng, Koto, Shakuhachi. + Indie rock, World, Classical, etc.

Movies:

Eat Drink Man Woman - besides being a great movie it has a scene filmed in Taipei's Wistaria Tea House!

Television:

Globe trekker and LOST

Books:

First Step to Chinese Pu-erh Tea by Chan Kam Pong, All the Tea in China by Kit Chow & Ione Kramer, New Tea Lovers Treasury by James Norwood Pratt, The Way of Tea by Master Lam Kam Chuen, Chinese Tea Culture by Wang Ling, The New Tea Companion by Pettigrew & Richardson, The Story of Tea by Mary Lou and Robert Heiss

Heroes:

http://www.vegandietitian.blogspot.com/

My Blog

2005 Lang He Puerh Tea Cake

It is an unusually warm February day here in Seattle and Alanna and I are waiting for our baby to come. We just returned from a peaceful walk around Seward Park and now it is tea time. I've opened the...
Posted by Black Dragon Tea Bar on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:26:00 PST

Tea Brewing Demystified

There are hundreds of good ways to make tea. The most basic guidelines can be found anywhere and they are a great place to start if you are new to tea. These guidelines usually say things like: 1. Alw...
Posted by Black Dragon Tea Bar on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 07:22:00 PST

Tea Festival Recap

Yesterday I hosted a Chinese Tea Festival in Seattle! The weather, which was cold and rainy, was perfect for the meditative afternoon spent tasting teas. The tea festival was held at ArtXchange, a dow...
Posted by Black Dragon Tea Bar on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:12:00 PST

Review Of Two Rougui Oolongs

Two small bowls of tea sit steaming before me. Both of these cups hold the fragrant broth of Rougui (cinnamon) oolong tea from China's famous Wuyi mountains. The first Rougui was made in 2005 and was ...
Posted by Black Dragon Tea Bar on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 04:43:00 PST

First Annual Seattle Chinese Tea Appreciation Festival!

You are invited!I am hosting a special connoisseur tea festival at the ArtXChange gallery (www.artxchange.org) on December 2, 2007. This event is called: "The First Annual Seattle Chinese Tea Apprecia...
Posted by Black Dragon Tea Bar on Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:40:00 PST

Cha dao

Millions of people are attracted to the many mysterious elements of tea. For us, it is very exciting to pursue the perfect tea experience. We spend hours reading tea books and tea blogs and we drink l...
Posted by Black Dragon Tea Bar on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:29:00 PST

Long Yuan Hao Gold Medal - "Bing vs Tuo"

One month ago I received a small shipment of pu-erh cakes imported directly from Yunnan, China. These cakes were all young sheng cha. Among the 8 different varieties I imported, one was the "2006 Long...
Posted by Black Dragon Tea Bar on Fri, 10 Aug 2007 05:01:00 PST

Taiwan Oolong Factoids

1. Immigrants from Fujian province brought oolong bushes and tea skills with them to Taiwan around two hundred years ago. 2. Taiwan oolongs are still called "Formosa Oolongs" by some tea vendors. ...
Posted by Black Dragon Tea Bar on Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:05:00 PST

How safe are Taiwan oolongs?

A friend just asked me: "How safe are Taiwanese oolongs?" Here are my thoughts on the safety of Taiwanese tea. I drink an average of a cup a day, and have done so for the last 4 years. I feel the tea ...
Posted by Black Dragon Tea Bar on Wed, 11 Jul 2007 06:17:00 PST

Pu-erh Brewing Recomendations

Hardware: I recommend a small brewing vessel, such as a guywan or a yixing clay pot*, because pu-erh can be steeped multiple times but some people prefer a larger "western style" pot for pu-erh and th...
Posted by Black Dragon Tea Bar on Wed, 09 Aug 2006 09:16:00 PST