| View previous topic :: View next topic |
|
| Author |
Message |
|
Maggie45
Brown Belt
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 55
Location: Bisbee, Arizona, USA
|
 Posted: Apr 27, 2007 1:41 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
| Karen wrote: | Well, we've got a LOT of stuff here and I've HEARD that everything's here, but it seems that sometimes it just isn't. We have Ten Ren here but that's about it...and they're really snotty there. To top it off, I'm not sure that what they're selling as "top grade" really is. I trust Rishi more than I do them but I must say that I was impressed by your endorsement of Seven Cups. At this point, I'm trying to use up some of the stuff I have; I try to buy small amounts of teas with which I'm unfamiliar in case I don't like them.
There IS an Urasenke branch here, but tea lessons aren't in the budget at present. Maybe someday...  |
Well, alrighty now, that settles it. You just have to move out here to Arizona like I did.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
|
Maggie45
Brown Belt
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 55
Location: Bisbee, Arizona, USA
|
| Posted: Apr 27, 2007 1:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| admin wrote: | | The Kabusecha doesn't show up on the list because we're out of it at the moment. We're just about out of everything right now as we expect shincha to arrive today or tomorrow. |
YIPPEE!!!  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
jasonian
White Belt
Joined: 06 Nov 2006
Posts: 26
Location: virginia
|
| Posted: Apr 29, 2007 4:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Karen, try Itoen on 65th and Madison Ave. All their teas are refrigerated, the staff is very helpful, the teashop is beautiful, and afterward you can go up to Kai for an amazing meal. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
|
| Posted: Apr 29, 2007 12:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Kai is not only a tad expensive for a casual meal, but there's virtually nothing vegetarian (I'm ovo-lacto) on the menu. I did check out their tea offerings online but except for the sakura green, nothing really interested me (by which I mean, I think I can do better online). I've passed it, though, and will go in one of these days. In fact, there's a Cherry Blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden which I'll be visiting tomorrow (today was the first day). I won't have time to hear the discussion by the Itoen owner but I want to get there for the tea ceremony demonstration that Urasenke is hosting at noon. It should be fun!
Maggie, I sent you a private message; please check. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Chip
Spam/Troll Killer
Joined: 21 Apr 2006
Posts: 766
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji, purging looters
|
| Posted: May 27, 2007 2:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
| jasonian wrote: | | Karen, try Itoen on 65th and Madison Ave. All their teas are refrigerated, the staff is very helpful, the teashop is beautiful, and afterward you can go up to Kai for an amazing meal. |
While yes, their tea is refridgerated in a very impressive cooler, they do something that I think adversely affects the freshness of their sencha. I noticed the sencha I tried was not very fresh when I was up in March.
But they have these bulk bags of tea that are heat sealed. They take one out of the cooler and open it while it is still cold. Unless the humidity is extremely low, leass tha 5%, moisture (and of course more air)must flood into the bag when they do this.
But each tea I looked at, they did the same thing. Cut open a heat sealed bag. I thought to myself, don't they have any open teas. But another thing they do, after they are done with a tea, they instantly reheat seal the bag and put it back in the cooler.
So, each time someone wants to see the same sencha or whatever, they recut the bag, and again allow the moisture into the bag in the process. I think this is one main reason I noticed the sencha I tried was not as fresh as what I can get from a vendor such as O-Cha.
But it was a fun place to visit and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Manhatten. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
|
| Posted: May 27, 2007 4:40 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Chip wrote: | | jasonian wrote: | | Karen, try Itoen on 65th and Madison Ave. All their teas are refrigerated, the staff is very helpful, the teashop is beautiful, and afterward you can go up to Kai for an amazing meal. |
While yes, their tea is refridgerated in a very impressive cooler, they do something that I think adversely affects the freshness of their sencha. I noticed the sencha I tried was not very fresh when I was up in March.
But they have these bulk bags of tea that are heat sealed. They take one out of the cooler and open it while it is still cold. Unless the humidity is extremely low, leass tha 5%, moisture (and of course more air)must flood into the bag when they do this.
But each tea I looked at, they did the same thing. Cut open a heat sealed bag. I thought to myself, don't they have any open teas. But another thing they do, after they are done with a tea, they instantly reheat seal the bag and put it back in the cooler.
So, each time someone wants to see the same sencha or whatever, they recut the bag, and again allow the moisture into the bag in the process. I think this is one main reason I noticed the sencha I tried was not as fresh as what I can get from a vendor such as O-Cha.
But it was a fun place to visit and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Manhatten. |
See, this can be a problem of late here in Manhattan; as the City gets progressively more "yuppified" (this from a registered Republican, no less), we see more and more of this "form without substance, expense without merit" stuff. The new breed (mostly imported non-New Yorkers) is very impressed by glitz and the figure on the price tag (and worse, will pay it) and has very little interest in doing the little bit of research that would actually get them some bang for those bucks, as well as developing the taste that would educate them to learn the difference. I viewed Ito En's tea menu online and was, shall we say, underwhelmed. I'll stop in to have a look around one of these days, though.
I recently bought two 80g bags of aracha online from a vendor in Japan, one of which is in the refrigerator for future use. The vendor makes a point of instructing buyers to let the bag come to room temperature for up to a day for this very reason, as well as advising against refrigerating open bags. Contrast that with the story you just posted; there's really no contest, is there? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Chip
Spam/Troll Killer
Joined: 21 Apr 2006
Posts: 766
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji, purging looters
|
| Posted: May 27, 2007 5:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
Exactly, Karen. I thought what is the purpose of having all this overpriced (and it was) sencha, if you are not going to take proper care of it. It is like they go so far, and then just forget one part, their weakest link.
However the cooler had major cool factor as well as the chests they kept the bags in inside the cooler.   |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
|
| Posted: May 27, 2007 5:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Chip wrote: | Exactly, Karen. I thought what is the purpose of having all this overpriced (and it was) sencha, if you are not going to take proper care of it. It is like they go so far, and then just forget one part, their weakest link.
However the cooler had major cool factor as well as the chests they kept the bags in inside the cooler. |
LOL!
And of course, it's a major selling point. The fact that they're not handling their product correctly is immaterial in the face of that (literally!) cool refrigeration unit.
What kills me is that New Yorkers (city folk, that is) have always been known for being a pretty savvy bunch--not anymore! I can't relate to this new bunch at all. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
syntheticpanda
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 198
|
| Posted: May 27, 2007 1:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| More proof that the West coast is better. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
|
| Posted: May 27, 2007 8:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| syntheticpanda wrote: | | More proof that the West coast is better. |
I think the yuppie influx is mainly from California.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
syntheticpanda
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 198
|
| Posted: May 28, 2007 1:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Haha, yeah I don't doubt it actually. Teavana is making a killing over here...  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
|
| Posted: May 28, 2007 1:52 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| syntheticpanda wrote: | | Haha, yeah I don't doubt it actually. Teavana is making a killing over here... |
In all seriousness, I don't know WHERE the hell they're coming from...I just wish they'd go home/stay there (either/or/both, whichever is applicable).
What's "Teavana?" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
syntheticpanda
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 198
|
| Posted: May 28, 2007 2:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| It's a very yuppie-oriented tea vendor chain. *begin rant* Everything is overpriced, not-so-cleverly named, expensive, and crummy. In an attempt to appear asian-themed they really just make a mockery of it. Honestly, it seems like they're more concerned with selling their image than selling their tea. *end rant* |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Kevangogh
Forum God
Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 928
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: May 28, 2007 2:07 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Looks like I'm going to miss out on the peach-strawberry-mojo-green tea flavor sales...  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
|
| Posted: May 28, 2007 2:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| syntheticpanda wrote: | | It's a very yuppie-oriented tea vendor chain. *begin rant* Everything is overpriced, not-so-cleverly named, expensive, and crummy. In an attempt to appear asian-themed they really just make a mockery of it. Honestly, it seems like they're more concerned with selling their image than selling their tea. *end rant* |
Sounds pretty loathsome. 
I guess this is the difference between East- and West-Coast gross--Ito En vs. Teavana. Ours, predictably, has to be glitzy. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
|
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
