by D.O. Rothenberg | Oct 22, 2021 | Major Types & Sub-Types, Tasting & Quality Assessment, Tea Education, Tea Plant Biology & Cultivation
The ides of October have passed, and Halloween nears, promising with it pillow cases of sucrose, crisp flannel temps, spooky pumpkins, and my favorite of all… fresh apples. The forbidden fruit. Honeycrisps, Fujis, Galas, Empires – I love ‘em all (not you Red...
by D.O. Rothenberg | Nov 22, 2020 | Major Types & Sub-Types, Processing, Tasting & Quality Assessment, Tea Education, Tea Plant Biology & Cultivation
Grab the popcorn! Our new Youtube video follows the six steps of Oolong tea craftsmanship, exploring flavor formation through a scientific lens, and through the eyes of Wu Mountain friend and mentor, Ajin, an Oolong Tea Master making great tea in China’s...
by D.O. Rothenberg | Dec 15, 2019 | Living in China, Tea Plant Biology & Cultivation
I had a very bizarre weekend, which within a 24-hour cycle, took me from pilfering through piles of dirt and cooking rodents to modeling for the fashion industry. I’ll unpack that alarming announcement by first addressing the rodent piece. Wrapping up a long 2019...
by D.O. Rothenberg | Nov 5, 2019 | History & Culture, Living in China
I write currently from my window seat on the bullet train to Guangzhou from Chaozhou county, Guangdong, where I spent the weekend processing Dancong Oolong tea. Mainly, I went in order to practice tea processing and learn as much as possible from the local tea master....
by D.O. Rothenberg | Oct 1, 2019 | History & Culture, Major Types & Sub-Types, Tea Education, Tea Plant Biology & Cultivation
A sign in Nannuo that reads, “please protect the ancient tea trees, do not pluck without permission” To my astonishment, there were 300-year-old, lichen-laden wild tea trees scattered across the mountain in all directions. The high canopy provided shade,...