The Golden Buds of Yunnan

In Amalfi,Italy, in the cathedral, workmen discovered ol columns under the
external skin of the building, believed to come from Roman times.


I tried to write yesterday, but due to a severe storm the night before my computer was just totally wacko. We had no phone, either. As I drove around on some errands I could see where many small creeks had flooded badly, including one that ran down the dirt road next to us, making a mess for a long distance.


The river is running very,very high and fast, with a lot of mud and debris. It has gone over the lower and middle banks and in some places has crossed the 3rd and final bank. We are hoping it doesn't go much higher. The farmers are tearing their hair out because they are way behind Spring plowing and planting.


The heat of our two days in the 70's has finally put some green on the trees and shrubs and we definitely are seeing the spring flowers coming along. Of course, up here on the hill, we are lagging behind, but ever so faintly there is some green out my window. Our ground is so saturated that our bird feeders fell over and their holes are filled to the brim with water.

I did wake up in time to see the Royal Wedding. Very nice. Now they must begin the task of learning to live together.


Today I am having Tea Trekker's 2009 PreQing Ming Yunnan Jumbo Golden Buds. Say that 6 times very fast. The dry leaves, well buds, are a lovely gold, with a small bit of brown, really almost nothing. The scent is at once sweet, spicey and sharp, recognizably Yunnan, but also different. I used about 1 Tablespoon per cup and brewed it for 3.5 minutes with water just under the boil. There is still a sharp aroma, almost unpleasant, but not really, with touches of cocoa and nut in it. It was at first, a cloudy pale gold, from the bud dust, which quickly became a dark amber. It seems to have a fairly thin body. It tastes a bit like hazelnuts mixed in with the more usual Yunnan taste. I can't decide if I like it or not. As it cooled, I decided I made it a little too strong and if I made it a bit weaker I'd appreciate it more. So I did and I found it to be much better.