Haha... Correct. I wasn't taking what they say bout that seriously.

But they do have a Limited edition teapot+2 cups set. It is serialized on the teapot +cup and comes with a wood certificate stating the same serial number...

---

Added on October 5, 2010, 9:10 pmHere is the photo of the limited edition. Photos not mine





This post has been edited by auhckw: Oct 6 2010, 10:30 PM

Just got this today

Dong Dao Ru Kiln Sunflower Drinking Cup (Moon White)

Finally got myself a Tea Pet

Dong Dao Ru Kiln Good Fortune Ox Tea Pet Heng Fu (Sky Green)

Tea Blowing Contest
http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/09/11/upd...ntest-pictures/

I was at a tea shop and the owner said there is some serious problem with tea in China and the government has prohibited the selling of tea. The owner said there will be definitely shortage of tea soon.

So I came back and start digging.... here is the news:-

Excessive pesticide residue found in tea products: Taipei
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/t...e-pesticide.htm

Updated Tuesday, September 7, 2010 3:24 am TWN, CNA

TAIPEI -- Three out of 36 tea products tested in the capital contained excessive pesticide residue, according to results of the Taipei City government's latest food safety checks released on Monday.

The substandard products include Jinxuan Oolong from Teatalker on Changchun Road, oolong from the Bade teahouse on Bade Road and oolong from the Taiwan Handicraft Promotion Center chain store at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the Taipei City Department of Health report showed.

The products were all found to have excessive amounts of residue of pesticides including fenpropathrin, imidacloprid, methomyl and fipronil.

The city has pulled the products off shelves, prohibited businesses from selling them and launched an investigation into the sources, health officials said.

Chiang Yu-mei, a senior technical specialist at the city health department, said pesticide residue in tea can cause nausea and vomiting, while increasing the risk of liver problems.

She suggests consumers use hot water that is at least 80 degrees Celsius to make tea and to avoid drinking the first round of tea because most pesticides used by local farmers are water soluble.

The local government conducts annual safety checks on randomly selected tea products in the city. In 2008 and 2009, no samples were found to contain excessive pesticide residue, according to city health officials.

Media reports, however, prompted the city to conduct a special test on oolong tea sold at the National Palace Museum souvenir shop in 2009, and the tea was discovered to contain pesticide residue.

2006 Kunming 7581 Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick



This post has been edited by auhckw: Oct 8 2010, 03:20 PM

'Tea bubble' brews in China
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...s-in-China.html

Published: 9:00PM BST 01 Oct 2010

Chinese financial speculators are caught in a buying frenzy for a variety of tea that has seen its prices soar to levels only rivalled by the finest wines.

The rare tea made from bushes from the tea gardens of the Ming Dynasty emperors has become the latest craze for wealthy Chinese investors with their sights on a quick profit.

Prices for the Dahongpao tea, which is only grown in a small mountainous area of east coast province of Fujian, have increased tenfold since the middle of last year with online tea traders selling a single kilo for more than £1,000, the country's state media has reported.

"I never thought it would get so expensive," a tea producer, Wu Zongyan said. "It's one price one day, another price another day. Between when we pick the leaves and when it's ready to sell, the price has already gone up."

Chinese traditionally prize tea as the symbolic heart of national culture and believe that in varieties and taste differentials rival that of wine. China is prone to extreme speculative bubbles as opportunity-starved investors seek a home for their cash outside the traditional venues of the stock and property markets which are themselves notoriously volatile and speculative.

In the past year auction houses in China and Hong Kong have all reported fetching record prices for everything from Imperial artwork to French claret and, most recently, Communist-era stamps as speculators search for an outlet for their money.

CCTV, the state broadcaster has reported that the classic signs of a bubble were already evident in the Dahongpao tea trade, with the number of shops selling the tea in Wuyi, the town where the tea is produced, leaping from 200 to 1,500.

As with fine wine, dealers are also reporting fake teas are starting to appear on the market in another sign that the bubble might be about to burst.

An online tea trader told the The Daily Telegraph said prices had risen on he back of demonstrably absurd rumours – including that all Dahongpao tea came from just six bushes.

In reality, genuine Dahongpao is said to come from bushes propagated from six trees that were originally planted to serve the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) emperors.

This is not the first time China has had a 'tea bubble'. In 2008 prices of Pu'er tea, a dark blend from southwestern Yunnan province suddenly spike to several thousand pounds a kilo.

Investors believed prices would be kept buoyant by a report that China's Olympic Games committee would put a tin of Pu'er tea on every competitor's bed – but prices soon crashed back down to earth.

But the level of interest in teas for investment is likely to rise as wealth levels increase. Chinese diplomats fondly recall President Richard Nixon's dismay that Chairman Mao Tse-tung offered him an official gift of 100 tea leaves on his ground-breaking visit to China in 1972. It fell to another Chinese leader to explain that the quantity represented half the wealth of China.

Black tea drinks found to have high bacteria, E. coli levels: CF
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2010/10...3/Black-tea.htm

Updated Saturday, October 2, 2010 0:12 am TWN, The China Post news staff

Many establishments serving popular black tea beverages were found with bacteria and germs that surpassed the amount deemed safe by the Consumers' Foundation (CF), which unveiled the report yesterday. Jumbo-sized drinks were especially prone to incubating such bacteria.

Tests conducted by the foundation showed 53 percent of all extra-large cups used for drinks had cultivated some type of bacteria, especially those sold in night markets. One drinks establishment at the Taipei Raohe night market, called “A-Hau,” was singled out for having large amounts of the E. coli bacteria.

The CF study was conducted in August. Classifying jumbo-sized drinks as those with a volume of 1000cc and above, the foundation said such drinks are usually priced between NT$20 and NT$25 and especially popular with students.

Such drinks often contain the flavoring Coumarin and other preservatives, the CF said, adding that all drinks showed limited amounts of both when they underwent testing. However, the “A-Hau” branch in the Raohe night market failed safety standards due to the high amount of bacteria and E. coli found in its drinks.

According to the CF, the problem could lie with the water or ice cubes used in the drinks, which likely became contaminated at one point. It could also be that the environment in which the drinks are served is unclean.

Oh my... sounds serious

北京停售7种含农药茶叶 部分发现含有稀土元素
http://china.rednet.cn/c/2010/10/07/2082451.htm

2010/10/7 16:18:05

节日期间选购食品的消费者需要当心了，据北京市工商局今日通报，有17种问题食品全市停售，其中包括7种含有违禁农药的茶叶(详情请登录工商局网站查询)。

　　问题茶叶品种涉及乌龙茶、铁观音、普洱、茉莉花茶，分别从前门华都百货、购乐多超市、迪亚天天四路通店发现。停售原因主要是茶叶含有违禁农药残留“三氯杀螨醇”。据了解，此类农药不易降解，容易残留蓄积，饮用三氯杀螨醇超标的茶叶，会影响身体健康。据专家介绍，我国禁止“三氯杀螨醇”用于茶叶生产，农残超标主要是茶树鲜叶在生长过程中需治理各种病虫害，而使用农药不当或施用农药后安全间隔期不够就进行采茶，就会造成茶叶产品农药残留量超标。

　　本次停售的茶叶中还有部分发现含有稀土元素。专家表示，稀土作为植物的生长、生理调节剂，对茶叶种植具有增产、改善品质等特点，但是不合理地使用稀土，会造成茶叶中残留量超标，对人体健康造成危害。

　　除了发现茶叶不合格，北京祥聚源食品有限公司生产的香糕还发现甜蜜素超标。市工商局提醒市民：凡已购买不合格食品的消费者，可凭购物小票和食品外包装向销售单位要求退货。 (记者杨滨)

Google Translate

Beijing to stop selling pesticides containing 7 parts found to contain rare earth elements in tea leaves

Consumers to buy food during the holiday season better be careful, according to Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce and Industry informed today, there are 17 kinds of problems the city to stop selling food, including 7 species of tea contain prohibited pesticides (For details, please visit the website of Industry and Commerce Bureau.)

Issues related varieties of tea Oolong tea, Tie Guan Yin, Pu'er tea, jasmine tea, respectively, both through the front door of China department store, share music and more supermarkets, shops Dia four lead to discovery. The main reason is the sale of prohibited pesticide residues in tea "dicofol." It is understood that the degradation of these pesticides is not easy, easy to residual accumulation of excessive tea drinking dicofol, will affect their health. According to experts, China's ban "dicofol" for tea production, excessive pesticide residues in fresh tea is mainly required during the growth of a variety of pest control, improper use of pesticides or the application of pesticides is not enough to secure the tea interval to will cause excessive pesticide residues in tea products.

The sale of the tea and partly found to contain rare earth elements. Experts said the rare earth as the plant growth, physiological regulator of tea cultivation with output, improve quality and other characteristics, but the inappropriate use of rare earth, will result in excessive residues in tea to human health hazard.

In addition to the tea found unqualified, Xiang Ju Yuan Food Co., Ltd. Beijing Production cake also found that excessive sodium cyclamate. City of Industry, warned the public: Where consumers have purchased substandard food, rely on store receipts and requests for sales of food packaging to return. (Xinhua Yang Bin)

7种茶叶阻碍胎儿发育被禁
http://goo.yikuo.com/news/2010-10-08/1307_...1307794653.html

2010-10-8 11:10

北京市工商局发现市面上7种茶叶，含有违禁农药“三氯杀螨醇”及“稀土”元素，民众食用后恐有碍健康，甚至影响胎儿发育。当局表示现已要求相关单位全面停售。

中通社引述北京工商局指，经检验后，市面17种食品须全面停售，其中包括7种含有违禁农药“三氯杀螨醇”及“稀土”元素的茶叶。报道指，7种茶叶分别从市面多间超级市场发现，茶叶品种包括乌龙茶、铁观音、普洱及茉莉花茶。

据悉，“三氯杀螨醇”可用作杀虫剂，但由于这种农药不易分解，加上使用不当或安全分隔时间不足，容易造成农药残留，人类食用后可能影响胎儿发育，内地法律禁止茶叶生产中使用三氯杀螨醇。另外，专家指稀土能作为植物生长调节剂，有助增加产量和改善品质，但使用不当，亦会造成稀土残留，过量摄取或会抑制体内凝血因子的活性。

除了发现茶叶不合格，北京祥聚源食品有限公司生产的香糕还发现甜蜜素超标。市工商局提醒市民：凡已购买不合格食品的消费者，可凭购物小票和食品外包装向销售单位要求退货。

北京市工商局公布的食品下架7种查出了违禁农药的茶叶中，其中不少来自福建安溪。

“泡出来的都是茶叶梗和碎叶子。”网购茶叶的宋小姐告诉记者，卖这款茶叶礼盒的网店店主说自己就是茶农，所以价格能比市面上同质量的铁观音便宜一半。当时她信以为真，直到拿到茶叶礼盒时才发现被骗了。

像宋小姐这种情况并不在少数。同样在网店买到劣质茶叶的李先生告诉记者，由于网店没有对礼盒中的茶叶进行明确的描述，对于他的投诉，网站的管理者也表示无能为力。

从事网络茶叶销售的杨阳告诉记者，在网购茶叶中，以次充好、以普通产地的茶冒充知名产地茶、以陈茶冒充新茶等情况非常常见。“像以福建龙井冒充西湖龙井的，一般的顾客根本分辨不了。”

虽然网购茶叶有种种弊端，但是成交额却在逐年上涨。记者了解到，淘宝网去年茶叶整体的销售额为3.5亿元。而到今年3月中，茶叶交易额就已经比去年翻了一倍，达到了7亿元。

Google Translate

Tea hinder fetal development 7 banned

Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce and Industry found that 7 of tea available in the market, containing prohibited pesticide "dicofol" and "rare earth" elements, the public fear after eating unhealthy, and even affect fetal development. The Administration has requested that the relevant units to sale.

China News Agency quoted the Beijing Industry and Commerce Bureau that, after examination, the market sale of 17 kinds of food to be comprehensive, including seven kinds of prohibited pesticide "dicofol" and "rare earth" element of the tea. Reported that the 7 kinds of tea from the market were found in many supermarkets, including varieties of oolong tea, Tie Guan Yin, Pu'er tea and jasmine tea.

It is reported that "dicofol" can be used as pesticides, but not easy to break down the pesticide, coupled with improper use or lack of safe separation time, easily lead to pesticide residue, after human consumption may affect fetal development, the Mainland law prohibits the use of tea production dicofol. In addition, the expert refers to the earth as a plant growth regulator can help to increase production and improve quality, but improper use will result in rare-earth residues, excessive intake may inhibit the activity of coagulation factors in vivo.

In addition to the tea found unqualified, Xiang Ju Yuan Food Co., Ltd. Beijing Production cake also found that excessive sodium cyclamate. City of Industry, warned the public: Where consumers have purchased substandard food, rely on store receipts and requests for sales of food packaging to return.

Beijing Industry and Commerce Bureau released the food shelves of 7 identified the prohibited pesticides in tea, many of them from Fujian Anxi.

"Bubble tea are out of broken stems and leaves." Net purchases of tea Miss Song told reporters, selling boxes of this tea shop owner said he is the farmers, so the market price of the same quality than the lower half of the Iron Goddess of Mercy . She was believed, until the tea boxes only to find to get cheated.

Miss Song and a few like this. Also in the shop to buy low-quality tea Lee told reporters in the gift shop not a clear description of the tea, for his complaint, the site manager, said nothing.

Tea sales in the network, Yang told reporters that the net purchase tea, shoddy, posing as an ordinary well-known origin of the tea producing tea, new tea pretending Chen tea is very common. "Posing as West Lake Longjing Longjing in Fujian, and most consumers simply can not tell."

Although online shopping has many defects of tea, but the turnover has increased year by year. This reporter learned that the overall sales of tea last year, Taobao 3.5 billion. By 3 months of this year, the tea trade volume has doubled over last year, reaching 7 billion.

Gave up on my bamboo tea tray due to the strong bamboo smell, so bought this.

Don't know what to call this. Yixing Tea Tray?

Beijing Tea Scam
http://scams.wikispaces.com/Beijing+Tea+Scam


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJjcoQlp8JE

All the while I thought Tea Party means this:-


or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JchKa8Ox3Hs

But apparently it is much political than just enjoying cups of tea and desserts.

What is the Tea Party?
A beginner's guide to America's Tea Party movement.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-Tea-Party.html

Published: 8:22PM BST 15 Sep 2010

The Tea Party movement started modestly in February 2009 with protests in nine US cities against Barack Obama's massive stimulus bill.

In the short time since it has grown exponentially to be a major force in US politics, and will have a major hand in deciding who controls Congress after the Nov 2 midterm elections.

A loose network of groups mainly organised at the state level, it has resisted creating a leadership structure or becoming a third political party. Instead the movement supports Republican candidates considered politically palatable on a case-by-case basis.

Its activists are mostly conservative Republican voters who support smaller government, lower taxes, fiscal responsibility and individual freedoms.

Many however have not been active in politics before, but say they were moved to action by anxiety about the economy and concern about the president's high-spending agenda.

The movement was truly galvanised by opposing the Democrats' $1 trillion health care bill, which was seen as too expensive at a time when the country's deficit was rising fast.

However Tea Party members have not been afraid to criticise the Republican establishment in Washington for betraying conservative principles by spending too much when they were in power.

They tend to be older than the average voter and are overwhelmingly white. Derisive anti-Obama placards and comments by some figures have led to accusations that the movement as a whole is racist.

Considerable financial and tactical aid has been provided by Washington-based political outfits such as FreedomWorks and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which is funded by the billionaire Koch brothers.

There are arguments among the faithful about whether the movement's name was taken from the anti-colonial Boston Tea Party in 1773, or from banners at early demonstrations which read "Taxed Enough Already".

Tea Party movement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement

Tea Party protests
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_protests

Chinese Peeing Dolls - HowTo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LpSLb5Iy-Y

Pee Pee BoyS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-srbGn0fVso
This will sure get your guest laughing and WET

1995 Aged Raw Tea - Bulang Special Edition
Roughly translated from: 1995年 勐海茶厂 中茶布朗精品 老生茶







The taste is quite old and nice. The liquar is quite redish. I liked it, have to have it.... but a BIG BUT which stops me from buying more.

This tea was stored in China and not in a perfect condition. It has a little white layer (which is sign of fungus). The shop owner said if kept well, the white layer will go away but that may take years.

I can tell you the white layer will not go away if it is stored in a too wet condition. Seriously, this tea is not worth buying unless it is really cheap and not too wet condition.

It's most likely wet storage. I would also suggest against drinking it as it's not good for health.

My tea wish list:

Hibiscus tea: heard it's very delicious and can lower blood pressure

Dandelion tea: Easy way to detox

Chamomile tea: relaxes the nerves and promote good sleep, I heard

Gonna buy them all soon. Although local brands does not have the hibiscus flavour. The search continues..

Guoyan 2007 Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha Ripe - Yellow Stamp



This beeng is specially custom made for a tea shop here based on his requirements. The owner of the shop bought the whole year 2007 batch for this puerh, so in other words there shouldn't be any of this out there which is not from him. But unfortunately, the owner said he has seen and actually tasted fake which is not similar to his.

Now the taste. When I first tasted this, I was totally impressed by this. This ripe though 2007 tasted like an aged tea. So I asked what is this.

The owner explained, this special recipe is 1/2 fermented. Guoyan used traditional method to do the fermentation, but it somehow didn't fermented fully. The owner said, when this was younger, it tasted like ripe but as time goes by it actually changes it character. It is now slowly changing into aged raw taste. Simply amazing for such a young pu, not to mention ripe turning into raw. The owner said this changed of aged character was just recently which my friend said so too. He bought it long ago and it wasn't like it now.

Totally loved this. Bought 10 pieces, and will buy more if it tasted good at home.

The shop has another same 2007 batch ripe (red stamp) which is special custom made for him. It was good, but not as special as this Yellow Stamp. He has few other custom made for him which are also very good.

This post has been edited by auhckw: Oct 17 2010, 11:31 PM

Ripe to raw