Oud & Coffee

Ensar Oud

Well-Known Member
#22
Subhanallah! Wishing you all the best on your trip.

I'm generally more of a chinese tea enthusiast, but I have some fresh gyokuro lined up for this afternoon.
I'm open to suggestions from anyone for pairing oud profiles and gyokuo from experience.
Nothing soaked or fermented. No barn or funk. Gyokuro is like the Kinam of tea, so you want to stick to the natural aroma of the leaf and not overshadow it with an 'un-Japanese' profile. If you don't have any of the RKK oils, Jing Shen Lu. Nha Trang LTD would be my first choice though.

As for meself, Yunnan all the way with Evoking Antiquity and a splash of Yunnan Kinam...

 

Simla House

Well-Known Member
#23
Nothing soaked or fermented. No barn or funk. Gyokuro is like the Kinam of tea, so you want to stick to the natural aroma of the leaf and not overshadow it with an 'un-Japanese' profile. If you don't have any of the RKK oils, Jing Shen Lu. Nha Trang LTD would be my first choice though.

As for meself, Yunnan all the way with Evoking Antiquity and a splash of Yunnan Kinam...

Jing Shen Lu is a beautiful choice, actually. As I don't currently have access to either of the other ones, I'll give that one a try.
Enjoy the Pu-erh, and happy tree hunting!
 

PEARL

Well-Known Member
#26
Oud, tea and what's in a name...

This is an excellent topic as there are many commonalities between oud oils and tea, namely the industries as a whole, differences in grade and how people enjoy and experience oud & tea.
Within the oud & tea industries there are many fakes, as well as dubious and unscrupulous behavior, especially with authentic oud oils from famous regions and famous teas such as Da Hong Pao and Ensar's specimen of Da Yu Ling, just to name a few. Agarwood is often taken from other regions to famous regions where they command a premium price, but you don't get what you think you're paying for. Same with teas, take Darjeeling tea which is governed by the Tea Board of India for example, it can only be grown on specific farms in very specific areas in the district of Darjeeling in the State of West Bengal, India; anything else is not Darjeeling tea. An excerpt from Wiki states, "Adulteration and falsification are serious problems in the global tea trade; as of 2004, the amount of tea sold as Darjeeling worldwide every year exceeds 40,000 tonnes, while the annual tea production of Darjeeling itself is estimated at only 10,000 tonnes, including local consumption". Bottom line with both is that you have to do your due diligence, research and find trustworthy vendors.
Oud & teas have grades. Oud oils range from trash bin worthy oils to heirloom quality oils and oils that I know I'll never smell. Teas have grades like first flush Darjeeling, shincha Sencha and spring vs fall harvest. Also, different vendors have different relationships with farms, in turn some farms have been around longer and have more experience with growing, picking and processing teas resulting in higher grades of same cultivars relative to other farms. With oud & teas small increments in grade often lead to relatively larger increments in price. Once again, it is imperative to get to know your vendor.
People enjoy and experience oud & tea in similar ways. One may just put on any decent oud oil for fragrance while another sits quietly, wrist to nose studying and listening to an oil to pick up subtle, delicate nuances that separate one oil from another. Similarly, one may throw a tea bag in a cup of water, into the microwave for 2-3 minutes, beep and they're off to work. Another may sit quietly, gather their supplies, study their tea, look at it, sniff it, use proper ppm and pH water(Volvic is good), heat their cups and pot, measure their tea, heat the water to precise temperature and brew for precise times, pour and savor the tea to pick up subtle, delicate nuances that separate one tea from another.
@Ensar rather peculiar how one thing leads to another and how you mentioned Jing Shen Lu in your last post. I was studying your Da Yu Ling/Kinam Skin post and thought to myself, "I don't think this guy needs to drive or operate any heavy machinery after that combo". That led me to thinking about Cha Qi, which led me to reading about Jing-Qi-Shen, when led me to recalling that you had an oil called Jing Shen Lu. I never put much thought into your naming methods other than to say that they do fit the oil, it appears that there is some method to your madness for what's in a name. Jing Shen Lu can be very, very loosely translated by me as, "The road to perfected spirit" or "The road to the essence of the soul". Then I checked out your Xiang Liao Ling and maybe that's the "primal spiciness" that you were talking about on the product page. In-ter-rest-ting. You're a special kind a groovy dude Saheb.

Last bits of O-Cha's Organic Kabusecha for me today.
 

Ensar Oud

Well-Known Member
#27
Lovely read @PEARL! Right on the money, as usual. We are fortunate to have such discriminating noses paired with supercritical analytical faculties in our midst. And thank you for the kind words, habib. I do take my time naming things. Some names just come naturally and make perfect sense (eg: Kesiro Kinam), others you need to rack your brains for days on end, sniffing and resniffing, in different contexts and settings, until the perfect name presents itself... :)

This is what Dayuling at the distillery looks like....





 
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PEARL

Well-Known Member
#28
Lovely pics @Ensar looks light and healthy, is that the fish where they steam it then pour hot oil over it before garnishing or the one made like bouillon? Either way or fried/baked/roasted/grilled I love whole fish and clean them to the bone better than any pussy cat ever could, especially the cheeks and the eyes with that clear, plasticy piece you spit it, yum-O.
 

kesiro

Well-Known Member
#29
Hey Ensar! Great pics!!!! Fish looks killer but I say that with considerable angst, given how much I love fish. About 10 years ago I had severe Mercury poisoning and can no longer consume fish. It was very very dangerous and difficult time for me. Took a long time but I finally feel I more or less fully recovered. The soup looks amazing though and is making my stomach growl.
So what do I do? An extra of Chugoku Senkoh and I am good!!

Oh, last thing. I agree, Kesiro Kinam makes a lot of sense!! :D:D:p
 
#30
Whoah, I thought I was the only one who loved both tea and oud! Today I am cold brewing a sencha to enjoy on this hot day.
 
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Ensar Oud

Well-Known Member
#32
I get mine mostly as gifts from my Chinese friends, wood suppliers and distillers. Some of the ones featured on this thread are from a Taipei teahouse.
 

Ensar Oud

Well-Known Member
#33
Hey Ensar! Great pics!!!! Fish looks killer but I say that with considerable angst, given how much I love fish. About 10 years ago I had severe Mercury poisoning and can no longer consume fish. It was very very dangerous and difficult time for me. Took a long time but I finally feel I more or less fully recovered. The soup looks amazing though and is making my stomach growl.
So what do I do? An extra of Chugoku Senkoh and I am good!!
That sounds like a terrible ordeal, doc.... I've had frightful experiences with mercury myself, and one of the great accomplishments that came with the move to Singapore (apart from sourcing grandparents for the kids) is that I had all of my amalgam fillings removed by a biological dentist, one by one, over many months. I had to take weeks to recuperate after each removal, given the mercury fumes that you're necessarily exposed to, even when done in strict accordance with the principles of biological dentistry.

I'd have to say, as someone that used to have a mouthful of amalgam fillings, not eating ANY fish sounds rather extreme! Do you have any amalgams? If so, that might be the root cause of your mercury toxicity.

Chlorella is great at eliminating heavy metals from the body, as is cilantro (though you'd have to consume TONS of either and chlorella contains loads of iron which might lead to other problems). What I'd recommend is the Quicksilver Scientific's IMD 'Intestinal Cleanse' thiol salts which effectively remove any mercury from the intestinal walls. But hey, why am I telling you all this??? You're the DOC! :rolleyes:
 

RobertOne

Well-Known Member
#34
That sounds like a terrible ordeal, doc.... I've had frightful experiences with mercury myself, and one of the great accomplishments that came with the move to Singapore (apart from sourcing grandparents for the kids) is that I had all of my amalgam fillings removed by a biological dentist, one by one, over many months. I had to take weeks to recuperate after each removal, given the mercury fumes that you're necessarily exposed to, even when done in strict accordance with the principles of biological dentistry.

I'd have to say, as someone that used to have a mouthful of amalgam fillings, not eating ANY fish sounds rather extreme! Do you have any amalgams? If so, that might be the root cause of your mercury toxicity.

Chlorella is great at eliminating heavy metals from the body, as is cilantro (though you'd have to consume TONS of either and chlorella contains loads of iron which might lead to other problems). What I'd recommend is the Quicksilver Scientific's IMD 'Intestinal Cleanse' thiol salts which effectively remove any mercury from the intestinal walls. But hey, why am I telling you all this??? You're the DOC! :rolleyes:
I had all my mouth metal removed as well and replaced with composite, but over the space of two brief and painful days.

On the advice of the fang-quack I went to a chelation specialist on Harley Street* who gave me IV treatments over the course of a month. Half, he explained were chems to do the actual chelation and the other half was to replenish the essential metals / minerals in my body that the chelation 'shotgunned out' while clawing away the Mercury and incidentally some Lead too.

He also suggested I get some coriander (cilantro to you traitorous colonials) oil and apply it to my wrists frequently, which I did.

My understanding of chelation suppliments is that unless you suppliment agressively with trace minerals and Iron following the EDTA and whatnot you are putting yourself at risk.

Annoyingly after all this, my levels of heavy metals were still quite high but nothing like what they were at the beginning. Unsurprisingly so as I grew up with cars belching out Tetraethyl Lead and lots of lead being in the paint of that era. I should really get tested again come to think of it.

* The UK's premier address for private healthcare. My wallet hurt for months afterwards.
 
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5MeO

Well-Known Member
#36
Just beginning my discovery of fine teas - and.... fine kombucha! Have multiple batches brewing - for those of you who love tea, brewing kombucha is easy and tastes amazing - I have been brewing tea-only kombucha, in the sense that I don't add any fruit juice to it during the 2nd fermentation/bottling stage - I'm loving just the exquisite flavors of the pure teas fermented as kombucha.. Have a couple very fine Oolongs from Song Tea & Ceramics on the way.. Will also be experimenting with making kombucha out of yerba mate and guayusa, and various combos of those with teas.. The caffeine effect from kombucha is really interesting - no jitters, super clear headed, I think it's the probiotics and nutrients etc synergizing - puts me in a great mood..
 
#37
@5MeO good call on Song Tea & Ceramics....tis my go to for fine oolong! Been wanting to try Mr. & Mrs. Chen's oolong. Partaking in a small swipe of Borneo 50K....may have to go brew up some tea!
 
#38
Before oud, my passion was tea. Though I am still a big tea addict over time I have found good sources for tea and teaware.

So, If you guys are looking for good tea sources I would recommend:

https://yunnansourcing.com

I have been buying from them for a while, and I would say that their teas quality is very good, and their selection is unprecedented. They source straight from Yunnan in China, and though their specialty might be Puer I have found their other types of teas to be quite enjoyable.

If you are looking only for Fine Taiwanese Oolong teas then I would HIGHLY recommend Taiwan sourcing: https://taiwanoolongs.com

As you may have noticed this is owned by the same brand of Yunnan sourcing, but Scott has had much experience with taiwanese teas, and I am yet to find a better source for Taiwanese Oolongs. This shop is more like the more refined version of Yunnan sourcing, and more fine and expensive oolongs find there way here. If vintage teaware is something you are interested in they sell this as well.

oh, and: http://white2tea.com

This is a teashop owned by a guy in Guangdong, China. Though, he might be young, his tea is out of this world and most of my favorite Raw Puers are from him. I know this guy personally, and he is someone who puts his heart and soul into what he is doing, a very inspirational person indeed.

As well, for good teaware I would recommend: http://www.bitterleafteas.com

This is a teaware sourcing shop from Yunnan, in China. They source teaware from local artists, and have just gotten into tea as well. I would wait a few years for them to get a little better with sourcing tea, but with teaware I have not found anyone else with as nice of a selection and with better quality.


I hope all of my recommendations helped!
 
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#40
Lovely read @PEARL! Right on the money, as usual. We are fortunate to have such discriminating noses paired with supercritical analytical faculties in our midst. And thank you for the kind words, habib. I do take my time naming things. Some names just come naturally and make perfect sense (eg: Kesiro Kinam), others you need to rack your brains for days on end, sniffing and resniffing, in different contexts and settings, until the perfect name presents itself... :)

This is what Dayuling at the distillery looks like....





so much chili , will make you nose run and cry in a good way Ensar Bhaia , you have to eat some Bengali hot curry dish's , super spicy , , my Caucasian friends love Hot Naga dish's . Stomach made from Steel I tell ya , lol , ( That soup looks Like Hot thai soup done right , I can smell the lemon grass from the screen lol )
:)