Spoonvonstup

Thanks for the update. I’ll had this to my verdant order. Not a huge Oolong drinker, but this one sounds special. I would hate to think that people would actually numerically rate a tea without trying it, but I’ve noticed a lot of shenanigans going on with people giving over the top ratings to companies they like and inexplicably and uniformly low ratings to other tea companies.

Well- hopefully I’m just being a negative Nancy. It’s also possible that there were one or two people who tried the tea somewhere, hated it inexplicably, and then gave it super low ratings without sharing their experiences. Still, that’s a sad thing to do regardless, especially because their explanation might be a useful example of how not to brew the tea, etc..

Oh well, oh well. The important thing is: I love this tea, and I’ve still got a bunch of it left!

On a side note, I’ll be in the Minneapolis area at least a few times a year for the next few years. Are there any good tea houses or tea shops in the area. You mentioned that Verdant does some tastings?

one would think that the quality of the reveiws would be more useful than the abreviation of a numerical notation….I realize its a lot to ask for people to read descriptions, but I think they are such a better way to get a sense of the palate and the drinker…the numbers after all are on an sliding scale that is not annotated…

Enlighten me please, because I am confused. Why do you automatically assume that the lower ratings were entered by someone who hadn’t tried the tea? Maybe they just didn’t like it as much as you do…?

@ Kashyap – You are of course correct. Especially if they’re reading your descriptions; you’ve got some really excellent ones! It also helps to get context for notes and ratings by reading the checking out people’s profiles and getting a sense for how they rate things. You don’t give out high ratings lightly, and others don’t like to give anything they liked below a 92.

@ Angrboda – You’re definitely right. The assumption was probably one part protective mama-bear reaction, and seven parts posting-too-far-past-1am. I had just left a tasting note for the TGY a few days ago, and had found it quite conveniently on the first page of teas. When I went to log my note yesterday night/morning, I was confused to not see it again where it had been on the front page for so long, and instead found it through my previous notes. When I noticed that the rating had changed, I assumed someone must have rated it low, and I looked for the rating with curiosity but found nothing. In my sleepy logic, I decided that someone whose experience was so different from the others would definitely have left a note of warning or to protest. Not seeing a note, I leapt to the idea of sabotage.
Hopefully it isn’t so! I really wish there had been a note. If a TGY lover tries this tea and doesn’t like it, I would love to go and read the rest of their logs to find the oolongs they rate highly. If this is just ho hum for them, I’ve got to see their recommendations and try some for myself!

@ Triumph – There are two or three tea houses in the Twin Cities; I will send a private note this evening with details. As for Verdant’s tastings, they happen at my local teahouse (Infinitea) and also around at some art galleries, studios and events. I usually find out about them because I’m on the mailing list or via Verdant’s facebook page.

Yeah, late nights can definitely mess with one’s thought processes and leaps of logic. :) I have been known to make some interesting conclusions once about the anniversary of something or other (I’ve forgotten all the details) by way of some really creative maths… :)
If it had me and the beloved Tan Yang Te Ji (♥), I can’t guarantee I wouldn’t have come to the same conclusion that you did with this one.
Some people just don’t bother with the notes, it seems. I think it would have been nice if those ratings were not anonymous, but I suppose we can’t have everything.