012: Monkey Picked

What is lapsang souchong? Why does it have such a smoky taste? Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lapsang_souchong&oldid=874580993 https://sevencups.com/2013/11/the-demise-of-tongmu-lapsang-souchong-black-tea/ https://www.therighttea.com/lapsang-souchong-tea.html "The Tea Drinker's Handbook", p. 159 http://nicky_smith.tripod.com/neon.html "The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to the World's Best Teas" p. 133 (Loc. 2192) https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Russian_Caravan&oldid=872883877 http://www.flavorandfortune.com/dataaccess/article.php?ID=617 http://sensibiliteas.blogspot.com/2009/01/sherlock-holmes-and-his-cup-of-tea.html https://www.thekitchn.com/cooking-with-tea-smoky-lapsang-52170 https://www.teaformeplease.com/blog//2017/08/the-real-lapsang-souchong-and-dangers.html http://theteastylist.com/2012/01/23/pillars-of-smoke-churchill-cigars-and-lapsang-souchong-tea/ https://theteaspot.com/steep-it-loose/loose-black-tea/where-does-lapsang-souchong-tea-come-from/ https://verdanttea.com/the-legend-of-lapsang-souchong/ (yet another origin myth: bandits burning down sheds)

Apparently my previous "episode" consisted of the text post "I like Darjeeling." This serves admirably as a summary of the entire episode, as well as the entire podcast, and potentially my entire life. Still, I meant to include an audio file as well.

High-grade Tie Guan Yin is often referred to as "monkey-picked" tea. But do monkeys really pick tea? Yes, Tea Rage is back after a brief two-year absence, and pretending that nothing has happened.

Tea is mostly water, but we don't think much about water. What is it? Where did it come from? How does it work? And how can we use this knowledge to make our tea better?

Tea bags are horrible tea. There's nothing wrong with tea bags. Let me explain. Errata: At one point I say "milligrams" when I mean "milliliters".

The challenges and triumphs of making tea while traveling. Links: Bodum Bistro Kettle Ketadyn Combi Filter

A discussion of tea in the workplace. Tea review: Silk Dragon by The Tea Merchant 

How do I feel about flavored tea? Guess. Tea review: Wu Yi Yan Cha, Imperial Grade

Robert Fortune, the superspy of tea. Links: For All The Tea in China by Sarah Rose

This episode features our very first interview, and it's with Gail Carriger, a novelist, archeologist, and tea aficionado. She's best known for her Parasol Protectorate series, which is a steampunk comedy romance adventure series featuring the tea-addicted Alexia Tarabotti. You can find out more about her and her works at gailcarriger.com.