Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • A Perennial Passport to Pike Street

    Back in early September, my mother was visiting us from out of town. It was the week of my brother’s wedding, and she was – as any mother would be – flustered. On an innocuous trip to JC Penny’s, the unthinkable happened. She set her purse on a random chair as she went to return…

  • A Bourbon Barrel Pu-erh Origin Story

    I talk a lot about new and interesting teas on this blog. It’s kind of my thing. But this article’s going to be a little bit different. I’ve always tried to talk about the origins to unique teas, or the regions they stem from. This is the first time where I was actually there when…

  • The Moonlight of 2013

    Earlier today, I finally clicked on my “2013: Year in Review” thingy on Facebook. For those not on the accursed social media site – all two of you in Zambia – at the end of the year, your most frequented status updates are compiled logarithmically. The Top 20 are listed in order, giving the user…

  • Deck the Halls with Balhyocha

    T’was the night before Christmas, And all through the flat, Every creature was stirring Because of my hungry cat. For the last couple of weeks, I was feeling humbuggish. But I awoke with a streak… If a little bit sluggish.   After running some errands For the night’s holiday supper. I thought to myself, Man,…

  • Russian Tea Finds You

    I can’t remember when this quest began, but it all started with a random Google search. It was probably in the Fall of 2010, and I ran across an article about Russian tea. What astounded me was that there was mention of Soviet-run tea plantations. That immediately got me digging. Russia has a long-standing love…

  • The Golden “Tea”-cket – A Tandem Tea Tasting

    Back in March, when I was visiting The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants, I ran across a particularly unusual tea. It was a small brick wrapped in gold foil, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a candy bar. I asked the teatender on duty at the time if I could sample it. She obliged and explained to…

  • Oolong for the Old Otaku

    I have always had a fascination with Japan for as long as I can remember. The first seeds of wonder were planted by early-80s dubbings of Robotech, and continued on well into my teens and twenties with samurai films galore. One could even say my otaku (read: fanboy) brain was hardwired to like everything Japanese…

  • Nan Nuo – My Favorite Mountain

    Anyone that’s developed some sort of taste for tea starts to identify flavors with places. As palates develop, so do preferences for terroir – i.e. the characteristics tea plants take on based upon their geography. Where do Assams get their malt, or Darjeelings their muscatel notes? Why do Hawaiian teas tend to have fruit-sweet/tropical sensations…

  • Smoked Tea with Friends

    Days like this are frustrating. One casually glances around at different tea vendors, and then…it happens. There is a particular tea that catches the eye and doesn’t let the gaze turn away. That was my reaction to Norbu Tea’s Jin Xuan Xiao Zhong. (Try saying that name three times fast.) The extensive bio said everything…

  • Tandem Tastings and Tea Moment Tags.

    I was originally saving this blog space for a totally different write-up, but two occurrences have sidelined that extended anecdote. First was the advent of another Tandem Tea Tasting via Google+ Hangout, and the second…was a blog tag. And I’m not one to ever turn down either. As such, priori-“tea” dictates that I cover those…

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