Chapo & Chapo Mid 2021

Its a lot better than ripe, any Liu Bao is better than ripe (most things are).

Chapo & Chapo Mid 2021 from W2T Liu Bao Heicha. Really crunky shit fungal compacted to near pointlessness. Has urotium cristatum, some of which i have attempted to harvest and propogate.

3.75/5 stars

17/01/2026

Tajin Classico Seasoning & Whole Egg Mayonnaise.

Ingredients:
* 1 Tablespoon of Mayonnaise (Whole Egg is best, but others are fine)
* Tajin Seasoning to taste (I have used Classico Seasoning)

Method:
* Mix together to desired distribution. The Tajin will continue to meld with the mayo as it sits.

Notes:
* Use more of each ingredient, particularly the mayonnaise, if you wish to make a larger amount.
* Its recommended, by me, to add chili to kick it up a notch. I have added some Roasted Habanero hot sauce (La Meridana), and I have also used a splash of Secret Aardvark Drunken Jerk marinade before. The heat adds another level to the citric and the sourness of the Tajin.

BCL 17/01/2026

Some tea

Viet Sun teas.

Giàng Pằng Spring 2024
Ngài Là Thầu Spring 2025

Teas

2025 Yunnan Sourcing “Jinggu Ye Sheng Cha” Wild Tree Purple Tea.

12g/200ml. 5sec or so first steep, fleeting melon and floral notes. Steep 2, 10 sec. Floral notes mix with a light fresh cut grass, it more rich in taste, still mild, a barley-vegetal taste in the middle which rises as it cools, some very mild astringency, no actual bitterness. Full soft mouthfeel. 3th steep 10sec again out of concern. More mild astringency, more vegetal. A mild menthol cooling that started toward the end of steep 2 is very apparent now. 4th steep same as before but up a notch, this increases a dryness on the tongue, though full astringency or bitterness hasn’t become problematic. The mild menthol/cooling, the tongue dryness, and vegetal notes all seem a bit discordant now. 5th steep is vegetal, less depth, still coolness, its all highs, slightly raw, astringency to the sides of the tongue, there’s a very light almost sourness. 6th was similar, a bit lighter again. This was a softly packed cake that fell apart perfectly.

Songs

Definitley in my top 20 of blackmetal. Its USBM, very obvious, but this track is good and just nuts. The whole alum is great. Dan Lilker plays bass.


One more….

Best two songs on the other album I know of theirs?

Thermos Brewing / Big Brewing

I started drinking kinda compact when i wanted more tea at work and it be my tea and good tea.
Im pretty sure I could gongfu at work but I respect my collegues.

I find this style works to get more nuance out of teas I know, and is great for daily drinkers or breaking down a bitter or older tea. Roasted Oolongs are great this way as a lover of them and boricha/barley tea and that roasty flavour, its something that can really shine here.

This isnt about recreating a 70ml gongfu sip into 400mls. Its about enjoying a tea in a more casual and extended format, both in time and in taste.

I dont think many teas would be lessened by this style, but I would still maybe go daily drinkers at least at first. It kinda puts the tea in a different spectrum. It can draw out a tea that becomes too bitter fast, or as mentioned above open up roasted and raw teas.

IMPORTANT: Water Quantity and steep time is most important here. Less steeps, shorter steeps, in higher water volume.

Items needed
1x Tea I use maybe 10 grams in ~350ml, I eye ball it, but have a vague idea from colour, smell, and its very tea specific. but its per tea and per taste in the end. A daily drinker should be more casual.
2x thermos or 1x large hot-water safe container and 1x other heat maintaining container. One should have a filter of some kind – but not IN a cage thing, the tea needs to be in the water lose in the thermos, or use a hand held filter. You just need a thing to make 3-400ml of tea and a thing to pour it into and keep it warm. I do this at a desk so two thermos is very safe and tidy.
1x cup that holds a decent amount, 200ml or as much as you want. I use a random coffee mug.

I do maybe 3 or 4 boiling/hot as above steeps, and the last 4 and 5 with cold water…OR

THERMOS / BIG TEA BREWING is a great way to get a lot out of lighter teas. Also to experience a bit more depth over a longer time, particularly with ripes that might feel too dense or old/worn out, and teas that that can blow out early and get bitter fast.

Again, roasted Oolong works fantastic this style.

***


Pic: 2023 Prosbloom from W2T.

Teas

  1. 2021 Camphornaught – W2T
  2. 2023 Prosbloom – W2T
  3. 2024 A Flash and then the Quiet vol 2 – Kuura

Prosbloom is a mild smooth ripe, has some stank to it though its been broken up and stored in a jar for a few weeks. There is a mild vanila taste deep in there, the usual forest mulch, a very mild bitterness along with a very light sourness. Camphornaught is much like the above but smoother, milder, less variation, with a broader forest floor base note. they both stay pretty similar over multiple steeps, and dont get crazy or overbearing.

A Flash and then the Quiet vol 2 is a big raw bitter blast. Short steeps work, but a bigger brew works really well to get more out of it and not be punished by over steeping. Its actually quite nice if kept in control. A few grams in 300ml, steeped for 10secs or so, decanted off into a thermos for pouring.