Tea/Teaware Giveaway Extravaganza!

Yes, this is what you have all been waiting for... a mass "Pay it Forward" giveaway! The three packages of teas and teawares I've set up below are tokens of my thanks to the online tea community, in the hope that they help new tea lovers delve into this beloved interest of mine.

Of course, I would be lying if I said this isn't also a way for me to clear out some old stuff I don't use anymore! That said, I'm not giving away anything I think is total crap. All the teawares are functional, though perhaps a little beaten up and/or not of the highest quality, and all of the teas a) are good, but not my cuppa; b) were good at some point, but slightly stale now; or c) perfectly fine, but I know I won't get around to drinking it soon. These teas and wares will at least give newbies a decent introduction to the world of fine teas.

Without further ado, the packages:


Yellow

This package includes:
• 1 Bodum "Shin Cha" 2-cup teapot
• 1 sample of Bai Hao Yin Zhen (aka Silver Needle) from Jing Tea Shop, year forgotten
• ~65g of Premium Wenshan Baozhong from Shan Shui Teas, Spring 2007 (Review here; this is not an excellent tea, and is a bit stale, but is still a good introduction to the genre.)
• ~30g of Kuradashi Gyokuro Super Premium from Hibiki-an, 2007 (This is a very good tea, but I just don't like gyokuro all that much. Note that, while it is a year-old green tea, gyokuro takes some age well.)

Requirements:
Must be relatively new (less than 3 active months) to the world of tea. I would much prefer to give this to someone who has tried gyokuro and knows they like it, so please do not compete for this package if you don't— I do not want to waste that tea.


Green

This package includes:
• 1 ~3oz Yixing teapot (the lid, I must admit, is not flush with the rest of the pot and jiggles around. This does not greatly affect its functionality, though.)
• ~15g of Bai Hao (Oriental Beauty) oolong from TeaSpring, year forgotten
• ~15g of Formosa Mingjian Osmanthus Guihua Oolong from Aura Teas, 2007
• ~25g Select Aged NanTou Oolong from Hou De Asian Art, 1990's (Review, here.)
• ~12g Winter Taiwan Shui Xian Hand-Harvested Oolong from Hou De Asian Art, 2007
• ~6g Bai Ji Guan from Teacuppa.com, 2006
• ~30g Dong Ding "Hong Shui" Hand-Harvested Oolong from Hou De Asian Art, 2006

Requirements:
Must be relatively new to gong fu style brewing. I would prefer to give this to someone who is interested in oolongs or really enjoys them, and is interested in learning to brew them in a Yixing teapot.


Red

This package includes:
• 1 ~4-5oz Yixing teapot (this teapot functions beautifully; it has a fast pour and the lid fits well. I would use it myself, but I can't seem to find anything to use it for)
• 1 zisha tea boat
• 2 ~1 oz cups w/ bamboo saucers
• 1 porcelain and mesh gong fu strainer, w/ panda holder
• 1 set of cha dao tools; includes 1 scoop, 1 funnel, 1 pick, 1 scraper, and 1 set of tongs
• Remnants of the Half-Dipper/Dragon Tea House puerh tasting (Review here)

Requirements:
Must be brand new to gong fu style brewing.

Instructions/Rules

***Please read these carefully!***

1. Follow this link to my TeaChat thread.
2. Leave a reply, stating the following: A. The package you would like, and B. A number between 1 and 500 (inclusive). If you are interested in competing for more than one package, please rank them in order of preference, and pick a number between 1 and 500 for each item. DO NOT leave guesses as a comment on this blog post; your guesses will not be entered into the competition.

Example:

1. Yellow, 323.
2. Red, 56.
3. Green, 48.

The tentative drawing date will be Sunday, April 13— two weeks from today. I will use an online random number generator to generate one random number for each item, and I will award packages to those with the closest numbers. One package per person, max.

Ranking an package last in your list does not affect the likelihood of you winning that package; it only affects which package you receive, should you have the closest number for more than one package.

Should you win, I will send you a private message on TeaChat detailing what you won. It is then your responsibility to respond with a confirmation and your mailing address within three days. If you do not respond within three days, you forfeit your prize, and it will be given to the person who chose the second closest number. After I have received all three mailing addresses, I will post the results here and on TeaChat.

Please be honest and do not compete for these packages if you do not fit the requirements. I have no way of enforcing them, so you are on your honor.

Good luck!