1604 replies to this topic

[Richard Kilgore]

Today I am drinking a 2007 Menhai Tea Factory "Lao Cha Tou" -- "Old Tea Nuggets", a ripe Pu-ehr tea sample Greg at Norbutea.com sent with an order. Brewed gongfu style. Even thougn I am not getting as fast a pour as I would like due to some clogging, the first and second infusions are very good (after a 10 sec rinse). But I liked the first infusion better. Clearly many infusions left in the leaves.

The fact that I over-brewed this compared to what I would normally do and it still came out very smooth and delicious would make it a good first cooked Pu for anyone wanting to try Pu-erh. It apparently is quite forgiving...if ugly to look at. The nuggets are unappealing visually compared to the appearance of more typical Pu-erh cakes and bricks. Nonetheless, this is a ripe Pu I will order more of.


So, what are you all drinking today?

[Richard Kilgore]

Today I am drinking a 2007 Menhai Tea Factory "Lao Cha Tou" -- "Old Tea Nuggets", a ripe Pu-ehr tea sample Greg at Norbutea.com sent with an order. Brewed gongfu style. Even thougn I am not getting as fast a pour as I would like due to some clogging, the first and second infusions are very good (after a 10 sec rinse). But I liked the first infusion better. Clearly many infusions left in the leaves.

The fact that I over-brewed this compared to what I would normally do and it still came out very smooth and delicious would make it a good first cooked Pu for anyone wanting to try Pu-erh. It apparently is quite forgiving...if ugly to look at. The nuggets are unappealing visually compared to the appearance of more typical Pu-erh cakes and bricks. Nonetheless, this is a ripe Pu I will order more of.


So, what are you all drinking today?

I ended up doing four infusions within two hours and then left it alone for several hours. I then did another rinse and have now done another six infusions, the last one for three minutes. I can tell the infusion is weakening at this point, so I'll probably do just one more and stretch it to four minutes, then call it quits.

[Naftal]

Hello-The teahouse I frequent got a special gift from their buyer in China. Don't laugh, it is called Milk Oolong. It has no milk in it, but it does taste as if it did. I had a pot,and the straight brew did indeed have a rice milky-sweet taste that was wonderful!

[qrn]

Yesterday, I stopped at my local tea place and restocked, I also picked up a
"white tipped oolong" Have not researched what it is , but I Just had the first two steepings...Much different than the TGY that I started out with . not sure I like it as well. Have to see if it grows on me..
Bud

[jpr54_]

I have just returned from a 2 week trip to Hallandale Florida-
I will be moving from New Jersey at the end of the month-
While I was away i used up all of my tea- I went to teavanna for some tea-
I purchased 2 oz. of six summits oolong-
i prepared it again at home in nj last nite-it was decent but not great-great aroma and smoothe taste-not bitter

[andiesenji]

Today I have been taste-testing a blend, or rather blends, of black teas (Indian and/or Ceylon) with various proportions of cherry and vanilla flavored teas as I am trying to duplicate a flavored tea no longer on the market.

A couple of years ago Republic of Tea introduced several teas under the "Jerry Garcia" name with labels that were from Jerry Garcia paintings.
The Jerry Cherry Carcia tea was exceptionally flavorful and had I known it was to be discontinued, I would have purchased extras. Unfortunately I missed the event and now would like to recreate the same flavor.

So far I have pretty much missed the mark but have an order arriving from Adagio tomorrow that may include something that will work.
Meanwhile, I am now ready to brew something totally different to get my taste buds to relax.

I am considering one of the "seasonal" teas that sort of mimic the Indian chai blends and which work nicely with milk or cream. (I think I need the milk to sooth my tummy.)

[Richard Kilgore]

Today I dropped by The Cultured Cup and had two teas I had not tried before. One was the MF French Breakfast Tea, which I liked better than the good English and Irish Breakfast teas I have tried.

The second one is an Organic Ceylon tea that they got in a couple of weeks ago. Very nice. Organic does not always mean delicious, but in this case I liked it better than other good Ceylons they have introduced me to.

[Richard Kilgore]

Have a cold today and not wanting to waste really fine tea on my defective sensory organs, I have been alternating between English and Irish Tea blends.

[Richard Kilgore]

Have a cold today and not wanting to waste really fine tea on my defective sensory organs, I have been alternating between English and Irish Tea blends.

Reprieve late with a "2007 Winter Feng Huang WuDong - Old Bush DanCong Huang Jing" from Hou De. Brewed GongFu style in a gaiwan of about 120 ml. Rinse of 10 sec, followed by a 20 sec first infusion. A lovely floral aroma and floral, honey taste with a linger after-taste. The floral quality is close to honeysuckle. I am going to sip on several infusions yet tonight.

[Richard Kilgore]

Irish Breakfast this morning again. Now drinking the Tie Guan Yin Oolong from jingteashop.com I mentioned about a month ago. Brewed gongfu style in a 50 ml gawain. 10 sec rinse; 1: 20"; 2: 25"; 3: 20"; 4: 25"; 5: 35"; and more to go. Mild, pleasant vegetale taste with sweetness emerging increasingly after the second infusion. My aroma-detector is still not working properly, so can't have much to say there....

[Richard Kilgore]

What are you all drinking today?

For me it's a Chinese red tea: a Dian Hong Imperiale from Norbutea.com. Brewed western style, but in a 300 ml Yixing teapot. Have had 6 infusions using about 240 - 250 ml water for each infusion, with 3.7 grams of leaf. This is my favorite red tea so far.

[jpr54_]

I received an order from www.shanshuiteas.com yesterday-
this morning i enjoyed wulong superior-

Edited by jpr54_, 14 December 2008 - 04:12 PM.

[jpr54_]

my morning brew today is lanyun winter 2007 fromwww.shanshuiteas.com

the dry leaves were long and twisted slightly-
the tea liquor is light yelllow - taste is slightly dry, and flowery-


joanne



it is a green oolong

Edited by jpr54_, 14 December 2008 - 04:14 PM.

[Richard Kilgore]

my morning brew today is lanyun winter 2007 fromwww.shanshuiteas.com

the dry leaves were long and twisted slightly-
the tea liquor is light yelllow -  taste is slightly dry, and flowery-


joanne

What type of Oolong is that, Joanne?

[Richard Kilgore]

Today I am drinking a Mariage Freres tea from The Cultured Cup: 1854, named after the founding of the company. It is similar to Earl Gray, or perhaps closer to a Lady Gray, but with Oolong in the blend. I like it better than traditional Earl Grays and usually drink it without milk.

[Richard Kilgore]

Today I am drinking a Mariage Freres tea from The Cultured Cup: 1854, named after the founding of the company. It is similar to Earl Gray, or perhaps closer to a Lady Gray, but with Oolong in the blend. I like it better than traditional Earl Grays and usually drink it without milk.

One great thing about Oolong in the blend is that I got three good infusions and a fourth okay infusion out of this tea. That makes it not only tasty, but especially cost effective for a finer morning tea. The infusions were 3, 4, 6, 9 minutes.

[Naftal]

Hello- Recently, I had some "cloud and mist" (sounds so much better that "cloud and fog"). I liked it, it tasted like a lighter version of my usual Dragon Well A.

[jpr54_]

one of my favorite tea online co. is www.thefragrantleaf.com-

i received yesterday my most recent order
bai hao formosa oolong
shan lin xi oolong
high mountain oolng
wenshan baozhong
dong ding oolong

robyn consistently carries good quality teas at reasonable prices-

last evening i had the shan lin xi which had a chestnut like aroma and taste-the liquor was alight gold

this morning i am enjoying the high mountain

[Richard Kilgore]

one of my favorite tea online co. is www.thefragrantleaf.com-

i received yesterday my most recent order
bai hao formosa oolong
shan lin xi oolong
high mountain oolng
wenshan baozhong
dong ding oolong

robyn consistently carries good quality teas at reasonable prices-

last evening i had the shan lin xi which had a chestnut like aroma and taste-the liquor was alight gold

this morning i am enjoying the high mountain

The chestnut aroma and taste of the shan lin xi sounds interesting, Joanne. Did you brew it gongfu or western style? How many infusions do you get from it and do they change much?

First for me today is MF French Breakfast that I picked up from The Cultured Cup yesterday. This is the best commercial breakfast blend I have had. (One of the personal blends Kyle created for me may - just may - be better, but it is also more expensive.) I was able to get three good infusions out of it, and usually most black tea blends only give one or two.

So what tea are you all drinking today?

[jpr54_]

this is description of tea from their website:
"Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong

Grown near the Dong Ding region at an elevation of 1,600 meters amidst a forest of cedar trees and bamboo, Shan Lin Xi oolong tea is a favorite among Taiwan tea lovers. It has a light, floral aroma with a hint of bamboo and a crisp, sweet flavor and dry finish. The slight astringency is refreshing and palate cleansing.

We selected this premium batch of Gao Shan (“high mountain”) tea from the Lin Family tea farm in Feng Huang village. Award-winning tea masters, the Lins cultivate their tea plants organically and carefully hand-pick the leaves.

High mountain grown teas are highly prized by tea connoisseurs in Taiwan. The environmental conditions are ideal for growing high-quality tea. The sharp difference in day and night temperatures allow the tea plants to grow more slowly, thus developing more aroma and sweetness. And the abundant cloud and fog surrounding the mountains allow the tealeaves to absorb more moisture.

Brewing Recommendation: This tea is best enjoyed gongfu style as the leaves can be re-steeped many times.

Origin: Taiwan, Nantou County, Lugu Township, Feng Huang Village.
Harvest: Spring 2008
Oxidation Level: 15%
"
it is interesting that robyn describes tea- floral aroma with hint of bamboo-
it does taste sweet- i am not sure of terms crisp and hint of bamboo(i said-chestnut)

i brewed tea gong fu style and re-steeped 2 times

joanne

[Richard Kilgore]

This evening a Chinese green tea from The Cultured Cup: Mao Jian "Hair Needle Tea" from the Henan Province. Brewed Western style - 2 grams to 8 ounces water. Two infusions (1: 1'45"; 2: 2'15"). I enjoyed the second infusion more, and this one should go at least one more infusion. (I think the first infusion may have been better at 1'45" or 2', but the second infusion was smoother anyway.) Very pleasant mild vegetal flavor with no astringency.

This is one of the best Chinese green teas I have tasted. But I have a few unopened ones yet to try.

[Richard Kilgore]

Drinking an Irish Breakfast today so far.

What tea is everyone else drinking today?

[Richard Kilgore]

Drinking an Irish Breakfast today so far.

What tea is everyone else drinking today?

Later yesterday - a bamboo pu-erh from norbuyea.com.

[jsmeeker]

Drinking an Irish Breakfast today so far.

What tea is everyone else drinking today?

I think that's a pretty strongly flavored tea, isn't it Richard? Did you get it at CC? I'm running out of what I bought there on my first trip and need more.

Anyway, I just made a pot of Ceylon Sultane.

[Richard Kilgore]

Drinking an Irish Breakfast today so far.

What tea is everyone else drinking today?

I think that's a pretty strongly flavored tea, isn't it Richard? Did you get it at CC? I'm running out of what I bought there on my first trip and need more.

Anyway, I just made a pot of Ceylon Sultane.

Yes, Jeff, Irish Breakfast is hearty, but it was given to me and I am not sure where it came from. Not sure if TCC has an Irish Breakfast, but they have a good English Breakfast you may like - similar to the Irish Breakfast blends, but with a hint of smoke. You may also want to try an Earl Grey for a strong flavor - they have several.

[Richard Kilgore]

This is my second brewing of Brodie's Scottish Teatime, a smoother blend than most breakfast blends, and one the people at British Emporium recommended as an afternoon tea. The first time I was not sure if I liked it or what I thought of it. Today I like it better. Just one more example of liking a tea more (or less) as you get to know it.

Also brewed gongfu style one of the Oolong teas in my last shipment from jingtea.com. A Wuyi Seasonal Da Hong Pao. This is an inexpensive Da Hong Pao, but certainly a good one for every day drinking. 15" rinse, 30 " rest, 1: 20", 2: 15", 3: 20", 4: 30", 5: 45", 6: 60", 7:90". The leaves had more infusions left, but I ran out of time.

[Richard Kilgore]

What teas are you all drinking today?

For me it's a Nilgiri Glendale Estate, Handmade. This is delicious. Love it. From TeaSource.com.

[nakji]

I had a standard cup of Itoen green tea - my first in about a month. It was perfect and palate-clearing with my bento. It gave me quite the caffeine kick, too.

[Richard Kilgore]

I had a standard cup of Itoen green tea - my first in about a month. It was perfect and palate-clearing with my bento. It gave me quite the caffeine kick, too.

Is the Ito-en green tea a Sencha, Erin? What is a standard cup?

[Richard Kilgore]

Today so far it's a Castleton Estate 2nd Flush Wiry Darjeeling in my cup. From TeaSource. A great Darjeeling. I'll have to get a few shots of the leaf so you can see what this looks like.