Wholemeal Crank
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Posts posted by Wholemeal Crank
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Another amazing infusion of the "cold brew Da Yu Ling" from Dragon Tea House. They aren't kidding when they recommend this stuff for cold brewing. It's definitely the most interesting of the teas I ordered with my teeny-tiny teapot.
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It's been sencha, celebrating a new shiboridashi that matches the kyusu and cups I got a few weeks back (the shiboridashi was in a separate shipment), and lots of oolongs. I was at camp, bulk brewing for the thermos, and didn't take any puerh with me. Also some cold-brewed tea, including a cheap sencha that is more refreshing cool than hot, silver needle, and the 'cold brew Da Yu Ling' from Jing Tea Shop.
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Last night, worked on a tasting of Norbu's Fall 2010 Jin Guan Yin, a greener oolong. This was my first gongfu cha tasting of this one, because I opened the package for the first time while traveling and without proper gongfu setup. It just wouldn't get bitter or lose a rich sweetness no matter how I abused it. I was bulk brewing it in my thermos and really impressed with the results under those harsh conditions, and became very eager to see what it could do when more carefully brewed at home.
2.3 grams in porcelain gaiwan, about 75mL water—1 gram/ounce
Water 205°F/96° C
1st, about 30 seconds
Sweet and rich, floral, delicious, marvelously pleasant
2nd, about 20 seconds
A little more spiciness in addition to the floral sweetness
4th, forgot at 2-3 minutes
Splendidly rich, floral, spicy, but no hint of bitterness
5th, also quite a long infusion
Less sweet, but amazingly floral and still very rich, deep flavor
6th, shorter infusion
Lighter and sweeter, deliciously floral
7, 8…and more, out to about a dozen infusions, probably could have been longer if I hadn't overdone the middle ones so much.
I really like this tea, and particularly the staying power both when brewed gongfu cha and when I've bulk brewed it for my thermos—it still has wonderful flavor hours later, not to be compared to the fresh brewed, of course, but far better than most green oolongs I've tried for that use. I just ordered quite a bit more, anticipating a lot of afternoons at the office with the thermos full of this one.
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Still mostly hot tea, and cold water when I need cold. I have some cold-brewed tea in the fridge that I keep forgetting is in there.
Today, Jin Guan Yin from Norbu. It's a bulk brewing, so I can't give a proper review of it yet, but I am really loving it. And there's been some Rou Gui from Jing Tea Shop, a low-roast version that is light on the cinnamon notes. Unfortunately, it was not vacuum packed, and I hadn't expected the light roast, so it sat unopened for a good while while I was working on some green oolongs, and it may have lost the nice edge it would otherwise have had. Still, a very nice mellow mildly spicy tea. Not much green tea because I'm not often in the same place with my kettle for a good long session.
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It's been the usual varied tea-round lately....green here, oolong there, now a puerh, now a white tea....last few days were notable for a very nice session with Norbu's bamboo aged YiWu puerh, some excellent sessions with spring Alishan oolong from Norbu, and a lovely mellow session with some Dragon Well from Wing Hop Fung.
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Yes, definitely. Umami has it's time and place, but not every dish, every time, calls for it.
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Several days, no posts.....surely I'm not the only one drinking tea?
I've made some iced tea this week, when it was getting quite hot in the house (no air conditioning there), some sencha, silver needle, and the 'cold brew da yu ling' from Dragon Tea House. This tea is amazingly fine brewed this way--great stuff.
Today, started with Aoi sencha from O-cha, then on to some Da Hong Pao for afternoon clinic, and had so many sharing it that I ran out before the end (oops, glad I topped up though after lunch). Then a very nice evening session with some 2009 Wuliang Shan loose puerh mao cha from Norbu. Can't go wrong with this mellow lovely tea.
Last night was memorable for a long, luxurious session with Hawaiian oolong, during which I think I finally got to the bottom of the tea, after a couple dozen infusions.
Anyone else drinking tea, hot or cold, besides the TT&D?
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Checking in today with the 2009 Lao Mansa sheng puerh from Norbu, the first pu I bought with aging deliberately in mind. It has sat in its wrapper, in a cloth bag, in a file drawer in my air-conditioned office for the past year plus.
I’ve dipped into this a few times since last year, and this time I’m using a piece that, when hydrated, fills the gaiwan between 1/3 and 1/2 full (should have measured it in grams, but I wasn't thinking about taking notes when I started). I started with a flash rinse, let the tea hydrate/wet a bit, then have been enjoying a series of quick, hot infusions—the Pino is set to 205, and I’ve been infusing 10-20 seconds, and mostly drinking them down very quickly. Lots of herbaceous flavor, sweetness, anise, but little outright bitterness.
It’s just delicious, and again, the biggest problem I foresee with this aging experiment may be trying to drink it sparingly enough to keep some around for a long time.
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Today I have had a shocking experience: I brewed up a tiny quantity of a gift of 'assam' tea, out of a sense of obligation to at least try it before passing it on to someone else, and actually managed to make it dilute enough (teeny bit of leaves, flash infusion) to not be bitter, and even be sort of....tasty.
(falls over backwards in shock)
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Today I prepared two teas cold-brewed: some of a Da Yu Ling described by Dragon Tea House as especially good for cold brewing. My first experience with it was as a hot tea, and it was a fine, tasty oolong, very reminiscent of the various Alishans I've been getting from Norbu. Cold (room temp) brewed, it was astonishingly sweet, so sweet that after a couple of sips I diluted the cup a bit with some fresh water and found it an improvement. Still, quite delicious, and now that it seems like hot weather is finally settling in for the summer, I'm going to keep this one reserved for cold brewing.
I also used some Yong De white buds from Norbu for a cold-brewed cup, and it was floral/camphorous/sweet/fruity, with a bit of added chrysanthemum blossom.
Really the only problem with these cold-brewed teas was that I didn't brew enough to handle my thirst after a long nap during the heat of the day. So for tomorrow, I'm prepping a larger volume with the Da Yu Ling. There's also some rather ordinary sencha that might be just right for this.
Has anyone ever tried sencha + osmanthus, or cold-brewed osmanthus flowers?
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Quiet topic lately. Today I roasted an unsatisfying oolong for the first time, and it was quite easy with pleasant results.
I took some Taiwanese Tie Guan Yin, one that was not brilliant first time around, and got forgotten in the back of the cabinet, spread it out on a flattish bowl, put it in the convection oven at 275 (put it in during the preheat, no waiting), and let it go about 20-25 minutes. I played with the timer, the infrared thermometer, and looked at the balled up leaves and sniffed to decide when to stop, but I did not keep detailed notes. In particular, I forgot how hot the tea leaf was when I removed it from the oven--I am sure it was over 200 degrees, but not sure beyond that.
It had a pleasant cocoa scent, and is infusing up quite nicely as a lightly roasted tea, much better than it did as a stale green oolong.
I will keep this in mind for future 'forgettable/forgotten' teas. The delightful Bancha and Houjicha I've been drinking lately suggest this might also be something to try with sadder greens too.
And the last posts up there remind me that I recently tried some 'Milk Oolong' from Dragon Tea House on Ebay. I was already ordering the teeny tiny yixing pot and gaiwan (discussed in the teaware topic), and when I saw that they carried a Milk oolong, decided to add some to the order. I found it too strongly 'milky' to believe it unflavored, and so strong that it was unpleasant to my taste buds, like many of the jasmine teas I used to crave but now really don't enjoy, but several of my colleagues enjoyed it, so it did not go to waste. I think I'll stop seeking the stuff out, because even the toned down later infusions still didn't strike me as a flavor that really enhanced the oolong experience, but if I do find myself ordering something else from a supplier vouched for like the one mentioned a few posts above, I might try a small sample.
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Another 'baby' puerh from Essence of Tea tonight: finished a 2-day session with the 2011 Guafengzhai.
1.6 grams in 50mL tiny porcelain gaiwan (lots of broken bits because I was prying a bit off of one side and it got a little messy)
Water 205 degrees
Flash rinse—did not save—and only noticed later that a bit of water was left, like a grandpa-style ‘root’, that got incorporated into the first infusion, which is….strong. Campfire smoky gym socks strong. Still only a hint of bitter, but very powerful stuff.
2nd infusion, 10 seconds then poured, still very strong smoky umami stuff, but the sweet is able to show up at the front of each sip, and the aftertaste is spicy and herbaceous and bitter and still smoky.
3rd infusion, poured in, replaced kettle on stand, and poured out, less than 10 seconds: still very powerful stuff. I am so appreciating this lovely little gaiwan right now, the fit and the pour and the function for these fast infusions are just excellent. The tea is still transporting me back to childhood campfires, with a bit of sweet here and there.
4th infusion, same pour in/kettle/pour out, between 5 and 7 seconds, can’t be doing much more than rinsing what is already sweating out on the surface of the leaves, and still it has a powerful kick. A little more sweet apparent, though.
Side note: simply because I was in the mood for it, I started my day with some Tie Guan Yin, couldn’t exhaust those leaves with the time available before leaving for work, and am working on some more infusions after the leaves were stored int he fridge for the day, drinking one infusion of this to a couple of the puerh. It’s astonishing how clean and refined the flavor is in contrast to this rambunctious smoky pu!
5th infusion, still crazy-smokey-rambunctious, ham and campfire and sweet and bit of bitter herbs. 6th is settling in a bit, but I can see that it’s going to take a lot of infusions and a kettle full of water at 40mL per infusion to tame these leaves. 7th similar, the smoky veil is showing a little more of what is behind it, but still, powerful smoke.
If overwhelming, outrageous flavor now is a good predictor of aging well, this should be fabulous. But the kettle is empty and I do have to get some sleep eventually, so I’m setting the leaves aside for more tomorrow.
Took this tea out of the fridge again after 2 days (previously up to 8 infusions): starting the first few infusions with a meal of cheese and crackers, and like any good puerh, the tea cuts the richness well. And the strong cheese also helps mellow the smokiness of the tea.
By the 16th infusion, the tea is tasting more strongly of herbs and sweet anise, with the umami nearly gone.
The 25th infusion is still strong and deliciously herbaceous, astringent but not truly bitter. Very pleasant stuff.
Up to 30, and brewing by my thirst—some flash infusions, basically sweet water, to wet the palate, then a few more substantial, slower, showing persistent flavor beyond simple sweet water, amazing stamina this stuff has. Saying uncle at 32 infusions, that’s enough for now.
I am very encouraged to think of what this tea will be after it has settled a bit and the wildly smoky start has softened. As I've noted before, I do yet have enough of an interest to attempt any sort of serious temp/humidity controlled aging of puerh, but I've got a few beengs that are already showing some changes after just 1-2 years in my care, so I feel confident enough that I'm not wrecking them to buy one or two here and there.
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I will definitely ask them to bring me some the next time someone visits. My nieces are more reliable as a source of information than as potential tea-couriers, however.
Several days, no tea reports. Much tea has been drunk, including yesterday's birthday offering of chamomile/hibiscus/gamro(hydrangea)/tulsi/lemongrass; Sichuan yellow tea from Norbu; some '1992' puerh from Chado (a poorly described loose tea, still don't know if it is sheng or shu and if 1992 refers to a date or the number of the item in their stock list); a first tasting of the 2011 Guafengzhai puerh from Essence of Tea, still not finished; some Tai Ping Hou Kui from Jing Tea Shop; Huang Jin Gui fall oolong from Norbu; Spring 2010 TGY from Norbu.
Today, starting with some Silver Needle from Jing Tea Shop.
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I have a bougainvillea in my yard: it's Tisane talent comes as quite a surprise. For me it's mostly a nuisance plant needing a lot of trimming and getting it's throne between me and the figs above it. What flavor or property does it add to the tea?
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Wow, that's a lot of quite distinct herbs etc in one drink. Sounds very complex. I've only heard of about half of those. I like to vary my herbal tisanes based on whim or mood,'from spicy to minty to tart, but hardly ever use more than 5'or 6 ingredients at a time.
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I was only familiar with the Mexican rice drink. I will have to ask my ecuadorian relatives about this. But I'll head over to the herbal tea/Tisane topic for more. NLast 2 days, only C sinensis teas, but we're having a birthday celebration for a colleague at work who loves herbal tisanes, and today I'll be stopping by a korean tea shop that has a selection of very interesting herbs for teas, so I'm looking for good ideas.
Yesterday, O-Cha's "Aio" shincha, which is just as grassy and light as promised on their web site. Since I'm trying not to have multiple senchas open at once, I can't do a head to head comparison to the others I've been drinking a lot of lately--the shin-ryoku from Dens, the Zairai Honyama from Norbu, or the Sayamakaori that was a favorite from Yuuki-cha last year (and that I have a fresh stock of in the cupboard, yay!). I can say that this is grassy, sweet, less nutty than the Zairai, and probably less rich than the Sayamakaori, but grassier than either.
Also yesterday, a nice oolong session alternating infusions of Song Zhong #5, a brilliant Dan Cong from TeaHabitat, and a Dong Ding same from a tea swap, long enough ago that I can't remember any details about the provenance. I've had a lot of taiwanese Alishan greens over the last couple of years from Norbu, and this one was clearly related to those teas, but it was much darker than the light Alishans, and lighter than a version I got fro
Norbu last year. It did not come off badly as I went between it and the Song Zhong, and given how fantastic the Song Zhong is, that's saying a lot! The day finished with a 1999 Liu An sample from Yunnan Sourcing, not technically a puerh, but as puerh-like as could be, earthy, woodsy, sweet humus.
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The 42 herb horchata sounds quite interesting. Does it really have 42 herbal ingredients, or a mix of spices and herbs?
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Today, Dragon Well start (early meeting, couldn't get in the sencha); Lao Cha Tou shu puerh nuggets from norbu for the afternoon; and spring (2010, but newly opened) TIe Guan Tin from norbu to end the evening, in the new little porcelain shino pot.
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Grey is the colour of the reduced clay body. The red-orange on the foot is where the clay reoxidizes during cooling. If you've ever chipped the foot on a cup, you've probably seen the clay is grey, too.
That makes perfect sense, thanks. I'll trust your explanation and hope I don't have a chance to confirm it through a close encounter of the breakage kind.
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I lambasted a friend who used my precious home grown's in a soup, he didn't understand nor did he receive any again.
We are still friends, barely.
The tomatoes are the point of my soup, if you look at it carefully, just a hint of onion and celery and a tiny quantity of stock to fill out the flavor. If you can't understand how this is far more enjoyable to me than slivers of tomatoes in sandwiches, where the flavor is more than likely diluted not only with more bread per mouthful than tomato, but also clouded with mayo, mustard, and sandwich meat, or turned into salsa where again onions and peppers take over from the tomato, then you probably won't be invited to my place for dinner again, unless you bring me a large quantity of super-ripe, home grown, and no-strings attached tomatoes....
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This week I tried my first shincha of 2011:
Uji Asamushi Sencha "Aoi" by O-Cha.com
Finally finished off the last of a 2010 packet of sencha, and have now started my first 2011 shincha:
Very deep green leaves, most fairly small pieces, sweet rich scent
between 5 and 6 oz water, 160 degrees in my Petr Novak kyusu, about 45 seconds first infusion
sweet, nutty, vegetal, lightly grassy, and delicate green color but can’t judge that well against the blue glaze of the teacup
2nd infusion, 20 seconds, 160 degrees, very similar, some grassiness a little more prominent towards the end of the infusion
3rd infusion, 170 degrees, 30-45 seconds, sweet, vegetal, a little less nutty, sugar snap peas rather than asparagus
4th infusion, 170 degrees, 1 minute, sweet, light, astringency absent
There was a 5th, but I was too distracted to note much—it was 180 degrees, for about a minute, quite light and tasty.
Addendum: 2nd series of infusions, about the same setup, except I started lower, 145 degrees, working up to 180 at the sixth, still all delicious, perhaps even a little moore so than the first time. Nice that it’s so flexible.
One sad note: my packet is 100 grams, so given my 2-4 times weekly sencha habit, it may not all be drunk while still ‘shincha fresh’. And that would be sad. Will have to step up the sencha-brewing.
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Another new cup arrived today, almost the last of a recent buying spree:
How does that delicate blue glaze transform the strong red-orange clay into gray granite with a tracery of blue over it?
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A very contented looking collection. I'm guessing they all get use with different teas, or different numbers of guests, so there's no jealousy in the ranks?
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This began with a really pissed off mil, who claimed I wasted the tomatos she brought us by making soup. First, it was a really good fresh soup, with my basil, and served with fresh bread and good cheese.
I can imagine no higher calling for a fine fresh tomato than tomato-basil soup. MIL is insane.
Chinese Green Teas
in Coffee & Tea
Posted
I posted in this topic a while ago about my puzzlement over a phrase from The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea: "the honeyed quality of many Chinese green teas". I have tasted a lot of sweetness in various chinese green, oolong, and even puerh teas, but rarely anything approaching 'honeyed'. Today, I tasted a free sample included in my latest order from Greg at Norbutea, and I found the answer. Gu Zhu Zi Sun Zhejiang green tea from Norbu has the honeyed sweetness I thought didn't exist:
3 grams in 3 ounce preheated iron-rich clay shiboridashi
170°F/77°C, 30 seconds--weet, vegetal, grassy, a delicate floral note too. VERY NICE!
170°F/77°C, 30 seconds--sweet, and the floral is stronger this infusion, fantastic
170°F/77°C, 45 seconds--wow, how does this one go on like this? I am drinking a meadow of spring flowers--THIS is the "honeyed sweetness of Chinese green teas" that I read about in one of my tea books, and haven't ever properly tasted in tea before. I've had some fine green teas that have had hints of this, but usually tempered with nuttiness or astringency or bitterness when the tea is pushed a bit, or just lower-key with the floral elements, and here there is nothing roasted, just sweet, floral, wow.
190°F/88°C, 30 seconds--still that astonishing sweetness, and my tastebuds are dancing.
185°F/85°C, 1 minute--oh my….I am in love.
190°F/88°C, 2 minutes--still delicious, the floral richness a little less intense now.
(remaining infusions between 190°F/88°C and 200°F/93°C)
3 minutes--enough sweet floral flavor remains to encourage a 4th infusion.
4 minutes--mmmm, a little lighter now, still pleasant.
5 minutes--closing in on sweet water, done now.
What a marvelous tea!