Wholemeal Crank

What's interesting to me is that the Saemidori gave me exactly that impression: sencha sweetness mixed with a gyokuro-level of rich umami. But will try again with the kabusecha at lower temp, and see if the flavor profile smooths out to something similar.

Ok, next kabusecha will be even cooler.

Some of my favorite soups have been refrigerator soup. I always have a pantry full of herbs, vegetable and chicken stock, so it's easy to take some odds and ends and have a nice soup. I make a lot of soup, usually heading to the market with some flavor profile in mind--rich tomato, delicate corn, sweet n' sour curry--always taking the contents of the fridge in mind. Sometimes the odds and ends are too odd to fit together harmoniously, but I can usually figure out how to get most of the 'looked good at market but didn't get cooked up by itself this week' veggies into this week's soup. And there is such a variety of possibilities, that after a couple of decades of relying on soup for more meals than any other staple dish, I am still making new discoveries. Last fall I made an incredible winter squash soup without stock--just baked winter squash pulp, seasoned with peppers and leeks and sage and pecorino--and now I can't wait for fall squashes to come around again to explore this theme further. I've recently been doing a lot with cauliflower, which is so amazingly versatile, sweet, sour, hot, strongly herbed or gently sweet. Yum. And now, fired up by this topic, I am starting to imagine a soup for today, but the freezer is still full of some marvelous sweet corn and freekah soup, and some tomato-corn-squash-pepper-basil stew, and there is no room for another large batch until I eat more of what I have. But once I get the soup bug in my head, it's hard to stop obesssing about it. How much pepper can one soup hold? Sweet peppers and hot peppers, spiced with coriander and cinnamon, or with rosemary and oregano and dry jack, bulked out with carrots, potatoes, rice, barley, or millet? A bit of chopped or grated nuts for seasoning? What greens would be complementary? I don't eat nearly enough greens, always need to fit more of them in. And does it need a complementary bread, cracker, muffin to go with? I love love love vegetable soups.

Shincha this morning, for the lastest tasting of two teas from Yuuki-cha. It's cool enough here at home that hot tea is still very pleasant. Probably need some serious puerh next...a nice gongfu to sip between afternoon chores. Or maybe some Dan Cong.

Now onto the Kabusecha: same setup, but done serially--couldn't do this parallel because I don't have a duplicate set of kyusu and cup for each tea. So 4.3 grams of tea in the 5 oz kyusu. Just weighing out the tea, the leaf fragments are smaller, sweet deep vegetal scent. First infusion: 160 degrees, 30 seconds. It is lighter liquor, not as densely green, but the flavor is surprisingly deep from this lighter green liquor. There is a little more sharpness here--not bitter or astringent, but there seems to be less caramel-sweetness to temper the vegetal flavors. Second infusion: 160 degrees, 10 seconds, and this time a deeper, denser green liquor, as expected. Sharper, herbaceous, a little briny. Third infusion: 170 degrees, 30 seconds, and a little more sweetness is coming out now, with the dominant flavor still strong, vegetal, umami, leafy green vegetables, a sense of contained bitterness. I think this is the best infusion so far. Fourth infusion: 180 degrees, 90 seconds, and now the umami is much decreased; sweetness and bitterness are dueling now--parsley and pepper and a light refined hint of sugar. I think this one is done. This is my first Kabusecha, and I was expecting something closer to the Saemidori, with that deep velvety umami. Instead, it is the sharper one. Any possibility the labels could have been switched?

First try with the Saemidori today: 4.2 grams in my 5 oz kyusu, preheated, water at 165 degrees, 30 second first infusion: first impression is warm, vegetal, umami, no astringency or bitterness. The strong sweetness that I crave is not there. Second infusion, 10 seconds: lush spring vegetables, with a little more sweetness coming out amidst the flavors of peas and asparagus and young leafy greens. Third infusion, 30 seconds, increased temperature to 170 degrees: warm, vegetal, the umami is a little lighter, a little less lush, and the sweetness is barely still there, just under the surface, but again, their is no hint of bitterness. Fourth infusion, pushing this time, water at 185 degrees, 90 second infusion: the umami is fading a little more, not surprising for a deep-steamed tea, but that lets the little caramel come more to the fore, and the vegetable taste is a bit sharper--a bit more spicy/herbaceous, but still, even pushing it hard, not a trace of bitterness or significant astringency. This is quite an amazing tea: rich, lush, umami, but the umami is velvety and not a harsh brininess; there is no bitterness even when I push it rather hard (compared to my usual, at least); and though this hasn't converted me from preferring the light-steamed asamushi senchas, it did give me pause. Lovely stuff.

Two Yunnan "Oriental Beauty"-Style Oolong Teas 2009 Fall Bai Yun Oolong--Yunnan Oolong Tea from Norbu (BYO) Yunnan Wild Arbor "Oriental Beauty" Oolong from Yunnan Sourcing (YSOB) Note: this is comparing the end of a sample bag of the BYO, so the leaves were not in as good a shape as those in the YSOB sample. In the end, both were lovely teas. Oddly enough, given that the BYO was end-of-bag with more broken leaves, it took the 2nd infusion to start showing the spiciness and full flavor that the YSOB gave immediately. The BYO, however, seemed to hold that lovely flavor a little longer, but by the 5th infusion, both are starting to thin out, pretty much done. I have only had one Taiwanese Oriental Beauty, and that was a rose scented version that was quite unlike roses or like these lovely teas. A high quality Taiwanese Oriental Beauty is reputedly quite hard to come by, but these teas are quite satisfying, and not too pricey, so I don't feel any particular need to try the genuine article. 1.9 grams of tea about 4 oz water (larger gaiwans, not preheated) 1st 195 degrees, 45 seconds 2nd 185 degrees (too impatient to wait for full reheating), 30 seconds 3rd 175 degrees (ditto), 1 minutes 4th: 195 (more patient this time), 2 minutes 5th: water just off full boil, 1 minute (stopping because of diminishing marginal returns) 2009 Fall Bai Yun Oolong--Yunnan Oolong Tea from Norbu Leaves: thin, dark twists, with sweet fruity tea scent 1st infusion: sweet, fruity, floral 2nd: spicy flavor there now, still fruity and floral 3rd: still spicy/sweet/fruity/floral, but starting to thin a little esp in the fruity notes 4th: a little thinner, but still quite enjoyable; holding up better than the YSOB 5th: thinner, still a little fruity/spicy Wet leaves: dark red leaves with hints of green; scent is sweet/tart Yunnan Wild Arbor "Oriental Beauty" Oolong from Yunnan Sourcing Leaves: thin, dark twists, with sweet fruity tea scent 1st infusion: sweet, plummy, floral, with a spiciness that is not there in the BYO 2nd: spicy, fruity, floral 3rd: losing a bit of the spicy and sweet edge, thinner flavor, perhaps dissipating a little faster than the BYO, but really not much to choose between them at this point 4th: 4th: a little thinner, but still quite enjoyable; not holding as well as the BYO 5th: thinner, still a little fruity/spicy Wet leaves: dark red leaves with hints of green; scent is sweet/tart

Got my samples, should get first crack at them in the morning.

More TGY yesterday, and due to insanely busy work day, only got one tea in. Yikes. Today is better, already some Sayamakaori Shincha, comparison of two yunnanese "Oriental Beauty" style oolongs, and a thermos of TGY ready for the drive home.

I know that one of my best tea experiences was drinking from a tin of pouchong that has sat for a very long time in the back of my cupboard, unopened, at least 2-3 years. But that was an unflavored tea, and it was still in the factory-sealed container. I don't know whether the coconut flavoring is likely to go bad--dried coconut certainly lasts a long time, so I doubt it will go off quickly. I'd think as long as it smells ok, it's worth trying. And if it tastes good, keep brewing it. Today I brewed up some 2010 shincha and some 2009 Tie Guan Yin. The TGY was vacuum sealed until a week or two ago, however.

Yes, drinking some of one of my first puerhs, the 'palace seven sons cake' that I think was from TenRen. It's a nice pu, probably shu/cooked, not as fruity and delicious as the Lao Cha Tou from norbu I was drinking recently, but still helping me through evening paperwork. Interesting to remember that it was the most expensive pu I've bought to date except one, and it is nowhere near the best shu, much less the best, period. Earlier some Bai Yun fall 2009 Oolong from Norbu--a free sample with a previous order, that I had forgotten I had. I ordered some of the Bai Yun with this last order, wondering how it would compare to the Yunnan Sourcing 'Oriental Beauty' style oolong I got last year. It was nice, but not enough attention to the brewing to properly compare it to the YS version. But as it turns out, the last of the YS is here at this office, and I will bring it home with me to compare properly to the Bai Yun.

Yesterday was a green and greener day for me too: shincha start, then green oolong: Zhang Shu Lake oolong, a thermos full for a long drive.

Thick, so you get a nice juicy bite, not a niggly nibble. Yuummmm.

I have just stuffed my latest purchases into my tea cabinet, and I realize I could skip buying anymore tea for, oh, another 5 years or so, except for the ones that have to be drunk more quickly because they won't age well.... Starting the morning with sencha (Okuyutaka from Yuuki-cha again).

So far, a one tea day: a thermos full of Yunnan gold buds from Tea Habitat with osmanthus. I don't get to share my tea at this satellite office, so it lasts a lot longer. It has been so long since I drank Yunnan gold without osmanthus that I've forgotten what it tastes like. They're just so good together.

And in use:

Posted a review of the Tai Ping Hou Kui in the green tea topic, and also drank my first Yunnan Silver Needles from Norbu and wrote about that in the white tea topic.

And of course, a few photos of the Tai Ping Hou Kui:

Early Spring Yunnan Silver Needles by Norbu Tea First try with this tea. As anticipated, it is a less refined and more camphorous tea than the versions I’ve had before from Fujian. It is sweet, mellow, but not bitter. First infusions about 1 gram of tea in a 2 oz gaiwan, water 160 degrees, 30 second infusion. It is a little more floral and less vegetal than the Tai Ping Hou Kui I was just drinking, and nothing like as fruity as the Yin Zhen silver needle from the Cultured Cup that I recently tasted. It is a little milder than the Yunnan Mao Feng I’ve been getting from Norbu, as expected for a white tea made from the same general source material. The floral taste is decreasing after the 3rd infusion, but some mellow sweetness remains. Very nice, not spectacular, but refreshing on a warm afternoon. The leaves are so pretty

Tai Ping Hou Kui by Wing Hop Fung today. This is a weird and wonderful tea. The leaves are gigantic, wide, flat, long. First try with this tea was 30 seconds infusion at 160 degrees, about a gram of tea in 2 ounces of water in a small porcelain gaiwan. It is sweet, spicy, vegetal, floral. So far, the 9th infusion is still very similar, very very nice: the vegetal flavor is weakening, mildly there, but the sweetness and spicy is still present. And this is not a super fancy version of this tea: I only paid $39.99/lb for it. The ends of the leaves are broken, so it’s not fully intact, but given the size of the leaves, a break or two in each does not seem to be making anything bitter. Even after 5 infusions, the sweet/spicy scent is still there in the wet leaves. It reminds me most of the Anji white tea I’ve been getting from WHF, but this one is a fraction of the price. I will definitely keep this one in regular circulation.

Today the tea is starting late: I'm drinking my first Tai Ping Hou Kui, from Wing Hop Fung, a weird and wonderful green tea. More wonderful adventures in tea.

Pretty as it is, I think the most lovely thing about it will be how perfectly it matches the size of my regular little gaiwans. It will be wonderful for gongfu sessions with them. The stand is growing on my every time I look at it--it too has a delicate subtle sparkle and shine--but the roughness of the feet will not be nice on my plastic countertops or laminate top desk. How would you handle that--fabric or bamboo coaster underneath it? Little felt stick-on pads on the feet just would seem so....wrong.

I think that's likely, as he definitely uses those types of glazes, but he didn't say explicitly which glazes were used for this group of cups.

A new teacup from Michael Coffee: as usual with a nice ceramic piece, it's quite a technical challenge to capture the sparkle of the metallic glaze....

That was not the right mister linked in my last post: mine is from Emsa. (click on the photo for larger image at flickr)