Wholemeal Crank

I have one that I adore, after hating my Misto: the Misto clogged so easily and quickly and the pump action just never felt like it went very far. I think this may be the same one, but I have to go home and check to be sure. My current sprayer is now about 4 years old, and I do not remember giving it a soap or alcohol cleanout ever, but I might have forgotten the trauma (I do remember several failed attempts to resuscitate the Misto before I gave up). I think it reaches a high enough pressure that it just blasts the nozzle clean each time. And I use it sparingly, a few times a year, so it mostly sits, and yet doesn't clog. What do I use it for? Primarily I use it for pizzas and foccaccias, where I want a light coating of oil, sometimes on top of the toppings, so the spray doen't disturb them, and sometimes underneath, where the spray again won't tear at a lightly proofed dough.

Today has been a bit backwards: started with a thermos of oolong (finishing the very last packet of the 2009 Norbu Diamond Tie Guan Yin, and looking forward to the 2010, already securely tucked away in the tea cabinet), and now just had dinner with a session of Sayamakaori shincha from Yuuki-Cha. I'm so used to sencha to start the day, but it's just as good in the middle. Yum.

Tuesday I pretty much finished off a sample of a new oolong from Norbu that I got with my last order. I wrote about it in the oolong topic. There was also a short session with some loose mao cha from Wulian (more from Norbu) that I didn't 'finish' because my kettle ran out of water before the leaves ran out of flavor. Yesterday, after several gongfu tasting sessions, I wanted a mellower afternoon tea, browsed through the shus, and came up with the Norbu 2009 Lao Cha Tou puerh brick, broke some off, and it was a lovely reminder of how nice shu can be: delicately sweet and fruity, hints of cherries, plums, grapes, a bit of caramel. It has always been nice, but this is the best infusion yet. And a good reminder that shengs are not the only wonderful puerhs. Today, a change of pace, starting the day with Shincha (Sayamakaori from Yuuki-Cha), and now trying to decide on what to have next. It's time to prepare the afternoon thermos for clinic & sharing, and we had a birthday breakfast at work today, so again need something mellow, feeling a need for a simple pouchong from TenRen.

Tuesday I mostly drank a new-to-me tea from Norbu: 2009 Old Plantation Qing Xin oolong. It was so good that after a bulk thermos brewing of the sample (a free sample included in my last order), I had to do a gongfu session straight away to confirm how nice it was. The leaves are dark, tightly rolled, some stems, toasty dark tart scent. 1.5 grams of tea into 60mL gaiwan, water 180 degrees, rinse x 15 seconds, then 20 second steep: first impression is spicy, interesting, but oops, before I can form a proper opinion, I am thirsty and it is gooood, gulp, gone. 2nd infusion is a little spicy, a little sweet, a lot toasty-roasty, but there is a smoothness here even in the 2nd infusion that often takes 4 or 5 infusions to achieve in a more assertive Wuyi rock tea or even my old supermarket brand Ti Kuan Yin. And there’s no sense that a bitterness or astringency is just around the corner if I am careless with times or temps. I was interrupted and have lost count of the infusions, but I am pretty sure the current one is 9 or 10. The flavor is more dilute now, but there is still some sweetness and a little something else that is very Ti-Kuan-Yin-like. And the flavor was smooth but still quite definite out to the 7th or 8th infusion—that smooth 2nd infusion carried over without turning to water at the 3rd or 4th. After the infusions, the leaves are unrolled, but still very crumply and twisted, with a dark brown color and a charcoal scent: with some determination they can be coaxed and pressed and flattened into medium sized, quite intact leaves. It's a lovely nice tea, like a refined version of the SeaDyke that I drank forever and a day. But after these two brewings, one for thermos and one gongfu, it's almost gone. So I ordered some more.

Still drinking my teas hot.....had one or two acceptable brewings of cold Ti Guan Yins but really prefer it hot. so yesterday, shincha start, yunnan mao feng, Zhang Shu Lake oolong, 2007 Menghai Silver Dayi puerh. Sencha to puerh, nice complete cycle.

Correction: The first tea is Shi Tou Xin Zhai, not Xin Jai. Greg let me know of the misspelling that is present on the packaging (oops).

I need to add a new favorite: 2009 Winter Black Ruby from Norbu. I got a free sample of this with my last order from Norbu, and tonight, when my tongue was overdone with tasting several puerhs together, I tried just a pinch of it as a change of pace. I prepared it with probably about half a gram of tea to 2 oz boiling water (it was late, and I didn’t want to be up all night), and after about 2 minutes steep the liquor was deep orange red, and delicious. Fruity, sweet, no astringency at all (not that I expected any, really, given the dilution I started with), and a second infusion was equally delightful. Not sure about the wine-like aspect Greg mentions in his notes, but this was a quick & dirty sipping, so I’ll have to try it again, more carefully, and take better notes to see if I can identify that. I will certainly get a little more of this tea for a change of pace, and I suspect it will make a nice alternative to my golden Yunnans for take-a-thermos-to-work days.

Another sheng puerh tasting, this one of some loose Mao Cha, from Norbu. 2010 Shi Tou Xin Jai Mao Cha, Nan Nuo Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 2009 Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan* 2009 Wulian Shan Mao Cha from Dali Prefecture, Yunnan I have been enjoying the Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha for several months, since I first tried it as part of a tasting here, so with my last order from Norbu, I tried a couple other Mao Cha, to see how they compared. This is my first brewing of other two young shengs. As expected, these are wonderful teas, with more capacity for infusions than I have space in my bladder, even with the very small gaiwans, so sometime after 10 or 12 infusions, I stopped drinking the full infusions, and did a series of longer steeps, discarding the liquor, and then did a final infusion, which I estimate to be about the 20th for each, so I could finish the tasting, get the photos of the spent leaves, and go to bed! Overall? I love all of these. The Shi Tou Xin Jai is the most approachable in the early infusion, and is one I'll take to work to share in some one on one meetings with other tea lovers--it's less likely to bite back if I get a bit distracted. But at the however-many-it-finally was infusion, when all were pretty dilute and mostly had just a gentle sweetness left, I found a little more depth or complexity in the LBZ in than the other two. So....if you're anxious about bitter, start with the Shi Tou. If you're already a connoisseur of young sheng, and want the maximum complexity, go for the LBZ. And if you're undecided, get the Wulian, or better yet, enjoy all of them. *Actually, turns out the LBZ is sold out. Greg tells me that the Lao Ban Pen Mao Cha on the site is very close, and maybe better. I have a hard time believing anything could be better, but as good, maybe.... Tasting setup Used 1.0 grams of tea in small 40 mL gaiwans Infusions 205°F/96°C-212°F/100°C 2 rinses at about 10 seconds each, before first 10 second infusions 2010 Shi Tou Xin Jai Mao Cha, Nan Nuo Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Dry Leaves: long dark twists of intact leaves with some stems, sweet woody anise scent Liquor, 1st infusion: light tan liquor, sweet anise flavor predominates Liquor, 2nd infusion: the anise sweetness continues to make this one mellower than the other two Someplace about the 8th or 9th infusion: still the mellowest of them, even after the dregs in the cup sat a bit and bitterness started to come into play; how is it that the youngest is the least harsh? Liquor, many?-th infusion: sweet, dilute, still that lovely hint of anise Wet Leaves: olive green leaves with reddish accents, woody earthy spicy scent 2009 Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Dry Leaves: long dark twists of intact leaves with some stems, scents of mushrooms, soy sauce, darker than the Shi Tou Xin Jai Liquor, 1st infusion: light tan liquor, sweet and vegetal Liquor, 2nd infusion: spicy, sweet, with that smooth earthy depths, and hint of bitterness Someplace about the 8th or 9th infusion: sweet, earthy, lovely as usual, but the astringency of the aftertaste is definitely present and noticeably more than the Shi Tou or the Wulian Liquor, many?-th infusion: sweet, dilute, earthy Wet Leaves: olive green leaves of uniform color, sweet, spicy, asparagus scents 2009 Wulian Shan Mao Cha from Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Dry Leaves: long dark twists of intact leaves with some stems, scent sweet and vegetal and like clean earth Liquor, 1st infusion: light tan liquor, sweet, vegetal, bit of astringency Liquor, 2nd infusion: spicy, herbaceous, sweet with astringency and some bitterness Someplace about the 8th or 9th infusion: sweet, earthy, again, a little spicy/herbaceous accent that in addition to and distinct from the astringency that forms part of the aftertaste of the LBZ Liquor, many?-th infusion: sweet, dilute, mellow Wet Leaves: olive leaves with reddish accents, sweet spicy vegetal scent Photos: Left 2010 Shi Tou Xin Jai Mao Cha, Nan Nuo Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Middle or Top 2009 Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Right 2009 Wulian Shan Mao Cha from Dali Prefecture, Yunnan

I keep multiples of selected items to make better use of limited kitchen prep time to do several things at once, rather than changing the things that I choose to make. I don't usually make such complex meals that I literally must have these three things similarly prepared but coming together at precisely the same moment (thus requiring three similar pots/whisks/scoops/whatevers) to give the proper finished dish at the table.

Today, more sencha, but the Okuyutaka from Yuuki-cha. A little more umami than the Sayamakaori or the Honyama (not honoyama, however much it looks like there should be an extra o in there......), but still delicious. And yesterday was maddenly impossible on timing, so again I resorted to some of Den's houjicha tossed into the thermos, with hottish water from the water cooler, and had a soothing afternoon of tea that helped make missing lunch bearable. In the evening yesterday, a short gongfu session with some Rou Gui from HouDe. It's a lovely spicy tea at first, but the 'cinnamon' quickly vanishes and the tea doesn't have enough depth to go for as many infusions as a nice Da Hong Pao or Ti Guan Yin. I think it may also be suffering from aging since I opened the sealed inner container.

I rarely cook one thing at a time, so need duplicates of several things to avoid having to stop & wash between prep for breads, soups, cookies, beans.... spatulas (for stirring, scraping, mixing, lifting) baking sheets and silpats measuring cups including large measuring pitchers measuring spoons gaiwans (for brewing/comparing several teas at once) pressure cookers (have often had 2 on the stove at once, occasionally 3, and all 4 at least once!) oven mitts/potholders cutting boards And the tupperware cupboard is filled with many duplicates of not too many things.

Yesterday started with white tea, moved on to Tie Guan Yin, and ended with a nice Phoenix oolong. And today is again a sencha start, with the Yuuki-cha Honoyama. Mmmm. Sencha just fits the start of the day so well.

Several days, no tea updates....sometimes egullet is unavailable when I have the cup at hand. Monday I drank a new Sheng puerh from Norbu, the 2006 Yong De Wild Arbor tea, which is twisted into a pattern that is as cool in the sample as it looks in the photos on his site. It was another fill-the-thermos-fast kind of brewing, not so carefully done or timed or measured, but the tea came through it beautifully, sweet, just a little smoky, gently woody. So yesterday, interrupted by an interlude for some Hankook Hwang Cha or yellow tea, I brewed up more of the Yong De gongfu cha, with a small gaiwan, and it was very nice, particularly the very looooongggg sweet finish. Have to do this one up nicely, with proper photos, because it's so pretty as well as delicious. And today I started with a white tea, a silver needle Yunnan tea again from Norbu, which was quite nice, but I suspect needs some work to get the best of it.

It's been harder and harder to find them for quite a few years now. 12 years ago, when I lived in San Francisco, I had lots of options--great ones at the farmer's market but they were easy to find in lots of grocery stores and the corner produce markets. But when I moved to St Louis, it became a bit of a chore. I think the vile flavored cranberries and the mainstreaming of dried tropical fruits pushed them out of the mainstream. Still, it wasn't until the last year, living in Los Angeles, that I finally had to resort to mail order when scouring the farmer's markets, ethnic groceries, and produce shops failed to turn them up. It's very frustrating to see them disappear, because they're unique in the mild but distinct flavor they bring together with that nice chewy texture, their affinity for walnuts and chocolate and ginger, and outside of baking, everyone I've shared them with plain has always liked them. I did resort to dried apricots one time for pfefferneuse but there was definitely something missing....

I found it bringing out the fruity notes of the chocolate, but that was with very tiny bits of chocolate per sip of tea. I routinely break up the big SB baking bars and this was some of the fines at the end of the batch.

2005 Ye Sheng Wild Tea Log aged, compressed, dried wild tea from norbutea.com, July 2010 Apparently made from the same wild varietal as the Ya Bao tea buds that I've enjoyed so much, but compressed and aged. Greg describes a 'lemony' flavor and there certainly is a lemony aroma to the dried compressed leaf material, which looks rather coarse and quite clearly includes the fuzzy pale buds along with darker leaves. Used 3.6 grams of tea in a 2.5 oz/75mL gaiwan (the proportions Greg recommends on the Norbu site) with water just off the boil. Flash rinsed, waited 2 minutes, another flash rinse (wanted to see the leaves open up for the rinsing, but it is still quite compressed, so I'm giving up), and then short steeps--first 15 seconds, up to a minute by the 4th or 5th. It's mellow, sweet, floral, and yes, lemony. Quite interesting. It reminds me a lot of the silver needle tea I was drinking earlier today, and like the silver needle, it is delicious with chocolate. It really does not in any way resemble puerh, despite being aged and compressed, except that it does shine here in these short steeps. The liquor is a rich amber, and the leaves at the end vary from green to tan. All in all quite interesting and tasty.

Yin Zhen from the tasting, and then some Ye Sheng Wild Tea from Norbu. More on that one in the white tea topic, because that's where it seems to belong.

Just wish to confirm that the Yin Zhen is very very very fine when sips are alternated with small bits of fine dark chocolate (Scharffenberger 70%). Highly recommended.

And finishing a fulfilling, but very 'green' day of tea: Diamond Tie Guan Yin, and Meng Ding Huang Ya Sichuan Yellow TEa from Norbu. This yellow tea has some potential for bitterness in the early infusions, but those fade and leave only sweetness. Nice to close out the day, as I am back in the office trying to catch up on a foot or so of accumulated paperwork. Blech to paperwork, yay to tea!

Honoyama Shincha this morning. Such a nice start to the day, and nice to be back home after back to back trips away from tea central. Ahhhh.

Still working with a travel-reduced set of tea options, and started the day again with Sayamakaori shincha and now am finishing off a thermos of the 2007 white bud sheng puerh from norbu. It's only lukewarm, but this tea does pretty well even so. Might even be good iced....should try that when I get back home. Boiling water brew a concentrated stock and dilute with iced water, maybe....

They were definitely nice teas, just rather pricey for the quality. Today I'm again enjoying some cold-brewed Alishan Oolong after Sayamakaori Shincha. Mmm.

Much joy: I just discovered that I can enjoy cold tea. Not quite iced, in this trial, but cold. It was 100 degrees today and I was not enjoying my hot tea as much.... I started with some nice Alishan Oolong. I put the dry leaf in my cup, added cold water from the tap, and put it in the fridge for about 6 hours. Then I drank it, and it was good! I think the key was the quantity: instead of using more tea per volume of water than I would normally for hot tea, as I've often seen suggested, I actually used the same, but it seemed like less. For a 16 oz cup, I used the amount of tea I would normally use for my 2 oz gaiwan, about 1 gram, keeping in mind that this particularly lovely tea will easily yield 8-10 infusions from that quantity in the gaiwan (making a total of 16-20 oz of hot tea). So I used the same amount of tea that I would use to make that volume of hot tea, but since it was not done gongfu style and was brewed in the cup, it looked like a lot less. Happy camper, me!

I would have to try the tea with chocolate again. Unfortunately I am again away from my kitchen so can't make the attempt just now.

Ended up feeling a little off after my flight home, so no puerh yesterday--just straight to bed. Today has started off more promisingly, with shincha (the last of the Tenryu Misakubo from Yuuki-cha), and an experiment brewing a new Phoenix oolong (not a Dan Cong) for the thermos for the afternoon today. Not sure yet whether this one is going to work for that or not: I bought a less fancy one specifically hoping to use it for this.