Wholemeal Crank

My overall impression of the Korean greens was that they were nice, but not different or special enough for me to keep seeking them out at this time. A lot of sources claim that Korean teas outside of Korea are quite expensive for the quality, given their rarity, but at this point in my tea journey it's hard to know if my so-so reaction to them is due to their innate characteristics or it simply being my first time working with them (remembering how much trouble I had with Dragon Well, which I'm drinking a couple of times a week now).

Green tea land to start the day, after puerhs last night. Started with sencha, and a cup of Dragon Well as I was working on setting up the green teas for a comparative tasting.

A green tea tasting Jade Pole Supreme Yunnan green tea from Yunnan Sourcing Yunnan Bao Hong spring 2009 early green tea from Yunnan Sourcing Jaksul green tea from Hankook Jeung Je ‘not fermented’ green tea (label says www.sulloc.co.kr and nothing else in English) I could hardly wait to try the new Korean green teas I bought last week. They are quite interesting, seeming a bit like a cross between a long jing and a sencha, and clearly a bit tricky to brew. The two Yunnan greens are quite similar to the Yunnan Mao Feng I got from Norbu. I would like to compare these last three together another time to get a better handle on the subtle differences between them, but doubt that I’ll feel a need to keep all three different kinds on hand at the same time in the future. Used 1.8 grams of tea in small 40 mL gaiwans Infusions 160°F/71°C-170°F/77°C 30”, 30” (probably too long, with all the bitterness coming out), 30” Jade Pole Supreme Yunnan green tea from Yunnan Sourcing Dry Leaves: long twists of intact leaves, camphor, vegetal, grassy aroma Liquor, 1st infusion: pale ivory liquor; mild, camphor, floral Liquor, 2nd infusion: peachy, sweet, camphor Liquor, 3rd infusion: peachy, sweet, camphor, first astringency, hints of bitterness Wet Leaves: beautifully intact yellow-green leaves, in pairs of one very small bud and one larger leaf Yunnan Bao Hong spring 2009 early green tea from Yunnan Sourcing Dry Leaves: flat thin small leaves and fragments, some stems, scent of hay, grass Liquor, 1st infusion: yellow liquor; thicker body; hay, warm, less camphor, but very similar to the Jade Pole Liquor, 2nd infusion: nutty, dark, vegetal, astringent Liquor, 3rd infusion: sweet, vegetal, bit nutty, but much less astringent Wet Leaves: more broken pieces, leaves are quite small, yellow-green,and also mostly buds and small leaves Jaksul green tea from Hankook Dry Leaves: curled small leaves and fragments, sweet, woodsy, piney Liquor, 1st infusion: green clear liquor; grassy, a little sweet Liquor, 2nd infusion: more astringent, even bitter, still grassy Liquor, 3rd infusion: nutty, vegetal, mildly astringent Wet Leaves: larger, broken leaves, fairly flat, very deep green Jeung Je ‘not fermented’ green tea (label says www.sulloc.co.kr and nothing else in English) Dry Leaves: very thin flat leaves, deepest green, sweet grass scent Liquor, 1st infusion: green clear liquor; grassy, sweet, vegetal Liquor, 2nd infusion: liquor very bright deep yellow; astringent, grassy, some bitterness Liquor, 3rd infusion: astringency, grassy, vegetal Wet Leaves: broken leaves, very curly even now, hard to flatten, darker green than the first two but less than the Jaksul Photos: Upper left Jade Pole Supreme Yunnan green tea from Yunnan Sourcing Upper right Yunnan Bao Hong spring 2009 early green tea from Yunnan Sourcing Lower left Jaksul green tea from Hankook Lower right Jeung Je ‘not fermented’ green tea (label says www.sulloc.co.kr and nothing else in English)

A tasting of four sheng puerhs, 2005-2008 vintages 2005 Menghai "Early Spring" Raw Pu-erh tea tuo (Yunnan Sourcing) 2006 A-Gu Zhai Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea * Bu Lang Shan (Yunnan Sourcing) 2007 Rui Cao Xiang "Wu Liang Wild Arbor" Raw Pu-erh tea (Yunnan Sourcing) 2008 Yi Wu Mountain Bamboo Raw Pu-erh tea (Norbu) This was particularly fun because these were all such lovely teas. I liked the first and last best, but all were sweet and spicy and complex and not bitter. Used 1.2-1.3 grams of tea in small 40 mL gaiwans boiling water flash rinse Infusions 185°F/85°C-195°F/90°C 10”, 15”, 20”, 25”, 30”, 35”, 40 2005 Menghai "Early Spring" Raw Pu-erh tea tuo (Yunnan Sourcing) Dry Leaves: sweet, earthy aroma; 250g tuo Liquor, 1st infusion: sweet, spicy, smoky, love it Liquor, 2nd infusion: same Liquor, 3rd infusion: spicy, earthy, sweet, smoky Liquor, 4th infusion: Sweet, spicy, earthy, smoky Liquor, 5th infusion: sweet, earthy, smoky Liquor, 6th infusion: sweet, spicy, smoky, yum Liquor, 7th infusion: smoky, earthy, trace of sweet Wet Leaves: sweet, spicy, floral scent; broken leaves of variable sizes, red tint 2006 A-Gu Zhai Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea * Bu Lang Shan (Yunnan Sourcing) Dry Leaves: sweet, hay/straw, earthy Liquor, 1st infusion: sweet, camphor, spice Liquor, 2nd infusion: sweet, spice, less smoky Liquor, 3rd infusion: sweet, earthy, smoky Liquor, 4th infusion: sweet, earthy, little spice again Liquor, 5th infusion: sweet, smoky, spicy Liquor, 6th infusion: sweet, spicy, bit astringent Liquor, 7th infusion: warm, earthy Wet Leaves: sweet, spicy, floral scent; broken leaves, variable size, redder veins, reddish tint to some leaves 2007 Rui Cao Xiang "Wu Liang Wild Arbor" Raw Pu-erh tea (Yunnan Sourcing) Dry Leaves: sweet tea aroma; sample portions broken from a beeng Liquor, 1st infusion: sweet, vegetal, rounded and deep Liquor, 2nd infusion: same Liquor, 3rd infusion: earthy, vegetal, smoky Liquor, 4th infusion: same Liquor, 5th infusion: sweet, earthy, vegetal Liquor, 6th infusion: vegetal, astringent, but still sweet Liquor, 7th infusion: vegetal, warm, astringent Wet Leaves: sweet, spicy, floral scent; more intact leaves, variable sizes, some reddish tints 2008 Yi Wu Mountain Bamboo Raw Pu-erh tea (Norbu) Dry Leaves: fruity, earthy, black tea scent Liquor, 1st infusion: floral, fruity, sweet, warm Liquor, 2nd infusion: peachy, floral, sweet, caramel Liquor, 3rd infusion: peachy, caramel, sweet Liquor, 4th infusion: peachy, floral, sweet Liquor, 5th infusion: same (mmmmm) Liquor, 6th infusion: sweet, still peachy, floral Liquor, 7th infusion: peachy, warm, caramel Wet Leaves: sweet, spicy, floral scent; broken leaves of variable size, twisted leaves that don’t want to be opened, red tint to leaves Photos: Upper left 2005 Menghai "Early Spring" Raw Pu-erh tea tuo (Yunnan Sourcing) Upper right 2006 A-Gu Zhai Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea * Bu Lang Shan (Yunnan Sourcing) Lower left 2007 Rui Cao Xiang "Wu Liang Wild Arbor" Raw Pu-erh tea (Yunnan Sourcing) Lower right 2008 Yi Wu Mountain Bamboo Raw Pu-erh tea (Norbu)

First matcha in the pretty new cup. It is just big enough to accomodate the chasen. I spun the chasen between my palms and got a very nice foam, quick & easy: But the tea, while not bitter or astringent or in any way unpleasant, was not particularly tasty either.

Started this morning with more of the Dan Congs, then moved on to a nice spicey chamomile tea mix, sweetened with some more of those incredible hydrangea leaves from Hankook. Another try at Matcha today next. Still not a winner for me.

160-170 fahrenheit, yes, which is about 71-76°C.

I like to brew it per my last post--1 to 2 grams in my smaller gaiwans with 75 mL of water, 160-170 degrees, infusions 30", 30", 45", 1', and often repeat immediately with another batch.

Today started off with a poor brewing of a pouchong from Chado--oversteeped and let this very mellow pleasant tea get bitter, first screwup that bad in quite a while; and then worked on a comparative tasting of my four Dan Cong oolongs, much better.

This afternoon, some always reliable Big Red Robe Oolong from WHF, very satisfying at first, but so many people wanted some that I resteeped the leaves for a 2nd batch, which was a little disappointing. This evening, oddly enough, I seemed to be one of the few people from my clinic who was not drinking tea with our dinner at a nice restaurant. My tea-drinking ways are catching on....

Wrong part of the country for me.

Starting with a pleasing mellow cup of Sencha Select today. Yesterday brewed some Bai Mu Dan for the afternoon after my sencha tasting.

Doubling my fun this morning by brewing this side by side with the sencha select from the Cultured Cup that I have been drinking a lot of lately, to get a better sense of the differences in their flavors. Went back to gaiwans for purposes of comparison and decreased volume, 2.7g leaf to almost 3 oz water, water 160 degrees and first infusion 45 seconds: This tea still tastes brinier, and more strongly vegetal--I keep thinking 'deeper' but there has to be a better word for it--not bitter,just deeper, and less sweet. At the 2nd infusion, those differences fade, and both teas are starting to show a little bitterness with a 20 second infusion, along with more nuttiness. The 3rd infusion, something between 20 and 30 seconds, was again a little more distinctly deep/briny vs sweet. Normally I drink my sencha with 2 infusions mixed in my cup, so some of these changes in the SS were surprising, because it's been a while since I drank it this way. Tomorrow I'll try to compare it to the Dens Fukamushi Sencha.

Glad to have you here. I would only add one cautionary note to suggest buying small quantities as you get started, because 4 ounces of a tea that sounds interesting are an awful lot when you find out you don't like it much or have discovered one you like a lot better. 25-50g sizes are great--100g is a lot of tea, especially if you order 2 or 3 that size from several different suppliers--it adds up fast!

Sorry the link was broken. Here is the text of the only way to cook artichokes: Steamed artichokes I have always loved artichokes. Growing up in California, we used to have them several nights a week in season. I liked them so much that eventually Mom would cook two at a time--one for the rest of the family, and one for me. Every other artichoke preparation I've encountered has been disappointing, because they're never as good. I just won't order them anymore, even from a favorite restaurant. These are the best, but this simple preparation is suprisingly absent from even good vegetable cookbooks. After cooking, the leaves and heart can be dipped in butter, or even eaten plain, but I prefer them with plain mayonnaise. It's the only reason I keep mayo in my kitchen. You will need a pressure cooker, because the results are unique. One or more artichokes (depending on your appetite), freshy with a moist firm stalk Rinse the artichiokes and trim off the bulk of the stalk. There is no need to trim the leaves or any silliness like that, because the pressure cooker will soften the spines a bit. Place them on a steamer rack inside a pressure cooker above about an inch of water. Bring them to 15lbs pressure for 22 minutes for a medium to about 26 minutes for a quite large artichoke. Use a timer. Be sure the sink is clear before they are done cooking. When the timer goes off, immediately remove the pressure cooker from the stove to the sink, running cold water over it to cool it rapidly down until the pressure is down and it is safe to open the lid. Remove them from the pot and serve with your favorite dip (mayo!). "Baby" artichokes--not actually immature artichokes, but those growing on the side branches rather than the main stalk--will take less time, from 12-20 minutes depending on their size. When in doubt, cook them for a shorter time, check for doneness (you want a tender heart but not one falling apart), and put them back up to pressure for another 1-3 minutes at a time.

Today's only tea (a sad state of affairs not to be repeated) was my first tasting of the 2007 Menghai "Golden Needle White Lotus" Ripe Pu-erh. I brewed it in bulk for the thermos and am amazed by the mellow smoothness of this tea. It has a lot of body for something so mild. More notes in the tasting topic when I do a proper gong fu with it.

Artichokes. The pressure cooker is the definitive way to delicate, tender, delicious artichokes. My linkhttp://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/SteamedArtichokes.html Also, the bowl-in-pot technique works beautifully for rice and other grains that might otherwise scorch or stick, and permits more precise control of the water that they are cooking in. Another favorite pressure cooker trick is making corn stock, for soups that will feature fresh corn: cut corn off the cobs and reserve for the soup. Put the cobs, water to cover, perhaps some onion, and spices if you like; bring up to pressure, cook 10 minutes, and voila, mild sweet corn stock. Or tamarind stock: pressure cook some whole dried tamarind pods, and dried ginger or galangal, cloves, cinnamon stick, corinader, what you like, for about 10 minutes. Strain and press the tamarind against the strainer to extract the maximum tamarind goodness.

The rest of the tea day: some Dragon Well after morning rounds; purple bud Hainan puerh in the afternoon, sweet and fruity and floral and mellow earthy, very nice; and finishing with some a mix of some spring Ya Bao I got in a tea swap with Richard and Yunnan Mao Feng, a very nice and mellow combination, relatively dilute, to be a relaxing evening drink. The spring Ya Bao are quite different than the summer Ya Bao I bought when the spring were sold out--more floral and delicate. I'll be sure to get some of this years' crop when it arrives.

Today again starting with this tea, and shorter infusions, water again 150-160 degrees, 5g, 1 minute first and 15-20 second 2nd and 3rd infusions, and today am noting clearly the brininess that was mentioned by LuckyGirl. The later short infusions have thinner liquor than the longer ones I did yesterday, but are still quite rich and deep and vegetal, and no hint of bitterness.

Not insane, given that I am making a pot of sencha with 5g to 6 oz water, and have used even higher proportions with some particularly nice green teas. At that rate of use, however, you should get several quite short infusions, so that 5 g of leaf is giving you 3-6 cups of tea.

I also brewed up a little bit of the 2009 Spring Zhen-Yen Handcrafted "Rou Gui" from Houde. Spicy, sweet, complex and toasty. Will do it up with pictures another day. Today was brewing tiny quantities to not OD on tea but to check out several of the way-too-many teas that recently came home with me.

Today I broke into the Hankook korean oolong I bought at Chasaengwon last week. I did not weigh the tea but filled the small gaiwan about 1/4 full by eye. I started with water about 190 degrees, and infused 30" after a quick rinse. Then multiple additional infusions about 30-60 seconds apiece, water temperature varying as the water in the pot cooled and was rewarmed a little. It's an interesting fruity tea, reminds me of the Bai Mu Dan I tasted last week--peachy, a hint of fermented fruit. I'm not sure I really enjoy that particular flavor note very much, and will have to play with this one a few more times before I have a good sense of it. It also resembles the Oriental Beauty from Yunnan that I drank this week, from Yunnan Sourcing. Not as toasty or spicy as Wuyi, nor greenly floral like the low-oxidized green oolongs.

First try, started with their range of 0.75-1 gram of tea per oz water, so 5 grams sencha preheated kyusu Water at 150°F 1 1/2 minutes 1st infusion Sweet, vegetal, rich body, not even a hint of bitter 155° 60 seconds flavor is darker, more intense, less sweet, hint of bitter, probably should have infused it shorter 160°, 30 seconds also a little 'darker', like the 2nd infusion, but not bitter, just more deep vegetable flavor, and still some sweet; getting a bit thin in the body. This is a lovely tea. I will try a little staying shorter for later infusions next time.

I've only ever tried this Yin Zhen from Chado. I liked it enough that I bought several ounces, and I've hardly made a dent.

First brewing of the Yuuki-Cha Organic Kumamoto Sencha Yabe Supreme for the tasting today. Will hold my notes until everyone is ready. Nice.