Wholemeal Crank

I brewed it like I would a dark roasted TGY or wuyi oolong, water hot but several minutes off boiling, but I did not have enough time to weigh or keep track of infusions. But basically a typical several-infusions-to-fill-the-thermos brewing.

Got this one in a tea swap from LuckyGirl: Lao Tie Guan Yin - Late 90s Aged Tie Guan Yin Oolong from Norbu. It was interesting. Compared to the dark roast Tie Guan Yin, this was missing a lot of the darker, earthy elements, but had a fruity tartness that reminded me of wine. It was very interesting, but not as much to my taste as the regular dark roast or the lighter oxidized greens. Those I shared it with were quite impressed.

Today started off with a cup of the select sencha we tasted recently, from the cultured cup; midday was some spring high mountain alishan oolong from norbu; and then finished the afternoon (the sort of day that required lots of hydration) with an aged Tie Guan Yin from norbu, part of a tea trade with LuckyGirl. More about that in the oolong topic. Probably will need at least one more before bedtime.

Bi Lo Chun green tea tonight, sweet, warm, gorgeous (and suffering no sad effects from the cold, yay!).

Does my nice jasmine taste like soap because my cold removes the other notes that round the flavor, or is it just too strongly scented for my palate? Has anyone else noted this phenomenon? (wishing now I had made nice smoky puerh instead)

A two-tea day: 2007 white bud sheng puerh from norbu, smoky sweet and just what I'd been craving all weekend (but had unfortunately left at work); and finished the last of my gyokuro in the new kyusu. Also have received my order of the Sencha Select featured in our tasting from the Cultured Cup, should be lovely in the new kyusu.

All tea, all day, today. This evening, opened the 2008 Yi Wu Mountain Bamboo Roasted Puerh from norbu. I got a sample of this in a tea swap and liked it enough to order some more. I remembered it being a very sweet and mellow pu for one so young, and packed the little yixing with a lot of tea, probably too much. I was still doing 10-20 second infusions around the 10th one, but did finally get some very nice infusions that reminded me why I ordered it. Next time, less leaf! Also brewed more yellow tea from Jing Tea today.

Thai markets, good point. I have an excellent one nearby. And I think I could manage to buy it fresh and dry it, but I don't have the patience to really do a good job with basil in the garden, because it bolts so fast if you're not right on top of it. Rosemary and sage are more my speed!

Drinking a lot today with the cold hanging on, starting with a nice infusion of the end of the gyokuro in the new kyusu, which is working GREAT with quick pour times and just traces of fines coming through; and then some herb tea ready to go next, so I won't be overly caffeinated all day--a mix of chamomile, hibiscus, citrus peel, peppermint, tulsi, and licorice. Trying to think of a comparison tasting for today, because that's the perfect sort of activity for a day like this when all I want to do is drink a lot!

Reviving an old topic because I was recently given a box of tulsi tea bags, really love what it does in for my chamomile/hibiscus herb tea blend, and would like to find more. But I checked out the Indian grocery store near my house and the only thing I could find was a mixed herb tea with tulsi in it, marketed for weight loss. I want just the pure tulsi for my own tea blends. So....can any one suggest a source for Tulsi? It's easy to find dried sweet basil in spice shops but there's not much flavor there.

Thanks for the pointer.

What quantity of tea are you using, for that volume of water?

Because I enjoyed the matcha iri genmaicha from the tasting, I bought a small sample of matcha along with some senchas when it was time to restock as my gyokuro is running out, came back to this topic, and.....how are you making your daily matcha now, Richard? I also will be getting a bit of sencha select from the cultured cup, and have fukamushi sencha from denstea. I will be resealing and chilling what I do not use right away, for both of them--will try to remember to share notes on how that works. And I bought a plain kyusu with an integral ceramic filter, to help with the clogging problem I have when I use my chinese pots for the japanese teas, because it's clear that the japanese greens will continue to be part of my life. Tonight I'll baptize it to help finish off the gyokuro before I open the senchas.

Today, started off the the 2007 Po Tou Ginger Flower Fragrance Dan Cong Oolong I was drinking yesterday morning & last night. The leaves were left in my tiny pot, rinsed for the new session, and reinfused with hot water. I have gotten another 6 or 8 infusions out of it, and now it is done. Probably a net total of 25-30 infusions from 1.5 grams of tea, at 40mL per infusion that's about a liter of tea, net cost about $2.50. That's by far the most expensive tea I've ever bought to brew at home, but still in line with what I've paid for Peets or Starbucks to poorly prepare a much lesser brew. And it's a heck of a lot cheaper than fine wine.

I've not found the Big Red Robe tea (I have gotten mine from Wing Hop Fung) to have any off flavors that I would describe as 'chemical': I get some smoky-toasty, earthy, fruity, and sweet. There is a taste I've been thinking of as 'camphor' in several teas recently, which is a bit resinous. Although I've never tasted true camphor, that word comes up frequently when I've read about teas, and when I looked it up and read about it, it sounds like what I think I'm detecting in these teas. I think of this as part of the 'wild' flavor I was describing in another thread (the tea discoveries topic), I have found that flavor in my Dan Congs, Yunnan Mao Feng green tea, Yunnan wild camellia spring tea, and the white bud sheng puerh I got from norbutea, but not in the Big Red Robe from Wuyi! Now very curious as to what the flavor is, and whether you might have sent me a sample of that tea. Unfortunately I took most of them to work so can't check right now.

Today, started with the ginger flower fragrance Dan Cong Oolong from TeaHabitat, and used a little higher leaf to water ratio, 1.5 grams of leaf in my tiniest clay pot, which holds about 40 mL. It was just as lovely as my first infusion, and after 10 or 12 infusions, most 30-60 seconds, I had to leave for work, so I left the leaves there, and this evening, just did a quick rinse, and started up again. Now on what must be infusion 16 or 20, and it is still spicy, floral, sweet, lovely. I have a sore throat (cold coming on), and it seems like I could just sit here by the stove for hours, cup after soothing cup. Mmmm.

I've also enjoyed the Yunnan Mao Feng and wild white yunnan teas I got from norbutea: I don't know if its something distinctive about the yunnan tea plants, or the processing, but they seem a little less refined than some, in a way that I really like. I'd love to know what else they're doing in Yunnan. With all of the plants they put in when the puerh bubble was at the height, they might be doing all kinds of wonderful stuff with that terrific raw material.

Bush vs Tree is not a difference I'm familiar with for Puerh. I've bought some Puerh from Rishi that is labelled 'ancient trees' but none of the other I've bought has labels that mentioned anything about bushes or trees. What difference would you be looking for? And what defines a bush or a tree when they're all the same plant?

Finishing up with a bit of Norbu's Lao Tie Guan Yin aged late 90s oolong tonight, receieved as part of a tea swap with LuckyGirl. Quite interesting--there is a strong smoky/earthy scent but the flavor is more tart, fruity, and sweet than toasty. THere is also a long spicy finish.

Also today, a thermos full of "Oolong tea", a gift that came in a red canister from Hsin Tung Yang Co LTD in Taiwan. It was a little thin in my first brewing, but serviceable and soothing, sweetening as the afternoon continued. And then, another brewing of Dragonwell, which again was excellent. I am not sure what the breakthrough is with the Dragonwell--I did use a higher leaf-to-water ratio than my usual, because my intent a few nights ago was to use up the tea--but otherwise, the temp and timings and gaiwan are substantially the same as what was just not cutting it a month or two ago.

And this morning, brewing a couple of grams of Huo Shan Huang Ya, yellow tea from jingteashop.com, in a gaiwan, and there is still sweetness and body coming out beautifully at the 7th or 8th infusion. I keep expecting that the next infusion will be one too many, but then, it's delicious and I go back to the teapot for more water. Either it's finally tapped out, or the water in the kettle was just too cold to extract more, but I finally stopped at something between 10 and 12 infusions. Astonishing.

Looks like a silver needle--very fine narrow young leaves. Beautiful gaiwan for a beautiful tea. Was it as lovely as it looked?

This afternoon, went to the Yunnan Mao Feng because pressed for time. This evening, have enjoyed a couple of brewings of the Dragonwell, which was just as good as a few nights ago. Happiness.

Started today with a comparison of a couple of Yunnan black teas, my first brewing of an imperial dian hong compared to a golden yunnan. Yummy stuff.

Just tried some of the Imperial Dian Hong from norbutea that LuckyGirl sent me as part of a sample trade. I brewed up 1 gram each of that and small bud gold yunnan from tea habitat in my small matched gaiwans, with about 70mL boiling water, for 2 minutes. That's pretty dilute but I am a black tea wimp, and at this concentration both were fruity and spicey and sweet. I think the Dian Hong may be fruitier, and the liquor is a bit lighter in color--more golden/orange than red--but both are beautiful teas. I can see why Dian Hong is such a favorite with lot of the drinkers here.