Richard Kilgore
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Posts posted by Richard Kilgore
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A chawan, matcha bowl, I got earlier this year from Ginny Marsh, a fine potter who also had one of the first organic farms in the US.
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All of this grading business is complicated by the fact that Chinese teas are not typically graded by the same grading system as teas from India and Sri Lanka, the system I linked to above.
One merchant's highest grades, whatever they call them, are another merchant's lowest or middle grades.
Wing Hop Fung (birdpick.com) has their own grading system for Chinese teas, and they should give you some relative sense of what level of quality you are looking at within their range of teas. But experience is your guide in figuring out what the hyped up terms really mean.
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Yes, it is confusing. And there is often added confusion between tea leaf grades and tea processing characteristics.
CTC (cut, torn, curled) is a matter of processing. Lower grade leaf is used, but CTC is not a grade per se.
Orange Pekoe (OP) refers to a grade. Grades run from "D" for dust - that which goes into most tea bags, and FTGFOP (finest, tippy, golden, flowery, orange pekoe). The more letters, the better the grade of leaf. Here's a helpful chart at Imperial Tea Garden.
However, tea marketing results in calling many black teas Orange Pekoe, as if it were a specific type of tea.
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Here's an interesting piece on "How to Choose a Tea" on teasource.com. There find a short quiz and scroll down for an interesting chart using food (and music) preferences to suggest teas you may like - bread, apple, cheese and beer preferences. Not sure at all about the music chart, but there is something to the food preference matches.
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Started the day with a Yunnan Imperial red/black tea from the culturedcup.com.
Yesterday I stopped by TCC needing something cool to suck through a straw after a trip to my dentist. Sam whipped up an iced chai latte, which was made with a syrup base. Not bad. Better than the iced chai at Whole Foods yesterday.
Since I was feeling nothing on the one hand, and experimental on the other, I asked Sam to make an iced matcha latte and he, Kelly and I shared it. Pretty good stuff. And much better than I expected. I would do that again.
So, what tea have you all been drinking?
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We are very close on our temps then. I measured water that was 195 in the kettle and it was 182 after being in the gaiwan for about 3 seconds. That was just one measurement, so I'll try it again and also with a Yixing.
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Don't know a wholesale source, and don't know what sizes you are looking for, but if you only need a dozen, try birdpick.com. Theirs are so cheap you could mark them up for b&m tea retail or restaurant use and be fine. They are not absolutely airtight; none of these with seams are, but they are fine for red/black teas and okay for green teas and greener Oolongs if you drink them sooner than later. You could also try World Market, but they are larger when they have them. However, I think the 4, 6 and 8 ounce tea cannisters at tenren.com with straight sides probablyare somewhat better quality than either of the other two sources. Of course you could email all of them to see if they would give you a wholesale price.
Let us know what you end up with and if you find another source.
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If you can get a cup and infuser in that kettle, I don't think you are going to do better for compact and light. And cheap. My word, $11.51!
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Grandpa style for me is only green tea leaves, Chinese green tea leaves, in a ceramic cup with 175 F water. Chinese greens work well this way. I have not had a problem with bitterness, I assume because a cup or glass dissipates heat faster than brewing in a gaiwan or teapot. I don't think you could do this with Japanese green teas.
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Having only 2 grams left, I decided to tey to make iced tea rather than cold-brewed tea. I made three infusions in a gaiwan, producing about 360 plus ml of tea. brewed with 195 F water for 3 min, 3 min, 4 min. ( Should have done a 2 min first infusion to avoid some astringency). Poured the infusions one at a time from a fair cup into a glass and let it cool to room temp and then added ice cubes. The fair cup step allowed me to sample each infusion hot.
I found the individual warm infusions floral and drinkable, becoming creamier in the second and third infusions and the third showing some spicy notes.
I am not liking the iced tea as much. It's interesting, but don't think I would drink it even semi-semi-regularly as an iced tea. Perhaps cold brewing would strike me differently. I am going to get some of the first pick version of this tea from Greg soon, so I'll sacrifice a little of it to a cold brew. We'll see.
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Check out Mike Petro's traveling kit for Gong Fu Cha in this topic, post # 2. Not sure you can get it in your backpack, though.
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cdh - It sounds like you are measuring the temp of the water once it is in the pot. If so our temps may be closer than we thought, since I am measuring mine in my electric water kettle before being poured into a gaiwan or Yixing. I'll check this and see what 195 becomes once it is poured.
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I use the term "western style" tea pot to refer to a teapot style that many people in western countries grew up with, whether something like a Brown Betty or a decorative white porcelain teapot. When England brought tea from China to India, they brought their teapots with them. But I am not sure what are all the ways people in India brew tea, and especially chai.
"Gong fu style" is not common in China or the rest of Asia; it is used by tea connoisseurs there for drinking Oolongs and Pu-erhs - a small percentage of the population. I assumed, and had this verified by Greg Glancy, that most people in China drink their tea "grandpa style"; that is, they throw a bunch of leaves in a glass or tall mug and add hot water, adding water throughout the day. I sometimes drink Chinese green teas this way and enjoy it. Greg also mentioned that western style ceramic tea pots are used in most restaurants in China.
Hope that answers your question.
Well, I think I should clarify about Gong Fu Cha. High quality tea for making Gong Fu Cha is a luxury that most people can't afford, so it mostly has been reserved for more elite people and connoisseurs. That's changing a bit now with the emergence of a middle class in mainland China, but most people just throw some green tea leaves in a flask or bottle and drink on that all day. In a restaurant setting or when taking some tea with you, that's when "grandpa style" just makes more practical sense.
I tend to use the term Western style when talking about brewing tea like my grandmother used to. I think the term strikes a chord with people, and gives a sense of comfort and familiarity. Gong Fu seems very foreign and uncomfortable to most people until they have an experience that makes them understand the reason it is done that way...I know I was very intimidated at first too until I had an "Ah Ha" moment with Gong Fu Cha.
Department of Clarified Clarifications
Greg, are you saying it is common to serve tea in a restaurant "grandpa style" - tea leaves thrown in a glass and then filled and refilled with hot water, as well as restaurants serving tea in a western style ceramic teapot? When most people are drinking their tea out of a flask or bottle, do they refill with water during the day?
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Why didn't I think of this before. There are Chinese water kettles of several sizes made by Kamjove. I don't know what the smallest is, maybe a litre. Check that favorite Chinese grocery of yours; I know they carry at least a couple models.
Found it on their birdpick.com website. It's a 0.8 ltr model and I doubt you will find one smaller.
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How does the Whole Foods "we are more than a grocery store" marketing approach look today to everyone? Have you come to think of it in larger conceptual terms than an organically-oriented, healthy food oriented, grocery store? To me it rather still looks like a grocery store - a very attractive grocery store, but a grocery store. The spa upstairs is pretty much out-of-sight-out-of-mind.
The bananas I got yesterday were the cheapest I have seen in a long time, 39 cents per pound. Also some very nice goat cheese on sale. The bulk chocolate appears to be significantly less expensive than CM, but I need to make some chocolate notes at both stores to make a better comparison. Someone please correct me if I am off-base on this.
That's my report on all the most important food groups.
Anyone else found something of interest at WF?
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YP - I almost started with iced tea today myself. But what is Ribena?
Castleton Estate, 2nd Flush Wiry from TeaSource.com for me this morning. A wonderful tea.
So what teas is everyone else drinking today?
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Greg told me he makes iced tea by throwing some leaf in cold water and putting it in the fridge for a few hours. He doesn't measure, so I can't say much about what to do, but since you have about 8 grams left, how about 3 grams in maybe 8 ounces of water. Then use the last 5 grams in your 100 ml of water for gong fu cha.
Sounds good.
How did the Ali Shan Oolong do as an iced or cold brew tea, Mitch?
And how did your second brewing of the hot tea work out for you? Or did you turn all of it into iced/cold brew tea.
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This morning brewed a pot of a Mariage Frères Assam, Napuk Estate. Absolutely blew it with too much leaf. Brrrrgh! Second infusion was kinder to me. I'll try to be a little more awake next time.
Had an iced chai at Whole Foods while grocery shopping. So, so. Would not do it again.
Picked up some Genmaicha at The Cultured Cup today. It's a Mariage Frères tea they are discontinuing, so it was half-price. It has little bits of popped corn in it as well as the usual toasted rice. Tasty.
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I use the term "western style" tea pot to refer to a teapot style that many people in western countries grew up with, whether something like a Brown Betty or a decorative white porcelain teapot. When England brought tea from China to India, they brought their teapots with them. But I am not sure what are all the ways people in India brew tea, and especially chai.
"Gong fu style" is not common in China or the rest of Asia; it is used by tea connoisseurs there for drinking Oolongs and Pu-erhs - a small percentage of the population. I assumed, and had this verified by Greg Glancy, that most people in China drink their tea "grandpa style"; that is, they throw a bunch of leaves in a glass or tall mug and add hot water, adding water throughout the day. I sometimes drink Chinese green teas this way and enjoy it. Greg also mentioned that western style ceramic tea pots are used in most restaurants in China.
Hope that answers your question.
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Lots of good ideas here.
I agree that glass is not likely to survive airline baggage handling. If it has to be a teapot as such, how about a small ceramic one. About $7 - $8 at an Asian market.
Or a mug and a fine screen infuser basket. There are several brands, and all work pretty well, much better than a tea ball. There is one brand I now prefer that someone here recommended; it has very straight sides and the roomiest basket for the leaves to expand in. Make two infusions of a good tea and you have your pint.
But I don't have a clue as to a pint-size electric kettle.
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did not yet have a chance to try it. But I have just received my first shipment from norbu tea, got it just as I was leaving for the weekend, and will have some nice pu-erhs on which to try it. I have steeped many teas 3, 4, 5 times, but am intrigued by the '30 times or more' I have seen written in reference to some of them, and doubt I can get to that number without either brewing such a tiny amount that I can drink each infusion in one sip; or doing it across two days.
As Naftal pointed out in this topic, the key thing about gung fu style is that the characteristics of the tea change in interesting ways from infusion to infusion. Thirty or more would be rare, but 10 - 20 is common for gong fu style brewing - much more leaf and much shorter infusion times. Small sips are good.
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I try to follow the two-hour rule and rinse the leaves for 10 - 20 seconds in hot water if they have been sitting in the pot for two or more hours. I have never had a problem, but do at your own risk.
I have a reasonably robust immune system, so am not too worried about fungus amongus, more concerned about deterioration of the wet leaves leading to off flavors.
May try this with the rinsing for tomorrow's work pot of tea
Have you tried it, WmC? If so, what did you find?
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Greg and WmC - I have heard rumors that after several years of the light tgy being dominant, that there is renewed interest and some increased demand for the traditionally roasted tgy.
I started out preferring the roasted tgys, but have come to enjoy the lighter ones on their own terms a great deal.
And aged tgys are also worth exploring. Harder to find, but really worth exploring.
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I've had one for a few years with no problems, but am curious, Ray. In what way did it break?
What Tea Are You Drinking Today? (Part 1)
in Coffee & Tea
Posted
Thanks for the info on the Ribena, YP. Comfort tea is comfort tea, isn't it. I certainly drink my share of plain black tea bag iced tea.
Today the Kagoshima Sencha Yutaka Midori from o-cha.com, four infusions in a Banko kyusu from yuuki-cha.com. I find this a pretty flexible fukamushi sencha, with my leaf to water ratio running as low as .5 per ounce of water and still pleasing me. I'll brew it a little heavier next time, though.