Richard Kilgore

That is unfortunate news. I am truly sorry to hear it.

I'll echo paulraphael. Check your restaurant supply for sheet pans. Half sheet about $ 5 - 7, as I recall. They have fourth sheet pans if the half sheet will not fit. Good for roasting some things, as well as for baking and pastry.

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 not brewed any of the sample yet, but I asked Greg for a starting place and he said he uses 5 grams in a 150 ml gaiwan. Then you can adjust to taste. Everyone receiving the free sample is able to brew with a gaiwan or Yixing tea pot, so with ten grams to play with we can do one session gongfu style and have enough left to brew western style, too. I am assuming 2.0 to 2.5 grams per 6 - 8 ounces of water for western style.

Just a note that I have recently kept multi-infused leaves overnight in the fridge in a small canning jar, and then infused them several more times...more than ten infusions for two high quality pu-erh and DanCong leaves. One of these I have already done this three days in a row. I put them back in the fridge and am going to give them a third and fourth try tomorrow. When I bring them out of the fridge, I put the jar in a pan and run hot water to warm up the leaves. Then do a 10 second rinse with water at whatever the brewing temperature is going to be, before starting the infusion to drink.

Today so far, it's been the delicious Kukicha Fukamushi from The Cultured Cup and my first attempt at Korean Roasted Corn Tea. The Kukicha brewed in a new kyusu from Yuuki-cha.com made by Tachi Masaki. What's in your tea cup/mug/yunomi/glass today?

Interesting. This tastes like slightly over-roasted popcorn - on the edge of burnt. That said, I think I brewed it a little weak. Maybe 1/2 cup pr more per liter would be better. This brand clearly looked roasted more than the others. Do most not have the near-burnt taste?

Thanks, Peter. I estimated 1/3 cup corn to a liter of water. It's cooling now, so we'll see how that works.

In the Barley Tea topic, torakris mentioned Korean Roasted Corn Tea: I was shopping at the local Super H-Mart yesterday and picked up a bag of the roasted corn. I chose the Soong Yung Tea brand (I guess that's the brand) after asking a woman who waited on me in the fast food kiosk. She said it was the best one with the best flavor. So, now that I have a bag of it, how do I make it?

lperry, I agree that it is wonderful to have a good local tea shop. As several other people and I have posted up-topic we love our local shops and support them. Unfortunately some people don't have a good local shop and have to rely on the web. I shopped in the store, smelling the leaves and asking questions for many years (and still do) before trying a web-based tea merchant. And for many people - for most drinkers of whole leaf teas - that's all they will ever need and want if they have a good to great local tea shop. The only reason I shop with merchants on-line is because they carry teas, tea pots and other tea accessories that I can't find locally...or in some cases, in the US at all. As Greg Glancy at Norbutea.com once said to me, "It's all about trust." I think that's true for a b&m shop, too, but even more so for a web-based merchant. My suggestion for anyone wanting to checkout a merchant, b&m or on-line, would be to buy small 25 gr to 2 ounce samples of a few teas and ask whatever questions you may have.

Here's another example at Houde de of what I like in an on-line tea merchant's description of a tea. Historical context, notes on the flavor profile, and photos of the leaf and the tea liquor. I am not focusing on this specific tea, which I have not tried, just the format, description and detail, which I think provides helpful information.

I have been drinking "old" not "aged" teas today. Started off with a tisane - a hibiscus tea made from a bag of hibiscus I have had for maybe five years. Still great. Then in an effort to use up the remnants of last year's good Kukicha from TCC before dipping any more into the new Kukicha Fuka, I brewed several infusions. Still tasty, though way past its prime. On to the new. While organizing my teas yesterday, I found a small sample from Hou de I had forgotten about. Also past its prime, but still worth brewing: a 2007 Spring FengHuang Lin-Tou DanCong "Mi Lan". So, what teas have you all been drinking in your part of the world?

The three eG members receiving the free tea samples from Greg Glancy at Norbutea.com for this Tea Tasting Discussion are --- * cdh * Wholemealcrank * weinoo I shipped the samples of this Taiwnese Oolong today, so you should get them sometime this week.

Yes, "aggressive" is the word for it. Perhaps I'll try blending it with something else. But maybe not. Thanks for the tip anyway.

Maybe with some cold water and used leaves, even. I've had enough adventures with burnt tongue from too hot tea, don't need burnt fingers too! ← Used leaves. That's a good idea to get a better idea of how it pours and how to pour it while holding back the leaves. If you have some green tea, you could try it first. About 175 F for Chinese greens should make it easier.

Not to worry. Your fingers aren't as sensitive as your mouth. I don't know anyone who has had to go to the ER, or even the medicine cabinet for a bandaid or burn ointment, while learning to use a gaiwan. And remember, you're not drinking out of it; you're pouring it into a warmed cup.

I bought more of this Houjicha Select to play around with. I have tried it with a range of temps and it is a most flexible tea leaf. But tonight I tried upping the leaf:water ratio to 6 grams to 6-7 ounces water. The first infusion at one minute was a bit much, so I dumped it and adjusted the second infusion to 8-9 ounces for 30 seconds - very good, and it probably has at least a couple of infusions left in it. Very nice. If I was starting this session again, I would do a first infusion with 8-9 ounces H2O for about 45 seconds with the 6 grams of leaf. That should work better.

I continued bewing this pu-erh after storing it in the fridge overnight. I lost count, but at least 10 infusions in all so far and it's still going. But first thing this morning I pulled out a Lapsong Souchong that I got from Ten Ren last year. It is a beast compare to the elegant one I mentioned up-topic from jingteashop.com. And it's the worst one I have had, so I'm throwing away or giving away the bag.

Using a gaiwan is easy, but a little practice at first will help things go smoothly. So, how to hold a gaiwan? There are two approaches. One is the thumb-and-two-finger technique: thumb and middle finger against the rim and the index finger on the lid, leaving the saucer on the table. For the other, thumb on lid and one or more fingers under the saucer. The latter provides a little more protection from burning your fingers, however Greg Glancy at Norbutea.com tells me that in China they do it in the former manner. You simply use your finger (or thumb) on the lid to tilt it enough to pour the tea liquor without letting the leaves go through. Since gaiwans are made of different qualities and thicknesses of porcelain, they have different heat retention abilities. So some may be more prone to heating up your digits. But the key is to fill the gaiwan with water full enough to get a good water seal, and then to pour off any excess above the level of the edge of the lid. You are going to be pouring quickly, not holding the gaiwan for more than a few seconds. You may want to try this a few times with water and no leaves.

One free sample left.

First today it was Mariage Freres Nil Rouge, a robois based tisane from The Cultured Cup. Then I dipped into a very good young Pu-erh sample from Yunnan Sourcing: a 2008 Hai Lang Hao, Lao Ban Zhang & Man'E cake. This cake has a future.

Thanks to eG Society member Kyle Stewart at The Cultured Cup for providing this Kukicha Fukamushi (deep steamed) Japanese green tea for the Tea Tasting Discussion. And thanks to all who participated. Continued discussion welcome, of course.

I have known Greg for several years. A presentation he gave on a trip through the tea markets and farms of China fed my growing interest in learning more about fine teas. Since then Greg has become a tea friend and we drink tea together and trade teas and tea stories from time to time. ← Tick, tock. Preference for the free samples given to those who have not participated in the last two Tea Tasting Discussions expires at midnight. Tick, tock. PM me if you are interested.

Here's a good example at jingteashop.com of the level of detail and context I like from tea retailers.

Today so far it's an Anxi Ba Xian (2008) from jingteashop.com, brewed gongfu style in a gaiwan. A good, tasty everyday tea that I got last year, but it's no longer on their site. So what teas are you drinking today?