Richard Kilgore

Interesting tea. In response to an inquiry, here's some brewing info I received tonight in an email from Adam Sachs at The Cultured Cup. I think it's consistent with what we have been finding, corrects an error on the package instructions and adds a little, too.

Here is a link to gaiwans offered by an eBay merchant, Dragon Tea House, based in China. I have never ordered anything from this merchant, so can't speak to customer service, shipping time and safe packaging, but there is a lot of interesting content in the descriptions of many of these gaiwans - the history of the designs and porcelain production in various Chinese regions, many from Jin De Zhen, Jiangxi Province. Some small enough for one person gongfu brewing at 90 ml and others larger for two or more people. Worth a look.

Thanks, Helen and jon. That's very helpful - and dollar saving - info.

The three free tea samples go to --- v. gautam baroness Yajna Patni I'll look forward to discussing this Nilgiri with you and other Nilgiri lovers.

Yesterday evening I experimented with an organic Sencha I received recently from Yuuki-cha.com in Japan. More on this later in the Japanese Green Tea topic as I learn how to brew it. This morning I am enjoying again the MF Assam Napuk from The Cultured Cup. So what teas are you all drinking today?

I was going through the checkout line at a Sprouts grocery store recently and noticed that the person in front of me had only two products in her basket. Two bags of potato chips and about 40 bottles of "organic black tea". At a dollar a 16 ounce bottle. Looked like a party in the making. Certainly convenient - it's "organic" and convenient - just toss it in the trash or recycle the glass or plastic. But how hard is it to make iced tea? $40 would buy the 160 - 180 grams of a good quality tea leaf needed and have money left over. And few if any of the bottled teas are made of anything but the lower grades of tea. So, my bias is not subtle. But what do you think of bottled teas?

There are now many tea merchants on the internet. Some have B&M tea shops; some have their own sites; some are on eBay. Their websites differ considerably in the range of teas and tea-things they offer and how they are presented. Some English language sites are based in the tea producing countries and more are based in tea importing countries. So, I am curious about what everyone's experiences have been and what your preferences are. Do you prefer ordering from merchants in your country or from those overseas? Or after buying on-line have you decided you prefer a B&M shop? What kind of informational content about their tea and other products do you like to see on their sites? What do you expect in terms of shipping times and customer service? I have my own take on this, but I'll wait a few days to add my 2 cents.

Only two free samples left.

Just a reminder that preference will be given until midnight tomorrow to those who did not participate in the last two tea tastings. PM me if you are interested in one of the free tea samples.

Right. We're not trying to do a formal tasting here. People use a fairly wide range of equipment and methods, and I always learn something from what everyone does. Are you referring to a Japanese Kyuusu, a side handled tea pot? I would be cautious if it has an unglazed interior; this roasted tea and other Japanese green teas do not play well together using the same unglazed pot. I use a 12 ounce glazed Kyuusu for this tea, but usually only brew about 6 - 8 ounces in it. The teapot is nothing special, but I don't want to put this Houjicha in my smaller unglazed Kyuusu that I use for Sencha. When you say the tiny tea cups are annoying, I assume they are not saying things to irritate you, but that the size seems inconvenient. I used a large 10 ounce white coffee cup today while brewing 6 - 8 ounces at a time to experiment with the brewing parameters a little. I brewed this just a little stronger than you did 2 grams ( about 2 rounded measuring teaspoons) to 6 ounces of 185 F water for one minute, first infusion. This produced a result similar to yours. Pleasant enough, but after doing two more infusions, I wanted to brew this stronger. My second attempt was with 3.5 grams at 185 F for 2 minutes, resulting in a much more robust flavor. Second and third infusions were 195 F, 3 minutes and 205 F, 3 minutes. Both rich and flavorful, though a little different than the first infusion. I should note that I pre-warmed the teapot before the first infusion, but I am not sure that is essential with this roasted leaf. It appears this Houjicha Select will tolerate a fairly wide range of brewing styles and parameters. So what foods do you think it would go well with, Mitch? (Edited in the interest of clarity. - RK)

While I was disappointed to see Rouge close after only a few years (2? 3?), I am not disappointed to see a new place that serves traditional Spanish food, including a large number of tapas. I'll look forward to checking it out.

I'll be interested in what everyone thinks of this tea. It is very low in caffeine, so is served with meals and drunk by children and people sensitive to caffeine in Japan. Served both hot and cold. I'll have some suggestions for a starting place for brewing soon. The directions on the package are a bit ambiguous.

Thanks to Bill Waddington at Tea Source for providing the tea samples for this Tea Tasting Discussion and to everyone for making this an interesting discussion. Here's a link to the next Tea Tasting Discussion featuring a stunning Nilgiri from Tea Source.

This Tea Tasting Discussion features an Indian black tea, a Nilgiri, Glendale Estate, Handmade. Bill Waddington at teasource.com is providing free 10 gram samples for me and three more eG Society members. Each sample is enough to make about four cups of first infusion tea. This is an impressive tea I first ordered last year from Tea Source. I have since ordered more, unusual for me since I typically prefer to explore many teas, an ounce at a time. Here is some background information from the Teasource site: The three free samples are available to members who 1) will do at least two brewing sessions from the sample, 2) will report on their experience and participate in the discussion, and 3) who have previously posted at least ten (10) substantive posts (questions, answers, comments that add to discussions) in the Coffee and Tea forum. Preference will be given until midnight (EDST) Thursday July 16, 2009 to those who have not participated in the last two tastings. As always, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion, whether or not you receive a sample. So, please PM me now if you would like to receive one of the the free samples and participate in the tasting and discussion.

Thanks for the report, baroness. The Panitola is the comparison I was going to do, too. I think you have described the two and their differences well.

Started out today with an Assam Napuk from The Cultured Cup. A pleasant, smooth cup with a hint of astringency. Now continuing to gongfu brew a 1999 CNNP "Old Tree" Ripe Pu-erh brick sample I started brewing yesterday and kept in the fridge over night. I ordered this small sample from Scott at Yunnan Sourcing in my last order, and have liked this aged ripe pu well enough that a 250 gram brick is on my current order. So what are you all brewing today in your part of the world?

Up late watching the Tour de France and drinking a white peony from The Cultured Cup - a Grand Pai Mu Tan that I have had around much too long. Enjoying it gong fu style, sweeter as the infusions progress. So what tea are you drinking in your part of the world?

I have an order coming from Scott Wilson at Yunnan Sourcing (eBay) in China that includes several Pu-erh cakes, bricks and samples of both 2009 and 2008 vintage, as well as 2003 and older. Mostly ripe, cooked. 2009 Lao Ban Zhang Premium Raw Pu-erh tea cake * 25g 2008 Menghai "Hong Yun" Ripe Pu-erh Mini tea cake 100g 2008 Menghai 7562 Classic Ripe Pu-erh Brick tea * 250g 2008 Yong Pin Hao "Menghai Qiao Mu" Ripe tea cake 357g 2003 * Fu Cha Ju * Wu Liang Wild Arbor Ripe Pu-erh 25g 2003 Mengku * Mengku Gong Ting * Ripe Tea Cake * 25g 2000 Langhe Tea Factory * Aged Ripe tea of Menghai 25g 1999 CNNP "Old Tree" Ripe Pu-erh tea brick* 250 grams I'll do a brief report for each and then more later if I have anything to say about them once I get to know each one better. Anyone else drinking Pu-erhs? New pu? Green? Cooked? 2009 reports?

One of those serendipitous discoveries today. More intuitive than thought out carefully. I tried brewing a 2005 Shui Xian that I got from Guang at Hou de. I have not been wild about this tea and thought that maybe it was just too old, after brewing it in a Yixing pot or two and a gaiwan. Today it struck me that a little Yixing I had been using for raw Pu-erh may work better with this Oolong. The pot is about 90 ml in a traditional shi piao shape. Yellow in color, I am not sure what Yixing clay it is made from, but it is rather dense. This pot worked wonders on the Shui Xian - less drying and sweeter. I'll have to experiment with the combination for a few sessions to be sure this isn't a fluke result and to see what works best, but this is a lesson re-learned: matching any Oolong to any Yixing is a trial and error process.

Some are seconds, some are not. You can usually tell by examining a piece carefully. I have bought a number of things from TJMAXX over the years and had good luck. Sometimes retailers would rather run heavily discounted product through a discounter in order to avoid a discounter appearance to their own stores and websites. And even with factory outlets, the discounters give them one more distribution channel. So, be prudent, but there are some good deals out there.

I started with s.o.p.: water at a full rolling boil, then scalding a very large mug. Waiting for the temp of the water to drop a bit (to around 200 degress) I added about 3 teaspoons to a chrome plated brass tea ball placed in the mug. The hot water was poured over the ball, and it was left undisturbed for a good 5 minutes. Finally, I bobbed the tea ball a few times and removed it. ← Have you tried using an infuser in your cup instead of a tea ball? I think you would find a big difference, since a tea ball restricts the tea leaves from opening up fully. You'll use less tea leaves, too, since they will be infusing the water more efficiently. And you should be able to get at least two or three infusions out of the leaves.

I am going to make two jugs of iced tea for the weekend later today, but I have been drinking an Anxi Oolong - a Shui Xian from Hou de, gong fu style. More on that in the Oolong topic. What's in your teacup (or glass) today?

What teas are you all drinking today? This morning for me it is the Ceylon Lumbini Estate, FBOP from TeaSource.com. I really enjoy it.

More on that later in the Indian Tea topic.

From another topic --- Yes, when I mentioned that, I was thinking of the estate's teas more than any particular flush. I will post more about a couple of Darjeelings and some Assams after I have spent a little more time with them. I don't usually drink tea with milk or any sweetner, but that's a curious effect from the Stevia. I may have to get some just to see. Anyone else find this?