Richard Kilgore
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Posts posted by Richard Kilgore
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I would suggest that whether you are brewing western style or gongfu style that you do an initial rinse of the tea leaves. Just enough almost boiling water to cover the leaves, then pour off after about 10 seconds before starting the first infusion.
cdh - thanks for the report and the pix. Are you going to adjust any of your parameters for your next brewing?
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Has everyone received their tea sample?
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Good news! Mine's arrived. The dry tea in the bag has an interesting very earthy note over the aroma of black tea... More aromatic that other pu ehrs I've run across... but those were in little pucks, rather than chips off the old block.
Yes. Unfortunately most people's first taste of a Pu-erh is in the mini-tuo form. They typically range from hmmm? to ewww! to really disgusting..and not in a good way.
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For those following along , here are two images of the tea we are tasting. (Apologies for the fuzzy photos. I'll try to get some clearer ones this week.)
The dry Shu. 2 grams of the Shu Pu-erh in a tiny 50 ml gaiwan.
The wet shu and the tea liquor in a yixing tea cup of about 20 ml.
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I don't have a yixing small enough to do the proper gongfu method with just 10g of tea... so I'm likely to make this with western ratio of leaf to water, but in a yixing pot.
When you write 10" are you meaning ten seconds or ten minutes? I read that as ten inches instinctively... is " the seconds mark in the degrees minutes seconds lat/long system? I always though of seconds as coming after a colon, e.g. :10... but enough about the typography... can't wait for the tea to arrive...
Apologies for any confusion. Yes, I meant seconds.
So my suggestion for a starting place for gongfu was intended to be ---
Rinse:10; 1:5; 2:5; 3:5; ....
I sometimes brew shu western style in a large Yixing (about 300 ml), so I'll be interested to see how it works for you on this one.
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I think that having the same tasting conditions would be ideal, but since a very small change in any variable (water quality, a few degrees temp, a few seconds on an infusion, or a slightly varying leaf:water ratio) can make a significant difference, we're not going to be able to do that. But I think it will be interesting and we can learn something by the differences in how we brew and the differences in what we find.
I brewed this gongfu style and suggest starting with a 10" rinse and 5" for the first three infusions, then 20", 30" and on. I used 3.5 grams in a tiny 50 ml gaiwan that takes about 35 ml water. Next time I'll pull back and try it with 2 gr/30ml water, but still start with a 5" first infusion and then see where to go from there.
Anyone else brewing this shu gongfu style? Gaiwan or yixing?
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Okay, Kerry, you have aroused my curiosity. How do you use teabags so that you have hot tea waiting for you when you get home?
And how long do we have to solve this problem? The four boxes will be gone when?
Just meant that when it's tea bags, hubby will have a pot of tea waiting for me when I get home from work. If it was loose tea - that's unlikely to happen.
We have about 8 weeks to solve the problem - takes me about 2 weeks to go through a box.
Okay, then I would agree with Prasatrin. You may want to try the empty tea bags that you fill yourself with a better grade of loose tea. But that may be more work and expense than you want to have. Or you could send your husband here for training.
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Okay, Kerry, you have aroused my curiosity. How do you use teabags so that you have hot tea waiting for you when you get home?
And how long do we have to solve this problem? The four boxes will be gone when?
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I agree. I'm more comfortable with cold water and cold is what I'll do.
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Thanks, Steven. Thanks, Chris. That's helpful.
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I have an 8 lb pork shoulder I found on sale that I threw in the freezer a couple of weeks ago until there was a good time to smoke it. The fact that it is still hard as a rock after 24 hours in the refrigerator section surprised me a little, though it should not have. Another week or two of thawing and it should be about right.
So what's the best or fastest or safest way to thaw this piece of meat if I am going to smoke it tonight? I need pulled pork for tomorrow evening and am open to getting a fresh shoulder and throwing this back in the freezer for now.
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For those unfamiliar with the gaiwan, here are some links that will show the variety of designs and shapes.
Greg at Norbutea.com, based in the US, has a couple of nice white gaiwans.
Sebastien and Jing at Jingteashop.com, based in China, have a wide variety of gaiwan designs. Some of these are quite elegant fine porcelain.
Scott in China at Yunnan Sourcing on eBay also has a variety of gaiwan designs.
Any of these in the 100 - 120 ml size would make a good first gaiwan for serving gongfu style for one or two people. A white interior is important in terms of being able to see the hue of the tea liquor, and one with thicker walls is easier to manage when drinking pu-erh, Oolong and red tea due to the higher water temps.
You can also find gaiwans in some Asian markets in the US, but in my experience here they are also sometimes over-priced and not nearly as nice as any of the above tea merchants offer. However, it may be worthwhile spending some time exploring in your area.
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The Story of Tea by Mary Lou Hess and Robert J. Hess has a helpful glossary that includes "Terms used to describe the tasting qualities of brewed tea" and "Food adjectives used to describe the tasting qualities of brewed tea". The latter covers descriptors by class of tea - general terms and then food adjectives. They also have a section on "Hue terms used to describe the liquor" that covers "clarity" and "color" terms for each class of tea.
This is the best overview and orientation to describing tea that I have seen. Beyond this, as I mentioned earlier in this topic, it's a matter of your associations to your tea drinking experience, much like describing a wine.
I can't say enough good about this book. It's the one I recommend to anyone who wants one book about tea that will take their understanding and enjoyment to new places.
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Here's the final list of members who signed up for this tasting of a 2008 Menhai 7572 Shu Pu-Erh provided by eG Society member Greg Glancy at Norbutea.com:
chrisamirault
Yagna Patni
gfron1
Naftal
cdh
You all should receive your 10 gram samples soon.
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Just in case you missed it - Sharon Hage has yet again been nominated for the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southwest. It's about time....
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Although I started out learning gongfu style brewing with Yixing tea pots, I don't recommend that to my friends. If I knew then what I know now, I would have started with a Gaiwan - the traditional porcelain Chinese tea bowl with a saucer and a lid. The complexities of the effect of the many clays and shapes used for Yixing pots make things more difficult than they need to be for learning gongfu style, and have clear advantages in trying new teas. Since the porcelain does not absorb tea oils, it does not add anything from your previous teas into the one you are drinking now. Since you do not have to factor in whether it is a clay that absorbs aroma or not, you have a constant in your brewing rather than the complexities inheirent in using a Yixing clay teapot. And it is much easier to see what the tea leaves are doing and what the tea liquor looks like during the process.
I think that for a first gaiwan, one in the 100 - 120 ml size is about right for one or two people. There are some subtle (and not so subtle) differences in design and material, but any inexpensive gaiwan in that size range is a good start.
Have you tried using a gaiwan? If so, what has your experience been?
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Did an informal tasting with three others on Monday. Two Oolongs from jingtea.com. - a Wuyi Seasonal Da Hong Pao (also called Great Red Robe) and an Anxi Ba Xian. The Da Hong Pao was more than okay for its price, but I am not sure we got the brewing to the point we got the best out of the leaf. I'll have to play with it a little more.
The Anxi Ba Xian, however, was wonderful. Brewed gongfu style, we got many, subtly changing infusions and gave up only after the 7th when it began washing out noticeably. It may have been drinkable for three or four more, but we had gotten the best of it by then.
I'm getting ready for some Darjeeling this morning.
So, what are you all drinking today?
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Today I have been enjoying a Mao Jian - a green tea from the Henan Province of China. From The Cultured Cup, but I think they have sold out of it. Brewed Western style, but for a 90" first infusion rather than the 3 minutes recommended on the TCC package.
What teas are you all drinking today?
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Today I brewed two Chinese red/black teas. First a Keemun Mao Feng from The Cultured Cup brewed western style in a 300 ml Yixing tea pot. Like it a lot, but it reminded me that I have some red teas from jingteashop.com that I have not brewed in a while...and never brewed them gongfu style.
So I plucked a packet of Anhui Gift Grade Keemun Gongfu red tea out of the storage tin in which I keep my teas from jing and brewed it gongfu style with 5 to 30 second steeps. More intense, not at all astringent, and sweet. Although it has been months since drinking this tea, I like it better gongfu style than I did western style. Taste memory can be elusive and deceptive, but of this I am pretty sure. I'll have to try this with more red teas.
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Since you are in Grapevine for a conference you may not be wanting to drive the 30 - 60 minutes into Dallas or Ft. Worth for lunch. If you're looking for something closer to your hotel, Campania in Southlake would be a good choice. I think they still have a lunch special - small individual pizza and salad for about $10, but I'll check on it if you're interested. And they have more than pizza.
There is also a tiny wine bar on Main Street in Grapevine - Into the Glass. I dropped in there a couple of times a few years ago during happy hour, but have not eaten there since they expanded their menu - it looks good. They're next door to a small, well-selected wine shop - same owners. You can do it for under $25, or push over that limit.
Also Fireside Pies - on Main Street and another excellent pizza place. An outpost of the original location in Dallas.
But if you are wanting to go into Dallas or Ft Worth for lunch, let us know and we can make a few more suggestions.
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I'll be back in Dallas (well, Grapevine...) at the end of May. I've got rez at The Mansion at Turtle Creek one night, which will consume the bulk of that week's dining budget. I ate at Mia's last time I was in town and it was great, but I am also looking for some more different inexpensive places to check out. Any genre is fine. Suggestions?
Chris - I think we may be of more help if you can clarify a few points. How many meals will you be on your own for dinner? Any at lunch? You are about equidistant from Dallas and Ft. Worth - any preference due to other activities, such as sports, museums, concerts? Rough price range - under $10? Under $25, $50? Barbeque? Asian/SE Asian? Mexican? Southern US? Excellent pizza? Tapas? Italian? Mediteranean?
BTW, Grapevine is full of wineries and wine bars. And Main Street Bakery is worth a visit for their pastries and bread - they also have a light breakfast and lunch menu. Two great pizza places in the area, too.
Lots of Italian-American and Tex-Mex/Mexican places of variable price and quality in the Grapevine-South Lake area if you want to stay closer to your base.
If you did not get to visit Central Market last visit, there is one nearby in South Lake.
Design & Grace is a European cookware and dinnerware shop on Main Street owned by my friend Tony Boulton, an English transplant who worked in the business in the UK representing fine pottery makers, Wustoff, ScanPan and such. Unusual finds, including an Alessi shop-in-shop. Worth a visit.
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Not to rain on the Mansion or anything Chris, but it is currently between exec chefs: Tesar left and moved to NY. So you may want to consider other places that aren't in transition right now. Stephan Pyles would be top of my list. Or Lola, still. Lots to like about York St. Since you're in Grapevine though and just as close to Ft. Worth you may also consider Lanny's.
I agree. And all fine suggestions.
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I'll kick it off with this current experience with a white tea.
I have been drinking an inexpensive white tea from The Cultured Cup, a Pai Mu Tan. On the package they recommend 2 gr (per 6 - 8 ounces, I assume) at 175 F for 6 minutes. I brewed it first at 155 F for 6 minutes and liked it. I am going to play around a great deal with the brewing parameters since I understand others brew whites with a wide range of leaf:water ratios and brewing times.
What have you found that works well for brewing white teas? Do you vary the parameters much from white tea to white tea?
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I have barely started exploring whites and yellows and would appreciate any information and experience you all have with brewing them. Let's use this topic for discussing everything having to do with white and yellow teas...the various teas, sources, brewing...
All About Bitters (Part 1)
in Spirits & Cocktails
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That's terrific, Chris. Is it possible to order these from your source, or do I have to make my way to the Northwest?
I grew up drinking sassafrass tea made from sassafrass roots my grandmother dug up on the farm. I took a large bag with me to college but it is long gone. I have had a difficult finding a source to purchase it. My understanding is that it is banned in places due to being carcinogenic. Since I drank a lot of it and am still kicking I would like to locate some.