Tea Tasting: Taiwan Alishan High Mountain Oolong

[weinoo]

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.

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Sounds good.

[Gregory Glancy]

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.

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These are the cold brewing guidelines from the grower:

"There is a new way to brew tea in Taiwan, which is called cold brewing. It is very popular now during the Summer season and hot weather. Some domestic research [in Taiwan] said that this way of making tea can reduce the amount of caffeine that dissolves into the water... The taste is pretty nice also. You still can enjoy the high mountain aroma and sweet taste when you brew tea in this way. This is the way we cold brew tea: take 3 to 5 grams of tea leaf and put into the 600ml bottle of mineral water and put into the refrigerator for at least 2 to 4 hours, or overnight."

Hope that helps.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Some images from my first test brewing

Before brewing--I'm guessing this is about 4 grams of the tea?

After rinsing--looks like such a tiny amount in that vast pot.....

I poured off a little sample at one minute of the first infusion (water 193 degrees), quite light in color but quite pleasing aroma and flavor

At 2 minutes, the color is stronger

a 3 minute 2nd infusion is again a bit darker

and the leaves have now nearly filled the pot after being fully expanded

3rd infusion, 4 minutes

4th infusion, 3 minutes

And a final view of the tea leaves, giving a nice idea of the leaves plucked

[Richard Kilgore]

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.

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Sounds good.

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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.

[cdh]

I'm giving the gong-fu style another try with more success. I threw frugality to the wind and used the remaining 6.6g of tea. The increased dose of tea is having a marked impact on the results, all for the better.

After heating the pot, and doing a 10 second rinse with 180-ish water (espresso machine hot water w/o the steam switch flipped after ending up in the pot measures around 180), I flipped the steam switch, waited 20 seconds and filled the pot with somewhat hotter than 180 water. A 20 second infusion has resulted in a highly aromatic cup. Lilacs and new mown hay predominate. Flavor carries through on the aroma's promise, though the body of infusion 1 is a bit thin, and a slight touch of chlorophyll-y vegetal comes through. A lovely long aftertaste lingers.

A second infusion of 20 seconds brought more fantastic aroma but the even-hotter water introduced an astringency on the palate I'm not a fan of. I'm keeping my water closer to 180 from here on out.

Third infusion of 40 seconds at 180 took care of the astringency. Aroma becoming more rounded and less just lilacs and hay... more tea-like... but with hints of lilac remaining. Body still light. Not as much natural sweetness in this oolong as in many. This might benefit from a pebble or two of ginsenged oolong dropped into the pot... ginseng packs huge natural sweetness.

Fourth infusion, 180F 30 sec, turned out much like the third.

Interesting technique... but I don't have the feel to apply the requisite skill to extract the best qualities and concentrate them... It seems that such should be possible... with enough practice and skill. Unfortunately, the teas that can be made to benefit from this trick seem to be the ones at the $100/lb and above price point... and it seems to me that I just don't have financial fortitude to stock up on enough of them at any one time to learn properly.

[Richard Kilgore]

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.

[Richard Kilgore]

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.

[cdh]

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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Interesting. I always assumed the number called for was the number that met the leaves... Based on what I know about espresso machines, the water in the boiler with the steam switch unflipped is probably at about 192, and can't lose much on the short journey down the steam tube.

[Richard Kilgore]

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.