Official what Oolong are You Drinking Right Now?

[jayinhk]

This shuixian from Chawangshop:

http://www.chawangshop.com/index.php/oo ... -cake.html

I really like it. Sweet and floral--this heavy roast is lighter than I'm used to! Loaded the full 7g into my high fire pot. I've never had bricked oolong before so this is definitely a first.

[ethan]

Drinking the medium-quality Oriental Beauty that Jay & I sampled in Pinglin. It is really quite good. Dongfang Meirin Oriental Beauty does not have a spice taste as Bai Hao does. They may both be tea bitten by insects but are two distinct teas. Anyway, this dongfang meirin is > good enough, just not as boldly flavorful as the higher quality & not good for as many infusions. I prepared today's tea in fairly thick-walled celadon teapot because I burn myself w/ porcelain.
We talk about teaware mainly in relation to taste, but the truth is, I am clumsy & will keep breaking gaiwans & delicate porcelain pots & cups. It is a concern.

[jayinhk]

Ethan, I'd imagine celadon would be good for Oriental Beauty. I felt there was a vast difference between those two teas, even if the mid grade was good! The better stuff is really exceptional though!

[ethan]

Yes Jay, the celadon, which I used to protect my fingers, is actually better for preparing this tea. I am glad you posted that you noticed a big difference. I won't open my packet of the better Oriental Beauty until I have finished this medium quality so I remain very pleased w/ it.

[jayinhk]

Celadon tends to be good for teas that need more heat--I use celadon for pu erh with great results. How small do the Thai celadon pots come? I'm off to a pottery village in Vietnam next month and I'm trying to hold off on buying any teaware until I get there as I know I'm going to be picking up a few bits and bobs there (for a lot less money than in Yingge)!

[ethan]

I'm using one that holds about 220 ml which is smaller than one usually sees. The handle is not centered correctly so works very nicely for a left-handed pour.

In Boston I have 2 450-ml pots shaped like elephants w/o handles. The elephants have a seat on their backs, perhaps an excuse to provide thickness where one holds the sides to pour. (This prevents burning fingers.)

I have a cup w/lid that has cuts in a jagged pattern in top-front that act as a filter. One uses it like a gaiwan that has a handle. It holds about 90 ml.

[jayinhk]

Slightly OT, but weird shapes tend to affect the taste of tea, so going with a more standard shape is safer. The 90ml pot sounds like a Japanese brewing vessel, perhaps a houhin?

https://www.o-cha.com/tea-ware-brewing- ... ed-teapots

[BioHorn]

Had three fully handmade Yan Chas kindly gifted from Marcus Reed of chaceremony.com.

-The Lao Cong Shui Xian #1 was fabulous, deep and rich
-Rou Gui was one of the best I have had. The oily residue on the lid after preheating accurately predicted the very nice things to come.
-LCSX #2 had the most bite and maybe endurance. While nicely made, it was not my prefered style. Maybe others will enjoy this more aggresive leaf.

All still brewing up nicely on day three after two days of many many brews.

Pic of Rou Gui here:
http://instagram.com/p/BBnfTqVvV-M/

[jayinhk]

Baozhong laocha from Tony, aka OriginTea, before Origin--he personally brought me samples from Taiwan when he visited HK. This was the last of the sample and holy smokes is it ever good. This tea was wasted on me in the past because I'd never tried a green baozhong. Now, several years on, I realize just how good it is. Pleasant sour plumminess along with a hint of the original baozhong's flavor and aroma, along with the laocha cinnamon factor. Kind of like old books. Man, this is good tea.

[jayinhk]

Top grade high roast TGY from right here in HK.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BB9fOhkSCmH/

[ethan]

Medium-quality oriental beauty from Taiwan again.

NOTE: Variation in how well this has been was not due to different teaware. Rather, I have been skipping steps sometimes, mostly not pre-heating teaware.

I now have the steps written large enough to read w/o my reading glasses on desk where my teaware rests. Enjoying my tea much more.

[Rdeitz]

Medium-quality oriental beauty from Taiwan again
I now have the steps written large enough to read w/o my reading glasses on desk where my teaware rests. Enjoying my tea much more.

Do share! What are your steps?

[jayinhk]

Ah, the boiling water rinse is a necessity!

[ethan]

Tell my girlfriend to leave me alone while I make my tea.

Examine the tea to remove: anything that is not tea or does not look like it is right (e.g. the tea is brown but somehow there is some that is bright green); stems not attached to leaves; & an overly long stem attached to leaves.

Preheat teaware w/ hot water. Pour water into glass.

Put tea in gaiwan or teapot or bowl; then water. Use the "pre-heating" water to rinse tea. Dispose of rinse-water. Add fresh hot water to tea.

Commence timing. I may use a timer or clock or I may do some stretches that I know take 15 or 20 seconds for a set to time steeping.

Pour the brewed tea into glass to smell & examine. If lacking aroma or color, I may return it for additional steeping.

When tea is right, I pour from glass into ceramic cup or another glass, take lid off of pot or gaiwan, then go drink my tea.

Just did this w/ dark-roast TGY which had been overwhelming me w/ overly heavy charcoal taste & a bad feel. Now it's a cleaner taste; &, a much quicker steep allows other characteristics to be noted.

When being given samples, I mistook the ease w/ which the servers worked for casualness. The parameters matter much > I thought, not only to get the most from the teas but sometimes to enjoy them at all.

[debunix]

More Red Alishan from norbu--this time, gongfu style from a tiny Petr Novak black magda pot, and drunk from a small Greenwood Studio snowflake cup. A sweet combination during an enforced idleness waiting to be able to complete weekend call at work: mildly floral, deeply fruity tea with a base of Alishan earthiness.