Chao Zhou style Kung Fu Cha

[Tead Off]

Re: Chao Zhou style Kung Fu Cha

by Tead Off » Mar 22nd, '11, 12:39

I'm not so sure about the bits crushed during processing being oxidized differently - I'm not a tea producer, but I'd think that most breakage would happen after the tea has been partially oxidized and dried -- in other words, the bits around the edge would be more oxidized, and the bits from the center of the leaf would be less oxidized.

Neither am I a tea producer, but I have read that breakage often occurs during the rolling process. So if I am not too far off, that would be after oxidation and firing (kill-green), yes, but before drying/roasting.

I think this may depend on the type of tea. Breakage can occur at many stages but it is easier to break the leaves after drying because of the brittleness. You can't shape the leaves when they are dry. It has to be done with moisture still in them and they are less likely to break.

Then there is the difference between long and twisted vs rolled oolongs. Long and twisted like Wuyi will have a higher breakage % generally than rolled oolongs. Many people comment on how a tea is more bitter when many broken leaves are found in their package. Is this true or imagined? I find it somewhat true. Most vendors selling higher end teas sell whole leaf tea with little breakage. Broken leaves bug me, personally. Just about every tea I've had that I've considered really good has had whole leaves. The only exception may be some Darjeelings. I would imagine a bag of tea that contained only broken leaves when purchased vs the same tea with whole leaves will taste differently when brewed. Has anyone had this experience?

[David R.]

Re: Chao Zhou style Kung Fu Cha

by David R. » Mar 22nd, '11, 13:01

I restocked an old Shui Xian once but the bag was full of broken leaves. The result was so disappointing, only a shadow of what the tea tasted like. Nothing interesting here. Now I check if there are broken leaves or not in my tea bags, especially for Wuyi or Phoenix wulong. If there are some, it is definitively a bad point.

[tea-awed]

Re: Chao Zhou style Kung Fu Cha

by tea-awed » Mar 22nd, '11, 13:38

Whenever I get down to the bottom of even my best oolongs there tend to be a good amount of broken bits. The brew is always little more bitter(not that I mind ). The same happens when I add the crumbs of a sheng pu beeng that I have managed to mangle.

[Herb_Master]

Re: Chao Zhou style Kung Fu Cha

by Herb_Master » Mar 22nd, '11, 18:44

Three in a row with my own view on the bottom of the bag / broken leaves and bits.

I think it was Gingko on an earlier thread that recommended pouring a new purchase onto a flat sheet of paper and seperating it into pot sized amounts which all had their fair share of whole leaf and broken bits.
My inability to do this evenly and package it neatly and securely has prevented me from trying the advice.

YET I keep reading again and again of many Tea Chatters who compulsively scrunch a few leaves into bits when they prepare a pot of Yan Cha.

Is it the old broken leaf bits that have faded and oxidised ?

Are newly broken leaves (immediately prior to brewing) a different story all together.

[Tead Off]

Re: Chao Zhou style Kung Fu Cha

by Tead Off » Mar 22nd, '11, 23:58

Is it the old broken leaf bits that have faded and oxidised ?
Are newly broken leaves (immediately prior to brewing) a different story all together.

This is what I think. Is it all in my mind? Maybe.
Personally, I never break up any of the leaves when brewing yancha. I have tried both ways. What makes more of a difference to me is the quality of the leaves and how they were processed. For me, there is more mediocre yancha than there is good. Breaking them or not, will not improve the quality, IMO.

[David R.]

Re: Chao Zhou style Kung Fu Cha

by David R. » Mar 23rd, '11, 15:10

I have heard that some people in Guangdong perform the chao zhou GFC without breaking leaves.

[wyardley]

Re: Chao Zhou style Kung Fu Cha

by wyardley » Mar 23rd, '11, 16:21

I have heard that some people in Guangdong perform the chao zhou GFC without breaking leaves.

I don't think anyone in this thread has tried to suggest otherwise, have they?

And, as mentioned above, many people only break the leaves for certain teas.

[David R.]

Re: Chao Zhou style Kung Fu Cha

by David R. » Mar 23rd, '11, 21:10

I have heard that some people in Guangdong perform the chao zhou GFC without breaking leaves.

I don't think anyone in this thread has tried to suggest otherwise, have they?

And, as mentioned above, many people only break the leaves for certain teas.

Sure. Till recently, I was convinced that Chao Zhou style gfc was about crushing some leaves among other rules, cause I had only read articles on the subject including this. It is nice to know more about it.

[gingkoseto]

Re: Chao Zhou style Kung Fu Cha

by gingkoseto » Mar 25th, '11, 01:09

Three in a row with my own view on the bottom of the bag / broken leaves and bits.

I think it was Gingko on an earlier thread that recommended pouring a new purchase onto a flat sheet of paper and seperating it into pot sized amounts which all had their fair share of whole leaf and broken bits.

I was trying to be thrifty But I always wish all the leaves are whole leaves and won't intend to break them.
I have a favorite wuyi shui xian of mine that went through disaster packaging and shipping. A lot of leaves are crushed. But to my surprise, it tastes just fine. But I have other teas that were ruined once leaves were crushed.