Hi all,
I think I've ruined a pot which I prepared with some average oolong (medium oxidation, medium roasting), by brewing in it some dancong (it was a sample and I didn't check before...!).
Now, maybe I can go on using it with dancongs, or maybe it's better to restart it: I am hesitating, because I don't think I'm going to drink more dancongs than 'average oolongs' in the future...
Thanks for your opinions, advices, etc.
A
Feb 8th, '09, 13:12
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Brewing a different tea -- especially a light tea like Dan Cong -- shouldn't really hurt. I think we all go overboard on this one tea per pot issue. If you had brewed a strong Lapsang Souchong or a shu puerh that tasted like turpentine, then maybe there would be an issue. You may even find that your medium oolong and Dan Cong get along just fine in the same pot. Go by taste.
Actually, I usually brew Dan Cong in a gaiwan anyway, as I think clay tends to mute some of the wonderful aromas of DC.
Actually, I usually brew Dan Cong in a gaiwan anyway, as I think clay tends to mute some of the wonderful aromas of DC.
Feb 8th, '09, 14:22
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ABx
As TIM noted in another thread, some cheaper Dancong is scented. So it's very possible that's what caused it. The real question is how much is it affecting your teas? Frankly I would probably just rinse it out a few times and maybe brew something else in it for a while - even if it means dumping those infusions.
As for the types of tea per pot, I agree that a once-off here and there until you find what the pot is best for won't hurt anything but a yixing pot is going to become saturated with tea oils from the tea you brew in it after a while, and a certain amount of those oils will be released into every infusion. While some people may wish to be more strict about it than others, you do have to ask yourself how many different kinds of oils you want in that pot and whether you really want that big of a mixture going into every infusion after it's well seasoned. I have some more general purpose pots than others, but the more things are narrowed down the better those particular teas are likely to come out in the future. Brewing something different in a relatively new pot once in a while won't hurt, and experimenting with different teas until you hit the right type for the pot won't hurt anything, but sooner or later you'll want to pick some general type - I wouldn't want to brew from a pot that's releasing oils from yancha, dancong, sheng, shu, jade, light/medium roast, and high fire teas into every infusion I make from it - would be a bit like going to a fine restaurant and saying: "Just take a sample of everything and put it in a blender, please." OTOH brewing all types of roasted wulong in one yixing pot would probably be just fine.
As for the types of tea per pot, I agree that a once-off here and there until you find what the pot is best for won't hurt anything but a yixing pot is going to become saturated with tea oils from the tea you brew in it after a while, and a certain amount of those oils will be released into every infusion. While some people may wish to be more strict about it than others, you do have to ask yourself how many different kinds of oils you want in that pot and whether you really want that big of a mixture going into every infusion after it's well seasoned. I have some more general purpose pots than others, but the more things are narrowed down the better those particular teas are likely to come out in the future. Brewing something different in a relatively new pot once in a while won't hurt, and experimenting with different teas until you hit the right type for the pot won't hurt anything, but sooner or later you'll want to pick some general type - I wouldn't want to brew from a pot that's releasing oils from yancha, dancong, sheng, shu, jade, light/medium roast, and high fire teas into every infusion I make from it - would be a bit like going to a fine restaurant and saying: "Just take a sample of everything and put it in a blender, please." OTOH brewing all types of roasted wulong in one yixing pot would probably be just fine.
I don't believe you can ruin a pot with one infusion of dancong.
I would try filling it to the top with boiling water for a few days in a row
and add a leaf or two of whatever you plan to use it for. You will be fine.
I would try filling it to the top with boiling water for a few days in a row
and add a leaf or two of whatever you plan to use it for. You will be fine.
- Victoria -
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
