Thurzzzday TeaDay 4/17/08

[jim109]

tea chat

by jim109 » Apr 17th, '08, 21:23

Reminds me of the early internet forums that felt like joining friends in front of a cozy fire in a library room. I imagine we will join on the veranda with iced tea in the summer. Thanks to the mods for keeping it like this.

[CynTEAa]

by CynTEAa » Apr 17th, '08, 22:10

CynTEAa, how do you brew your Oolong #40? I tried it today for the first time and found it disappointing. I did: 1.5 tsp / 11 oz / just off boil / 3 min. Perhaps, different brewing parameters will make it better...

For 11 oz of water, I'll use probably two 'leggy' teaspoons. That tea is hard to handle with a spoon, so I'll just use my fingers. Then boiling water, as it is a pretty oxidized oolong, for 3 min, second infusion usually 2 min.

Hope this helps! It is lovely and satisfying when you get it right.

[TimeforTea]

by TimeforTea » Apr 17th, '08, 22:30

Yikes, I am too scared to brew oolong with boiling water. But i am generally drinking the greener types.

Chip, what temperature are you brewing the greener oolongs at?

[TimeforTea]

Re: tea chat

by TimeforTea » Apr 17th, '08, 22:34

Reminds me of the early internet forums that felt like joining friends in front of a cozy fire in a library room. I imagine we will join on the veranda with iced tea in the summer. Thanks to the mods for keeping it like this.

Very well said!

[Salsero]

by Salsero » Apr 17th, '08, 22:34

Chip, what temperature are you brewing the greener oolongs at?

I generally use boiling water for all oolong. A lot of people use a little cooler, esp for greener oolongs. I think Tenuki has something wise about the difference somewhere in TeaChat.

[Victoria]

by Victoria » Apr 17th, '08, 22:41

I have to agree with Salsero here, boiling or just slightly off boil, meaning I let the bubbling stop.

[Ladytiger]

by Ladytiger » Apr 17th, '08, 22:42

It's not just TeaDay today. It's a special day where a certain special someone turns 17....Hmmm...wonder who it could be....

[Victoria]

by Victoria » Apr 17th, '08, 22:46

Yay!!!

Happy Birthday LadyTiger!!!

[Katrina]

by Katrina » Apr 17th, '08, 22:50

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LT!

Hope you had an extra special tea day!

[bi lew chun]

by bi lew chun » Apr 17th, '08, 22:51

Being a noob here, I'm not totally sure how I feel about it, but at other forums I usually stayed away from the poll threads. Here at least the questions seem to generate decent discussions.

The questions are simply brilliant...

Welcome ?Lew? to TeaChat and TeaDay! I hope you share many cups with us...so, what is in your cup today?

Lewis. Thanks!

Actually a 2007 "competition grade" bi luo chun from Holy Mountain at the moment. With a session of sencha from Rishi cooling in the fridge. Haven't gotten around to trying cold infusion with sencha yet - I'm a little reluctant to veer away from brewing it in Tokoname, though Space Samurai's Texas heat ice infusion got me thinking.

[scotty X]

by scotty X » Apr 18th, '08, 00:13

even when i don't have time to post, i like to come by and check out the word on the street - the diversity of the posts brings perspective to tea drinking and thinking, and when i'm not thinking seriously about tea, teaday is good for stimulating some teathoughts.

today was unfortunately slow in my teaworld, only a little puerh at work then some silver needles to close the day, but that last cup got me totally stoked for all tomorrow's teas.

[Chip]

by Chip » Apr 18th, '08, 02:20

Yikes, I am too scared to brew oolong with boiling water. But i am generally drinking the greener types.

Chip, what temperature are you brewing the greener oolongs at?

Keep in mind, I am drinking greener oolongs.

I preheat my gaiwan with boiling water, pour the leaves (5-6 gram per 4 oz water...pretty much leaves), then brew the first steep at around 185* or so. I have tried hotter, but I seem to prefer cooler but longer early steeps.

When I smell the leaves after I use boiling water, they smell stewed or bitter, when I brew with cooler, they smell sweet and delish.

It is a personal preference...but remember, I always say, my way is not only the better way...IT IS THE ONLY WAY!!!

[Salsero]

by Salsero » Apr 18th, '08, 02:27

Wow, Chip, that sounds like gong fu. How long do you infuse for? 30 - 40 seconds or like a minute?

[tenuki]

by tenuki » Apr 18th, '08, 02:56

Sorry for the long post (yes I know I'm not Chip, but I'm answering anyway ;P ):

Lower quality oolongs can't stand boiling water very well, but good ones like it (if you have to ask if yours is a good one nevermind don't use boiling water). The problem with boiling water is that the 'window of goodness' is rather short timewise, and therefore harder to find, read, easier to screw up. so, again, unless you are obsessed with doing it 'traditional gong fu' (whatever that means, maybe somebody's tradition is 180 degrees, pffft) just brew at a lower temp.

On the amount of leaves I would recommend finding the amount that pushes gently on the lid of your gaiwan after 3 brewings, but doesn't lift it. The idea is to achieve the most leaves that will still allow for good water circulation and totally fill the gaiwan. That is right, I am recommending you ignore your scale and teaspoon and pay attention to the tea leaves. hahahahah. Trust me, this is one of the many many cases where art is greater than science.

Side note: My tea teacher tells me that she has to beg the farmers to put less leaves in their gaiwans when she is in Taiwan finding high mountain teas for her shop, evidently they like it when the leaves push the lid up and off. And yes, they use boiling water. Doesn't mean you have to though.

My most common starting point with a new oolong is my best guess at the leaves thing, fresh boiling water (fuji for gao shans, rock teas, and baozhong, filtered britta for all others), quick rinse (taste the rinse water to maybe adjust starting time), 30 seconds, plus 5-10 seconds subsequently (ie 40, 50, 60, etc), but adjusting as I go.

[Chip]

by Chip » Apr 18th, '08, 02:58

Still longer, Sal because of the cooler water and the mild type of oolong. Around 2 minutes for the current Wu Ling...a little less for greener TKY.

Tenuki, maybe I am just a cooler brewer for now anyway. But I will give your way a shot.

Later steeps are boiling water...I just slowly build up the heat.

I steep til I go to bed...literally. I will finish off my last steep as I rinse out my gaiwan and sharing pitcher right before bed.