oolong search

[navytea]

I'm getting a yixing pot and was told that I got to pick one tea to brew out of it. Right now I'm drinking oolong #18 and am satified with it. However is the other oolongs (8 and 40) richer or stronger than the #18. I've tried the pouchong, good but too light. Jasmine taste too soapy. Would appreciate any suggestions. James Brown Nope still alive

[Warden Andy]

Actually, most of those teas you listed except the one jasmine could probably be brewed in the same pot. As long as the teas are similar in taste, they can be brewed in the same pot. Especially with light oolong which needs a less porous pot.

If the pot you have isn't very porous, any one of those teas you listed will work in it. I think those are all light oolongs which need the dense clay to enhance the aroma of the tea. If you tried brewing one of those in a very porous pot, the aroma of the tea would mellow out.
If the pot is very porous, a darker oolong like wuyi yancha would work better in it. I think the porousity retains heat better, and the porousity mellows out the tea more.
I'm not sure exactly how to accurately determine the porousity of the clay, but denser clay will make more of a ringing sound when tapped, and porous clay will make a low thud. Just be sure to only tap the pot with the handle on the lid, and not the side of the lid.

If you are going to wesern brew the tea, this next part won't make a difference, but it will make a huge difference if you gongfu brew the tea. When you brew gongfu, the leaves will expand to fill the pot, but if you have the wrong shape for a certain tea, it won't be able to fully expand. Teas rolled into balls will need a ball shaped pot, and long and flat leaves will need a short and wide pot.

I would suggest trying a wuyi oolong. Wuyi oolongs are much different from those light oolongs you listed, and you might or might not like it more. The one from Adagio would be a good one to try since it's not as strong as most wuyi oolongs. Also, tieguanyin (ti kwan yin) would be a good oolong to try.

[hop_goblin]

I would suggest trying a wuyi oolong. Wuyi oolongs are much different from those light oolongs you listed, and you might or might not like it more. The one from Adagio would be a good one to try since it's not as strong as most wuyi oolongs. Also, tieguanyin (ti kwan yin) would be a good oolong to try.

If you are looking for a bolder tea then you would do well to choose a wu yi tea as stated above. However, it is important to note that in Xing pottery, the pot determines the tea and not the drinker. As Andy had mentioned previously, Xing teapots all have certain charactersitics and nuances that are sutiable for some teas and not others. Gong fu brewers generally tend to buy a teapot according to the type of tea they will be dedicating to it. The type of zisha, volume, even shape should all be considered when dedicating a pot. The culmination of all of these factors have an affect on tea infusion visavis temp, permeablilty, oil extraction, and leaf expansion. In addition, you can narrow your tea choices by omitting green and white teas if a Xing pot will be used

Jasmine taste too soapy.

(of course assuming you were brewing Jasmine green tea). Green and white teas are too delicate for zisha as the zisha clay generally retains a higher temp destroying the delicate flavor of the these types. Additionally, It would be useful to readers if you could post pic with a brief description.

[hop_goblin]

I'm not sure exactly how to accurately determine the porousity of the clay, but denser clay will make more of a ringing sound when tapped, and porous clay will make a low thud. Just be sure to only tap the pot with the handle on the lid, and not the side of the lid.

Hello Andy, I was informed that the porous nature of zisha is due to the quality of clay that is used - the finer the particles, the more porous the nature of the pot. A good example would be Zi Ni clay which is still available, albeit in limited supply. In addition, The ringing one would hear from a tap is a direct result of the temp that was reached in firing, as a direct consequence of the firing method that was used. If one hears a high ring, then generally it would suggest that a higher temp was reached in the kiln. However, it is important to note, (as you had previously stated), that clay would also affect the ring but only to a certain degree. I will further investigate in case I was misinformed

[Chip]

I'm getting a yixing pot and was told that I got to pick one tea to brew out of it. Right now I'm drinking oolong #18 and am satified with it. However is the other oolongs (8 and 40) richer or stronger than the #18. I've tried the pouchong, good but too light. Jasmine taste too soapy. Would appreciate any suggestions. James Brown Nope still alive

True jasmine tea should not taste soapy (I assume you mean perfumed soap). It should taste natural, light, and yes, floral.

Some jasmine teas are produced unnatuarally by adding/spraying jasmine flavorings natural and artificial onto the tea leaves...at some point well after production. This produces a very perfumey unnatural jasmine tea...yuck. I can tell when a tea is produced using this method before I even drink it...just smelling the dry leaf reveals a misguided attempt to manufacture jasmine tea. Always read the label or ask before purchasing.

True jasmine tea is produced quite differently. During the actual production, jasmine blossums are "married" with the leaves...actually layered in with the leaves. The leaves absorb the natural jasmine aroma. When done properly, this is exquisite.

Regardless, I would never use a yixing pot for jasmine tea.

Dan cong are awesome oolong in addition to wuyi.

[navytea]

Thanks to all for the inputs. James Brown