Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

White and yellow teas are among the most subtle.


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Jul 28th, '10, 20:28
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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by MenghaiMischief » Jul 28th, '10, 20:28

I once went to a tea house and ordered silver needles and they told me to let it sit for 15 minutes! I checked how much steam there was and I would say it was at about 160*. I waited maybe 5 minutes and when they said it was time to drink it I felt embarrassed and told them that I already had.

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by Chip » Jul 28th, '10, 21:45

:lol: :lol: :lol:

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by debunix » Jul 28th, '10, 23:03

Katy1977 wrote:If you don't mind my asking, how do you know what temperature the water is exactly?
There are a lot of thermometers like these on the market; or you can get a kettle that will tell you how hot the water is.

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by LauraW » Jul 28th, '10, 23:15

debunix wrote:
Katy1977 wrote:If you don't mind my asking, how do you know what temperature the water is exactly?
There are a lot of thermometers like these on the market; or you can get a kettle that will tell you how hot the water is.
Or you could just guess, like I do. Wait a few minutes, and if it looks/feels like it's too hot once it gets in the tea, I just make the first one shorter. Other option there is to use a cooling cup - i.e. an intermediary cup in which the water is poured from the kettle, then onto the leaves. The process of pouring in and of itself will help cool the water, and doing it twice cools more!

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by Katy1977 » Jul 29th, '10, 11:05

Thanks for the temperature tips, I do have a cooking thermometer that I think I'll use until I become more of an experienced tea drinker and then I can make educated guesses lol! :)

Katy1977

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by Alex » Sep 26th, '10, 08:39

I usually go for around 60c water. probably around a teaspoon heaped of leaves in a large gaiwan 170ml+

Usually 1 min or so for the first brew then 3 mins then done.

My sister does white peony at near boiling and brews it for ages but its good quality stuff and holds up well to her poor treatment. :lol:

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by legend » Nov 3rd, '10, 06:42

I have studied Gong fu cha dao here in China, let me tell you the real way to brew white tea (There are other ways which are fine, this is just the traditional way).

1. Use a small glass pot (cha hu) or glass vessel (cha hai), if a covered bowl (gaiwan) is used the brew time should be extra short and the water extra low temp. The glass vessels are best because you have a little more water inside and you can observe the tea from the side through the glass.
2. Use low temp. water - 60-70*C* degrees. The true whites can be brewed with almost room temp water after the first brew, but usually just use high enough temp. for the tea to reach your cup still warm- that will be fine.
3. Glass is best so you can appreciate the buds float to the top and hang down.

The most important aspect of brewing white tea is the temp of the water, never use hot water. In addition to the ditinct taste of true white tea, you should also have a head feeling only associated with whites. Its had to describe the feeling- almost like you ARE a bit "high" (no pun intended) because you are drinking the remnents of the fresh chlorophyll which isnt present in this way in any other tea except whites. This is why the traditional Chinese tea culture especially values white tea for its nutritional properties.

Daniel

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by TwoPynts » Nov 3rd, '10, 09:54

legend wrote:...In addition to the ditinct taste of true white tea, you should also have a head feeling only associated with whites. Its had to describe the feeling- almost like you ARE a bit "high" (no pun intended) because you are drinking the remnents of the fresh chlorophyll which isnt present in this way in any other tea except whites. This is why the traditional Chinese tea culture especially values white tea for its nutritional properties.
I know what you mean. I get that "heady" feeling after drinking freshly juiced wheat grass. :mrgreen:

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by l8nytsimmer » Jan 25th, '11, 14:43

churng wrote:I find whites taste very good brewed with lid off a porcelain teapot
This gradual cooling gives me a nice full rich flavour, with no astringency, so you can brew 3 or so mins and by the time you drink its just warm. I usually brew in a room with the temp set at 66-68 so it cools rather quick.

It seems like brewing a longer time ,with initial water at about 180 first but cooled fast over 3 mins (no preheat), really produces a flavour explosion with good mouth feel/body (good juiciness to it) and it's very smooth , not recommended though if you like your tea hot

I don't have to use much leaf at all to get good results with silver needles and white peony. This morning I got 3 good infusions from 2grams in 140 ml pot.

for the next few infusions I gradually up temp and time
:o Wow! Your comments sound like a wine gourmet describing a special vintage! I've been enjoying tea for more than forty years, but don't think I've ever had what you folks are calling a TEA HIGH. What exactly IS a tea high? I've discovered many excellent teas and blends over the years. In fact, some have been so good that I've drunk 2 or 3 potsful at a single sitting! By potsful, I mean, a porceline pot with a lid, into which I've added a tea ball, or other infuser filled with fresh leaves, and allowed to steep 3 to 5 minutes or longer. My favorite of all teas is a good, fresh black tea. I also love Roobios, and Oolong. This is just me, of course, but I prefer a flavored tea like Peach, or Blueberry, but the flavoring must be NATURAL, derived from fresh fruit or spices. None of that artificial stuff for me! Now, I feel that I'm missing something... How do I achieve that special mouth/body feel that you describe? ALL teas tend to make me feel relaxed and mellow, some relax me so much that I feel a little drowsy, especially in the evening or at night. Is that the tea high you were discussing?

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by siae » May 28th, '11, 12:01

After reading this thread I tried to brew my jasmine scented silver needles with lower temperature (I usually use 80-85C). This time I used 70C water in a gaiwan for 1 min, and man, I've been brewing this tea way to hot! :D I got a much smoother mouthfeel and the taste is so much better, less jasmine (good) and I could taste something melon/cucumber-like.

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by Qilin » Sep 1st, '11, 02:19

May I know whether you guys leave the gaiwan lid off the gaiwan in between infusions to let the leaves cool down? Or do you just leave it on? Which is advisable?

I usually drink tea while I'm busy doing other things on weekdays so 20 minutes may pass in between infusions.

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by entropyembrace » Sep 1st, '11, 21:35

l8nytsimmer wrote:
:o Wow! Your comments sound like a wine gourmet describing a special vintage! I've been enjoying tea for more than forty years, but don't think I've ever had what you folks are calling a TEA HIGH. What exactly IS a tea high? I've discovered many excellent teas and blends over the years. In fact, some have been so good that I've drunk 2 or 3 potsful at a single sitting! By potsful, I mean, a porceline pot with a lid, into which I've added a tea ball, or other infuser filled with fresh leaves, and allowed to steep 3 to 5 minutes or longer. My favorite of all teas is a good, fresh black tea. I also love Roobios, and Oolong. This is just me, of course, but I prefer a flavored tea like Peach, or Blueberry, but the flavoring must be NATURAL, derived from fresh fruit or spices. None of that artificial stuff for me! Now, I feel that I'm missing something... How do I achieve that special mouth/body feel that you describe? ALL teas tend to make me feel relaxed and mellow, some relax me so much that I feel a little drowsy, especially in the evening or at night. Is that the tea high you were discussing?
buy higher grade tea, use a smaller teapot and fill it with more leaf :)

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by BrandonTeaClub » May 12th, '12, 21:37

I brew Silver Needle very hot and very long, boiling water into an gaiwan, lid on, for five minutes. You might think I'm crazy, but it results in a very punchy, spicy tea, and it's never bitter.

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by gingkoseto » May 12th, '12, 21:54

BrandonTeaClub wrote:I brew Silver Needle very hot and very long, boiling water into an gaiwan, lid on, for five minutes. You might think I'm crazy, but it results in a very punchy, spicy tea, and it's never bitter.
This is pretty much the traditional way of silver needle brewing, and there is a reason for it :D

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Re: Am I high? White teas seem to me to be rather delicate

by mbanu » May 13th, '12, 01:49

I wonder if the confusion has to do with Silver Needle methods vs. other white teas? A tea made entirely of tips would act quite differently than a normal tea, wouldn't it?

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