Tumbleweeds & TGY

[cheaton]

Wow, where have all the Oolongians gone?

I'd like to thank all of you who regularly post in here for passivly talking me into getting into Yixing and the "gong-fu" style of brewing. The range of flavors you get from one tea is amazing. Even day to day it's different based on eyeballing the quantity I use. I do have a question, however, is it ok to use differen't types of TGY in a Yixing you've dedicated for TGY? High fire vs. low fire, etc?

On another note I'm really enjoying the TGY I got from In Pursuit of Tea. They state it was fired for 2 hours. I assume this is in the medium range? It isn't as floral as Adagio's TGY, I assume this has to do with the firing? It rich and sweet, with notes of tobacco and caramel that fades in some vegital aftertaste in later steeps though no smokeyness that I can detect. Vs. Adagios which is sweet and floral with very little of that tobacco or caramel.

Thanks again for showing me the light!

[Victoria]

Well the general rule is one for lighter, greener oolongs and one for darker more
roasted ones. So there is your excuse to get another pot!

[cheaton]

So it's not neccesary for me to designate this pot for one specific type of Oolong? I could brew my Adagio #18 in it as well? I'm not really sure where TGY falls on that scale... Would I do better sharing this pot with something like a Wuyi, or something like a jade? I guess I was being too specific with my pot assignment. hehe. I was ready to buy a pot for Jade, one for Wuyi, etc. etc.

[Victoria]

Hummm what do you want to hear? Are you in a pot buying mode?


I think if you stick to the light/dark rule you will be fine.
TGY and Jade should be fine together.

The wuyi I'd do separate.

I have had people say they could not tell any effect from using a dedicated dark
pot to brew a light oolong. It just depends on how discerning your taste is as well as the quality of your pots and the length of time they have been seasoned.

I have a Tokoname for greener, high mountain oolongs. I wouldn't hesitate to put a green TGY in there or a jade. But Wuyi I do in ceramic or glass.

[cheaton]

Hehe, well, yes and no. I'm going to new york in a coupla weeks and plan on finding another Yixing and a Gaiwan there. The Yixing would be undedicated as of now, the Gaiwan would be for deciding what I want to dedicate it for. That's good to know, though. I've been wanting to try my #18 gong-fu style.

I have yet to try any wu-yi or dan cong and hope I can find some worth trying in NYC. Ito-en seems to have an interesting selection of tea. I'm somewhat familiar with Ten-Ren tea as we had one close to home when we werein Maryland. Maybe their selection and quality at their flagship store will be better. If there are any other tea shops I should visit while I'm there please chime in!

[Victoria]

Well your gaiwan doesn't need to be dedicated, it can do it all.

I have not been happy with any oolong for Ten-Ren, use caution there, which you probably already know. TeaCuppa online has a great variety of wuyi.

[t4texas]

....
I have a Tokoname for greener, high mountain oolongs. I wouldn't hesitate to put a green TGY in there or a jade. But Wuyi I do in ceramic or glass.

....

Are you saying you would not do a Wuyi in a Yixing pot, Victoria? If so, why?

[Victoria]

No I am not saying that, I would definitely.
Just not in a pot dedicated to lighter oolongs.

[cheaton]

Well your gaiwan doesn't need to be dedicated, it can do it all.

I have not been happy with any oolong for Ten-Ren, use caution there, which you probably already know. TeaCuppa online has a great variety of wuyi.

Ya, that's why I'm going to get a gaiwan. For sampling things before I chuck them into a Yixing. Looks like I'll have to go to Tea Gallery in NYC while I'm there. Their porcelain gaiwans look like they're really nice quality for the price. Not to mention some interesting, albeit, very expensive teas.

[t4texas]

No I am not saying that, I would definitely.
Just not in a pot dedicated to lighter oolongs.

Got it. Thanks.

I have one Yixing dedicated to Great Red Robe and have been reluctant to use it even as a general Wuyi pot, though I have used it that way once. No harm in ocassional. I'll probably use a gaiwan for other Wuyi, or one "general" Wuyi Yixing, since I'm really not going to get a half dozen Wuyi dedicated pots. At least not this year.

[Salsero]

I have one Yixing dedicated to Great Red Robe and have been reluctant to use it even as a general Wuyi pot

I find that there is at least as much variation from one DHP to another as from one DHP to a Shui Xian or Rou Gui. I wouldn't hesitate to use the same pot for these three or even for the light Wuyi teas, especially if the pot is made of a fairly dense clay.

[wyardley]

I have one Yixing dedicated to Great Red Robe and have been reluctant to use it even as a general Wuyi pot

I find that there is at least as much variation from one DHP to another as from one DHP to a Shui Xian or Rou Gui. I wouldn't hesitate to use the same pot for these three or even for the light Wuyi teas, especially if the pot is made of a fairly dense clay.

Yeah that's a good point, and I think differentiating between high, low, and medium fired teas is the more important distinction to make here, so if you're going to be anal enough to devote specific pots to specific teas, you should also make the distinction between those that are lighter and those that are more traditionally processed (with higher oxidation and / or roasting).

Also keep in mind that a lot of "dà hóng páo" on the market is often a blend of other yán chá varietals, and may or may not be from the scenic area.
http://amateursdethechinois.blogspot.co ... oct-2.html

[t4texas]

I have one Yixing dedicated to Great Red Robe and have been reluctant to use it even as a general Wuyi pot

I find that there is at least as much variation from one DHP to another as from one DHP to a Shui Xian or Rou Gui. I wouldn't hesitate to use the same pot for these three or even for the light Wuyi teas, especially if the pot is made of a fairly dense clay.

Yeah that's a good point, and I think differentiating between high, low, and medium fired teas is the more important distinction to make here, so if you're going to be anal enough to devote specific pots to specific teas, you should also make the distinction between those that are lighter and those that are more traditionally processed (with higher oxidation and / or roasting).

Also keep in mind that a lot of "dà hóng páo" on the market is often a blend of other yán chá varietals, and may or may not be from the scenic area.
http://amateursdethechinois.blogspot.co ... oct-2.html

Thanks, Salsero and wyardley. I am still trying to figure out how wide or narrow and specific I want to be in dedicating pots and these points are very helpful.

[Maitre_Tea]

I have one Yixing dedicated to Great Red Robe and have been reluctant to use it even as a general Wuyi pot

I find that there is at least as much variation from one DHP to another as from one DHP to a Shui Xian or Rou Gui. I wouldn't hesitate to use the same pot for these three or even for the light Wuyi teas, especially if the pot is made of a fairly dense clay.

Yeah that's a good point, and I think differentiating between high, low, and medium fired teas is the more important distinction to make here, so if you're going to be anal enough to devote specific pots to specific teas, you should also make the distinction between those that are lighter and those that are more traditionally processed (with higher oxidation and / or roasting).

Also keep in mind that a lot of "dà hóng páo" on the market is often a blend of other yán chá varietals, and may or may not be from the scenic area.
http://amateursdethechinois.blogspot.co ... oct-2.html

Ok, here's my concern though. After browsing through the Jing Tea Shop website for yixing teapots they seem to put Dan Cong as another category for which you can dedicate a yixing to. What do you guys think?
For myself, here's how I break it down in terms of what I dedicate for each teapot: light oolongs, roasted oolongs, dancong, black teas, lapsang souching (the flavor is so strong it deserves its own teapot)

I also think that dedicating by roasted level is better than dedicating by category, because some TGY are actually pretty high roasted, while others are so floral that they seem like green teas

[Salsero]

I would give Dan Cong a separate pot if you drink it frequently. I don't drink it too often and use a gaiwan, but I would be comfortable brewing DC in a light oolong pot too ... actually that might be a good way to take some of the roughness out of the DC.