Wednesday TeaDay 10/22/08 Sweet/Astringent balance?

[gingkoseto]

Bai Hao Oolong in my morning cup (as usual). Honestly I'm not sure if I notice astringency that much. If it's that kind of dry red wine sort of thing then I don't mind it. I do like dry red wines. But I don't like a wine thats purely dry with no sweet.

I have the same question I am not sure if it's the "tannin" feel or the "cool mist" feel, or "grassy herb" feel or something else.

[kongni]

So what is sweetness? I'm assuming that you are not talking about sugar!

Gyokuro this morning. I'm about to guzzle down a kombucha next. Oh the feeling of the scobe going down your throat is like no other

[gingkoseto]

So what is sweetness? I'm assuming that you are not talking about sugar!

Gyokuro this morning. I'm about to guzzle down a kombucha next. Oh the feeling of the scobe going down your throat is like no other

Yeah, same question however less difficulty than "astringent". Some tea gave me a sweet after-taste which mimics sweetener - I don't hate it but don't particularly like it. Some oolong has a sweet after-taste which is not obviously sweet but reminds me of sugar. I love the "sugar taste" of oriental beauty - it reminds me of sugar but like taste of sugar without sweetness.

I know my descriptions are confusing - I always have great difficulty to describe taste and equal difficulty to understand descriptions

[Salsero]

So what is sweetness? I'm assuming that you are not talking about sugar!

I mentioned this issue of sweetness in tea to a food scientist and he pointed out that all plants contain carbohydrates, so there is likely to be some quantity of sugar in any plant material.

[geeber1]

I'm not sure how to answer the question, although I would say that I'd rather have sweet than bitter tea.

This morning I had a great cup of TeaSource Nilgiri Glendale Estate tea. It was very good!

[Victoria]

In my work cup this morning -
Baozhong from TeaMasters

It's chilly here in my office, but we are supposed to hit 90 degrees today.

[leiche]

I don't know, my preference differs depending on the type of tea. I like my blacks good and astringent, my roasted oolongs a bit sweet (on their own!), and I don't drink other types often enough to have much of a preference at all.

In contrast to SoCal, the high temperature where I am is 43F today. Just chilly enough to make me want more tea.

This calls for yancha.

[auggy]

Enjoying White Peony today, and I have to say it's growing on me. Which is strange, since I'm not a hillside in the Chinese mountains.*

*Also, I'm apparently not a comedian.

You make me giggle.

[horsencl]

It does depend on the type of tea but I voted 50/50. In general I like a good balance between astringency and sweetness. I don't have a big sweet tooth when it comes to drinks (food is another story, lol) so it is good to have some astringency to counteract the sweet.

[olivierco]

Miyabi sencha now with the right astringency level. I think one year ago it would have been too astringent for my taste.

[Smari]

Enjoying White Peony today, and I have to say it's growing on me. Which is strange, since I'm not a hillside in the Chinese mountains.*

*Also, I'm apparently not a comedian.

You surely got me laughing!

Been a rough morning; finally just got in a cup of tea to relax. Still another 3hrs here to deal with the madness of corporate life. People stink here at work

Enjoying Den's fukamidori now...

[shogun89]

I picked the mathematically inconsistent 80% astringency, 10% sweetness because sometimes sweetness ruins a tea for me if I detect too much of certain kinds of sweetness. I think a lot of times we call a tea sweet when it simply lacks astringency without showing actual sweetness.

Sencha is a tea which I tend to call sweet if the astringency is under control, it has a thick mouthfeel, and it has floral or vegetal aromas. Of course, if the teaware is also nice, then we call it shweet.

Cant wait to get one of those pots!!!!!!!

[Trey Winston]

Enjoying White Peony today, and I have to say it's growing on me. Which is strange, since I'm not a hillside in the Chinese mountains.*

*Also, I'm apparently not a comedian.

You make me giggle.

You surely got me laughing!

He he, thanks! Oh, sweet success!

[auggy]

Been a rough morning; finally just got in a cup of tea to relax. Still another 3hrs here to deal with the madness of corporate life. People stink here at work

Aw, poor Smari! I hope your day gets better soon. Though at the very least, it will be over soon, right?

I'm having work-related grump going on currently, too, though mine is just not wanting to work any more. And the temp has plunged to 57 and it is drizzling and overcast outside and that makes me sad.

On the plus side, I get to go home in an hour, buy some chocolate chips and then finish making my chocolate covered cherries. Which I find way too exciting. I enven had Valentines tea this morning in honor of my cherries. Okay, so that is more of a choc covered strawberry flavor than cherry, but I work with what I have.

[chad]

I'm having work-related grump going on currently, too, though mine is just not wanting to work any more. And the temp has plunged to 57 and it is drizzling and overcast outside and that makes me sad.

Sorry to hear about the weather this afternoon...my wife is attending a Hospice conference (NHPCO) in Dallas this week.

Working on some assam for this afternoon's brew.