I just tried Ali Shan a couple of days ago. It is my first Oolong tea. I did not care too much for it. The aroma was not particularly pleasant and the flavor was spinach-like. Everyone raves about this tea, and I am new to this as well, so I might be making it wrong. Here is how I made it:
Water at 212 in my IngenuiTEA (16 oz)
Two teaspoons of leaves
Steeped @ 8 min (I accidentally went over)
Some sugar
Did I ruin it? If I can make it better I will give it another shot.
Thanks,
- A tea noobie
Jan 12th, '09, 23:08
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Jan 12th, '09, 23:14
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Jan 12th, '09, 23:26
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- EIGHT MINUTES!
Seriously, I agree with Murrius on the first steep, but I use boiling water for all oolongs and tend to move up from 1 minute rather than down. I think I may use a lot more leaf than that, but if you are making 16 oz that could get expensive. Play with it till you get something you like. Most people like Ali Shan so it's probably your brewing that is off. Or it is really stale or otherwise lousy Ali Shan, which is not too likely unless you bought it in the supermarket from one of those bulk food displays.
Jan 12th, '09, 23:32
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I googled "brewing oolong", and got this in the first a few lines:
http://www.yayateahouse.co.nz/Brewing-Oolong-Tea.php
(btw, 85C is about 190F, and 100ml is 3.4oz.)
It's not perfect, but if you follow it, you will definitely see improvement (but you can keep using boiling water if you want).
Try it out and I believe you will enjoy it more. Then we can have further discussion on how to make it EVEN BETTER
There are also people who don't like floral fragrant from some oolong. So don't blame yourself if eventually you don't like it. But definitely improve the brewing first and chances are you will enjoy it a lot better.
Oh, try it without sugar first. Sugar itself doesn't have any fancy flavor, so use it only when you feel you have to
http://www.yayateahouse.co.nz/Brewing-Oolong-Tea.php
(btw, 85C is about 190F, and 100ml is 3.4oz.)
It's not perfect, but if you follow it, you will definitely see improvement (but you can keep using boiling water if you want).
Try it out and I believe you will enjoy it more. Then we can have further discussion on how to make it EVEN BETTER
There are also people who don't like floral fragrant from some oolong. So don't blame yourself if eventually you don't like it. But definitely improve the brewing first and chances are you will enjoy it a lot better.
Oh, try it without sugar first. Sugar itself doesn't have any fancy flavor, so use it only when you feel you have to
To brew the Ali Shan, I followed the directions as given in the Hou De Tea Blog. Slightly below boiling water, gaiwan or small tea pot about a quarter of the way filled with dry leaf, steep for 30 seconds, 20 seconds for the next three steeps, and then adding 10 seconds to each steep after that.
With the size of the IngenuiTea, you might want to fill it up about 1/16 of the pot with leaves with about 1/4 of the pot filled with water. This will give you less tea, but it might help bring out the flavor and fragrance of the tea better than if you tried brewing the full 16oz pot worth of it and you can always resteep the leaves more than once. Oolongs in general resteep very well.
Don't give up hope too quickly. I generally don't care for greener oolongs, but Adagio's Ali Shan is one that I actually like. It reminds me of green apples and springtime.
With the size of the IngenuiTea, you might want to fill it up about 1/16 of the pot with leaves with about 1/4 of the pot filled with water. This will give you less tea, but it might help bring out the flavor and fragrance of the tea better than if you tried brewing the full 16oz pot worth of it and you can always resteep the leaves more than once. Oolongs in general resteep very well.
Don't give up hope too quickly. I generally don't care for greener oolongs, but Adagio's Ali Shan is one that I actually like. It reminds me of green apples and springtime.
Egads!! Eight minutes!!! Try it again at 3 - same parameters.
- Victoria -
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Jan 13th, '09, 02:09
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+1Cinnamon Kitty wrote:To brew the Ali Shan, I followed the directions as given in the Hou De Tea Blog. Slightly below boiling water, gaiwan or small tea pot about a quarter of the way filled with dry leaf, steep for 30 seconds, 20 seconds for the next three steeps, and then adding 10 seconds to each steep after that.
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )
Jan 13th, '09, 03:30
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Jan 13th, '09, 03:43
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I generally wouldn't use 1/4 full of dry leaf - that will cram it and you're more likely to get bitter tea. I know some people do it, but I think the results are better with just a sparse covering over the bottom (depending on the vessel).
Typically I will put in a sparse covering over the bottom, so that it loosely fills the gaiwan when fully hydrated. Then I give it 30-45 seconds for the first steep (maybe a bit more), and then once the leaf is hydrated I'll steep for 5 seconds or less. I use boiling water and preheat; with enough heat it should enhance the floral notes, making it more ethereal but pungent (should smell just like flowers) but also brings out the amino acids (buttery/veggie protein) to remind you of a meadow on a hot summer day. The taste should be sweet and umami, maybe some leafy definition that reminds you of the feel of the leaf, which should be nice and thick.
The other way I make it is in my infuser mug. Again I still go for filling the infuser basket loosely, but give it a little more time. For that I generally give it about 45-60 seconds for the first steep and maybe 10-15 seconds for subsequent steeps. This doesn't bring out quite as much of the floral notes but should still be nice and satisfying.
I don't have any experience with Adagio's Ali Shan, though. Ali Shan in general should not be spinachy. the fact that it is makes me wonder if it does need less heat. If the leaf (once hydrated) is thin and limp, like an old rag, then maybe it is a bit fragile and delicate, which would need less heat. One thing you might do is to give it a quick rinse with cooler water before steeping with boiling water. I've found that some teas benefit from this - I believe because it prevents heat shock.
Honestly I think that even 1 min is too long after the first steep, and 3 mins is too long at any time unless you're steeping big pot (western) style. With that, though, you're not going to get a lot of anything - it will just be pale and sweet, with not a lot else.
Typically I will put in a sparse covering over the bottom, so that it loosely fills the gaiwan when fully hydrated. Then I give it 30-45 seconds for the first steep (maybe a bit more), and then once the leaf is hydrated I'll steep for 5 seconds or less. I use boiling water and preheat; with enough heat it should enhance the floral notes, making it more ethereal but pungent (should smell just like flowers) but also brings out the amino acids (buttery/veggie protein) to remind you of a meadow on a hot summer day. The taste should be sweet and umami, maybe some leafy definition that reminds you of the feel of the leaf, which should be nice and thick.
The other way I make it is in my infuser mug. Again I still go for filling the infuser basket loosely, but give it a little more time. For that I generally give it about 45-60 seconds for the first steep and maybe 10-15 seconds for subsequent steeps. This doesn't bring out quite as much of the floral notes but should still be nice and satisfying.
I don't have any experience with Adagio's Ali Shan, though. Ali Shan in general should not be spinachy. the fact that it is makes me wonder if it does need less heat. If the leaf (once hydrated) is thin and limp, like an old rag, then maybe it is a bit fragile and delicate, which would need less heat. One thing you might do is to give it a quick rinse with cooler water before steeping with boiling water. I've found that some teas benefit from this - I believe because it prevents heat shock.
Honestly I think that even 1 min is too long after the first steep, and 3 mins is too long at any time unless you're steeping big pot (western) style. With that, though, you're not going to get a lot of anything - it will just be pale and sweet, with not a lot else.
Jan 13th, '09, 08:48
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Ah yes, and the temp debate rages on. I prefer a lower temp for this one it seems, but I do preheat. Perhaps around 190-200* in a preheated pot. Usually around a minute for the first steep. I usually brew it in a semi gong fu style.
I'll try to say this nicely, unlike Oni the Troll. If you're going to drink fine Oolong tea, you should learn to drink them without sweetener. And yes, 8 minutes is way way too long. Western style brewing should be no more than 3-4 minutes with boiling water. Anyway, most Oolongs harbor so much flavor and natural sweetness that sugar is completely unneccesary.