Guess what I found

[Cinnabar Red]

Having moved to a different part of florida recently I lost track of some teas. I found these today and am dying to try them.

80"s Formosa aged Bao Zhong

Wuyi Yan Cha "Bai Li Xian

Wuyi Yan Cha "Da Hong Pao"

Any suggestions as to what temperatures I should brew these at in my 5 or 6 ounce yixing?

[xuancheng]

For the Yancha, I like to use a lot of leaves. I would fill the pot most of the way up, but don't try to pack the tea in. Also if the leaves are broken, don't use too many.

I first preheat the pot. Then a quick rinse. remember fill the pot all the way up with water, and scrape the foam off the surface with the lid. pour the rinse off quickly and use it to heat the rest of your tea set, reserving it to pour back on the pot during the first infusion. You can do a quick first infusion. I like my yancha strong but its better to have a weak first infusion and make it stronger in the second. If you drink weak tea after strong tea, you can't taste it.

Also if you have had these teas hanging around the house for a long time, they may have gotten a bit stale. You can refresh them by re-roasting. One of the best ways is to toss them in a rice cooker and turn on the 'warm' function. 8 hours is appropriate, opening occasionally to mix the tea around. Don't turn on the 'cook' function unless you want a stronger roast than you already have. If you do turn on the 'cook' function, wait until the second or fourth hour. Don't put the tea back in the bag until it is room temp.

Hopefully someone qualified will answer the Baozhong question.

[Cinnabar Red]

Thank you for your reply! My next question involved re roasting, so I appreciate your comments on that subject.

What water temperature would you use to brew the tea?

Thanks again.

[wyardley]

Thank you for your reply! My next question involved re roasting, so I appreciate your comments on that subject.

What water temperature would you use to brew the tea?

You didn't mention the most important thing, which is how roasted the teas are.

Either way, I would start with just off a full boil for both; if the teas are good quality, they should be able to take it (even the baozhong). If they're not, they might taste bad, in which case you can try backing off a little the next time you make them (try crab-eyes water and then fewer re-heats, or else pour down the side of the gaiwan or along the rim of the pot to cool down the water a little).

I've known a few people who are very picky about water temperature with yan cha, but when I was in Wuyishan, every merchant used water at close to 100C, and typically reheated the water before every brew or every other brew to keep it around there.

For the baozhong, you might back off on water temperature a little after the first rinse (i.e., don't reheat the water, and just keep using it for a few brews).

Some folks recommend rolling the baozhong leaves around in your hands a little. Also check out Stéphane's video on pouring water for Baozhongs.

[tenuki]

Some folks recommend rolling the baozhong leaves around in your hands a little.

and gently squeezing.


+1 on boiling water.

[Cinnabar Red]

Thank you all for the good info. I hope to put it to use very soon.