Chao Zhou clay stove-TeaHabitat class?

[wh&yel-apprentice]

Did anyone attend the Nov. 7th tasting?

http://www.teahabitat.com/store/index.p ... cts_id=253

Maitre_Tea, I know Imen prodded you into coming on her blog?

Just curious of impressions, gaiwan vs the Chao Zhou clay stove/kettle combination. That stove is pretty expensive, though in the need for hardwood charcoal and then maybe a Wu tea pot, it's a lot of money, and a lot of set-up...it is worth the 'hassle'? Is the tea that different using all of these 'tools'? I also don't like the idea of having to use something that can start a fire, outside of a BBQ being used outdoors.

I wanted to attend, but couldn't make it that weekend. Maybe Imen will do another in December :p ? Or January...anyone else interested? If she does another one, I'll try to be there and do some more experimentation with types of water to further add to the complication . More types of tea, maybe an older pu-erh or older DC's need to be tried?

I love comparative tasting. Always differences, but sometimes you are surprised by what you prefer...'odd-man-out' type of scenario

*edit*, not sure if this should be in the Oolong or Teawares/accessories forum???

[Maitre_Tea]

I visited before, but I couldn't make it for the class in November. Although it's still in Southern California, it's quite out of the way and pretty far for me. In terms of whether all this extra equipment is worth it, this is a good place to read the banter about it:

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10565

Personally, I think that the set-up makes a difference, having tasted the same tea brewed in her shop and brewed by myself later at home; however, brewing technique and good quality leaf makes more of a difference than that CZ set-up. I think with all the super-expensive stuff in the tea world, there's a diminishing marginal returns aka it gets to a point when the cost doesn't justify the taste/effect.

As to the what I use for DC, I think a thin-walled gaiwan probably does the best job. In fact, my CZ pot is now dedicated to young sheng! If it were me, I would get the stove over the pot; at least with the stove you can use it for all your teas, whereas the Wu pot may not be so great with DC. Even her posting about it showed that results were mixed amongst the participants.

[christeana]

I realize this reply is late, but I just found the message thread.

The class in November was great. We got a chance to taste water from the kettle vs. water from the stove. And the taste difference was quite obvious. The teas we tasted had a depth of flavor that is hard to describe.

Having tried a number of other ways to make a few of these delightful Phoenix Dan Cong Oolongs, I will be investing in the clay stove set-up soon. I've got the pot, but there is so much flavor I am missing out on at home. I will have to work hard to get something close to what Imen was able to achieve.

She has another class, and a tasting, later this month, on January 16th and 17th. Both will use the stove set-up, and in both cases, the education is well worth it.

Good luck with your tea endeavors.