TGIF 2/01/08 How many steeps for your FAV tea?

[JT]

So far today I've had some Miyabi (5 steeps). Now I'm on my third steep of Tai ping hou kui.
I don't have just one favorite tea. I like to explore varieties of leaf from different regions and processing techniques.
With oolongs I brew 5-8 infusions. Chinese greens vary, some i get 5 steeps, others only 2 or 3. With sencha I get 4- 6. Bai hao yinzhen will give me 6. I brew around 4-8 ounces at a time depending on the tea and vessel used.
Time to see if this Tai ping hou kui will give me another cup.

[Buzz Fledderjohn]

Right now, enjoying some milk oolong.

[daughteroftheKing]

Started the morning with what turned out to be a really awful white-tea-blended-with-various-things-that-don't-taste-good-together (from a local supplier).
To get that taste out of my mouth, at work I did a nice Adagio TKY. By the 3rd steeping, I'll add lavender and rosebuds to drink it on ice.

[Wesli]

Sencha Fuka-Midori. What it is.

[Chip]

I like hearing what everyone is drinking.

...exactly!!!

Guricha...5 steeps. I have some thoughts on Guri today. I have liked Guri for a few years now, liked how it was different enough to give me variety from sencha.

This batch has been very good, but I had been thinking not stellar, not spectacular as I have read others impressions. It turns out that the more Japanese tea I drink, the more leaf I seem to like, need. I remember starting out with sencha a few years ago that I used 3 grams per 200ml, kind of English style proportion. I had no TeaChat and basically lame instructions from my equally lame vendor at the time. Right about that time I hooked up with the 2 best tea forums on the planet, TeaChat and The Green Tea Forum. I remember Ryan, our Bamboo Forest, kept telling me use more leaf, which sounded crazy to someone who was brainwashed by years of misguided directions from vendors. Anyway, slowly I began to add more leaf. When I hit 4 grams, I was awe struck how good sencha was. But slowly my taste buds adapted and actually wanted more leaf. I finally thought I hit the mark at 5 grams per 200 ml for most Japanese tea.

Which brings me finally to today, I upped the proportion just a bit, and BAM. Perfection in a cup. It was just a tiny increase, aound .25 gram, but it made a huge difference.

I am still getting cocoa nuances in the background of guricha this year. I seem to be the only person experiencing this. Maybe it is my water, I am clueless, but it is DEFINATELY there, in the background. Hmmm, chocolate Japanese steamed tea.

[Chip]

So far today I've had some Miyabi (5 steeps). Now I'm on my third steep of Tai ping hou kui.
I don't have just one favorite tea. I like to explore varieties of leaf from different regions and processing techniques.
With oolongs I brew 5-8 infusions. Chinese greens vary, some i get 5 steeps, others only 2 or 3. With sencha I get 4- 6. Bai hao yinzhen will give me 6. I brew around 4-8 ounces at a time depending on the tea and vessel used.
Time to see if this Tai ping hou kui will give me another cup.

I have been watching for your posts, I hope you continue to post...and more. You have too great taste in tea to be hiding from us.

Plus you steep the leaf til there is no flavor left but what is in the cup of your final steep.

MMM, TPHK!!!

[JT]

So far today I've had some Miyabi (5 steeps). Now I'm on my third steep of Tai ping hou kui.
I don't have just one favorite tea. I like to explore varieties of leaf from different regions and processing techniques.
With oolongs I brew 5-8 infusions. Chinese greens vary, some i get 5 steeps, others only 2 or 3. With sencha I get 4- 6. Bai hao yinzhen will give me 6. I brew around 4-8 ounces at a time depending on the tea and vessel used.
Time to see if this Tai ping hou kui will give me another cup.

I have been watching for your posts, I hope you continue to post...and more. You have too great taste in tea to be hiding from us.

Plus you steep the leaf til there is no flavor left but what is in the cup of your final steep.

MMM, TPHK!!!

I'm not hiding, just a bit forum shy.
As to whats in the cup of my final steep....nothing because I drank it!

Now I'm enjoying some Houji-Kukicha. Very unique tasting tea that lingers around for awhile after it's gone.

[ABx]

I'm currently drinking some aged tie guan yin, 1983, from Jing. Aged oolong is one of my current favorite types of tea, I only wish that there was more of it available. Eventually, though, I'll have some that I aged myself

I'm considering dipping into my 1960's aged baozhong next.

[Chip]

Wow, really, 1983??? I assume it has been reroasted or something, right, ABx?

What does it look like, not like a greener TKY, has to be a darker one???

[CynTEAa]

Once again Yunnan Gold to wake up, a second steep later and then again with the Gopaldhara. Although it didn't come out as nice as yesterday.

Think I'm on the way to some kind of rooibos....

[Wesli]

about to hit up the fukamushi supreme.

[Lama]

I bought a scale today, turns out I was only using 1.2g of Kabusecha for 200ml.
No wonder my third infusion is weak!

I'm going to use 2.5g today and see how much infusions I can get.

[Tea na]

I got my new tea blend in today and am ready to have my second steep. LOVE that! I'm going to make a blend for my sister now....

[Chip]

I bought a scale today, turns out I was only using 1.2g of Kabusecha for 200ml.
No wonder my third infusion is weak!

I'm going to use 2.5g today and see how much infusions I can get.

Lama, I did not know you were sipping Kabu!!! Just a suggestion, read my earlier post about Guricha. But trying that, might blow your freakin TeaMind!

Scales are great.

[Chip]

I got my new tea blend in today and am ready to have my second steep. LOVE that! I'm going to make a blend for my sister now....

Tea na, welcome to TeaChat, and thanx for sharing with us, today. What is your blend?