Sunday TeaRoom 2/15/09 Out to eat ... ?

[Intuit]

Unless salad IS the main course, it's usually mediocre, as is the bread, if it's even offered. Appetizers rarely are worthwhile, often being VERY tardy in arriving with the meal. Rarely order desserts. While the quality of coffees offered in restaurants (gosh, even MickyD's is serving decent Java these days) has improved dramatically in recent years, teas are still typically terrible - old teabags, tepid water- gah! - unless the restaurant is a teahouse.

Unnamed but rather decent looseleaf Ceylon in the cup, purchased yesterday from a semi-local organic food market. Sipping a delightful tea 'find', listening to a blissful piano quartet on 'St Paul Sunday' on NPR - not too shabby for a quiet weekend morning.

[snafu]

Unless salad IS the main course, it's usually mediocre, as is the bread, if it's even offered. Appetizers rarely are worthwhile, often being VERY tardy in arriving with the meal.

You need to go to better restaurants.

(gosh, even MickyD's is serving decent Java these days)

In my cup today, Uji Sencha Miyabi.

[olivierco]

I just finished my first cup of kame gyokuro brewed in my japanese gyokuro ware and

it's so unbelievably good!

So how long can I leave the leaves between steepings??? and how long should be next steep be?? Thanks

I brew it this way:

2g per 30ml (sometimes a little more)
55°C (130°F) in preheated vessel
First steep 90s, subsequent ones: 5-10s 15-20s 45s 90s

I usually don't wait between steeps. If you do, you might use slightly hotter water and longer steeping times. Get sure no to let any water in the teapot between steeps.


Ujibashi san no ma sencha after dinner.

[cherylopal]

I just finished my first cup of kame gyokuro brewed in my japanese gyokuro ware and

it's so unbelievably good!

So how long can I leave the leaves between steepings??? and how long should be next steep be?? Thanks

I brew it this way:

2g per 30ml (sometimes a little more)
55°C (130°F) in preheated vessel
First steep 90s, subsequent ones: 5-10s 15-20s 45s 90s

I usually don't wait between steeps. If you do, you might use slightly hotter water and longer steeping times. Get sure no to let any water in the teapot between steeps.


Ujibashi san no ma sencha after dinner.

Thank you!

[Intuit]

Apparently MickyD corporate offices decided to switch to respected coffee roasters within each region, in an effort to recapture dwindling marketshare as the economy began its slide in the third quarter of 2007. It's paid off. 'Bout time they woke up and smelt the coffee (ok, bad pun). Even Mom'nPop gas stations feature coffee from well-known roasters here in the PNW.

[Victoria]

Started the morning with something different:
White Peony

Not sure what to have next.

[TeaCompulsion]

OK! I did it!!!! A big thanks to everyone's suggestions on my intro thread and to chip for all of his advice and salsero for his nudge yesterday to just do it- I just finished my first cup of kame gyokuro brewed in my japanese gyokuro ware and

it's so unbelievably good!

So how long can I leave the leaves between steepings??? and how long should be next steep be?? Thanks

cherylopal, I'm no gyokuro expert, but the method that yields fantastic results for me is using a 30 ml strainer laid over a 50 ml wide shallow cup, a heaping teaspoon of leaf, pouring the water through, and lifting the strainer out to drink the contents of the cup. Steep times are near instantaneous for the first 4 infusions or so, then get gradually longer. I wind up putting a liter of water through before the sweet grassy goodness runs out.

I've never found any expert verdicts on how long leaves can sit between steepings, but it turns out that the answer is a big ol' "it depends". Gyokuro gives the least latitude on this of any leaf I know -- if it's been an hour since the leaves were first wet during a hot steep, I would be inclined to give any further infusions to my ficus (which loves green tea, btw) rather than drink them.

Making the leaves last even that long without degrading only works if you both get as much of the water out as you can each pour, and make sure the leaves are not kept heated between pourings. The cup and strainer method I mentioned works very well for this. So, I imagine, would a specialized gyokuro pot with a mesh strainer above the bottom that holds the leaves out of any water lingering at the bottom of the pot, but I'd say it would be very important to leave the lid off the pot between steepings to prevent cooking the leaves.

[Geekgirl]

TC: Love your avatar, cracks me up!

This morning I've had an eclectic mix of teas - had my morning matcha, then some oolong, then hubby asked for chai... I think I'm getting a tummy ache.

Made the trek to Serenity Art yesterday, and bought two gaiwan (one is a prezzie,) a small puerh bing, just for fun, and some DHP in a package that looks like a cigarette pack, because it made me laugh. The little box has some great drawings on it, I'm trying to decide if I will open and drink it.

I'm on day 9 with the paper cranes, and already starting to get bored, which is not a good sign. Boring subject = boring photos. *shrug* But this one has my *NEW!* *GAI!* *WAN!* Lookee!



Oooh, hang on a minute. The phoenix on the gaiwan has a thought bubble. I need to make a pic. It's funny.

[GT500Driver]

I chose "selecting your meal" but didn't see main course.

Oh, I'm not sure this would be so ironic if not for the fact that (at the time of this posting) 76% of people voted for main course. I guess it should more around 78%?

This Yunnan Noir from Adagio is good for probably another few cups, but I think I'll be having some matcha later today... maybe an hour before I exercise. Woo hoo!

hahaha, I didn't even think about how funny that made it. I only noticed it was there when I was thinking "Oh, I wonder what all those people voted for."

[Chip]

To say I love food is an understatement, which is possibly one reason I am so passionate about tea.

From selecting my meal ... I am always the last person to finish selecting what I want. If a restuarant offers a Caesar salad that is supreme, that is often the highlight of my meal, but generally since preparing Caesar salad is a lost art form, the main course will ultimately become the best food part of the meal.

Started the day with Sencha Premier from Adagio. SweeTea enjoyed it while Pyrit observed passively, Koi however observed aggressively.

Had a pot of homemade genmai with some Awacha in a big pot for casual enjoyment awaiting the next "good tea."

[Chip]

I just finished my first cup of kame gyokuro brewed in my japanese gyokuro ware and

it's so unbelievably good!

So how long can I leave the leaves between steepings??? and how long should be next steep be?? Thanks

I brew it this way:

2g per 30ml (sometimes a little more)
55°C (130°F) in preheated vessel
First steep 90s, subsequent ones: 5-10s 15-20s 45s 90s

I usually don't wait between steeps. If you do, you might use slightly hotter water and longer steeping times. Get sure no to let any water in the teapot between steeps.


Ujibashi san no ma sencha after dinner.

Thank you!

I pretty much agree with Olivier, but again this is for a very good gyokuro. That much leaf with a medium grade gyokuro does not make a great cup, IMHO. And this much in a low grade is just aweful.

I rarely let the leaves of gyokuro cool for at leat the first 3-5 steeps, which means it requires some time to enjoy, but for something special like Kame Gyokuro from O-Cha, I am not going to start a session if I am going to be rushed.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your first attempt, Cheryl! How was the Shiboridashi?

[Geekgirl]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your first attempt, Cheryl! How was the Shiboridashi?

Wait, wait, WAIT! Cheryl got a shiboridashi? PICS or it didn't happen!

[silvermage2000]

I would say mainly my meal. I have not gotten around to having any hot tea yet.

[ErikaM]

My favorite part about restaurants is that I do not have to cook anything or clean anything up. Everything else is secondary. I'd rather have mediocre food at a restaurant than wonderful food at home. What can I say, I HATE spending time in the kitchen.

I'm working through my new TeaSpring samples. Today is Ding Gu Da Fang.

[cherylopal]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your first attempt, Cheryl! How was the Shiboridashi?

Wait, wait, WAIT! Cheryl got a shiboridashi? PICS or it didn't happen!

I very unfortunately got interrupted unexpectedly this am- however i just finished my fourth steep following the guidelines by olivier and am again amazed by this tea!

No pics geekgirl sorry I can't seem to take good close up pix with DH's camera and mine is film. I love Love LOVE my shiboridashi- here's a link to the one I chose- love it so much that I've brewed some sencha in it too just to play. Love your gaiwan!!

http://www.o-cha.com/shoboridashi-teapot.html

(Does this count as a pic??)

I am so wanting another session with this O-Cha gyokuro...is this what addiction is?!?