Thursday TeaDay 6/05/08

[auggy]

I used just off boiling for this morning's oolong actually and I think that's why I didn't like it as much. I like them brewed at about 180 instead. I think this makes me weird.

Why should that make you weird? I also like them at 180. Keep brewin' the way you like it best!

YAY! I'm not a freak. Or at least not alone in my freak-dom. I will admit, I did wonder if I was missing out on something by not liking them brewed near boiling. But most of the time I figure, what the heck, as long as I like it, who cares?

Of course, if anyone ever comes to my house to sip oolong, then you might care.

[Geekgirl]

Other: it's part of my daily ritual. I had a hardcore coffee habit for 15 years, so when I switched to tea (various reasons,) I really wanted the ritual to remain. It has gotten more meaningful, an unexpected bonus, because every morning I take time to think about how I feel. Then I spend a few slow minutes talking to my doggies and brewing some tea. So nice.

In my cup this morning:



Malty assam. Yes, I use a french press for my black teas.

[Pentox]

Other: it's part of my daily ritual. I had a hardcore coffee habit for 15 years, so when I switched to tea (various reasons,) I really wanted the ritual to remain. It has gotten more meaningful, an unexpected bonus, because every morning I take time to think about how I feel. Then I spend a few slow minutes talking to my doggies and brewing some tea. So nice.

In my cup this morning:



Malty assam. Yes, I use a french press for my black teas.

Love the photo. My french presses never look that clean.

[bearsbearsbears]

MOAR sencha today …

• sheesh, will it never end?

(bet you can’t guess the name of this sencha)

<<clic on pic if you dare>>

That is the most beautiful picture of lantana i've ever seen. You've made Orange County groundcover look flirtatious.

[Geekgirl]

Thanks! Um, cleaning: I just rinse with HOT water (from my zoji) and wipe with a glass towel. It has never been in a dishwasher, and I rarely use it for coffee.

I am not caring for this assam. It is really excessively tannic, not so much with the "malty." blech.

[Pentox]

Thanks! Um, cleaning: I just rinse with HOT water (from my zoji) and wipe with a glass towel. It has never been in a dishwasher, and I rarely use it for coffee.

I am not caring for this assam. It is really excessively tannic, not so much with the "malty." blech.

Heh, yeah that's more than I do for mine. Currently they suffer from dust, and a few hard water spots. But mostly the dust from neglect.

[omegapd]

Yeah, that's pretty much my view on it. Apparently I had the kiss of death for teams in the playoffs this year. I start pulling for them and they'd immediately lose.

Then please,please,please start rooting for the LA Lakers in tonights basketball finals. Diehard C's fan here...

Adagio's Pu-erh in my cup now. For the first week, I really got into this stuff. Now, it's sort of fading into the background...

EW

[LavenderPekoe]

Oh, and the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup last night. Dang it.

Maybe I should have hung on to that box just a tad longer.

Me = from Detroit-ish.

[Salsero]

That is the most beautiful picture of lantana i've ever seen.

Good eye, Bears. It is indeed lantana.

In my cup this morning:

Malty assam. Yes, I use a french press for my black teas.

That press is a thing of beauty, beautifully portrayed. And yes, me too: when I switched from coffee to tea I found all sorts of comforting little routines that I enjoy throughout the day. Ain't it grand!

I am not caring for this assam. It is really excessively tannic, not so much with the "malty." blech

A few months ago I was encouraged by wiser heads than mine (Proinsias among others) to try brewing my Assam in an oversized yixing pot that I owned but couldn’t figure out what to do with since it was too big for gong fu. The yixing really smooths out the Assam.

I like them brewed at about 180 instead. I think this makes me weird.

As Beidao wisely said, brew them the way you like them! But for the record, the temp thing is that oolongs taste different at different temps, not that one is better than another. Fooling around with your water temp can accent the floral, the fruity, or other flavors. I personally use off boil almost always – because I am lazy and subtlety is generally lost on me anyway. That you appreciate the difference is an indication of your fine sensitivity to the tea. You Go Girl!

(Course, I am not ruling out the possibility that you are weird for other reasons! )

[TimeforTea]

Auggy, I use just off boiling for oolong #40 and all my oolongs, as Victoria suggests. It's come out fine. Today, however, I think I used too much leaf. Maybe you used too much leaf, too?

I hope the wind calms down there.

You were routing for the Penguins to win the cup?

I used just off boiling for this morning's oolong actually and I think that's why I didn't like it as much. I like them brewed at about 180 instead. I think this makes me weird.

It wasn't so much wanting the Penguins to win as not wanting the Red Wings to. But at least now Sidney Crosby gets to shave off that poor excuse for a playoff beard.

You're not weird for brewing at 180. Some people brew their lightly oxidized oolongs at 180, treating them like greens. If that's what you like, that's what matters.

Can't stand play off beards! They don't make the players look anymore fierce.

[Geekgirl]

I brew my favorite osmanthus oolong at 175 and like it much better that way. I have a heavily fired oolong that will barely open at less than a full rolling boil, I've learned.

[Salsero]

Can't stand play off beards! They don't make the players look anymore fierce.

*Salsero shaves off beard.*

Another foiled effort to look fierce.



Is that why Orthodox priests have the long beards? It doesn't do much to make them fierce looking either, not with the dresses they wear anyway.

[Salsero]

I brew my favorite osmanthus oolong at 175 and like it much better that way.

By osmanthus oolong do you mean Huang Jin Gui, Golden Osmanthus?
Just wondering.

[CanadaBlue]

Other. The responses are all so serene and serious. Mine is not. The main effect I have after two mugs is an urge.

[CynTEAa]

Hi Tea people!

This week has been so hectic. Surely more caffeine would be a good thing. In which I usually find the comfort factor, but appreciate the energy boost! I have over done it, mostly on tea tasting days.

Glad to see Chip is enjoying the Nepal! Hoping to dig into the shinchas he kindly gave me tomorrow afternoon.

Had Yunnan Gold this morning, our Anteadote oolong in the car, and then the Nepal First Flush mid afternoon. Should have had much more!