Your method of brewing oolong

[William]

While it is some brewing vessels achieve better results than others, this kind of generalisation is seldom helpful to others.

There are thousands of unknowns and variables which makes such comparisons moot. The brewing vessel is a way for the user to achieve certain taste profile, it is the user that is ultimately responsible for the brew. A pot is a fixed object, it is up to the user to adjust to it, not the other way round. This, of course could be done only up to a point. It is also undeniable that it is much easier to achieve good results with certain vessels.

The problem is that when making statements such as XYZ tea only do well with ABC teapot, there are so many variables that could be differ from one user to another. Many could not even agree on what's a ABC teapot. So at the very base when even the definition of comparisons is unclear, how could there be a meaningful discussion?

Not to mention the others unknowns, the water, the tea itself, the brewing method etc etc... AND on top of it, there is still a matter of personal taste.

In conclusion, this kind of preference is seldom transferable or applicable to another.

Wise words, my friend. I always tend to generalize too much!

[Tead Off]

Wert,

This is a given. Hopefully, posters know this by now. But, there are still some attributes of clay that can be talked about and matched with certain teas. Whether it works or not is a matter of experimentation. But, it is a starting point, and for many, it opens the door into the world of clay and tea.

[thirst]

If one couldn’t make at least some generalizations, wouldn’t it be completely meaningless to talk about clay? Or how do/did you approach buying pots for different teas?

[William]

If one couldn’t make at least some generalizations, wouldn’t it be completely meaningless to talk about clay? Or how do/did you approach buying pots for different teas?

Well, generalizations can be useful when we are all talking about the same exact thing; otherwise it will be a useless discussion, since we think we are all talking about the same thing, but in reality it is not.

[ethan]

William, The thread that discussed what is most important for getting the best results had most contributors saying it is quality of water & tea, length of steeping & temperature of water, i.e., practice, that matters. Hopefully that does not get forgotten when discussing teaware.
When a discussion gets into use of teaware that many of us will never own, generalizations make it more inclusive. Generalizations such as glazed teapots for aroma & unglazed for body, allow "poor" teachatters to take something from the discussion that we can apply.
I was a guest of one of the thread's contributors (who owns & uses many teapots) for a very long & wonderful tea session (which was the best tea session of my life). What pleasure when tea, water, pot, & cup are all used ideally!
I'll never have the pots & mastery of them as my kind host. I will be able to match my teaware to tea better, when I want the best.

[Alucard]

When I first started drinking loose leaf tea I used western style method and over time was using gongfu method for just about everything. A year+ ago I started to not like oolong (gao shan) past the first infusion. I tried various gongfu brewing methods, tea vendors, higher grades of tea, different brewing vessels, and nothing excited me about the tea.

I started using western style again for certain teas and decided to try with oolong. The results were wonderful, I am so excited to have these results. This is the flavor that drew me into oolong in the first place. I used 1.2 grams in a 90ml red clay pot, 88C water, and 2min for first two infusions.

[drinking_teas]

When I first started drinking loose leaf tea I used western style method and over time was using gongfu method for just about everything. A year+ ago I started to not like oolong (gao shan) past the first infusion. I tried various gongfu brewing methods, tea vendors, higher grades of tea, different brewing vessels, and nothing excited me about the tea.

I started using western style again for certain teas and decided to try with oolong. The results were wonderful, I am so excited to have these results. This is the flavor that drew me into oolong in the first place. I used 1.2 grams in a 90ml red clay pot, 88C water, and 2min for first two infusions.

maybe try grandpa style?

[Alucard]

maybe try grandpa style?

I'm so pleased with western style right now I'm going to stick with that for now. I need to revisit some of the oolongs I tried (and dismissed) in the past.

[ABx]

Some teas are definitely better brewed in quantity. (I have a hard time saying "western style" since even much of China does the same.)

A lot of people lose interest in greener stuff as they progress. Even if it's not 'bad,' your tastes could just be changing. I tend to only drink green wulong in my thermal mug on the commute to work.

And yes, there's plenty of wulong that can come out a bit thin before it's acclimated. Obviously some will stay that way, but best not to judge until you're sure it's acclimated.

[Alucard]

Been experimenting with leaf, time, and temp parameters. Still trying out a few things, last session I had was nice and shown below. It could have gone more 6. It seems the amount of tea is not directly proportional to brew time, at least for this tea.

2g, 90ml clay pot, 90C
1. 30s
2. 20s
3. 20s
4. 25s
5. 25s
6. 30s

[Tead Off]

Been experimenting with leaf, time, and temp parameters. Still trying out a few things, last session I had was nice and shown below. It could have gone more 6. It seems the amount of tea is not directly proportional to brew time, at least for this tea.

2g, 90ml clay pot, 90C
1. 30s
2. 20s
3. 20s
4. 25s
5. 25s
6. 30s

Your method is neither 'bad' nor 'wrong'. But, with 3x more leaf in your pot, you will have a different experience and begin to approach the reason why gongfu brewing is so popular and tasty!

[William]

I found that the Oolong family, in particular the lighter ones, are often extremely difficult to be brewed; especially during the focused sessions, in which I try to obtain the 100% from the leaves.

I usually use a 50ml SP, 3 grams if I want more aroma during the session, 4 grams if I am seeking more flavours.

Regards.

[ABx]

There's not a right or wrong, but there a point where you can get the complexity that the tea can offer without oversteeping. It takes practice, but if you aim to use as much leaf as possible, without cramming it so much that the leaf can't open, and getting the leaf to open evenly (e.g., some completely open while the rest is barely open), can get you there with a lot of teas (wulong, at least).

Every tea is going to be different, though. Just keep at it, and don't be afraid to use lots of leaf (one good, satisfying pot is worth a lot more than two or three mediocre ones that left you questioning how to do it better, and you'll pay less in "tuition" in the end). You'll start to see what works and what doesn't.



After the first steep or two, steeps were un-rushed "flash" steeps, but I don't generally time my steeps or weigh leaf. I also keep everything as hot as possible -- even better when you're drinking at a fast enough pace to keep the pot hot between steeps.

[kyarazen]

There's not a right or wrong, but there a point where you can get the complexity that the tea can offer without oversteeping. It takes practice, but if you aim to use as much leaf as possible, without cramming it so much that the leaf can't open, and getting the leaf to open evenly (e.g., some completely open while the rest is barely open), can get you there with a lot of teas (wulong, at least).

Every tea is going to be different, though. Just keep at it, and don't be afraid to use lots of leaf (one good, satisfying pot is worth a lot more than two or three mediocre ones that left you questioning how to do it better, and you'll pay less in "tuition" in the end).

sounds easy!

[ABx]

There's not a right or wrong, but there a point where you can get the complexity that the tea can offer without oversteeping. It takes practice, but if you aim to use as much leaf as possible, without cramming it so much that the leaf can't open, and getting the leaf to open evenly (e.g., some completely open while the rest is barely open), can get you there with a lot of teas (wulong, at least).

Every tea is going to be different, though. Just keep at it, and don't be afraid to use lots of leaf (one good, satisfying pot is worth a lot more than two or three mediocre ones that left you questioning how to do it better, and you'll pay less in "tuition" in the end).

sounds easy!

Don't know about "easy," but it certainly doesn't need to be difficult