Monday TeaDay 11/03/08 Drat, my tea cooled?

[jennlea]

I really dislike it when my tea cools unless I'm drinking it iced.

Nothing in my cup at the moment though when I get home from work I am going to explore a couple tea samples I have

[Geekgirl]

2pm here already, and still a pile of paperwork to finish. Oh well, there's always time for tea.

[Shelob]

Awesome shot Geek! just love the pot! and the subtleness w/lighting.
Sal, yours is a beauty as always.

Yeah samples on the way 2morrow compliments of
our oolong queen. Thanx V! So I won't have to go teashopping after all.

Since I am not working I can drink whatever I want and right now it's keemun.
Have a FAB TeaEve everyone! S

[Salsero]

Another winner. Thanks for taking the time GeekGirl.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

I get distracted really easily so I end up with a cold cup of tea more than I generally want to. I don't mind it most of the time, but there are always a few teas that just do not taste good at room temperature or when slowly cooling down. I actually was quite on track with today's poll as I forgot about my travel mug of cherry rose sencha for a few hours. It tasted pretty good cold by the time I got around to drinking it.

Currently, I am enjoying the Glendale Handmade Nilgiri, which is as awesome as everyone made it out to be.

[Janine]

For me it depends on the tea. I was taught that Chinese greens and oolongs should be made with cooler water than black or pu-erh teas in the first place. In a similar vein, I enjoy darker roasted oolongs at warmer temps than green oolongs. Usually I'm impatient so I make tea with very hot water - but green & oolongs still bring out more flavor once I have allowed the tea itself to cool.

For Japanese green I generally use very hot water and do not steep but pass the water through the tea quickly. But I have also been told in the past that it is traditional in Japan that people enjoy the tea more after it has been allowed to become more tepid than the temperature at which it was made.

[Chip]

Hi Janine! Welcome to TeaChat! Interesting post, thanks for sharing! Do you pour/brew all Japanese tea that way? I have heard of this for Konacha and similar dust types.

Monkey Picked Dong Ding! Heh, Pink Monkey picked it on line. Nice fragrant, floral, a hint of honey, and a faint exotic spice. One of the only recent Dong Dings I have liked lately.

[daughteroftheKing]

I can't drink anything that's too hot, and to me the taste is brought out more when the temp is lowered a bit. I also drink a lot of iced tea throughout the day. But when I'm stressed, a cup of warm tea can totally improve my attitude.

Oh, and how often on a busy morning have I actually forgotten to drink the cup I made, come home from work at the end of the day to find it still sitting on the counter, and slug it down anyway! But nuke a cup of tea that has cooled...never.

At work today finished off the last of the Adagio Oooh Darjeeling, then Oolong #40. And tonight re-steeping this morning's leaves of Irish Breakfast.

[leiche]

I'm unable to drink anything too hot – it must be warm. If the tea is too hot it burns my mouth and I feel just "hotness" and not the flavors.

I admire people able to drink boiling hot beverages.

Same here. I tend to let my tea cool for 10+ minutes, so it's on the hotter side of warm before I drink it. I also tend to just gulp down tea that's gone cold, rather than reheating or tossing it.

I'm too klutzy to drink boiling hot tea!

Tried Adagio's Ali Shan again today, this time with cooler water, and liked it better. It's still not going to be a staple, but it's all right. I find it funny that I don't like Li/Ali Shan or TKY but adore Pouchong. Odd.

[Drax]

Monkey Picked Dong Ding! Heh, Pink Monkey picked it on line. Nice fragrant, floral, a hint of honey, and a faint exotic spice. One of the only recent Dong Dings I have liked lately.

Hrm, all I can think of when I read this is monkeys walking down rows of bushes and picking off Ding Dongs.

And I haven't had a Ding Dong in years.

No tea for me this evening. Had some Big Red Robe this morning, though.

[murrius]

That Luxi tea tastes a bit funky. My notes say, "Tastes of dark mushroom, loam, rotted manure, vanilla ...

Yum!

I must say though, I am intrigued by the thought of manure and vanilla. Might be a way to get the kids to eat their rotted animal excreta . You know how hard it is to get kids to eat that stuff.

[Salsero]

rotted animal excreta

Do you know a good, low-price source for this on the internet?

For Japanese green I generally use very hot water and do not steep but pass the water through the tea quickly.

How do you do this? ... what are the mechanics? Is the result similar to what the rest of us get by infusing for a minute or two in cooler water?

[auggy]

Going to make some more orchid oolong. And watch my new tv!

Ahh... I want a new TV to watch, too.

Come on over and you can borrow mine!

DH and I did a comparison last night while watching a hockey game - the commentators' heads were slightly larger than life-sized.

Omegapd, I like that cup - very neat!

[Janine]

For Japanese green I generally use very hot water and do not steep but pass the water through the tea quickly.

How do you do this? ... what are the mechanics? Is the result similar to what the rest of us get by infusing for a minute or two in cooler water?

Hi. I most frequently use a small fine-meshed sieve for the tea (a gyokuru for example) and I simply pour boiled water through the tea directly into my teacup this way. This makes a nice cup of tea (it is a method frequently used for brewing pots for serving in Japanese restaurants with an electric boiler/dispenser), and it allows you many brews with good Japanese green. I think the result most likely is similar, and at the same time I feel that the balance of tea/steeping seems nice - well-brewed and not a hint of overbrewing, very fresh. All I can do is describe the feel, anyway.

Today I've been drinking Harney & Sons "Fanciest Formosa" which I believe is what is more commonly known as Oriental Beauty. I went up to their tasting room in Millerton NY which was a fun trip from NYC. Nice restaurant too. I had no idea they had so many China teas.

[Janine]

Chip, yes I think this method works particularly well with "dust" types as you say. But I have also enjoyed the results with a good gyokuro. Maybe a good gyokuro would taste wonderful no matter what you did with it