Tie Kuan Yin / "Oriental Teahouse"

[Maneki Neko]

Is TKY (and other oolongs) supposed to taste astringent? I tried some at a place here in Melbourne called Oriental Teahouse (they are a chain here in Aus), but despite their name and their boasting of knowledge and their being Chinese owned , they don't seem to be such experts. Their tea always comes in quite big glass infuser cups with very hot water. Could their standard brewing method be the cause of it tasting so astringent that even with 3 drops of stevia it was barely drinkable for me? Or am I just not used to it?

[hopeofdawn]

Good tie kuan yin shouldn't be astringent, in my experience. If I had to guess, I'd say either it was overbrewed (too hot water and/or too long) or poor quality to begin with. Good tie kyan yin can be magical, though--I'd definitely recommend you give it another try, though perhaps from a different place.

[tomasini]

So sad that someone brewed (or butchered as it seems) such a beautiful tea and left a bad taste In your mouth.
Good luck with the next cup!!

[Maneki Neko]

Butchering is indeed a good word for what they do. You always have to wait some time before their water isn't scalding hot anymore

What is the average proper brewing temp for TKY?

[tomasini]

Me personally, I do around 190/195

[TIM]

Boiling rinse, off boiled 1 min around.

[jayinhk]

Also depends on if it's roasted, but they're probably serving something greener. Too much heat will definitely bring out astringency in greener oolongs.

[Bad Jedi]

That depends on grade and brewing parameters.