Wednesday TeaDay 5/20/09 Intuitive or sensing brewer?

[Chip]

Welcome and good TeaDay everyone. Please come in and share what is in your cup today.

Yesterday the topic on a no topic teaday was ... no topics ... of course. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's non topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. When you brew a favorite type of tea that you are familiar with, are you more intuitive or more sensing in your brewing? Please discuss some nuances.

A little help from Personality Pathways!

Intuitive: Best improvise from theoretical understanding, comfortable with ambiguous, fuzzy data and with guessing its meaning.

Sensing: Memory recall is rich in detail of facts and past events, best improvise from past experience, like clear and concrete information; dislike guessing when facts are "fuzzy"

I am looking forward to sharing TeaDay with everyone. Bottoms up.

[Salsero]

I don't understand the difference between intuitive and sensing? Maybe it's just that I don't understand the use here of the word sensing or maybe it's just that I lack the intuition to probe this question or maybe it's the narcotic effect of this great Uji Shincha in my cup right now. Yikes this is good stuff.

More rose hips but this time with a Wuyi Yan Cha.

[tenuki]

Classic 'false dilemma' logical fallacy. I'm fully both at the same time, one does not preclude the other. Integrate > Separate.


Did you put rose hips in that yancha Sal? Come on, fess up!

[Drax]

Uh, well I usually come out an INTJ in the personality tests, so I went more with intuitive on this one. I have written down information in my tea journal in order to remember what I've done before, but I will also vary parameters based on my last cup of tea, regardless of what I've done before.

I started a 2009 Honey Orchard Dan Cong last night and decided to continue with it this morning. It came from TeaCuppa. It actually reminds me almost exactly of a "Yi Wu Dan Cong" that I got from Dragon Tea House. Are they the same? Possibly... both have a mango-like fruitness with a "da hong pao" tobacco-like background. Of course, my little experience with oolongs like this will probably prove me wrong. . . but that's half the fun!

[cherylopal]

I have written down information in my tea journal in order to remember what I've done before, but I will also vary parameters based on my last cup of tea, regardless of what I've done before.

+1


I thought about this too and feel I'm more intuitive although as I gain experience I do use it so a touch of sensing as well- also thought of the MB and Im ENFP so the intuitive makes sense.

My first cup of Sae Midori (although I didn't get up early- accidently turned the alarm off instead of snooze = new alarm clock and a very slow learning curve!!)

I followed your parameters Chip and like it- very smooth soft and sweet compared to YM shincha and the senchas I've had. Makes a very delicious morning cup

I think next time I might make sure my temp is in the mid 170's- I think mine had dropped to almost 170.

[Herb_Master]

I have written down information in my tea journal in order to remember what I've done before, but I will also vary parameters based on my last cup of tea, regardless of what I've done before.

+1

+2

I don't understand the difference between intuitive and sensing? Maybe it's just that I don't understand the use here of the word sensing

+1

I take notes and learn, then I abandon my notes for a while

Then I revisit my notes and compare with how my brewing has evolved!

If I go on to a different animal for a while and then return to this type of oolong ( I usually circulate between 3 week periods on Anxi, Fenghuang and Wuyi) I always start brewing without referring to my notes and then pick up my notes round about 3rd infusion.

[Herb_Master]

More rose hips but this time with a Wuyi Yan Cha.

Yikes! Rosehips in May The hedgerows round here will be full of them in August and September! are these from the Southern Hemisphere? Or have you not been deadheading your roses?

[Herb_Master]

I started a 2009 Honey Orchard Dan Cong last night and decided to continue with it this morning. It came from TeaCuppa. It actually reminds me almost exactly of a "Yi Wu Dan Cong" that I got from Dragon Tea House. Are they the same?

Possibly... both have a mango-like fruitness with a "da hong pao" tobacco-like background. Of course, my little experience with oolongs like this will probably prove me wrong. . . but that's half the fun!

Did you mean Honey Orchid - a.k.a. Mi Lan
AND
Wu Yi Dan Cong

2 Different beasts and should not taste the same. The Honey Orchid should be displaying lots of fragrance (LOTS) particularly in the first couple of infusions and a nice small touch of astringency without ever reaching the level of body and flavours of a DHP. If you brew it to extract more body, it usually extracts too much astringency.

The majority of Dan Cong comes from Guangdong/Fenghuang however the Dragon Teahouse offering is from Fujian/Wuyi.

Who knows why they have used the 'Dan Cong' in the name of the Wuyi, have they applied Wuyi processing methods to a (transplanted) Fenghuan varietal? Or FengHuang processing methods to a Wuyi varietal?
Or is it just Wuyi varietal and processing on the leaves from a single Teabush?
There is no reason why other production areas cannot use 'lone bush' in their name/title but it is not usual.

BTW Honey Orchard is a much more appealing name in these days of disappearing bees

[chad]

Intuitive, I think!

I'm also a cook and bbq competitor - sometimes "intuitiion" kicks in when the time, temp, or environment is not optimal...you "feel" when it's ready!

Monkey picked Oolong this morning.

[Mrs. Chip]

also thought of the MB and I'm ENFP so the intuitive makes sense.

Me too and way off the charts w/all 4!

Chip is brewing Suimei Gyo from Den's, what a sweet and full-bodied tea. Great way to start the day. This could def be one of my favorites!

[Salsero]

Yikes! Rosehips in May The hedgerows round here will be full of them in August and September! are these from the Southern Hemisphere? Or have you not been deadheading your roses?

In northern Florida they produce flowers year round except for a couple months in the winter when it is too cold and a couple months in the summer when it is too hot. Lazy gardeners are rewarded with hips, these on a hybrid musk class called Penelope, named I assume for Odysseus's faithful wife rather than for Miss Cruz.

[Victoria]

I brew virtually 100% intuitively. Not sure where I get it from but I just know. It's weird.

In my cup this morning more FF Soom, really loving this one.

Busy day ahead with contract negotiations, The economy is forcing talks of cutbacks, with take-aways, furlough days, and layoffs on the table. It's going to be tough to hold on to what we have.

Have a nice day everyone!

[iannon]

I do like to know the guidelines and whats worked well for others but in the end its a mix of both for me

[Aphroditea]

Chip, I am totally giving you Kudos! I am quite impressed with the twist you put on this idea. Totally made my morning!!

On Myers-Briggs test I tend toward intuitive. I live in grey area, I suppose Fuzzy doesn't bother me. --- Well, it does when it's growing on my food.

I brew mostly intuitively. I have been around here enough to have picked up the 'theoretical understanding' of tea and brew my tea each time almost on a whim with little extremely accurate measuring of leaf, temp and time.

I have not yet made my first cup....let you know when I make up my mind

[murrius]

Leaf volume always by intuition, temperature always by a "sensor" unless of course I'm drinking black tea in which case I am bound by the immutable laws of physics and thermal dynamics.

Shincha this morning; brewed at 170 degrees with heaven knows what volume of leaf.

Victoria: I relate to your situation and sympathize. I hope it all works out for you. The same thing is going on where I work. There is no doubt the operation is going to get cranked down a couple of notches. I will still be there for now but others will not.