TeaForum.org

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 3:06 pm

You do what works for you of course - but you may want to try challenging it at least one time with 2g/100 mL at off boiling for 30-60s in thin porcelain. 60s if you are confident in the quality.

I will try that, for sure, thanks for the tip. Confidence in quality is a relative matter : it is pleasant tea, for sure, but my limited experience with Anji Bai Cha prevents me from knowing where it fits on the spectrum. The leaves are beautiful. Glancing at the teapot, I can't even find a single broken or torn one. No idea if this is supposed to correlate with quality or not.

Do you have a grasp on the price points where this tea can be expected to sell for at certain levels of quality? Are there signs of good/bad stuff?

debunix wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 3:11 pm

I like to give An Ji Bai Cha a first flash rinse at 180 (82) then drop temp to 160 for the first proper infusion, and work my way up in temps from there.

Out of curiosity, why the rinse? Is that something typical for this tea or other green teas?

Rinse aside, this is close to what I tend to do, at least before knowing @LeoFox's method.

faj wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 3:18 pm

debunix wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 3:11 pm

I like to give An Ji Bai Cha a first flash rinse at 180 (82) then drop temp to 160 for the first proper infusion, and work my way up in temps from there.

Out of curiosity, why the rinse? Is that something typical for this tea or other green teas?

Rinse aside, this is close to what I tend to do, at least before knowing LeoFox's method.

Deb's method seems Japanese.

Mine is basically how most people I know in China do it.

faj wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 3:14 pm

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 3:06 pm

You do what works for you of course - but you may want to try challenging it at least one time with 2g/100 mL at off boiling for 30-60s in thin porcelain. 60s if you are confident in the quality.

I will try that, for sure, thanks for the tip. Confidence in quality is a relative matter : it is pleasant tea, for sure, but my limited experience with Anji Bai Cha prevents me from knowing where it fits on the spectrum. The leaves are beautiful. Glancing at the teapot, I can't even find a single broken or torn one. No idea if this is supposed to correlate with quality or not.

Do you have a grasp on the price points where this tea can be expected to sell for at certain levels of quality? Are there signs of good/bad stuff?

I dont know enough about anji bai cha to get into price points like that.

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Sat May 15, 2021 10:28 pm

mbanu
https://www.spicejungle.com/young-hyson-green-tea

Even though it's young hyson season, I don't have any at the moment. My green tea drinking as of late has mostly been fussing with longjing while wishing I was drinking sencha. One thing I haven't tried but am thinking about is brewing it up with a mineral water. My standard water is fairly soft, so I wonder if maybe a harder water might be the ticket.

faj wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 3:18 pm

debunix wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 3:11 pm

I like to give An Ji Bai Cha a first flash rinse at 180 (82) then drop temp to 160 for the first proper infusion, and work my way up in temps from there.

Out of curiosity, why the rinse? Is that something typical for this tea or other green teas?

I read about this on Greg Clancy's Norbutea.com site, as a way to 'wake up' the tea. I do it for many but not all Chinese green teas.

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 3:06 pm

You do what works for you of course - but you may want to try challenging it at least one time with 2g/100 mL at off boiling for 30-60s in thin porcelain. 60s if you are confident in the quality.

I am wrapping up a session with your recommended parameters. The results were conclusive.

The first infusion (30s) had aromas that were both assertive yet with what I like to call "agility", nothing too heavy. Balance probably better than 80C with double the leaf for the same 30s, more body, overall probably stronger aromas too. The balance feels a bit less sweet, but in a different, not worse kind of way. There is no doubt the tea took it like a champ : I feel nothing lost, no unwanted astringency or anything hinting at a tea infused too hot or too long. Not sure I would go to 60s even if I could, if anything I would be tempted to reduce the duration.

The second infusion, still 30s, differed more from the first than with my usual recipe, but that is to be expected of course. It was still excellent, and the higher temperature seems to elicit more persistence, so there is something you gain for whatever is lost.

Third infusion (60s) still retained some of that asparagus thing Anji Bai Cha has going on, though the initial aromas were mostly gone. Still, it seems the higher temperature does something good to how the tea feels, even when aromas are weaker. Barely a hint of the taste of spent leaves.

Last infusion I did not time properly, probably somewhere between 2 and 3 minutes. Not much left, though not bad either.

Full disclosure : I infused with a glass gaiwan with the lid off, so the temperature probably dropped faster than is typical.

For sure, this session yielded more than half the fun for half the price.

Thanks for the suggestion!

@faj

Great to hear your results! @Baisao might call your "agility", elan.

Doing off boiling allows you to experience the full range of chemicals the tea has to offer instead of reducing the chemicals that preferentially elute at higher temp..and then picking a reduced amount of them later as you go up in temp.

I dont know how big of a bag you got, but you may still find yourself steeping longer as the tea "evolves" with the air.

I forgot to add that I too like to brew with lid off for some greens

Sometimes I make an effort to hit the gaiwan wall with the hot water instead of the tea directly.

Sometimes, if the green is dense and sinks, I drop the tea onto the water instead of the other way around.

As for rinsing greens, this may be good if you are using lower temps - as it would help awaken the leaves as deb says. But probably not necessary if you start hotter anyways. Also, if you do that, you may lose out on the treasured white hairs on more bud heavy leaves.

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 4:56 pm

Great to hear your results! Baisao might call your "agility", elan.

I remember seeing him use that term, and I think it, indeed, conveys the right meaning.

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 4:56 pm

Doing off boiling allows you to experience the full range of chemicals the tea has to offer instead of reducing the chemicals that preferentially elute at higher temp..and then picking a reduced amount of them later as you go up in temp.

That is true. On the other hand, if going for the full range detracts from the balance between those chemicals, it does not mean it is better.

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 4:56 pm

I dont know how big of a bag you got, but you may still find yourself steeping longer as the tea "evolves" with the air.

I would call that compensating for loss of freshness...

Thanks for the other suggestions. Most of these are things I do instinctively, they certainly make sense.

Late night zairai. As this tea "evolved", I've had to brew it hotter and longer

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 9:00 pm

Late night zairai. As this tea "evolved", I've had to brew it hotter and longer

Love this pot! so much prettier than the chalky orange-red of their usual Shudei.

Bok wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 9:05 pm

Love this pot! so much prettier than the chalky orange-red of their usual Shudei.

Very much so, gorgeous one. I wonder how much the brewing is different from the infamous chalky one (that happen to have).

olivierd wrote: ↑

Tue May 18, 2021 3:19 am

Bok wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 9:05 pm

Love this pot! so much prettier than the chalky orange-red of their usual Shudei.

Very much so, gorgeous one. I wonder how much the brewing is different from the infamous chalky one (that happen to have).

Only one way to find out

Bok wrote: ↑

Tue May 18, 2021 4:37 am

Only one way to find out

Got one to sell ?
Jozan teapot is totally different from Sou, both shudei or so called in both cases. Konishi Yohei is the only wood fired one I have, again very different. Those are all from different potters, possibly different clays. So unless I plan to accumulate all possible pots, I'd rather ask .
Still a magnificient pot, I wouldn't mind having it regardless of the tea taste, beauty has its own appeal.

olivierd wrote: ↑

Tue May 18, 2021 5:55 am

Bok wrote: ↑

Tue May 18, 2021 4:37 am

Only one way to find out

Got one to sell ?
Jozan teapot is totally different from Sou, both shudei or so called in both cases. Konishi Yohei is the only wood fired one I have, again very different. Those are all from different potters, possibly different clays. So unless I plan to accumulate all possible pots, I'd rather ask .
Still a magnificient pot, I wouldn't mind having it regardless of the tea taste, beauty has its own appeal.

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