What Green Are You Drinking

Non-oxidized tea
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Bok
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Tue Apr 13, 2021 2:42 am

Anything with Shiso must taste amazing. That’s a personal rule I have. I’d try it!
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debunix
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Location: Los Angeles, CA

Sun Apr 18, 2021 1:13 pm

Tamaryokucha from my Obubu Tea Farm subscription. The packet of dried leaf smells terrific--delicate fruity and raw fresh peas and spring meadow.

Firs infusion, 5 grams of tea at 160 degrees in not-preheated 150 mL Petr Novak shino kyusu, about 70 seconds, light spring green, many fine particles making the tea quite green. Green, fresh, spring in a cup. None of the fruit I was hoping for yet.....but I expect that will be there in the final cool infusion.
210418 Morning sencha with visitor DSCF0444 ppd inset closeup.jpg
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While playing with tea and camera in the garden, I caught a visitor.
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belewfripp
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Mon Apr 19, 2021 11:36 am

debunix wrote:
Sun Apr 18, 2021 1:13 pm

While playing with tea and camera in the garden, I caught a visitor.
Nice photo!
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debunix
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Location: Los Angeles, CA

Sat Apr 24, 2021 10:05 am

Sakura sencha from Obubu: lovely delicate cherry floral notes from the cherry blossoms, but not overwhelming--no spray here, just a hint of cherry-ness. And nice sencha.

I think I need to make some cherry tarts to enjoy with this one, and fortunately the latest delivery from my subscription has a few more packets. Heh.
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P_K
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Location: Midwest, USA

Sat Apr 24, 2021 11:52 am

debunix wrote:
Sun Apr 18, 2021 1:13 pm
Tamaryokucha from my Obubu Tea Farm subscription. The packet of dried leaf smells terrific--delicate fruity and raw fresh peas and spring meadow.

Firs infusion, 5 grams of tea at 160 degrees in not-preheated 150 mL Petr Novak shino kyusu, about 70 seconds, light spring green, many fine particles making the tea quite green. Green, fresh, spring in a cup. None of the fruit I was hoping for yet.....but I expect that will be there in the final cool infusion.

Image

While playing with tea and camera in the garden, I caught a visitor.
That's not a visitor........he's trying to steal your tea!
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mbanu
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Sun Apr 25, 2021 11:40 am

Giving longjing another go. I was introduced to longjing as being one of the possible dimsum teas, not having any other cultural context. It became interesting to me as I discovered it was the braggart's tea back when pu'er was nothing to write home about, but now expensive pu'er and expensive longjing glare at each other from across the room. :lol:

As someone not in China, I find that longjing is tedious to get and expensive. As someone who is not in circles where drinking longjing makes you a baller, it is hard for me to understand the inherent appeal. Fresh longjing is nice, but I never find myself missing it. I think the main temptation to try it again every year is that I feel like I don't understand it -- there has to be something other than the status aspect, right?

With silver needle white tea, I gave up because I decided silver needle was the vodka of tea (clean, light, big caffeine bomb), and that vodka-style tea was not for me, but I can't seem to build a similar framework in my mind for longjing.
Janice
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Sun Apr 25, 2021 12:33 pm

I also have an issue with longjing in that it never quite measures up to my hopes. Last spring one monthly EOT Tea Club selection was an exquisitely delicious longjing. It actually reminded me more of An Ji Bai Cha, which is available later in the spring. I’m trying 2 early teas this year and somehow I have to remind myself next year to wait for my favorite Chinese greens - the aforementioned An Ji Bai Cha and Tai Ping Hou Kui.

In the meantime my pleasure from green tea sessions is heightened by using a hobin that was languishing in the back of the cabinet. It’s an early Hong Seong-Il piece made from an onggi mix. It’s beautiful to look at and improves every tea I’ve used it for. The hobin is unglazed inside and comes with a matching cup that is fully glazed and can perch upside down on top of the hobin for storage.

Note the way the clay overlaps on the spout in a fabric-like fold.

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debunix
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Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:16 pm

Nice Hohin.

I've also had ambiguous experience with Long Jing. I bought several from different vendors, and I tried several different grades prepared at Wing Hop Fung. I am not 100% certain of what the woman who prepared my sample was trying to say, but from all of that I got a strong impression that a certain nuttiness (stronger in the highest priced versions) was highly prized, whereas I preferred a fresher and more delicate style. I do buy Long Jing from time to time, but not necessarily the highest grade. And I nearly always prefer An Ji Bai Cha for less of the cooked pea and more grassy meadow flavors.

Going to have more An Ji Bai Cha now that I am thinking about it. Mmm....An Ji Bai Cha. Not sure whether that belongs in white or green topic.
Janice
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Sun Apr 25, 2021 2:21 pm

The 2 longjings I purchased (from 7 cups) definitely have that nutty flavor. They just don’t leave me craving more. Seven Cups categorizes an ji bai cha as a green tea.
faj
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Sun Apr 25, 2021 4:02 pm

debunix wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:16 pm
I do buy Long Jing from time to time, but not necessarily the highest grade. And I nearly always prefer An Ji Bai Cha for less of the cooked pea and more grassy meadow flavors.
When I first started drinking Chinese loose leaf green teas, Long Jing made a huge impression on me. It is an easy tea to like at the beginning. There was a wow factor, for sure. As time went by, I have come to prefer other green teas. Since joining the forum, my tea drinking has moved away from Chinese greens, which I tend to order seasonally in small quantities.
debunix wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:16 pm
Going to have more An Ji Bai Cha now that I am thinking about it. Mmm....An Ji Bai Cha. Not sure whether that belongs in white or green topic.
I have always understood Anji Bai Cha as being green tea in terms of how it is processed, the name referring to the fact that the unfurled leaves are pale in color.

I prefer Anji Bai Cha to Long Jing too, though that preference certainly does not come from sampling the best of what each has to offer. I should really try other sources for Chinese greens, as I have stuck to my first tea vendor for those for lack of research and mostly impulse, unplanned buying at Spring. In my experience, Anji Bai Cha quickly looses freshness. The vendor I have ordered from does not ship in nitro-flushed packaging, so I cannot have it as often as I would otherwise like.
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LeoFox
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Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:33 pm

Good long jing presents a unique mineraly profile that i have not really found in any other tea. Of course, this kind of long jing is meant to be infused in boiling water at about 2-3 g/ 100 mL. If that turns out unpalatable, then long jing is not for you, or your quality is too low. I haven't had much long jing from western vendors, but from the few I've had, the quality is pretty bad. Most of my family only drink long jing, so I've never really had to make bigger purchases.
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Bok
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Sun Apr 25, 2021 7:22 pm

LeoFox wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:33 pm
Good long jing presents a unique mineraly profile that i have not really found in any other tea. Of course, this kind of long jing is meant to be infused in boiling water at about 2-3 g/ 100 mL. If that turns out unpalatable, then long jing is not for you, or your quality is too low. I haven't had much long jing from western vendors, but from the few I've had, the quality is pretty bad. Most of my family only drink long jing, so I've never really had to make bigger purchases.
That’s interesting!
faj
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Sun Apr 25, 2021 8:14 pm

LeoFox wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:33 pm
Good long jing presents a unique mineraly profile that i have not really found in any other tea. Of course, this kind of long jing is meant to be infused in boiling water at about 2-3 g/ 100 mL. If that turns out unpalatable, then long jing is not for you, or your quality is too low.
For when I try that, does your recipe involve a duration over a certain number of steepings, or is that for continuous infusion?
LeoFox wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:33 pm
Most of my family only drink long jing, so I've never really had to make bigger purchases.
You mentioned this before, and for sure this piqued my curiosity. I assume "only" also means "often". Is long jing to them like teabags to most westerners, meaning something drank out of habit with little thought as to the provenance, quality and preparation, or is it something real attention is paid to?
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LeoFox
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Sun Apr 25, 2021 8:46 pm

I realize my message was not good since it makes it seem all western LJ is bad. Probably not the case.

For brewing parameters about 1 min and then add a 5-10s using gaiwan. I think they look at how the leaves behave more than using a timer.

I use a timer and I try different temperatures hahaha.
Janice
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Location: New Jersey

Mon Apr 26, 2021 12:23 pm

LeoFox wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 8:46 pm
I realize my message was not good since it makes it seem all western LJ is bad. Probably not the case.

For brewing parameters about 1 min and then add a 5-10s using gaiwan. I think they look at how the leaves behave more than using a timer.

I use a timer and I try different temperatures hahaha.
@LeoFox you inspired me to experiment - timer and temperature control at hand. I got out my 35 ml gaiwan, measured out 1 gram of longjing, set my kettle for 205° and brewed for 10 seconds. These parameters emphasized the nutty flavor aspect while still producing a complex flavor profile. There was absolutely no bitterness and the tea was good for 10 steeps! Today I brewed the Da Fo Longjing from Seven Cups and I’m hoping for similar results tomorrow with the Shi Feng.
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