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@Bok, I just started followed you on Instagram. When I am ready to procure a lovely yixing teapot, I'm hitting you up.

After morning matcha, morning Balhyocha: Dosim Dawan Dae-ip-Cha Balhyocha in my Cory Lum "Beach" shino shell yunomi, infused in an unglazed Petr Novak woodfired 'bizen-style' pot

Good morning tea with Dachi Tea Co.'s Sky High oolong and my kyusu set from Your_Teapot (Instagram)! This tea is buttery and sweet, mellow tones of cream, and the underlying minerality of spring water is a perfect gentle wake up call. I couldn't resist photographing the leaves as well! I love how absolutely massive they get when brewed - and it shows the importance of having a big enough teapot to handle steeping rolled teas like this!

teabooksart wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:27 am

it shows the importance of having a big enough teapot to handle steeping rolled teas like this!

Do you use more water in later infusions as leaves grow in size?

The close-up photograph of the 4 full leaves & 2 short leaves (cut or just starting to grow) shows all of these leaves coming from:

1. 1 stem: or,

2. or if that stem was cut or broken in its middle, the top 2 full leaves would have had their own stem.

This situation can lead to the different opinions about the ideal standard for teas: 1 stem, 2 leaves; or, 1 stem, 4 leaves.

I like the long handle on the teapot.

Cheers

faj wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:32 am

Do you use more water in later infusions as leaves grow in size?

I don't... in fact, I'm almost definitely using less as the leaves unfurl. I should do a side-by-side comparison at some point. However, as the flavor tapers off the shift in ratio likely helps the flavor concentration? Maybe?

Ethan Kurland wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:51 am

The close-up photograph of the 4 full leaves & 2 short leaves (cut or just starting to grow) shows all of these leaves coming from:

1. 1 stem: or,

2. or if that stem was cut or broken in its middle, the top 2 full leaves would have had their own stem.

This situation can lead to the different opinions about the ideal standard for teas: 1 stem, 2 leaves; or, 1 stem, 4 leaves.

I like the long handle on the teapot.

Cheers

Oooh, that's a good catch. I would say out of the whole batch I found mostly 1 stem, 2 leaves. There was only this one that had 4 leaves and I think I saw the same the last time I brewed this too.

teabooksart wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 4:24 pm

I don't... in fact, I'm almost definitely using less as the leaves unfurl.

If you are using a larger teapot because you infuse a bigger volume of water, then that makes sense to me. But why would it be required or preferable to use, say, a 200ml teapot to make 100ml of tea just because the leaves expand a lot? I am not saying you cannot, or should not do it, just asking why you would think it is needed or better.

faj wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 4:45 pm

teabooksart wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 4:24 pm

I don't... in fact, I'm almost definitely using less as the leaves unfurl.

If you are using a larger teapot because you infuse a bigger volume of water, then that makes sense to me. But why would it be required or preferable to use, say, a 200ml teapot to make 100ml of tea just because the leaves expand a lot? I am not saying you cannot, or should not do it, just asking why you would think it is needed or better.

That is what I am doing when steeping larger leaves like fushoushan, I’m using a larger shudei kyusu so leaves can fully unfurl. More flavor is extracted that way within first few steeps. Here is a thread on this topic, I see I mentioned I was steeping “FuShoushan in my 350ml Jozan III, leaving plenty of room for the leaves to unfurl and only filling up with 200ml water.”

Victoria wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:04 pm

leaving plenty of room for the leaves to unfurl and only filling up with 200ml water

Unless the leaves expand out of the water (if they do, the part above the water line will not contribute to the infusion), the volume they have to expand into is exactly the volume of the water. The surface area of the leaves exposed to the water is not affected much by the shape they assume as they re-hydrate. I do not intuitively think partly folded leaves would infuse very differently, all other things being equal (they rarely are), than fully straightened leaves.

But who knows? Maybe 200ml in a 350ml teapot works better for you than 200ml in a 200ml teapot! I have never done that comparison, so I do now have an opinion based on experience.

faj wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 4:45 pm

teabooksart wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 4:24 pm

I don't... in fact, I'm almost definitely using less as the leaves unfurl.

If you are using a larger teapot because you infuse a bigger volume of water, then that makes sense to me. But why would it be required or preferable to use, say, a 200ml teapot to make 100ml of tea just because the leaves expand a lot? I am not saying you cannot, or should not do it, just asking why you would think it is needed or better.

Ah I should clarify.

The teapot can hold 220ml.
I put in 5g leaf.
I fill the pot, it's close to 210ml
Drink.
I refill the pot. Still 5g leaf but now, the water volume is closer to 205ml (volume lost because of leaves unfurling)
Drink....

Repeat and by the end of the session, with the leaves fully unfurled, I am pouring about 180ml compared to the 210ml that I began with. However, because the pot is large enough to contain the leaves, they're given the opportunity to fully unfurl.

I know I have read on many sites that allowing leaves to fully unfurl will help the flavor. I have not dug into this further or done my own experiments but it is something I would like to try. That being said, a quick google search brought up a lot of results if you want to do your own digging on the unfurling leaves and taste subject!

Drinking a green phoenix oolong tonight--wasn't actually sure if this belonged here or in the green thread. It's definitely an interesting tea--it requires careful attention to brew or it can turn very astringent, but otherwise manages to have both a nice green edge and the usual phoenix aromatics.

Reflecting on last winters Taiwan oolong production being less complex, due to low rainfall, I'm feeling I have easily adjusted. As I sip on HY Chen’s '19 winter medium roast DongDing am finding I can still have good sessions just by increasing leaf gram/time steeped. While it is slightly less aromatic, and a little thinner than previous years, it is still very very good. Also, letting the liquor cool slightly in the cup really brings out the flavor. A sweet-spicy aroma is floating around as I sit close to the warmed leaves in the open Hokujo kyusu, and as liquor rests in Akira Satake’s guinomi.

pg83 here has some amazing photos! Thank you all for sharing

I just finished a roasted Dong Ding and I would love to brew up some more tea, but as it's close to 8pm that would be a bad idea

Had Fog Phoenix Oriental Beauty from TWS today, one of my first OBs so no clue how it stands up, but I’ve really started to get brewing this tea down and had a pleasing session.

Honey mouthfeel and flavor, though the sweetness was more maple than anything. A floral note, something like lavender, and cinnamon and cloves. Mmm

What a treat

karma wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 31, 2020 10:39 pm

Had Fog Phoenix Oriental Beauty from TWS today, one of my first OBs so no clue how it stands up, but I’ve really started to get brewing this tea down and had a pleasing session.

Honey mouthfeel and flavor, though the sweetness was more maple than anything. A floral note, something like lavender, and cinnamon and cloves. Mmm

What a treat

That tea will also go well with apples, if you catch my drift (inside comment)