TeaForum.org

First session with the bizen after a cleaning

viewtopic.php?p=35935#p35935

Brewed:
1.8g teamasters baseline jasmine
180 mL 80 -90 c water
1min30s/1min30s/ 2min etc

The tea is not muted in any way. In fact, everything about the tea seems expanded. Fortunately, this is a good jasmine and it did not get bitter.

The clay seems to add a mineral aftertaste that is pleasant and adds an interesting new earthy dimension to the tea. This is something my wife also notices so I dont think it's just in my head. I also noticed it just drinking water from it. I wonder if this will go away as the pot seasons.

One issue is that it gets very hot for my fingers! This is why I lowered the temp from my usual boiling. Doesnt seem to impact the extraction though. I need to think about how to deal with finger burns - maybe even using lower temperature and longer times.

This is a good start for the pot. The tea was very nice!

Nice!

The burning fingers issue is often heard of Japanese pottery, as they just don’t think about their teaware being used for other teas than Japanese ones

One other unexpected property of the pot is that it cools down relatively fast and seems to get colder than room temperature within minutes after emptied of water. Touching the surface, it almost seems refrigerated though not long ago it was infusing hot tea.

For finger burn, I ended up using small bunched up paper towel just now as protectors . Worked well! Will need to get something better than paper towel though

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Sun May 09, 2021 8:11 am

The tea is not muted in any way. In fact, everything about the tea seems expanded. Fortunately, this is a good jasmine and it did not get bitter.

The clay seems to add a mineral aftertaste that is pleasant and adds an interesting new earthy dimension to the tea. This is something my wife also notices so I dont think it's just in my head. I also noticed it just drinking water from it. I wonder if this will go away as the pot seasons.

Excellent!

Bok wrote: ↑

Sun May 09, 2021 8:46 am

The burning fingers issue is often heard of Japanese pottery, as they just don’t think about their teaware being used for other teas than Japanese ones

And even when infusing Japanese teas, some of us like to start cool, but make the most of the leaves and our session by upping time and temps until we are at just off boil water at the end....

I have a bag of 2020 organic jasmine from Rishi that I was unhappy with. When brewed in a porcelain gaiwan there was an unpleasant flavor note that distracted me from enjoying the tea. I was inspired by this thread to root around in the rear of my teaware cabinets for a neglected unglazed clay pot to experiment with. I found a 100 ml pot from Andresz Bero that actually feels velvety despite the photo making the clay look rough. Until now it was never the best pot for a tea but when used with jasmine the unpleasantness is gone and the jasmine and green tea notes shine through.

@Janice looks great! Did you reset the pot prior to use with the jasmine?

This pot wasn’t used enough to need resetting. It was sitting in the back of the cabinet for several years so all I needed to do was fill it with near-boiling water and let that sit overnight. Jasmine is the only scented tea I like so there won’t be any competition in the future.

Janice wrote: ↑

Sun May 09, 2021 11:43 pm

This pot wasn’t used enough to need resetting. It was sitting in the back of the cabinet for several years so all I needed to do was fill it with near-boiling water and let that sit overnight. Jasmine is the only scented tea I like so there won’t be any competition in the future.

Just out of curiosity, what was the bad flavor note that you wanted to suppress?


I'm having a session with Hojo's jasmine in the pot now. It is so good! The teasoup is thick and has a lot of body. There is a strong flavor of strawberry jam that goes well with the jasmine aromas. The rocky aftertaste from the pot is still there, giving me an sensation of observing a flower while lying next to it in the soil

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 7:58 am

Just out of curiosity, what was the bad flavor note that you wanted to suppress?

I’m not good at naming flavors. Some people enjoy jasmine tea that contains flower petals. I think that’s considered a modern style, and I don’t like it. That’s what I detect here.

My favorite jasmine is actually scented silver needles. I get that from Tea Trekker.

Janice wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 1:46 pm

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 7:58 am

Just out of curiosity, what was the bad flavor note that you wanted to suppress?

I’m not good at naming flavors. Some people enjoy jasmine tea that contains flower petals. I think that’s considered a modern style, and I don’t like it. That’s what I detect here.

My favorite jasmine is actually scented silver needles. I get that from Tea Trekker.

My understanding is that those with flower petals are almost always low quality. The petals are supposed to be separated in the manufacturing process. Those teas with petals added back may be a gimmick for western markets done for lower grade material that may then be sprayed to complete the illusion.

I agree that low-cost or low-quality jasmine is usually sprayed and has petals added to reinforce the spray. There are vendors I trust, such as Sevencups, that sell this style made from good quality tea and jasmine. High quality or poor quality - this style still doesn’t appeal to me.

Here’s an example from Hojo - https://hojotea.com/item_e/s03e.htm

Janice wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 4:19 pm

I agree that low-cost or low-quality jasmine is usually sprayed and has petals added to reinforce the spray. There are vendors I trust, such as Sevencups, that sell this style made from good quality tea and jasmine. High quality or poor quality - this style still doesn’t appeal to me.

Here’s an example from Hojo - https://hojotea.com/item_e/s03e.htm

Oh yeah, I did see that one from hojo. He also sells a strange one using sheng leaves.

Janice wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 4:19 pm

I agree that low-cost or low-quality jasmine is usually sprayed and has petals added to reinforce the spray. There are vendors I trust, such as Sevencups, that sell this style made from good quality tea and jasmine. High quality or poor quality - this style still doesn’t appeal to me.

Here’s an example from Hojo - https://hojotea.com/item_e/s03e.htm

I am not a jasmine tea drinker... at all. The ladies in the house like it and ask for some once in a blue moon, but I no longer join them.

I received a small sample of jasmine tea from Hojo at some point. It was the most tolerable of the very few I have had, and I seem to remember it was surprisingly expensive, probably his highest grade, which may be that Snow Jasmine you refer to, but I am not sure. I have not even taken notes from that session, probably because I had no intention of ordering it again. I remember the jasmine aroma was quite a bit less aggressive than others I had tried, and the green tea itself seemed nice.

faj wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 5:38 pm

The ladies in the house like it 

Maybe @mbanu can address this: why is it that men in general seem to dislike floral teas - and esp any kind of tea that has been "scented"? Often it is not just dislike but looking down on the item, as if liking it suggests something negative about the person who can like it (esp if that person is a man).

Even my dad is snickering that I am drinking more jasmine tea.

debunix wrote: ↑

Mon May 03, 2021 11:35 am

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Sun May 02, 2021 3:29 pm

Thanks for all the advice! I am thinking around 200 mL..and actually flirting with the idea of using a bizen (am I crazy?)

I have a marvelous bizen yunomi that gets used for everything, because though it is unglazed, it does not carry over aromas from one round to the next. I used it for hot chocolate just this morning, and for sencha a few days ago, and it's depth holds aroma beautifully for drinking jasmine and Dan Congs and other highly aromatic teas.

Shunko-En Bizen Yunomi - 09 by debunix, on Flickr

It's walls seem thin yet it feels remarkably sturdy in hand. I'd love to have a kyusu to match.

So far I can confirm what you say: this bizen does not seem to become "perfumed" by the tea it is exposed to, unlike every other unglazed pot I own (when unseasoned).