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Happy New Year! Having Dan Cong as the first cup of tea in 2023. Cheers!

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 30, 2022 6:12 pm

Happy new year!

Drinking some OB on wedding anniversary

congratulation! A very lovely ambient for a cup of OB, the Tokoname pot stood out from the white porcelain teawares.

DailyTX wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 02, 2023 1:24 am

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 30, 2022 6:12 pm

Happy new year!

Drinking some OB on wedding anniversary

congratulation! A very lovely ambient for a cup of OB, the Tokoname pot stood out from the white porcelain teawares.

Thanks! It is actually a mumyoi pot from hojo

What is that shibo you used for dancong?

@LeoFox
Petr Novak Shibo glazed inside and outside.

Finding great pleasure these days with gyokuro. Slowly pouring water into cups - letting it cool down with ease and then gently drizzling on top of the leaves, letting them take their time to infuse and then drip, drip, drip the concentrate into a cup without a care in the world.

Sipping the tea little by little - experiencing the aromas and body sensations evolve and layer and twist and turn at their own pace...

I have been drinking a gyokuro recently as my first morning tea, and after lots of exploration--including infusing it both as I usually do--at temps/times more like my usual parameters for sencha--and at more usual classic temps, and finally I have to concludes that I just do not *like* this one. I'll still finish it, because it's not bad, but really not for me. I've liked the others I've bought from this seller, so I'll just avoid it in the future.

Now I've moved on for today to Shai Hong black tea from TeaSenz.

debunix wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 14, 2023 1:57 pm

I have been drinking a gyokuro recently as my first morning tea, and after lots of exploration--including infusing it both as I usually do--at temps/times more like my usual parameters for sencha--and at more usual classic temps, and finally I have to concludes that I just do not *like* this one. I'll still finish it, because it's not bad, but really not for me. I've liked the others I've bought from this seller, so I'll just avoid it in the future.

Now I've moved on for today to Shai Hong black tea from TeaSenz.

Which gyokuro is it and what was off about it? Bitterness?


One other great thing about gyokuro is how relaxing it can be. Boil the water and then forget about it for a while. Then taking everything slow and easy

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 14, 2023 3:02 pm

Which gyokuro is it and what was off about it? Bitterness?

It's not bitterness; it's that it doesn't respond to my usual preparation temps/timings the way I want it to. I usually brew my gyokuro close to sencha, with higher temps than usual for gyokuro. And when I do that, the balance is off in the first infusions. When I do the first infusion longer and lower temps, it is lovely, but by the third infusion I'm not enjoying it as much. That's why I didn't name it: I don't think it's a bad tea, but it just doesn't fit well with my habits.

debunix wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 16, 2023 3:56 pm

It's not bitterness; it's that it doesn't respond to my usual preparation temps/timings the way I want it to. I usually brew my gyokuro close to sencha, with higher temps than usual for gyokuro. And when I do that, the balance is off in the first infusions.

I agree that gyokuro infused with parameters typical for sencha can be delicious, but that the method does not produce even results. You might find two gyokuros equally pleasant at lower temperature, yet consider one uninteresting when infused like a sencha, and the other one superb.

debunix wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 16, 2023 3:56 pm

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 14, 2023 3:02 pm

Which gyokuro is it and what was off about it? Bitterness?

It's not bitterness; it's that it doesn't respond to my usual preparation temps/timings the way I want it to. I usually brew my gyokuro close to sencha, with higher temps than usual for gyokuro. And when I do that, the balance is off in the first infusions. When I do the first infusion longer and lower temps, it is lovely, but by the third infusion I'm not enjoying it as much. That's why I didn't name it: I don't think it's a bad tea, but it just doesn't fit well with my habits.

I've been brewing in concentrated manner - without measuring volume- just enough water to cover leaves and maybe slightly more as steeps progress-
Tends to be 30-40 ml / 5g

Temperature around 50C and starting at around 90- 120s, then around 60s - then third infusion is slightly hotter and for 150s. And then hotter yet- maybe around 65 C for 3 min - 5 min and then going up close to 80C depending on how it's going

Speaking of brewing in a concentrated manner... It's been a yancha day for me today. A lazy cat yancha brewed 'normally', followed by a high-roast EoT yancha brewed strong.

I don't usually make a 'bath' for my pot, but it's a slightly cool and windy day today (after some hot, sticky days earlier this week), so it seemed appropriate to get the most out of four strong brews, especially with such a tiny teapot.

Andrew

Some jasmine on cny eve.

Happy year of the rabbit (or cat for Vietnam)

With the turning of the New Year I’ve been clearing the decks by going through a variety of teas I’d like to finish before much more time passes; open packs of unroasted or lightly roasted oolong, vacuum packed high mountain older than two years, first flush white Darjeeling from 2022, refrigerated Sincha and Gyokuro… it’s been especially nice to revisit Té Companies various oolong as a flavor vacation from my daily HYChen roasted DongDing and Lishan. Chen’s 25 gram vacu-packed Lishan and DaYuLing did very well even after a few years. Small 25g pack size really is ideal in preserving freshness and flavor. First flush white Darjeeling I find needs to be steeped within the first +-10 months, since it’s not roasted and very delicate leaves degrade more quickly. This time around the refrigerated Sincha was freshest within the first year and Gyokuro within two years. My taste buds seem to have changed as Yutaka Midori tasted very bitter, even reducing temp and time, so I’m cold brewing it instead with good results.

A few kyusu I’ve been using in rotation these weeks. I’m pleased that each one does very well with almost any tea that I’ve been steeping of course each unique clay, firing, size, shape and aesthetics tweaks the experience every time.

The golden Gaoshan egg, crowning a rather dim Sunday…

Really looking forward to approaching spring harvests, even though I’ve been thoroughly enjoying unexpected freshness as I continue to go through my stash of older vacu-sealed; low roast oolong, first flush Darjeeling, and refrigerated Japanese greens… plus a few roasted oolong. Surprisingly, a gifted 2016 Fushushan that was unopened in its vacu-sealed canister, and inner vacu-foil pack, was almost better than I remember it when fresh. Deep rich layered viscous notes with that unique Fushushan flavor and aroma. A 2018 jade like Dong Piang likewise is so rich and fresh with evergreen notes. Another 80s DongDing sealed in a 30g pack was not so great, but then it was probably never great. O-Cha’s 2021 lightly steamed sencha ‘Tsuyu Hikari from Shizuoka’ is so refined, really closer to a gyokuro. It’s a special treat that won’t last long since packs are just 30 grams and I’m using 10g sessions

Edit: O-Cha’s light steamed Tsuyu Hikari Sencha from Shizuoka is 100 gram pack, so much the better!