brewing tea in a bowl

13/07/2010, posted by Cha in tea

I think this is the most basic form of brewing tea. Even if you don’t have   gongfu teaware, you can obtain very nice results using this method.

I knew tea was brewed like this in the old days, but I haven’t tried it until I stumbled upon an article on The Leaf . Brewing tea this way is truly rewarding and the taste you get is different from the one you would obtain using a yixing teapot. For a young sheng puerh , this has become my preferred method.  No bitterness, and a taste that gradually changes.   Brewing this way is also visually rewarding, because the leaves unfold directly in front of you.

I have brewed in this way using different bowls, and no result was the same. The tea bowl in the pictures bellow has the best results. This bowl is made in Japan, and supposedly, it’s much older than me.

P.S. :  I  don’t like to pour the water directly on the leaves. Instead, I slowly pour it on the bowl , using a circular motion.

2000 Yong Pin Hao “Yi Wu Zheng Shan”

05/07/2010, posted by Cha in tea

This is a ten year old sheng puerh that  I have acquired from Yunnan Sourcing.  I asked Scott (business owner) to help  me  choose, since he knows better what he has.   I have it  for a year or so, but I’m still learning about it.

I must say,  brewing  this tea is difficult (for me) . I don’t know it yet, and it’s been a while since I first started to brew from it.   Lately, each time i brew it, I find my self saying : “This is the way to do it!” . I obtained a lot of great results, but not a consistent experience.  I brewed it in more than one  vessel, in various places, with different quantities.  Once, I roasted it for several minutes and I have boiled it for  8 minutes.  I enjoyed the result , which was a red liquor, very different from what I usually get from this tea.

The picture above is from the first time I brewed it. Definitely the wrong teapot (which will have it’s own post at some point) . The result was far from what I expected and made me question certain things. After  some experimentation with different teaware and quantities, I got better results.    In time,  I also brewed it using my dragon egg  (which is used for shu puerh ) and settled down to the teapot depicted in the gallery bellow.  This cake made me realize  how important a teapot is. It’s not about a  small improvement, but a huge one.

I imagine that a teamaster would bring out the best of this tea, but I am no teamaster and I have no reference of ‘best of’. I keep getting many good results, but different. I can’t decide on the ‘best of’ part.  ( I also think being able to obtain different kind of brews from the same tea is something to be wanted and it’s context dependent. )

Recently,  I brewed this puerh in a gaiwan,  with a little amount of tea.  The result (again) was very different from what I have expected.  In taste and effect, it was like a different tea, with little resemblance to what I usually get by using  a teapot.  And finally, the latest experience will be described as part of a separate post.

It seems like it has it’s own personality and own mood. Perhaps,  a reflection of my tea knowledge.

Vendor description

This tea cake is pressed from naturally growing (wild arbor) trees that are 100 to 200 years of age. The tea is entirely first flush of Spring 2000 (end of March), the kill-green process (sha qing) was done in woks (small batch) and is stone-pressed with a heavy stone press. After compression the tea was dried naturally without baking to preserve its natural state.

The brewed tea is thick and sweet, the liquor color is a deep gold color. An excellent hand-processed Yi Wu tea from a natural setting! This is one of Yong Pin Hao’s first productions and is arguably the best tasting Yi Wu tea I have ever sold! The leaves are solid and heavy, mostly whole leaf/bud sets. The aroma is incredibly complex and aromatic. The flavor is thick and satisfying with so many different levels to it and a sweet finish.

A moderately pricey cake but if you figure 7 grams per session (using 100ml pot or gaiwan), you could get 57 sessions out of this cake. Well worth it for lovers of high quality aged Yi Wu.

Net Weight: 380 grams per cake

Ingredients: Yi Wu Mountain (Mengla) sun-dried Yunnan Large Leaf varietal tea Produced by Yong Pin Hao Tea Factory.

Da Hong Pao Clay Yixing teapot

30/06/2010, posted by Cha in teaware

I cannot say  I understand yixing clays or teapots, but I will post from time to time about my  teaware as a person who learns about them.

This teapot was acquired from  from Yunnan Sourcing and I imagined it would be a good match for shu puerh.  I tried it a few times with sheng puerh, and the results was also awesome.  The puerh brewed in this teapot was vastly superior to the one brewed in gaiwan and far more lengthy.   But the most important aspect for me is the fact that I enjoy it’s appearance. Seeing and touching it brings me comfort and I think that is a key aspect while brewing tea. In my case, the state of mind vastly influences the quality of the brewed tea. I also enjoy it’s color and the fact that it keeps the tea leaves unaffected for a long period of time. It feels very solid and it is what I call a obedient teapot.

I hope I will be able to learn more about teapots, especially on how shape and clay affect the quality of tea.  Of course I have read about it, but real knowledge comes from practice and trials and errors.  I think only trough hard  practice  and experimentation one can  obtain a real understanding of a process.  This is what kung fu really means.  One who has studied tea for 2-3 years can not be called a tea expert for this simple reason: time .

I think learning from a  teamaster would be helpful.  Often (generally speaking) ,  one who learns by himself is misguided by it’s own mind.   Our mind lies to  us a lot, especially when it comes to confirm certain values. I know this from martial arts so it’s easier for me to understand this aspect when it comes to tea. I am planning a tea trip that hopefully, will move me one step ahead.

Vendor Description

Da Hong Pao clay comes from the west side of the Fudong township of Yixing in Jiangsu province. At the boundary of Rentu village and Hongwei village is a small mining area, which produces this delicate double-layer clay. High in iron oxide, it takes on a crimson color after roasting in a kiln (Note: Da Hong Pao means “Crimson Robe” in Chinese). This is high density clay of exquisite quality with a high degree of crystallization. It brews tea that is soft, smooth, and great tasting. Over time brewing tea gives the teapot a highly pleasing bright red color. This type of clay is extremely rare. It produces excellent tasting tea and is highly acclaimed.

Mining area: western Fudong township of Yixing city
Kiln temperature: approx. 1040 C.
Contraction: approx. 45%-55%.

Appropriate for brewing: fresh Oolong teas (light roasted types) are extremely well-suited, Tie Guan Yin (medium roasted or highly roasted types), various kinds of Pu-erh.

Bottom Inscription: “Jianying Zhi Tao” (entirely handmade by Jianying, Da Hong Pao clay)

Handmade and kiln roasted at the perfect temperature. It has a fine gloss and a delightful delicate red color. Breathes well and is easy to cultivate through brewing tea. It will only increase in beauty as it ages. This teapot has a dignified and traditional shape. Its handle and spout are well-proportioned. This is a product of exquisite craft – simple and refined. It has a tight-fitting lid and a smooth flow of liquid. Practical and useful, this is a product of the highest value. This teapot comes with a certificate of authenticity.

The creator, Wang Jianying, is a nationally certified practitioner of fine arts and a member of Yixing pottery association. A fourth generation descendant of the famed Fan Dasheng, she is a Fan Family Teapot Company master craftsworker. She has been fascinated with the craft of zisha since childhood. In 1986, she began working with zisha pottery under the tutelage of her mother Fan Yuehong, quickly developing a substantial skillset. In recent years she has benefited from the careful guidance of the current head of the Fan Family Teapot Company, Fan Weiqun, and her pottery making skills have become increasingly mature. Her products have received numerous awards and have appeared in Chinese and international books and other publications. They are widely sought out by collectors.

A quality teapot requires quality material and quality workmanship. As a collectors item, it also demands that its producer has a certain level of official recognition. Master craftsworker Wang Jianying holds nationally recognized credentials. As such, these products have high potential to appreciate in value.

Yunnan Chitsu Pingcha

14/06/2010, posted by Cha in tea

A short overview of this cake I acquired on Hong Kong. This cake seemed to be the last out of a 7 disk stack. The seller told me it’s from 1993 . After unpacking it, I saw a short description in English which made me wonder. Since it was from 1993, why should it have a English description?

According to babelcarp,  tha parts from the name can be translated as :

chitsu, qizi (Qi1 Zi3) = compressed hei cha made as a stack of 7 bingcha, each layer 357g so the whole stack comes out to 2.5kg, literally Seven Sons (七子)

pingcha, bingcha (Bing Cha) = Tea, usually Pu’er, compressed into thick disks, literally Cake Tea.

I am wondering about the age still.  Perhaps I should take a photo of the label of the package so that a Chinese speaker friend can translate it to me. Perhaps i will answer to this question in  years from now.

On the other hand, the age doesn’t matter so much. The tea has a great taste, and it is lengthy enough.  It certainly resonates with you when it is brewed at the right moment.  Most important, it  transports me back to Hong Kong each time i drink from it.

Update ( on 18 September 2010):

I have learned that the black color denotes low quality. Not confirmed yet.

Update ( 5 April 2011)

Only the outer part was affected by dust, which resulted in a very dark color for the liquor. After breaking and airing it, it was very very nice.

Wild Puerh

29/03/2010, posted by Cha in tea

I usually acquire this kind of puerh from a local merchant ( the only one decent I may add ) .

I don’t have many informations about it ( the merchant claims it’s 7 years old , but I doubt it) , still , it’s a very good tea. I brew it using a yixing teapot (pic bellow) , which will be detailed in another post.

If you are not sure how to brew puerh, then follow these guidelines (with a small teapot , gongfu ) :

• use boiling water
• preheat  the teapot and the cups
• first infusion , up to 1 minute,  then discard it
• Small infusions of  10-20 seconds ,then gradually increase the time

You can also boil it in a kettle , or leave it in a  larger pot for a longer period and dilute it with watter if the infusion is too strong.

Of course, these are only guidelines. You may want to check this site .

Kung fu tea , puerh , 4 nov

04/11/2009, posted by Cha in journal,tea

Kung fu means continuous practice  and great effort until one obtains “great skill”.  Writing about every time I brew tea would be a waste of my (and your) time.  However , pics are not harmful.

I brewed a 2008 puerh cake and I used my new boiling plate.

A raw pu’erh

04/06/2009, posted by Cha in journal,tea

I’ve waited  all day long for  this tea. After a long day , pu’erh teas act like a good companion.   Each infusion of pu’erh teas are slightly different , and they can be infused from 10 to 30 times , depending on it’s quality and age. In other words , they comfort you , just like an old friend.

This tea is not very old , it was produced in spring last year , but I enjoy it tough. The same tea , aged 6 years ( produced in 2003) has a different taste  and can go up to twenty  infusions at least . The aged one reminds me of apples , somehow. I am always amazed how good tea remind me of fruits or flowers without actually being blended.

I’ve played a bit with my camera , here are some picture. Just enjoy them like I did with the tea.

This post will be updated later , as well as my css .