It turns out yesterday's delivery was one of Scott Wilson's productions, the "Chen Xiang" from Wu Liang. Though the cakes were pressed in 2012, Scott's description states that the maocha is from 2007 which explains the slightly aged feel and look of the leaves. Scott says the maocha was stored in Nan Jian township, which, if my google map search results are correct, is at roughly the same latitude as Kunming. More humid than Montana, but it's not Xishuangbanna.
This morning, at four infusions, the smoke is finally starting to dissipate. Granted, my brewing set-up at work is not ideal, but I'm not getting the orchid and camphor per the description. We'll have to drink more at home.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Special Delivery
I received a special delivery at work today. It was ferried to me by a kind, long-lashed person. When does this ever happen?
As you can see, this little packet was a cute wax-paper affair. I must admit to feeling a bit nervous opening it up on my desk and taking photos of it. Just act cool, I kept telling myself.
As soon as the tea was unsealed the smell of a campfire wafted into the room. I sprinkled some of these leaves in my trusty infuser mug and headed to the hot water spigot.
I got three infusions in before work ended. The smoke kept coming like a barge full of that Lapsang Souchong you bought at your local co-op. Lots of orange leaves and quite an orange-tinted brew:
I don't know anything about this tea, but it sure made the day more interesting. Thanks!
As you can see, this little packet was a cute wax-paper affair. I must admit to feeling a bit nervous opening it up on my desk and taking photos of it. Just act cool, I kept telling myself.
 |
| Smokey and hairy. |
As soon as the tea was unsealed the smell of a campfire wafted into the room. I sprinkled some of these leaves in my trusty infuser mug and headed to the hot water spigot.
I got three infusions in before work ended. The smoke kept coming like a barge full of that Lapsang Souchong you bought at your local co-op. Lots of orange leaves and quite an orange-tinted brew:
I don't know anything about this tea, but it sure made the day more interesting. Thanks!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Tea in Missoula
I think there are quite a few people in this town who drink tea, but there hasn't really been a way that I know of to acquire decent tea without ordering it from afar. Not surprising- this is Montana, USA, after all. But there is good coffee-with fine selections available from the old standby Montana Coffee Traders as well as new and ultra-slick Black Coffee Roasting Co. We are close enough to Seattle and Portland to have absorbed some of the coffee culture that keeps the mist-plagued citizens of those towns from jumping into Puget Sound or the Willamette River, respectively. (I actually love both of those places and fantasize regularly about moving to Seattle. The weather is crap here in the winter, too, but much colder with an ugly inversion to boot.)
But good tea- fresh or intentionally-aged, whole-leaved, non-pulverized, unbagged, tasty, interesting- good tea has been hard to come by.
(I took this photo at the Cooke City Store this summer. The proprietor of this 1886 general merchandise joint that sits sandwiched at 7600 feet between the Beartooth and Absoroka Ranges said that these tea bins were original to the store. I wonder if that oolong tasted like horse turds. And what was contained in the bin simply labeled "Japan''?)
There's a new teashop in Missoula, Lake Missoula Tea Company, and I have hopes that this budding business will come into its own and thrive. I went to a green tea tasting there last weekend. There was a watery Liu An Gua Pian and a smokey Vietnamese green both served out of a pump carafe into paper cups. One of the store owners kindly gave me a porcelain cup after they had washed some. We also drank some kind of jasmine pearl that was nicely brewed- boy, it has been ages since I had a cup of jasmine tea. Not my favorite, but fine. There was also a matcha that did not work out very well- gummy, harsh, no froth. I would not try and serve matcha to a crowd, but I respect that the attempt was made. It's hard to brew tea for a group of people, especially green tea. I wouldn't know how to do it without an army of gaiwans.
The owners seem like very nice, humble people who are genuinely interested in tea. I brought home a bit of super-oxidised oolong grown by a Taiwanese family in Sumatra. It's not bad, a lot like a mid-grade Dong Fang Mei Ren but rolled into pellets of broken leaf. Lake Missoula Tea has a connection with a Kenyan grower's collective and some of the black tea they are selling looks very nice, furry and golden. We'll have to give that a shot and see if we can't start saving on Dian Hong shipping costs.
*I filched the photo of the Cooke City residents from the C.C. Chamber of Commerce site.
But good tea- fresh or intentionally-aged, whole-leaved, non-pulverized, unbagged, tasty, interesting- good tea has been hard to come by.
(I took this photo at the Cooke City Store this summer. The proprietor of this 1886 general merchandise joint that sits sandwiched at 7600 feet between the Beartooth and Absoroka Ranges said that these tea bins were original to the store. I wonder if that oolong tasted like horse turds. And what was contained in the bin simply labeled "Japan''?)
 |
| I like to think of these guys drinking roasted tieguanyin grandpa style, filtering the leaves out with their remaining teeth. |
There's a new teashop in Missoula, Lake Missoula Tea Company, and I have hopes that this budding business will come into its own and thrive. I went to a green tea tasting there last weekend. There was a watery Liu An Gua Pian and a smokey Vietnamese green both served out of a pump carafe into paper cups. One of the store owners kindly gave me a porcelain cup after they had washed some. We also drank some kind of jasmine pearl that was nicely brewed- boy, it has been ages since I had a cup of jasmine tea. Not my favorite, but fine. There was also a matcha that did not work out very well- gummy, harsh, no froth. I would not try and serve matcha to a crowd, but I respect that the attempt was made. It's hard to brew tea for a group of people, especially green tea. I wouldn't know how to do it without an army of gaiwans.
The owners seem like very nice, humble people who are genuinely interested in tea. I brought home a bit of super-oxidised oolong grown by a Taiwanese family in Sumatra. It's not bad, a lot like a mid-grade Dong Fang Mei Ren but rolled into pellets of broken leaf. Lake Missoula Tea has a connection with a Kenyan grower's collective and some of the black tea they are selling looks very nice, furry and golden. We'll have to give that a shot and see if we can't start saving on Dian Hong shipping costs.
*I filched the photo of the Cooke City residents from the C.C. Chamber of Commerce site.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Checking In
Tea has become so utilitarian over the last few months- it keeps me from yawning and slobbering on my desk at work. My desk is my new home where I make tea in a squat infuser cup I got from Brett and Cinnabar last month. Visiting with them and getting dangerously drunk on tea was a bright spot amidst a series of prosaic days. I have been breaking up bits of shengpu for my cup which isn't the best way to drink shengpu but is a good way to utilize all those cakes sitting on the dry shelves wafting away their essence like miniature bales of straw in a cold wind. Better drink em while there's something left, baby.
I've been slowly making my way through a grandpa-style-tailored care package sent to me by ultra-kind tea personality Hster. Even more exciting was this second package:
We took care of these delectable chocolates in a week and a half and got a great introduction to some unfamiliar chocolatiers. I've always loved chocolate and now we're regularly ordering bars from the Bay Area company LAmourette. Their "Carenero Superior" bar has become a favorite and I bought a whole stack to give out for the holidays. Thank you, Hster. Such kindness is a beacon.
We went to a production of "Pinocchio" tonight put on by the Portland-based puppet company "Tears of Joy." It was a riotous performance for kids with more than a little adult humor. I was angered and distraught when I found myself terrorized by the vision of some malicious, battle-clad young man bursting in and tearing a hole in this community. My heart goes out to the people of Newtown, Connecticut and the victims of senseless suffering everywhere.
I've been slowly making my way through a grandpa-style-tailored care package sent to me by ultra-kind tea personality Hster. Even more exciting was this second package:
We took care of these delectable chocolates in a week and a half and got a great introduction to some unfamiliar chocolatiers. I've always loved chocolate and now we're regularly ordering bars from the Bay Area company LAmourette. Their "Carenero Superior" bar has become a favorite and I bought a whole stack to give out for the holidays. Thank you, Hster. Such kindness is a beacon.
We went to a production of "Pinocchio" tonight put on by the Portland-based puppet company "Tears of Joy." It was a riotous performance for kids with more than a little adult humor. I was angered and distraught when I found myself terrorized by the vision of some malicious, battle-clad young man bursting in and tearing a hole in this community. My heart goes out to the people of Newtown, Connecticut and the victims of senseless suffering everywhere.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Chop Chop
Hello again, tea folk. I've been neglectful of this little blog. Late summer brought on a spate of busyness and work travel. Tea has been on the back burner, as it were. Hurried slurps here and distracted gulps there. I've simply been tossing leaves in water (hot or cold, whatever), letting them steep and then drinking the resulting substance. It is mostly pleasant to shed some of the fussiness and effort I have tended to bring to the tea table in recent years.
That said, it is good to sit down for a cup and to write about tea again.
In my long-standing quest to find good aged oolong, I came across this tieguanyin from the Chinese Teashop in Vancouver. (Led there after reading a post on Jakub's blog about a 90s Hong Yin, which I have also enjoyed.) The website states that the tea hails from 1990. The 50 grams I bought is comprised of a few whole leaves, but is mostly crushed down to fragments and powder. Not surprising if the tea has really been kicking around for 20 + years.
What this tea demonstrated to me is that substantially fragmented tea is not necessarily bad-harsh and astringent. It may gum up your tea pot, but it won't necessarily murder your tastebuds and throat. This tea is decent, soothing. One of those smooth, raisiny affairs. It is a bit faint and it helps to use a lot of leaves (or dust).
It also appears to be a blend since some of the leaves are still relatively green in appearance and open easily while others are quite dark and remain furled. No carbonization here, thankfully.
While I'm aesthetically drawn to full, luscious tea leaves, I'm not sure they are of primary importance when it comes to brewing an enjoyable cup. Good aged oolong is tough to scare up on the web. There's no assurance you're going to find it on a trip to Taiwan, either. I brought back some wonderfully crappy "aged" oolong from Taiwan. Buy a plane ticket, add some abominable language skills and there you have it-some shiny, vacuum-packed bags of crap, all torched or soured to perfection. I drank it all, every last humble pellet. It was good for me. I'm glad to bumble across this little TGY, though. A bit tame, nothing to rocket one to rapture. But I've gotten over trying to shelve tea with that burden. Sometimes it works to take aim with that mouse and just click away.
That said, it is good to sit down for a cup and to write about tea again.
In my long-standing quest to find good aged oolong, I came across this tieguanyin from the Chinese Teashop in Vancouver. (Led there after reading a post on Jakub's blog about a 90s Hong Yin, which I have also enjoyed.) The website states that the tea hails from 1990. The 50 grams I bought is comprised of a few whole leaves, but is mostly crushed down to fragments and powder. Not surprising if the tea has really been kicking around for 20 + years.
What this tea demonstrated to me is that substantially fragmented tea is not necessarily bad-harsh and astringent. It may gum up your tea pot, but it won't necessarily murder your tastebuds and throat. This tea is decent, soothing. One of those smooth, raisiny affairs. It is a bit faint and it helps to use a lot of leaves (or dust).
It also appears to be a blend since some of the leaves are still relatively green in appearance and open easily while others are quite dark and remain furled. No carbonization here, thankfully.
While I'm aesthetically drawn to full, luscious tea leaves, I'm not sure they are of primary importance when it comes to brewing an enjoyable cup. Good aged oolong is tough to scare up on the web. There's no assurance you're going to find it on a trip to Taiwan, either. I brought back some wonderfully crappy "aged" oolong from Taiwan. Buy a plane ticket, add some abominable language skills and there you have it-some shiny, vacuum-packed bags of crap, all torched or soured to perfection. I drank it all, every last humble pellet. It was good for me. I'm glad to bumble across this little TGY, though. A bit tame, nothing to rocket one to rapture. But I've gotten over trying to shelve tea with that burden. Sometimes it works to take aim with that mouse and just click away.
Friday, August 17, 2012
On the Rocks
The last couple of summers I've been brewing iced oolong in the evenings after work. Who wants to sweat over a steaming brew when he's been sweating all day long? I've had good results with Taiwanese high mountain stuff and Dong Ding, quite refreshing. I have tended to brew the leaves hot and pour the tea over ice, but a few weeks ago I tried a cold brew in the refrigerator overnight to good effect. I had my doubts about the leaves opening and giving up their juice in such an environment, and though the leaves don't tend to open all of the way, they do brew up nicely in the cold. It is quite pleasing not have to adjust leaf volume for ice melting and watering your tea down as happens with the hot-brewing method.
It's a good way to deal with run-of-the-mill oolong-of which there is a great abundance available for purchase over the web (some, unfortunately, without a price tag to match its unremarkableness.) I'm talking about oolong that is "fine"- nothing off, but nothing vibrant. I've recently been cold brewing a Dong Ding and a TieGuanYin that are a bit dull when brewed gongfu style, but are quite refreshing when iced-down. Of course, they do not become extraordinary once you ice them, no alchemical transformation occurs. But they make a clean, tasty drink to cool you down when you are running hot.
The temperature dropped down to 29 F on the thickly timbered ridge where I slept last night. This seemed weird for mid-August at 5300 feet. Before I zipped myself away in the sleeping bag, I dropped a small handful of cheap TieGuanYin pellets into a quart mason jar and covered them with water from a cubie we kept in the shade. I set the jar on the hood of the truck. When we woke and dragged ourselves out into the hard frost, an amber tea slushie sparkled in the early light. It was delightful to slurp from this chilled vessel during breaks while we worked clearing downed trees with axes and crosscuts and the day grew hotter. The day was clear with a hint of the cold fall light that sharpens the landscape. Traces of wildfire smoke were blown out by the cold front and the air was clean and new. It was a good day to be drinking tea like this. I am reluctant to attempt the experiment with nicer tea, afraid of "wasting" it. But it will probably just be better. We'll see. There will be hot days yet.
It's a good way to deal with run-of-the-mill oolong-of which there is a great abundance available for purchase over the web (some, unfortunately, without a price tag to match its unremarkableness.) I'm talking about oolong that is "fine"- nothing off, but nothing vibrant. I've recently been cold brewing a Dong Ding and a TieGuanYin that are a bit dull when brewed gongfu style, but are quite refreshing when iced-down. Of course, they do not become extraordinary once you ice them, no alchemical transformation occurs. But they make a clean, tasty drink to cool you down when you are running hot.
The temperature dropped down to 29 F on the thickly timbered ridge where I slept last night. This seemed weird for mid-August at 5300 feet. Before I zipped myself away in the sleeping bag, I dropped a small handful of cheap TieGuanYin pellets into a quart mason jar and covered them with water from a cubie we kept in the shade. I set the jar on the hood of the truck. When we woke and dragged ourselves out into the hard frost, an amber tea slushie sparkled in the early light. It was delightful to slurp from this chilled vessel during breaks while we worked clearing downed trees with axes and crosscuts and the day grew hotter. The day was clear with a hint of the cold fall light that sharpens the landscape. Traces of wildfire smoke were blown out by the cold front and the air was clean and new. It was a good day to be drinking tea like this. I am reluctant to attempt the experiment with nicer tea, afraid of "wasting" it. But it will probably just be better. We'll see. There will be hot days yet.
 |
| "Iced" Tea |
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Home-roasted
I have long tracked various tea bloggers' home-roasting experiments with keen interest. I'm a sucker for skillfully roasted oolongs and sometimes wish that I had one of those cute little electric roasters to try my hand at transforming a surfeit of fresh Baozhong into a pile of something more dark and soothing.
One of the teas Brett kindly sent as part of our trade is a Baozhong he roasted after his sister found it in the back of her cupboard. The tea had been left open and neglected since a trip to Taiwan in 2008. In accordance with the pleasing element of surprise that has characterized the teas Brett sent, I didn't know what it was until I clipped open the sample.
This is what it says on the sealed bag he sent me:
When I saw that the sack contained roasted Baozhong, I remembered reading about Brett's roasting experiment. The tea had lost potency sitting on the shelf for four years so he threw it in the roasting basket for a few hours and tried it again. While the aroma of the roasting tea was pleasant, Brett did not enjoy the tea when he brewed it. He roasted again the next morning and liked the results a bit more, but still was not pleased by a metallic aftertaste he attributed to the bag the tea had been stored in. He planned to roast once more and store the tea in a jar to let it rest awhile. I assume the tea I have in hand represents that final roasting and jar storage.
I've had two sessions with the tea today and I think it's pretty good. In fact, it is astounding that this tea sat open on a shelf for 4 years. It has been revived. I used a lot of leaf and very short infusions for both sessions. The first session was early in the morning before breakfast and the scent of the dry leaves in the pre-warmed pot was sweet and nutty. Inviting. The brews: fruity, sweet, a bitterness slightly on the harsh side and a long lasting coolness in the throat. After eating a lunch of tacos with carnitas, cilantro, lime, radish and slivers of new onion, the second session was very different. I don't think I've ever realized how much lunch can impact one's experience of a tea. There are so many factors that affect a tea tasting-- yet another argument for postponing set ideas about a tea until one has had it many times. The second session oozed a thick honey flavor. More honey than in any tea I've had. Still the bitterness and the nice cooling sweetness to wrap things up.
Thanks for sharing, Brett. I did not detect anything metallic and the bitterness was the only drawback. But that may derive from using too much leaf. I'll try a lighter brew with the remaining tea. I would drink this stuff regularly. I do love a roasted Baozhong.
One of the teas Brett kindly sent as part of our trade is a Baozhong he roasted after his sister found it in the back of her cupboard. The tea had been left open and neglected since a trip to Taiwan in 2008. In accordance with the pleasing element of surprise that has characterized the teas Brett sent, I didn't know what it was until I clipped open the sample.
This is what it says on the sealed bag he sent me:
When I saw that the sack contained roasted Baozhong, I remembered reading about Brett's roasting experiment. The tea had lost potency sitting on the shelf for four years so he threw it in the roasting basket for a few hours and tried it again. While the aroma of the roasting tea was pleasant, Brett did not enjoy the tea when he brewed it. He roasted again the next morning and liked the results a bit more, but still was not pleased by a metallic aftertaste he attributed to the bag the tea had been stored in. He planned to roast once more and store the tea in a jar to let it rest awhile. I assume the tea I have in hand represents that final roasting and jar storage.
I've had two sessions with the tea today and I think it's pretty good. In fact, it is astounding that this tea sat open on a shelf for 4 years. It has been revived. I used a lot of leaf and very short infusions for both sessions. The first session was early in the morning before breakfast and the scent of the dry leaves in the pre-warmed pot was sweet and nutty. Inviting. The brews: fruity, sweet, a bitterness slightly on the harsh side and a long lasting coolness in the throat. After eating a lunch of tacos with carnitas, cilantro, lime, radish and slivers of new onion, the second session was very different. I don't think I've ever realized how much lunch can impact one's experience of a tea. There are so many factors that affect a tea tasting-- yet another argument for postponing set ideas about a tea until one has had it many times. The second session oozed a thick honey flavor. More honey than in any tea I've had. Still the bitterness and the nice cooling sweetness to wrap things up.
Thanks for sharing, Brett. I did not detect anything metallic and the bitterness was the only drawback. But that may derive from using too much leaf. I'll try a lighter brew with the remaining tea. I would drink this stuff regularly. I do love a roasted Baozhong.
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