Archives for posts with tag: Gaiwan

Random Thoughts On Yixing Teapots

April 4, 2012 //
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Today when I woke up I had a hankering for some Rou Gui, a darker oolong “rock tea” from the Wuyi Mountains which I happen to have paired with one of my Yixings. It has been months since I last worked with this (or any) Yixing teapots, and as I worked with it I started to become more aware of how different it felt to prepare tea in Yixing clay. Below is a short description of what I noticed…

~Reverence~

For whatever reason, I tend to treat Yixing clay with a sort of reverence I don’t have for other brewing vessels. I think this is because of the time that I’ve spent cultivating the Yixings, and pairing them with the particular teas that I enjoy. This process has changed the Yixing teapot into something more valuable to me. I say this because I know that I could replace a broken gaiwan or glass teapot. And while I could do my best to recreate my Rou Gui Yixing, it would take LOTS of brewing: even then, it would never really be the same.

In short: the time that I’ve put into pairing my Yixing is time that I can’t get back, so if the Yixing is broken it will make me feel as thought I’ve lost a personal treasure.

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~Potencancy~

Keep in mind that the teas that I brew in Yixing are darker, and what I’d call “heavier” teas, than the lighter greens and whites I tend to drink more often during the summer…

The Yixing teapots create a much “fuller” cup of tea. When I say this I mean that the tea has more body to it, but also that it has more depth and breadth of flavor. My Rui Gui pot is one of my more used pots, so it has a great deal of brewings which have contributed to its ability to make a damn fine cup of tea. But I’m a firm believer that when it comes to oolongs, and I mean any oolong, nothing can beat a well used Yixing teapot.

I think this might be one of the main reasons that so many tea masters use Yixing as their number one draft pick when it comes to brewing oolongs.

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~Building~

Each time I brew tea I gain some experiential knowledge. Seriously. Every time. But when I brew tea in one of my Yixing teapots I also feel as though I’m adding onto what has been built by all the use prior. Again, this is something that is very unique to Yixings, and I happen to think it’s really cool!

~In the End~ 

If you work with Yixing (I’m willing to bet) that you know what I’m talking about in this post.  If you don’t use Yixing often, I think it would be very worth it to invest some money and time into one of your own.

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Categories Oolong Tea, Teaware

The brewing vessel matters.

August 8, 2011 //
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Making tea for one’s self or for others is a process made up of several small steps and decisions.  One such step, which is also a decision, is selecting what vessel will be used to contain the tea leaves as they infuse hot water. While the uninitiated may perceive this as an inconsequential decision, those of us who would apply the term “serious tea drinker” to ourselves know otherwise.

The most obvious examples of specific vessels being used to brew tea are Yixing teapots.  I happen to have seven of these and each one is used with for a unique type of tea. My own collection is small when compared with that of others, but I intend to grow it more as time goes on and as money allows. A well-seasoned Yixing teapot is a tool thatcan be used to create a “one of a kind” tea drinking experience.

However, it does not stop there. There are many teas that are not normally brewed in Yixing.  These teas are usually of the green variety, Dragon Well comes to mind, but they too can benefit from use of more appropriate brewing vessels. I’ve never enjoyed Dragon Well tea more than when I drank it from a tall Collins glass in the company of a good friend. While my friend’s presence clearly increased my enjoyment of the tea I was drinking, the Collins glass did as well.  If you pressed me to explain why this is, or how I know, I would not be able to give any sort of substantive answer. I’d just tell you to try it for yourself, then get back to me and we’ll talk more about it.

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Plain white porcine cupping sets provide yet another clear example of a brewing vessel which has been designed to brew tea for a specific purpose, which is of course the unbiased evaluation of a tea. Many people in the tea industry use cupping sets as tools because these cupping sets lack the qualities of other brewing vessels, namely uniqueness. The story of one cupping set is no different from that of of the next. When tasting samples of teas which I’m considering buying and selling through my own small company (Scholar’s Tea). I use cupping sets as opposed to one of my main gaiwans, because I value the objectivity the cupping set provides.

I have a small gaiwan that I bring with me almost everyplace I travel. I have many other gaiwans which I could travel with, but this gaiwan is the right one for me. Why is this? Again, I don’t really know. Perhaps it is because of the sum total of the experience of my travel with this gaiwan, which lives in the form of memories in my mind’s eye. Perhaps it is just a familiarity that I find comforting. Perhaps I’m mistaken, and this gaiwan really has noimpact on the tea whatsoever. I don’t know. But I do know that this gaiwan seems to make a difference when it is used.

In the end what I guess I’m trying to say is that the tools used to make the tea do have an impact, and one of the best things that people can do to improve their knowledge of brewing tea is to experiment with the different vessels as much as possible. Play with them! Make tea from India in a Chinese gaiwan, or pair a green tea with a Yixing teapot. See what happens, because you never know… You may be more than pleasantly surprised.

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Categories Teaware

Interview with Marlon of Chan Teas

February 16, 2011 //
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~ Intro ~
This post is the second post in a series of interviews with people in the tea industry.  Today’s interview is with Marlon, one of the founders of Chan Teas, which is a very fine tea company out in San Diego California.

Marlon, who is a 21 year old college student at USCB, and an intern at the Institute for Energy Efficiency.  Lao Ren Cha is thrilled that Marlon agreed to be interviewed (via email).

Marlon in China looking at tea bushes.


~Interview with Marlon~

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview with Lao Ren Cha.  To start with I would you be willing to describe how you first got “into” tea and tea culture?  In addition to that what was your “gateway tea”, the first tea that really made you want to try out more tea?

The first thing that got me interested in tea was this video interview with James Norwood Pratt: http://bit.ly/enSoSC.  After watching, I ordered a gaiwan online, and the rest was history.

My first loose leaf tea purchase was from Adagio.  It was a green tea sampler and the stand-out in my opinion at the time was a tea called “white monkey”.  It got me really excited about brewing loose-leaf green tea.  Since then, my taste has evolved to favor oolongs, but good green tea still holds a special place in my heart.

My first loose leaf tea (golden monkey) was from Adagio as well.  Can you describe how your relationship with tea and/or the tea community has developed over the years?

My relationship with tea is a peaceful one.  I am always thankful for the zen-like mindfulness I feel when sipping on a good tea.  The process of sitting down and brewing tea either with friends over conversation or alone in contemplation is the most relaxing and essential part of my day.

As far as my relationship with the tea community: I run the twitter account for Chan Teas and can not say enough great things about the tea community.  Whenever I have a question about tea, I can send it out and have it answered quickly, with the possibility of sparking good conversation.  Aside from online, everyone I’ve met in person with a connection to tea has been welcoming and helpful in my pursuit of expanding my tea knowledge.  

What do you enjoy most about tea and/or the tea community?

What I enjoy the most about tea is how it focuses me.

I enjoy how  open and inviting community.  

What is your favorite tea right now?

I’ve been pulling a lot of late nights and it’s nice to have a good shou puerh by my side.  I love the earthiness of this tea and the way it grounds me.  My favorite thing about a good pu-erh is that it evolves through the infusions and lasts forever.

You are a founder of a tea company of your own.  Can you describe your company, its goals, and where its focus is?

Company:  Chan Teas

Goals: To share our experience with tea

Focus: We’re focused on sharing the knowledge we have about tea through cool pictures and fascinating information.  Our content is meant both to inform people about tea and also to inspire people to start making tea themselves.  In a way, tea is intimidating to people but it really doesn’t have to be.  We want to demystify the tea experience.  We also sell necessities like gaiwans, trays and cups in our brand new online store.  For people learning about tea, it can be difficult to find a gaiwan or a proper brewing vessel, that’s why we’re doing it.

What advice would you have for someone else who wanted to start a tea company?  Is there anything you would do differently with your own company if you had it to do over?

My general advice would be to drink, brew, and educate yourself about tea.  You’ll figure out the rest as you go alone.

Also, keep in mind that everything is a learning experience and we learn from our mistakes more than our accomplishments.  I wouldn’t change a thing.

How has tea impacted your plans and/or for the future?

Over the last couple of years, tea has become my passion.  I pour tea on a daily basis and if I happen to go a day without brewing, it seems weird.  Tea has added to my daily routine in a positive way by allowing me to slow down, reflect and relax while conversing with friends and sparking conversation.

In the future  I plan on traveling to many more tea producing countries to expand my tea knowledge.

Who would you describe as your tea heroes?

My heroes are all of the people that have helped me pursue my tea journey.  From the small shop owners in china, to the tea people I interact with on twitter on a daily basis, I am thoroughly grateful for all that I have learned from these amazing people who truly want to spread the love of tea.

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Categories Tea Community

Practice

February 1, 2011 //
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Cha gaiwan lid + oolong

~ This Evening ~

As I was winding down my day, I decided I wanted some Ti Kuan Yin.  I loaded a very generous amount of the dry tea into my favorite gaiwan, boiled some water, and went about preparing the tea.

After washing the leaves, I performed my first infusion.  As time went by, I felt myself relaxing into the comfort that preparing tea brings me.  And then it happened.

I picked up the gaiwan, and poured the hot tea into a narrow cup without having any of the hot liquor burn my hand and without spilling a single drop.

I’m sure to most people this would not seem like anything note worthy, but to me it is.

~ Why? ~

The first time I tried to make tea in a gaiwan, I burned myself and broke the gaiwan I was using.  Basically, the first time I attempted to use a gaiwan was a complete and total disaster.  Seriously.  I sucked at making tea in a gaiwan!  And I don’t mean I kind of sucked, I mean I really sucked.

Of course, after that failed first attempt, I was frustrated.  Really frustrated, in fact.  So frustrated, that I bought another gaiwan, watched lots of YouTube videos showing people doing gongfu cha, and scoured the internet for information on how to properly handle gaiwans.

Another side effect of my first failed attempt with a gaiwan was that whenever I made tea I was filled with self doubt, and I tried to compensate for this by over-thinking everything little thing I did.  I obsessed over water temperature, the amount of leaves I was using, steep times, and pours.  As I’m sure you can imagine, the tea that I made when I was in negative state of mind was not very good.

Over time, it became apparent that I was approaching tea the same way that I use to approach math homework, which is to say I realized that I was being an idiot.  With the help of Mei, Dan, and some other more experienced people in the tea community, I learned to approach tea as something that was fun, in the same way that kids approach new games.  I mellowed out, and started to -literally- play with tea.  I would screw around with different water temps, and steep times.  I would use crazy amounts of leaves in my gaiwan or Yixing teapot…

This is when tea stopped being something I was interested in, and became something that I loved.

~ Which Brings Me to Today ~

Today I can use a gaiwan with out looking like a total fool.

Learning to make tea has helped me not take myself oh–so-seriously, and as a result I feel more relaxed, more confident, and much more happy.

~ End Notes ~

  • If / when you screw up using a gaiwan don’t worry about it.
  • Frustration is normal when you’re learning, but if you keep at it you will find your own tea mojo.
  • Remember: tea is something that you should have fun with.
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Categories Learning & Education

Tea, Hibernation, Experiments, and Confidence

January 19, 2011 //
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Darjeeling in the cold

~ Hibernation ~

During the winter months I tend to sort of hibernate.  By this I mean that when I get home from work, I often choose to take a nap, even though there is always something I could be doing,

I’m someone who has difficulty sleeping soundly.  Always have.  I enjoy napping, but taking naps in the middle of the day only worsens my already restless night’s sleep.  In addition to that, I become far less productive than I would like to be.

I’ve found that experimenting with tea when I get home is something I can do to prevent me from napping, and give me more energy to do things that need doing.  In addition to this, experimenting with tea has helped me feel more confident as a person.

~ What do I mean by “experimenting”? ~

I simply mess around with the elements that make tea.  If the water temp for an Oolong tea is 212, I see what happens when I make the water temp 180.  Rather than steeping tea in the gaiwan for a one minute, I’ll steep the tea for two minutes.  Rather than using the Chinese gaiwan,I might instead use a glazed Japanese Kyusu to brew a Chinese tea.

One of the wonderful things about tea is how malleable it is.  You can change things up and see what happens.  The worst case scenario is that you screw up and end up with an overly astringent or burned tasting cup of tea.  Which, considering how cheap most tea is, is not really a big deal at all.

I find that the people who make the best cups of tea are people who see the rules as guidelines.  Such people approach tea the same way that children approach play, as something that they do for enjoyment!

Tea has changed so much over the years, has it not?  Why is that?  Because people experimented.

In my case, experimentation has helped me understand how my tea leaves behave under a variety of conditions, and as a result I feel far more confident brewing tea for my friends and guests I invite into my home.  This confidence seems to carry over into other areas of my life as well.  Perhaps it is just the idea that I’m getting good at something, the idea that I have a skill of some sort, that changes the way I think and feel.  I’m not sure, but I know I like how my tea experiments have made me feel.

~End Notes~

Today the end notes are going to just sum up the post above into three compact bullet points…

  • Experimenting with tea has helped me not take naps after work.  This has helped to regulate my sleeping pattern, and made more more productive overall.
  • Experimenting with tea has helped me to learn the range of flavors that tea can offer.  This has made me more confident when it comes to brewing tea for others.
  • The confidence I feel in regards to making tea that a variety of people enjoy has carried over into other areas of my life.
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Categories Uncategorized

Tea Image of the day: “Oooh Darjeeling in the Morning” 17, January, 2001

January 17, 2011 //
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Ohh DarjeelingIt is a Saturday morning.  I had a good night’s rest, and even slept in for a bit.

After waking, I make way way to the kitchen, and start to boil some water.

During the week, I tend to start my days off with green tea, which I find helps bring about the necessary focus before jumping into my work day.  However, today is Saturday, and when I pick up my green leaves, I know that I’m looking for something different.

As the water boils, I look over my selection of tea, and I see a Darjeeling that I bought very recently, but have not yet had the chance to try.  Though I enjoy it, Darjeeling is not a tea that I drink very often.  I don’t know why this is.  As I’m writing, I’m searching my thoughts and memories for a reason, but I can’t find one. Oh well.

Today was a Darjeeling day.  I put the loose leaves into a gaiwan, and wait for the water to come to a boil.

Mei comes into the kitchen and asks me what kind of tea I’m making.  I tell her that it’s a surprise, which makes her smile.  I  think of how very lucky I am to share tea with such a beautiful person, and I find that I’m smiling too.

The water comes to a boil.  The tea is prepared in the gaiwan, poured into a fair cup, and finally into two small tea cups from Japan.

Mei and I sip the tea, and find that we like it.  We talk about what we will do during the day.

Life is good.

~End Notes~

  • The tea I’m writing about is called Ooooh Darjeeling.
  • 1.5 teaspoons were placed in about 160ml of water.  (Next time I brew this tea I plan to use two teaspoons.)
  • The tea was steeped for about 1 min with a water temp of about 190-195F / about 88-90C.
  • The second steeping was the same, except the steep time was 2 min.  This steeping was not as good as the first, but not bad.
  • The third steeping was the same, but the tea was left for 4 min.  This steeping was just water dressed in Darjeeling.
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Categories Darjeeling

Tea Image of the Day: 13, January, 2011.

January 13, 2011 //
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High Mt. Oolong tea

It is winter, and as I come home after working late, I find that I am sick of the cold.  When I come into my small kitchen I take up my tea making tools, and start to smell my selection of oolongs.  I find one that smells like what I want. without looking at the label I prepare it.

Several infusions later the combination of fire, water, tea leaf, and my very limited skills have helped me shed the yoke of the day.  I unfold myself feeling warm and full again.

The green tea leafs in my gaiwan  remind me that winter does come to an end.  I think about all the people who’s efforts combined to bring me this tea.

The farmers, the tea buyers, those who moved it from point A to point B, the person who put the tea on a shelf in a store, and many more.

I smile, and say a small thank you which I know they will not hear.

I go to bed feeling better.

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Categories Oolong Tea, Tea Photorgaphy

Giving the Formosa Another Chance

January 6, 2011 //
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~Formosa Oolong & Yixing~

A few weeks back, I went to the Adagio store in Naperville, Illinois in search of a nice oolong tea that I had not yet tried.  One of the employees (Kristen), who has made many good recommendations to me in the past, told me that she really liked it the “Formosa oolong” or “Oolong #8, which is a  a heavily oxidized (dark) oolong tea from Taiwan.   I gave the tea a smell and thought is smelled mysterious, and I mean that in the best possible sense of that word.  Kristen offered to brew some for me, but I said that I trusted her judgment.

I tend to favor the lightly oxidized oolongs, but seeing as how I was in the mood for something new I thought the darker Formosa would might be exactly what I was looking for.  The fact that the tea was very inexpensive (only $5.00 for a 2 oz. bag) made it very easy for me to justify the purchase.

Formosa Oolong

When I got home, I attempted to brew the tea in a Yixing teapot that I reserve for the darker oolongs.  The resulting brew was very flat, which was not at all what I expected.  At first I thought that the leaves just needed to “wake up”, but the second and third steeping, which are usually the best, had only a hint of oolong flavor, and remained extremely flat.

Needless to say I was disappointed.

I put the Formosa in my tea cupboard thinking that I’d trade it away at some point….

~Time Goes By~

A few weeks went by and Mei and I had a guest stay with us for a few days.  Our guest was interested in tasting many of our loose leaf teas, so I brewed her several different kinds of teas Lao Ren Cha style.  When it came time to try a dark oolong, our guest smelled my (limited) collection of dark oolongs, and picked the Formosa as the tea she wanted to try, based on its lovely scent. I warned her that the earthy perfume of Formosa had drawn me in as well, but when I brewed the tea I had found it lacking.  Nonetheless the guest wanted to give it a shot…

Because all the other teas that our visitor had sampled were brewed in Lao Ren Cha style, in a gaiwan, rather than using Yixing teapots, I brewed the Formosa in the manner as well.

When I took the first sip of the Formosa I expected everyone to be disappointed by a flat tasting liquor.  However, everyone, including me, was very pleasantly surprised by a very warm, full bodied, complex, and flavorful tea.

~The Lessons~

  1. Sometimes the Yixing teapot is not the way to go.
  2. When the Yixing fails, try a gaiwan!
  3. Before writing a tea off, make sure to try brewing it a different way.

I’m very happy I gave the Formosa another chance.  It was a good tea indeed.

Formosa oolong from Adagio

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Categories Oolong Tea, Teaware

Brewing: Rishi Silver Needle

January 1, 2011 //
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~What to Brew?~

I was in the mood for a green tea.  However, I did not know what kind of green tea I was in the mood for.  I went into my kitchen cupboard where I keep my tea with the thought that the tea would pick me.

The tea that jumped out was some Rishi Silver Needle.  (I guess I wanted white tea more than green tea, eh?)

Feel (before steeping): This is a very delicate, fuzzy tea which is quite pleasing to touch.  The loose tea felt very delicate, and as I handled it I thought about the skill (growing, picking, processing, tasting, buying, etc.) which must have gone into making it.

Smell (before steeping): When I closed my eyes and smelled the tea, images of spring days dance in my mind’s eye, and I thought about being outside and marveling at the type of sunsets that only show up after a cooling spring storm.

I proceeded, feeling confident that this was going to be a very pleasing tea.

~Brewing~

Now that the tea had chosen me, I had to figure out how I would brew it…

Style: I wanted to get as much out of the tea as I possibly could, so I decided to use a porcelain gaiwan rather than something like a Yixing teapot.  I was only brewing for myself, so I opted for Lao Ren Cha style, rather than the Gongfu Cha style.  (The difference in these two styles is rather small, however there is a difference.)

Water Temp: The packaging of the tea said that the water should be  185F, so I set the temp on my UtiliTEA electric kettle to just a bit past the green zone.

At first pour, the water temperature was just shy of 190 degrees. I used the water to warm my gaiwan (and my cup) before placing the loose tea inside into the gaiwan for brewing.  After that, I poured the water into my faircup, then poured the water from the faircup into the gaiwan.  This transfer of water from vessel to vessel causes it to decrease a couple degrees with each pour, bringing the water temperature closer to the target of 185 degrees.

I then washed the tea, and started my first steeping…

As is usual, the first steeping was weak; but by the second and third steeping, the tea had fully infused the water with a wonderfully light sweetness.  It was a very pleasant flavor that called to mind the feeling of hope and possibility that I feel during early spring.  The tea also tasted very clean in a natural, as opposed to a chemical, sense of the word.

The tea’s liquor was a darker amber, which surprised me because I expected Silver Needles to create a much lighter hued liquid.

The tea held its own through many more infusions that I expected it to….

First infusion: Weak, but it served as a good preview of what was to come.  It also confirmed that the water temp was where it should be.

Second & Third Infusions: Both very good.  The tea was at its highest point here.

(Side note: Because the water had cooled a bit, I stopped pouring water into the faircup at this point, and started to put directly into the gaiwan.  )

Fourth & Fifth Infusions: Still very good.  The high notes were not as high, but this gave the tea’s subtleties a chance to become more apparent.

(Side note: I re-heated my water here, but continued to pour directly ingot the gaiwan.)

Six & Seventh Infusions: The tea had run its course and the leaves were entering their golden years.

Eight Infusion: I was drinking water that was dressed in light amber, with only a slight echo of Silver Needles.

~Epilogue~

I found that it was a very nice tea to enjoy on my own, but I think it would be very fun to serve the tea Gongfu Cha style for some friends as well.  Perhaps I’ll have some people over to enjoy it during the dark days of February, when we will long for a reminder of the spring to come.

 

 

 

 

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Categories White Tea
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