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At 190, my second steep comes out better than the first. It seems to take the leaves quite a soak to really even unpack.
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May 6, 2016 23:26
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Well there's no harm in trying it, worst case you're out a tsp of tea. Speaking of Upton Tea their organic maofeng jasmine is the poo poo.
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May 6, 2016 23:42
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I use water just off the boil, around 200F. I also do a rinse (just immediately pour the water out) and then it let sit uncovered for a minute which helps address the weak first steep a bit. I really only drink TW oolongs these days so maybe there are some mainland ones that are different, but I find even the green ones stand up fine to the heat when brewing like this in a gaiwan. If I was using a preheated clay pot or something else that retains heat like a boss then I'd probably go a bit cooler for the more green/delicate teas.
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May 7, 2016 00:21
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Yeah, high end taiwanese gaoshan can stand up pretty well to high heat, though I've noticed they get that over-brewed, spinachy taste in the later steeps a lot sooner with high heat.
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May 7, 2016 00:52
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:What temp do you guys steep your oolongs? This Uptons stuff says 190, but is that gospel or should I try it a little higher? Both of these things are correct. Upton's know their teas pretty well.
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May 8, 2016 03:02
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The green, white and some Chinese reds from the spring harvest are starting to be available. We'll have to wait a bit for the oolongs I'm afraid. I'm down to about 50 grams of Zui Gui from last spring and its really showing its age. My greens and yellows from last year have been gone since the holidays. I'm looking forward to the fresh tea hiatus to be over. Concerning the temperature for oolongs referenced previously, there are so many factors involved that its impossible to simply say "190 for oolongs". Most of the oolongs I drink would be absolutely ruined by water that hot; un-drinkably bitter. Factors include oxidation levels, wseason they were picked and the specific cultivar. taters fucked around with this message at 00:29 on May 10, 2016 |
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May 10, 2016 00:26
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taters posted:Concerning the temperature for oolongs referenced previously, there are so many factors involved that its impossible to simply say "190 for oolongs". Most of the oolongs I drink would be absolutely ruined by water that hot; un-drinkably bitter. Factors include oxidation levels, wseason they were picked and the specific cultivar. It usually is a bit of trial and error to find a sweet spot for oolongs in terms of temperature. I have found that dancongs are much more favorable at lower temperatures (brew them like delicate green teas), whereas high fired oolongs like a deep roast dong ding does well with higher temperatures. If I'm making a big-rear end teapot, then I have water at 195 ready to dispense and by the time the pot's full from cold it is roughly at the right temperature for if I want a lot of tie guan yin or similar. When in doubt, some places can give specific instructions on the label as to what temperature to brew at, but if not, might need to do a bit of homework and experiment.
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May 10, 2016 16:08
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I use a travel mug for tea at work since i don't have the time/space to properly do loose leaf tea. I went into teavana today just to check it out (super new to tea btw) and they showed me their contour travel mugs with infusers in them. Thermos makes this guy for 28 http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Insulated-Stainless-Tumbler-Infuser/dp/B00JTUUOW6/ref=dp_ob_title_kitchen . Are there any other recommendations for these types of bottles? The teavana one looks good, but its 32 bucks and some of the reviews aren't super favorable for its durability.
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Jun 4, 2016 21:52
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Crunkjuice posted:I use a travel mug for tea at work since i don't have the time/space to properly do loose leaf tea. I went into teavana today just to check it out (super new to tea btw) and they showed me their contour travel mugs with infusers in them. Thermos makes this guy for 28 http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Insulated-Stainless-Tumbler-Infuser/dp/B00JTUUOW6/ref=dp_ob_title_kitchen . Are there any other recommendations for these types of bottles? The teavana one looks good, but its 32 bucks and some of the reviews aren't super favorable for its durability. Get the thermos one. I've never been disappointed by thermos, but I do exactly what that one does, but my system is cobbled together and I have to wait before screwing it on and going. I have a much larger thermos that I use for tea and it's been amazing. It will also keep your beverage warm for a fair bit of time. Every other to-go mug I have ever used keeps things drinkable for an hour or two. My thermos kept it within 5 degrees of temp for 2 days once. This one will not do that, but it will keep it hot for a much longer amount of time.
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Jun 5, 2016 05:50
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I don't have that particular one, but I have a similar, glass one (which I don't really recommend for most workplaces because it really looks a lot like a bong which for some reason I, a person who has smoked many weeds, was totally blind to until an executive saw me with it in the break room and said it looked "fun" and thank goodness I worked a very casual game industry job at the time so nobody actually gave a poo poo). Since the leaves are stuck in a relatively small portion of the glass, I like to turn it over a couple times during brewing to help the water circulate. It does a solid job and is very convenient, so I'd say it's worth trying a less recreational looking one.
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Jun 5, 2016 07:28
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Zojirushi also makes one that I would recommend, aside from Thermos: http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SM-JTE46AD-Stainless-16-Ounce-0-46-Liter/dp/B00C4OE79K More expensive but you're paying more for quality over the brand, in the case of Teavana. Alternately, you can also use open fill teabags and keep a few in a ziploc bag with you and throw it into any mug, insulated or otherwise. When you're done you can discard the bag like you would something like a Lipton bag or whatnot: http://www.amazon.com/Finum-100-Filters-Large-Brown/dp/B000KDW9MO Finum is just one example but I prefer them personally over other open fill disposable teabags. edit: Contigo, another highly rated company that sells fancy insulated travel mugs, also has a drop-in infuser basket for their West Loop tumbler: http://www.gocontigo.com/tea-infuser-stainless-steel.html http://www.gocontigo.com/20-oz-autoseal-west-loop-stainless-travel-mug-with-easy-clean-lid.html These usually retail for a little closer to 25 bucks for the mug itself and is available at most anywhere that would sell a travel mug. aldantefax fucked around with this message at 23:27 on Jun 6, 2016 |
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Jun 6, 2016 23:19
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The Contigo mug is fabulous, but sadly the Contigo infuser is so small as to be nearly useless. It'll work if you're drinking something like fannings or Lipton looseleaf, but there's no room for 8 ounces worth of something nicer to unfurl (nevermind room for enough tea for 20 ounces to unfurl).
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Jun 8, 2016 02:47
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It's getting to be hot on the regular now, and I'd like to make some iced tea that isn't the "traditional" orange pekoe steeped to death and sweetened to hell variety. However, I'm also not looking to spend a ton of money on quailty loose leaf because I'm poor. What would you guys recommend in the way of either cheap-as-hell loose leaf or bagged brands to make a decent sweet iced tea?
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Jun 8, 2016 04:07
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neogeo0823 posted:It's getting to be hot on the regular now, and I'd like to make some iced tea that isn't the "traditional" orange pekoe steeped to death and sweetened to hell variety. However, I'm also not looking to spend a ton of money on quailty loose leaf because I'm poor. What would you guys recommend in the way of either cheap-as-hell loose leaf or bagged brands to make a decent sweet iced tea? Hojicha makes an awesome iced tea. Roasted barley is an option too. Seek out Asian markets, if you have a h mart nearby they'll have that stuff. Hibiscus? It'll be really tart though.
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Jun 8, 2016 13:24
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David's Breakfast Tea is the single cheapest thing at David's and it makes awesome iced tea. Regular grocery store loose leaf green teas make good iced teas too.
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Jun 8, 2016 13:48
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neogeo0823 posted:It's getting to be hot on the regular now, and I'd like to make some iced tea that isn't the "traditional" orange pekoe steeped to death and sweetened to hell variety. However, I'm also not looking to spend a ton of money on quailty loose leaf because I'm poor. What would you guys recommend in the way of either cheap-as-hell loose leaf or bagged brands to make a decent sweet iced tea? I just use the cheapest tea that I can find from a non-Western brand. Usually, this means Hime brand genmaicha. Failing that, the cheapest leaves you can get loose somewhere. The trick is to brew it cold overnight chilled and it produces a fantastic cup. This even works well with teas of questionable stock from asian markets like Foo Jin, etc.
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Jun 9, 2016 23:43
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I've finally run out of a generic COFCO-made ripe pu-erh I bought last spring, so I'm looking for something else. which of these would you recommend? http://yunnansourcing.com/en/2016-yunnan-sourcing-pu-erh-teas/4014-2016-yunnan-sourcing-immortal-monkey-wild-arbor-ripe-pu-erh-tea-cake.html http://yunnansourcing.com/en/2015/3533-2015-yunnan-sourcing-green-miracle-wild-arbor-ripe-pu-erh-tea.html http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-sourcing-teas/2268-2012-yunnan-sourcing-yong-de-blue-label-ripe-pu-erh-tea-cake.html http://yunnansourcing.com/en/2012-yunnan-sourcing-pu-erh-teas/2076-2012-yunnan-sourcing-man-tang-hong-te-ji-ripe-pu-erh-tea-cake.html I'm kind of leaning towards the 2016 one or possibly 2015 (first and second link) since I haven't had any arbor-type teas yet (as far as I know), but the other two will be 12% off, so I guess I could use some extra input on this ulvir fucked around with this message at 09:45 on Jun 16, 2016 |
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Jun 16, 2016 09:42
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I would really recommend a few years aged ripe pu cause the freshly pressed stuff is likely going to be funky and need some airing out or you'll be tasting that familiar fishyness that comes from the pile fermentation procedure. Personally I can barely tell the diff between halfway decent ripe pu and the old arbor/ancient tree stuff, it's usually more important to pay attention to the leaf grade used in the blends, like imperial grade will be made mostly from buds, which infuses really, really fast and has a very up-front punchiness, and huangpian large leaf will have more lasting power and generally be on the mellower side. Good blends use a mix of different grades that will balance out throughout a gongfu session. fwiw crimson lotus's iron forge was my favorite daily drinker shou for a while. I can't really comment on YS's ripe selection since I mostly get cheap shengs from them. hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 13:59 on Jun 16, 2016 |
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Jun 16, 2016 13:56
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hope and vaseline posted:I would really recommend a few years aged ripe pu cause the freshly pressed stuff is likely going to be funky and need some airing out or you'll be tasting that familiar fishyness that comes from the pile fermentation procedure. Personally I can barely tell the diff between halfway decent ripe pu and the old arbor/ancient tree stuff, it's usually more important to pay attention to the leaf grade used in the blends, like imperial grade will be made mostly from buds, which infuses really, really fast and has a very up-front punchiness, and huangpian large leaf will have more lasting power and generally be on the mellower side. Good blends use a mix of different grades that will balance out throughout a gongfu session. so generally speaking about 2 years and older? guess I'll look into the iron forge. it might be just above my budget, but at the same time it's nearly twice as heavy as most other cakes and bricks, so it looks like I get my money's worth at least
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Jun 16, 2016 14:38
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Yeah I'd generally avoid same year ripe puerh pressings unless you're going to wait a while to drink it. I don't want to discourage you from YS though, I just generally find it harder to shop there because their selection is soooo vast. You might have better luck ordering a bunch of samples until you stumble into something you particularly enjoy. And yeah, 500g can be quite an investment if you end up not liking it.
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Jun 16, 2016 14:45
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Also, this super generous guy on steepster who organizes tons of group buys and whatnot has been sending free puerh sample boxes to people new to it. There's a bit of a queue but it couldn't hurt to try to get in. http://steepster.com/discuss/12879-new-to-puerh-and-bad-experiences-with-puerh-a-helping-hand
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Jun 16, 2016 14:53
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I've liked every pu-erh I've been having up to now, so I can't imagine not liking the iron forge. I'm leaning towards spending a few bucks extra to get that one.
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Jun 16, 2016 15:10
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went ahead and ordered it, so it's gonna be a long-assed time until I run out of ripe pu-erh again. might post a short review/trip report once it's in, if you'd like
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Jun 16, 2016 18:10
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Any recommendations for a Xi Shi style teapot around ~80ml? No preference on glazed vs unglazed and I'd like to stay around $40-50 USD or less if possible. I don't care if it's "authentic" or not as long as it won't give me lead poisoning or whatever. This is the closest I've found so far but it's a bit big at 100ml: https://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/product/small-xi-shi-clay-teapot/?v=7516fd43adaa They've also got this one which is the right size but I don't like the shape as much: https://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/product/pocket-yuan-zhu-clay-teapot/?v=7516fd43adaa I know the second one would be fine but if I'm going to buy a teapot I want it to look just right dammit.
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Jun 24, 2016 01:12
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So I loved Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) Wuyi Rock Oolong Tea Fujian from Teavivre sample. http://www.teavivre.com/da-hong-pao-oolong/ But when I bought some other Oolong on Amazon I liked it way less. It had more astringency and less crispness if that makes sense. Is there a way to get a similar tasting oolong for less money? Or should I just go ahead and buy the exact thing? I'm ok if the tea is less premium, I just want a similar tasting oolong. Related question: What is the tea most Chinese restaurants use? The kind of Chinese restaurant with the round table and the lazy susan, a communal tea pot on it and the little cups with no handle. I believe it's some kind of mild Oolong usually. I would totally buy that for home drinking.
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Jun 24, 2016 16:57
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You should note that wuyi/da Hong can have cheap imitations. I know it should weird but lots of teas have cheap imitations where a company tries to sell it based off the name. The real stuff is awesome and that's why it costs more. Also don't buy tea off Amazon.
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Jun 24, 2016 17:47
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Your best bet is probably buying a generic wuyi dhp from an asian grocery store or something if you don't want to spend a whole lot, but there's a pretty big quality/price increase as you go up in reputable vendor chains. Wuyi teas are a pretty broad category and most dhp are a mix of different wuyi teas because there's pretty much more demand than actual tea from the famous cultivar. http://teadb.org/wuyi-oolong-compendium/
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Jun 24, 2016 17:57
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Comb Your Beard posted:Related question: Occasionally a cheap oolong, occasionally a cheap jasmine. Find your local Asian market's tea aisle. Find the cheapest tins of Chinese-labeled tea they have. Et voila.
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Jun 24, 2016 19:37
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Molten Llama posted:Find your local Asian market's tea aisle. Find the cheapest tins of Chinese-labeled tea they have. Et voila. I've been there, done that, there's a ton of variety. You can easily get something that tastes totally different. I found some nice cheap Jasmine green this way but I carefully looked for it.
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Jun 24, 2016 23:21
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agadhahab posted:This is how you cool the water if you make a lot of sencha. I usually just use a second cheapo pot, decant the near boiling water into that, wait a second, then pour that into my main pot. I also splurged recently and bought a really nice great big 24 hr+ thermos, and have begun making a pot of tea at night then filling my thermos so I can have a few sips as soon as I wake up, and then keep piping hot tea all throughout the day. It seems to keep it nicely warm for almost 36 hours so it's pretty great, and has made my fishing days so much more pleasant
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Jun 25, 2016 06:23
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re: Crimson Lotus's Iron Forge I've only brewed it western style so far, but I really like this one. the earthy aroma is a lot more appealing than the fishy aroma from my previous ripe. gonna give it a gongfu brewing tomorrow in hopes of getting some more nuanced tastes out of it
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Jul 3, 2016 13:05
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Glad you like it! It's not terribly complex, most ripes aren't, I actually found myself grandpa brewing it more often than doing gongfu. I've been on a sheng binge this summer though, hot weather and ripe pu'erh makes me feel a little icky. Been slightly obsessed with W2T's Repave lately. Their site also just got updated with their new 2016 productions which seem to be on the pricey side, but oh god those wrappers
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Jul 6, 2016 15:14
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yeah I noticed it stayed pretty much the same throughout, with only a minor change in aroma from the 5th steeping, where the earthy smell fades ever so slightly and you get a little hint of fermentation. wasn't too much difference in taste between western and gongfu-brewing either, to be honest.
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Jul 8, 2016 16:50
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out of curiosity though, how is the procedure for grandpa brewing exactly? like grams per ml and so on.
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Jul 9, 2016 20:01
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I recently went to on vacation and brought back some very delicious loose leaf tea. I don't have a ton of it, and I'd like to keep it going as long as possible. Since it's summer time, I'm basically only using it to make iced tea by brewing hot, doubling the amount used, the time steeped, and then chilling and adding water and sugar to taste. I've heard of people keeping loose leaf after steeping and reusing it. What's the procedure for that? Obviously I don't want anything bad growing in the tea between uses. What do I need to know to not die and/or not steep the tea to death?
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Jul 10, 2016 03:56
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as long as it's within the same day it's no problem. I've never resteeped the day after, but I imagine the worst that will happen is that it'll taste a bit bland maybe when doing it how we're used to in the west, I get about three rounds from the same handful of leaves.
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Jul 10, 2016 09:00
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Resteeping well depends on the variety too. Most Oolongs are good for a few steeps (sometimes they get even better in later steeps) and I've heard rumors of ones that can go for 20(!!) resteeps. But for the most part, yes, about 3 is what you'll get. One exception would be flavored teas, at least in my experience (both artificial like chocolate orange or blueberry or whatever and the more 'natural' processes like the smokiness in a Lapsang Souchong). Those are usually only good for one steep unless you don't mind subsequent cups being super bland/weak in comparison.
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Jul 12, 2016 23:13
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DurianGray posted:One exception would be flavored teas, at least in my experience (both artificial like chocolate orange or blueberry or whatever and the more 'natural' processes like the smokiness in a Lapsang Souchong). Those are usually only good for one steep unless you don't mind subsequent cups being super bland/weak in comparison. I think this is what I ended up with, yeah. I resteeped the tea a second time and it was extremely weak compared to the first time. I'm wondering if I shouldn't just cut the first steep into the second, or even brew double water, to even it out some.
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Jul 13, 2016 03:52
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Flavored teas aren't really resteepable because their base tea is usually pretty low quality and most of the flavor comes from oils that get spent on the first steep.ulvir posted:out of curiosity though, how is the procedure for grandpa brewing exactly? like grams per ml and so on. Uhh I'll usually just put about 3 grams in a coffee mug, pour hot water and keep refilling once it gets halfway down. Add more tea when it starts to weaken, keep drinking till you're done. Not very complicated! hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 04:47 on Jul 13, 2016 |
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Jul 13, 2016 04:45
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The real answer is you just dump a teaspoon of leaves in a mug and then use boiling water. If tea is too weak, keep adding half a teaspoon until you have desired flavor. Grandpa style is basically hardcore gently caress the rules style, just asking for parameters goes against the entire spirit of it.
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Jul 13, 2016 11:09
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