tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49677751909742266152012-01-29T13:58:39.910-08:00Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.comBlogger1301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-32667918719888975822012-01-15T17:59:00.001-08:002012-01-15T18:09:13.114-08:00

My recent tea inventory led to panic (not enough!), then to a frantic pursuit of more product.  Storing tea for my retirement…it’s not too early to think about the future, especially with green pu’ers that need to mature. I’m continuously curious about what other tea lovers are buying, wanting to buy, and most importantly, what they’re currently enjoying.  Many tea lovers have particular tastes

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-27723676161341137762011-12-31T11:04:00.001-08:002011-12-31T11:06:13.993-08:00

Tough economic times have dramatically increased people’s interest in squeezing more out of what they already have.  Use less toothpaste/soap/detergent, lower the thermostat, drink milk past its sell by date…. Get more brews from your tea.  Increase your yield 30%, 50%, 100% or more?  It can be done! A few years ago, my Dong Ding teacher taught me to triple the number of brews from my tea.  As

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-11145303515776956912011-12-25T01:26:00.001-08:002011-12-25T01:26:16.601-08:00

I finally finished a full inventory of my tea last week.  The result?  Not enough!  It’s been a couple of winters since I’ve been to Asia, so I definitely need to re-stock on my next trip. Although I have written about a few of the more well-known tea retailers that I’ve visited, there are many more that I have yet to mention.  Hole in the wall places, previously well-known tea makers, beautiful

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-80418315605636137942011-11-30T22:52:00.001-08:002011-11-30T22:52:19.469-08:00

When an oolong has been over-roasted, time and patience are necessary for it to have a chance to recover.  Weeks or years may pass before the fire subsides and one can taste the tea base again, but all too often, the fire remains long after the roast.  Some of the aged oolongs that one may come across were once over-roasted teas that have been set aside to rest and recover over the years; they’re

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-27162184562779040692011-10-26T22:58:00.001-07:002011-10-26T22:58:08.060-07:00

The process for making oolong involves more steps than other types of tea.  The most important steps for determining the fundamental taste and base of an oolong during its processing are in the oxidation. Oolong oxidation will produce 4 major categories of flavor/aroma.  From light to heavy oxidation, those categories are: 1)  菜香 (Cai Xiang) - Vegetal, such as Baozhong. 2)  花香 (Hua Xiang) -

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-28331066147513511152011-10-05T16:46:00.001-07:002011-10-05T16:50:13.890-07:00

I love Vancouver BC’s Chinese food and its availability of all things Chinese (herbs, snacks, music…).  Vancouver’s Chinese radio station is great as well, especially on Sunday afternoons when they have cool talks on a variety of life and lifestyle topics.  It’s Fall, time for darker, full-bodied teas like this traditional Dong Ding A few months ago, the station did a segment on ideas for food

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-61193525936449999732011-09-04T00:29:00.001-07:002011-09-04T00:29:13.800-07:00

The subtle energy and air of the human body – how does one measure it?  Does it even exist?  If so, how do we make use of it? I know that this debate continues both within the tea community and beyond.  Qi manipulation is a part of the body of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  Last year, a Qigong doctor traced my leg pain to a misaligned disc in my back that months of treatment by various

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-68195497524803392972011-08-22T01:43:00.001-07:002011-08-22T01:43:05.653-07:00

A flame, a stand and a tea pot.  Room temperature water and tea goes into the pot; heat the pot over a slow flame. Works well with a full-bodied oolong tea or a complex pu’er that’s already been infused a few times. New dimensions of flavor and taste.  This method forces you to really slow down to enjoy a nice cup of tea. Drink good tea and enrich your life.  

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-55156247671027878842011-08-05T21:42:00.001-07:002011-08-08T09:02:52.265-07:00

A good, well-oxidized oolong can last for years.  Some teas are OK just being put into a jar and kept over time, but most will benefit from regular re-roasting.  I usually spot roast by putting tea in a sheet of paper that I circle over a flame.  A quick touch-up makes a stale tea more enjoyable, but doing more than 10 minutes of spot roasting by hand gets tedious.  There are specialized spot

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-62513845817844779452011-07-31T14:29:00.001-07:002011-07-31T14:29:09.457-07:00

It can taste magical when it's fresh, with so many layers of flavor and aromas that a thesaurus may be needed to adequately describe its characteristics.  They can also be very expensive.  Depending on the tea, the top-prize oolongs can go for more than $1000 USD/pound – that’s if you even get the chance to buy them.  Depending on the tea and the competition, there may be quite a number of

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-46801626856479189572011-07-14T16:59:00.001-07:002011-07-14T16:59:48.995-07:00

Ten bucks an ounce, fifteen years old, real Dong Ding tea…and you can buy it right here in the US. Shiuwen at Floating Leaves brought back a limited supply of aged Dong Ding from her recent tea-buying tour.  I tried it when it came in over a month ago, but I haven’t (and still haven’t) experimented too much with it or taken the time to understand the tea.  It is aged and its musty/fruit

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-23101073935694147962011-05-29T13:33:00.001-07:002011-05-29T13:36:49.441-07:00

I was worried that they wouldn’t be very good.  The variation in quality for Taiwan’s spring oolongs isn’t as big as for winter teas, but still, no one wants a relatively poor product.  Winter, though, typically has wetter and colder weather that can affect both the leaves and harvesting times. The early reports for Taiwan’s spring weather showed more rain than usual.  Pickers cannot/should not

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-14131348644858221662011-05-15T10:02:00.001-07:002011-05-15T10:02:50.985-07:00

My Chinese handwriting is ugly, so bad that elementary school kids laugh at me.  It’s so bad that I don’t handwrite anything in Chinese anymore (typing is faster anyway) and because of that, I recently forgot how to write my Chinese name at a banquet I went to.  Sad…. When I visit Asia and buy a load of tea, I have to keep track of them with labels (many high mountain teas, for example, are

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-86262619266165332082011-05-04T16:46:00.001-07:002011-05-04T16:46:54.582-07:00

Pu’er tea comes mainly as green/raw, cooked/ripe, or a blend of those, but pu’er isn’t the only type of tea that can be considered cooked or ripe.  So can oolongs.  Oolong teas that have received a healthy-dose of roasting can be called “shou” tea as well.  These teas often have a good level of oxidation to boot (a sufficiently-oxidized tea makes for a more complete and stable roasted tea). 

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-58112071625755481832011-04-21T11:34:00.001-07:002011-04-21T11:34:04.226-07:00

There has been a continuing trend of oolongs going greener (less oxidization, less roasting) over the past decade or two.  Jason Chen’s latest book about his experiences with Phoenix and Tieguanyin oolongs finishes off with a similar assessment.  He writes that at one point, Anxi Tieguanyin was so popular that tourists and wholesalers clamored up to the tea mountains, clogging the narrow roads

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-5237009365958990972011-04-10T21:46:00.001-07:002011-04-10T21:46:05.675-07:00

I use many different types of storage for my oolongs.  Stainless steel, tin, pewter and aluminum are some of the metal storage containers that I have.  Copper and bronze containers, though, I don’t use. My problem with copper (and bronze, which contains copper) is that it may tarnish or oxidize.  That green-colored deposit that you may have seen is the by-product of this oxidation, and I have

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-85273396804487004232011-04-03T23:36:00.001-07:002011-04-03T23:36:14.725-07:00

Chilly and wet winters mean that my friends and I drink a lot more pu’er.  There is something comforting about a cup of dense and malty tea that helps to dispel winter’s gloom.  When I’m in the mood for a dark and thick pu’er, I’m not particularly picky.  I want a clean-tasting, cooked cake that I can brew dark.  At least 6 grams of tea in a small pot for 2+ minutes; it pours out thickly and

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-31242310846552101482011-02-23T22:00:00.001-08:002011-02-26T09:47:24.066-08:00

J-Tea International is in the same city as the University of Oregon, about 5+ hours south of Seattle and halfway down the state of Oregon on a drive down to California.  It’s not a particularly scenic drive, but the drive is worth it to see an old friend.  It’s a long overdue trip and I plan my visit to occur just a few months after all of the renovations to his teahouse have been completed.  It’

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-3090000580761211752011-02-18T17:28:00.001-08:002011-02-18T17:31:00.855-08:00

Like anything that may derive some value from its age, a tea’s age can only tell you a part of its story.  It may not even be the most vital part of the story.  There is value in aged teas because it’s uncommon and has inherent quantity limitations.  Daniel’s special Congou tea that is intact and nearly 100 years old probably doesn’t, by his own admission, taste exceptional, but it’s very rare

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-76770457161369510392011-02-11T14:54:00.001-08:002011-02-23T20:11:02.284-08:00

Several of Taiwan’s oolongs are world-famous.  Dong Ding, Bao Zhong, Oriental Beauty and high mountain oolongs are just a few of the well-known ones.  Each type of tea has variations in how it’s processed and produced.  Shan Lin Xi is a type of high mountain tea produced in central Taiwan’s Nantou county.  You can see it from Dong Ding mountain and one can get there in less than an hour by car.

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-34164787940468804012011-01-22T17:44:00.001-08:002011-01-22T17:47:36.060-08:00

English-language tea books tend to be either about the experience of tea or they give a cursory and broad introduction into the different types of teas.  Few Chinese-speaking tea experts have written English-language books; fewer still have ones that I think are worth reading. Jason Chen of Luyu/CC Tea has just published one that is excellent.  A Washington State-based tea merchant, he’s been in

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-42923217739611117862011-01-15T21:18:00.001-08:002011-01-16T10:00:20.137-08:00

Old oolongs take on a beautiful brownish-caramel color as they age.  Old Baozhongs which were once bright and green take on this mature hue as well.  Outside of high-oxidized and/or high-roast oolongs, very few modern oolongs have a color that is similar to aged ones.  This is one sign that the tea has some age. An old tea from the Nantou-area; loose rolling. Over 20 years old It’s also why I

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-24657416485964696972011-01-03T22:07:00.001-08:002011-01-03T22:08:09.659-08:00

There are many things that I like about Taiwan, but if I had to name just two, I would say I love Taiwan tea and its hot springs the most.  Interestingly, both of these have been deeply inspired by Japanese culture (which some would point out were in turn inspired by Chinese culture).  Taiwan underwent some major transformations when it was occupied by the Japanese military.  Hot spring culture

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-59462294411364140562010-12-09T14:12:00.001-08:002010-12-09T14:17:02.493-08:00

An aged oolong, particularly Dong Ding and Tieguanyin, should have begun to “degrade” in the sense that it has lost much of its roast and the character of the tea has begun to soften.  It is often difficult to taste for these changes with much of the aged teas that are sold because they have undergone subsequent re-roasts.  I believe that a good aged oolong should have been oxidized; I don’t know

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-48468401312512441432010-12-05T16:13:00.001-08:002010-12-05T16:17:44.008-08:00

“Why do young people always ask for aged teas?  Why do they want something that I didn’t sell out of years ago?  New tea is fresh and tastes good.  It’s also cheaper.” Mr. Shhh is probably close to 90 years old, but he walks up and down the busy Taiwan streets as fast as I do, probably faster if I wasn’t holding him up by lugging stuff with me as we walked to his shop.  To him, even 60 year-olds

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-51167249851935937762010-11-15T22:17:00.001-08:002010-11-15T22:23:08.878-08:00

“We are very lucky people.  With this cup of tea, let us never forget this.” My tea friend Chan and I were having a cup together this past weekend.  He doesn’t say very much, but he is certainly more philosophical and profound than I usually am.  I was reading the news online and saw that Burma’s Nobel Prize winning political, Aung San Suu Kyi, had been “released” from house arrest after serving

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-71125578454489915802010-10-27T11:57:00.001-07:002010-10-27T12:01:39.174-07:00

“I want to buy some Dayuling oolong tea, do you sell it?” The anxious couple showed up at the teahouse not long after I heard the Oolong Vampiress get off the phone with them.  As they walked into the shop and began to look around, they didn’t seem especially impressed by the teahouse or its wares, as if they were expecting a more elaborate setup. “Where is your Dayuling?  I want to try it.” 

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-61915649933208218162010-10-21T17:24:00.001-07:002010-10-21T17:30:14.173-07:00

Gingko over at Life in Teacup has been generous enough to share several favorite tea samples with me recently, some of which are a fantastic value.  We’ve also been conversing for a few weeks about trends in oolong and she has good ideas and information regarding a much-appreciated revival of traditional Tieguanyin production methods in Anxi.  I can corroborate her news to some degree as my Muzha

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-57166851188057217932010-10-07T15:14:00.001-07:002010-10-07T15:20:31.367-07:00

I was surfing the tea blogs and came upon a post by a Chinese blogger that talks about ten healthy uses for used tea.  Some of the uses are new to me.  For the list in its entirety, check out “Jerry’s Blue Water Blog.”  It’s not stated what tea should be used, but I’m guessing it’s oolong since the blog writer has written several posts about oolong before.  The blog author works as a scientist

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-15438238530988779532010-09-29T11:21:00.001-07:002010-10-07T15:17:08.486-07:00

“It lowers blood pressure, regulates energy and appetite, eliminates bad cholesterol, prevents and/or cures cancer, helps prevent tooth decay….”  The claims about the health benefits of tea often cross into non-approved and unproven uses.  The US FDA took action against many websites that popped up over the past few years claiming that miraculous Wulong tea guarantees weight loss, cures heart

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-57521778236009335952010-09-16T14:05:00.001-07:002010-09-16T14:10:35.392-07:00

Read this blog!  The writer, though…eh, fairly hit or miss :P Joking aside, after my last post on moldy tea, several folks wrote comments with more info/ideas on the tea.  They were spot on about several points after reading just the little info that I had written and by looking at my pics.  Impressive! I brewed the tea last week and enjoyed it with a few tea friends.  We used a small yixing

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-17952681028449610862010-09-02T18:38:00.001-07:002010-09-02T18:38:18.097-07:00

You bet I would! I received a present from a tea friend recently.  He was given a big piece of an old, color-labeled pu’er tea.  The tea is old enough that it’s started to decompose, the leaves and stems blending into itself like organic matter that’s being composted (no worms or their byproducts!).  The tea has taken on a grayish hue as it continues to age.  What is most unique about this tea

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-50971018359819626682010-08-17T22:52:00.001-07:002010-08-17T23:01:47.564-07:00

The amount of Vietnamese oolong-style tea that is exported to Taiwan is growing every year, as is Vietnam’s overall tea production.  Da Lat in central Vietnam is similar in elevation to Shan Lin Xi.  Weather, soil, growing conditions, etc are different, but several Taiwan producers and wholesalers who have visited central Vietnam’s tea mountains remark on how similar the topography of the two are

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-59133138560675986552010-07-25T12:43:00.001-07:002010-08-18T09:22:05.262-07:00

Several Taiwan oolong teas have become quite well-known to tea drinkers all over the world.  Dong Ding, Baozhong, Oriental Beauty, and more-recently, its high mountain oolongs.  Taiwan’s tea technology and production skills have also been brought to other countries, particularly those in SE Asia.  Arable mountain land and lower production costs are good reasons why parts of SE Asia were picked

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-67958114712734496222010-07-04T00:42:00.001-07:002010-07-04T00:42:41.615-07:00

We’re finally catching up to Summer here in Seattle and will be expecting mid-70s weather for the next week or more.  There is finally some warmth for us to enjoy. Ever since my Tieguanyin teacher let me try his cold-brewed green oolong a few years ago, I’ve been hooked on cold-brewing tea for warm weather.  Mmy favorite cold-brew teas are Baozhong and Oriental Beauty.  I prefer the former

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-84685512868383117122010-06-25T18:09:00.001-07:002010-06-25T18:11:52.893-07:00

At last, it’s been found for me, my first tea love! Actually, it’s more like her younger and more ferocious cousin.  Loud bark, but very gentle once you take the time to understand her. First, some background.  By way of circumstance and opportunity, the bulk of my tea learning has taken place in Taiwan.  It’s there that I was able to learn more about Dong Ding Oolong (my other favorite) and

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-24048437291330087552010-05-23T00:17:00.001-07:002010-06-25T15:26:59.295-07:00

I love tea eggs and soy sauce eggs.  You used to be able to get them at every 7-11 in Hong Kong, but they’ve become less popular and are not as easy to find.  Fortunately, they are still everywhere in Taiwan. Most of the recipes for tea eggs use star anise and cheap but strong black tea.  The resulting flavor is bold and flavorful, but lacking the balanced taste profile that is found in a good

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-42551966069012990152010-05-15T10:13:00.001-07:002010-05-15T10:13:01.516-07:00

Of the multitude of bottled waters, water filtration systems, charcoal/river rock additives etc, which ones really help tea bring out its flavor?  This, along with water temperature and brewing times, is one of the major discussion topics for tea lovers. I’ve used several different sources of water for tea and I’ve tried adding in river rocks and bamboo (both made the water softer but also mutes

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-71616251047457666112010-04-23T23:13:00.001-07:002010-04-23T23:13:15.327-07:00

When you’re drinking some fine teas, that is. I had already been sitting there for 3 hours with them and since I was running late, I had missed breakfast, too.  I try not to eat too much when I taste teas.  Many foods will change one’s taste perceptions, but I was too hungry and I didn’t have time to run into the 7-11 for some biscuits before our meeting. Mrs. Hoho (she chuckles at me fondly

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-15979018148444823672010-04-08T23:32:00.001-07:002010-04-09T18:30:07.350-07:00

A tea friend reminded me of Lu Yu’s advice to never turn down an invitation for tea.  I have turned him down twice because of scheduling difficulties, but his advice is good and I find myself being more aware of trying to accept invitations for tea. ______________________________________________ “I recommend that you don’t mention the year of your teas.  To experts, it doesn’t mean much.” 

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-28014352689649404442010-04-02T17:03:00.001-07:002010-04-02T17:03:43.778-07:00

I was at the Flagstaff Museum of Teaware in Hong Kong over a year ago, so these pictures and this article are long overdue.  In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that my pictures are of low quality, partly because of the yellowish-light used in the displays, but mostly because of user skill-lessness.  Photography is generally prohibited in the museum.  It was just my luck, though,

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-929826154770242892010-03-31T01:03:00.001-07:002010-03-31T10:15:22.841-07:00

I recently went out with some old friends of mine whom I’ve known since my college days.  One guy in particular has great stories to tell from his past.  By great, I mean they’re really funny and often quite scandalous.  And they almost always involve quite a bit of alcohol. Three glasses of red wine later (a very delicious, bold and deep Syrah, I might add) one drunken friend asks me: “Rich,

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-45264700240997536562010-03-18T12:54:00.001-07:002010-03-18T12:55:02.576-07:00

Roy Fong of the Imperial Tea Court is one of the first to make an impact on my personal understanding of tea culture (he used to have a teahouse near Seattle in the 90s) and his tea knowledge is quite vast.  I heard murmurs a few years ago that he was going to begin work on a tea book that he had been wanting to write for a while.  A tea book in the making by an accomplished tea expert, one that

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-11961487918870431452010-03-10T13:08:00.001-08:002010-03-10T13:14:07.293-08:00

I like to visit Hong Kong, but only for brief periods of times.  The city is vibrant and fast-paced, but the sheer density of the urban areas makes it difficult for me to feel comfortable with the limited amount of personal space.  The city’s frenetic energy tends to stifle my thoughts until I can escape into the vastness of the New Territories on the weekends Tea culture is decidedly different

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-50724666640127997112010-03-04T23:24:00.001-08:002010-03-04T23:27:12.694-08:00

Since oolongs never touch a flame directly, tea roasting is a bit of a misnomer.  Baking is a more accurate term, with “roasting” equipment functioning much more like ovens than like grills.  But since we all know the process as roasting, I won’t fight the tide.  I’ve been drinking and giving away more tea these past 6 months than I’ve purchased.  For some of my favorite daily-drinkers, my

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-76917226356012024042010-02-14T21:48:00.001-08:002010-02-15T16:08:29.396-08:00

"Tea and people resonate with each other.  If you want good tea, you will find it when you are ready.  Actually, it will find you."                                         (Jar of award-winning Dong Ding from 1975) My Dong Ding teacher pulled a box off of a high shelf in his house and showed it to me.  I’ve learned that if he’s going to let me drink something, he’ll automatically

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-25683516505582569382010-02-02T17:00:00.001-08:002010-02-04T08:31:34.159-08:00

“I have been here several times now, even in the winter, and it’s never cold.  Why is this place called 凍頂 – the cold peak?  Also, why is it called a mountain when we’re not that high up?  The name doesn’t make sense to me.” I had been sitting in the tea room of a new friend’s house on Dong Ding with some old-timers – farmers & roasting experts - when I felt comfortable enough to bring up these

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-48990616233386031962010-01-29T10:23:00.001-08:002010-01-29T17:49:53.415-08:00

“How many seasons are there for oolong?” I came across this question a while back in an article that was intended to help tea buyers better understand the products for purchase.  My guess is that the author has a specific number in mind.  The honest answer is that it depends. Dong Ding, for example, has two prime seasons – spring and winter.  However, there are often 5 harvests – 1 for each

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-83571963532370552262010-01-25T20:40:00.001-08:002010-01-30T09:57:45.500-08:00

Many tea lovers also appreciate beautiful teaware and antiques.  At many tea stores, you'll find a selection of unique and/or antique teawares for collectors. Sophie of Wistaria in Taipei is a collector and admirer of the arts.  She also has quite an eye for antique pieces.  There are many such teaware pieces at the teahouse. "How do you know a piece is real?  What are the signs, say, for this

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-24938132166149730812010-01-13T19:35:00.001-08:002010-01-30T09:59:19.173-08:00

"The more fake a tea is, the more fragrant and delicious it can be.  The more fake a tea is, the more it can sell, and for a high price.  This is the world of tea that we live in."  My Dong Ding teacher's viewpoint on the eroding landscape of tea is reflected in what happened to Alishan late last year, when typhoons destroyed 1/2 to 2/3 of the winter crop.  It is natural that higher demand

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-6218087820671882032010-01-05T12:22:00.001-08:002010-01-05T12:22:12.461-08:00

The Dude rolls out of bed at dawn.  He boils water to fill a pot of tea that he’s already brewed from for a few days; farmers don’t tend to waste anything.  His wife’s been awake for nearly an hour and has made a simple breakfast of rice porridge and leftover chicken that is hearty and sustaining.  She sets a serving in front of The Dude, grabs her sweatshirt and paddy hat off of the stool in the

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-37709429931539696382009-12-30T11:35:00.001-08:002010-01-07T15:07:14.605-08:00

There are too many factors to consider in tea tasting for there to be any one person that can set an absolute standard for what is “the best” or what is “right.”  Don’t think that the competition judges get it right, either.  When you have to taste hundreds or thousands of teas in one afternoon and only have a few moments for each one, it may be the luck of the draw for the producer whether he

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-45875143365161693782009-12-25T10:47:00.001-08:002009-12-25T10:53:06.846-08:00

A good friend of mine received a brick of pu’er about 15+ years ago from her tea-retailer friend in Taiwan.  She first told me about it 2 years ago, but couldn’t find it for me to try.  Turns out the tea was hiding in a cabinet she uses for books.          It is the 七三磚餅, “7 3 Brick” from the 1970s.  I don’t know much about pu’er, so I looked it up in Chan Kam Pong’s intro to pu’er book and

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-75292399008601585512009-12-23T00:24:00.001-08:002009-12-23T00:24:38.991-08:00

"You have so many questions.  Touch it once and you will learn yourself." 試聽知識 - the knowledge gained from experimentation.  I'm fortunate that my teachers are quite patient with me.  I can be like a monkey child, I point to everything and ask what it is, how it works, how to do it.... br "What's that?" I ask him on the way back to my quarters. "A dragon fruit bush.  We saw that yesterday,

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-15080211195156805922009-12-17T01:32:00.001-08:002010-01-30T09:59:49.035-08:00

"It's not unlike your Dong Ding teacher's wife. Good tea, it, ng, has the good stuff on the inside that you have to bring out." We were all laughing heartily by this point.  We'd just had a good joke over his own wife being decades older than me (I swear she looks like she's a college student) and now he was transmitting to me what he thought was the essence of the art of roasting, via a

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-55296306400946008792009-12-11T01:32:00.001-08:002009-12-11T01:32:42.842-08:00

Question:  Boiling water...why is it used for brewing oolongs?  Answer: Because the "Experts" do it. Yes they do (at least the honest ones), but here's why.  The teahouse owners buy from producers or distributors that use boiling water, whether in a bowl, gaiwan, glass, or competition "mug".  Not knowing why, some retailers use the same method. Oolong is brewed for longer periods of time in

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-12921581341677953022009-12-07T16:07:00.001-08:002009-12-17T03:02:10.461-08:00

I'm lucky to be in Taiwan during tea competition season.  I prefer winter season teas to spring season ones; I think they have more body, but sometimes at the cost of smoothness and/or fragrance. I've already tried some competition-grade Alishan and Baozhong, among other teas.  After several seasons of trying various competition-winnings teas, I am certain that the general trend for teas is

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-90870034844016665002009-12-04T15:31:00.001-08:002009-12-05T06:49:21.274-08:00

"Young man, Taiwan tea is complicated."  The Alishan tea producer sat next to me, with a few of his cohorts sniffing his competition-grade teas.  Such is the tea life in Taipei; walk inside a random tea shop and you might get to meet some of Taiwan's most famous producers.  To the Alishan tea producer's left was the descendant of the first Pouchong farmer in Taiwan.  Pouchong because he's

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-71454557155934567202009-11-27T21:31:00.001-08:002009-12-01T12:52:03.829-08:00

It seems that there’s been some more chatter about Hong Shui Oolong recently.  When I wrote this post about it back in July, I didn’t have much information about the tea beyond the books I have (in Chinese), the article about Dong Ding in the “Art of Tea” magazine (Issue #4), and some posts that Guang from Hou De had written. In the last few months, there have been articles about Hong Shui from

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-41123507846433939162009-11-24T23:30:00.001-08:002009-11-24T23:30:48.941-08:00

Clay, that is. I've been taking ceramics lessons for about a month now.  My very first piece was completely finished just a few days ago.                          It's a tea tools holder, in a bluish-green metallic glaze.          I'd like to learn more about how shapes, materials and the application of different heat and glazes affect the tea that is brewed.  Yixing clay is special

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-54497409760741108712009-11-21T02:56:00.001-08:002009-11-21T02:56:51.478-08:00

The harvest and production of Winter Taiwan oolong has begun.  It's not easy, though, to get a straight answer out of most producers on how each season's crop is doing.  I called my Dong Ding teacher yesterday to chat about this season's harvest.  "It's good.  Yes, fine, fine.  Are you in town?  When are you coming back?" Those are his favorite questions.   I didn't sense a high-level of

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-32473483184642265152009-11-04T00:00:00.001-08:002009-11-04T00:00:31.909-08:00

We started with a over 1/2 pound of unsealed Winter 08 Alishan High Mountain tea, and by the time we were done, only about 1/2 of that was left (granted, I also gave away some samples that we had to tea friends that stopped by that day).  The results of our first test? Boiling water releases the full body of the rolled-oolong leaves, as well as the full sweet & floral aroma.  However, boiling

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-69944489367151399692009-10-31T23:30:00.001-07:002009-10-31T23:31:23.345-07:00

In Vancouver now.  Tomorrow, I head over to have tea with my tea friend Daniel at Arts de Chine.  In a post from nearly two months ago, I stated my belief that good high mountain tea can take boiling water, whereas Daniel is of the thought that sub-boiling, hot water is more suitable.  We both agree that optimum water temperature may not be boiling, but we’re also quite weary of the discussions

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-8882538340949638332009-10-21T10:44:00.001-07:002009-10-21T10:44:56.251-07:00

Modern day oolong balls are mostly finished in electric-powered rolling machines.  Depending on the type of tea, farmer or processing method, the tea may first begin with some hand-work, but end up being finished in a machine. Back in the day before machines, though, oolong was rolled by hand and tools.  A part of the process, especially for Tieguanyin, included the tea being put in a cloth bag

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-68101677398571854792009-10-13T21:03:00.001-07:002009-10-13T21:03:04.157-07:00

I’ve found that lighter-oxidized teas need less roasting time to achieve a desired taste, but that the flavors can also change quite rapidly.  I bought several samples of Longjing from tea retailers around 2003 and noticed that their flavors had all changed quite noticeably within 1 month.  I am sure that if one were to graph the subjective flavors of the tea (ie. good to bad; fresh to stale;

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-82675859882477161282009-10-07T11:52:00.001-07:002009-10-07T11:52:21.846-07:00

We’ve got tea blogs.  We’ve got tea twitterers.  Tea websites, social networking, forums, online videos and all sorts of other uses of technology to spread tea love. The best thing about the internet – for tea – has been our ability to gain and share knowledge, as well as to buy from retailers all over the world.  Had a great pu-er from NYC?  Well, chances are, your friends can buy that same tea

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-85234362968276488602009-10-03T20:32:00.001-07:002009-10-03T20:32:47.244-07:00

Puerh.  I still don't drink a lot of it, but I'm starting to develop a taste for it.  It used to be that when people asked me what I thought about puerh, my answer was the same: "I can understand that some people really like something about it, but I don't like it more than oolong.  I just don't get it." I questioned the reasoning behind drinking a tea that tastes like a basement smells when

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-58379879287895652052009-10-01T13:42:00.001-07:002009-10-01T13:44:31.703-07:00

I'm not sure.  I've heard about a lot of different institutes that convey this title and various other degrees of "expertness."  There are several in Taiwan and China, and a few that I know of in North America.  I remember reading about the exam requirements for a particular certification in Taiwan.  A core requirement for passing is a blind taste test of different teas, which consists of them

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-69024324962238763782009-09-20T14:07:00.001-07:002009-09-20T14:07:31.866-07:00

The latest piece in my collection is a mid-late Qing dynasty gaiwan.  The collector I bought it from dates it to the late-1800s.  I was most interested in figuring out how this piece - the shape, materials, processing - would affect my tea brewing. The person that I bought the piece from theorized that it would be best used for high-fire oolongs, helping to soften the brew.  I tried the tea on a

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-16537597365505231112009-09-18T00:42:00.001-07:002009-09-18T23:04:12.956-07:00

I love aged oolongs, but why? It's because many older teas that have been aged well are from superior crops, representing an age of tea that we may never have again.  Skill, technology, weather/soil/growing conditions and the tea plants are changing, and the particular tastes of teas that I love are changing, too. Take Dong Ding for example.  Zhou Yu of Wistaria teahouse in Taipei told me that

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-12523537250552089012009-09-05T12:42:00.001-07:002009-09-18T16:23:34.092-07:00

With regards to Taiwanese oolongs and water temperature, I agree with Shiuwen Tai at Floating Leaves Tea's position that a solid Taiwanese oolong, whether it be Four Seasons or Shanlinxi, can withstand boiling water.  That's not to say that boiling water is optimum for the best brew, only that it can be used without destroying the tea.  I visited Daniel again at Arts de Chine this past weekend.

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-49057420168806125332009-08-28T16:40:00.001-07:002009-09-18T16:25:50.576-07:00

The tragic typhoon that struck Taiwan earlier this month may possibly lead to the passage of an earlier-proposed law to prohibit commercial farming at elevations above 1500 meters.  Such a law would affect the high mountain tea plantations at the highest altitudes.  Dayuling oolong around Lishan and the various types of high mountain oolong produced around Taiwan's highest peak of Yushan, as well

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-78314021505457857452009-08-27T01:39:00.001-07:002009-08-27T01:39:07.292-07:00

Pears...apricots...plums...honey.... If it tastes sweet, especially if it's naturally sweetened, I'll probably want a sip or two. A reader commented recently that she loves black tea with milk and sugar.  You know what, it does indeed taste good with milk and sugar.  It can also taste really good on its own, with honey, or mixed with juice. I had some Louisiana-style southern food last week

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-90766589426489622502009-08-18T18:26:00.001-07:002009-08-18T18:26:54.645-07:00

How deeply have you looked into the leaves and the brew of your favorite tea?  Can you pick out some of the characteristics that make it unique?  I believe that every master tea maker leaves behind a part of their identity in their product.  Drink enough tea from a single producer and you will know that maker's signature taste.  There is a taste and beauty in each tea that is testament to the

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-87431697197698974932009-08-14T17:32:00.001-07:002009-08-14T17:32:28.677-07:00

The recent typhoon that struck Taiwan has caused a lot of damage to the island, mainly to the south, as it hit Taiwan and headed NE to China and Japan. Taipei and most of Northern and Western Taiwan were spared the bulk of the wild weather, but they did receive a lot of rain.  Central Taiwan was mainly ok, although Alishan seems to have been hit pretty hard.  A lot of people are still trapped in

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-85260770494912487132009-07-27T12:45:00.001-07:002009-07-27T12:45:15.337-07:00

I've brought up tea storage vessels before.  It's true that farmers and producers that I've met say that thick-gauge plastic bags have been fine for them, although most don't intend to age the teas in them for decades.  Tea experts also carefully re-roast/refresh the teas every so often. The consensus is that good tea goes into a vessel.  Where the disagreement occurs is what type of vessel to

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-9762162191847259802009-07-23T23:11:00.001-07:002009-07-27T12:39:51.810-07:00

It was my second time visiting his shop.  Its not particularly easy to find and it's interior is quite disorganized.  Walking past it, I would never have guessed that it was the headquarters of such a skilled and well-known Alishan high mountain oolong producer. But there I was, standing next to giant drums of tea as I stepped inside the fluorescent tube lighted room. "I don't have time to

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-75598196745993025192009-07-20T17:22:00.001-07:002009-07-20T17:32:22.056-07:00

I had my first taste of this tea years ago at a tea fair in California, although I didn't know enough about tea back then to pick up on the characteristic higher oxidation level of this tea.  Prior to my most recent purchase, my last taste of it was with Stéphane of Tea Masters in Winter 08.  He had a solid example of Hong Shui for us to enjoy.  However, the beauty of the tea was eclipsed by an

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-46748253680944398652009-07-12T20:35:00.001-07:002009-07-13T12:08:44.712-07:00

There is a lack of descriptive words for tea's flavors and scents in English, most likely stemming from a lack of translations for them.  There are only a handful of basic taste categories that we experience.  Sour is one of them.  When it comes to tea, though, there are many different types of sour, both as sensations and as flavors.  Sour as a sensation would be like biting into a lemon and

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-44492723463769844542009-07-06T21:01:00.001-07:002009-07-06T23:02:21.843-07:00

I visited Xiu Xian teas in Bellevue late last month.  I met Mako - one of the owners - as well as her helpful Taiwanese employee, Jenny.  Xiu Xian teas opened their first teahouse in Kent several years ago, and a second store in Crossroads Mall was recently opened.  Good business means that the market for quality teas is growing; awesome. There are many teas to choose from at Xiu Xian, including

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-63542255448904549192009-06-27T18:15:00.001-07:002009-06-27T18:18:25.393-07:00

He guaranteed that after 6 lessons, I'd be able to roast - with skill and competence - ANY oolong tea.  How? Hailing from an academic background, my potential instructor had spent several years uncovering the fundamentals of tea making and turning it into what he considered to be a foolproof method of instruction.  Per his syllabus, we'd spend several classes learning about the plant's

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-17507359778584694782009-06-21T16:58:00.001-07:002009-06-21T16:59:10.141-07:00

Cool people abound in the tea world.  Sit down at a teahouse and it's not hard to meet someone that shares your passion for the brew.  But lately, I've been recalling some of the crazies in the tea world too, the same type of crazies that exist anywhere else.  And the liars, the cheaters, and scoundrels that I have come across.  It's story time again. In the tea mountains close to Taichung

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-50105747070797905282009-06-19T13:00:00.001-07:002009-06-19T13:03:39.861-07:00

After a week of using my new, wood-fired gaiwan, I have gotten used to the particulars that it requires to brew better tea.  Water temperature that is a tad lower than I usually use, a slightly longer brewing time, and unlike my basic gaiwan, this one prefers to have the lid kept closed between brewings.  The result is tea that tastes more "alive;" the fragrance alone lingers on the lid for over

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-60340615074855981552009-06-08T11:17:00.001-07:002009-06-11T00:31:51.557-07:00

                  -more tea with Daniel of Arts De Chine- I like to visit Vancouver once in a while, it's a beautiful city.  Daniel's shop is my favorite place to get teaware, as I find him to be knowledgeable, honest, and to have good prices. I went to him needing good porcelain.  My Dehua cups and pitcher that I bought in Taiwan earlier this year showed me that the clay - whether in porcelain

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-74878184290394702152009-06-02T23:27:00.001-07:002009-06-02T23:27:52.534-07:00

The Elder told a friend of mine recently that he was afraid that I was getting ripped off on some of my tea buying trips.  He was concerned that I was paying way more for tea than it was worth.  Granted, we often have different tastes, but he knows pricing better than anyone. My reasoning to him has always been quite simple:  tuition fees.  I learn a lot from many of the people whom I buy tea

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-86511938467033898812009-05-24T16:37:00.001-07:002009-05-24T16:37:55.219-07:00

Many oolong teas can do well with a light firing right before you brew. Spot firing/roasting is when one uses a heat source on the tea prior to brewing it. This can give an oolong a fuller flavor & aroma, and more body for the brew. My first attempt at spot roasting was with my rice cooker and an aged Baozhong. The tea had picked up some extraneous smells from storage. I just stuck it straight

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-79979797356789351172009-05-15T22:41:00.001-07:002009-05-15T22:45:26.801-07:00

When I started to use the rice cooker to "roast" and freshen teas, I primarily used high mountain-style teas.  The first one was a Shanlinxi, the next was an Alishan.  Within the first few months, I also played with Baozhong and other light oolongs. LESSON #1:  High mountain teas are delicate; practice on other teas first.  The interior temperature of the rice cooker can reach nearly 100

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-57889284407595072032009-05-07T16:55:00.001-07:002009-05-07T16:55:24.517-07:00

Over the years, many different types of teas have been purported to do the trick. Black teas, moldy teas, green & white teas, and now, oolong and Wuyi Mountain teas. Maybe it does work for a variety of reasons, and maybe it's just a bunch of lies along the same lines as the slimming/lengthening/strengthening supplements sold on late-night TV. But I do have a friend that has a great explanation,

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-36686192560619231182009-04-26T18:08:00.001-07:002009-04-26T18:09:42.626-07:00

I've only used my Aroma-brand rice cooker for rice cooker roasting/freshening.  My first experiment was with a Shanlinxi high mountain oolong that a friend gave me in early 2008.  It was a premium-grade product  and I had a bit more than a 1/2 pound of it.  Excitedly, I opened the gift, only to find that the bag it came in had off-gassed into the tea, creating a plasticky odor.  I brewed the tea

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-19698896848930668372009-04-18T18:09:00.000-07:002009-04-20T14:00:44.069-07:00

Yes, and possibly more! A producer was talking about one of the teas that he made, which he said was especially hardy and could keep brewing.  When I asked him how many brews, he said at least 30. I thought I had heard wrong.  Thirty in Chinese can sound like "three or four," and I said to him that 3 or 4 infusions wasn't that much, to which he replied, "You didn't hear wrong the first time, I

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-48175815489418547622009-04-13T18:00:00.001-07:002009-04-18T18:43:08.986-07:00

First, the equipment.  There are many types of rice cookers on the market, some of which are very fancy and can cook an entire meal at once.  My rice cooker is a simple one with two buttons:  cook and warm/off.  I bought it at Costco 3 years ago for about $40, putting it in the budget category.  However, it's simple to operate and has a non-stick interior surface.  This type of rice cooker is

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-11307731857705197612009-04-13T17:59:00.001-07:002009-04-18T18:43:32.394-07:00

I first heard about this method several years ago and thought it was a joke.  Shiuwen of Floating Leaves said that she had heard of people using rice cookers to roast tea in places where they didn't have access to professional roasters.  After some consideration, I thought that it could totally work.  A rice cooker has a fairly high internal temperature, can accommodate variable amounts of tea,

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-26492405103499592472009-04-01T17:42:00.000-07:002009-04-01T17:42:00.196-07:00

  100+ year old Dong Ding tea bush My Dong Ding teacher's wife is an expert roaster herself.  Her method of roasting is completely different than most other tea makers.  It's an advanced-level technique that requires even more precision in temperature adjustment than usual forms of tea roasting, and more robust maocha in order to make good tea.  A poor tea base roasted using her method would

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-45608163702607519552009-03-25T12:19:00.000-07:002009-05-05T11:07:49.938-07:00

    

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-28504973856485274162009-03-23T11:22:00.001-07:002009-03-23T11:22:50.532-07:00

Although he's not officially one of my teachers, I think the world of Mr. Zhou and have learned a lot from him.  He is one of the most celebrated tea masters in Taiwan - if not the world - and his contributions to the art and study of Taiwanese oolong in particular cannot be overstated. On one of our first meetings together, I brought him an old Tieguanyin that my teacher had given me.  As we

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-47962092334719390142009-03-16T01:00:00.000-07:002009-03-16T01:34:48.134-07:00

The nice gentleman fills my cup again.  Machinery at the production facility Mr. Li runs a maocha production facility.  He grows tea, has teams that harvest the leaves, and then he produces the tea base - maocha - that many tea producers will buy from him in order to roast.  Mr. Li serves me a maocha without the finishing roasts, which tastes overpoweringly bitter and astringent, with a very

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-89576019589944422012009-03-11T02:36:00.000-07:002009-03-16T01:23:22.830-07:00

I visited the Flagstaff Museum of teaware in Hong Kong Park before I left the city.  It's quite a nice place with some fine examples of ancient Chinese teaware. The theme of several of the galleries was tea drinking and tea culture during different Chinese dynastic periods.  Of particular interest to me was the style of brew during the Tang dynasty, which is the time period that the great tea

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-82501293970690904112009-03-02T10:21:00.000-08:002009-03-15T23:56:44.623-07:00

What is the first "good" tea that you can remember drinking?   preparing for tea in Hong Kong Mine was Longjing. Sure, I started off drinking oolong teas, but the first one I considered to be really special and good was a Dragon's Well tea. It was, and still is, a famous green tea of China and that status probably played the tea up a bit in my mind. But thinking back, the tea that I had

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-85700513505245250312009-02-25T10:14:00.001-08:002009-03-15T01:00:44.610-07:00

"Do you ever get tired of drinking the same kind of tea every day?" I asked my oolong teacher.  "You only drink one or two varietals, and it's usually your own tea.  It's been more than 40 years, don't you wanna have a bubble tea sometimes?"                   The last part was supposed to be funny and elicit laughter from him.  He smiles at me a lot, as if he's trying to read my brain like

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967775190974226615.post-39921337287276913342009-02-09T03:42:00.000-08:002009-03-15T00:59:54.969-07:00

There are many ways to store tea.  I've seen it stored in plastic sandwich bags, clay jars, Ikea jars, earthenware containers, porcelain urns, metal or tin cans, plastic-like coated foil bags, aluminum foil, silk cloths, bamboo containers, paper boxes.... I've tried several of the above storage methods and although I haven't aged any teas for more than 5 years, I have found that different teas

Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12758040731026166149noreply@blogger.com0