Sommeliers, the professional wine tasters who are typically responsible for the wine pairings in your favorite restaurant, have an expertly developed sense of taste and an unbelievable ability to parse and articulate whatever they are tasting. But they have been trained rigorously, and worked hard to develop those senses. Smelling and tasting whatever they come across, they take note of the substance, its state, and the circumstances that they were experienced They commit the story to their memory. Once there was a beautiful sunset, noted one wine sommelier, that he would climb up the pine tree as a child to see. One day, he found a tea would evoke just that exact memory. Being able to recall flavors is a practice, and having the ability to taste and recognize the flavors, is the first step. So take note of what you taste carefully and mindfully, and rewards may be quite unexpected.For tea,…
Know Your Tea: Steeping Times and Temperatures
Like everything else in life, tea is easy to make adequately, but takes practice and a bit of mindfulness to make it perfectly. Many feel daunted by the process, but there are really only a few crucial guidelines to understand and one’s tea experience is then greatly improved! Think of your green tea as a fresh, nutrient rich vegetable, like spinach. When you steam or blanch your spinach, you certainly want to avoid over cooking into a slimy, yellowed version. Instead, you want a vibrant, flavorful, green vegetable, achieved by not over blanching or steaming. This same idea applies to green tea. To avoid bitterness, you’ll want to use water heated to a lower temperature, around 180F, well below boiling. Use a thermometer for ultimate accuracy, or, once the water has boiled, wait 3-5 minutes before brewing. If you have a moment to pay close attention, wait until a medium steam is rising from…
The Ghost Face spider and the Five Venoms: not everyone is so…
The Ghost Face spider and the Five Venoms: not everyone is so interested in the multitude of bugs at the Taiwan Beauty farm. He hangs, like the dismembered head of a circus ringmaster, his top hat still atop and grinning away at the prospect of incoming victims. Here at the Taiwan Beauty farm, the ugly duckling tea bushes are sparse little groves in a field of overgrown weeds, and the bugs rule. We arrived into a sky filled with circling dragonflies, with enormous webs from tea bush to tree, and sitting there waiting? The Ghost Face Spider! I explained to my tour group that this is nature at work. Taiwan Beauty is an oolong tea that results from the bites of the tiny Leaf Hopper cicadas. For that, a habitat of wildness must be maintained for their benefit, and that habitat is also welcoming to the rest of the bug kingdom. In comes the giant Ghost Face Spider to take care of the unwanted other bugs- giant crickets, preying mantis, even a sparrow or two.
He hangs in the sky, grinning madly and silently, waiting….
Tea Travels: The Bordeaux of Tea
Tea Travels: Thank you China
The strongest tea in the universe, the 12,000 RMB (about $1950 USD per lb), Rougui oolong from the Cow Fence Enclave. Yes, that’s the name of the most sought after micro-terroir of the Main Cliff 正岩 of Wuyi region. There was a little enclave in one of the vertical cliff areas, a farmer discovered that he could force his cows up there but they can’t come down and run off easily, a natural cow fence. So per serving is what, about $30? What a steal! Lasts about 20 infusions, so my per sip cost just went down to 45 cents! Well, math geniusness aside, I have the Communist government crackdown on corruption to thank. This leader grade stuff was never before accessible to commoners. Strong, aggressive, thick viscosity like broth, and stamina through all 20 infusions- this is the boxing champ of teas.
Tea Travels: Keeping it Real
Still seething from the plagiarism of my story on the Phoenix Ya Sai on this blog, I asked Mr. Zhang about the massive amounts of fake Dahongpao out there. Why, there is cheating at every level! Sometimes the tea pluckers will harvest your top mountain raw leaves but will turn in low mountain stuff. They look the same as raw leaves but once they are roasted, huge differences are obvious but too late. Outside producers will come in and open a production factory, registering with local authorities and even pass inspection. But the tea they make as Dahongpao? Not even close to being from this region. And what about the real tea from this region generically called Dahongpao? Blends of generic Wuyi low mountain stuff. No clear discernible taste of a single varietal. Blending is a cuss word here in Wuyishan, conjuring up wicked mercenary merchants. Telling a real story…