Just tea and what sticks

When it is simply about seeking solace and or enjoyment from a cup of tea, I let my senses guide me. Depending on what I am craving for, a laid back tea session gives rise to the most memorable tasting notes that I take away with me towards the last brew.

With the same Hong Shui Oolong, this afternoon's tea comforted me with its fleeting floral fruity scents, followed by a sugarcane sweetness that seems to go on forever like a true friend who is tirelessly there for you.

Curated tea #1 - Red Water 'Hong Shui' Oolong

Traditional ball-styled oolong look and feel very supple to touch.

This medium roasted oolong is representative of Taiwanese oolongs. With the name Hong Shui, meaning red water, it is thought to produce a very red brew after infusion. However, this isn't so. The main producing areas (but not all, as in this case) of red water oolong are located in Dong Ding, Nantou County. During the process of manufacturing, special attention is paid to the precise level of leaf fermentation - a highly-skilled technique!

Preheating

For my customers, I have selected a red water oolong from the mountainous Shan Lin Xi area, located at roughly 1.5 km above sea level. My wish is to combine high mountain scents and  freshness with a gently roasted tea that not only tastes sweeter but can keep well. Roasting is such a process that reduces the overall tea's moisture content while concentrating the leaves' sugar content and improving the overall taste and aftertaste.  The joy of storing such roasted teas and enjoying them in years to come also deserves special mention! Unfortunately, the strong demand for light fragrant unroasted tea in the last 10 years at least has made it less appealing for tea producers to invest time, money and effort into the 'hong shui' process, resulting in fewer sourcing options. When choices are limited, consumers shortchange themselves by closing the doors to many pre-existing opportunities of tasting diversely processed teas. 

A glowing purple- red zisha pot after a hot douse of water

Opening this bag of oolong for the first time really lifted my mood that day. The leaves smelled pleasantly floral and deceptively light I would have thought that this is the unroasted version of Shan Lin Xi oolong.

Leaf appearance: Nice tightly rolled traditional ball style oolong, with yellow brown stems and relatively green leaves. The tightly rolled leaves also carry a particular sheen on their surface which makes it look particularly mouth-watering and secretly raised my expectations. 

Infusion: Autumn in my tea cup! The brew's green-ish yellow appearance seems to hint at freshness despite this being a roasted tea. For tea saucers, I picked old Japanese bronze pieces to add to the autumnal atmosphere and symbolise the roasted nutty undertone of this tea which is not at all obtrusive to the greener notes present. Also included is a gold kimono sash to impart a luxurious feel that reflects the taste of this tea.

Roasted yet almost green  and very tender leaves!

Taste profile: A medium, slow roasted tea that suprises the palates with its fresh high mountain characteristic accompanied by flavours of baked fruit layers - notes of plum, apricot, peach and honied hazel move from my throat to nose. These flavours develop at the tongue's root alongside a slight sappy but delicate ending. A tea of superb character & contrast!

This post is all about teaware

With the widespread availability of tea knowledge and frequent information exchanges online, tea drinkers' demands on teaware have not only increased but diversified. Gradually we are witnessing a revival/ reinventions of  teaware item. 

Crafted glazed Korean ceramic cups, pair of two, 38 USD

Blanc de Chine 'White from China' tea cups, 19 USD each

 The items that you find in my shop have been almost exclusively sought out from various locations. Along the way, I have also met people and professionals who share my love for teaware and the creation of unique pottery pieces. They continue to inspire me to write about anything to do with the vast and deep topic of tea.

Ivory white tea display plate - leaf design, 13 USD each

Hongni (red clay) Yixing teapot 1970s, 380 USD

As our bodies renew themselves with the coming of spring, I thought this to be an opportune blog entry to  include select pieces of teaware items (as requested) that add to your pleasure of designing and drinking from Cha Xis (茶席).

Floral & fauna pewter saucers, set of five, 280 USD

Japanese dark green teaboat with painted scene, 38 USD each

Tropical colours absorbent tea cloth - 23 USD each

To order, please email: missteadelight@gmail.com.

What makes brewing tea in a pot special?

Today, I prepared some Hongshui Oolong from Nantou, Taiwan. The tight Oolong balls smell faintly of caramel with a slight roast similar to that of warm chestnuts. I was curious to find out how this tea will perform when brewed in a pot.

For this roasted tea, I used my Zisha pot with pleasantly surprising results. I did not come across anything like this when brewing with a porcelain gaiwan. The infusion was an alluring and deep golden colour with high transparency.  Strong notes of lychee fruit and sugarcane permeated my tea corner as I poured emptied the contents into cups. The antique copper-based saucers that I chose for this session reminds us of fallen leaves and lend themselves to an outdoor feel.  I am not preparing tea outside as it is an overly warm 32 degree Celsius daytime temperature!

Being a rather young tea, the level of astringency is obvious and may not be as comforting a drink for weak stomachs. I will have to store this aside in a pewter jar to see how this tea develops in a few weeks' time from now.

Blogeintrag auf Deutsch: Was macht das Kochen von Tee in einer Teekanne so besonders?