Monday, October 18, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tea Tasting Terms
Tea Tasting Terms
Tea tasting is an art form. Many of the terms used to describe certain characteristics of a tea, are similar to terms that are used when tasting wine. Below are some of the terms used when tasting tea.
- Aroma: The odor of the tea liquor, also called the nose or fragrance. A complex aroma is often described as a bouquet.
- Astringency: The sensation of astringency is caused by a reaction between polyphenols (tannins) and the protein in saliva. This creates the "puckery" sensation along the side of the taster's tongue.
- Body: The tactile sensation of weight and substance of the liquor experienced in the mouth. May be described as thin, medium, or full.
- Muscatel: Describes a characteristic reminiscent of grapes. Also describes an exceptional characteristic found in the liquors of the finest Second Flush Darjeelings.
- Full: Describes liquor possessing color, strength, substance and roundness, as opposed to empty.
- Thick: Describes liquor having substance, but not necessarily strength.
- Thin/weak: Describes tea liquor lacking thickness and strength.
- Toasty: Describes the liquor of a tea which has been slightly overfired during manufacture. It may be desirable in some Darjeeling teas.
Infusion Guide
| Infusion Guide (edited, from https://secure.worldsourceintl.com/infusion.htm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We suggest starting with these guidelines and then altering them to meet your individual taste. It stands to reason that the longer the infusion time, the “stronger” the broth. We recommend starting on the lower side of the suggested steep times. We find that shorter steep times allow the tea drinker to “feel” the flavor of the tea, and then begin to experiment and evaluate the way the tea responds to longer infusion times. We do suggest becoming familiar with the desired color levels of the teas. Making teas too “strong” on initial infusions unduly depletes the tea of additional future pours, and often results in tea with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Our usual tendency is to think that more is better, so the stronger we make the tea the better. We urge you to discard that concept, to err on the weaker rather than the stronger side, and to “feel” the flavor of the tea. As you increase your infusion time gradually, you will find the best result for you. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Your water should be free of added chemicals. If you drink spring or well water straight from your tap, and you water has been tested and approved, you should be able to use your water for making your tea with excellent results. If however your water is “city” water, or includes any chemical additives, we suggest you use bottled, filtered, or freshly distilled water. If you are using bottled water, it should be high quality water. Read the label to determine where the water actually comes from, and be sure you are satisfied with the origin and the quality. There are many types of vessels used for infusing tea. Most teas can be infused in a variety of vessels. We recommend following the traditional and most common vessel for each of the tea types we offer. The three most common and traditional vessels are the teapot (many varieties), the Gai Wan (small bowl with cover), or the heat resistant (Pyrex) glass. An important part of the tea experience is the appreciation we experience when infusing and sharing the tea with others. Enjoying the aroma, the visual qualities of the tea leaves and the liquor helps us reflect on the importance of each moment of life. This aspect of the tea experience cannot be understated in the pleasure tea can bring to us. Today’s world does not always allow us the time to fully derive the complete pleasure that tea infusion can bring to us. Temperature is not just important, but critical, especially with the whites and the greens. White and green teas are rushed from the tea gardens to the processing factories so that heat can be applied to stop the enzyme action as soon as possible. To protect the beneficial polyphenols in the tea, care must be taken not to use water that has been heated beyond 170 degrees F. When beginning infusion in China, the first step is always a rinse of the leaves. The first pour immerses the leaves in the water for a short period of time. We recommend 10-15 seconds for this first “rinse”. The rinse water in China is used to then wash (rinse) the tea cups and serving utensils that will be used during the serving of the tea . During the rinse, the tea leaves “soften”, are cleansed of any surface contaminants, and become conditioned to absorb the first infusion. We recommend the first infusion being slightly longer than the second. After the second, the infusion time can be gradually increased as the number of infusions rise. Eventually, the color of the liquor will begin to diminish which indicates the tea leaves are exhausted of their precious oils and ingredients. |
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Your daily life is your temple and your religion. When you enter into it take with you your all. ~Kahlil Gibran
And I bring tea, and the love that has always come with it for me.
There are those who love to get dirty and fix things. They drink coffee at dawn, beer after work. And those who stay clean, just appreciate things. At breakfast they have milk and juice at night. There are those who do both, they drink tea. ~ Gary Snyder
"Now you understand the Oriental passion for tea," said Japhy. "Remember that book I told you about the first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy. ~Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums
Monday, September 27, 2010
Time is hot water to brew in
Time is hot water to brew in
Divine mother time
Holding imaginations of air as flexible
and trees as solid
The rhythms passing through two minutes
Fingers stroking steel chords out of
wood curved like a woman
Morning bed rolls in the sunshine never
fall behind the eternity of a seven minute snooze
breathing forever for twenty
The liquid that surrounds and brings out
our essences is hot
Wide spread molecules chattering and dancing
and wiggling, spreading, coming together
Bubbles popping into the air, transforming
The ripple of bubbles following
one another in a smooth spiral
of bird wind dances
Moving through the boiling explosions
plants alive dance and die
Twirl off a singing root to come to
the fairy reaper
Dried and saved and blended
mummified and seeming dead until
just the right hot ribbon swirls through
and revives an essence of flavorful
healing, dewy dances
The plant’s seeming time with us is
never over
Divine mother time
Holding imaginations of air as flexible
and trees as solid
The rhythms passing through two minutes
Fingers stroking steel chords out of
wood curved like a woman
Morning bed rolls in the sunshine never
fall behind the eternity of a seven minute snooze
breathing forever for twenty
The liquid that surrounds and brings out
our essences is hot
Wide spread molecules chattering and dancing
and wiggling, spreading, coming together
Bubbles popping into the air, transforming
The ripple of bubbles following
one another in a smooth spiral
of bird wind dances
Moving through the boiling explosions
plants alive dance and die
Twirl off a singing root to come to
the fairy reaper
Dried and saved and blended
mummified and seeming dead until
just the right hot ribbon swirls through
and revives an essence of flavorful
healing, dewy dances
The plant’s seeming time with us is
never over
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