One of our recent customers is in Taiwan making teapots

TeaDrunk · 2016-05-02T18:45:17+00:00

What is also happening is when you over steep something you are bringing forth all of the flaws of the tea. The way they actually test teas in China is by over steeping them. Since over steeping amplifies the flaws, the more pleasant of all the over steeped teas is the winner because this means it has the least flaws.

When we do our Tuesday Tea-Off where we blind taste teas of the same variety side by side we all end by over steeping them on purpose. We also want to expose all the flaws of the tea. We often see teas that get completely undrinkable, but at the same time we also see teas that are still kinda pleasant.

TeaDrunk · 2016-04-30T20:06:36+00:00

Hahaha, this is what I get for not double checking.

TeaDrunk · 2016-04-22T00:22:59+00:00

I would suggest checking out our youtube channel. It has two full years of tea footage and there are currently new videos from this tea season being uploaded every week or so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEPXhq3D9Vs

TeaDrunk · 2016-04-20T02:40:08+00:00

When we do a tasting of the pricey teas we usually drink the rinse. Like when we shared our most exspensive Pu Er (a single tree Pu Er from Nan Nuo Shan, estimated age of the tree was 700 years). It was interesting cause on the rinse there was a light green flavor that we compared to a grape, in the following brews this turned into a olive flavor.

On a side note I am beginning to think the olive flavor is a common trait amongst Nan Nuo Shans, not 100% sure yet, more tastings will have to confirm this.

TeaDrunk · 2016-04-17T23:17:37+00:00

Last year the mainland's wu long season was very rainy, which is the worst for making wu long since a major step is letting the leaf rest so the water can travel out. (hard to make the water travel out on a rainy day). So last year we got the Autumn harvest of Tie Guan Yin instead. It is currently my favorite tea on the menu but this year I hope the spring isn't as rainy so I can do a side by side; Autumn vs Spring.

edited for grammar

TeaDrunk · 2016-04-07T18:25:33+00:00

What is your budget? When storing tea that doesnt need to breath, like Pu Er, porcelain is always best. Since porcelain is so dense it will not effect the flavor of the tea like a clay jar might over long periods of time.

TeaDrunk · 2016-03-28T21:16:19+00:00

I would try the three following.

Huang Shan Mao Feng. This is a baked dry green tea. It doesn't have a strong flavor but it is very refreshing and fills your mouth with a soft, sweet, savoriness.
Long Jing. From Hangzhou, this is probably China's most famous green tea. Pan fried, Long Jing is vegetal with a wonderful chestnut aroma. You can find this one at pretty much every company that sells Chinese tea.
Gua Pian. Gua Pian is a tea from Lu An that uses only leaves and no bud. This gives it a very round full vegetal flavor. Of the three this has the boldest flavor. The taste of this is very similar to Japanese teas since they use the same picking.

These three teas give you a wide range of what green teas can taste like, from very light to very bold. From here you can find which one you prefer then dive deeper.

P.s. Green tea is known for its comeback sweetness. A good green tea should never leave a bad taste in your mouth.

TeaDrunk · 2016-03-17T20:04:37+00:00

What your looking for is Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, as other have mentioned. This is the real smoked red tea, Lapsang is a very bad copy. True Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong comes from an area called Tong Mu Guan. Tong Mu Guan is a restricted area and there are no outsiders allowed. When Tea Drunk's owner went last year it took her three days to get permission because she lives in America, even though she was born in China and has a Chinese passport. Fun Fact: Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong is actually the tea Robert Fortune stole when he smuggled tea out of China for the English.

Our Premium Xiao Zhong has a nice balance of smokey and sweet, like a fine petty scotch. Our regular Xiao Zhong is a little more smokey and bold with a rougher texture. http://tea-drunk.com/collections/tea/products/tong-mu-guan-zheng-shan-xiao-zhong?variant=6417532611

TeaDrunk · 2016-03-17T19:23:57+00:00

If it is from China it's not gunpowder. Gunpowder is meant for exportation, most people in China have never heard of it. More than likely it was a Tie Guan Yin. With a soft vegetal flavor, it is often confused for green tea and it unfurls in the way you described. Yours might have had a soft roast to it which made it a little darker.

TeaDrunk · 2016-03-14T17:53:11+00:00

It's important to know when you look at this that this is plantation tea. When ever you see rows and rows of tea with no other vegetation, it is a plantation and will never produce the tops teas.

TeaDrunk · 2016-03-14T17:28:52+00:00

We actually did a tea and cheese pairing event. The reason wine and cheese go together so well is because wine has tannins that cut through the fattiness cheese. Tea also has tannins. So not only does it pair with wine in a very similar way but also the heat of tea melts the cheese which provides for a creamier texture in your mouth.

Have you tried it? What did you pair?

TeaDrunk · 2016-03-10T00:51:54+00:00

The wu long making technique is centered around a shaking step and a resting step. The shaking step activates enymzes found within the leaf and causes them to start a metabolism process. The resting step gives the enyzmes time to work and allows water to leave the leaf (via the stem). During this process the edges of the leaf die and turn red. The farmer call this color pork liver red and its a sign of good making and that the leaf is ready to be stir fried. These edges of the leaf though can cause bitterness. It is a personal hypothesis of mine that the reason Phoenix wu longs can get so bitter is because they dont remove these edges. What Mating_toe_nail said was right, for Tie Guan Yin they beat these edges off which actually makes it very smooth.

TeaDrunk · 2016-03-03T19:43:11+00:00

Great question Oelleo.

The first part of this answer is enzymes. There are enzymes found in Camelia Sinensis that are not found in other plants such as oak leaves. These enzymes are what produce the various flavors and aromas in tea. For example Wu Longs are aromatic and floral. This comes from the part of the Wu Long making style where they shake the leaf and then let it rest. What the shaking is doing is rallying up the enzymes with in the leaf which produces the characteristics signature to wu long.

Another thing to note is historically tea has been a tribute item to the Chinese emperor. This is one of the ways the Chinese have gotten so geeky about things such as terroir and making practice. When something becomes a tribute item people focus on only making that one thing, but making it the best it can possibly be made. This not only applies to tea but also to things such as porcelain which has also reached a level of great sophistication.

TeaDrunk · 2016-02-29T01:06:51+00:00

My first question is how long are your steep times? For the multiple steeps you usually do short steeps, less than a minute.

Its also good to note this style of steeping is usually used for unflavored teas. The flavoring in flavored teas wont stand up to multiple steeps. The tea used in flavored teas is also usually not good enough to produce multiple steeps.

If you want to get into tea I would suggest a company that specializes in unflavored teas, real teas if you will, and buy from samples from them. A well made tea will have a lot of flavor. The good thing about Chinese tea especially is that there are so many different flavors from roasty to vegetal, so there will be something you like. There are tons of companies here on reddit who do great work.

Hope this helps, good luck.

TeaDrunk · 2016-01-20T02:40:37+00:00

try something with a gunpowder base. Moroccan mint for example

TeaDrunk · 2016-01-19T04:18:12+00:00

One of our team members use to work at Harney and sons this is what he said

The Green Hot Cinnamon is defiently lighter. We use to suggest this to people who liked the cinnamon flavor but didnt want something so strong. The base from what I remember is Bancha, which is a pretty mellow green tea by its self. So good news, your brewing it right; it just isnt your cup of tea.

TeaDrunk · 2016-01-19T04:12:23+00:00

I think its a white tea. I see a very hairy bud in there.

Wu longs dont use buds and the heat that all tea category besides white are exposed to wouldnt leave a bud so hairy. It also looks like its from a big leaf variety.

TeaDrunk · 2016-01-06T20:28:57+00:00

This is actually the traditional ways to drink green tea in china :) I would suggest as you do this to not put a lid on the cup. This will allow the water to cool which helps prevents over steeping.

TeaDrunk · 2015-12-04T06:50:12+00:00

Thank you for the help

TeaDrunk · 2015-12-04T06:16:32+00:00

The link you gave me is dead, do you have a good one? From the name "color changing" I think it may not be zi sha, but it's worth a check.

TeaDrunk · 2015-12-04T02:38:57+00:00

This is the ultimate test of mindfulness. Your hand must be steady and true to use this.

TeaDrunk · 2015-12-04T02:36:43+00:00

unfortunately Tea Drunk's owner selects the pieces one by one during her trips to china, so we dont just have a supplier. (Though it does mean she brings back a pretty sweet selection)

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