Yunnan Golden Monkey

Upon my latest visit to Jeffersons Tea shop, the purveyor drew my attention to a new tea which he had in stock by accident - a wrong delivery of Yunnan Golden Monkey. This tea gets its name from where it is grown (Yunnan province of China), the quality of the leaf (high percentage of gold tips and buds), and the original method of its harvesting (monkeys were used to pick the leaves of the large trees growing precariously on the side of mountains. The 'monkey' reference may also refer to the appearance of the leaf resembling the hair (or the claws) of the Golden Yunnan Monkey which is native to this area.

This tea is fantastic! The aroma has an amazingly sweet bouquet. The tea brews a lovely bright reddish-amber colour and the taste is a blend of Yunnan's unique pepperyness and a well rounded fruitiness with a hint of honey.

Yunnan Golden Monkey continues to brew well after three infusions, remaining clear in the cup and surprisingly bright in flavour. At this point in time, this tea is my favourite black tea. The search is now on for another to replace it!

Dragonwell Tea (Long Jing / Lung Ching)

I have since found a Chinese Emporium in Hobart which sells Dragonwell tea. I am trying to consume my current Adelaide batch so that I am 'forced' to buy some. I am really enjoying the Dragonwell tea. It is perhaps one of the most well-balanced Chinese Green teas I have tried. It is smoother than a Gunpowder or Chun Mee, and yet deeper than the Monkey Green. I wonder how different the top of the range Dragonwell tea would be. Mmmm, must find out some time...

The origin of Dragonwell tea is rather fascinating. It is China’s most famous tea and has over a thousand year history and is referred to in the first ever tea book (Cha Ching) by Lu Yu in the Tang dynasty. Longjing comes from a small village on the Fenghuang Hill, in Hangzhou Zhengjiang Province. It is said that residents in ancient times believed that a dragon dwelt there and controlled the rainfall. This caused people to travel to this well from all the surrounding areas whenever there was a drought to pray for rainfall, from as early as the Three Kingdoms Period (221-280AD). The origin of this belief may be due to the fact that when rain water floats on the denser well water it makes shapes appear which resemble the movement of a dragon.

Adelaide Visit

I went to Adelaide a few weeks ago with my wife and sons to visit my brother and his wife. While over there I hunted around for some tea shops. I purchased tea from three different vendors.

The first teas I bought were a Dragonwell Green Tea aka Long Jing aka Lung Ching, and a Pu-erh tea.

The second venue was a tea-shop called "Kappy's & Wright Plantation Teas". Visiting this shop was an enjoyable experience. It had a relaxed feel, with friendly staff. The tables tops were made from Indian tea crates and along one wall was an extensive range of teas, covering a large number of varieties. From this shop I purchased two teas, a Margaret's Hope Autumnal Darjeeling and a Monkey Green Tea. The latter is a bud-rich, delicate green with a natural sweetness, making it a very pleasant drink.

The final tea purchase was made only minutes before leaving for the airport back home. It was from a lovely Chinese teahouse and homwares shop called Saldechin. Among the teas available for drinking or purchasing was a Baihou Yinzhen (Silver Needle) tea. Not seeing any on the shelf but having read that they stocked it, I enquired and was informed that some had just arrived but hadn't been packaged yet. Therefore I was able to purchase it in as fresh condition as possible. And upon making my first pot later that day (back in Hobart), I could tell why it was costlier than Pai Mu Tan. Silver Needle tea gets its name from the fact that it is made up completely of closed buds which have a silvery, downy and slightly pointy appearance. A wonderful drink, especially for evenings. The shop also sold cakes of aged pu-erh tea for around $75 each. I must return there some time for this purchase.

So, all in all, I was very happy with my tea-exploration of Adelaide. The Silver Needle (Baihou Yinzhen) and Monkey Green teas are both unavailable in Tasmania (as far as I'm aware) and so they have made fine additions to my tea collection.

Gyokuro and Shincha arrivals

A few weeks ago I ordered Gyokuro Premium and Shincha Tradional tea from http://www.hibiki-an.com/

Upon opening the packages the initial aroma revealed the teas' freshness and quality. As Hibiki-an is a family-owned company time and money was saved by buying directly from them, as the order was sent straight from the tea farm to my house. In the case of the shincha only days had passed between its picking and being in my teapot.

It has been interesting learning how to master the art of brewing Gyokuro and I have found 55 degrees Celcius seems to be the best temperature for this particular type.

More later...

Tea Card has been posted.

Hooray! Click on the card to enlarge

One small step...

Well, I've managed to place one of the tea cards along the sidebar (under my profile). But have not as yet discovered how to insert it in the main body of the post. Will keep trying...

Tea Cards Complete!

Over the last few months I have been sporadically working on Tea Cards. They were initally intended to have very few words on each card to be used for a tea game. But as I went along I decided to make them more comprehensive (as much as cards can be at any rate). Thus the result is 33 cards, made up of three cards per variety and 3 cards on tea grading. Each card provides the following information:

1. Type of Tea Variety
2. Name of Tea (with its meaning in English)
3. Country of Origin
4. General Information - including historical and/or interesting facts
5. Appearance - of both the leaf and the infusion
6. Aroma
7. Taste
8. Brewing Instructions
9. Information on Tea Type
10. Card Number

The tea varieties represented are:

1. Ceylon Teas
2. Chinese White Teas
3. Chinese Yellow Teas
4. Chinese Green Teas
5. Chinese Oolong Teas
6. Chinese Black Teas
7. Chinese Pu-erh Teas
8. Indian Teas
9. Japanese Teas
10. Taiwanese Teas

And the last three cards have information on tea grading.

I would still like to create a game around these cards - my next project. But for the moment I am happy with the outcome. I aim to post these cards on the blog. Will have to figure out how to do this first, however.

Happy Gongfucha!

SHINCHA ARRIVAL

Around two weeks ago now my arrival of two shincha teas arrived from Japan (see previous post for definition of shincha). It was a 30th birthday purchase (my first online purchase infact - although my wife has bought a number of things for me online before). The teas were purchased as a gift set, packaged in two wonderful tins. Click the link below to see the company's ad for this gift set:
http://www.o-cha.com/green-tea/Green-Tea-Gift-Set-pr-16268.html

The teas are fantastic! One is a Miyabi sencha from the Uji region (near Kyoto) which is Japan's oldest and most regarded tea growing area. This sencha is among the finest money can buy. It has an intense aroma and a strong grassy taste, producing a strong green colour in the cup.

The other tea is a Yutaka Midori sencha from the Kagoshima prefecture (near the southern tip of Japan). It is slightly less astringent in taste and darker in colour than the the Miyabi, but I find both teas to be quite similar in terms of the fresh, grassiness of their flavour and natural sweetness which lingers long after the drink is finished.

You still have a chance to get hold of these two shinchas, and I heartily recommend doing so. Don't forget to reduce the brewing time to around 1 1/2 minutes for both teas to avoid any bitterness.

Until next post,

Happy gongfucha!

SENCHA

I've finally got around to writing the promised post on unwrapping a tea type in more depth. Over the last year or so I have become increasingly captivated by green teas, particularly those from Japan. One of my favourite green teas is Sencha, and it is this tea I want to 'unwrap' below.

WHAT IS SENCHA?

Sencha is the term for Japanese green tea that is grown in full sun, as distinct from gyokuro (which is grown in shade for up to 3 weeks), or genmai cha (which contains puffed brown rice) or matcha (which is made from finely ground gyokuro leaves and used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremonies). Sencha makes up around 75% of all Japanese tea production, and varies considerably in quality.


WHAT DOES SENCHA LOOK LIKE?

Sencha leaves are usually rather long and narrow in appearance with a colour ranging from pale to dark green. As a general rule the darker and more intense the colour, the better quality/fresher it is.
In the cup, sencha brews a light yellow to powerful green colour (again, the darker the better). After steeping, the leaves unfurl to a rather more roundish shape with a glossy green appearance.


WHAT DOES SENCHA SMELL LIKE?

Sencha leaves usually have a distinct grassy smell (if this is lacking it 'may' be a sign that tea is not fresh). Also, sencha often has a smell of the sea - that sea-weed beachiness that sets it apart from Chinese green teas.


WHAT DOES SENCHA TASTE LIKE?

I believe the marks of a good sencha is in the balance between its natural sweetness and its astringency. A fresh, fine quality sencha should be quite rebust in flavour, exhibiting it's grassiness without being bitter. When brewed correctly, the sweetness merges with this grassiness to make it such a memorable drink.


HOW DO I BREW SENCHA?

It is usually recommended to use 1 heaping teaspoon of sencha for every 250-300 mls of water. The water should be at around 80 Celcius (leave the water in the kettle for 3 minutes after boiling, then transfer water between pot and cups - thus also prewarming the tea vessels), and allow to steep for 1-2 minutes. Leaving any longer than 2 minutes will cause your brew to become bitter. For what it's worth, I tend to use more tea for my brew (1 heaping teaspoon for 200-250ml of water), and a slightly cooler water temperature (around 70-75 degrees - leave kettle for around 4 minutes before transferring to pot/cups). This results in a sweeter, smoother flavour. Also, it allows for better tasting second and third infusions as the tea leaves haven't been 'burnt' of their taste in the first infusion.


HOW DO I STORE SENCHA?

Like all teas, it is important to store sencha in an air-tight container away from light and heat. Doing so will leave your sencha reasonably fresh for up to a year - although you will notice a deterioration in taste already after a couple of months.


SOME REMARKS IN CONCLUSION...

If you haven't tried sencha before - you must! However, do ensure you purchase genuine sencha tea. Some Chinese companies market their tea as sencha, usually referring to it as 'Japanese-style '. This usually indicates that the tea has been processed using steaming rather than the usual Chinese pan-fry method - but does not guarantee the tea will resemble the true Japanese sencha tea in quality of appearance, aroma and taste.

Secondly, try to get as good and fresh a sencha as possible. Anything bought from a supermarket or general grocery store will be vastly inferior to sencha bought from a reputable tea-merchant. If possible, discover when the tea was harvested and from where. Uji is the oldest tea-growing area in Japan and is usually the source of the finest teas.

Thirdly, any tea-bag sencha will be of a rather dubious quality - usually the late season harvest and lower-grade leaves - resulting in a comparatively tasteless brew.

Fourthly, during May-July it is possible to buy Shincha tea ('shin=new, cha=tea). This is first harvest sencha which has only been slightly steamed. The result is a very aromatic and fresh tea. Due to its limited processing, shincha is a rather perishable tea which is why it is only available during the harvest months of May-July and should be consumed within three months (which in actuality is the 'best consumed within' period of most sencha tea).

Fifthly, if you find you are a little disappointed with your sencha experience upon your first attempt, don't despair. Two things are important to keep in mind. One, you will need to experiment with brewing times/amounts before you get it right. Two, like most extra special food and drink items, sencha tea is an acquired taste. Whilst some are hooked by the first cup, others will need a few drinks for their tastebuds to fully appreciate this unique flavour (especially if they are used to drinking black tea and perhaps subconsciously expecting a similar flavour).

I hope this has provided you with sufficient information to whet your appetite (or if you are a seasoned sencha drinker, confirmed what you already know) on sencha.


Until next post,

Happy gongfucha!

Tea Varieties - The Chinese Six Colour System

Below is a brief introduction to the main tea varieties available. Understanding some of the processes involved in the various tea types is crucial for appreciating their different qualities, and preparing the teas appropriately.

I received a wonderful book on tea from my wife a few months ago called The Time of Tea by Dominique Pasqualini and Bruno Suet (translated from French). It has a very interesting section on tea classification and I drew heavily on this for the post below.

In the West, tea is often divided into three main types, based on their level of post-plucking fermentation:

1. Green (unfermented)
2. Oolong (semi-fermented)
3. Black (fully-fermented)

Although this is helpful, the Chinese recognise six tea families. They are not only classified based on fermentation levels, but also on their differing effects and the manner of drinking them:

1. White
2. Yellow
3. Green (lu)
4. Blue-Green (qing)
5. Red
6. Black

These can be further divided into triplets:
1. White, Yellow and Green (unfermented)
2. Blue-Green, Red and Black (fermented)

They can then be further classified into pairs based on leaf type and Processing method:
1. White/Yellow: only downy buds used. Only dried in sun.
2. Green/Blue-Green: buds and young, delicate leaves. Steamed or heated in pots.
3. Red/Black: adult leaves. Dried, crushed, fermented, fired.


These six teas can be generally defined as follows:

1. White Tea: made entirely of downy buds - Bai Mu Dan (Pai Mu Tan) "White Peony, or Yin Zhen "Silver Needles". The tea is immediately dried in the sun without other treatment. White tea come from rare genuine varieties, each with a world production of less than 300 kg. They produce a clear drink in the cup with a natural sweetness.

2. Yellow Tea: similar to white, except that they have undergone a form of light and stewed fermentation in a pan. Even rarer than white tea. Both white and yellow tea will keep for up to two years.

3. Green Tea: in their dry state, green teas have very different appearances. The buds and leaves are fragile and should be used from three months to a year. Fermentation is halted straight after plucking, either by steaming (Japanese preferred) or by heating in large copper pots (Chinese preferred). The most widely consumed tea variety in Asia and arguably the most diverse in flavour, in Japan, ranging from the coarse Bancha (particularly the "Kukicha" - stalks only variety) to the finest, spinach-green Gyokuro.

4. Green-Blue Tea: oolong (wulong) tea is fermented between 12 to 65 percent. Although one of the lesser known teas in the West, in China and Taiwan there are several thousand vintages, representing the largest range of teas. The dried leaves are dense gren with bluish reflections. Least fermented types, such as "Wen Shan Bao Zhong" have a fresh floral aroma, while the higher fermented oolongs, such as the "Bai Hao" or "Dan Cong" have a leathery aroma and a taste of muscat.

5. Red Tea: this is what the West know as black tea. It is reddish, amber or crimson in the cup and its aromas should be fruity, woody, sometimes chocolatey. It has a roundness in the mouth. It is fermented from 90 to 100 percent. Ceylon and Indian red teas (such as Assam) are usually darker and stronger in flavour than those from China (Keemun, Yunnan), although the Indian Darjeeling is an exception.

6. Black Tea: post-fermented tea; aged tea. Predominantly Pu Er or compressed tea. They are teas that have been given an extended period of fermentation, a method of maturation similar to that of wine for keeping. During this process, the tea completely loses its theine but gains in tannins and flavinols. Black tea has a smell of humus and undergrowth and is arguably drunk as much than for its physical effects and sensations than for its taste or aroma. Compressed tea (cake tea) often has an emblem impressed on it and was used as currency, marked sections being able to be broken off as required. Beware of cheap imitations such as "Tua Cha", with its rapid forced fermentation in factories and its blending with red tea!

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In a future post I will unwrap these tea types in much more detail. I have been enjoying green teas a great deal of late (particulary Japanese Sencha) so that may have to be one of the first I'll address!

A brief (but hopefully concise) account of the history of tea will also be coming along some time soon.

Until then,

Happy gongfucha!

Welcome to A Pot of Tea - a site for all things tea

Hello and welcome to my first ever blog post!

I intend to use this blog to share one of my favourite pastimes - exploring, preparing and drinking tea (camellia sinensis).

I hope you find this blog of interest and I invite anyone passing through to stop in for a cuppa and contribute to this site.

Happy gongfucha!