The simplest way to enjoy a cup of Dan Cong oolong tea

Gong Fu tea takes time and concentration, a good mood and good company also desired if possible. If you think gong fu style is the only way to make a good cup of dan cong oolong, here is an easy way out, the result is also very tasty. Some times I think it is even better this way.

Take 2 to 2.5 grams of dan cong tea leaves, for commercial grades you can use up to 3 grams. Any more than that might be too strong.

Use a large and THIN gaiwan, 200 ml would be ideal. A big thick coffee mug does not bring out the same result.

You can see the ratio in the picture below

Fill up the gaiwan with boiling water with the water landing on the side of the gaiwan not hitting the leaves directly. Do not cover.

Good tea leaves are packed with substance hence heavy in weight, it sinks to the bottom of the cup quickly, the quicker it sinks the better the quality of the leaves, it must have a rich texture!

Do not disturb the tea while steeping, drink as you go, each level of tea has its own complexity, as the taste intensify, your sense of taste awakens. 

Fill up for another cup of tea and more

What can be easier than making a cup of tea by just adding hot water!   I actually like drinking old bush dan cong teas this way more than gong fu nowadays.  It allows the personality of tea to reveal naturally under any parameter.

This method also works very well for WuYi rock teas and quality green teas, not recommended for teas that are high in astringency and bitterness. 

Typhoon hits Chao Zhou

For the last few days, Eastern Guang Dong province was hit by severe typhoon.  City of Chao Zhou was in the center of this harsh weather, with over 4000 trees being up rooted!  A water reservoir dam is partly destroyed.  Lucky enough the tea gardens had relatively less damages compared to the city. 
Ever since 2010, bad weather hits the area every year!  We can only wish for better days in Spring 2014, we need a good crop of Dan Cong teas! 

Marriage between water and tea

Any serious tea drinker knows how important water is to tea, just like what a soul mate can do to ones life.    Tea is who we are, water can change tea as a mate can change us.  The best of tea can be awaken by the best matching water, just as the hidden potential in us can be brought to to life with the right person. 

Recently, Martha and Richard gave me a big jug of Spring water from Frasier Mountain which they filled up on a trip.  It is the best spring water I find in the states that is best for Dan Cong oolong.  After testing with several 2012 and 2013 DCs, all of them performed much better, the aroma has re-bloomed, the taste is sweeter and richer.  After so many years of brewing DC, I am so deceived to assume I can not mess up a brew too badly.  When the characters of DC are not so up front, I just assumed the it is lacking in some ways.  In fact they are there asleep, all it takes is the right water to wake them up.

One of the ugly ducklings is the 2012 Hong Di - Red Stem, every sip is a spring blossom down the throat, then comes the soothing honey nectar, finished with a mouth full of fragrance.  Just as a rich and beautiful DC should be. 

Yi Xing tea pots

Yi Xing Clay Teapot Shui Ping Hu 90 ml

Yi Xing Clay Teapot Horse Carriage 120 ml 1302

 Taiwan Purple Clay Tea Pot - Mei Ren Jian 180ml 1302

2012 Gong Xiang

Wow, you just never know how well can a dan cong become with time.  I had one today as I was packing teas, 2012 Gong Xiang.  The aroma is amazingly apparent at the nose, in the taste and lingers in the breath.  Most of the time, the flavor becomes better, the texture becomes smoother.  For Gong Xiang, the aroma is better significantly.  I had not had a tea with a fragrance last this long, not even the 2011 Gong Xiang of the same tree.  A slight floral fragrance can still be traced on my taste buds after many many infusions.    I am liking it very much!!!!

 

a picnic

Just a picnic on a cool cloudy day. What a wonderful time!

Just to say I am alive and drinking tea

For a long time, I don't know what to write about tea.  It has been part of me just like air, you tend to forget breathing it most of the time, but who can live without it!

Today's teas, two whites and a dan cong.  We all put away teas and forget we have them at all, until one day, digging through an unattended box, then there they are, what a surprise!

5 years old silver needle gourds

7 years old white peony

2013 Song Zhong

The white peony is very nice, deep rich finishing, mellow as an aged tea should be.  The Song Zhong performed extremely nice with Fraiser Mountain spring water, a generous gift from Martha and Richard!  The silver needle gourd white tea is hard cord, with lotsa caffeine which made my heart pounding fast.  It may not be something I prefer, but only for those with needs of caffeine rush.  :P

Tea Tour of China!!!

Ah.... Martha, what have you done!!   :P

Tea tasting is fun and can be extremely challenging to me by those with active minds.

A tour of the Chinese tea mountain and markets!  If you are interested in going to China with Imen, roam around the tea markets in Guang Zhou, see the tea plantations in China, taste fresh tea leaves cooked in meals, watch how tea is made, and drink tea well in to the night at local tea houses, we are planning a trip for you.

I have in mind a relatively relaxing trip for the first time, 10 days trip around Thanks Giving time, during the world tea expo period,  begin with flying into Guangzhou city:

day 2 and 3, check out the largest tea market in the world (over 10k merchants) and the largest world tea expo of Guangzhou.

day 4, lunch or dinner and tea at an antique house converted restaurant, a food massage after that, tea drinking well into the night

day 5, 6 fly to Hangzhou, visit the world famous west lake and visit the local life, museum and garden

day 7, head up to Longjing mountain to check out tea fields, stay overnight at the mountain village

day 8, & 9, head over to city of Shanzhou, up the mountain of Shan, a lunch and/or dinner by the local tea farmers, mountain free range chicken, wild boar ham and fresh tea, bamboo shoot meals, run wild amongst the tea bushes if you dare.


day 10, fly back to Guangzhou, then head home.


We will try to stay in clean environment at all time, however remote tea mountains can be a bid country style without the fancy toilet, please consider that before jumping on board.  This is mostly happen on day 8 and 9.

I pick the above itinerary out of the consideration of our concern of comfort and level of foreign cultural shock.  Most of the time we will stay in cities with modern comfort, only a day or two of rural experience. 

Transportation, hotal, tour tickets and meals will be included with a tour guide in every location, fully insured.  Please keep in mind, if you have severe food allergy and/or health condition, go at your own risk. 

If you are interested, let me know soon and I will put this into action.  Flying to China in Nov is low season, air fare is relatively affordable.

In the future, we can plan trips to other tea regions combined with local sight seeing and food.  Yunnan, Wuyi mountain, Huangshan mountain are all great tea producing regions at the same time are famous tourist area.  If one trip is not enough for you, there are many many more tea mountains to see in China.  At least I find it fun to combine tea and sight seeing together, but can not be tea hunting alone. 

Well, it's a thought for now and you can chip in your thoughts, perhaps we can make this happen very soon. 

Free Gift

Free gift with purchase
Tea Habitat

with purchase of $100 or more, valid while supplies last

Coming up Sunday tea tastings, check out the schedule and menu

Tea event at UCLA 04/23/13

This is the 5th year that the NCAM of UCLA will be hosting the tea event consecutively.  As one of the volunteers of the event, I am very proud to be part of this event for so many years. 

Since it has been a few years, if a freshman attended all 4 events, he would had been graduated by now.  So my concern is what should I talk about when there are students had been to more than one events, I am sure they would not want to listen to the same materials over and over again. 

Tea can be a deep subject, it never ends.  For young minds which may or may not have much exposure to the world of tea, what would they be mostly interested in knowing? 

I personally think tea can be separated into several categories:

1, the basic of understanding types of teas by color, cultivation, processing
2, tea brewing
3, how to identify tea by quality
4, drinking tea and health
5, energy of tea and nature

each category can be extended with many sub categories, which become a large tops on its own

I don't have time nor  that the students have the patience to listen to a 5 days talk at once.  What would you be interested to know if you were one of the audience?  Your input is appreciated greatly. 

My first tea tree

I got this last week, it's a small plant sown from seed.  The seller did not specify the varietal only informing seeds are from China. Let's play the elimination game for now until I receive feedback from China for its identity.  From the look of leaves, it is not pu-erh, it is not green tea, it is not wuyi rock tea, not dan cong either.  I am aiming for one of the varietals from Anxi oolong region.  My guess is Huang Jin Gui.

One might wonder why plant a tea tree, and why years later?  Well, I wish I could have started a few years back so it would be producing by now.  Last year, I visited the long jing producing region and had young tea leaves fried free range chicken eggs.  It was so refreshing and delicious, I can not forget how wonderful it tasted.  So planting a tea tree solely for this purpose is in my mind ever since. 

Tis the season to drink Dan Cong oolong!!!

Dan cong oolong is a moody tea alright.  Season's change also changes Dan Cong teas' performance.  I find fresher the dan cong is, the better it will taste in Spring, Summer and part of Fall.  They hibernate during winter.  When spring comes, they bloom again releasing fabulous fragrance and sweet like nectar. Winter is a season for aged or heavily oxidized dan cong or teas that hold the same characteristics. 

Cupping through my stocks of dan cong oolong of various harvests, most of which tasted better than I last had it during Fall and Winter. 

2011 You Hua Xiang - Pomelo Flower Fragrance

Today, I am preparing for the first tea tasting of the year, cupping teas in stock is my task for the next few days.

2011 Dan Cong teas are now fully open up!!!  I am extremely delighted to find 2011 stocks are performing at its prime.  The fragrance is rich, the texture is silky, the flavor is intense and full.  After taste is refreshing aromatic sweet intense and long lasting.  My favorite is You Hua Xiang so far.  It is well rounded with everything you want in a cup of nurturing tea! 

Time after time, dan cong teas prove to become better with time!  Look forward to sharing these wonderful fairy teas at the tea tastings!   

Spring Tea Tasting 2013

Spring is here!  Weather is getting warmer day by day.  Let's have tea by the sea again.  

Spring Tea Tasting by the sea 

3/17/2013

 Spring Tea Tasting
Spring has arrived, enjoy a warm afternoon by the sea with tea.

Time:
Sunday, March 17, 2013 @ 1 pm

Location:
Point Vincent Lighthouse Park at Palos Verdes Peninsula

Menu:
2012 Long Jing Green Tea
2012 Crystal White Long Jing Green Tea

2007 You Hua Xiang -- Pomelo Flower Fragrance

2009 Au Fu Hou - Gardenia Fragrance

2011 Mo Li Xiang - Jasmine Fragrance

2011 Lao Cong Shé Men - Shé Entrance

2012 Zhi Lan Xiang - Cattleya Orchid Fragrance

2012 Po Tou - Ginger Flower Fragrance

$35 per person
Reservation only, no drop by please

2009 Au Fu Hou

Drinking an Au Fu Hou the other day, after a few years, all of its strength has surfaced. My one and most important definition of good tea is it makes you feel good regardless of flavor and price.  Old bush dan congs share one characteristic, it's soothing to the body, soft and relaxing as taking a spa treatment amongst blooming orchids. 

Like wine, each yield and crop has its own stamps of characteristics, richness, depth, substance are the fundamental essence of quality measured by aroma and flavor.  For Dan Cong Oolong tea, my personal favorite years are 09 and 07.  They are richer and deeper period! 

Spring Tea By The Sea

Sunday, partly cloudy, slight breezy, rolling clouds drifting ashore, a day of many skies.

We had tea here as usual, just 2 ladies having afternoon tea by the sea.

On the menu are 4 teas: 2012 Zhi Lan Xiang (it's great year after year, never disappoints), 1978 Dan Cong, 2006 Lao Ban Zhang, 2006 Dan Cong.

Gem stone flowers

Gem stone flower pen zai (Bonsai), a popular table top decoration since Qing dynasty. A beautiful name Jin Yu Man Tang - Gold & Jade Fill the Room, wishing for wealth and fortune. Colors of gems are vivid and consistent year after year, I particularly like the transparency of the stone.  As a little kid, I had not the appreciation for such traditional beauty.  Today, my love for them is growing strong.