Re: Tea freshness and brewing parameters.

My theory: one of the reasons that very fresh tea provides a superior

> brew is that it is more forgiving in its brewing requirements. Also, > that older tea can still produce good brews if handled correctly. > > I've recently become very picky about my brewing parameters (mass of > tea, temperature, and steep time) and have found that the quality of my > brewed tea has increased tremendously. Until changing my brewing > habits, I had given up on a few of my teas that I considered well past > their prime, but were expensive and thus couldn't throw out. > > In particular, I have one pre-qing ming lungjing that I foolishly "saved > for special occasions" which didn't occur frequently enough. I > revisited the tea and, with some experimentation, found that it can > still deliver a very good brew, but only within very tight parameters. > > Any thoughts? > > Cameron

Let us know the parameters please

JB

Reply to
J Boehm
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In the case of this particular lungjing the parameters were 3.5 grams,

150 mL, 150 degrees F, 2min even. I found that a temperature change of 5-10 degrees in either direction substantially decreased the quality of the brew while a change in mass made the tea insipid or bitter and metallic.

The tea did perform well with temps up to 170F and as low as room temp when fresh and leaf quantity wasn't as big a deal either. Now 170F produces a harsh and unpleasant brew while sub 150F just makes warm water.

I'm not prescribing my new method as the best for lungjing. In fact, I think that 150F is too hot to get the best out of a good fresh lungjing. I'm using the example only to note the change in effective brewing parameters.

Cameron

Reply to
Cameron Lewis

Cameron snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com9/16/03

23: snipped-for-privacy@mailandnews.com

Cameron,

Well said, and plausible. I've also made the mistake of saving that special long jin for special occasions, thereby ruining it. How do you insure the

150 temperature? Do you use a thermometer, or another more intuitive method?

BTW, may I suggest that you leave some of the original post for context when you respond?

Best, Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

Cameron snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com9/17/03

22: snipped-for-privacy@mailandnews.com

Again, your point about the ceremony well taken. Or you could "loosen up" in a sense and incorporate the thermometer right into the ceremony. I love the bubble size approach -- although it needs to be adjusted to individual pots, I've found -- but remember Mr. Lu Yu most likely did not have a Taylor thermometer at his disposal. If he had, who knows?

BTW, Mr. Okakura Kakuzo, who famously wrote The Book of Tea, appears in a drawing by Mr. Shimomura Kanzan in said book showing him with a cigarette in his fingers. So much for the credibility of those oriental mavens. (Again, flames always welcome, but keep it too the list please.)

Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

I just reopened a foil packet of rote grutze after about 18 months. It tasted stale, but I'm not sure it isn't supposed to taste like that.

Reply to
Charles A Lieberman

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