Tongue Pucker

What's the shortest time you've tried for the first steep?

/Lew

I pour the water on the leaves in the Pavina and start sipping off the top in about a minute. The last sip off the bottom is a hair raiser. Obviously in a pot the water is more diluted and the taste is somewhat mitigated but still present when leaves are absent. If youre suggesting the first cup is a wash then I can live with that. These are the only leaves that give me trouble with the Pavina.

Jim

"The last sip": that's a giveaway. By the time you're done sipping, the leaves have been cooking in that glass for too long. Try pouring off the tea liquor from the brewing vessel before you drink it. I know it's fun watching the leaves dance in the glass, but taste trumps appearance, right?

/Lew

I think it is a signature taste having something to do with quality or maybe something in the water seriously. One of these days I might fork out the big bucks for the top grades and see if the taste persists. Its just these two and the first cup. I can mitigate by decanting but I still taste it. Ceylon greens come close but I have to let them brew awhile. If someone tells me their average Sencha or WL taste the same way, sipped off the top or decanted within a minute Id feel better.

Jim

So your view Sencha is a strong tea. I always assumed the opposite since the leaf is paper thin. Maybe that gives it a little more bite. In fact, I couldnt tell the difference between Sencha and WL. I guesstimate my teas but I can say I always end up with about the same leaf volume for the greens. Ill have to cut WAY back. If youre drinking yours 'weak' thats a start for me. The agony of the leaves might be reduced to you bad bad leaves. I know any brewing technique is a compromise. This is my first au contraire.

Jim

I'm not sure who the reply is to, but I'll chime back in :)

Yes, sencha is strong flavorwise and does get bitter as do many Chinese greens. That is the trick, to pick teas that don't overbrew easily or at least don't turn extremely bitter. Dragonwell can range quite a wide spectrum so it is impossible to say what any one particular one is like. Some are lighter and nuttier (would work well) and some are a bit darker green and harsher (not so good for this type of brewing). Yellow tea can be had pretty inexpensively and it exhibits much of the flavor of a good green while being perfect for exactly what you want.

- Dominic

I find green teas have a broad taste range but not harshness relating to the same weight or volume except in this case. I expect strengths of blacks to vary which is a function of grade size. In oolongs the oxidation can vary which contributes to the perception of strength which I call boldness. When it comes to a particular tea like Dragonwell the taste can vary but not the strenght. Its been awhile but Imperial Gunpowder gave me the wee bee gee bees and if I remember right the posts always ended up talking about potency. If push comes to shove I can pull out a Bodum tea press with a cropped plunger. Nah I like my tiny tea bowl with unlimited perspective. I cant say either tea brews the most wholesome leaves Ive seen. It never occurred to me the thin leaves released the good and bad at the same rate.

Jim

PS When you post from the top all posts look the same.

Man you are a nebulous one. I'm way too tired for analysis so I'll do my best. Gunpowder in my opinion is always bad, even at its best it is bad. You're fine with your Pavina just use less leaf and let it brew a bit longer at first and then it will naturally continue to brew as you sip and should stay palatable the entire time.

- Dominic