> > Jazzy > writes:
> > > Any one had any toughest experience in brewing tea?
>
> > > I would have to say Bi Luo Chun green tea. I tasted the same tea in
> > > the store brew with the seller and it tasted really good, with mild
> > > nutty flavor and lingering sweet undertones. Back at home i tried
> > > brewing it various methods here and there I couldn't get the best
> > > out of it.
>

Jazzy!

It is the same experience here! That bloody BLC!

I had one from a Dongting West Mountain tea garden. I can't get it to
brew properly.

I paid seriously top top bucks for it.

It has all the signs of an authentic tea.strong fruity aroma that you
will never find anywhere else, very tiny leaves that is so distinctive
of BLC and durability.

But can't brew it right.

I will try again. At different concentration and temperature. Will let
you know.

Julian
http://www.amazing-green-tea.com

with the BLC i only got to an awesome flavor 1 time,
needed some tea on the go, so i put some leaf in a .5L bottle room
temp water
when i came back (hour/hours?) the fruity/apricot flavor surprised me,
it was so tasty!
but i havent been able to replicate the exact experience.

looks like BLC is really a tough tea to brew!

On Aug 24, 11:09 am, Jazzy > wrote:
> looks like BLC is really a tough tea to brew!

I'm struggling with Dan Cong.

Phyll

On Aug 25, 2:36 am, Phyll > wrote:
> On Aug 24, 11:09 am, Jazzy > wrote:
>
> > looks like BLC is really a tough tea to brew!
>
> I'm struggling with Dan Cong.
>
> Phyll

Phyll,

Dan Cong? Why? How do you ussually brew it? I would use water around
slightly before boiling degree, I admit that it can get nasty with dan
cong, certain breed can go bitter if overbrewed as well as depending
on your brewing techniques you might get more infusions or lesser
infusions.

snip

> I'm struggling with Dan Cong.
> Phyll

It goes bitter when pushed too far, right? But, for me bitter is not bad. Anyway, I fill my gaiwan or gungfu pot chockablock with Dan Song and then, using water just off the boil, I do instantaneous steeps for the first several and then add seconds slowly from then on. It works for me. BLC I've ruined, DC seldom.

DC is a good example in my opinion of tea which provides, as Lew mentioned in another context, different pleasures brewed in different ways. Although I never bring the water temperature down, I do increase and decrease the amount of leaf and the length of steep occasionally to vary the taste and style: Generally, pushed harder, I get more bitterness and more finish. But, pushed like that, there can be a harshness up front.

Just my random thoughts.

Michael

[Jazzy]
Dan Cong? Why? How do you ussually brew it? I would use water around
slightly before boiling degree, I admit that it can get nasty with
dan
cong, certain breed can go bitter if overbrewed as well as depending
on your brewing techniques you might get more infusions or lesser
infusions.

[Michael Plant]
> It goes bitter when pushed too far, right? But, for me bitter is not bad. Anyway, I fill my gaiwan or gungfu pot chockablock with Dan Song and then, using water just off the boil, I do instantaneous steeps for the first several and then add seconds slowly from then on. It works for me. BLC I've ruined, DC seldom.

> DC is a good example in my opinion of tea which provides, as Lew mentioned in another context, different pleasures brewed in different ways. Although I never bring the water temperature down, I do increase and decrease the amount of leaf and the length of steep occasionally to vary the taste and style: Generally, pushed harder, I get more bitterness and more finish. But, pushed like that, there can be a harshness up front.
>
> Michael

Sorry for the late reply, Jazzy and Michael. It's hard to get a
consistent and intended result, and I'm still trying different brewing
parameters that involve leaf : water ratio and steeping time. Yes, it
gets bitter easily when pushed (not) too far, or gets too astringent
with some types. It is an oolong that I find very sensitive to
temperature, time and quantity of leaves used. To complicate matter,
there are many roasting level of the tea, and each type is somewhat a
different animal, requiring its own learning curve to get it "right".

What I "usually" do (I have not settled with any adopted MO) with the
high fire DC is to fill 1/4 of my gaiwan or Yixing with leaves and use
just-boiled water. No direct hot water contact with the leaves (I
slowly pour the hot water onto the lid of my Yixing pot -- the lid
opens halfway and slants, so water slides down into the pot -- OR onto
the sides of my gaiwan in circular movement). Short infusions
starting with about 5 - 7 secs. Lid of vessel is opened right after
pouring to prevent the leaves from getting over-cooked.

I use much less leaves with the greener Dan Cong, as it can become
pretty nasty very quickly, but quite lovely when controlled properly.

Does anyone recommend brewing DC with lower temp? Toki of The
Mandarin Tea blog does cold brewing with his Dan Cong (here is a guy
who knows his Dan Cong and where to get great stuff from).

Michael, I've never done that technique before with DC (chockablock --
water just off the boil -- instantaneous steeps for the first several
and then add seconds slowly), although that's what I do with Wuyi
Yancha (my "chockablock" maxes out at 3/4 of the vessel, though --
more than that is too toxic for me).

Comments and advise are appreciated. Thanks.

Phyll
http://phyllsheng.blogspot.com

Jazzy > writes:

> looks like BLC is really a tough tea to brew!

I've been meaning to mention that I've had an interesting ride with
the BLC I bought in Vancouver from Spring Cottage in late July.
Wanting to use it while it kept some freshness, I've been brewing it
most mornings. As I expected, the full, blooming, melony glory lasted
only the first week. But as the leaves lost freshness, something
unexpected and, to my taste, delightful crept in, starting with the
second steep: a kind of cooling spice note, somewhere in the realm of
cardamom, for want of a really close comparison.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html