Toucha
 

I just bought some to try. I need step by step instructions on how to
prepare it.
How many of the little pods do I use in a 4 cup press? Do I bring the water
to a full boil?
Thanks
Anna

Sorry, Anna, we need to know more. How big are the tuo chas (tea
compressed to a bowl shape)? I have single-serving ones whose
cross-section is about the size of a nickel (~2 cm). I have 100 g
ones which need to be wrapped with a cloth and smashed with a hammer
(or, as I have once done in desperation after closing and locking my
office door, wrapped in a handkerchief and pounded on the floor - I
didn't want to have to tell the physical plant why I needed a hammer
for my tea).

Also, tuo cha is just the form. It can be almost any Chinese tea.
You may need to identify it first. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is
use various water temperatures. Try boiling water and if it is too
bitter try 190 degrees.

Finally, almost all tuo chas benefit from a rinse first, using water
at whichever temperature you use for brewing.

That said, I've had some awfully good tuo cha pu erhs. A kind friend
recently sent me a white tea pu erh which was wonderful.

Have fun,

Rick.

Anna > wrote:
> I just bought some to try. I need step by step instructions on how to
> prepare it.
> How many of the little pods do I use in a 4 cup press? Do I bring the water
> to a full boil?
> Thanks
> Anna

I guess I don't know what kind of tea it is. It is about the size of a
nickel and wrapped in paper. The brew has a musty smell and is fairly dark
brown. It doesn't seem to leave an after taste. The smell of the used
leaves is kind of like the smell of seaweed or the ocean.
As you can tell, I don't know much about tea.
Thanks
Anna

"Rick Chappell" > wrote in message
...
| Sorry, Anna, we need to know more. How big are the tuo chas (tea
| compressed to a bowl shape)? I have single-serving ones whose
| cross-section is about the size of a nickel (~2 cm). I have 100 g
| ones which need to be wrapped with a cloth and smashed with a hammer
| (or, as I have once done in desperation after closing and locking my
| office door, wrapped in a handkerchief and pounded on the floor - I
| didn't want to have to tell the physical plant why I needed a hammer
| for my tea).
|
| Also, tuo cha is just the form. It can be almost any Chinese tea.
| You may need to identify it first. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is
| use various water temperatures. Try boiling water and if it is too
| bitter try 190 degrees.
|
| Finally, almost all tuo chas benefit from a rinse first, using water
| at whichever temperature you use for brewing.
|
| That said, I've had some awfully good tuo cha pu erhs. A kind friend
| recently sent me a white tea pu erh which was wonderful.
|
| Have fun,
|
| Rick.
|
| Anna > wrote:
| > I just bought some to try. I need step by step instructions on how to
| > prepare it.
| > How many of the little pods do I use in a 4 cup press? Do I bring the
water
| > to a full boil?
| > Thanks
| > Anna
|
|

Anna > wrote:
> I guess I don't know what kind of tea it is. It is about the size of a
> nickel and wrapped in paper. The brew has a musty smell and is fairly dark
> brown. It doesn't seem to leave an after taste. The smell of the used
> leaves is kind of like the smell of seaweed or the ocean.

This sounds like black pu erh ("composted tea", left in a damp
environment to ferment for a while). They're great - I had one at
breakfast this morning. Besides flavor, another nice thing about them
is that they are hard to screw up. Oversteeping won't make them
bitter. I use one for 4 - 8 ounces of boiling water depending on
preferred strength. Rinse once with boiling water first. It can be
resteeped - the second steep is stronger than the first, because by
then the tuo has disintegrated. Third is okay too; fourth is weak.
Cantonese drink this stuff by the gallon, very dilute. Workers bring
one to the office in a jar and keep refilling with hot water.

If my suggestions make for bitter tea then you probably have a green pu
erh (composted green tea, approximately). Same instructions except with
slightly cooler water and you shouldn't oversteep.

Have fun,

Rick.

Thank you. I think I'll stop by the shop where I bought it and ask if that
is what it is. I kind of like it. I've drank coffee for so many years that
tea is a bit different. Most of my tea drinking has been "Lipton".
Anna

"Rick Chappell" > wrote in message
...
| Anna > wrote:
| > I guess I don't know what kind of tea it is. It is about the size of a
| > nickel and wrapped in paper. The brew has a musty smell and is fairly
dark
| > brown. It doesn't seem to leave an after taste. The smell of the used
| > leaves is kind of like the smell of seaweed or the ocean.
|
| This sounds like black pu erh ("composted tea", left in a damp
| environment to ferment for a while). They're great - I had one at
| breakfast this morning. Besides flavor, another nice thing about them
| is that they are hard to screw up. Oversteeping won't make them
| bitter. I use one for 4 - 8 ounces of boiling water depending on
| preferred strength. Rinse once with boiling water first. It can be
| resteeped - the second steep is stronger than the first, because by
| then the tuo has disintegrated. Third is okay too; fourth is weak.
| Cantonese drink this stuff by the gallon, very dilute. Workers bring
| one to the office in a jar and keep refilling with hot water.
|
| If my suggestions make for bitter tea then you probably have a green pu
| erh (composted green tea, approximately). Same instructions except with
| slightly cooler water and you shouldn't oversteep.
|
| Have fun,
|
| Rick.

On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 12:03:07 -0700
"Anna" > wrote:

> I guess I don't know what kind of tea it is. It is about the size of a
> nickel and wrapped in paper. The brew has a musty smell and is fairly
> dark brown. It doesn't seem to leave an after taste. The smell of the
> used leaves is kind of like the smell of seaweed or the ocean.
> As you can tell, I don't know much about tea.


Ten Ren (http://www.tenren.com) sells mini-tuochas that pretty much
match that description. They carry two varieties, I picked up a bag of the
Ten Fu variety and keep it at work, because it doesn't go bitter if I'm
distracted by my job.

Enjoyable stuff, but where pu-erh is concerned i am only an egg.

On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 21:08:13 +0000 (UTC), Rick Chappell quoth:
>
> This sounds like black pu erh ("composted tea", left in a damp
> environment to ferment for a while). They're great - I had one at
> breakfast this morning. Besides flavor, another nice thing about them
> is that they are hard to screw up. Oversteeping won't make them
> bitter.

Love that metallic earthy taste. :)

bkr