Time to start sharing my day to day discoveries in the world of tea!
My name is Theresa but everybody just calls me Tea. (seriously, no connection...at first) I didn't always have a passion for tea but now that I've found it, why not share my journey?
When I first started poking around in the realm of tea, I got pretty lost. So many cultures with so many traditions and varieties of this amazing beverage! So I began keeping journals of all of the new knowledge that came my way and now im enjoying tea time more than ever!
My goal is to teach as I learn and learn as I teach. The art of tea, the science of tea, the flavors and smells and many cultures of tea! Maybe a haiku or two. Anywhoo...I think it's...
Too dramatic? Ah well, So I thought I'd kick things off with one of my favorite go-to teas. Tieguan yin oolong. This variety of oolong goes by many other names and from what I have found, is a fairly accessible tea around North America. For those of us that are new to the world of teas and are looking for a good introductory variety, I would have to suggest an oolong like this one. I've noticed that oolongs have a smaller window for error when it comes to water temperatures and steeping time so it lends nicely to beginners as well as every day drinkers. While some find green teas to become grassy (i'll explain this in a in a future post) and black varieties to have too much tannin (We'll cover this one as well!), oolong falls somewhere in between the two varieties and manages to be a rather low maintenance variety of tea!
Today I busted out one of my favorite varieties from Tao Tea Leaf. I was able to spend a short time working for Tao after visiting his shop during a summer walk along Yonge Street in Toronto. It was perfect circumstances because on that day, at that very moment, the shop was holding a public tea tasting event! I became an instant fan. The comfortable yet traditional atmosphere and fantastic variety of teas has put Tao's on the top of my list.
My set up today includes my koi giwan, a serving pitcher with its strainer, and a tiny little tasting cup that I received at the Toronto Tea Festival! I like this set up for tea sessions like this because the measurements of each piece pair well. The giwan holds just the right amount of water to fill the serving pitcher without leaving left-over liquid to over steep and taste burned. Once the pitcher is half empty, (or half full...) I can start steeping a second cup! It's a good flow and I can focus on the steeping and drinking instead of worrying that im going to be let with burned tea and a big mess!
Lookit how much those leaves expand!
Generally, Oolong requires water that is 3-5 minutes off of boiling or 180-190F, for those of us with thermometers handy. I have found that Oolongs can be steeped for as little as 1 minute or up to 5. I can usually get 4-5 steeps out of one session so I play around with temperatures and times to experience the different flavors with each steep!
My nose is saying: Light, sweet orchid and fresh cut flowers.
And my mouth says: Mild astringency and clean floral notes. The aftertaste seemed to bounce between apricot and honey but never lost that bright floral finish.
*Today I used 1TSP of tea in my small koi giwan. I love that little spout!
*The average coffee cup is about 16oz and requires 2-3 TSP for those of us that don't always want to bust out the fancy tea wares.
