Starting My Puer Tea Journey

I got my package of Puer tea from Bitterleafteas on Friday!  Very excited!   

My teas of choice have been Taiwanese oolongs and I'll still be drinking these, but I've been trying to branch out more.  Puer is a type of tea that is considered fermented and most people I know of Cantonese descent that go to "yum cha" or dim sum will know it as "bo lei cha" the dark tea that is earthy and sometimes undrinkable depending on where you go.  That is how I knew Puerh tea when I was under 20. 

About 10 years ago I bought my first cake of Puer from a tea shop in San Francisco Chinatown.   I was not educated at all, didn't know anything about it and don't remember the random shop I stopped  into.  I'm SURE I overpaid, especially being a tourist!  I was actually looking for an oolong that would resemble the natural cooling - menthol like feeling I got after having an oolong tea at Ten Rens Teahouse.  The man did not know what I was talking about and we ended up tasting Puer and that was how I ended up buying a cake.

The Puer tea cake was a ripe puer (there are ripe and raw puer teas) and it was smooth and earthy and I did enjoy it.  But afterwards I drank more oolong and feel in love with oolong teas (and began my never-ending oolong tea journey).

Fast forward several years and I had my first raw Puer experience and was surprised by how different it was from the ripe.  It was quite bitter as it was young, but I still thought it was pretty unique as there was more to it than bitter.  However, I think I was scared off pursuing Puer because I didn't know how to judge whether I was getting the real thing, whether I was over paying, how to store it, and there were not as many Puer sellers in North America at the time - online sales were not what they are today.

Then came the blog reading last year...

Somehow I came across a number of bloggers that border on 'obsessive'...I mean one blogger who I now faithfully check in with almost daily has a stock of over 500 teas!!  And this post from a blogger who was nominated for a Saveur blog award is an example of the complexity of tea knowledge that I only hope to have one day.  I've also started to follow a few on Instagram like @boychik2989, the variety of tea and teaware that gets posted will really inspire you to explore different teas.  The only downside...my wallet tends to get a little lighter as I start to buy more tea and teaware!

Here is a munchies.vice article on a gathering of wine and tea drinkers and here is one reddit thread that followed.  The main point...how is flavour judged and is it paramount in whether a tea is good or not?

Initially, first thoughts is flavour is extremely important and people would question why that is even a question.  But, when you dig deeper into the experience of tea drinking there is also the component of fragrance, mouthfeel/body, aftertaste (or huigan), and what sparked the discussion, "how it makes you feel". 

For me, how a tea makes me feel partly is determined by my mood.  There are times where some teas although taste great may not be great for the mood I'm in and I opt for something else.  There are also times that this one might have notes of peach and this honey...I like both flavours so is one better than the other?  Of course it then depends on other things you look at.  Finally, it could just end up being how you feel after drinking the tea and the act of brewing tea.

Getting back to puer specifically, here is a final post about puer tea collecting which I think was really good in articulating what it means to be a collector of puer tea and touches on the fact that this type of tea is living, it is still fermenting.  It also makes me want to buy some puer too!  (I caved and ordered some puer tea from Bitter Leaf Teas as you can see!)  It also references back to the munchies.vice article mentioned above.

Anyway, for those looking to expand their tea knowledge please do take a look at these blogs.  There is always something to learn.  And now it begins...

Naturally Grown Kyobancha- Surprisingly Delicious

This naturally grown Kyobancha from the tea farmer Sinichi Kihara was a nice surprise tea! I purchased this after looking for hojicha (online at yunomi.life) and found the dry leaves to be quite unique.  The leaves are not rolled but after steaming they are dried as is or flat. It's interesting that they don't roll the leaves as this results in quite a large volume.  I'm still trying to learn more about the different kinds of Japanese tea but "Kyo" refers to Kyoto and "bancha" is unprocessed leaf meaning not rolled.  It is a type of hojicha (roasted green tea) but the main difference in hojicha, the roasting is of processed or rolled leaves.  These leaves are also older and thus bigger than other Japanese teas.  You can read more here.

The first time I brewed it, I used about 3g of leaf in my 175ml gaiwan and 90 degree water for 1 minute.  The tea soup was a yellow/light brown shade which surprised me because I was expecting it to be darker.  It was also very clear and bright looking.

Subsequent sessions, I used 5g of dry leaf...almost filled my 4oz ramekin!

 The steeped tea leaves...looks very similar to the dry and very dark.

 My most recent brew using 5g...

The tea soup is amber in colour and still very clear and bright.  Aroma is roasted and slightly smoky as you would expect.  The taste is less roasted than I would have thought and there is some cooked grain taste, barley possibly.  Soon after, there is a subtle sweet finish to it which is surprising as it's not what I would expect.  Brewed 3 times and still had good flavour.  

I quite like this tea and see this as a daily tea but also one for guests that aren't familiar with tea.  And for the price it's very good value!  This was part of my first order with Yunomi last year and the experience and quality has been very good.  I also like that they have many small vendors/farmers on the site that you wouldn't normally hear of in North America.  Definitely recommend checking them out for other Japanese teas.  

Instagram- @tiantiantea

I have an instagram account I set up a little while ago, but I haven't been using it to post pictures. I've been following others, mainly foodie accounts and some tea ones...none of whom I know personally; hope that doesn't sound too creepy!?

Why so late to the party?

Well, to be honest, very, very few friends I know use Instagram and I knew the amount of time people spend perfecting their Instagram pics was not something I wanted to find myself caught up in (since I think I spend way too much time on blog photos already!). So, I didn't post anything when I got my account.

Why now?

Well, there are numerous reasons. Since I've been refocusing on tea lately, I have intentions to challenge myself to improve my tea photography and to photograph tea in different ways. Instagram seemed like it would keep me taking those pictures.  Another reason is the same reason  many other bloggers use Instagram - because it's a fast way to put out a picture or info when you just don't have time for a blog post or really doesn't warrant a blog post.  A picture can also start a conversation which sometimes ends up being very helpful.

I'm now posting my daily teas and tea related pics (like desserts and tea) on Instagram under the name @tiantiantea.  I decided I wanted something different than my blog name since I really wanted it to be focused and to limit my time posting.


Tiān tiān for 天天 meaning daily.  

I also chose to use the pinyin of tiantian because it could also be: 
tián tián for 甜甜 meaning sweet.  

Loved the possibility of a dual meaning! 

Oh, and I haven't figured out how to add a link to my feed on my blog...will get to that...eventually.

How to Make Roasted Milk Tea (Without Milk Powder or Creamer)

ChaTime's roasted milk tea has been a favourite of so many of my friends and myself that there are times I want to make one at home.  Especially a hot one on extremely cold days like today!!  I know that most bubble tea places use milk powder or creamer in their drinks which makes it easier, however I don't have these items on hand. So I began using regular milk and thought I'd share some key tips on how to make milk tea, more specifically roasted milk tea in this post.  Making cold vs hot also requires different steps which I'll highlight but my recipe below will be for a hot roasted milk tea.

1.  Finding the right tea

Tea is available almost everywhere these days, but finding roasted tea...that can be a stumbling block from the start.  There are oolong teas that are roasted however, roasted oolong may be a little expensive to use and may not be exactly the right flavour profile.  A more readily available roasted tea is hojicha (also spelled houjicha) a Japanese style roasted green tea.  If you haven't heard of hojicha, you're missing out!  Comforting when brewed hot and refreshing and unique when cold brewed.  I purchased my first batch at Nohohon Tea Room which sells the Momo Tea brand (very nice teas) but recently I've also ordered online from Yunomi. Roasting levels can vary though.

2.  Quantity of tea leaves

Use at least double the amount of tea leaves for the volume of water used to brew the tea.  You could try three times the amount depending on the tea but start with two.  This is because of the addition of milk or ice that will dilute the brew.

3.  Using liquid milk instead of milk powder

So this post comes about because I don't have milk powder or creamer on hand.  To get a similar creamy taste, it's ideal to use 3.25% fat or homo milk for this but you could definitely use lower fat milk.  In addition, because you'll be using liquid milk, a small amount won't cut it, the quantity of milk will need to be almost equal to the quantity of tea and that is why you'll need to brew the tea strong.

4.  For cold milk tea, use large chunks of ice to cool the tea quickly.

You want the tea to cool very quickly to reduce the amount of water that gets added to the drink or you risk diluting the drink too much.

5. Steep time

There are some teas that will be quite bitter if over steeped so don't try to add extra time to the steeping unless you are making more than one portion. You will need to increase the steep time compared to making a single portion by about a minute.  I find with hojicha it doesn't over steep so easily so often I'll brew longer.



Hot Roasted Milk Tea:
Makes 1 large mug (approx 300ml)

6g of hojicha tea leaves (1 rounded tablespoon)
150 ml boiled water
1-2 tsp sugar (adjust to taste, I prefer 1.5 tsp)
150 ml milk

Put tea leaves into a brewing vessel*.
Pour boiling water into a separate cup first, then pour onto tea leaves (this step is to reduce the water temperature to about 85°C as boiling water with result in some bitterness).

Let steep for 3-5 minutes.
Strain the tea into your cup/mug.

This was after 4 minutes

Add sugar.
Heat milk till steaming (do no boil).
Add to tea and sugar, stir and ENJOY!.

*No brewing vessel, a small pot/saucepan also works (and steps may be simplier), especially when making more than one cup.

Eco-Cha Club Membership (October and November)

I've received my October and November Eco-cha tea club teas a while ago but have been too preoccupied to post a review so here is a combined post.  Again, 75g of tea is provided in the monthly subscription and it comes nicely package with an info card.

October (the club's 11th tea since it's start) was an heirloom small leaf black tea.  These were tightly rolled in strip form.

I brewed using their guidelines, 9 grams per 175ml with boiling water for 50 seconds.  This is definitely more than I usually use for black tea.  Tea soup was a nice reddish brown...

Taste was malty and there was a dried fruit taste to it, dried plum maybe (?) but the info card suggested dried apricot and papaya.  Still honing my tasting skills so will have to keep tasting this tea, maybe modifying the amount and steep times.  Not very astringent but I did feel like there was too much leaf in the cup though.   Again, maybe that is because I often use less per 175ml and not because I thought it was too strong. In terms of overall appeal, it was average for me. Only steeped 3 times as I didn't have the time for a long tea session.  Leaves look quite nice after the session.

The November tea (the club's 12th tea since it's start) was a Tieguanyin hand picked from a small farm in Muzha (Taipei).

This tea is processed in the traditional style where it is oxidized and roasted more heavily than the lighter Tieguanyin teas in recent years.  The batch is 50/50 of tieguanyin leaves and jin xuan leaves since there is such small quantity of original tieguanyin tea trees.

Brewed using their parameters, 10g per 175ml with boiling water for 50 secs.  Very strong roasted aroma and the tea soup brews up quite a dark orange brown.

Nice strong roasted flavour and I also want to say there was a slight creaminess to it on the 2nd brew.  It definitely is more of a fall/winter type of tea.  I've never been too fond of traditionally processed tieguanyins but maybe I haven't had top quality either.  I definitely lean more towards lighter tieguanyins.

Paired really nicely with a chocolate cupcake I made...

And, just because I was testing out a piping tip...here is pic of a cupcake topped with green tea whipped cream.

And just because it was my first time piping petals with whipped cream, I had to take a close-up...

Don't have a pic of the wet leaves as I only infused 3 times and leaves were not quite unraveled yet so I think it could have still had lots of flavour potential. Tieguanyins although very popular haven't really been a tea I drink too often so it was great to receive this tea.  I'll have a chance to get more experience brewing this tea and it definitely has a warming quality to it, great for the winter!

As I write this, one thing about the tea club I have to mention is that if you're in Canada, the box can take 3 weeks or more to receive.  I have yet to receive my December box (I'm sure this is partially due to Christmas volume).  It's slightly disappointing that it does take so long to get here especially when they put up info on their website about the tea soon after shipment so it's less of a surprise in terms of what tea will be in the box.  Anyway, hopefully the January one is faster.

Happy New Year!

Hello, it's been a while.

2016

Goodbye to an eventful (and stressful) year and soooo thankful for my family and friends for being there!

2017

HELLO to a challenging new year!

I recently welcomed my second child, hence my absence from this space.  So aside from feedings, diaper changes, taking care of my first child, sleeping, and online Christmas shopping I haven't had a chance to think about this blog.  Actually I've thought about it lots, but haven't had a chance to post anything.

Looking back, I've had some great meals and glad to have read some interesting books.  I posted on tea a few times and that is where I've actually been spending most of my extra energy on these last couple of months. However, I don't know if it's because I'm not as focused or congestion for part of the time has muted my taste buds, but I haven't had the tasting experiences I've expected.

Only in the last two days, the last two days of the year, was there a glimmer of promise...

2017...looks to be a very promising year, for tea and I that is.

Yesterday I had a chance to re-read some passages in one of my tea books from Taiwan and there was an intro written by one of their well known tea experts/enthusiasts.  He summed up tea drinking or "the way of tea" with these 2 words:

歸零

The first word means "return or back to" and the second word is "zero", so essentially return to zero.  I took it to mean a reset in a way.  Every time you drink tea, the act, the experience is like a reset.  You spend the time to brew the tea and taste the tea, calming your mind and revitalizing yourself.  Even the physical change that the leaf goes through as you brew the tea mimics these words; the dry leaves unfurl with the heat of the water and what you end up with if using whole leaf tea is the shape and likeness of the leaf prior to the processing...a return back to the original state (somewhat).

In some ways, the end of the year and beginning of a new year for some is like a return to zero...you think about what you've done the past year, your successes and failures and then start to think about your future self.  How you may do things differently or plan new beginnings.  As I write this, I'm quite looking forward to 2017 as I focus on balancing the needs of my expanding family and challenges I plan to put upon myself.

Happy New Year!!

Eco-Cha Club Membership (September) - My First Shipment!

I finally received my first batch of tea from Eco-Cha!  It actually took almost 4 weeks to arrive but sometimes that can happen if it gets stuck at customs.  And, I also have received the October package recently so this post is coming a bit late.  Eco-Cha is a tea company based in Taiwan that sources tea from family run farms that use sustainable methods.  I joined their tea club recently as I thought that this was something different and what is sent out to tea club members is not sold on their website.  I'm really excited as I've never joined anything like it despite there being other tea subscription clubs.

This month's tea is an Organic Wuyi Hong Shui Oolong tea 有機武夷紅水烏龍茶.

There is 75g of tea per month and it seems like every month they send a little something with the tea; September's was a metal tea strainer.  I already have the exact same one, but it was a nice extra.

Hong Shui Oolong 紅水烏龍茶 has actually been on my radar for over 5 years now but the reason it's been something I've been searching for info about is because I bought some Hong Shui Oolong from a wholesaler in Taiwan five years ago which was very different from the Hong Shui Oolong I could find online.  Hong Shui Oolong is supposed to be a tea in Taiwan that is similar to Dong Ding Oolong 凍頂烏龍 in the processing and rolled into ball shape, but I believe it is slightly more oxidized and does not come from Dong Ding mountain.  The Hong Shui I bought was  rolled into strip-form like Wuyi style oolong and like the product sent this month by Eco-Cha.  Looking back, the wholesaler said it was grown in Miaoli at 400m and the cultivar is qing xin da pang or da pa (青心大冇?); this cultivar is usually used to make Oriental Beauty Oolong (or Bai Hao Oolong).

I do have book on oolong tea and it describes Hong Shui Oolong 紅水烏龍 and how it used to be produced many years ago as a 'foreigner's tea' but is enjoyed by the locals now.  The one I have already, is not roasted and seems to bear the same tea "soup" colour of a red tea rather than the lighter orange-brown that is more common for the Hong Shui Oolong described in everything I could find about it.

I'm inclined to think my initial batch of Hong Shui Oolong from five years ago may actually be something different (it does taste good though!).  The tea from Eco-cha although rolled into strips (Wuyi style), does bear little other resemblance to the tea I have; it has the roasted quality and the tea soup is also not as "red" as the name would imply, more similar to Dong Ding Oolong and fits with all the other descriptions of Hong Shui Oolong except for the rolling style.

I brewed the tea using their specifications, 9 grams per 175 ml with boiling water for 50 seconds.  I have to say though, I thought it was too much leaves because the flavour seemed muddled, tangy, and there was moderate astringency.  When I used less leaves (5-6 grams), more of the baked fruit flavour came out and no astringency.  The leaves will open up more and I think that makes a difference.  I brewed this tea three times in each instance and the it didn't appear to be watered down, just liked the outcome using less leaves.

It's a nice tea for the autumn but I think I'm still going to experiment with leaf to water ratio, water temperature and steep time.  I think there is definitely more potential for this tea.

However, I did notice that there were a number of sticks/stems in the batch where the leaves were not attached which is a little disappointing.

Nonetheless, this is still an interesting tea though; more so for the organic growing method used which is somewhat a new concept.  It is one of the reasons that I joined, to try new teas either grown differently or processed differently from what you could find on the general market.  I also love getting packages!

Looking forward to more tea from Eco-cha!