Gaiwan brewing

J's and my first brew

 J., a European reader came to visit me yesterday. He asked for my help to learn how to brew Oolong properly. So, I set up a mirror Chaxi on a table: we would be brewing my high mountain Alishan Jinxuan Oolong (spring 2013) with the same accessories and the same water.

This let J. see precisely what I was doing and copy my movements. I also explained each step.

0. The preheating

It is not just about preheating the gaiwan and the cups. It's also a first opportunity to practice the pour of your kettle: each kettle has a different water flow. You have to learn how to control the strength of this flow. Pouring the water in the gaiwan and later from the gaiwan in the cups is also a good way to calm down and focus on your movements. You become more careful not to make a mess with the water. And you can also measure the volume of water that will fit in each cup. Remember this level, so that you can avoid pouring uneven amounts of tea in the cups later on.

1. First brew.

A layer of dry leaves in the gaiwan, just boiled water and a rather energetic pour that lets the leaves dance in circles in the gaiwan. Cover and wait until you see/smell that the tea is ready. (This may take some time, because the leaves need to open up).

The result for the first brew was quite different for both of us. J's leaves were pushed on one side in the gaiwan, while mine were open evenly. I also seem to have used more leaves than J. The brews also tasted differently. J. said he tasted bitterness in his, and that mine had a nicer fragrance that seemed to linger forever! What did he do wrong, he asked? The only major difference was the pouring of water in the gaiwan. At the end of his pour, he was uncertain how to end. The flow lost its strength and continuity. The flow was like hesitating to stop instead of slowing down calmly.

Second brew after swap

 2. Second brew

Since the leaves should be well opened, the second water can be poured more slowly and it can brew for a shorter time.

This time, we swapped gaiwans, because J's first brew was uneven and needed a special pour to make it harmonious again. I wanted that J experience with a standard second pour and that's why I gave him my evenly opened gaiwan.

This time again, J felt that my brew tasted sweeter and nicer. Despite having fewer leaves, my brew felt more concentrated! Why? he asked. His pour wasn't very confident and even. Also, even when you know the general principle, you need to think of the particular tea and leaves you have in front of you. With a high mountain Jinxuan, what are the characteristics that you wan't to find in your cup? Here, it's more the fragrances and the mountain energy. This means you shouldn't be too slow.

Qingbai (light green) and yabai (ivory white) cups have an impact on the color!

3rd brew, like second

3. Third brew

The leaves are more open and have released their flavors twice already. This means we should pour with more strength and brew for a longer time than the second time. How strong and how long depends on the actual state of your leaves.

The leaves on the left still haven't fully released their flavors, while those on the right are completely and evenly open by now.

J. identified his kettle at home as a problem: the way it pours isn't precise or well controllable. Having experienced some great brews will also help J know what kind of taste he can/should get out of the leaves.

There are lots of brewing methods floating around. Many people are surprised that I don't rinse my Oolongs (or puerhs). As for the lack of rinse, I just don't want to miss a drop of my good teas. (Notice how nobody rinses green tea or  even cheap tea bags: the best flavors are up front and you don't want to loose them!) Others may wonder about my long brewing times or near boiling water temperature.This reflects the high quality of the leaves in my selection. Such leaves can take the heat and will perform their best if you combine these parameters with good skills. (And if you wonder about the quality of your leaves, subject them to a competition brew: 3 grams, boiling water, 15cl porcelain vessel and 6 minutes brewing).

Le Livre du Thé

"Le thé, au-delà du simple passe-temps poétique, devint une méthode d'accomplissement personnel."

C'est ainsi qu'Okakura parle du thé durant la dynastie Sung dans son 'livre du thé'! Ce classique moderne vient de ressortir aux Synchronique Editions dans un format poche et illustré d'estampes d'Hokusai. Son éditeur a eu la gentillesse de m'envoyer un exemplaire! 

Cela m'a permis de le relire en quelques jours. Quand je l'avais lu la première fois, il y a près de 10 ans, cela avait du m'apparaitre lointain, abstrait et un peu mystérieux. Sa relecture fut bien plus rapide et agréable, car je peux désormais mieux identifier mon vécu avec ces concepts qui volent parfois un peu haut (taoisme, zen...).

Mais cela reste un bon livre pour avoir une vue générale de l'évolution du thé à travers l'histoire. Aussi, c'est un des rares livres que je recommande pour bien comprendre le thé d'un point de vue chinois et japonais. On n'y apprend peu la technique de la production ou de l'infusion du thé, mais on en apprend sur l'état d'esprit. J'aime bien comment Okakura compare le thé des périodes Tang (bouilli), Sung (poudre fouettée) et Ming (vrac infusé) aux courants artistiques classiques, romantiques et naturalistes respectivement.

Okakura nous fait aussi un résumé 'Cha Jing' de Lu Yu (l'autre classique indispensable à notre éducation théistique). Pour décrire la meilleure couleur de bol en porcelaine selon Lu Yu, Okakura traduit 'qing' par 'blue' dans l'original en anglais, ce qui est naturellement traduit en 'bleu' dans ce livre. Or, il s'agit de la couleur céladon des fours de Yuezhou. (Vous pouvez voir un exemple d'un tel bol de la dynastie Tang sur mon blog pour mieux apprécier cette couleur vert clair). Peut-être ce point mériterait-il une petite note de l'éditeur dans les prochaines éditions... En tous cas, vous voilà avertis!

La lecture de ce livre montre qu'il y a une approche esthétique et méditative au thé. Faut-il s'en insprirer ou non relève de la sensibilité de chacun. La variété des écoles de thé montre bien l'adaptabilité et le changement de ce breuvage avec les époques. Le thé a tant de choses à apporter à chacun d'entre nous: plaisir du palais, voyages (virtuels) dans la nature, bien-être de corps et de l'esprit, ouverture à la Chine et/ou au Japon... Les chemins sont nombreux et certains restent à inventer. Mais quelque soit sa voie, il est certainement judicieux de ne pas ignorer les origines et la longue histoire (asiatique) du thé!

Jarre du château de Chambord

Tea friends!

 Here are a few pictures of a Lushan high mountain Oolong Chaxi I arranged in David Louveau's workshop this summer. This powerful and refreshing brew gave us a clear energy to share ideas and information for new projects. In front of us, we use a mix of cups from my selection and accessories that David has created. It's nice to see that his 'lotus' celadon pieces work well with my ivory gaiwan and dragon cups. This Chaxi is like a symbol for our cooperation. Our different backgrounds complete us. We work with respect and harmony, guided by our tea happiness.

 

These ceramics are now tea's good companions. They need each other to fulfill their purpose. It's not just the peaceful and fresh celadon color that matches the character of high mountain Oolong. David Louveau's materials are natural and handmade, which gives them a unique feeling. And their shape and size have been designed to be both practical and beautiful.

Brewing tea is a triangle of friendship between the tea brew, the accessories and yourself!

Oolong suave de 1999

Cultivar: Luanze/qingxin Oolong
Origine: Comté de Nantou
Elévation: 700 mètres environ
Récolté à la main au printemps 1999
Process: Oolong à très forte torréfaction au charbon de bois.
Conservé en jarre en porcelaine.

Dégustation test de compétition: 3 grammes dans un set de porcelaine blanche de 15 cl. Eau bouillante. 6 minutes d'infusion. Les odeurs et le goût sont ensuite évalués lorsque la température de l'infusion est redescendue à 45 degés Celcius. Voici le standard d'infusion de la compétition de Dong Ding Oolong, et de la plupart des compétitions d'Oolong de Taiwan.

Avoir un standard est important afin de pouvoir comparer différentes feuilles de manière objective et rationnelle. Ce n'est pas la meilleure façon d'infuser un Oolong, surtout les Oolongs de mauvaises qualité. Ceux-ci ne supportent pas les longues infusions et se révèlent alors astringents et/ou amers. Si on trouve une telle infusion agressive, indigeste et imbuvable alors elle ne sera pas beaucoup meilleure préparée en de nombreuses infusions courtes. C'est juste qu'on aura dilué le breuvage!

Mais si les feuilles sont de qualité, alors le résultat sera puissant, moelleux, long en bouche et clean. Si la quantité de feuilles est faible, la qualité du thé saute aux yeux (et aux papilles) lors de longues infusions! Le bon thé gagne à se dévoiler d'un coup. Tous les arômes qu'il diffuse dans l'eau bouillante sont agréables et harmonieux.

Ces petites feuilles foncées sont un excellent exemple d'une telle qualité qui résiste au temps de la conservation et de l'infusion.

 Au nez déjà, l'odeur des feuilles sèches est sombre, profonde, envoûtante. Il y du bois ancien, de l'encens et quelque chose de malté. Le tout est très pur et doux. Dans l'infusion, c'est surtout une note de réglisse qui domine.

L'infusion est brune foncée, mais d'une grande transparence et son éclat est presque luminieux, très éloignée du gris.

Les feuilles s'ouvrent difficilement, mais elles s'ouvrent quand même. La torréfaction fut poussée son maximum à l'automne 1999, juste après le terrible tremblement de terre du 21 septembre qui fit tant de victimes à Taiwan. Un trop plein d'émotions pour le fermier, j'imagine.

14 ans plus tard, malgré cette torréfaction extrême, on ressent encore la vie et la fraicheur dans cet Oolong. Mais surtout l'on y goûte une douceur, un moelleux plein de pureté et d'élégance. Toute la bouche semble agréablement capitonnée par cette riche liqueur. La chaleur se répand dans le ventre...
Le seul défaut que je goûte est un chouya de feu de torréfaction encore présent dans l'infusion. Mais, c'est aussi cela qui permet de bonifier le thé si on décide de l'entreposer pour plus longtemps.

C'est un thé qui vaut le détour. Il marque la fin d'un millénaire (1999!) et la dernière récolte printanière avant le terrible tremblement de terre de '921' (21 septembre). Pour de nombreux fermiers de Nantou, l'épicentre du tremblement de terre a eu un impact négatif sur leur terroir. C'est aussi l'occasion de goûter au raffinement et à la douceur d'un vieil Oolong torréfié. Quel bonheur de goûter à un thé si suave!

Une autre bonne nouvelle: J'ai ajouté cette coupe 'chantante' en porcelaine ivoire à ma sélection!

44 grammes. 7 cl de volume maximum et 4.5 cl de volume en utilisation normale.
Son diamètre maximum est presque le même que celui de la coupe chantante 'qingbai': 7.9 cm. Mais elle est un peu plus basse que la qingbai et a le même prix.

Alishan high mountain Jinxuan Oolong on the lawn

Or how to seek a refreshing tea during summer in Europe.

The easy way to have tea in the garden is to brew a huge 1 liter teapot in your kitchen and take it to the garden!

Here, instead, I have set up a complete Chaxi. I am using a plank of wood on which I put a blue fabric. On it, we find:
- my kettle ceramic kettle on a stand with an alcohol burner under it,
- a celadon ever to add fresh water to the kettle,
- a small display plate for the dry tea,
- a bamboo mat in the center,
- a celadon 'lotus' teaboat by David Louveau and his matching bowl.
- an Yixing teapot made of dicaoqing clay,
- Dehua 'dragon' cups on top of handmade quilted 'flower' chatuo.

With this setup, I feel so much at ease that I sit down in the grass, because in my tearoom in Taiwan I also sit down on the floor most of the time. Here, there's the joy of touching the grass, smelling the flowers and all the vegetation around me. On a warm summer day, those scents can be pretty strong and will mix with the tea's scents. Some will compete and some will blend harmoniously with the tea, depending on which you choose. That's why I recommend to use more leaves when you are outdoors, so that the tea will be more expressive. I also think that since it's more difficult to get the details of the flavor, the overall character of the tea matters more. This isn't really the place for your most delicate Da Yu Ling Oolong: I'd have trouble distinguishing it from a good Shan Lin Shi here. But if it's hot, then a high mountain Oolong can indeed be very refreshing.

That's why I chose my Alishan Jinxuan Oolong for this brew. I used the winter version, but the spring version would have been a good fit as well. The creamy fresh green vegetation aroma of Jinxuan combined with the high mountain energy both waken up and cool down.

When pairing wine and food, a wine can taste great on its own, but may appear bland, insipid, if the food is too strong. Then, a cheaper, less subtle wine can be a better fit. A similar logic applies here.

Tea is best tasted without food. The pairing is more intimate for tea: the brew will interact with your mood and your surroundings (the weather, the season, the place, the guests...)

Preparation and reflection are the keys of success. Planning ahead of time what you want to brew, what you will need to brew will help bring the most out of your leaves.

Having everything I need next to me let me settle down -literally- and focus on my brewing. Starting with lighting the fire under the kettle is a good idea, because it will take at least 10 minutes for the water to boil. Then, in the meantime, you can arrange your setup in a way that everything is within the reach of your arms and so that it looks pleasing to see.

The size of these big and large leaves of Jinxuan Oolong indicates their high mountain origin. The leaves are thick, but still flexible. A menthol cooling taste lingers on the tongue when I breath in with my mouth. The freshness and vibrancy of a Taiwanese high mountain Oolong feels like a cool breeze this summer.

David Louveau's latest lotus bowl shines its quiet beauty on my Chaxi.

Dong Ding de compétition dans l'atelier de David Louveau

Il est plus difficile de réussir l'infusion d'un Oolong torréfié que celle d'un Oolong de haute montagne frais. La dimension du feu de la torréfaction ajoute une variable qu'il s'agit de bien maitriser. Il ne suffit pas de bien ouvrir les feuilles avec une eau bien chaude dans une théière Yixing bien préchauffée. Trop de force et/ou un jet trop d'eau bouillante saccadé vont trop faire ressortir le côté brulé de la torréfaction et donner un goût trop saturé. A l'autre extrème, une eau versée trop calmement lors de la première infusion ne réussira pas à faire sortir la puissance de ce thé. Pour cette première infusion, il faut donc chercher le juste milieu. Commencer avec une force bien contrôlée, stable, puis ralentir le versement au fur à mesure que la théière est presque remplie. La première infusion est assez longue pour bien ouvrir les feuilles, mais les prochaines sont plus courtes.

David et moi infusons à tour de rôle pour apprendre à bien réussir ce thé.

Spring 2013 Dong Ding Competition Oolong

Cultivar: Luanze/qingxin Oolong
Origin: Lugu, Dong Ding (central Taiwan)
Elevation: 700 meters
Harvested by hand on April 17th, 2013
Process: Hung Shui Oolong (charcoal roasted)

This tea is what remains of a batch that was submitted to the Lugu towniship farmer's association (=Dong Ding Oolong tea) competition of this spring 2013. This is the biggest and most renowned Oolong competition in Taiwan: around 5000 lots compete for the top prizes in spring and winter. Thanks to the success of this event, similar tea competitions have been created all around the island to help promote local teas. An important factor to consider is the number of participants. A high number creates more competition for quality.

This competition dates back to the early 1980s. At first, the farmers were suspicious of this government interference with their trade. Who were these judges to think they could rank their teas? So, in one of the first competitions, the farmers submitted twice the same batch of tea to the competition, under 2 different names. They wanted to test the judges and see if the same tea would receive different grades. Instead, the judges were able to taste the similarity between the 2 lots and told the farmers that the same tea had be submitted twice! This proved the seriousness and professionalism of the judges. These are employed by the Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES), Taiwan's tea research institute.

Now that the TRES had gained the trust of the Dong Ding farmers, it would wield influence over the taste of competition Dong Ding Oolong. The director of the TRES had learned his tea skills in Wu Yi (Fujian) and that's why his judges favored roasted Oolongs that were similar to Wu Yi Oolongs. And to this day, the characteristic of this competition Dong Ding Oolong is its strong Yancha-like roasting.This is why we find a distinctive Wu Yi suan (acidity) in this Dong Ding Oolong.

20% of the grade comes from the appearance of the tea leaves. Thus, the farmers remove the stems before submitting the tea to the competition. The impact on the tea is more concentrated aromas, because stems are not very fragrant. On the other hand, this increases a little bit the cost of the tea and you loose the sweet taste of the stems.

The leaves smell nutty, musty with dark malt and bitter chocolate notes. Beyond these darker fragrances, I can still smell a fresh Oolong note. The fragrance is complex, but harmonious. The brew's notes are rounder and blend well one with another. (Fragrances count for 30% of the grade).

The brew's color and clarity counts for 10%. We can see an appealing golden color that lacks turbidity.

With 40%, the taste carries the most weight in the Dong Ding competition. This batch is very close to what you expect from a top grade Dong Ding Oolong. The roasting is powerful and mixes well with the underlying tea. There are no defects and the mouth feels clean when you swallow your brew. It is a tea that feels very alive. The Wu Yi suan acidity provides like a strong structure for the taste to develop in the mouth until the back. It tickles the tastebuds and makes me salivate. This sweet/sour taste becomes more and more sweet as the time goes by. The throat remains open and the aftertaste goes on and on. A late freshness appears on the tongue. Excellent!