ROCK TEA - DA HONG PAO

DA HONG PAO

Dear Readers,

I have tried "Da Hong Pao" teas several times, but I can't recall which type they  belong to. I ONLY begin to realise lately that there are two main types, that is either from Upton or TeaSource. However, there are other couples Wuyi Rock teas from Jing [drums fingers impatiently]. To have a better understanding of the potential of these teas, I'd really like to hear from some of you how you feel in terms of quintessential example of a Big Red Robe or other Wuyi rock tea.

Any other recommendations?  I must admit that price is a consideration factor, but I willing to try even fairly pricey teas like the "Exquisite" or "Tribute" DHPs. Thanks in advance!

I have tried one of the rock tea, tasting like wine. I can feel the heat all over my body and my faces too turn into red as well. That was my first experience which my contact had told me that it is a rare tea, which found only in a very old trees at one of moutains in China. May some of you share out your experience on rock tea.

I also made to understand lately that there are 4 famous wuyi teas, namely Si Da Ming Cong, Da Hong Pao, Tie Luo Han, Shui Jin Gui and Bei Ji Guan. Especially Bai Ji Guan, rarest of them and very unique flavor. Whereas Rou Gui and Shui Xian which are reminiscent of Da Hong Pao somehow. Can anyone tells us more.

For your easy reading, append below, please find a short briefing from Wikipedia

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Dà Hóng Páo (大红袍) is an important Wuyi Oolong tea. Legend has it that the mother of a Ming Dynasty emperor was cured of an illness by a certain tea, and that emperor sent great red robes to clothe the four bushes from which that tea originated. Three of these original bushes, growing on a rock on Mount Wuyi and reportedly dates back to the Song Dynasty, still survive today and are highly venerated. At one point, less than one kilogram of tea was harvested from these plants each year, of which a portion was retained by the Chinese government. In 2005, the remainder of this original and real Da Hong Pao was auctioned, with an initial asking price of 4000 RMB/100 g, but often reaching tens of thousands to millions of dollars per kilogram^[1][2]

In recent years, a number of companies have invested in preserving the interest in this tea and other so-called "artisan" teas, which typically are of very high quality and have rich histories as is true with Da Hong Pao. These have an initially high cost of production (and typically are only considered authentic when grown in their place of origin), but, as they have quickly become popular in Western countries, prized selections of the tea are available each year, with quality being consistent due to the increased popularity of tea.

Cuttings taken from the original plants have been used to produce similar grades of tea from genetically identical plants. Taste variations produced by processing, differences in the soil, and location of these later generation plants is used to grade the quality of various Da Hong Pao teas. Some online tea shops have marketed Da Hong Pao as an oolong—it is unclear whether their varieties are not fully fermented as traditional Da Hong Pao tea is or they have errors on their sites.

Xiao Hong Pao, or Small Red Robe refers to Da Hong Pao grown from plants of fourth or greater generation, but the term is rarely used. In some cases Xiao Hong Pao is simply sold as Hong Pao, presumably for marketing purposes.

Due to its high quality, Da Hong Pao tea is usually reserved for honored guests in China.

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

ROCK TEA

Hi! Folks,

ROCK TEA may be for some of you, your favorite tea. As far as I am concern, I still recall my experience in one of those times, that nearly made me feel like tasting wine. However, I cannot recall this rock tea that make me believe that the effect exactly like wine, not only turned my face red, but also warmed my body. Thus enhanced the blood circulation around my body.



Lately, I read about Wuyi Yan Cha (Wuyi Rock Tea) that claimed to have a distinctive taste of sunburned mountain rocks, it was also reported that numerous types of tea are produced around Mount Wuyi, which is the origin of the real Da Hong Pao tea (most expensive tea in China) and Lapsang souchong, further described in Wuyi tea.


Wu Yi Tea also claimed to be the most powerful natural weight loss solution. For those who have used this weight reduction program please come forward to share your experiences. I was told that it is a unique combination of ingredients working synergistically for efficient weight reduction when combined with healthy diet.


This famous tea, also known as a type of "oolong tea" from Fujian province is found in the gaps of rocks on Wuyi Mountain, making its cultivation difficult. As a result, it is also very pricey due to its rarity. The leaves are usually hand-rolled and pan-fired at their aromatic peak. Thereafter they are charcoal-fired in small batches to produce deep green color and rich flavors. When brewed this tea tend to produce a smooth aroma with a deliciously sweet, roasted taste. This tea will continue to taste great even after many infusions.


For those who have not tried it before, I suggest that you give it a try and share with us your experience. Who knows you will love it after your discovery.


James Oh






Skype me at james.oh18

HOW TO MAKE TEA EGG - VIDEO

World's Most Powerful Fat-Burning Tea!

Dear friend,

Please click at the title to watch the video on the world's most powerful fat-burning Tea.

BAK KUT TEH ( NON HALA FOOD)

BAK KUT TEH ( NON HALA FOOD)

Hi! folks,

The weather of this morning is cold and wet, it triggers me to have Bak Kut Teh to keep me warm,however, I enjoy this delicious food. Bak Kut Teh, which is basically pork cooked in herbal soup has Klang as its birthplace. It began with cooking meat in herbal soup so as to give strength to the hard working labourers who worked at the port. Later on it evolved into so many varieties, thicker, thin soup and dry type as well. 

Now, it is so famous that you can find Bak Kut Teh stalls in most parts of Malaysia and Singapore, with their signboard of “Klang Bak Kut Teh” to attract customers.

Kedai Makanan Seng Huat, popularly known as the Restaurant “Under the Bridge”, is located along the same row of shophouses next to the Port Klang KTM station. The other landmark you can look for would be the Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Klang. 

One obvious thing you will notice, when you walk into this restaurant, is that many kettles are placed strategically around the tables. These kettles are used to boil water for customers to brew their Chinese tea, which customer bring along or select from the basketful of tea leaves in bags by its waiters.

Then you will be given a number of small Chinese tea cups, depending on the number of your group, with one equally small tea pot for you to brew your tea. Here, can someone tell me why tea is chosen as companion of Bak Kut herbal soup?

There are variety of pork, from different parts of pig's body, you can choose from: fatty, lean, half-fat / half-lean, ribs, leg, spare parts such as intestines, stomach. You may eat with either white plain rice or mixed rice with fried shallots for a fragrant taste.

The soup is flavourful, with a reasonably strong hint of herbs though not overwhelming and the meat is really tender, which sort of melts in the mouth as a result of long hours of cooking. To add more excitement, you may add Yau Char Kuey (deep fried rolls). If you prefer it to be slightly crispier, then I suggest that you don't expose it in the herbal soup for too long. Nothing beats eating Yau Char Kuey shortly after it is fried.

The shop is open everyday from 7.00am till about 1.00pm and reopen from 5.00pm till about 11.00pm.

Here, I like to stress that tea is so highly appreciated everywhere and even the herbal soup best goes with Chinese tea, as its name suggested. Tea again is regarded as a good companion, as good contributor, in the Chinese community as it sets good example to its people.  

So, next time if you go to Klang, make sure you try this. Otherwise, your trip will not be complete without it. 

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

10 WAYS TO REALLY FIND TEH PRICE OF TEA IN CHINA

Hi! Folks,

Recently I also received an email from a blogger called Jessica Hulett who is so kind to share with me the article that they had just posted on their own blog.

Her kind thoughts and proposal for posting of her article in my blog is well accepted by me to mark a good kick start our co-operation to enrich my blog readers further. Thank her so much for her concerns and action.

As such, I am without any hesitation agree to it and append below is her article. Hope you enjoy it.

10 Ways to Really Find the Price of Tea in China

Posted on March 17, 2011 by admin

If you grew up like I did you may have heard your parents say a few times “What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?”  Well, I must confess that I have started using that same saying on my children and guess what?  They are now old enough to call me on it and throw it back in my face.  So now we have banter back and forth around variations of the “price of tea in China” saying.  Before I knew it, the whole thing got a bit out of control and I simply had to find out how I could know the price of tea in China daily. And thus, this list of 10 places to find the price of tea in China online was born:

1. Chinese Tea Store: This site offers a wide variety of authentic Chinese teas for a reasonable price. You can order as little as 25 grams or as much as 200 grams of tea.
2. Tea Trader: This tea trader site lists its Chinese teas in Canadian dollars and sell as much as 500 grams per premium tea.
3. Yixing Teapot Sale: This tea seller has a wide assortment of aged teas and special grade teas for a reasonable price.
4. Golden Teahouse: Check out Golden Teahouse’s collection of fine Chinese teas and monthly specials you don’t want to miss!
5. Chinese Tea Wholesales Center: If you’re looking to buy your tea at a good price, you need to check out this wholesale center that offers premium Chinese teas in bulk.
6. China Tea Mall: China Tea Mall gives you a thorough price guide and detailed tea description to make purchasing even easier.
7. Grand Tea Company: This Hong Kong-based company offers a wide variety of traditional and specialty teas in several different weights.
8. The Whole Leaf: The Whole Leaf sells just that – whole leaf tea, not tea bags. This purer form of tea is sold by the ounce or quarter pound.
9. Chinese Tea: This site offers a wide variety of traditional and aged teas and a dose of tea history for you to enjoy.
10. Chinese Culture: Check out what this online market has to offer and shop around for their special tea deals.

If you aren’t familiar with the origins of the saying, it’s not particularly complicated and dates back to the 19th century when the price of tea in England was particularly high.  It was actually highest when the first ship arrived back from China after their harvest. The ship owners would pay for the crop in China and then race back to England to try to get there first (since the first ship back got the highest payment and each subsequent ship got less). 

This became known as the tea clipper races.  So basically the saying evolved from those last ships that made it back complaining of the price they were getting in England and the response being what does that (the current price of tea in England) have to do with the price of tea in China?

Please share with us your view/experience. Thanks and stay tuned.

WATER

WATER

Hi ! Tea folks,

As some of you may be aware that water is the main component of brewing the best possible tea, apart from having good quality tea. As such, we cannot afford to ignore the significant importance of water. It has two great impacts on tea in term of type of water used and at what level the water is boiled.

In today's article, I am going to focus on the latter to ease the understanding. So, the question arises here is to what level the water should boil at. To answer this question, we need to know what type of tea you are brewing. Append below I have listed down  some useful guide for the respective type of teas:-

a) about 70-80 degree C for green tea;
b) 85 degree C are good for white or lightly oxidated Oolong teas;

It is interesting to know that the ancient tea masters, prior to invention of thermometer,  used visuals or hearing to determine the correct water temperature, for steeping tea, as appended below:-

a) when you see the bubbles like small fish's eyes or crab's eyes, that translate to about 70-80 degree, suitable for green tea.

b) When the bubbles grow bigger and like the size of crystal beads or pearls, indicates to 85 degree C, suitable for white and lightly oxidated Oolong teas.

c) As the billows surge wildly in the kettle, with the size of longans, the water is nearly reaching the boiling point and perfect for for steeping black or Pu'er teas.

That's the main reason for my preference of glass kettle, which I have blogged much earlier. You may read it again at the link below.

Before I pen off, I like to take this opportunity to share a useful Chinese poem in this connection which closely associates the sound of water gurgling in the kettle with other natural sounds from the wind or water flow as belows:-

a) "wind blowing through pine leave" which translates to water boiling at 75 degree C. b) Whereas sounds resembling "spring water spurting out of the stone ' which would be 85 degree C
c) "waves crashing on the shore", translate to 91 degree C.
d) When the water reach the boiling point, there is No sound at all.

Lastly, can you guess which step makes the most noise. Scroll down for the answer.



e)  However, half-boiled water makes the most noise. This phrase I believe is the most well known phrase in life and still applicable in today's world. Here, I write to congratulate those who answered it correctly.

Trust you find the above article not only entertaining, but also enriching as the name of this blog suggests. Please feel free to let us know as how to make this more entertaining and enriching should you have any idea/suggestion. Your valuable feedback is greatly appreciated.

Hope to seeing you again,

To your success in enriching life,

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

TREASURE OF AGED TEA

VERY WARM WELCOME HERE,

I  had always been approached and asked "What are the differences between  aged and new tea?"

In this article, I decided to address this question below in the hope that you have a better understanding.

New tea as opposed to aged tea, is usually harvested, produced and sold in the same season. As for aged tea, it is usually kept for a few years or even decades.

Naturally, the characteristics of new tea are fresh, sweet and astringent with aroma. As a consequence, the new tea is more exciting to your stomach and much easier to refresh your brain. Due to these similar reasons, new tea is not recommended for the elderly to drink.

The next question arises as how to take good care of the aged tea?

You may know that the aged tea is stored for long periods, so the taste is not fresh, and other tastes may be lost as well. Although the aged tea comes with the light flavor, its' taste mellows slowly and consistently.  It is worthy to note that high quality aged tea does not taste unpleasantly old or musty.

Append below please find the most common ways to age tea.

a) Sealing tea in the pot and then put in the cellar or
b) Bury into the ground.

In the above manners, tea will change favor slowly and naturally.

Lately, you may find some people prefer roasting out the tea every few years after starting the aged process in order to prevent bad odour. Please inform us more about this newly invented way, which I am sure it is of great assistance to the readers of this blog.

However, no matter which way tea is aged, if you don’t use the high quality tea, do not expect the poor taste tea to change to better ones. Hence, the high quality tea base is the most crucial for aged tea.

Interestingly to note that aged tea will tend to appreciate, similar to wine. Not surprisingly that it has been used as one of the hedging tools against inflation, which has become the current phenomena worldwide. These aged teas have increased in value many folds recently and big congratulations to those who have made a windfall. For those who have not, please spare some time to learn this hobby and you too can make such similar fortune.

Here, I must confess that I am very fortunate that my investment in the aged tea and apparatus had been successful and I can be well rewarded if I were to realize them. However, I still prefer to keep them and continue to learn more of this hobby.

Thank God and those who had assisted me in such a rewarding investment and hobby.

Stay tuned and look forward to hearing from you,

James Oh

GAIWAN IS NOT REINVENTED TEA BREWING METHOD

Gaiwan is not a reinvented tea brewing method

In my preceding article, I have discussed quite indepth on how this method reinvented tea brewing. To make it more fun, I decided to write an opposing view on today's article so as to enhance the readers' perspective.

In my preceding article, my argument that gaiwan reinvents tea brewing method because it makes the process much simpler and faster. However you should be mindful that this method  only applies to tender tea such as green tea. Hence, it has limited scope and application.

Due to the above limited scope and application,  it is more appropriate/ accurate that to say that it offers another brewing method to tea drinkers. Hence, it should be viewed as a compliment to other brewing methods rather than replacing them. In short, it adds more color to life, so to speak.

As such, it makes other brewing method relevant and applicable till date. With technological advancement, more varieties and methods are made available. Simply put,  you are more pampered with plenty of choices as it evolves through time. Greater challenges and excitement awaits  you if you choose to explore further.

By its simplicity and ease of use in nature, one may argue that it lacks kick; glory or fun in term of the activities involved. Be mindful that it has a great adverse impact on the economy as well. Today's world, everyone is more concerned on the sustainable economy rather than anything else.

Alternatively, you may also choose to stay the way you are in. Grab whatever opportunity that comes along. You may turn every situation to your favour so long as you are contented with. To do so, you need to be creative and innovative.

Once, you see the benefits, you should then act upon it, without any delay. Never wait until a right time for you to do so and I can assure you that the right time will not come.  

To share with you my initial experience when I begun my blog. I know, for sure that there is so much imperfectness and incompleteness. However, I chose to embark it first and tidy it whenever I have the time to do so.

Hope you enjoy reading it and have a fulfilling day,

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

GAIWAN

Gaiwan Method

The Gaiwan is a traditional teacup from China, with a lid and saucer. By placing the lid at an angle, the lid functions as a strainer and makes drinking pure leaf teas easy. The saucer helps in lifting the cup, especially when the tea is at a high temperature. Originally the Gaiwans were made of clay. Over time many designs have evolved. These days porcelain, stoneware and glass Gaiwans are used to enjoy pure leaf teas. 

If you prefer, you may also use the gaiwan method, the oldest method for brewing tea, instead of the gongfu method of making tea. You may click at the link below to refresh your memory of the latter method.

http://teaartblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/gongfu-tea-ceremony.html

In this article, I am very proud to share with you of the latter method. This method involves tea cup, cup lid and saucer. Please allow me to give you a short history of this method.

A porcelain cup with a lid that fits inside the lips was created during the Ming dynasty. You may drink from it directly or serve the tea in individual testing cups. Later, a third element was introduced, the saucer, also called in China "Tea boat". This piece was added to insulate the bottom and enable people to hold the cup more safely. By placing the lid at an angle, the lid functions as a strainer to keep the leaves away from the drinking or pouring edge. As such, it makes drinking pure leaf teas easy. This method is suitable for drinking tea alone as well as sharing with a group of people using a pitcher and small cups.      

Due to its functionality and practicability, the Gaiwan has long been recognized as one of the most common tool in China to prepare tea. It is the favorite way of preparing and drinking tea in the Sichuan province. Teahouses there mostly serve tea in gaiwan cups. The gaiwan is used more appropriatly especially when brewing tender tea such as green tea, white tea, and tisanes. Otherwise, it would be easily over brewed when clay teapot is being used. Another great advantage of using this cup is that you could drink it directly. Thus, you are just enjoying tea exactly the way they used to during the Ming dynasty. It evolved over time. These days porcelain, stoneware and glass Gaiwans are used to enjoy pure leaf teas. 

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

PU'ER GIVEAWAY

Hi! Valued Readers,

We are very excited to host our very first give away raw "Pu'er Tea" memorial event out of my own collection. This stock is with us for a couple of years. 

So, please forward me your particulars, via comment, so that we can forward you with such a gift and hope you enjoy this 2004 Raw Pu'er. This is a token of our appreciation for the support you have shown us as our loyal readers. 

You can see the above Pu'er is about 6 years old.

You may read its description at the link below:-

http://teaartblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/some-basic-information-on-puer-tea.html

For your information, we have recovered all my investment costs with some profit, plus some stocks. Therefore, we are fortunate to have chance to enjoy our hobby yet get paid. Today, we offer for sale some of our stocks so as to raise more funds to acquire more resources to upgrade and improve our blog facilities so as to serve you better.

As you may be aware that we are also offering USD 30.00 for the winner who can come out with the logo and theme for our main blog at http://liftyouup.blogspot.com.

WE are pleased to inform you that there are lots of initiatives in the pipeline for your reading and get paid scheme. So, stay tuned and happy reading.

If you wish, you may also click at the title of this article so as to guide you how to brew your Pu'er tea . We do it because we want you to get the best value of the tea from your own preparation. At the same time, we do hope you may acquire the skill and have lots of fun of doing it. 

Kindly let us know your taste and whether is it to your liking or not. You may email to us at jamesoh2003@yahoo.co.uk or via comment.

I hope this will help you get your feet wet and enjoy the taste and aroma of it. Have a pleasant tea session and look forward to hearing from you.

If you wish to order from us, please email us. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need any further clarification.

Happy reading and get the rewards accordingly,

James Oh

Founder and Group CEO

http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

LONGJING GREEN TEA

Hi! everyone,

In this article, I am going to share with you the green tea I love most. This green tea is none other than Longjing. Longjing tea leaves are unfermented.
I have visited its farm and was first introduced to this great tea. I found it very gentle and sweet and these teas are expensive, its prices depend on grades. It is best consumed in six months times. However, its live span can prolong if you store it in the refrigerator.

At that time, I bought several tins of two main grades, AA and AAA. The AA is packed in green hard paper canister whereas AAA is packed in gold colour hard paper canister. I found it quite easy to brew. Place a few spoons full of tea leaves into a white transparent glass cup, preferably so that you can see clearly its rich flavour. Then pour boiled water with about 80 degrees celsius into the glass with the tea leaves. Steep tea leaves for about 5 minutes before you begin to drink. You can infuse it for 5-8 times by just adding boiled water into it. When steeped, the tea produces a yellow-green colour, a gentle, pure aroma, and a rich flavor. The tea contains Vitamin C, amino acids, and has one of the highest concentration of catechins among teas, second only to white teas. Some even bring the glass with hot green tea near to thier eyes and let its stream rinse their eyes before they drink it. They believe it can cure and improve their vision. I had tried and can vouch for it. Congratulation to those who have practised it. But, for those who have not, please try it out and share with us your experience. Please drink this tea when it is still hot. The tea leaves can be eaten after infusion.

Hi folks! I stopped drinking it because I found it enhances my appetite. As a consequence, I decided to change to Pu'er.



For further reading, please read below:-

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Longjing tea (simplified Chinese: 龙井茶; traditional Chinese: 龍井茶; pinyin: lóngjǐngchá) or Dragonwell is a famous variety of green tea from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China where it is produced mostly by hand and has been renowned for its high quality, earning the China Famous Tea title. Longjing is divided into seven grades: Superior, Special, and then 1 down to 5.

Long Jing is often called the national drink of China and is frequently given to visiting heads of state. It is also a favorite tea of today's top leaders, with a portion of production reserved for government customers.

Like most other Chinese green tea, Longjing tea leaves are pan fired (not fried) to stop the fermentation process. In the world of tea, the term "fermentation" refers to the drying of the freshly picked leaves, resulting in enzymatic oxidation. This oxidation is stopped by frying or steaming the leaves before they completely dry out. As is the case with other green teas, Longjing tea leaves are unfermented. When steeped, the tea produces a yellow-green color, a gentle, pure aroma, and a rich flavor. The tea contains Vitamin C, amino acids, and has one of the highest concentration of catechins among teas, second only to white teas.

The name of this tea literally means "dragon well", a well that contains relatively dense water, and after rain the lighter rainwater floating on its surface sometimes exhibits a sinuous and twisting boundary with the well water, which is supposed to resemble the movement of a traditional Chinese dragon.

It was widely known that to achieve the best taste from Longjing, spring water from the "Hu Pao Quan" was to be used. Water is boiled then cooled to about 80 degrees celsius before being used to brew the tea leaves. Tea experts at Xi Hu insist on using fine china or glasses to brew Longjing (minerals in porous earthenware such as Zhi Sha may disrupt the taste of the tea).

James Oh

A GUIDE TO BREW PU'ER TEA

Hi! Everyone,

Below please find:-

A GUIDE TO BREW PU'ER TEA 

1 Prepare the necessary teaware and lay out the proper setting . If we have two guests, then tea tray, clay teapot for two, clay tea pitcher, filter, tea towel, tea utensils, two large clay cups, two coasters, kettle, tea receptacle and presentation vessel are required.

Teaware preparation

2. Take a chunk of compressed pu'er tea.
Peel off a small piece of pu'er cake

3 Break off the small piece of the compressed pu'er tea into loose leaves at the presentation vessel. If the compressed tea does not break off easily, use a knife to loosen up the tea. If the pu'er tea already comes in loose form, then scoop the loose pu'er tea from the canister and simply place the tea on the presentation vessel.

4 Take a moment to observe the appearance and to smell the aroma of the tea. Then pass the tea presentation vessel to your guests for their turn to admire the dried tea.

5 Make sure water has just reached the boiling point. Then remove the kettle and pour hot water into the teapot at least 1/3 full of tea leaves.

6. Pouring hot water from kettle
Drain hot water into pitcher completely. Alternatively you may pour boiled water from teapot into pitcher

7. By this time, the presentation vessel may probably returned from the guests back to the host. The host will opens the teapot's lid and ready to put dried tea from the tea presentation vessel into the teapot.

8. Tea presentation vessel
Left hand holds the presentation vessel and gently push the dried tea into the teapot.

9, Transfer of the tea
Top up boiled water into teapot before closing its lid. Gently shake the teapot.

10. Shaking the teapot:
Pass the teapot to guests. At this time, the teapot is warm with tea inside. The guests should know that they are to open the lid and smell the dry tea's aroma, which is very different from its previous state when it is sitting on tea presentation vessel.

11. Guest opens the lid and smells the tea's aroma
Close lid and pass to the next guest.

12: While the teapot is being passed around, the host pours water from the pitcher into the cups. If there is any water remaining inside the pitcher, then discard it into the tea receptacle. This should not happen if the host has gauged the size of the teapot and the cup correctly beforehand. But it is alright if this happens. No big deal. The rinsing of the teapot, tea pitcher and cups are meant to warm up the teaware.

13. Pour water into the cups. Discard water at tea receptacle
Fill up the teapot with boiled water. Closed lid. Wait about 5-10 seconds. Then pour out. This is known as the warm-up brew. Set aside this brew on the side. This will be discarded as shown in Step 15.

14. Pouring of the warm-up brew
Again pour water into the teapot. Close lid. Wait for 20-40 seconds.

15. Pouring hot water
Keep on pouring warm-up tea on the outside of the teapot, especially those made of unglazed Yixing clay.

16. Teapot seasoning
Pour tea into the pitcher before transfer to the cups. The purpose of the pitcher is to balance the tea evenly amongst all the guests. Remember that each infusion of tea will give you different taste. Some pitchers, depending on the sizes, may have bigger capacity than the small tea pot. To ensure even effect, it is more appropriate that everyone has tea from the pitcher, even if it is filled by different infusions from the tea pot.

17. Pour tea into the cups
Place the cup on the coaster and pass it to the guest. Tea is placed in front of the guest for his enjoyment.

Continue to infuse tea until the taste of tea has disappeared completely. The tea can usually last up to at least 8 infusions.

James Oh

Some basic information on Pu'er tea

Dear my loving readers and readers,

As promised earlier, I will dwell more details on Pu'er. To make thing simple and clearer, I let the photos do the talking as each photo tell thousands words.

Below are some of the photos together with short briefing, which can give you a better understanding of what I am talking about.





You will find 7 pieces of Pu'er cake in each pack. Each pack is wrapped by dried big leaf and the weight of each piece is usually ranges from 350 -450 grams. In short, each cartoon consists of 84 cakes.





Opened Pu'er tea cake.



The above photo shown the original pack of Pu'er, which has been removed from cartoon boxes. Each cartoon comprises of 12 packs of Pu'er. In short, each cartoon consists of 84 pieces of Pu'er cake.


The Pu'er cake will be broken in pieces by using the tools displayed below. A container will be used to put all the tools usually come in set comprises of of tea shuffle, Digger, Needle, Tongs and vase.


In short, "Cha Dao" (the Way of Tea) is a set of tools that helps out in tea brewing. Typical tools in a Cha Dao set are:




Tea Shuffle - shuffles tea leaves



Tea Digger - digs expended tea leaves from teapots



Tea Needle - prevents spout blockage




Tea Tongs - handles hot tea ware for your fingers



Vase - provides home for all tools





The above photo taken of Pu'er tea, tea cup, kettle and its accessories.


As such, no tea ceremony would be completed without all the necessary utensils and accessories.

The tea tray is an central part of any tea ceremony or tea serving activity. The tea tray contributes a very distinctive personality when preparing the tea. Each tray has its own place for any consideration when planning on preparing your favorite teas.


Trust this info is useful to you. Look forward to seeing you again.


James Oh

MUCH MORE THAN TEA

Happy day to all my dearest friends.

Is the above statement true?  To answer it, let us go through the following discussion.

It is an undeniable fact that it is a commodity that is widely traded internationally.

It was used as currency at one time. Today, it is also widely used as a investment tool, like wine, to curb inflation. Tea is second most widely consumed beverage worldwide after water.

Brewing good quality tea requires more than knowledge. It needs skills, patience and meticulous. Everything counts here - be it the process, the quality of tea, the type of water used, utensils, tea pot, cups and many others. So, in order to acquire and master that skill, you need to posses all the above.

"Cha Toa" or rule of tea, inherited from centuries, is still practiced so as to obtain the best out of that particular tea in terms of its fragrance, taste, medicinal value and other benefits. To achieve the best, each and every unwritten rules pertaining to its brewing process need to be observed.

Tea can also be used to destress yourself from work, that is why some people have tea sets readily at their offices.  At the same time, they use it to serve tea to their guests. It is commonly practiced in China and other parts of the world where tea is a popular beverage. To them, taking out some time to sip their favorite tea will give them real relaxation to relieve their minds and souls.

Of course, if time permit, you can even have grand tea ceremony ( Kung Fu tea ceremony) whereby you  demonstrate your martial art skills in preparing the tea. Here, you will not only use all the utensils - which are normally beautifully crafted; prefaced with poems, animals, heroes, values and principles; which are so pleasing to your eyes, minds and souls, but also serve as collectors items. These utensils and other tea accessories of various sizes, shapes and colors made of various type of materials are also be used to serve different types of tea accordingly to its characteristics in term of its nature, size, shape and purpose. As a whole, you will see lots of creative works; the practicability,values and uniqueness of each and every utensil. They are either hand or machine made. These master pieces especially those hand crafted ones are valued very much by its collectors for their rarity and antiquity.

Ambience may also play a significant part if one desires to have the best out of tea. Some may choose to have it at a cool, quiet place where you can find lots of greenery. While others may choose to have it at the hilltop where they can hear the bird singing and water gushing down. Of course this is very idealistic and not everyone may have the time and affinity to be close to nature. Actually to enjoy tea, one can have it in one's own home.  Should one can afford it, one can drink tea with one's friends/family in one's beautifully landscaped garden and the Japanese carp swiming gracefully in the pond. However, if one cannot afford it, one can just set aside a small corner in one's home for this healthy practice.

The topic of tea can also used as conversation piece among your circle of friends who share this common interest. New ideas, knowledge and new methods of concocting tea as well as the introduction of tea in cooking can be shared. This in turn will foster their frealtionship and divert their attention from gossiping which is not beneficial to everyone.

Apart from this, it is common to see business deals being concluded during the tea session. I would be happy if anyone is willing to share with me their personal experiences/discoveries during their participation in such sessions. Thank you in advance and look forward to hearing from you.

The side effect of tea is that it contains caffeine. However, in ancient days, tea was only affordable to the scholars and high officials of China. Fortunately, today, tea is easily accessible to all levels of society since it is now more affordable as it is being cultivated on a larger scale.

Now, you can see why I have my own personal tea corner, decorated with articles mentioned above.

Thanks for your time and trust it will also lead you to the path of staying healthy, as I do.

Cheers and have a lovely healthy day everyday.

James Oh

HOW TO BREW A GOOD PU'ER TEA

Dear our valued visitors,

Drinking Pu'er tea is more than an art. It has been part of the Chinese culture for more than a thousand years. Due to its long historical record, there are several versions of preparing good Pu'er teas amongst its passionate drinkers.

For those who have very hectic daily lives and intent to slow down. Then they may consider tea drinking their hobbies. Tea drinking may not only nurture individual patience, but also working towards balance and healthy life.

To brew a good Pu'er tea, you also need to pay attention in details. Everything counts - water, tea base, utensil.

WATER
It is one of the key deciding components in brewing good quality of the teas. Spring water is preferred because it tastes comparatively much better and convenient than other type of water.

Spring water may be safer than your drinking water. Bottled water or spring water is definitely the drink of choice especially if you live in a neighbor with lousy and unsafe tap or well water. Tap or well water could be contaminated with high levels of chemicals (lead, arsenic and benzene), micro bacteria (bacteria, viruses and parasites), and hazardous materials (glass chips and metal fragments). Imagine drinking all of those disgusting inhabitants every day. Yuck!

That's why in the ancient time, the people at that time very much preferred to collect the stream water at the mountain top because it is less contaminated. They also prefer to have tea at the place where they can find tranquility - well balance with natural beautiful scenery with birds song, sound of waterfall coupled with cozy breeze blew beyond words. You can only use your imagination to do the work.

Please take note the contaminated water will affect the taste of the tea. This is because the tea leaves find will not be dissolved well into it comparative to clean stream water. Stream water is also much softer comparative to other type of water especially those with highly contaminated.

It is advisable to heat up the water about 80-95 degree, when you begin to see the bubble rising from the bottom of the kettle. Now, you know why I recommended you to use glass kettle in the first place. Once you see lots of bubbles rising from the bottom of the kettle - well indicate that the water is over boiled. As a result, the water become comparatively harder.

When you pour the over boiled water to another tea pot with the Pu'er tea, you will realize that the tea leaves will not be able to dissolve well comparatively with the former. Naturally, it will affect not only the aroma, but its taste as well.

KETTLE HEATER
Because you are using the glass kettle, therefore you have to use the conventional mode instead of electrical heater, which is more convenient and easily available. One good side is that it will nurture your patience because it more tedious. After all this is the beauty of having such a hobby.

UTENSILS
There are a lot to deal with this topic. Therefore, I opt to discuss further in my forthcoming posts.

Thanks and trust you enjoy reading it.

See you again,

James Oh