Tea

I tried two more teas yesterday and fell in love with one and really enjoyed the other. My new love is oolong. I read an article in the Washington Post a few months ago about oolongs- it said that they are the champagne of teas (now that caught my attention) but that it takes a bit of effort to brew. Yes they are right. The tea is really very delicious and there is an extra step in brewing. I found 100% organic Wuyi oolong from Rishi Tea at Whole Foods and, thanks to the TeaChat boards, brewed a great cup. I rinsed two cups with the hot water then poured about 1/2 of hot water (just off the boil) over the tea leaves, swirling to make sure that all of the leaves were wet. After about 5 -10 seconds, I lifted the infuser and placed it in the second cup, added more hot water and brewed for about 3-4 minutes. Not so hard, just a quick additional step. I made a second cup from the same leaves, steeping for closer to 4 1/2 minutes. This cup was equally delicious but seemed more mellow. I am an oolong fan!

I also tried sencha for the first time. I found an organic tin from Rishi at Whole Foods. I read that this tea can be tricky to brew but felt I was ready to give it a go. Sencha is a green tea from Japan that can be described as vegetal. When brewed right, there is a balance of sweetness with the astringency. I am finding that I enjoy greeny green teas and thought that my cup yesterday had a bit of sweetness. It was really good- and I kept thinking of that tea after I had finished. uummm- must play around with this tea some more. I might stop at Teaism today after bookclub and try a cup there.