As these pictures show, I spent a wonderful evening brewing this tea in a Korean style woodfired teapot made by David Louveau. In order for you to get the most out of this tea and my class, I recommend that you brew it while watching my live video! Since it's a shu puerh, the chaqi is very calm and won't keep you up all night (like a sheng puerh could)!
Friday, January 15, 2021
Hei Cha tea class
As these pictures show, I spent a wonderful evening brewing this tea in a Korean style woodfired teapot made by David Louveau. In order for you to get the most out of this tea and my class, I recommend that you brew it while watching my live video! Since it's a shu puerh, the chaqi is very calm and won't keep you up all night (like a sheng puerh could)!
Thursday, January 14, 2021
L'hiver, la saison des infusions
Comme il fait froid, j'en profite pour vous rappeler que le préchauffage de la théière zisha commence par le couvercle et les parois externes. (Voir ci-dessus). Ce n'est que dans un second temps qu'on préchauffe l'intérieur pour éviter un choc thermique. (Voir ci-dessous).Dans un troisième temps, on vide l'eau chaude dans les coupes pour les préchauffer à leur tour.
Puis, je fais glisser les feuilles de ma main dans la théière. (Moment émouvant de contact direct avec les feuilles.)Vient enfin le moment de l'infusion: verser l'eau portée à ébullition sur les feuilles. Pour ces feuilles, je verse avec beaucoup de douceur pour les premières infusions.
Remarquez que j'attends d'avoir verser l'eau bouillante dans la théière pour vider l'eau du préchauffage de mes coupes.Et dès que c'est fait, je peux commencer à verser l'infusion directement dans mes coupes. Et avec un bonne théière, il est assez simple de ne pas mettre une seule goutte sur le Chabu.La première infusion est d'une clarté limpide. Sa couleur est légère, car c'est le moment pour déguster les arômes les plus fins, les plus gourmands, et un goût bien pur. Cette pureté n'est pas le fruit du hasard, mais elle accompagne une démarche naturelle qui vise à ce que les Jacobiasa Formosana Paoli, de petits criquets verts, mordent les bourgeons, ce qui entraine une réaction défensive du théier qui provoque des odeurs très parfumées. Les Beautés Orientales de Hsin Chu sont, la plupart du temps, classifiées par leur producteur en fonction du degré de morsure des feuilles et donc de l'intensité de ce 'parfum' complètement naturel. Si vous désirez essayer un exemple de très haute qualité, je vous recommande les version impériales de ma sélection. Mais on a déjà de très beaux arômes avec cette version tradition... Et on a aussi l'avantage de cette pureté, car le fermier est obligé de ne pas employer de pesticides afin de favoriser la venue de ces petits criquets!Je recommande de ne pas l'infuser trop longtemps dans les 3 premières infusions, car il a beaucoup d'arômes très fins qu'il ne faut pas surcharger. Sa torréfaction ajoute de la longueur en bouche et du moelleux. On est presque dans le thé au goût de Cognac! Sinon, en terme d'accord avec des mets, je trouve qu'il pourrait bien aller avec des plats avec sauce tomate! En tous cas, c'est un thé facilment puissant qui convient bien à l'accompagnement d'un repas.
Sunday, January 10, 2021
Training to become a tea master
Wednesday, January 06, 2021
Winter Wenshan Baozhongs
Tuesday, January 05, 2021
New Year Chaxi video
Thursday, December 31, 2020
The year 2020 in 12 pictures
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Top 5 videos of 2020
We all know the saying 'If life gives you lemons, make lemonade!". In 2020, if the world suffers a pandemic and puts you in lockdown, make a Chaxi! Create a small world of harmony with your accessories, a tea, a Chabu and some creative decoration (a plant, a Chabu...). Add some music and you can enjoy a unique experience for all the senses that will cheer you up or, at least, bring peace to your mind.
So, since 2020 wasn't the year for outdoor adventures or large social gatherings, it was a good time to explore the more intimate world of tea making. And this world has no limits and makes one travel to where the tea grows and to the season and year where it was harvested! Tea is the almost magical travel and time machine for the mind!
This spring, I made some videos whenever I had time. Since this fall, I've move to a regular schedule: 10 AM each Saturday in Taiwan (ie Friday 9 PM, US Eastern time). And then a second class in French at 8 AM Saturday, European/French time. You can watch them live on my Facebook page and also the replay. I have tried to post my classes also on my YouTube channel, so that people without Facebook may also see them. However, for my early classes I had some trouble uploading the FB videos to YouTube. This fall, I eventually learned how to do it, except last weekend something has changed and I won't be able to upload the 'Xmas Tea Pairing' class. Sorry! But I should be able to do so in the future again.
I thank you for the kind feedback for these videos. I also wanted to do them as a challenge, because I know I am a poor public speaker. And now I also know that I'm a slow learner! I still feel stress before each class. But it usually goes away once I start making tea! If you enjoy watching these videos and want me to continue, please subscribe to my FB page and/or my YouTube channel. And also press 'Like' to help other tea students find my videos!
But enough about me, here are the 5 videos that have gathered the most combined views in 2020. (Click the link to view the video in FB, or watch the video on YouTube below).
5. 10 common mistakes to avoid during a Chaxi . A short video that tries to be fun and universal!
4. Tea and Beauty, cups. Where I discuss the essential link between tea and beauty.
3. Chaozhou Gongfu Cha. A demonstration of the traditional Qing dynasty method.
2. Yixing teapots class. An introduction to Yixing zisha teapots.
1. Wenshan Baozhong Everything you need to know about Taiwan's semi oxidized tea from the North of the island!
See you tomorrow with the 12 best pictures of 2020!
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Top 5 blog articles of 2020
5. How to choose a tea for aging. This year, several tea friends asked for a tea to mark the birth of their baby. This articles tries to give some help.
4. Gushu Puerh Feedback. Here I must thank Russell in Florida who wrote such great feedback that it made it to the top 5!
3. Thoughts on tea and avoiding the virus. If only the world had more listened to Taiwan... No other place has handled the virus better than this Oolong producing island!
2. A tea from the 20s. It's not every day that one gets to enjoy a 100 years old tea. No wonder it became the second most read article.
1. 2003 Puerh feedback. This other feedback was not just the most read article, but that puerh also became my best selling tea in 2020!
There's another good reason why I wrote less. In 2020, I recorded a lot of live tea videos on Facebook and, after a while, I learned to download them and post them to my YouTube channel. So, tomorrow, I'll post a new article in which I'll list the best and most viewed videos of 2020!
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Christmas Chaxi Tea Pairing event
Actually, this event was designed like a class introducing the concept of tea pairing while the students/diners had their meal and a tea. This is the best way to learn: the concept is immediately put into practice! Gloria Chen (on the left) brewed a red tea for the entry and the desert,
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Crab bisque |
In most cases, a dish has stronger flavors than tea. That's why we pick teas that can match up to the intensity of food. Hung Shui Oolong, thanks to its roasting, has such potential. What you have to consider, then, are the aromas of the tea. Do they match with those of the dish? In this case, the crab bisque was cooked much lighter than usual. So, I also had to take this into account when brewing my tea. It couldn't be too strong.
I also liked the entry: 2 braised mushroom filled with a few eggs of caviar! This touch of luxury was well in the spirit of Christmas... So I wish you all the best for this year's festivities. And I recommend that you try to pair some good teas with your Christmas meals. By combining tea and Christmas, you'll enjoy a double happiness!