I'm a big fan of tea (Camellia sinensis, the plant where green, white, black, and oolong all come from). I also enjoy photography. So naturally, over the past few years I've taken some photos of...
I'm a big fan of tea (Camellia sinensis, the plant where green, white, black, and oolong all come from). I also enjoy photography. So naturally, over the past few years I've taken some photos of the teas and teaware that I use.
This type of setup is referred to as gongfu tea(yes, just like kung fu). It typically involves the tea brewing device, referred to as a gaiwan, which is basically a small (~60-150mL) flaired cup with a lid. This method of brewing uses large amounts of leaf with a small amount of water relative to "western style" brewing. Rather than brewing up a big cup of tea by steeping the leaves for several minutes, you instead brew the leaves many times, steeping only for seconds at a time. For example, a "session" of gongfu brewing might have successive steepings that gradually increase the time (e.g. 10s, 10s, 15s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 40s, 45s, 60s, 90s) until the tea has given all it can.
The particular tea pictured here is a white tea called a "moonlight white." While I like white tea, I drink puer tea (both the sheng and shou varieties from Yunnan, China by definition) and black tea (mostly from Yunnan as well) on a daily basis.
If anyone is curious about tea, this brewing style, or anything else related, I'd be happy to discuss!
Excellent tea explanation! I have been getting into puer and black teas lately. It still blows my mind that they can be aged for so long and that that's what makes them so tasty.
Excellent tea explanation! I have been getting into puer and black teas lately. It still blows my mind that they can be aged for so long and that that's what makes them so tasty.
Ya the aging is very interesting. I got into puer in 2015, and have collected several (ok, I just counted, 32) cakes of sheng puer, about 10 of 2015 vintage, 8 of 2016, and another 8 of 2017. It...
Ya the aging is very interesting. I got into puer in 2015, and have collected several (ok, I just counted, 32) cakes of sheng puer, about 10 of 2015 vintage, 8 of 2016, and another 8 of 2017. It has been very interesting watching the 2015 tea change over the years, and I look forward to seeing how the newer cakes change as well. Particularly because I also have several aged teas ranging from 2004 to 2009, as well as some mao cha (unpressed puer leaves) from 2008, and they have all aged and fermented very differently. Starting material is of course a huge factor, and the (bio)chemistry of the coupled aging and fermentation process is so complex. So I'm really curious about my fresh puer... I have a distinct taste/preference in what I purchase (in terms of flavors and aromas I look for and prefer) so will they all age/ferment similarly? Its a fun mystery that will take 10-20 years to really know.
With black tea, the aging is shorter term, but still cool to witness. From companies like Yunnan Sourcing and Farmer Leaf, I've come to understand that many Yunnan tea farmers say their black teas (assamica material grown in Yunnan) are best after aging 2 to 3 years. I'd say I notice the biggest change from the time they are produced to about 6-12 months. The ultra-fresh black tea character, that I've observed in many different types of fresh spring black teas, dissipates and the full character of the tea is revealed. I've never been able to hold onto a black tea for three years, but I've definitely had that last bits of a few bags of black tea make it to the two year mark, and they were fantastic with full aroma, no staleness at all.
Just to make this a true wall of text, have you tried aged oolong or aged white teas?
Aged white teas seem to be catching on in popularity, as they really morph into something dark and fruity, if not a little dank, after about 5-8 years. I got some from White2Tea a year or two back and it was extremely intriguing.
I've had some old Taiwanese oolongs as well. They can develop really interesting plum-like notes after 5-10 years.
I don't think I've ever gone out looking for aged oolong or white teas specifically, but I'm not necessarily sure how old some of the ones I have had are. I've just recently started keeping a "tea...
I don't think I've ever gone out looking for aged oolong or white teas specifically, but I'm not necessarily sure how old some of the ones I have had are. I've just recently started keeping a "tea journal"; the year of the tea I am drinking is probably one of the things I should record in it.
Thank you for sharing both the picture and the context! I knew that tea ceremonies had lot of depth and tradition surrounding them, but I had never looked very close so this post was eye opening....
Thank you for sharing both the picture and the context! I knew that tea ceremonies had lot of depth and tradition surrounding them, but I had never looked very close so this post was eye opening. As an aside, is the ceramic on the far right the lid to the gaiwan?
Sure thing! And yes, the ceramic on the far right is the lid to the gaiwan. From what I understand, while there are formalized ceremonies surrounding gongfu tea, they're really just for special...
Sure thing! And yes, the ceramic on the far right is the lid to the gaiwan.
From what I understand, while there are formalized ceremonies surrounding gongfu tea, they're really just for special events. Most people use a gaiwan and this style of brewing very casually, just like morning coffee or tea. However the experience is less passive and more focused, so it inherently demands a bit more attention. I find that this is actually pretty relaxing.
So beautiful :O I'd love to get into teas on a more serious level but the expense and amount of preparation required deters me a little. One of these days though, I'll make the investment!
So beautiful :O I'd love to get into teas on a more serious level but the expense and amount of preparation required deters me a little. One of these days though, I'll make the investment!
Thanks! Getting started can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. With 40 bucks you can have a gaiwan, a tea cup or two, a scale to measure your tea, and of course a few bags of loose tea....
Thanks! Getting started can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. With 40 bucks you can have a gaiwan, a tea cup or two, a scale to measure your tea, and of course a few bags of loose tea. Learning the prep does take a bit, but its not a steep learning curve, just gotta practice. I'm a teacher at a residential school and have tea sessions with a few of my students every other week or so, and they're pros with the gaiwan after probably three sessions (I have a bunch of little 60mL gaiwans so they can all prepare their own tea).
If you're interested in vendors that sell cheap-but-good tea and cheap-but-high-quality teaware, feel free to hit me up here or on instagram @ccr.tea
That's a beautiful photo. The light is gorgeous, and the composition restful. Definitely can see the emotional view and feelings toward the subject! I also would love to learn more about tea. My...
That's a beautiful photo. The light is gorgeous, and the composition restful. Definitely can see the emotional view and feelings toward the subject!
I also would love to learn more about tea. My current level of cultivation is "Hey, that stuff over there in that cup. Why does it taste so good...?" I will have to figure out the Instagram thing.
I'm a big fan of tea (Camellia sinensis, the plant where green, white, black, and oolong all come from). I also enjoy photography. So naturally, over the past few years I've taken some photos of the teas and teaware that I use.
This type of setup is referred to as gongfu tea(yes, just like kung fu). It typically involves the tea brewing device, referred to as a gaiwan, which is basically a small (~60-150mL) flaired cup with a lid. This method of brewing uses large amounts of leaf with a small amount of water relative to "western style" brewing. Rather than brewing up a big cup of tea by steeping the leaves for several minutes, you instead brew the leaves many times, steeping only for seconds at a time. For example, a "session" of gongfu brewing might have successive steepings that gradually increase the time (e.g. 10s, 10s, 15s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 40s, 45s, 60s, 90s) until the tea has given all it can.
The particular tea pictured here is a white tea called a "moonlight white." While I like white tea, I drink puer tea (both the sheng and shou varieties from Yunnan, China by definition) and black tea (mostly from Yunnan as well) on a daily basis.
If anyone is curious about tea, this brewing style, or anything else related, I'd be happy to discuss!
Excellent tea explanation! I have been getting into puer and black teas lately. It still blows my mind that they can be aged for so long and that that's what makes them so tasty.
Ya the aging is very interesting. I got into puer in 2015, and have collected several (ok, I just counted, 32) cakes of sheng puer, about 10 of 2015 vintage, 8 of 2016, and another 8 of 2017. It has been very interesting watching the 2015 tea change over the years, and I look forward to seeing how the newer cakes change as well. Particularly because I also have several aged teas ranging from 2004 to 2009, as well as some mao cha (unpressed puer leaves) from 2008, and they have all aged and fermented very differently. Starting material is of course a huge factor, and the (bio)chemistry of the coupled aging and fermentation process is so complex. So I'm really curious about my fresh puer... I have a distinct taste/preference in what I purchase (in terms of flavors and aromas I look for and prefer) so will they all age/ferment similarly? Its a fun mystery that will take 10-20 years to really know.
With black tea, the aging is shorter term, but still cool to witness. From companies like Yunnan Sourcing and Farmer Leaf, I've come to understand that many Yunnan tea farmers say their black teas (assamica material grown in Yunnan) are best after aging 2 to 3 years. I'd say I notice the biggest change from the time they are produced to about 6-12 months. The ultra-fresh black tea character, that I've observed in many different types of fresh spring black teas, dissipates and the full character of the tea is revealed. I've never been able to hold onto a black tea for three years, but I've definitely had that last bits of a few bags of black tea make it to the two year mark, and they were fantastic with full aroma, no staleness at all.
Just to make this a true wall of text, have you tried aged oolong or aged white teas?
Aged white teas seem to be catching on in popularity, as they really morph into something dark and fruity, if not a little dank, after about 5-8 years. I got some from White2Tea a year or two back and it was extremely intriguing.
I've had some old Taiwanese oolongs as well. They can develop really interesting plum-like notes after 5-10 years.
Man, tea is weird but awesome. I love it.
I don't think I've ever gone out looking for aged oolong or white teas specifically, but I'm not necessarily sure how old some of the ones I have had are. I've just recently started keeping a "tea journal"; the year of the tea I am drinking is probably one of the things I should record in it.
Thank you for sharing both the picture and the context! I knew that tea ceremonies had lot of depth and tradition surrounding them, but I had never looked very close so this post was eye opening. As an aside, is the ceramic on the far right the lid to the gaiwan?
Sure thing! And yes, the ceramic on the far right is the lid to the gaiwan.
From what I understand, while there are formalized ceremonies surrounding gongfu tea, they're really just for special events. Most people use a gaiwan and this style of brewing very casually, just like morning coffee or tea. However the experience is less passive and more focused, so it inherently demands a bit more attention. I find that this is actually pretty relaxing.
So beautiful :O I'd love to get into teas on a more serious level but the expense and amount of preparation required deters me a little. One of these days though, I'll make the investment!
Thanks! Getting started can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. With 40 bucks you can have a gaiwan, a tea cup or two, a scale to measure your tea, and of course a few bags of loose tea. Learning the prep does take a bit, but its not a steep learning curve, just gotta practice. I'm a teacher at a residential school and have tea sessions with a few of my students every other week or so, and they're pros with the gaiwan after probably three sessions (I have a bunch of little 60mL gaiwans so they can all prepare their own tea).
If you're interested in vendors that sell cheap-but-good tea and cheap-but-high-quality teaware, feel free to hit me up here or on instagram @ccr.tea
That's a beautiful photo. The light is gorgeous, and the composition restful. Definitely can see the emotional view and feelings toward the subject!
I also would love to learn more about tea. My current level of cultivation is "Hey, that stuff over there in that cup. Why does it taste so good...?" I will have to figure out the Instagram thing.