... , Zen, Guess What's In The Cup, Win Some Pottery

Peace

Section 8.- Infusing Tea

"straining should not be done too soon and drinking should not be delayed too late. If it is too soon, the spirit of the tea will not have emerged, and if it is drunk too late, the wonderful fragrance will already have disappeared."

from Cha Sin Jeon- A Chronicle of the Spirit of Tea, a copy of Zhang Poyuan Chalu recorded by Cho Ui, translated in Korea Tea Classics

Those who do not have a copy of Korean Tea Classics do please follow along and participate by referencing a different English translation available here from The Leaf.

This tea classic will be covered one section a week which will go on for 24 weeks. Feel free to jump in with your commentary at anytime.

Peace

"1980s Sheng Fangcha" Nada Sample

This sample from Nada was stored in a buncheong style Kim Jeong Soo jar for a few years. A few months ago the body was in need of an oldish Shang this was one of a few older peurhs that were consumed at that time.

The dry leaves have a dusty wood smell. The odour is quite faint. They are added to hot yixing and the first session begins.

The first infusion displays fruity, cherry-plumb notes which came out under woody camphour notes that stretch into dryness. Even after a good long rinse the tea tastes dusty and dry. The contrast between fruity/ wood and dusty/ dry is nice. The aftertaste is dry, dusty with hints of fruit- a continuation of these initial tastes.

The second infusion begins to awaken. It carries a creaminess along with the dusty taste. There are faint suggestions of black cherry even dry coco that underlie the very drying wood notes. The mouthfeel is light and silky.

The third infusion is very woody- camphour in taste especially the initial burst of flavour. Flavours end slightly fruity and then turn dry. The dry dusty tastes have almost disappeared. The mouthfeel is a bit tougher and dry. A light heat is felt in the upper and middle cavities which includes a warm sensation in the arms. The qi is mild, light, warming.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth, infusions are dominated by very dry wood notes accompanied by a dry mouthfeel. This dry wood taste dominates the taste and feel of the session.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth infusions become slightly thinner. This space in the cup allows for a wheaty-straw taste to appear. Sweet notes are hidden deep under the cover of dry wood and rarely peep out. This tea really dries you out.

The tenth, eleventh, and twelfth infusions turn watery. Sweet juicy plum notes appear in the initial taste before moving slowly towards a drier, sharper taste and feel. It too melts away slowly in the mouth.

This tea is taken for a handful more longer infusions. It is here where the depth of fruity flavours are realized and appreciated. Only after the gripping dry wood feeling has relented do these tastes become apparent. And so one drinks on for a few days until it becomes too watery.

Peace

Section 7. About Using Old Leaves Or Young Buds When Brewing Tea

"However, when making tea nowadays, people do not use the stone mortar and the sieve but simply use entire tea leaves left intact, so the tea making must be extremely well done to produce the essence of the tea."

from Cha Sin Jeon- A Chronicle of the Spirit of Tea, a copy of Zhang Poyuan Chalu recorded by Cho Ui, translated in Korea Tea Classics

Those who do not have a copy of Korean Tea Classics do please follow along and participate by referencing a different English translation available here from The Leaf.

This tea classic will be covered one section a week which will go on for 24 weeks. Feel free to jump in with your commentary at anytime.

Peace

2010 Jagasilk Organic Butterfly Matcha (Produced by Harimaen)

This matcha, composed of leaves of the Yabukita and Komakage varietals, is the lowest grade of matcha offered by local company Jagasilk. It is certified organic by JAS and comes from a family estate that has been growing and producing matcha in Uji for seven generations. Their tea garden has been organic for over 35 years after Yoshiyuki Harima developed a severe reaction to sprays in the 1970s and claims to be the longest and highest quality organic matcha in Uji.

Each batch comes freshly stone ground every month or so. This one was stone ground on September 10th. Lets boil the water, kneel before the tea table, bow, and enjoy some tea.

The dry powder smells of corn and grains with subtle syrupy like sweetness. Heavy florals lie in the distance along with a slight tangy bitter sweetness. The powder is prepared in ceremony and imbibed.

There are quick, fruity glimpses of raspberry and currant that are heavy, chalky, and slightly grainy in the mouth. This heavy mouthfeel turns sticky. The finish on the tongue is chalky, mineral, blandish, and dry. It evolves into slight bitter fruit then into very faint heavy floral perfume.

The cha qi of this tea builds over time once consumed. It slightly lightens the sides of the head but at the same time excerts a slight downward pressure- a slight 'heads in the clouds' feeling.

After reading the notes provided on the Jagasilk website one is certain that the "slight bitter fruit" in the aftertaste is that of bitter sweet melon notes.

Peace

Section 6. Classifying Boiling Water

"When the boiling water rises straight up and shows drumlike waves, and the bubbles have completely disappeared, it is said to be perfectly ready... When the boiling water has no sound, it is said to be conclusively ready... When the steam rises straight it is invariably ready."

from Cha Sin Jeon- A Chronicle of the Spirit of Tea, a copy of Zhang Poyuan Chalu recorded by Cho Ui, translated in Korea Tea Classics

Those who do not have a copy of Korean Tea Classics do please follow along and participate by referencing a different English translation available here from The Leaf.

This tea classic will be covered one section a week which will go on for 24 weeks. Feel free to jump in with your commentary at anytime.

Peace

Tea In Vicoria: Jagasilk

When arriving in Victoria almost two years ago one was surprised to see matcha offered in pretty much every cafe and coffee shop in town. They had more places selling matcha than in any Korean city. This was a bit of a shocker.

It didn't take long until one found out why. Jagasilk. This small local company singlehandedly turned Victoria, one of the most traditional colonial tea drinking cities in the West, onto matcha... or should one say "maccha".

Miyuki and Jared Nyberg own and operate Jagasilk. They started out as a matcha and Japanese green tea supplier to local cafes and specialty markets in town and have expanded tremendously since. In the summer of 2009 they opened their own teabar downtown. It is a rather small, cozy, earthy place with a long natural wood tabletop designed by a local artist which acts as the ideal pulpit for which lovers of the leaf can testify their passion for tea of all stripes. There is even a ceramic studio of a famous local Japanese ceramist, Harumi Ota, upstairs. The tea bar is always neither too empty nor to busy- perfect for conversation amongst matcha gulping patrons.

Currently Jagasilk source all of their tea directly from the tea farms. Their matcha, for which they are a bit famous around here, comes from the Harimaen's, a seventh generation family of matcha producers and growers on their estate in Uji, Kyoto. The Harimaen's claim to be the oldest and highest quality certified organic matcha producers in Uji. Besides matcha, Jagasilk also sell other Japanese tea, herb tea, and have recently expanded to Taiwanese Oolong and white and black tea from Ceylon and Darjeeling.

With the organizing of a monthly meeting of matcha enthusiasts called "The Fellowship of the Maccha" (now defunct), weekly weekend tea comparison cuppings, reusable packaging discounts, and fresh stone ground maccha orders from Uji replenishing stock every month, no wonder Jagasilk has turned Victoria into a matcha city.

Expect reviews of their matcha in the coming months.

Peace

Section 5. Tending the Fire

"When it comes to brewing tea, care with the fire is the most important factor."

from Cha Sin Jeon- A Chronicle of the Spirit of Tea, a copy of Zhang Poyuan Chalu recorded by Cho Ui, translated in Korea Tea Classics

Those who do not have a copy of Korean Tea Classics do please follow along and participate by referencing a different English translation available here from The Leaf.

This tea classic will be covered one section a week which will go on for 24 weeks. Feel free to jump in with your commentary at anytime.

Peace