New equipment, and new tea

The stuff
Today, everything but my yixing ware arrived. So now I have a Swiss Gold infuser and a gaiwan. I'm quite pleased with both! The gaiwan came with a free sample (5.3 grams) of Silk Oolong, from Anxi (the birthplace of Ti Kuan Yin tea). No, I don't know that much of tea lore. I found it a couple places, including Red Blossom Tea company where I purchased the gaiwan.

So .. what is a gaiwan, you ask? gaiwan translated in Chinese directly as "covered bowl." And that's exactly what it is! It's mostly used for small scale tea brewing, though there are some large gaiwans in use (by large, think maybe 16oz. as huge). The top of the bowl is flared, and larger than the dome lid. This makes for easy use of the lid as not only a cover, but when it's tilted it is a filter to strain the tea and keep the leaves inside the vessel. The lid also helps retain heat inside the vessel, so the water does not cool too quickly.



I'll try using my new gaiwan tonight. I know I probably won't do anything quite right, but getting things wrong is part of the path to learning, right? I hope.

The Tea
Silk Oolong. According to Red Blossom and Tea Laden.com (I would link, but I've only ever seen one person who recommended the site/vendor I don't know if it's over quality, pricing, or whatever -- they do seem to have their history right, though) Holy Mountain had a bit of information on the tea at one point, but it has since been removed.

Any way, Silk Oolong is known for its buttery and caramel-like aroma, and its smoothness. And indeed when I opened the small bag, I was surprised at the strength of the aroma! And it was very much as described, if the popcorn bit didn't smell a touch over-popped.

The leaves are little green bundles, just as I expected from the several descriptions and photographs. When I rinse the tea, the buttery aroma roils from the 'spill bowl' quite potently in the steam. I am very much looking forward to the experience!



First infusion
Water: Just off boiling
Steep time: 30 seconds

The tea is very light in color, a light yellow-brown. The aroma is surprisingly weak. Apparently I didn't steep it nearly long enough. Next time, though!

Second Infusion
Steep time: 60 seconds

The aroma is much stronger. Perhaps I was expecting too much from this tea's color. A review of the description on Red Blossom reveals that the liquor is "unexpectedly light and smooth for its richness." That explains it! The flavor is full indeed, if not a bit light. and the tea itself never gains much color. But with a slightly longer infusion, it gained very much in flavor! It's not a blast of flavor like some teas. but I'm understanding the milky smoothness and (butter)milk-like flavor.

Photographs aren't necessary. The color is so light, the picture would do it no justice.

Final infusion (tenth!)
Steep time: Several minutes

The color is only slightly lighter, but that doesn't say much for a tea that's so light from the beginning. There's only a touch of bitterness, but the flavor is much lighter. Perhaps I should have brewed this differently. Eh, well. Since I did not expect this tea, I'll count it as free and a chance to mess up without wasting money (though I feel like I've wasted some perfectly good tea).

So I know this tea is finished. However, it is tempting to give it one last go just to be sure. But I won't. I've already had plenty to drink tonight. So let me get on with this!

The leaves? They've unfurled and reconstituted, to fill the gaiwan! Sorting through, I find a lot of large, (nearly) whole leaves. That's always something to look for, especially in an Oolong (or so I hear -- I am still learning, after all). But it is a comforting sight, and speaks of the quality of the tea. There is still some aroma in the leaves, though perhaps not enough to fully inspire more brewing, if for no other reason than to purposely over brew the leaves.

The overall experience? Pleasant, sure. It's a relaxing tea, just like some people describe. But this isn't a tea I'll return to as a frequent drinker.

You'll find I don't rate teas so much. Foregoing explanation, I have little of a preference drive. If I like two things, I'll rarely have a preference over another. So I'll go without a star rating, or a (number) out of (total possible) rating, at least for the time. I'm still trying to experience enough to develop a discernment in tea quality.

Swiss Gold
I won't drag on about this. In the mornings, I typically brew a quick pot of tea, about 16oz. The tea pot I have is glass and came with a glass infuser. It lets a lot through! But when I saw strong recommendations for Swiss Gold infusers, I looked into it. I made a rough measurement of the tea pot's opening and depth, and chose the infuser closest to it. Lucky me! It fits perfectly!

The mesh (if you can call it that -- it's more of a metallic sheet with tiny holes punched, but so many it's very mesh like) is so fine, I feel confident to brew anything. I'll put it into use tomorrow morning!