This weekend I tried my first Verdant tea and my first ever gongfu session. Exciting stuff guys!
The 1st steep yielded a mineral, rock-like smooth flavor. The 2nd steep was more creamy and floral with a hint of spice. 3rd steep was back to the mineral flavor but with a slight sweetness. 4th – 6th steeps were mellower versions of the 3rd one.
In reality I do a lot of my tea drinking at work so I decided to try this western style this morning (apparently a faux pas according to Verdant’s website! But I’m not great at following instructions anyway). It was still incredibly smooth, with a more apparent sweetness and roasty flavour. At the end of the sip I’m getting an oat-y flavor that reminds me of cereal, in a good way.
Both brewing styles were a success. It’s amazing how many different flavors come out of the same little leaves! I’ll definitely try to make more time for gongfu as it’s such a relaxing way to really savor and enjoy a tea.
Unfortunately I didn’t get the caramel or crème brulee flavours that sucked me into buying this in the first place, but it was still very tasty. I kind of guesstimated the western parameters, so if anyone has any tips for this one, I’d love to hear them!
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From the few types of these teas that I have had, all I can say is that less is more when it comes to brewing it; under leaf is best.
Thanks; I’ll give that a try!
Congrats Alysha, that’s a lot of first! You don’t know how incredible gongfu brewing is until you try, right? But I too don’t have much time for it in my daily routine, it is usually reserved for week ends only!
The reason why this oolong type is better this way, is because of its complexity. it’s the only way you can get all the layers as opposed to getting EVERY layers at once. Some other types don’t «suffer» as much from western brew. It’s more about what you’re missing than what is actually there cause it’s still a good cup of tea no matter what.
But you can still achieve a great infusion western style, just make sure you use a bit more tea than you would normally do and DON’T STEEP LONG forget about the usual 3-4min, you’ll loose those very sweet notes!
There’s no science behind this, but this is what I do. Use at least 3 tsp for 8 oz and play with the time, start with 30sec only, you should achieve 3 good steeps this way by increasing time to 1 and 2 minutes approx. If it’s your morning cup, keep the leaves and do your other steeps at night.
But all in all, this is not a tea for rush hours, you should keep it for when you have more time :-)
Oh, and since it’s all a question of tastes in the end, Ze Teamaker could be also right by using LESS tea, I have learned that what works for one, doesn’t work for everyone :-)
Hmmm. I have never tried using more leaf with shorter steeps like that. I might have to try your method TheTeaFairy. Though I have to agree that this is a tea that you have to sit down and make time for.
Yes the gongfu really opened my eyes to all the nuances of tea and what an art form it really is! Thanks for the tip! I’ll try that method out as well. I think I’ll dedicate some time to play around with this one a bit and find the sweet spot!
From the few types of these teas that I have had, all I can say is that less is more when it comes to brewing it; under leaf is best.
Thanks; I’ll give that a try!
Congrats Alysha, that’s a lot of first! You don’t know how incredible gongfu brewing is until you try, right? But I too don’t have much time for it in my daily routine, it is usually reserved for week ends only!
The reason why this oolong type is better this way, is because of its complexity. it’s the only way you can get all the layers as opposed to getting EVERY layers at once. Some other types don’t «suffer» as much from western brew. It’s more about what you’re missing than what is actually there cause it’s still a good cup of tea no matter what.
But you can still achieve a great infusion western style, just make sure you use a bit more tea than you would normally do and DON’T STEEP LONG forget about the usual 3-4min, you’ll loose those very sweet notes!
There’s no science behind this, but this is what I do. Use at least 3 tsp for 8 oz and play with the time, start with 30sec only, you should achieve 3 good steeps this way by increasing time to 1 and 2 minutes approx. If it’s your morning cup, keep the leaves and do your other steeps at night.
But all in all, this is not a tea for rush hours, you should keep it for when you have more time :-)
Oh, and since it’s all a question of tastes in the end, Ze Teamaker could be also right by using LESS tea, I have learned that what works for one, doesn’t work for everyone :-)
Hmmm. I have never tried using more leaf with shorter steeps like that. I might have to try your method TheTeaFairy. Though I have to agree that this is a tea that you have to sit down and make time for.
Yes the gongfu really opened my eyes to all the nuances of tea and what an art form it really is! Thanks for the tip! I’ll try that method out as well. I think I’ll dedicate some time to play around with this one a bit and find the sweet spot!