Like many other tea connoisseurs, Dan Cong is one tea I have struggled to brew. I never quite seem to get it right. First, my problem was one of extremes. The tea would either come out too light, or unbearably bitter. Later, I eliminated the bitter problem, yet acquired another. Often, my tea would acquire a “food” quality… as if I was cooking the leaves like one would cook a vegetable. This problem seemed to stem from inadequate preheating – pouring water in a circle around the opening, swiftly in the opening, and over the lid solved the problem. Yet, I was still not satisfied. It felt as if I was pushing the tea to be something it couldn’t… turning something delicate into a robust chou zhou style infusion. Even more pressing, the aftertaste was much too shortlived. Today, I solved this problem.
How? It had nothing to do with the amount of leaf, infusion time, water temperature, etc… it was the fluidity of my pouring. By pouring too low, I was eliminating a crucial element – air. By pouring from high to low (still in the same circular pattern), I added bubbles to the tea and replaced the lost variable. No, this was not a hard and agitating blow, but rather a light and subtle introduction of oxygen. A simple change in technique transformed the liquor from a faux fruity reduction sauce, to distilled air in a cup. This introduction of air profoundly affected the nature of the tea. Now, dan cong reminds me of the scent of meadows, mountains, or orchards…. encapsulated.
A little experimentation can make a world of difference.
Posted in Dan Cong, Musings
chahai 