Trying not to insult the purists
 

Guys -

I love FangCha but if you miss a little bit of temperature or brew time it
can be pretty easily pushed to far into sharpness and bitterness, etc.
Same can be said about many younger green puers. I discovered and
interesting trick/recipe/whatever attempting to mend this.
Try to brew sharp green puers with 1/3 to 1/4 weight of good fragrant
wulongs (I use Te Guan Yin) left after several gungfu rounds). You can use
fresh TeGuanYin too, but take much less of it.
The result is fabulous (at least for me) and works wonders down the multiple
brews too.

Sorry, purists (and I am sorta on of them too...) but at least try it as a
combination of already well-exhausted teas. My combination brew (6th FangCha
+ 1/3 of its volume 5th Te Guan Yin) was fabulous.

Sasha.

The fang stands alone (was Trying not to insult the purists)
 

"Alex Chaihorsky" > writes:

> Guys -
>
> I love FangCha but if you miss a little bit of temperature or brew
> time it can be pretty easily pushed to far into sharpness and
> bitterness, etc.

You mean fangchas are this way as opposed to bingchas or other pu'er
form factors?

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

The fang stands alone (was Trying not to insult the purists)
 

I used FangCha as an example of sharp green puer.
Or should I say I used FangCha as an example of dense pressed green puer
that are usually "sharper" and require more precise brewing than green puer
beenchas that are almsot never as densely pressed (exception commemorating
green Puerhs like one for HongKong joining China, Olympic Games, etc.

Sasha.


"Lewis Perin" > wrote in message
...
> "Alex Chaihorsky" > writes:
>
>> Guys -
>>
>> I love FangCha but if you miss a little bit of temperature or brew
>> time it can be pretty easily pushed to far into sharpness and
>> bitterness, etc.
>
> You mean fangchas are this way as opposed to bingchas or other pu'er
> form factors?
>
> /Lew
> ---
> Lew Perin /
> http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

The fang stands alone (was Trying not to insult the purists)
 

"Alex Chaihorsky" > writes:

> I used FangCha as an example of sharp green puer. Or should I say I
> used FangCha as an example of dense pressed green puer that are
> usually "sharper" and require more precise brewing than green puer
> beenchas that are almsot never as densely pressed (exception
> commemorating green Puerhs like one for HongKong joining China,
> Olympic Games, etc.

Why would the extra compression make the taste sharper?

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

The fang stands alone (was Trying not to insult thepurists)
 

Lewis 10/18/05

> "Alex Chaihorsky" > writes:
>
>> I used FangCha as an example of sharp green puer. Or should I say I
>> used FangCha as an example of dense pressed green puer that are
>> usually "sharper" and require more precise brewing than green puer
>> beenchas that are almsot never as densely pressed (exception
>> commemorating green Puerhs like one for HongKong joining China,
>> Olympic Games, etc.
>
> Why would the extra compression make the taste sharper?


You need sharper fangs to cut into it?
Michael

The fang stands alone (was Trying not to insult thepurists)
 

Well, unless I undertake a full investigation I'll never KNOW, but I have my
theories, and quite simple ones too.

1. The denser the puer the less the ventilation so the higher concentration
of the gaseous products of microbe lifecycle is possible. Thus, the
different densities may make the same puer into completely different
microbial colonies.

2. Juice. In denser puers tealeaf juice can be squeezed out enough to SEAL
in some cases and provide more aggressive
media for fermentation in others.

I have a brick that demonstrates this well - its a VERY dense large (1.4
kilo) "Tibetan" brick and its lower part is much darker and is literally
soaked in teajuice that turned into almost a brittlish tar. Tea brewed from
the upper part and tea brewed from the lower parts are not just dissimilar -
they are radically different.

IMHO, the "iron, or "Russian" presses that became possible after 1950-ies
created that new effect both in just "dry" high density and "wet (juiced)
high density" and that (Yet again) added more variety to puerhs.

Tell me if that makes any sense to you or I am a delusional idiot and need
to grow fangs.

Sasha.




"Michael Plant" > wrote in message
...
> Lewis 10/18/05
>
>> "Alex Chaihorsky" > writes:
>>
>>> I used FangCha as an example of sharp green puer. Or should I say I
>>> used FangCha as an example of dense pressed green puer that are
>>> usually "sharper" and require more precise brewing than green puer
>>> beenchas that are almsot never as densely pressed (exception
>>> commemorating green Puerhs like one for HongKong joining China,
>>> Olympic Games, etc.
>>
>> Why would the extra compression make the taste sharper?
>
>
> You need sharper fangs to cut into it?
> Michael
>

The fang stands alone (was Trying not to insult thepurists)
 

Well, unless I undertake a full investigation I'll never KNOW, but I have my
theories, and quite simple ones too.

1. The denser the puer the less the ventilation so the higher concentration
of the gaseous products of microbe lifecycle is possible. Thus, the
different densities may make the same puer into completely different
microbial colonies.

2. Juice. In denser puers tealeaf juice can be squeezed out enough to SEAL
in some cases and provide more aggressive
media for fermentation in others.

I have a brick that demonstrates this well - its a VERY dense large (1.4
kilo) "Tibetan" brick and its lower part is much darker and is literally
soaked in teajuice that turned into almost a brittlish tar. Tea brewed from
the upper part and tea brewed from the lower parts are not just dissimilar -
they are radically different.

IMHO, the "iron, or "Russian" presses that became possible after 1950-ies
created that new effect both in just "dry" high density and "wet (juiced)
high density" and that (Yet again) added more variety to puerhs.

Tell me if that makes any sense to you or I am a delusional idiot and need
to grow fangs.

Sasha.



"Michael Plant" > wrote in message
...
> Lewis 10/18/05
>
>> "Alex Chaihorsky" > writes:
>>
>>> I used FangCha as an example of sharp green puer. Or should I say I
>>> used FangCha as an example of dense pressed green puer that are
>>> usually "sharper" and require more precise brewing than green puer
>>> beenchas that are almsot never as densely pressed (exception
>>> commemorating green Puerhs like one for HongKong joining China,
>>> Olympic Games, etc.
>>
>> Why would the extra compression make the taste sharper?
>
>
> You need sharper fangs to cut into it?
> Michael
>

The fang stands alone (was Trying not to insult thepurists)
 

> 1. The denser the puer the less the ventilation so the higher concentration
> of the gaseous products of microbe lifecycle is possible. Thus, the
> different densities may make the same puer into completely different
> microbial colonies.

Makes sense.

> 2. Juice. In denser puers tealeaf juice can be squeezed out enough to SEAL
> in some cases and provide more aggressive
> media for fermentation in others.

How much is tea juice versus the moisture introduced by steanming? Most
maocha is already fairly dry so the steam probibly introduces the
moisture and disolves components of the leaf along with it to create a
juice.

> I have a brick that demonstrates this well - its a VERY dense large (1.4
> kilo) "Tibetan" brick and its lower part is much darker and is literally
> soaked in teajuice that turned into almost a brittlish tar. Tea brewed from
> the upper part and tea brewed from the lower parts are not just dissimilar -
> they are radically different.

I am curious Alex, which do you perceive as tasting better, the juicy
lower side or the dryer upper side? What are the main differences?

> IMHO, the "iron, or "Russian" presses that became possible after 1950-ies
> created that new effect both in just "dry" high density and "wet (juiced)
> high density" and that (Yet again) added more variety to puerhs.
>
> Tell me if that makes any sense to you or I am a delusional idiot and need
> to grow fangs.

And who is to say that both are not true? ;-)

Mike
http://www.pu-erh.net

The fang stands alone (was Trying not to insult thepurists)
 

>>Alex
>"Mike Petro"


>> I have a brick that demonstrates this well - its a VERY dense large (1.4
>> kilo) "Tibetan" brick and its lower part is much darker and is literally
>> soaked in teajuice that turned into almost a brittlish tar. Tea brewed
>> from
>> the upper part and tea brewed from the lower parts are not just
>> dissimilar -
>> they are radically different.
>
> I am curious Alex, which do you perceive as tasting better, the juicy
> lower side or the dryer upper side? What are the main differences?

Take a piece of cheap Greek baklava and observe that the lower part is all
soaked in hoiney while upper part is quite dry.
This is very close to the picture I was trying to paint.
The upper part can be (with great effort, but still) cut by the saw. In teh
lwoer part the saw get stuck almost immediately. Ax is more like it.
You need to brew them differently. Upper part is more like green tea,
lower - more like very delicate oolong.
may be the best it to combine both parts and brew like green. But the lower
part is somewhat oxidized and I think somwhat fermented too.
Brick of fun. I would have sent you some, but I have only one huge brick
left and its unopened.
I will loook at ebay, may be they still have'em.

Sasha.


>
>> IMHO, the "iron, or "Russian" presses that became possible after 1950-ies
>> created that new effect both in just "dry" high density and "wet (juiced)
>> high density" and that (Yet again) added more variety to puerhs.
>>
>> Tell me if that makes any sense to you or I am a delusional idiot and
>> need
>> to grow fangs.
>
> And who is to say that both are not true? ;-)
>
> Mike
> http://www.pu-erh.net
>