▶️ Watch on DTube
▶️ Watch on IPFS
Happy Tea Tuesday!
In an effort to explore vlogging more, I created this short video about one of my favorite teas: Phoenix Bird, also known as Dan Cong Honey Orchid.
Phoenix Bird is an oolong tea grown in the Guangdong Province of China near the Phoenix Bird Mountain.
Even though is isn't customary in America to 'take tea' at any time of day, I typically take morning tea at 10am, afternoon tea between 3 - 4pm, and evening tea between 7:30 - 9pm.
That's a lot of tea!
You're right about that. Which is why I am so passionate about bringing tea to my community!
If you're not a fan of watching videos, I've provided all the information you'll need to know about this tea below. I encourage you to give the video a try and to share feedback and questions you may have in the comments below. I'm very new to vlogging and am hoping to make more entertaining videos each time.
▶️ Watch on DTube
▶️ Watch on IPFS
If you're just in it for the brew guidelines, skip to the bottom for succinct infusion directions!
I purchased this Phoenix Bird from Dobra Tea in Asheville, North Carolina USA. They are a very high-quality, reputable, and traditional tea source. The owners travel to tea farms across the globe and source the best leaves grown in the best conditions.
Oolong teas are highly oxidized tea leaves, making for a rich, robust flavor without the tanins or depth of black tea. Phoenix Bird is specifically harvested in Spring and Autumn, dried and oxidized in strong full-sun, then twisted and rolled into the final tea you brew in your cup.
Brewed at 90 degrees centigrade (Celcius), it infuses slightly cooler than your typical oolong, which are steeped between 93 - 96 C, sometimes up to 100 C, depending on the leaves. Phoenix Bird is infused for just two minutes, slightly less than the average oolong tea. For each six ounce cup, one and a half teaspoons is suggested for tea-to-water ratio.
I find that two teaspoons per single serving makes a robust, enjoyable cup and allows me to experience the dynamics of the full flavor profile.
The pot I am using is called a Houhin, a Japanese single-serving teapot without a handle. Traditionally, this tea is used for the highest grade green teas like Gyuokoro or Sencha, as they are brewed at such low temperatures (as low as 60 C) that you wouldn't need to worry about burning your hand.
I happen to be hardcore tough and simply prefer brewing single servings in this pot, regardless of temperature. Meaning I do sometimes get a light burn. 🔥
Once my water reaches 90C, and I am sure of the temperature by the thermometer cap on my kettle, I pour it generously over the leaves, covering them completely while swirling the stream of water to ensure all leaves are coated evenly.
Sometimes, if I'm not paying attention, I'll leave my tea brewing upwards of four minutes. This is okay! The longer a tea sits, the more concentrated it becomes. However, if the concentration of tea to water becomes too skewed, you'll have a bitter, tanic taste to your tea. This is very common with black teas, as they're made with boiling water and short steep times.
I personally believe milk was introduced to tea simply because the people brewing the beverage did a bang-up job and it was nasty.
Properly brewed tea is smooth, exciting, dynamic, and very tasty. And, the flavor profiles are infinite!
Should you find that you oversteeped your tea, add small amounts of hot water and taste until the concentration has smoothed into a drinkable tea to your liking.
Phoenix Bird, when brewed properly, has a sweet, fruity aroma, almost like peaches or apricot, with a warm honey-vanilla finish. Hence the name, Dan Con Honey Orchid!
This is one of two teacup I always use, and they are my cups. No one else in the house uses them out of respect for my ritual, which is to enjoy my tea with two hands from the same vessel each time.
Having your daily cup creates a rhythm in your tea practice. Brew in the same pot, use the same tools, sip from the same vessel, repeat.
You can re-infuse Phoenix Bird up to five times, and each time you will experience a new facet of its flavor profile. Though its concentrated palette becomes lighter, you reveal its floral notes in the second in third steep as the fruitiness calms down.
Brewing Guidelines:
Bring water to temperature at 90 C.
Portion two teaspoons Phoenix Bird | Dan Cong Honey Orchid oolong tea per serving into your teapot. If you're serving more than two people, only add a single teaspoon per eight ounce cup.
Pour water over leaves in teapot, ensuring all leaves are evenly submerged.
Time your infusion for two minutes, up to four if you're experimenting with flavor and concentration.
Serve your tea in your favorite mug and enjoy shortly after brewing to experience peak temperature to taste perfection.
Cheers to a first Tea Tuesday!
In case you've changed your mind and want to watch the vlog:
▶️ Watch on DTube
▶️ Watch on IPFS
Are you a tea or coffee person? Share with me in the comments below!
Hi, I'm Amelia! It's nice to meet you.
I'm a writer, minimalist, tiny home dweller, and maker living in East Tennessee, USA. My blog has lived at www.amelia-bartlett.com until I discovered Steemit, where I now post most of my work. To learn more about me, check out my introduction post, get up-to-date on my school bus tiny house conversion, and follow me for articles on slow living, sustainable fashion, self-expression, and quality curated resteems!
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OMG I love tea soooooo much, I'm enjoying a lovely Earl grey as we type. Loved this post and your style! Upvoted, resteemed, followed!!
Thanks so much @steampunk-penny! Glad to find another tea fanatic here on Steemit!
This is awesome. Love the vlog’ing experiment and that you added so much lovely content/value in the steemit post so that it’s a great read whether or not you watch. Fabulous as always, lady!
Thank you! Honestly, I'm not a video-watcher so I wanted to add both. It wasn't too much extra effort, honestly, and worth it to me that I don't leave any person out. 😁
I am not much of a video-watcher either (unless it’s a musicican I like), so I see a lot of video posts here that I don’t engage with. That’s why I liked this one! :) Rad.
Wow! You're a Tea Geek!
I <3 Tea Geeks, and I am proud to refer to myself as one <3
I wildcraft my own herbs when I can. It takes three shelves, a cupboard, and a drawer to house the full collection. . . I'm the girl in the shop who opens every single jar because I need to smell them all...
I also LOVE coffee (espresso with dark notes and chocolate). Honestly, I wouldn't dare choose between the two. It's a decision I make hour by hour, the coffee or tea question.
Of ten I'll opt for both ;)
I hope this is the beginning of a series!
Upvoted and following :)
I'll definitely be posting coffee videos in the future as well! I just love bevs so much... I'd say my drink to food ratio is 4:1 daily. 😂
very good
I love tea!! although most of the time I drink Green Tea with Honey!
Yesss a fellow tea lover! Green tea is so good, but you gotta branch out! It'd be so cool to have a little penpal tea exchange on Steemit... just saying.
I take green tea most of the times but also like Mint tea when I feel sick, then evenings I drink some chamomile with a little honey.
Some afternoons I like some Earl Grey with a spot of honey. I have a sweet tooth haha.
Oohh that would be cool having an unboxing of different teas from around the World!
Now you're talking... And so begins the idea of the Steemit Tea Exchange.
I love seeing people talk about their passions, the way you light up when talking about this is so great to see. I love tea (as any Brit does) but I'm not into it at the same level as you, however this is still an enjoyable watch because your love for it clearly shows
Very sweet of you to say (and observe) @lostprince. I am truly passionate about tea and hope that I can channel that passion even further in my understanding of farmer practices, regions, and history of the tradition.
Ooph I am so excited to have found your blog! You are amazing! Also I am really enjoying delving into the feminine side of Steemit- it's taken me a while to find it.
Excellent video, too! You are sweet and perfect on-camera! I, too, love tea... and coffee and craft beer and kombucha- my four liquid obsessions.
You are so knowledgeable and clearly passionate- I am looking forward to more Tea Time videos! I am doing Kombucha tasting videos (ok one so far, but another this weekend!) as I learn how to brew my own at home... too bad we're so far away from each other or we would make the perfect collab!
Please keep up the amazing work- I am enthusiastically following!
Thank you @caitycat! We could collab LIVE sometime if you want to! I love kombucha and am an avid home-brewer myself. I look forward to following your beverage experimentations as well!
Oh that is a grand idea! Thank you thank you!
I am a huge fan of tea too! I don't get as fancy as you with your teas but I'm excited to see what other teas you talk about! :)
Another tea lover! I'm stoked to bring my niche tea favorites to the great community. Coffee is all the rage right now but tea is OG in my opinion. Happy to have you along for the ride.