Floating Leaves Tea

This episode we get deep into 'reading' tea leaves, or watching very carefully to know what the leaves want from us as brewers. 

This episode we carry on from the previous stopping point : As we experiment with brewing new teas, how do we know if a flaw in the tea is coming from the tea or the brewing technique? So we took out some bowls to just soak the tea and let it brew itself!

In this episode we carry out an experiment comparing two brews that are exactly the same in all parameters except for the focus of our intention. We were absolutely floored by the results!

Shiuwen, John and Noah compare grades of porcelain in gongfu tea cups, and investigate what each cup does to a tea.

We're back! First episode in the new Tea Studio! We're starting with an easy experiment, but also a very useful one : tasting tea out of different materials like glass, mass produced ceramic mugs and porcelain etc. Join us and give it a try at home!

This is a little interim episode with no video component while John is away. We've been wanting to record a session with this tea for about a year now, and although we're very close to sold out of it now, we thought it would be fun to share our experience for those that have the tea already. It's the Nightshade White Tea. Harvested in 2020 it's already mellowed nicely with age. If we get another c...

In this episode we explore how we go about setting our intention and adjusting for the tea in this ever changing moment.

This episode we explore ways to build understanding and express our vision of what a tea can be.

There's finally a tea in our lineup that we're using lower than boiling temperature water! Special Reserve Oriental Beauty. In this episode we talk about how we approach this tea and tell stories about our first encounters with it.

This episode was inspired by (1) John's question about how to make adjustments for different teas and (2) our experience of how to get the most out of our batch of Charcoal Dong Ding that was roasted in December of 2022.  Also, Noah is very excited to be back on the podcast again!

We find aged tea is one of the more difficult styles to brew well. In this episode we explore some techniques that help to show the best side of an aged tea.

We're back!! In the first episode of season three, Johnny and Shiuwen will be experimenting with the harnessing of intention to brew a better (or worse) pot of tea.

This episode we just sit back and drink an epic puer tea harvested from 1000 year old tea tree.

John's second time to switch places with Shiuwen and show off all his tea brewing techniques that we've been working on this whole season!

The long awaited follow up to 'Techniques for Identifying Stale Tea', this episode is all about the tools and techniques we use to push staleness out of an older tea.

Recently we've been talking a lot about the 'opening movement' of tea brewing: Pouring water into the pot and the many details contained therein that effect the final brew. This episode we delve into the less obvious 'middle movement', or waiting for the tea to be brewed. This may seem straightforward, and is easily overlooked because the brewer is not doing any active process to the tea. BUT, as...

This episode we compare two high mountain oolongs, one grown with agrochemicals and one from an organic tea garden. Shiuwen teaches John, and the listeners, the tricks for picking up on agrochemicals in your cup.

More on water flow. We learned last time on the Waterfall vs Whirlpool episode that the way you choose to pour water into a pot of tea changes the outcome. This time we are exploring more fine details on how to improve the quality of your water flow.

Today we talk about a tea tool that goes by many names : sharing pitcher, fairness cup, gongdao bei, cha hai. It is used with the best intentions, to make sure everyone is drinking the same taste at the same time. But is it necessary to brew a good pot of tea?   

When we talk about the parameters of tea brewing, it's not uncommon to think of water temperature, amount of tea and timing. But there is a hidden parameter that we all must execute to pull out a good cup of tea from the leaves, and that's the way we pour water into the pot. 

Most teas undergo an acclimation period after shipping, especially long distances (like when we get new products in from farmers and roasters in Taiwan). This quick episode John and Shiuwen taste a roasted oolong that is in jet lag mode.

In this episode, Noah shares some of his own charcoal roasted oolongs with John, and they compare the raw version with the finished product.

Shiuwen tells the story of how a new tea took some getting used to, and how she approaches unknown variables in tea brewing. We don’t have any sample available for this episode, but we hope you’ll practice these ideas when you next run into a new tea that doesn’t make sense at first brew.

This episode John brewed a pot of tea for us! This is the first in a series of John brewing, on the other side of the table. To join the class and learn from these episodes, you can brew this tea ( Dong Ding Traditional A , available on our website) and answer Shiuwen's guiding questions from your own experience.

This episode is all about using smelling cups to explore more deeply into the scent. We also identify the meaning of Cha Qi, and how Cha Qi manifests in the scent.   To join the class and learn from these episodes, you can drink this exact tea and answer Shiuwen's guiding questions from your own experience. Find the teas on our website here => https://floatingleaves.us/cart/update?updates%5B397319...