In this post, I share reflections on my experience with a self-designed project: “10 days, one tea.” Read on to learn my discoveries drinking the same tea every morning for 10 days.
Background for the Experiment
If you are a casual or more focused tea drinker you, might wonder why it would be anything new to drink the same tea every day. Many folks drink tea that way.
I’ll share why it is for me. I have dozens and dozens of teas at home. This is a benefit/challenge of being so enthusiastic about trying new teas. No judgment for anyone who doesn’t share the same tea goals!
Even with so many choices, I often enjoy certain teas by drinking them regularly for a while. In those cases, however, the teas are in my daily mix with some regularity, but not necessarily every day. And, I never planned to keep drinking that tea and focus on it every day for X amount of days.
Why I Tried 10 Days One Tea
I have been exploring Dan Cong oolongs more recently, as I have written about. I decided that with so many variations of this style of twisted-leaf, roasted Chinese tea from Guangdong province, it might help me better understand them if I focused on one for a while. Then, I wondered what it would be like to assign myself to drink the same tea every day for over a week.
So, I decided to start with the Jiang Hua (Ginger Flower Fragrance) Phoenix Dan Cong that Azenbor generously sent me. I have been so impressed with their tea after receiving samples that I have bought some at full price since then! And, I liked the sound of a 10-day experiment.
Glazed Clay Teapot Notes
After several days, I really dug into the tasting notes. Ginger Flower Fragrance Dan Cong is credibly aromatic and delightful to sip—floral and creamy and spicy. It has a silky mouthfeel. Azenbor’s tasting notes also mention “creamy mustard notes.“ That’s so true—like an excellent Dijon in the mix! It is really delicious. (And, if I had read that tasting note before trying it, I might not have looked forward to it. I’m so glad I didn’t pre-judge, because it’s absolutely delicious…to me.)
I steeped this Dan Cong at 195F / 200F (90C / 93C) using about 3g of tea in my 80ml glazed clay teapot. I started with a 5-second steep and added 5 seconds each time. This approach brings out all the delightful flavors and aromas and tames that bitter note that can otherwise become prominent in Dan Cong oolongs.
Unglazed Clay Enters the Chat
Another morning during 10 days one tea, I decided to use my lovely unglazed Chaozhou hogni clay teapot. Although this teapot is recommended for Dan Cong oolongs, I don’t always prefer it over porcelain or glazed clay. I must add–I don’t prefer it, yet?
Not intending to do this experiment, I realized that in the Chaozhou teapot I prefer 200F to 195F (93C to 90C) for this tea. Note—these teapots are very thin, so it’s recommended to fill them with a lower temperature water first—not to take them straight from room temperature to very hot. They might crack otherwise.
The unglazed clay softens the tea—folks might prefer it one way or the other. I find it very pleasant, but it usually mutes some flavor notes I enjoy when the tea is steeped in the glazed teapot. Going a bit hotter gave me that softness with more of the notes I had been missing. Nice discovery! I need to explore this more. I’m tempted to try the unglazed teapot at 205F (96C) another time.
Decision Made for 10 Days
One thing I didn’t anticipate and really appreciated. I enjoyed NOT having to choose my tea every morning. If you have ever suffered from decision fatigue, you know having one less decision to make can be a relief. Since I usually have two different teas every day, I still felt like I could be spontaneous for my afternoon tea choice. (Generally, I like choosing a tea based on how I feel.)
I really enjoyed the balance of not having to choose for one session and getting to choose for the other. This 10 days one tea experience made me wonder if I was dealing with decision fatigue and didn’t even realize it. Or maybe I am just enjoying the novelty of not choosing in the morning for a while.
Bodily Sensations from One Tea
I’m not sure what to say about any emotional or energetic effects the Ginger Flower Fragrance tea has on me.
So far, I notice calm energy. It definitely doesn’t give me frenetic energy. (I’m looking at you–and judging–Bao Zhong.) I think I don’t feel more sure about bodily specifics of this tea because we have had an unusual number of rainy (and cold!) June days in a row.
I did notice a “returning sweetness” in the back of my throat after sipping this tea. That bodily sensation with Dan Cong hadn’t been on my radar before this 10 days, one tea experiment. I don’t think it’s what tea heads officially call “hui gan.” They often describe that sensation as occurring after a moderately or intensely bitter tea (which this tea is not, steeped as I am steeping it). Some folks say that a “cooling” sensation accompanies it. So, I *think* what I experience is maybe not hui gan. But, I am delighted to notice this sensation and flavor at the back of throat after drinking Jiang Hua.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed this experiment. I think I will try it for another Phoenix Dan Cong oolong. Another 10 days one tea in the future!
Do you have any Dan Cong, or even better–Jiang Hua Dan Cong–thoughts or advice to share with me? I’d love to know!