From "Chaai" by Takeshi Matsuyama (published by Fujinsha in 1995)
Meishan tea
One day, my father-in-law, who had returned to Taiwan, sent me some Meishan tea, saying that he had managed to get some relatively good quality tea this year.
The home of Meishan Tea is apparently at the foot of Alishan, famous for its beautiful sunrise. Last year's tea was delicious, but this year's tea was especially delicious.
I once heard from a Taiwanese tea merchant that tea trees begin to produce good tea leaves about five years after being planted, but the most flavorful tea doesn't come out until around the seventh year.
"Umeyama Tea" is now in its first drinking season, and this is an opportunity that cannot be missed.
"Meishan Tea" is also an oolong tea, and its manufacturing method is the same as that of the long-famous "Dongding Oolong Tea" from Nantou County. The hand-picked leaves, each one a sliver, are fully twisted, and when hot water is poured over them, they unfold surprisingly large.
I have never seen the fields, but according to the map, they are in a fairly mountainous area, at a fairly high altitude, so they belong to the so-called high mountain tea category, which means that the tea produced has a strong fragrance.
Now, sometimes acquaintances ask me if there is any other way to drink tea in the traditional Takumi tea ceremony other than brewing it in a small teapot.
Some readers may feel that even though the tea leaves are supposedly of high quality, they just can't make it taste good. For those people, we recommend using a filter coffee maker.
Just put a little more tea leaves into the paper filter and turn it on, just like you would with coffee. However, in my testing, I found that just passing the water through once wasn't enough, so although it's a bit of a hassle, it's a good idea to pour the tea water back into the tank and run it through the filter again.
In other words, the tea leaves do not fully open during the first brew.
If you use a coffee maker, the water will be boiled, which is perfect for oolong tea. It also won't be too strong, so it's convenient for drinking with a group of people at once, or in the office. However, most coffee makers have a warning that you should only add water, so keep that in mind.
In the hot Japanese summer, it's not a bad idea to brew a large batch of tea and let it cool in the refrigerator before drinking it. Last year, however, was a long, hot summer. The heat often brought me down, but it was precisely at times like these that I would brew a cup of hot Umeyama tea in my favorite teapot and let its aroma lift my spirits.
