Agarwood tea?
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I know that eating kyara and making tea with kyara is done - and medicinal properties are attributed to it... I recall either Taha or Ensar saying they knew of a (wealthy) Chinese person who ate like a gram of kyara a day for her bipolar mood disorder..
In terms of tea with agarwood, the challenge is partially that the oil and resin are not water soluble - and drinking tea made out of a non-polar solvent like dichloromethane would have its drawbacks.. I would guess though that some flavor or another gets imparted to the tea... I like to make kombucha out of very fine teas, and I imagine that the added acidity and fermentation process could liberate some of the flavor molecules from the agarwood (lol, "barnyard kombucha" - the new trend!).. I have succesfully used raw frankincense resin in kombucha before, which is also not water soluble..
Maybe I should just go ahead and add a drop of oud oil to a hot cup of tea?
In terms of tea with agarwood, the challenge is partially that the oil and resin are not water soluble - and drinking tea made out of a non-polar solvent like dichloromethane would have its drawbacks.. I would guess though that some flavor or another gets imparted to the tea... I like to make kombucha out of very fine teas, and I imagine that the added acidity and fermentation process could liberate some of the flavor molecules from the agarwood (lol, "barnyard kombucha" - the new trend!).. I have succesfully used raw frankincense resin in kombucha before, which is also not water soluble..
Maybe I should just go ahead and add a drop of oud oil to a hot cup of tea?
The trick with agarwood tea is to dust the agar very fine and then just drink all the tea including the all the dusted agar. I make a tea with organic ginger ,ceylon cinnamon ,a whole lemon , tumeric, black pepper , honey and agarwood finely dusted . Remarkable healing tea . Agarwood acts as an enhancer for other herbs and increases there natural properties as well as increase the chi and many other medicinal qualities . In the jungles of south america there is a saying that its not whats in the cup but how its served .
Hello,
I’ve recently joined this forum and this is my first post. My specialty is age tea but I’ve not too long ago developed an interest/curiosity for oud oils so here I am. As I have some experience with steeping oud chips in combination with old tea I thought I’ll start here and share my experience.
My experience stems from the many visits to HK, Taiwan spanning almost 20 years to buy age tea. During this time I was introduced to a culture of steeping old tea with oud chips by an older generation of Chinese tea collectors. The oud chips used are in small pieces. Powdered wood is not favored as it is messy to steep and filter, also effecting the clarity and purity of the brew. Aesthetics is important in the appreciation of tea. There is a belief that for people who are prone towards the cold and have weak Qi (blood circulation) the combination of oud and old tea can be used as a tonic to help warm and boost the body’s circulation. The brew provides a calming and settling effect that can also treat anxiety and minor digestive ailments/discomforts. Under Traditional Chinese Medicine there is reference made to the properties of the wood but I don’t recall anything mentioned about the leaf of the tree. These properties of oud (or Chen Xiang in Chinese) revolve around promoting/balancing inner Qi, boosting the function of certain organs. With reference to TCM, oud is viewed as being Yang (hot) in nature and combines well with the energy of old tea. To expand on this green tea being Yin (cold) in nature would not be an ideal pairing as it would cancel/minimize these effects.
Age teas like Puerh and Liu An is what I have encountered utilized in combination with oud chips in Chinese tea culture. I have adopted this for my own use. Usually these teas are 30+ yo. Old teas have a very settling and grounding effect that is different from young tea. Between the 2 teas I personally prefer Liu An as the tea strikes a better balance with oud. There is also a history of utilizing Liu An to enhance/complement TCM formulations. Puerh tends to be too dominant with its dark tones, overwhelming the presence of the oud character. Liu An is lighter and more refined allowing the oud character to be expressed in the tea. Despite having an interesting history Liu An is not a well-known category of tea. For those interested I share my post on Liu An tea with this link >> http://theguidetopuerhtea.blogspot.com/2015/02/1950s-liu-sun-yishun.html
Good to high quality oud chips are selected for steeping as you are in a way consuming it. There is little doubt that wild oud is the safest option and you will need to be extra careful with plantation oud as there is a risk of encountering dangerous chemicals that may have been mixed in during inoculation. It is my experience that good oud chips when steeped present good clarity in both fragrance and taste. There is a pleasant sweetness and sometimes mild cooling sensation in the brew. I had bad experiences with brewing plantation oud chips from Thai and Cambodian origins. Despite having an acceptable fragrance the taste was murky and had a dull complexion to it. There was a mild sickly sweetness in the taste and after a few sips I felt queasy. It is these experiences that make me very wary about unknown plantation oud.
I have seen yixing (clay) pots used but personally I feel the thermo is the practical way to steep oud and old tea. I generally combine about 3g of old Liu An with about 0.1 to 0.2g oud chip using 500ml of water. These amounts can vary based on personal preference in addition to the concentration of resin in the oud and potency of the tea. Heating the oud chips prior to steeping helps to draw out the resin to the surface. There is definitely a noticeable enhancement in the fragrance and potency of the oud character with heated oud chips. The 1st steep is 45min to 1hr. Subsequently the thermo can be refilled for a 2nd steep of 4-5hrs or even overnight.
Combining oud and old tea is one more way to appreciate oud. That said once you embrace the consumption of oud I feel it will expand your experience and perception of oud.
I’ve recently joined this forum and this is my first post. My specialty is age tea but I’ve not too long ago developed an interest/curiosity for oud oils so here I am. As I have some experience with steeping oud chips in combination with old tea I thought I’ll start here and share my experience.
My experience stems from the many visits to HK, Taiwan spanning almost 20 years to buy age tea. During this time I was introduced to a culture of steeping old tea with oud chips by an older generation of Chinese tea collectors. The oud chips used are in small pieces. Powdered wood is not favored as it is messy to steep and filter, also effecting the clarity and purity of the brew. Aesthetics is important in the appreciation of tea. There is a belief that for people who are prone towards the cold and have weak Qi (blood circulation) the combination of oud and old tea can be used as a tonic to help warm and boost the body’s circulation. The brew provides a calming and settling effect that can also treat anxiety and minor digestive ailments/discomforts. Under Traditional Chinese Medicine there is reference made to the properties of the wood but I don’t recall anything mentioned about the leaf of the tree. These properties of oud (or Chen Xiang in Chinese) revolve around promoting/balancing inner Qi, boosting the function of certain organs. With reference to TCM, oud is viewed as being Yang (hot) in nature and combines well with the energy of old tea. To expand on this green tea being Yin (cold) in nature would not be an ideal pairing as it would cancel/minimize these effects.
Age teas like Puerh and Liu An is what I have encountered utilized in combination with oud chips in Chinese tea culture. I have adopted this for my own use. Usually these teas are 30+ yo. Old teas have a very settling and grounding effect that is different from young tea. Between the 2 teas I personally prefer Liu An as the tea strikes a better balance with oud. There is also a history of utilizing Liu An to enhance/complement TCM formulations. Puerh tends to be too dominant with its dark tones, overwhelming the presence of the oud character. Liu An is lighter and more refined allowing the oud character to be expressed in the tea. Despite having an interesting history Liu An is not a well-known category of tea. For those interested I share my post on Liu An tea with this link >> http://theguidetopuerhtea.blogspot.com/2015/02/1950s-liu-sun-yishun.html
Good to high quality oud chips are selected for steeping as you are in a way consuming it. There is little doubt that wild oud is the safest option and you will need to be extra careful with plantation oud as there is a risk of encountering dangerous chemicals that may have been mixed in during inoculation. It is my experience that good oud chips when steeped present good clarity in both fragrance and taste. There is a pleasant sweetness and sometimes mild cooling sensation in the brew. I had bad experiences with brewing plantation oud chips from Thai and Cambodian origins. Despite having an acceptable fragrance the taste was murky and had a dull complexion to it. There was a mild sickly sweetness in the taste and after a few sips I felt queasy. It is these experiences that make me very wary about unknown plantation oud.
I have seen yixing (clay) pots used but personally I feel the thermo is the practical way to steep oud and old tea. I generally combine about 3g of old Liu An with about 0.1 to 0.2g oud chip using 500ml of water. These amounts can vary based on personal preference in addition to the concentration of resin in the oud and potency of the tea. Heating the oud chips prior to steeping helps to draw out the resin to the surface. There is definitely a noticeable enhancement in the fragrance and potency of the oud character with heated oud chips. The 1st steep is 45min to 1hr. Subsequently the thermo can be refilled for a 2nd steep of 4-5hrs or even overnight.
Combining oud and old tea is one more way to appreciate oud. That said once you embrace the consumption of oud I feel it will expand your experience and perception of oud.
quite a bit of literature on the use of leaves of aquilaria trees in making teas. the great researcher Rozi Mohamed has a whole chapter (chapter 8) dedicated to this in her book: agarwood, the science behind the fragrance.
and as for vphong's notes above, i agree. the use of the chips themsleves and their quality (warm or cold in both chinese and persian medicine) in aged teas. my chinese friends do this regularly. i have tried it too. cant say i see a difference in taste/scent or really the measurable effects, but thats just anectodal and could be size of chip or type or .... that i dont have down to feel the effects.
and as for vphong's notes above, i agree. the use of the chips themsleves and their quality (warm or cold in both chinese and persian medicine) in aged teas. my chinese friends do this regularly. i have tried it too. cant say i see a difference in taste/scent or really the measurable effects, but thats just anectodal and could be size of chip or type or .... that i dont have down to feel the effects.
Interesting stuff..
Just FYI I am only interested in agarwood chips for the taste or smell - especially intrigued in the potential to add this to my kombucha tea blends.. For psychoactive properties - there are many finer medicines available it would appear to me, and certainly that aren't a precious irreplaceable resource that I'd rather enjoy for the olfactory aspects..
Now, for psychoactive effect the agarwood leaves may be a good bet - I see lots of options for buying these leaves on the internet.. I wonder how they taste when prepared as tea? I love tea and if agarwood tree leaves make a good tea I'll probably get into it..
Just FYI I am only interested in agarwood chips for the taste or smell - especially intrigued in the potential to add this to my kombucha tea blends.. For psychoactive properties - there are many finer medicines available it would appear to me, and certainly that aren't a precious irreplaceable resource that I'd rather enjoy for the olfactory aspects..
Now, for psychoactive effect the agarwood leaves may be a good bet - I see lots of options for buying these leaves on the internet.. I wonder how they taste when prepared as tea? I love tea and if agarwood tree leaves make a good tea I'll probably get into it..
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