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Bright colours on a dull and grey rainy day…

It's been a gray weekend here, and it was delightful to get some actual rain yesterday....and raindrops on the flowers



Untitled by debunix, on Flickr

Today seemed just right for Wistaria Ancient Heights tea....warm and fruity and floral to counteract the gray with some flavor brightness.

TheTea's 2019 'Rueili' (瑞里) medium-roasted Alishan, brewed in a big pot tonight after some green tea experiments earlier today (contrary to my usual constitutional preferences).

I've had some decent experiences with TheTea so far; overall, they seem to suit my stylistic preferences of more roast and more oxidation than 'usual', but then, those were the ones that I picked from them.

This one has dark fruits and raisins for me, and it feels quite lively; not too 'heavy' or 'roasty'. It's a style that I enjoy. It's not overly complex or evocative, but then, I don't want something like that right now.

Andrew

@Andrew S glad to hear you are enjoying TheTea’s roasted oolong. I still fondly remember a yancha from that Polish shop. Posted about it here some time ago.

Lately, when I’m not having gyokuro in the morning, I’ve been enjoying two open packs of Lishan and BaoZhong via Tillerman, and later in the day more heavily roasted aged oolong like an ‘87 TGY and an early ‘80s DD, both incredibly aromatic and rich.

I'd join @Andrew S and @Victoria commending TheTea. Their fresh Taiwanese and Wuyi wulongs fell mostly flat on me, but occasional gems I got from them makes it all very much worth it. Couple dry stored lightly baked gaoshans, another pair of lao cha competition winners (they still have 1988-1995 silver medal which is the most tasty aged wulong I'd tried, not that there were a lot of contenders through my cups) are delicious.

@polezaivsani: I've been tempted to open a little bag of that 1988-1995 silver tea of theirs, so perhaps your comments are a good excuse for me to do so...

Andrew

Drinking a fresh Nantou jinxuan from April 2022. There's a creaminess to the mouthfeel, tropical fruit flavours, and a lovely fresh and vibrant sensation overall.

However, there was also a particular strong flavour in the first few brews that I simply don't know how to describe. Perhaps some sort of a cross between a honeydew melon and a papaya, but that doesn't really sound right... At the very least, it's a very nice tea.

Andrew

Andrew S wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 28, 2022 1:44 am

Drinking a fresh Nantou jinxuan from April 2022. There's a creaminess to the mouthfeel, tropical fruit flavours, and a lovely fresh and vibrant sensation overall.

However, there was also a particular strong flavour in the first few brews that I simply don't know how to describe. Perhaps some sort of a cross between a honeydew melon and a papaya, but that doesn't really sound right... At the very least, it's a very nice tea.

Andrew

Oh, good to hear you found a nice 2022 Jin Xuan. I was feeling like it but both (Ali Shan) Jin Xuans I tried from 2022 weren't to my liking, not creamy/milky and not much going for them in other departments. Would you mind sharing the source for yours?

teatray wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 28, 2022 2:18 am

Would you mind sharing the source for yours?

+1
Not even for myself, but that is quite a find, Andrew. It is so hard to find what you found, that there is even a "reputable" vendor who stopped saying whether she had a "milky" jin xuan. The tea was not assessed in that regard as if milkiness is just a matter of individuals' reaction. Congratulations.

Feeling very thirsty today. Yancha. Yummy.

@Ethan Kurland and @teatray: this one: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd5-k-wh7yu/ (so, from a person, not from a shop)

I've ignored the alleged 'milky' qualities of jinxuan ever since I was served an over-the-top milky concoction years ago by someone who may or may not have known that their tea was adulterated.

If that sort of mouthfeel (more so than flavour, I think, at least for me) is present, then that is fine, but if not, then that is also fine.

Besides, one of the things that I've been trying to learn about recently is that there is much more to tea than basic things such as the cultivar, or the level of roast, etc. All sorts of growing conditions and processing styles have a role to play.

Andrew

I'm also having a bit of yancha in a little pot for the evening down here. It's usually more of a breakfast tea for me for some reasons, but this works well too.

Andrew

Bok wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 28, 2022 11:02 pm

Feeling very thirsty today. Yancha. Yummy.

Your child is so kind to let you use her tiny teapot. Those fingers might be a little too big to handle it reliably

Bok wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 28, 2022 11:02 pm

Feeling very thirsty today. Yancha. Yummy.

How many mL in that little pot?

Yesterday I mostly drank some Imperial Pearl from Mountain Tea infused in my 2L thermos, shared with lots of others.

debunix wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 29, 2022 10:09 am

How many mL in that little pot?

20ml