[*][*]Steep1
Rinse
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What Oolong Are You Drinking
Morning yancha; aged shui xian.
I feel that shui xian has a particular assertiveness to its flavour and its character that comes through even after it's been aged.
I need to learn more about each different variety of yancha. Tasting them all will be a fun project.
Andrew
I feel that shui xian has a particular assertiveness to its flavour and its character that comes through even after it's been aged.
I need to learn more about each different variety of yancha. Tasting them all will be a fun project.
Andrew
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Large pot, for large cups on a thirsty afternoon… some gifted Alishan that is uncharacteristically nice, much more body than often encountered. Not too bad…
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No, just lurking and admiring debunix's wonderful teaware
When I visit NYC/LA I'll definitely go for a tea session as a treat with friends
Realizing that I'm a highly sensitive person has helped explain a lot of things about myself, and caffeine sensitivity is par for the course. I was just slow to realize it due to other chaos happening in my life.
I'm doing really well though, thriving.
Glad to hear you are well!Shine Magical wrote: ↑Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:17 pmNo, just lurking and admiring debunix's wonderful teaware
When I visit NYC/LA I'll definitely go for a tea session as a treat with friends
Realizing that I'm a highly sensitive person has helped explain a lot of things about myself, and caffeine sensitivity is par for the course. I was just slow to realize it due to other chaos happening in my life.
I'm doing really well though, thriving.
The porcelain I got from you says hello
It would be happy to be visited when travel is safer....even if we enjoy naturally caffeine free herbal teas instead of fine oolongs.
Playing with some 'accidentally-aged' high mountain tea. Only enough for one small session, unfortunately.
To my surprise, it seems to have evolved noticeably, despite having been stored in a very small vacuum pack (it was a free sample from a larger order that I forgot about for a decade).
There's a persistent and elegant fruitiness, a hint of a perfumed quality in the aroma and the aftertaste, and a tingling mouthfeel. The fruitiness becomes even more pronounced as the tea cools down. It also feels different to me than how fresh high mountain tea feels; more calming and less exciting, but that's highly subjective at best.
The dry leaves also look darker, more golden and less green compared to some other fresh teas (fresh on the left, old on the right, just as a colour comparison), but they obviously aren't the same tea and it may simply be a difference in processing rather than the effect of ageing; it is hard to be sure.
Of course, it is hardly a controlled experiment sine I don't have a fresh tea to compare it to directly, but it does make me wonder if I should buy some big vacuum packs of a nice high mountain tea each year, forget about them for two or three decades, and hope that I'm around to enjoy them in the future (or at least, leave detailed instructions on how to enjoy them and hope that they don't get thrown out as stale old tea).
I wonder if anyone else here has had any experiences with ageing high mountain teas, ageing vacuum-packed teas, or ageing wulong at home more generally.
Andrew
To my surprise, it seems to have evolved noticeably, despite having been stored in a very small vacuum pack (it was a free sample from a larger order that I forgot about for a decade).
There's a persistent and elegant fruitiness, a hint of a perfumed quality in the aroma and the aftertaste, and a tingling mouthfeel. The fruitiness becomes even more pronounced as the tea cools down. It also feels different to me than how fresh high mountain tea feels; more calming and less exciting, but that's highly subjective at best.
The dry leaves also look darker, more golden and less green compared to some other fresh teas (fresh on the left, old on the right, just as a colour comparison), but they obviously aren't the same tea and it may simply be a difference in processing rather than the effect of ageing; it is hard to be sure.
Of course, it is hardly a controlled experiment sine I don't have a fresh tea to compare it to directly, but it does make me wonder if I should buy some big vacuum packs of a nice high mountain tea each year, forget about them for two or three decades, and hope that I'm around to enjoy them in the future (or at least, leave detailed instructions on how to enjoy them and hope that they don't get thrown out as stale old tea).
I wonder if anyone else here has had any experiences with ageing high mountain teas, ageing vacuum-packed teas, or ageing wulong at home more generally.
Andrew
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Enjoying Daxue Jiadao's 2017 'full roast traditional' zhengyan rougui from zhuke.
Brewed in hongni today instead of zhuni, just for a change; same tea, different presentation.
I still need to get around to trying the top-range ones that they offer, as well as various others (including the 'Wuyi heritage' range that I've neglected).
So far, I agree with others around here that these teas are elegant, balanced, well-processed and very enjoyable. It is also fun to learn by drinking through the different varieties, regions and styles that they offer. And while they can be brewed delicately, they're also happy to be brewed strongly for a different kind of experience.
I think that people who have been disappointed by the roughness of the roast on some cheap (and some not very cheap) yancha out there will be surprised by how teas such as these can provide a strong roast which tastes pure, elegant and refreshing, rather than harsh, uncomfortable or overpowering. And if people are wondering whether they should get small samples of each, or larger portions of just a few, my own view is that the latter would be more useful, since you can then play with brewing the same tea in different ways, without being anxious that you've only got one or two brews to make the most of a small sample.
The only criticism that I have for the few that I've tried so far from the 'full roast' range (the zhuke rougui and the jiulongke bujiantian) is that they don't give me quite the same strong feeling that some other good yancha can give me.
However, that probably isn't a very useful comment for others, even for those who take such things into account, since the same tea can affect different people in different ways. I have not yet tried their tieluohan, which is the variety that is usually capable of giving me the strongest such feelings, and both the foshou and the shiru that I've played with from their 'yancha explorer' range were pleasantly potent.
Andrew
Brewed in hongni today instead of zhuni, just for a change; same tea, different presentation.
I still need to get around to trying the top-range ones that they offer, as well as various others (including the 'Wuyi heritage' range that I've neglected).
So far, I agree with others around here that these teas are elegant, balanced, well-processed and very enjoyable. It is also fun to learn by drinking through the different varieties, regions and styles that they offer. And while they can be brewed delicately, they're also happy to be brewed strongly for a different kind of experience.
I think that people who have been disappointed by the roughness of the roast on some cheap (and some not very cheap) yancha out there will be surprised by how teas such as these can provide a strong roast which tastes pure, elegant and refreshing, rather than harsh, uncomfortable or overpowering. And if people are wondering whether they should get small samples of each, or larger portions of just a few, my own view is that the latter would be more useful, since you can then play with brewing the same tea in different ways, without being anxious that you've only got one or two brews to make the most of a small sample.
The only criticism that I have for the few that I've tried so far from the 'full roast' range (the zhuke rougui and the jiulongke bujiantian) is that they don't give me quite the same strong feeling that some other good yancha can give me.
However, that probably isn't a very useful comment for others, even for those who take such things into account, since the same tea can affect different people in different ways. I have not yet tried their tieluohan, which is the variety that is usually capable of giving me the strongest such feelings, and both the foshou and the shiru that I've played with from their 'yancha explorer' range were pleasantly potent.
Andrew
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Bottom 9g in the 150g bag of lishan. Brewed casually in a thick, thinly glazed kyusu.
Pushed with long infusions, the last bit of tea was still creamy and savory-sweet.
Pushed with long infusions, the last bit of tea was still creamy and savory-sweet.
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2019 You Yu Chong (Xi Qiu Tea Factory) rou gui.
It is fascinating how this tea presents a completely different profile to the full roast zhuke rou gui from Da Xue Jia Dao. The one from Da Xue Jia Dao has a strong, thick flavour and a strong aroma right from the outset. This one develops in strength and character from one infusion to the next, and is distinctly lacking in upfront aroma; instead, it feels as though the aroma forms part of the aftertaste instead of rising up from the cup.
My impression is that the style of the roast is quite different between the two, not just in terms of outright strength, but rather in terms of the character and profile of the roast (though I lack the knowledge to say how this difference was brought about).
This one starts very subtle, emphasising mouthfeel and aftertaste over aroma and upfront flavour. The taste begins with a savoury profile before deeper, darker fruits emerge over several infusions, with a strong mineral aftertaste that increases in creaminess and a bright fruity quality over the session. This tea also gives me a strong tingling sensation and numbing feeling that increases over the course of the session.
Andrew
It is fascinating how this tea presents a completely different profile to the full roast zhuke rou gui from Da Xue Jia Dao. The one from Da Xue Jia Dao has a strong, thick flavour and a strong aroma right from the outset. This one develops in strength and character from one infusion to the next, and is distinctly lacking in upfront aroma; instead, it feels as though the aroma forms part of the aftertaste instead of rising up from the cup.
My impression is that the style of the roast is quite different between the two, not just in terms of outright strength, but rather in terms of the character and profile of the roast (though I lack the knowledge to say how this difference was brought about).
This one starts very subtle, emphasising mouthfeel and aftertaste over aroma and upfront flavour. The taste begins with a savoury profile before deeper, darker fruits emerge over several infusions, with a strong mineral aftertaste that increases in creaminess and a bright fruity quality over the session. This tea also gives me a strong tingling sensation and numbing feeling that increases over the course of the session.
Andrew
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150g of lishan
I had some Li shan last night using an akitsu oxidation pot, the taste profile was different from what I was used to.
The florals were more forward and none of the citrus notes. I will try it in a nosaka reduction pot and compare.