Gaoshan's flavors opening up after a few months

[Ethan Kurland]

I opened a 50-gram vacuum pack of Lishan about a week ago. I enjoyed a tea session of 4 infusions steeped a bit casually (some rounds were steeped about 15 seconds, some perhaps as long as a minute w/ temperature of water ranging from 93C to 97C) that were put into a teapot that I use as a server.

Drinking a session of the LIshan daily, I am enjoying it more since that first day when I had opened the pack (using similar preparation). Although I close the pack very tightly a with a strong, broad clip, I think a bit of air helped the leaves deliver flavor.

I have been enjoying all sessions more than a few months ago. The Lishan's flavors are stronger now, more forward, w/o being harsh. I had called the LIshan simple & gentle which now are the words that would come to mind. I believe the Lishan needed time for its flavors to develop fully.

A few weeks ago a pack of Shanlinxi seemed to me to be significantly more flavorful. I had assumed that somehow the tea seemed that way because of something happening in my body, not in the leaves. Now I think it also opened up w/ time.

Now I am thinking that with a few months of resting, flavors have opened up & wondering whether I knew this before & in my old age forgotten it

That gaoshan might do this probably does not surprise many members here; however, I may have dismissed my own feeling that this was happening. Moreover, I have not respected the concept of getting a tea that produces little likeable flavor presently expecting flavors to open up later. (I still would not buy a tea that I would not enjoy much w/ immediate preparation.)

Anyway, tea is complex. Tea in vacuum packs can change from being very good to being its best & then start moving down in quality. Sort of puts us under pressure if we obsess about absolute enjoyment of our inventory. Cheers

[tjkdubya]

A lot of teas that are conventionally considered best "fresh" I noticed go through an arc in time, and if people are open to seeing the evolution it adds a totally new dimension to tea appreciation. Some may "arc" faster than others however

[LeoFox]

I think this depends on how many times the bag is opened. I havent met a gaoshan that doesnt dramatically go down in quality after 1-2 weeks of opening and drinking every day.

[Andrew S]

I think this depends on how many times the bag is opened. I havent met a gaoshan that doesnt dramatically go down in quality after 1-2 weeks of opening and drinking every day.

I'm curious; do you mean that the aromas dissipate, or the flavour becomes weaker, or just that the entire tea becomes less satisfying?

I like high mountain teas for their mouthfeel and bright, fresh character, but not necessarily their aromas, so perhaps I would be less likely to detect such a change or to be bothered by it.

It would be interesting to see if there are benefits in 'resting' vacuum-packed (or at least sealed) high mountain teas for a while without opening them, in addition to the changes that result from opening the packet.

My experience that I posted about around here somewhere of trying some accidentally-aged high mountain tea that was still vacuum-packed suggests that they do develop even without exposure to air, but that was over the course of a few years, and it was an obvious change but not a dramatic one.

Andrew

[LeoFox]

I think this depends on how many times the bag is opened. I havent met a gaoshan that doesnt dramatically go down in quality after 1-2 weeks of opening and drinking every day.

I'm curious; do you mean that the aromas dissipate, or the flavour becomes weaker, or just that the entire tea becomes less satisfying?

I like high mountain teas for their mouthfeel and bright, fresh character, but not necessarily their aromas, so perhaps I would be less likely to detect such a change or to be bothered by it.

It would be interesting to see if there are benefits in 'resting' vacuum-packed (or at least sealed) high mountain teas for a while without opening them, in addition to the changes that result from opening the packet.

My experience that I posted about around here somewhere of trying some accidentally-aged high mountain tea that was still vacuum-packed suggests that they do develop even without exposure to air, but that was over the course of a few years, and it was an obvious change but not a dramatic one.

Andrew

Surprisingly, the thing that seems to go fastest is the thick butteriness and savory qualities.

Aroma also can go down and overall tea becomes more flat. For lower quality stuff, tea can even become bitter.

I recently had a gaoshan that was processed more like baozhong- it seems to be more stable.

[Ethan Kurland]

I think this depends on how many times the bag is opened. I havent met a gaoshan that doesnt dramatically go down in quality after 1-2 weeks of opening and drinking every day.

It would be interesting to see if there are benefits in 'resting' vacuum-packed (or at least sealed) high mountain teas for a while without opening them, in addition to the changes that result from opening the packet.

Andrew

I think many of us agree that once opened, a pack of goashan loses whatever it offers to a noticeable degree after 2 weeks & that after 3 weeks loss of greatness is enough to make one plan to use packets completely in a 2 - 3 weeks.

There might be much less agreement about whether the very first tea session from a pack of gaoshan just opened has flatter flavors than the gaoshan will offer for the following 2 - 3 weeks. I hope others will discuss as the possibility of understanding the "arc" of some teas' quality. It sometimes seems that very fresh gaoshan benefits from some months in their vacuum packs. A ? is whether one should plan to rest goashan & if so, for how long? Or if only sometimes, when?

Stored reasonably well, gaoshan is okay for a couple of years. I am pretty sure staying okay does not = continuing to get better. I think the overly fresh phase of some gaoshan is fairly short-lived. I'm just curious about whether this can be understood. In the past I have disliked the words of some vendors, "We'll see how this tea opens up," or "I think this will be very good after it opens up," when a tea at the present moment is very disappointing. I think good tea might get a bit better but don't remember a bad tea getting good with some rest or some air.

Others may have a different experience.

[LeoFox]

Hojo claims that his lishan when kept under vacuum but at ambient or higher temperatures can increase fruitiness:

Usually we enjoy Li Shan Cha when it is fresh. However, there is another way to enjoy this tea. We discover that when this tea is kept for some time in vacuum-packed condition, it gets ripen. The maturation of tea only takes place correctly when there is no oxygen present inside the packing bag. Hence the original vacuumed packing bag should be kept and not open for more than one year, if you wish for the matured Li Shan Cha. Originally, freshly made Tian Chi Li Shan Cha gives a refreshing floral flavor. After being kept for more than 1 year in the ambient temperature, it changed to peach-like fruity flavor. The changes of its flavor and taste are rather drastic and surprisingly impressive. Although we do not sell matured Tian Chi Li Shan Cha at the moment, you can easily carry out this “experiment” on your own.

https://hojotea.com/item_e/o18e.htm


My experience is that under vacuum and in the fridge, the tea keeps pretty well but dont think it improves. I haven't tried at higher temp

[Andrew S]

I suppose that what Hojo says is not inconsistent with what I experienced with my older sealed pack of tea; less floral, more fruity, with freshness giving way to a rounder profile and a gentler and more calming feeling. Of course, he says that one year is sufficient, and I haven't tried that.

However, I also suppose that at some point, you're not merely resting a tea to improve its fresh profile, but rather you're ageing the tea to turn it into something different.

Andrew

[Bok]

It sometimes seems that very fresh gaoshan benefits from some months in their vacuum packs. A ? is whether one should plan to rest goashan & if so, for how long? Or if only sometimes, when?

In my experience some Gaoshan if too fresh can still have what people call too much "fire". Resting will benefit these teas. Of course some are just badly made and resting won't help.