Mystery Aged Oolong A from MarshalN

This is the other tea given to me by MarshalN; you can find my notes on "B" here.

The dry leaf smells like caramel, toasty grains, and blueberry/classic-aged-oolong. The lid aroma is thick and luxurious, saturated with caramel and toastiness.

Despite the subdued flavor of the first steep (it was a flash infusion, after all, I wouldn't have expected otherwise), this tea's cha qi was already kicking my ass by the time I was ready for a second steep. The flavor developed as I went along, though the roast tended to dominate early infusions if I gave them too much time. The tea also had a light oiliness and a sweet, refreshing aftertaste throughout the session.

Good stuff, mmmm. Thanks again MarshalN!

Mystery Aged Oolong B from MarshalN

This tea comes from MarshalN, along with its sister "A", which I'll write about soon. It's an aged oolong of some sort, but I don't know anything more. I'm sure it has been discussed but in my prolonged absence from the online tea world, I missed out.

The dry leaf smells like rich, finished chocolate; I don't smell any of the raw cacao bitterness (lack of recent firing, I guess?) that is in most chocolate-y teas. There's also a whiff of that classic aged-oolong character— it always reminds me of blueberries, though nobody else seems to agree with me!

The lid aroma expresses more of the blueberry/classic aged aroma, is lighter, and more citric.

This tea has good flavor: sweet and fruity (more so than I would have guessed from the chocolate-y leaf aroma), and some chocolate. It is not the most complex, but it is well-rounded and enjoyable. The most remarkable characteristic, I think, is its balanced oiliness, mouthfeel, and flavor, which comes across as very "clean." I'd even call it "refreshing," which is more than a little surprising considering how many years it has been sealed away in a dark jar.

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Oh yeah, by the way, Tea Nerd passed its 3rd birthday not long ago. It's a little late to make a big deal out of it, but I wanted to say thanks to all of you who actually read this thing. Despite not posting anything of great value lately, more and more of you come to visit my little corner of the internet. I hope you've enjoyed what I've written here over the years, and I hope to earn your continued readership— you know, by actually providing content or something.

Hachiju Hachiya (88 Nights) Shincha from Sugimoto USA | Reader Poll

Class: Green
Origin: Not sure. Shizuoka? Blend?
Year: 2009
Vendor: Sugimoto, USA
Price: Free for me! (Thanks Chip and Pentox)


This shincha comes courtesy of Chip and Pentox of Teachat-- thanks guys! Hachiju hachiya means "88 nights" and, in this context, is a claim that this tea was picked on the very traditional 88th night from the beginning of spring. Mmm, history.

I liked this tea quite a bit. For those who like precise parameters, I brewed 5.3g of leaf in 10oz of water (between 165-175F) for 60s, 30s, 60s, and 90s.


Second infusion.
I'm not feeling very prosey right now, so here are my verb-less and adjective-heavy tasting notes:

1st Infusion: A little creamy, clean, good solid foundation flavor.
2nd: Nice green color. Bright flavor, intense, "chewy". A little muddled, not clean like the first. Slightly grassy, slightly sweet. A bit marine.
3rd: Best flavor, still pretty green in color. Sweeter and less intense than the 2nd, also cleaner.
4th: Yellow-green color. Still pleasant and sweet, not a whole lot else though.

Based on the leaves and the flavor, this is probably in-between chumushi and fukamushi. Between this tea and Zencha's Takumi, I think I prefer Takumi, but only by a slim margin. They are different beasts; this one seems sweeter and more candy-like than Takumi, while Takumi has a more satisfying "round" or balanced quality.

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I added a poll to the sidebar of this blog. I'm curious whether you would like or dislike the occasional post on other topics like photography, wet-shaving, etc. (Not crap about the pathetic minutiae of my daily life.) I would still mostly post about tea; I'm not trying to drastically change the focus of this blog, I'm just thinking of diversifying a bit. Thanks for voting!

2009 Takumi Shincha

Class: Green
Origin: Yame prefecture, Japan
Year: 2009
Vendor: Zencha.net (Product page)
Price: $31.00 (100g)


This sencha has a lovely color. It's not quite as green as O-Cha's Yukata Midori, but what is?
I've been enjoying this shincha (wondering what "shincha" is?) for a couple weeks now. Mmmm. It has been a long time since I've had any Japanese greens, but this tea fills my springtime sencha craving nicely.

It's a lot like O-Cha's Miyabi, if I remember it right. It is just a little grassy the way I brew, though you can pretty much eliminate it with cooler brewing if that doesn't sound appealing.


There are some long leaves with a good helping of small bits, so I would guess that this tea is chumushi (mid-steamed).
There is also a sweet depth to this tea, more like O-Cha's Yukata Midori than Miyabi (Yes, I know, I always refer back to these two teas. I don't drink a whole lot of different sencha, okay?). Takumi sencha is made from the Gokoh/Gokou tea varietal, which is normally used in gyokuro production, so this may explain the tea's uncommonly "round" and sweet flavor. Whatever the reason, mmm. Expensive, yes, but oh so worth it.

[I know, sencha reviews are boring and not very helpful. To be honest, I mostly wrote this so I don't have to stare at MacGyver's mug while I continue to procrastinate on the next teaware guide. To push that mullet even further down the page here are two photos of Bryce Canyon, from my recent drive through the American Southwest.]


A tree just off the Navajo Loop trail, with some classic Bryce Canyon hoodoos in the background.

One of the many gorgeous vistas along the canyon rim. (Both photos taken on Fomapan 100 @ EI 80, developed in Rodinal 1:50.)

2008 Da Wu Ye Jiang Hua Xiang Dancong

Class: Oolong
Origin: Guangdong province, China
Year: 2008
Vendor: Tea Habitat (Product page)
Price: $30 (1 oz)


A big thank you goes out to Victoria from TeaChat, who generously sent me a sample of this very fine (and very pricey) tea. I stupidly brewed this tea while focusing on something else the first time; I am glad I gave it the attention it deserves when I revisited it. "Da Wu Ye" translates to "Big Dark Leaf" and "Jiang Hua Xiang" translates to "Ginger Flower Fragrance."

Everything about this tea is subtle, which may or may not be a good thing. The dry leaf's aroma is almost undetectable. The flavor is mild, especially compared to the 90's Golden Pearls Dancong I recently tried. It is certainly not a powerhouse in any sense. However, it is a rewarding tea if one is in the mood for a subtle, delicate experience.


This tasting session was one where all the pieces clicked into place. Forgive my waxing poetic, but the soft winter light was a perfect visual complement to this tea. It is lightly honey-sweet, with a clear but fragile ginger flavor and a sweet aftertaste. Gentle brewing seems to help with this tea; I used a relatively small amount of leaf (about 1/2 full, which really isn't that much with long dancong leaves) and shorter brewing times (5, 10, 20, 30, etc.) than I normally would.


In addition to its wonderfully delicate flavor and sweet aftertaste, I felt warm and relaxed after drinking this tea. I couldn't tell you whether it was solely due to the tea or other factors, but the tea certainly didn't hurt.

This really is one of the finer teas I have ever had. It is not the most complex or the most powerful tea, but it does not waver in its subtlety or clarity of flavor.* As usual, Tea Habitat does not disappoint!

*Ugh, that sounds so corny! It is the best way I can think to describe it though, even if the purple prose does make me want to barf.

Hawaiian tea

I recently tasted two Hawaiian teas from the Onomea Tea Company, located near Hilo on the big island, courtesy of Victoria who recently visited their farm. I received two samples (very generous considering their astronomical prices) of oolong and steamed green tea. First, my notes on the oolong.

Onomea Tea Co. Oolong


Pictured with the dry leaf is my Hawaiian Bug Swatter; basically a mini-flip-flop on a stick. My girlfriend asked me to bring her gifts from the ABC Store, so I reluctantly obliged; this was one of the results.
The dry leaf is gorgeous; the picture does not do it justice. There are more white tips and there is a more attractive texture than is shown here. They don't smell like much at all, though there is a hint of pickled ginger aroma.


More ABC Store junk.
I brewed these by dumping the whole sample (9g) into a gaiwan and brewing with boiling water in short— around 20 seconds to start— infusions. The resultant liquor was peach-colored, and woodsy-flavored. Sadly, this tea isn't all that great, which came as a bit of a surprise after my positive experience with the steamed green (see below). It is pretty much all woodsy flavor, with moderate astringency. Someone in TeaChat noted that oolong is much more difficult to make than other teas, and it would seem that these new tea tea makers will need more experience (not that I claim to have it; oh the luxury of being a critic!) before they produce some decent oolong.


Evidence of this is seen in this photograph; the two leaves are very different colors, showing a large unevenness in oxidation. There could be as much as a 30% difference between these two leaves, something you almost never see in quality Chinese or Taiwanese oolongs. Variation in color on one leaf is usually fine, but when different leaves are completely different colors like this, it is not a good thing.

Onomea Tea Co. Steamed Green


These dry leaves, much like the oolong, are absolutely gorgeous. When I heard Victoria mention "steamed green tea" I pictured something decidedly more sencha-like, so I was (pleasantly) surprised to see these. They smell *just* like pickled ginger, which is quite a unique aroma for an unflavored tea to have. I brewed 3g, 170-175°F in a 100mL gaiwan; steep times were 90 seconds, 140 seconds, 180 seconds (after this I stopped paying attention to timing, but got a couple more brews in before it got to the sweet-water point).


This is a smooth, sweet, creamy tea. There is not a lot going on in the flavor or color department in the first infusion, but it soon wakes up and gives a soft pickled-ginger taste and aroma, which is really very nice. If you like the pink (or white, if it's homemade— there's a fun fact for you) stuff that comes along with your sushi, you will like this tea. Besides that, though, there still isn't a whole lot going on. I didn't think this is anything like your typical Japanese steamed green tea; it is quite unique.


The amount of care that has been put into the production of this tea is obvious; the wet leaf shows that full leaves were carefully handled and processed to make this tea. These puppies are thick, pliable, and leathery; is this because the plants are so young, I wonder? Anyway, while this tea is quite interesting, I'm not sure it would replace sencha as my favorite. Still, it will be interesting to see how this tea develops as the plants age and take on some character.

Conclusion

Though I wasn't all that impressed with the oolong, I was surprised by the quality of the steamed green tea and the amount of love that these new tea producers have clearly folded into their products. Thank you, Victoria, for the samples; I always love trying teas from new places!

The Last Word

Yarr!

Tencha from Harney & Sons

Class: Green
Origin: Uji, Japan
Year: 2008
Vendor: Harney & Sons (Product page)
Price: $47.50 (100 g)

I'm not going to lie; I have been eyeing this tea since week one of my loose-leaf tea journey. My tastes may have changed since then, but it was a great pleasure to finally try this tea, courtesy of fellow TeaChatter Pentox (A.K.A. fellow blogger Eric). Thanks for the oppportunity, Eric!


I highly recommend clicking on this picture to get a good look at the leaf. So delicate!
Tencha is a fairly rare tea to come across (Harney & Sons say this as well, but very rarely is a vendor's claim of rarity true), as it is not produced as an end product. Rather, tencha is an intermediate step in the production of matcha. While some shade-grown tea leaf is being rolled and processed into gyokuro, the rest has its stems and veins removed, resulting in tencha, and is finally ground into matcha.

I suppose, then, it is not all too surprising that this tea smells and tastes a bit like a cross between gyokuro and matcha. The dry leaf smells mostly like gyokuro, but is not nearly as vegetal. The first few steeps were much like gyokuro, but the fourth tasted exactly like matcha, just with all the bits filtered out.


As far as parameters go, I brewed this for minute-long infusions until that wasn't enough, at which point I doubled it. I used 5g of tea in around 5oz of water. I tried 150°F first, but that was too high and resulted in that nasty, overbrewed gyokuro taste. 135°F was the sweet spot for me, giving a lovely, sweet, candy-like liquor. And this is coming from a guy who really doesn't like gyokuro.

Another note: it's fairly obvious, once you try to brew it, why this is not intended to be a final product. It is a huge pain in the ass to submerge all those light n' fluffy leaves; I resorted to prodding and stirring them with the end of my thermometer, which couldn't have helped the taste. Quoting Salsero once again, "It makes me feel like I am drowning a puppy, ‘cause it just won’t go under by itself." [Try blaming that one on someone else. ;)]


Anyway, I'm just rambling now, so let me conclude. This was a very interesting tea, and tasting it helps one understand the connection between gyokuro and matcha. It tastes quite good too, but I'm not sure it tastes good enough compared to a quality sencha or gyokuro to make me want to buy a huge tin all for myself. Thanks so much for the sample, Eric!

Eric's notes on this tea can be found here.

2008 Nok Ya Won Wild Hadong Ddok Cha

Class: Pressed green tea
Origin: Jiri Mountain, South Korea
Year: 2008
Vendor: Unknown. This was a gift from Matt, of MattCha's Blog.

Many thanks are due to Matt, who provided me with a generous helping of this Ddok cha. I don't really know what it is (other than pressed green tea, more info here [Edit: Also here]), but it is fantastic and exactly what I should have expected Matt to give (more on this later).

First, let's talk about the wrapping. Wow. Alright, enough talking. Take a look:


Gorgeous! (And I thought the Japanese were the best at wrapping and presenting tea.) The effort it took to wrap and decorate this sample is much appreciated. Also, the sample I received was once much larger, probably about twice as big, but due to foreseen circumstances much has been consumed. :)


Unwrapping the package, one finds something that looks quite a bit like puerh. Again, this used to be more cake-like (though with very loose compression), but not after I had my way with it. The dry leaf aroma is quite faint, completely unlike puerh, and smells like a Korean green tea; creamy, sweet, and grassy.


It tastes similar to how it smells; light, creamy, only slightly grassy, with an occasional hint of banana. Still, while it is soft and comforting, the flavor is not the highlight of this tea in my opinion. I do not have much skill in feeling cha qi, but this is easily the most pleasant cha qi I have ever experienced. It comes on slowly and has some strength, but it is not at all jarring or obnoxious. I feel incredibly comfortable (yet still alert) when I drink this tea.


As I mentioned earlier, this is exactly what I should have expected from Matt. This is not an in-your-face, full-flavored tea (like what I typically drink). Its beauty is much less obvious, even "shy", and could easily be missed if one is not attentive. Thank you again, Matt, for this eye-opening tea; it will not soon be forgotten.

Other reviews:
•Stéphane (Tea Masters)
•Marshaln (A Tea Addict's Journal)
[I'm pretty sure there are more reviews out there somewhere. Let me know if you find any.]

Georgian Old Gentleman

Class: Black
Origin: Nasakirali, Georgia
Year: N/A
Vendor: Nothing But Tea Ltd. (Product page)
Price: £4.65 [$8.67 as I write this post] (100g)

Sorry for the lack of posts lately; I've been working on med school applications and moving into my new place. I have been allotted a small cupboard for my tea stuff, and I have room on my desk for a modest setup.


The first tea I've concentrated on since arriving is this Georgian (the country) black tea, courtesy of Mary R. I am not usually a fan of black teas, but this one was a big surprise. As you can see, I have chosen to use a gaiwan for this session. I filled the vessel about 3/4 - 7/8 full, as the leaf is very loosely packed, and started brewing with a 15 second infusion (which may have been a little short) using boiling water.


The dry leaf is long, thin, and twisty. There are some white and golden tips, but for the most part this tea is very dark. The dry leaf aroma is similar to yancha— chocolate and berries— but also smells a bit like Oriental Beauty / bai hao.


The liquor tastes like a more full-bodied bai hao or Darjeeling to me, though with more sweetness and less of the woodsiness than I typically associate with bai hao and Darjeeling. I generally don't like black teas, especially when brewed gong fu style, but this is lovely! I believe Mary and others have commented on how oolong-like this tea performs, and I have to agree. The tea leaves a slight drying sensation on the tongue. Best of all, I do not get the headache that normally comes from Darjeelings!


Mmm, tea. Thank you Mary!

Exquisite Da Hong Pao from Teacuppa (previously Mystery Wuyi Yancha B)

Class: Oolong
Origin: Wuyi shan, China
Year: 2007
Vendor: Teacuppa (Product Page)
Price: $110 (100g) / $58 (50g) / $20 (12g)


Sample B in all its (unfortunately broken-up) glory

This is the second tea in the blind tasting I wrote about in my last post. As you can see in the above image, the dry leaf I had was pretty broken up. This has more to do with being the dregs of the bag than overall quality. I seem to remember that most of the leaf was decently whole. The leaf smells quite nice; it is not quite as rich as sample A, but it has some chocolate and caramel goin' on.


Sweet, sweet nectar.

Despite the state of the leaf, this tea tastes pretty good: caramel and chocolate. Thanks to the state of the leaf, the flavor is intense. [Tasters: This intensity is why I recommended brewing with short steeps, but if your dry leaf looks more whole than mine, feel free to disregard.] Unfortunately, a side-effect seems to be a loss of complexity. I didn't really notice any development over the rather prodigious number of steeps the tea survived. I'm interested to hear if that was similar/different from others' experiences.


So fresh and so clean.

I really like this tea, especially considering the condition of the leaves at the bottom of the bag. It has good, strong flavor, and even some nice qi (hell, even I could feel it). I'll most likely order another sample so I can get an impression of it at its best.

2002 Rou Gui from Teacuppa (Mystery Wuyi Yancha A)

Class: Oolong
Origin: Wuyi shan, China
Year: 2002
Vendor: Teacuppa
Price: $18.50 (50g)

A note about the censors: Several fellow tea-fiends have received this (code-name "A") and another tea (code-named— wait for it— "B") as part of a blind tasting. I'll reveal this tea's true identity later. Muahahaha.

Also of note: I made my first trip to Daiso, a Japanese 100-yen-store chain that has recently made its way to the states. After all the hype, it was a bit disappointing, but I did find a few goodies: two cups, two little plates, and a reed mat. The damages: a whopping $8.12. One of the plates and the reed mat can be seen in the photographs below. Not bad for $1.50 each, eh?


Chocolate, in leaf form.
This tea has a fantastic chocolate aroma. In keeping with the size of the samples I sent out, I used 5g of tea in a 90mL pot. [To the tasters: you're welcome to use more, but this splits the sample in half.] I started with a ~20 second infusion, and got a lovely brew replete with caramel, blueberries, and a kiss of chocolate. It was smooth and oily, to boot.


Some of my Daiso booty: a plate, and a reed mat.
As it progressed it lost its oiliness and blueberries, and the flavor developed into a more ordinary spicy chocolate. This tea gave out on me fairly quickly, lasting about 5 infusions before it dropped off. Though I was disappointed by its short lifespan, I liked the round, mature flavor of the initial brews. I would definitely consider buying more. If only... [That's a hint!]


Pourin' one for my homies.

Pu'erh in Berkeley

Yesterday, I drove up to the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology in Berkeley, CA to attend a presentation titled "From Garden to Gaiwan: the Journey of Pu'er Tea." The event consisted of an hour long presentation by Brian Kirbis, followed by three hours (!) of pu'erh tasting.


One of several tea setups at the event.

The lecture was excellent; it was informative and academic, yet artful. The majority of the lecture was a discussion of the geopolitical, ecological, and social changes taking place in the wild pu'erh gardens of southwestern Yunnan, due to the growing demand for mao cha (the raw materials needed to make pu'erh). For the most part, Brian documented these changes as they took place in the Bulang village of Laoman'e, a small millennium-old community of wild tea farmers, and compared it to other nearby areas also experiencing the effects of modernization and development.

Near the end of his stay, Brian filmed a short ethnography of the people of Laoman'e, narrated by the charismatic (and quite talkative, according to Brian's account) village leader, Ai Wennan. In this film, one sees villagers hiking through the surrounding forests, picking tea leaves, wilting them, firing them over the same fires used for cooking their meals, and rolling them by hand.

It was a very informative lecture, especially if one already had some experience with puerh. I learned quite a few things about how mao cha farming and processing are carried out; particularly, the distinction between blending at the farm level and at the factory level. Just because one finds leaves of different colors and sizes in an "unblended" puerh does not mean that the factory is necessarily being dishonest. As shown in Brian's presentation, farming communities often blend the pickings from each household into one large pile; as each household typically picks and processes their tea separately, this may result in a blend, of sorts.


David, Brian, and Jason, examining a mid-1980s tuo cha.

After the lecture, we drank tea. :) It was great talking and drinking with several people I've only had contact with online! I sat at Jason's (a.k.a. bearsbearsbears of the Puerh LJ, TeaChat, and Bearsblog) table, where I was able to incessantly pick his brain about teas, teawares, water, etc.


Jason displaying his awesome little business cards at his table.

He brewed 5 teas: a gong ting grade Menghai shu, a 2006 Nannuo shan sheng, a 2002 bamboo-roasted sheng, a mid-1980s sheng tuo cha, and a 1996 7542 sheng. The first four were generously provided by Brian, while the fifth was from Jason's personal stash. The teas were all good; I especially enjoyed the last three. Jason even let me brew a bit at the end of the night while he started to clean up, which must have felt a bit like handing over one's car keys to a student driver.


Four teas provided by Brian, displayed at his table. Counter-clockwise from the left: 1980s tuo cha (behind wrapper), 2006 Nannuo shan, Menghai shu, 2002 bamboo-roasted sheng.

It was lots of fun, though the 50 or so cups of puerh through 10 PM sure didn't help me sleep last night. :) I met lots of new people, and learned a ton about tea. I'm very happy I went, and I won't be forgetting it any time soon.


Iffy group picture. From left: Adrian, Brian, Jason, Simran, Me (ugh), David, and Will. Completely obscured by us is a nice exhibit of various teawares.

Davelcorp's writeup can be found here. Also, there are more photos in the Puer Flickr pool.

2008 Miyabi Shincha

Class: Green
Origin: Uji prefecture, Japan
Year: 2008
Vendor: O-Cha (Product page)
Price: $27.95 (110g)

This tea comes courtesy of Chip, a fellow TeaChat member. I know a few people who consider this to be the king of sencha, so I had high expectations of this tea. And, fortunately enough, my expectations were mostly met. :)


This is a great tea. It has good flavor; it does not have the most intense flavor ever, but it is clean and refined. There is a light sweetness, and a pleasant cooling aftertaste. Chip mentioned tasting a slight roasty/nutty flavor, and I think I agree. Whether or not it's just in my head or not, though, I can't say. :) In my experience it isn't a particularly vegetal tea, but there is some grassiness. Also, it's pretty easy to brew, as long as you pay attention. Much easier than the Yukata Midori (or the Hatsumi, so I hear), anyway.

It is expensive, though. Compared to O-Cha's Kirameki it's a steal, but that's not saying much. Actually, having tried Miyabi, I can't really recommend Kirameki anymore. It's more expensive than Miyabi, and not nearly as good (in my opinion).

1986 Vintage Phoenix Dan Cong from Tea Habitat

Class: Oolong
Origin: Guangdong province, China
Year: 1986
Vendor: Tea Habitat
Price: $20 (1 oz)

This is the last of the three Dan Cong samples provided by Salsero and Tea Habitat. I have had a few aged oolongs which really knocked my socks off, so I had high expectations for this one. Sadly, it didn't turn out as I had hoped it would. I blame my less-than-stellar experience largely on my failure to brew it right, as others (whose tastes I trust) seem to have been very happy with it.

The dry leaf is as one would expect from an aged oolong— dark, and fairly broken up. I couldn't detect much of an aroma from this tea. There is some fragrance, but it is light and hard to examine. It did remind me of the 1982 aged Wenshan Baozhong though, in that there was some sort of musty and minty thing goin' on.

I tried to follow Imen's instructions, but apparently I failed. I used 3g of leaf, less than the two newer Dan Congs, did a flash rinse (which I ended up drinking anyway), then let the leaf and gaiwan cool down, and then proceeded with brewing. I wonder if I would have gotten more aroma from a more conventional set of parameters, by keeping everything hot.

The flavor was also similar to the aforementioned aged baozhong, but again much lighter. I really couldn't seem to pull much out of this tea, besides some light (but good) flavors and side-effects. One interesting thing, which was also noticed by Alex, was the slight puerh-like character of this tea. I noticed it in the liquor, as it seemed to have a certain activity on the tongue I normally get from slightly-aged (a few years) puerh. There was a nice stimulating astringency in some infusions, and there may also have been some faint cha qi, though I am notoriously bad at detecting it.

Overall, I thought this tea had the potential to be quite interesting if one brews it correctly&mdash it's too bad I didn't! As for my favorite of these three Dan Congs, I was happiest with the 2007 Yu Lan Xiang Dan Cong— I would certainly consider buying more for special occasions, at the very least. Thanks again Salsero!

2007 Ao Fu Hou Phoenix Dan Cong from Tea Habitat

Class: Oolong
Origin: Guangdong province, China
Year: 2007
Vendor: Tea Habitat
Price: $28.00 (1 oz)

This Ao Fu Hou (Orange flower fragrance) Phoenix Dan Cong is the second of the three Dan Cong samples graciously given by Salsero. I wasn't quite as impressed by this one as I was with the Yu Lan Xiang, but I still enjoyed it very much.

The dry leaf, while pleasant, isn't as aromatic as the Yu Lan Xiang. The fragrance is more subdued and rounded, and smells, I think, of apples. The dry leaf is slightly greener than the Yu Lan Xiang, but looks pretty much the same.

I tried to brew this tea just as I brewed the last one, though I did use slightly more leaf. Perhaps it was due to the extra leaf that I also used shorter infusion times (about 25 seconds each, adjusting to taste).

Though this tea isn't as aromatic (though you may have a different experience, I think aroma is a very hard thing to control and predict) as the Yu Lan Xiang, the flavor is richer and smoother. It's hard to place the flavor at first, but I think it resembles apples and (to a lesser degree) the muscatel flavor sometimes found in Darjeelings.

The flavor is actually quite dynamic— it seemed to change often, switching back and forth between perfumey/not, astringent (in a good way)/not astringent, and citrusy/apple-y, despite only slight variations in steep time. An unpredictable tea, I think, which differed from the Yu Lan Xiang, whose flavor remained more or less consistent throughout the session.

Overall, I think this is a very good tea. It has a subtle but certainly pleasant aroma, and strong (for a Dan Cong), dynamic flavor.

2007 Yu Lan Xiang Phoenix Dan Cong from Tea Habitat | Wrong Fu Video: #2

Class: Oolong
Origin: Guangdong province, China
Year: 2007
Vendor: Tea Habitat
Price: Free for me- thanks Salsero!

Getting free tea is one thing, but getting great free tea is something entirely different. I have to say, this is the first Dan Cong that has truly impressed me, and it really blew me out of the water.

First off, the dry leaf. As soon as I stuck my nose in the bag (Remember the Sam Adams commercials where they showed Jim Koch smelling hops? I'm almost that bad.), I knew this was going to be interesting. There is an intense (See the bold face type? It's that intense.) aroma of peach and grapefruit— lovely! The leaves themselves are quite beautiful— long, dark, and delicate.

As soon as hot water hits leaf, this aroma moves- I could smell it clearly even a yard (or a meter, for you metric-lovers and optimists). It is, without a doubt, the most aromatic tea I have come across to date. I tried to stay true to Imen's parameters, and they seemed to work out pretty well. I used ~4.5g of leaf in a 100mL gaiwan, and tried to take as much of her other advice as possible. I had to use a cha hai though, because I don't have enough matching cups— yes, I know I'm hopeless— to hold all the liquid from my gaiwan (you can see my awkward attempt to get around this in the video below).

The tea liquor was interesting. True to its dan cong nature, the flavor was not as pungent as many other teas (particularly yancha), at least not in the first few steeps. I'm not sure if you caught that the first time, but yes, I said the first few steeps. This tea produced an insane number of infusions, but sadly I lost count. Definitely well into the teens, though, and I stopped because I got tired, not the leaf. Still, even though it persists for a long time, the light fruit/perfume flavor is never more than mediocre in strength, as one would expect from a dan cong.

Also of note: take a look at the wet leaf. See those little holes? Not the tears, those are my fault, but the little holes with red marks around them. If I presume correctly, those are bite marks from insects. Not only is this proof of the tea's organic nature, but I think it may also explain some of the tea's intense fruitiness. Bai Hao and Muscatel Darjeelings are known to taste fruitier when bitten (something to do with the leaf reacting to damage, and producing more juices/goodies), so perhaps this is a similar phenomenon?

This was a spectacular tea, as one would expect considering the price it commands. If the other teas Salsero/Imen sent are anything like this one, I am in for quite a treat. Thanks again Salsero!

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If you are curious about my interpretation of Imen's directions, you can check them out here, in Wrong Fu video #2!

Half-Dipper/Dragon Tea House Tasting

First off, thank you to Hobbes and Dragon Tea House for your effort in setting up this tasting. It was certainly educational! Secondly, as difficult as it was to resist, I managed to avoid reading any notes (even with all the pretty pictures, especially on Hobbes' reviews) on a particular sample until I composed my own, in order to remain as impartial and blind as possible— something I have failed to do in the past with these sorts of tastings. I think it worked, because my notes seem to be far different from anyone else's...

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2006 Changtai Jinzhu (A.K.A."Green")

I, like Mary, am inexperienced with puerh (especially shengpu). Also like Mary, I enjoyed this sample. This is not to say I want to run out and buy a tong of it, but then again I'm not sufficiently acquainted with puerh to want to buy a tong of anything. This tea also provided me with a bit of experience in what is called cha qi. [Being a skeptic of Chinese medicine, perhaps stubbornly so at times, I am hesitant to accept the concept of qi, but I will use the term "cha qi" because there isn't another word commonly used to describe the concept.]

Dry Leaf:

The dry leaf has a lovely range of color, from brownish-green to green, with a few off-white tips. The aroma is surprisingly pleasant (again, I'm a noob, give me a break), and smells of dry, earthy mushrooms, but with a brighter citrus/acid and floral high note.

Parameters:

8.1g leaf; 100mL gaiwan; filtered tap water (boiling); 8s rinse, 11s, 15s, 13s, 11s, 12s*
*These times include pouring and decanting.

Liquor:

In general, the liquor was sweet, light-bodied, mushroomy, and woodsy. There was a mild hui gan at times, and a strong drying astringency throughout the session, leaving my tongue battered and useless by the 5th infusion. I didn't think it was very bitter, just drying. The flavor of the brews seemed to be fairly consistent across all the infusions, though there seemed to be more sweetness with shorter brews and more dryness with longer ones.

Though others seem to have thought this tea's cha qi to be ordinary, I, having never paid much attention to the concept, thought it was a mite overwhelming. Despite the air conditioning in my dorm, I broke out in a cold sweat during the second infusion, and felt quite heavy-headed by the end of the session. It was only unpleasant in that I didn't know what to expect.

Last Words:

I was pleasantly surprised by this shengpu, as I have had some rather poor impressions of the shengpu genre in the past. I don't feel like I know enough yet to give this a rating, but I thought it was interesting and enjoyable.

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2007 Shuangjiang Mengku (A.K.A. "Red")

Okay, so maybe the second and third reviews haven't been done as soon as I anticipated. I'm still well within the two-week grace period, though. :)

This time, I tried the "red" sample, and my impressions are as follows.

Dry Leaf:

Similar to the "green" sample leaves; consisting of greens, browns, and off-whites; though a bit more leaves fell into the brown range. This wasn't compressed as much as the green sample, and was mostly loose when I opened the bag. The aroma in said bag was pleasantly mellow and sweet, smelling of mushrooms (no tobacco or much else, from what I could gather).

Parameters:

8.1g leaf; 100mL gaiwan; filtered tap water (boiling); rinse, 11s, 15s, 14s, 12s, 10s, 11s

Liquor:

I didn't like this tea too much— it seemed quite fickle about steep time, and I frequently (read: all but twice) ended up with a strongly bitter and harsh brew. When the harshness wasn't dominant, the liquor tasted mostly of tobacco with a hint of mushrooms, which was quite a change from the dry leaf. Steven noted a similar difference between the liquor and the wet leaf, and I think he puts it best: "The wet leaves were like a spring time air while the brewed tea was like an autumn forest." There was usually a gently sweet hui gan, though this was masked in some of the more intensely bitter infusions. I should also note that there was a good amount of particulate in the cup and a sludge-like suspension left in the bottom of the cup after each infusion.

Unlike with the green sample, I didn't have a very strong reaction to the cha qi of this tea. I felt the same sort of head heaviness, but no warmth whatsoever. To be fair, I did assume a more leisurely pace through this tasting, so that may have had some effect, but I doubt it was entirely due to a delay between a couple of infusions. This cha qi stuff sure is mysterious.

Last Words:

Though I liked this more than the majority of the shengpu I have tried, it wasn't my favorite, especially after trying the green sample. This red sample was much more temperamental, and generally less stimulating than the green.

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2007 Guoyan "Phoenix of Yiwu" (A.K.A. "Blue")

Dry Leaf:

This is the only sample to have survived in a (more or less) single chunk. Still not too hard to pry apart, though. The aroma is markedly different from the rest— it is very potent, full of fruity and floral fragrance, and has a bit of a twang (I don't typically use this word to describe aroma, but I lack a better way of describing it) to it.

Parameters:

8.0g leaf; 100mL gaiwan; filtered tap water (boiling); 8s rinse, 9s, 11s, 12s, 12s, 15s

Liquor:

This is definitely the sweetest-tasting sample of the three. I couldn't pick out much in the flavor, except a touch of tobacco. There was a lingering, sweet hui gan which was more intense than in the other two samples, and a consistently mild astringency. This tea also stimulated a good deal of salivation, which was pleasant.

I couldn't detect any cha qi in this sample. I didn't experience any of the sensations mentioned above. Also, while my jaw tightened up at the first signs of qi during the previous two tastings, (sort of like an early-warning device) nothing of the sort happened this time.

Last words:

I liked this tea, but not as much as the green sample I tasted first. I thought it was quite sweet and pleasant, but not all that stimulating or interesting.

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Wrap-up:

Here are the three samples ranked in order of descending preference:

1. 2006 Changtai Jinzhu (Green)
2. 2007 Guoyan "Phoenix of Yiwu" (Blue)
3. 2007 Shuangjiang Mengku (Red)

Thanks again to Hobbes and Dragon Tea House for organizing and providing for this online tasting! Though my experience with puerh is still quite lacking, I am glad I participated. I'm looking forward to next time. :)