Zhong Hua

Thank you JC for this sample tea!

This is a TGY from Thailand! Yep, bought there in the market by JC himself and brought back to the USA, then shared with me. I feel very special getting to taste a tea that I know he probably had a hard time parting with!

I didn’t have directions so I took a look at how tightly the leaves were rolled, then did two quick rinses.

Steep one: 180 degrees for 20 seconds.
Surprisingly, the first steep wasn’t very strong or floral. The flavor was clean and fresh with a light savory taste and a cucumber seed bitterness at the end.

Steep two: I lowered the temperature to 140 and 40 seconds.
This pour was still sweet but had a buttery texture and camphor coolness like many Oolongs from Taiwan. (That was also a surprise.)

Steep three: Boiling water and 45 seconds.
The flavor was more floral, sweet but less buttery or savory. I preferred the lower temperature from my three tests.

The leaves were filling my small white Gaiwan now, they were not only long…but fat.

I returned to the shorter steep time and lower temperature and the flavor lingered after each sip with a savory coolness, the wafting of flowers somewhere close by reminding me this was a Tie Guan Yin.

Every cup I drank was delicate, smooth, sweet and fresh with a little butter coating my lips.

Now that I’ve tasted this tea, I’m watching what Thailand is producing!

Thanks JC! Unique TGY!

Another ‘I-will-probably-never-see-again’ tea. This tea I bought of the same small shop in Bangkok after mispronouncing several Chinese terms. After 20 minutes browsing teas and teawares the owner says something to his (daughter?) and she goes to the back and fetches a large sack that seemed to be a tea that had just arrived recently.

I open the sack… wow, the green and the silver color combined with the overwhelming scent! I didn’t ask myself “should I buy it?”, but rather “how much can I really bring with me with out being stopped at customs?”. Anyway the notes.

Gong Fu 7oz with 3-5gm (light and fluffy)
Dry Leaf – Slightly sweet with strong vegetal scent with a hint of smoky maybe? that is also floral.
Wet Leaf – Very vegetal like pan seared Kale and/or Parsley like scent and hints of sweetness and more floral.

1st Steep – Balanced savory and sweet scent with pale green/yellow color. The brew is clean and savory that turns slightly sweet with vegetal background. The aftertaste seems clean with slight hints of sweet and savory notes.

2nd Steep – Slightly less ‘clean’ cup, the vegetal notes are stronger but still feels balanced with the sweetness somehow. The steep wears a slight astringency before the vegetal and sweet aftertaste takes over.

3rd Steep – A little more vegetal still and more astringent than previous steeps, but it is still pleasant and slightly sweet. the Aftertaste is now int he back of the throat and seems to last longer than before mostly savory/vegetal.

The next steep was similar to the third steep but I’m not a fan of astringency and it keeps getting stronger with each steep. I loved the first two and liked the third. I will miss you when you are gone.

I’ve had this one for a bit now and well its almost depleted. A quick note for this one.
Gong Fu Style * 6-7oz 5-6gm *
1st Steep – Sweet and floral on the front with slight nuttiness. It has a buttery and nutty body with floral finish and aftertaste that maintain some of its sweetness.

2nd Steep – Sweet and more floral with more roasted nutty notes, slightly taste like sweet corn. The after taste is floral and nutty with some sweetness. The scent from the cup was more roasty and floral.

3rd Steep – This cup is more fragrant, it smells like sweet corn and is more brighter in color and slightly more green. The taste is much more floral and sweet with only a bit of nuttiness. The aftertaste is floral and it becomes sweet over time.

4th Steep – The floral notes are more subtle and the sweetness becomes more apparent and it seems to be everlasting in this steep. The aftertaste is floral but much sweeter than the previous.

Later Steeps were more subtle and it gave 6-7 good steeps and then it became weak in taste. Its not my favorite but it is one of the best. It sucks that I’m possibly never getting my hands on it again.