teaddict

I have been enjoying the Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha for several months, since I first tried it as part of a tasting on egullet.org, so with my last order from Norbu, I tried a couple other Mao Cha, to see how they compared.

2010 Shi Tou Xin Zhai Mao Cha, Nan Nuo Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan
2009 Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan*
2009 Wulian Shan Mao Cha from Dali Prefecture, Yunnan

This is my first brewing of other two young shengs. As expected, these are wonderful teas, with more capacity for infusions than I have space in my bladder, even with the very small gaiwans, so sometime after 10 or 12 infusions, I stopped drinking the full infusions, and did a series of longer steeps, discarding the liquor, and then did a final infusion, which I estimate to be about the 20th for each, so I could finish the tasting, get the photos of the spent leaves, and go to bed!

Overall? I love all of these. The Shi Tou Xin Zhai is the most approachable in the early infusion, and is one I’ll take to work to share in some one on one meetings with other tea lovers—it’s less likely to bite back if I get a bit distracted. But at the however-many-it-finally was infusion, when all were pretty dilute and mostly had just a gentle sweetness left, I found a little more depth or complexity in the LBZ in than the other two. So….if you’re anxious about bitter, start with the Shi Tou. If you’re already a connoisseur of young sheng, and want the maximum complexity, go for the LBZ. And if you’re undecided, get the Wulian, or better yet, enjoy all of them.

*Actually, turns out the LBZ is sold out. Greg tells me that the Lao Ban Pen Mao Cha on the site is very close, and maybe better. I have a hard time believing anything could be better, but as good, maybe….

Tasting setup

Used 1.0 grams of tea in small 40 mL gaiwans
Infusions 205°F/96°C-212°F/100°C
2 rinses at about 10 seconds each, before first 10 second infusions

2009 Wulian Shan Mao Cha from Dali Prefecture, Yunnan

Dry Leaves: long dark twists of intact leaves with some stems, scent sweet and vegetal and like clean earth
Liquor, 1st infusion: light tan liquor, sweet, vegetal, bit of astringency
Liquor, 2nd infusion: spicy, herbaceous, sweet with astringency and some bitterness
Someplace about the 8th or 9th infusion: sweet, earthy, again, a little spicy/herbaceous accent that in addition to and distinct from the astringency that forms part of the aftertaste of the LBZ
Liquor, many?-th infusion: sweet, dilute, mellow
Wet Leaves: olive leaves with reddish accents, sweet spicy vegetal scent

http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/ShengMaoChaTasting7.31.10.html

Compared this to two other loose puerh Mao Cha from Norbu today.

2010 Shi Tou Xin Zhai Mao Cha, Nan Nuo Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan
2009 Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan*
2009 Wulian Shan Mao Cha from Dali Prefecture, Yunnan

I have been enjoying the Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha for several months, so with my last order from Norbu, I tried a couple other Mao Cha, to see how they compared. This was my first brewing of other two young shengs. As expected, these are all wonderful teas, with more capacity for infusions than I have space in my bladder, even with the very small gaiwans, so sometime after 10 or 12 infusions, I stopped drinking the full infusions, and did a series of longer steeps, discarding the liquor, and then did a final infusion, which I estimate to be about the 20th for each, so I could finish the tasting, get the photos of the spent leaves, and go to bed!

Overall? I love all of these. The Shi Tou Xin Zhai is the most approachable in the early infusion, and is one I’ll take to work to share in some one on one meetings with other tea lovers—it’s less likely to bite back if I get a bit distracted. But at the however-many-it-finally was infusion, when all were pretty dilute and mostly had just a gentle sweetness left, I found a little more depth or complexity in the LBZ in than the other two. So….if you’re anxious about bitter, start with the Shi Tou. If you’re already a connoisseur of young sheng, and want the maximum complexity, go for the LBZ. And if you’re undecided, get the Wulian, or better yet, enjoy all of them.

*Actually, turns out the LBZ is sold out. Greg tells me that the Lao Ban Pen Mao Cha on the site is very close, and maybe better. I have a hard time believing anything could be better, but as good, maybe….

2009 Lao Ban Zhang Mao Cha from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Dry Leaves: long dark twists of intact leaves with some stems, scents of mushrooms, soy sauce, darker than the Shi Tou Xin Jai
Liquor, 1st infusion: light tan liquor, sweet and vegetal
Liquor, 2nd infusion: spicy, sweet, with that smooth earthy depths, and hint of bitterness
Someplace about the 8th or 9th infusion: sweet, earthy, lovely as usual, but the astringency of the aftertaste is definitely present and noticeably more than the Shi Tou or the Wulian
Liquor, many?-th infusion: sweet, dilute, earthy
Wet Leaves: olive green leaves of uniform color, sweet, spicy, asparagus scents

http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/ShengMaoChaTasting7.31.10.html

Drinking it again after a break, and loving it again so much. I was reading a typically excellent article by Harold McGee in the NYT (link http://tinyurl.com/24rs3zw) in which he discusses the power of dilution to enhance flavor. I think this may be a tea where that really holds true. Many many very short steeps bring out a sweetness and richness of flavor in this tea without the bitterness that can overwhelm with shorter steeps. Works for me!

Just finished a very nice series of infusions to start the morning. Sweet, delicate, floral, vegetal, very nice.

Still didn’t get around to weighing, but I have been enjoying this one again off & on today, with a small gaiwain and the pino set to near boiling. I’d guess I had about 2 grams of leaf in a 75mL gaiwain, and I probably infused at least 10 times before lunch, let it sit for another 8 hours, and am back to it again, and am now on the 3rd or 4th infusion of round 2. Sweeter, still grounded with some earthiness, but gently woody, not musty at all. Very very nice. And I’ve kept at it long enough for the pretty twists to be opening into pretty intact looking olive colored leaves.

I’m in love, and I only have a small sample, but is there really room in the cupboard for another beeng?

The is a very cool tea. My first brewing today was just with a small amount of leaf, carelessly done between other tasks getting ready for work, and to fill the thermos. Not what the tea deserves, but I was tired of waiting for a quiet evening gongfu session, which rarely occurs. So….the bulk brewing alternative was tried, and even thus, this tea is a winner. Didn’t measure grams for the 32oz or brewing times, because it was done in such a hurry.

Warm, earthy, just lightly smoky, a little sweet, a little melon-fruity.

I think the gongfu should be very revealing. But I’m torn between practical considerations—should use the small gaiwans to keep the total volume realistic—and aesthetics—I want to watch the lovely twists of leaves open more fully in a glass container.

Hmmmm…

Apparently made from the same wild varietal as the Ya Bao tea buds that I’ve enjoyed so much, but compressed and aged. Greg describes a ‘lemony’ flavor and there certainly is a lemony aroma to the dried compressed leaf material, which looks rather coarse and quite clearly includes the fuzzy pale buds along with darker leaves.

Used 3.6 grams of tea in a 2.5 oz/75mL gaiwan (the proportions Greg recommends on the Norbu site) with water just off the boil. Flash rinsed, waited 2 minutes, another flash rinse (wanted to see the leaves open up for the rinsing, but it is still quite compressed, so I’m giving up), and then short steeps—first 15 seconds, up to a minute by the 4th or 5th.

It’s mellow, sweet, floral, and yes, lemony. Quite interesting. It reminds me a lot of the silver needle tea I was drinking earlier today, and like the silver needle, it is delicious with chocolate. It really does not in any way resemble puerh, despite being aged and compressed, except that it does shine here in these short steeps.

The liquor is a rich amber, and the leaves at the end vary from green to tan.

All in all quite interesting and tasty.

Photos here:
http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/2005YeShengWildTeaLog.html

Got a free sample of this including with the rather disappointing GABA tea. This is a nice green oolong with a floral sweetness and spiciness very reminiscent of a Tie Guan Yin, but it is a Taiwanese cultivar.

Can’t give exact brewing directions because I did it in my kamjove, but would start with enough leaf to cover the bottom of a gaiwan, water about 185-195 degrees, and 30 second first infusion, increasing time for at least 5-6 infusions. Didn’t have enough to test the stamina of the leaves for many many infusions.

I have just finished off my second thermos full of the 2007 White Bud Sheng Puerh from Norbu (a private production cake which is now sold out). This was a typical thermos brewing—working with the kamjove ‘gongfu art’ brewing thingie, flash rinse, starting brewing with water even before it quite hit boiling, having to stop and start several times over an hour and half as other work kept pulling me out of the office, and finally ending up with a brilliant thermos of tea, subtly smoky, sweet, with a warm background of caramel. Just soothing and calming and oh so good. And as is usual for this tea, a little went a long way—maybe 5 grams-8 grams for a 1 quart thermos full, then resteeped for a second full batch. Fortunately, I have several more beengs of this in reserve. Heh.

Finally opened up the sample I ordered quite a few months back, and it is fabulous. Floral, sweet, a little spicy, with a rich thick liquor texture.

I used 1 gram of tea per ounce/30mL of 190 degree water, for 30 seconds, and gradually increase the infusions to a couple of minutes. I stopped on it at the 6th infusion tonight, because I was done, not because the tea was done. Given how strong even the 6th infusion was, I expect it to give 10 or 12 at least before it gives out.

Like the 2009 vintage, this is a glorious tea, rich, sweet, floral, a little spicy, and all around brilliant. Tonight I ran out of bladder capacity and hot water at the 6th infusion, but I have little doubt that it will keep going well beyond that.

I used 1 gram of tea per ounce/30mL of 190 degree water, for 30 seconds, and gradually increase the infusions to a couple of minutes by the 10th or so.

Working with a sample of this from a tea tasting, I have been most impressed by the quality of this vs the other Yin Zhen I have had (from Chado, which admittedly was probably rather antique when I last did a formal tasting).

Brewed with 2 grams of tea in a gaiwan averaging about 2 oz/60mL of water per infusion, I started at 30 seconds, and kept going for 7 infusions before I ran out of heated water.

The flavor is fruity, floral, sweet, but more delicately fruity than the Pai Mu Tan it was paired with. And even after 7 infusions of 30-60 seconds, there was more in the leaf to give.

This is an excellent tea.

I’ve been given a sample of this tea as part of a tea swap.

Dry leaves: strong tart/fruity aroma.
Infused 2 grams of leaves in a 50mL yixing pot with 190°F/88°C water for 30 seconds. The tea is fruity, sweet, like ripe plums.
A second infusion for 30 seconds brings out a little spiciness in addition to the rich fruit.
3rd infusion at 60 seconds is still strongly, deeply, fruity.
4th infusion at 120 seconds is sweet, fruity, not much tart left.
5th infusion at 4 minutes is losing strength, a little sweet, a little fruity, warm and friendly, but not strong like the earlier infusions.
6th infusion at 10 minutes (just couldn’t let it go) is still pleasant, mildly plummy, sweet, but again rather dilute.

I think I may actually buy a little of this for a treat. It doesn’t have the legs of a great Dan Cong, but the fruit up front is pretty incredible. Even the aroma of the wet leaves after the infusions are over is still quite nice.

Probably the mellowest of the Dan Congs I first tried from Tea Habitat. It is hard to make this one harsh, and the mellow delights just keep coming, infusion after infusion, tart & sweet, and a little spicy.

I start with a modest leaf to water ratio (0.5g per oz/30mL) and infuse over and over, 15-20+ times.

Another very fine brewing of this tea. This time it was a gaiwan for gongfu cha, and it responded beautifully. I started with water at 170 degrees, and the first infusion sat a while because I was interrupted; by the time I was free to drink it, it was not very hot or very good. After that, I brief infusions from 10 seconds increasing gradually to one minute, water from 160-170 degrees, and the flavor has a lovely warmth that is almost oolong-ish, but still a bit of astringency and with that first messed up infusion, some distinct bitterness marking it as something closer to a green tea than an oolong. Still haven’t had the best I think it can give, but if my next infusion can take place without interruption or audience, I should get it right. I would start a little cooler, with 160, then moving warmer as I continue to infuse.

Drank this one gongfu cha today during a long meeting. It held up well for a good dozen infusions or so.

This is a very interesting tea. It is tightly rolled, unusual vs the other wuyi oolongs I’ve had, and looks fairly green in the rolled state, and unrolls to a deep green leaf. But the tea liquor reminds me more of a Dan Cong style of oolong—astringent, complex, toasted, sweet, spicy. And it has the ability to last through a dozen infusions easily, getting lighter at the end, but even the light infusions are still fruity/sweet/spicy.

I started this brewing with 3 grams of leaf in a 100mL red clay pot, water about 185 degrees, and infused at first for 30 seconds, and extended as long as 2 seconds by the end of the session.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

This is a tea that demands a little attention and respect, because it can get bitter if you don’t pay attention. But when I get it just right, it is smoky, earthy, sweet, fruity, and delicious. It holds well in the thermos for a day away from home, and it is nice gongfu cha as well.

I’d recommend 1gram of leaf per ounce of water, gongfu cha, starting with a flash rinse of boiling water, then short steeps with water a little cooler, 190-195 degrees.

Some of the leaves are rather dark colored after infusion, but not very purple. And the leaves aren’t fine little buds. But it is a pleasant enough tea for right now, and maybe by the time I finish it (I have so much puerh right now it will be years!), it will be even better.

As anticipated, this makes a dynamite iced tea, although I might have overdone it by trying to make sure it would be strong enough when chilled; the lemon is less prominent in this version.

This is a favorite green tea. There is a slightly peachy/fruity/camphor note in this tea that is distinct from the nuttier edge of a Dragon Well. Also, this is a particularly mellow tea. It is possible to find bitterness in it, but you really have to try: very hot water or very long steeps or way concentrated. And it has amazing ‘legs’ for a green tea—I just keep going for 8 or 10 infusions.

I brew this one with a wide range of conditions: the leaves are so light and loose that it’s hard to eyeball accurately, but it’s so forgiving that I’m not often motivated to measure it. Anything from 0.5-1 grams of tea per ounce/30mL water, water from 160-180 degrees, steep time 15 seconds (for high concentration/hotter water/early steeps) to more than a minute (lower concentration/cooler water/later steeps). Its a rare green tea that even holds up well with brew-in-advance hold-all-day in the thermos.

Used 1.8 grams of tea in small 40 mL gaiwan
Infusions 160°F/71°C-170°F/77°C
30”, 30”, 30”

Jade Pole Supreme Yunnan green tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Dry Leaves: long twists of intact leaves, camphor, vegetal, grassy aroma
Liquor, 1st infusion: pale ivory liquor; mild, camphor, floral
Liquor, 2nd infusion: peachy, sweet, camphor
Liquor, 3rd infusion: peachy, sweet, camphor, first astringency, hints of bitterness
Wet Leaves: beautifully intact yellow-green leaves, in pairs of one very small bud and one larger leaf

Tasting notes with photos on my site here:

http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/GreenTeaTasting.html

(no ads, nothing for sale, just tea notes & pictures)

(A free sample included with my last order from Norbu)

This is a warm, dark, toasty oolong. It reminds me a lot of the Tung Ting I got from TenRen, and my longtime companion SeaDyke Ti Kuan Yin. First impression is just toasty, roasty, dark, woody. Then it starts to open up a little, fruity, sweet, complex.

I started 185 degree water, 3.5 grams of tea in one of my larger yixing pots, but not filling fully—trying to keep it to about 1 gram leaf to 1 oz water. Each new infusion, the first impression is the toastedness, then the fruity sweetness becomes apparent after a few sips, as those the toasty tastebuds are getting saturated and there is attention available to notice the sweet fruity backdrop. Later infusions more quickly drop the toasted mask, and show these flavors sooner.

I think I might prefer this with a little less roast, so that I get to the sweet/fruity sooner. I agree with Greg’s description of the very smooth rich feeling of the liquor, and the remarkably pleasant aftertaste.