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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.