Tan Yang Te Ji

First tea of the morning…..

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers, aunts, mothers to be, and the good people who stand in for mothers who cannot be there for a multitude of reasons. I lost my mother almost 14 years ago, and I am so thankful for my friends as well as my MIL who have helped to fill her role a little. Me, as a mother myself, I know there are things I could do and could have done better. But, I would not trade this gift for the world.

I am doing a “Parade of Panyangs” of sorts in celebration today. I started with this one, and I have another sent from the lovely Dinosara that she brought back from her trip to China. Then I will probably throw in my bargain basement Panyang from Upton that I also love. I might even brew up a cup of Keemun Mao Feng. It is an odd Mother’s Day for us, because we are scrambling to get some work done on the outside of the house involving door frame replacement and painting before we have contractors back on Monday or Tuesday. And the kids are pretty swamped with homework, since there are about 10 days left of school.

This one is chocolatey, has a bit of heft to the mouthfeel, a bit of malt, and very smooth, plus there may be a little fruitiness…plums, maybe? It is very rich, and it seems that the big difference between this and my beloved Kemmun Mao Feng is that KMF has just a hint of smoke (which I will be double checking this later). I was looking at the leaves on this one compared to my Keemun Mao Feng, and they are really very similar, except that the Keemun Mao Feng’s leaves are longer and a bit wider dry. I was also comparing it to the Tan Yang Dinosara brought from China, and her version is much more golden tipped as well as longer than TYTJ. It is a definite love for me in the tea world.

Usual mug method.

Tea of the morning…..

Ahhh, Tan Yang. I have not had this one in a while, but I remembered I purchased some in early August! This is a tea you must drink up and not save for a rainy day. Smooth, just a smidge of smoke and astringency at the end of the sip, cocoa notes, and it resteeps beautifully. Tea nirvana. One of my favorite tea splurges (because I like to be somewhat frugal with my tea obsession, but this tea it worth it!)

Usual mug method. First steep at 4 minutes. Resteep at 5 minutes.

Sipdown, 170. This feels like a milestone! It is as low as I’ve gotten since I started keeping track. I’ve been yoyo-ing around mainly between 180 and 200 for a couple of months now so its nice to see the number actually dropping again (although looking back I started at 264, which was my highest number, so I’m almost down 100 teas). Now that I’m here, no going above 190!

Most of the sipdowns I’ve had recently I haven’t been too sad to see go, but this one is different. Is it my favorite tan yang? No, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious. I was reminded about this one by Angrboda’s tasting note on the tan yang from Teavivre today, and I definitely agree with her that this is kind of a wild child tan yang. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but today it is giving me really lovely chocolate-cinnamon bread notes, which is totally unexpected (where is cinnamon coming from in a tan yang?!) but awesome nonetheless. Glad I had this one around for a while.

Maaan I need to get my morning groove back. All of last semester I was really good about getting up early and getting to work and being productive. This morning is pretty much the earliest I’ve gotten in all week and I just cannot wake up for some reason. Hopefully tea will help.

I haven’t tried this one in quite a while. It really is quite good. Notes of lightly toasted chocolate (I always think of the browned chocolate bits on the bottom of a chocolate chip cookie) and some slightly molasses-y grains. Not quite my perfect fujian black, but a pretty darned good one.

I swear this is the never ending pouch of tea. I thought there would be one cup left after this one but there is definitely two. Well, at least its tasty!

My cup today is very roasty-chocolatey. This tan yang defintely has more “bite” to it than some others I’ve tried; it’s less honeyed or caramelly, and it has a hint of astringency not unlike some robust keemuns or assams that I’ve tried. It’s a little too “bold” to be my perfect tan yang, but it’s tasty and nice for a kick in the pants when I need it.

Ugh, it’s mornings like this where I want a gingery black tea. Something I ate last night did not agree with me and now I have a headache and a serious feeling of blah. I decided to go hearty black this morning and hope that it takes care of at least one of the two.

This is certainly robust this morning; perhaps I overleafed it a tad, but it is a little rougher around the edges than I remember. That’s actually working in my favor right now… its not only helping with the headache, but also cutting through the leftover garlic taste in my mouth (yeah, the chimichurri salad dressing I ate was so garlicy it stayed around through two tooth brushings and mouthwash. Delicious, but perhaps not worth it :P). Anyway, this malty, grainy tea has helped. But now I need another because I’m still not awake!

Well I certainly went through that 50g fast!

Roasty, grainy, chocolatey. When I’m too busy to think about what I want, I always pick this flavor profile — I’m always happy with what I get. I love it in every season, in any mood. I’d order it again in a heartbeat…if I was ordering tea. (I’m down to 50 in my cupboard — imagine me beaming proudly at my restraint!!)

SNIFFFFFFFF!

Oh yes, the wood-y lovely autumn-y aroma. It reminds me of dried pine needles, actually. A little spicy and a touch of cocoa-y yumness. I remember that cocoa note being much stronger though. It’s coming through in the cup, but not really in the leaves.

In the cup, I found the funniest strong note, though. A bit like boiling broccoli or green beans. A sort of rough but green note. Weird thing is, I can only find it if I keep my nose at a certain distance from the cup. If it’s too close I just get sweet cocoa, if it’s too far away I get spicy slightly smoky woodness, but at that specific middle distance it’s rough green vegetables with a little butter.

This aroma? This aroma alone was so worth waiting for.

SLUUUUURRRRRRRP

Oh yes. I remember this. The initial very fruity flavour with strong notes of cocoa in it. There is a little smoke on the tail end too, but not too much. It will come. It usually showed up the strongest on the second steep for me.

I used plenty of leaf, water gone slightly off boil and a, for me, half-lenght steeping time. Good experiences were made with this method when I had this tea last. Bit expensive on the precious precious leaf, granted, but I dare anybody who’s tried it to tell me it’s not worth it. As a result I’ve got something that has a little astringency. Just a bit at the roof and back of the mouth, and other than that it’s so smooth and lovely. Such a long flavour.

The smoke comes through on the aftertaste here, building up gradually as I drink, and the same is happening for the cardboard-y Assam-y quality. Little by little it’s making its presence.

How I’ve missed this tea! I grieved and mourned when I used the last of it earlier and finally they have it again. A different year and a different harvest, of course, but this harvest totally measures up the other one. I’m turning it all the way up to a hundred points now. Like Auggy said, when I shared it with her, it just has everything as it is. Nothing about this tea can conceivably be improved. You can find stuff that is as good, but nothing that is better. I simply can’t see that happening.

It’s THAT good!

Now, if anybody needs me, I’ll be in the kitchen drawing little hearts on the label.

(I can’t figure out what people mean when they say a tea is ‘chewy’ because chewing a liquid? Really? That doesn’t sound like something I want to do, but I’ve gathered they mean it as a good thing, so maybe this has that too.)

SQUEAL!!!

slurp!

Together again.

(And the ransom for Tax & Customs turned out to be only half of what I had feared)

♥ ♥ ♥

Husband made this for us, and I COMPLETELY FAILED to identify it.

My first guess was a Ceylon.

O.O

I think this illness has broken my tongue.

I take great comfort, while sitting here feeling sorry for myself, in knowing that it’s the Goodest Stuff™ even though it currently tastes all funky.

And the oddness continues. Seriously there are strange things afoot in this tin!

I shall tell you why.

If you go check my other two posts about this one you will find the first one in january where I said that it was surprisingly fruity and sweet for a black tea, that it had a raisin-y note, and that if I hadn’t known otherwise I would have believed it to be a flavoured black.

The second post was the other day where most likely due to a slight over-steep it had turned totally smoky, and I couldn’t understand how that had happened, but I liked the tea better for it and gave it a few more points, from 76 to 80 if memory serves me right.

Then this morning I made a little pot for my travel mug. I wanted some of that smoke. And what did I get? Well, certainly not anything remotely smoky! Instead there was that distinct cardboard-y note that you’ll find in Assams. It was still a strong cup and I drank it with unusual haste, but it was still the third of three completely different cups.

And it is the same tin. I’ve checked.

I can’t for the life of me understand what’s going on here. Can tea-leaves have multiple personality disorder?

No matter what though, I can’t ignore the impulse give it some more points again.

I wonder what it will taste like tomorrow?

SQUEEEEEE FLAIL!!!!

QuiltGuppy is a right little treasure and I hearts her dearly. Look what she sent me! Look what she went out of her way to get for me!!! Just… just LOOK!!

I’ve been out of this for so long, but having to economise a bit with how many orders I put out in one go and all that rot, so the TeaSpring order had been temporarily postponed. And here it is again!

Oh joy, oh rapture!

I can’t wait to actually make me a cup of this, but I’m afraid it’ll have to wait just a little while longer. I’m not finished cuddling the pouch yet.

On a scale from one to ten, QG is awesome twelve and a half, and if you were here right now I would treat you to a cup.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

My brand new mobile phone which I’ve only had for a month and barely started paying for yet has been stolen. Warrenty does not cover theft.

My favourite teapot is in the dishwasher.

I’ve been rained on both to and from work.

I accidentally stepped on a kitten paw coming home (thankfully no injured kitties followed)

Apparently we’ve run out of one of two kinds of cat food. They’ll have to make do with a second breakfast instead of dinner.

I’m in bad need of comfort and calming down tea. Making things right in the world again tea. Tea that reminds me of happier and luckier times and the wonderful friends I’ve made here.

Again, thank you, QG, for sending me this. You saved my day this evening.

Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I’ll go somewhere else and be bloody enraged for the rest of the day. I’m going back to only second-hand mobiles. They’re much safer from stupid thieves. >:(

Goodbye Tan Yang.

You were a truly yummy tea with your cocoa notes and second steep smoky goodness. I’m in great misery and I’ll miss you like an amputated limb. What’s to become of me now?

’Scuse me.

_{(WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*sniffle*WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!)}

ETA: Also, I just noticed I’ve been a Steepster member for a year today. But I’m still mourning the emptying of this tin, so I can’t celebrate. Someone else do that for me, please.

Good morning, Steepsterites.

This is actually the third steep of last night’s leaves. It’s very very rarely that I have the patience to have the same tea that many times in a row if it’s not because it’s just going into my travel cup for the morning train journey where I don’t really pay attention to what I’m drinking anyway.

That’s how much I love this.

Third steep. Flavour still as strong as the first. And it’s turned so smoky it’s sending up smoke signals.

Really, I dare you to show me a black that’s better than this one.

Fu Jian province, China? My favourite tea producing area, hands down. I’ve also bought a small portion of the higher leaf grade of this one (and it cost a bloody fortune!), and one day when I have lots of time I’ll give it a good tasting and see how it holds up to this one. Even in the unlikely event that it’s even better than this, it’s too expenisve to be a one I’d buy in portions as big as this one.

Those who are still searching for something to replace the now unavailable Dawn from Simple Leaf, may I humbly suggest giving Tan Yang a go? I thought it was similar, only this is better. If you don’t care much for the smoky aspect, use a little less leaf (and don’t steep twice).

This is the second steep as I had the first steep in my travel cup this morning.

Nine times out of ten the second steep of this tea turns nicely smoky. But this one isn’t. It’s not even close. Not even slurping the sip can bring out any smoke. What it is, however, is remarkably sweet.

There’s a sweet note in it surrounded by that cocoa-y spicy flavour. Sort of like if you take a Keemun, brew it just so and then strip away all the smokiness. It’s got that grainy note of rye and brown sugar.

I’m completely floored by this. It’s like the leaves just decided all on their own to skip the second steep identity all together and go straight to a later one.

And I can’t guarantee that making this pot didn’t also involve some dregs in the pot that had been there since early this morning because there wasn’t room for them in the travel cup. They ought to have been unbelievably bitter by now thirteen hours later. And as you can’t dilute your way out of a bitter tea… Why is there not even the tiniest slightest hint of astringency or bitterness in this cup?

I don’t understand a single microscopic speck of this, I just really don’t.

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THIS STUFF COULDN’T GET ANY MORE AWESOME! O.O

Tan Yang, the chameleon of teas.

I’m so pleased that Auggy liked this one as much as she did! I knew I was right about it having a strong smoky note, even if by my usual seat-of-the-pants western brewing of standard amount of leaves + standard amount of water for until-either-forgotten-or-impatient brewing style, it was a bit difficult to reproduce.

Auggy went by the recommendations on TeaSpring’s website so I felt inspired to do the same. And discovered that this meant twice my usual amount of leaves in half my usual amount of water. Oh dear me. The tin only have enough left for half a pot by my usual sloppy brewing style now. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Whatever shall I do??? (Order more. Right. Adding Tan Yang Jing Zhi to shopping list and hope desperately that that leaf grade is as good as this one. If not, I think I’ll cry)

Anyway, I’m definitely finding that when I brew it this way I get all those different layers I found at the same time instead of one overpowering the others. Interesting. I’m not as good at identifying each note as accurately as some you other people are, but if I drink this and compare it to Auggy’s post, then I’m finding I pretty much agree completely with everything there. Except the extreme amounts of cocoa notes in the aroma. I’d caught that one by myself.

It does win by being brewed properly like this, but the amount of leaves used this way is a bit of a hold-back for me. I’m too damn stingy for brewing like that, especially with this one! I mean money ain’t growing on trees, Steepsterites! Unless, apparently, you are growing this tea. $10.50 for 50 g. And the leaf grade that they have left now is $17.60 for 50 g. Just saying.

Friends, Romans, Steepsterites!

I have returned from my UK holiday. I have nommed some good food, met with some good people of the boyfriend-relatives category, I have had some dialect-related culture shocks and been introduced to some more intrinsic English things (bread and butter pudding, anyone?)

I have, however, also had a lot of english tea, which when brewed in a traditionally (these days) english way is… Well, a beverage. It’s good enough, it serves its purpose and it’s better than nothing, but it does not compare to this hoity-toity fancy-pants loose leaf business that I’m used to.

(And also, this time the boyfriend managed to somehow put it in his mother’s head that I only wanted Earl Grey. Apparently he’s decided it’s something that I drink all the time and was genuinely surprised (and contrite) when I informed him that I’m not actually really a fan of bergamot, which often comes across as dusty-flavoured to me. I have some, yes, but only one of those brands, in recent history, I have bought myself, and that was the A&D which wasn’t really an option, because it came as part of a set, where I wanted one of the others. Poor boyfriend, he tried so hard and got it so wrong. :(

I didn’t want to correct that halfway through the week though, and told him so, as that would just have made his mother feel bad for having consequently given me the one I liked the least all the time. (Even if I strongly suspect the others had BLEEDING LAPSANG!!! wants! cries!) )

I have returned to the nest, however. There will be a trip-report posted elsewhere for those interested in reading about what we did on holiday. It will have pictures! It’ll be ready at some time after friday, and I shall drop a link when it is.

Gosh, it’s been a long day! I have some chores to do before bedtime. Thankfully I won’t have to go to work until Thursday.

Tan Yang Te Ji, favourite tea of ALL TIME YOU GUYS, is just the thing to come home to. I’m on second steep at the moment, the tin is worryingly low, but it’s giving me the right sort of energy to go forth and clean the fridge while it’s nearly empty anyway.

Hurrah for favourite tea!

Very easy to choose a tea today. I didn’t even have to consider the tins first, I just went straight for this one. Another Standard Panel tea. The thing about officially defining my Standard Panel is that now my OCD is taking over and I wonder if I ought to get properly labeled special tins that match for those teas. This is odd because I store my teas in an amalgam of different tins and have actually made an effort to avoid uniformity… But maybe the Standard Panel is different? I don’t know, I’m so confused!

Anyway, I seem to have hit the sweet spot on this tea today. Huge amounts of grainy-ness and underlying fruit notes. I think something along the line of grapes. Touch of sweetness on the end of the flavour and a promise of smoke on the second steep.

I think, actually, the second steep of this one is my favourite. It’s got all the stuff that first one has, but with a smoky note covering everything. And I loves me some smoky tea!

The funny thing is that while I know recognise this flavour profile in the first steep as Just Right, the first time I had it ever, I was a bit put off by the grain and fruit notes. Obviously I’ve changed my mind since then.

One of the things I love about the Tan Yang is how resilient it is. This is my third steep of these leaves and they’re still not specifically weakened in flavour. A bit, but not enough to be a problem. At this point the flavour lies almost entirely in the aftertaste which is unchanged from previous steeps. Experience has taught me, however, that it shouldn’t be taken further than the three steeps as it starts to decline somewhat after that.

I seriously need to place a TeaSpring order soon. I’m running low on this. Isn’t it just typical that the Favourite Tea of All Time should be an expensive one? sigh I could have lived without having to buy this regularly at $20 per 100g, but I’m hooked on it now and there’s no getting out. Lucky then that it’s one of those teas where I rarely want just the one steep.

Especially as I can’t conveniently save the leaves for later while having something else. Only one good pot in the right size, you see.

I did see a gorgeous tea for one set in a shop window the other day, though. I wish I knew how it pours. If it pours as beautifully and dripfree as my Roy Kirkham, then I want it desperately. If it doesn’t, then… not so much. So I probably won’t get it. But it was a pretty set. When I get filthy rich I will enjoy buying pretty things like that just to see if they’re useful without regard to the waste of money if they’re not.

Good afternoon Steepsterites!

These are the same leaves as from this morning and I’m having the second steep now. Sort of.

It’s quite immoral of me to do so, very likely outright sacriledge, but I’ve done it anyway. I only hope those of you who have also tried this gem will forgive me.

I’ve experimented. This is an awesome tea all by itself with a complicated flavour profile. The sort of thing where you notice a new aspect almost every time you have it. If there is one thing it absolutely does not need it’s flavouring.

Nevertheless, in a moment of insanity I added a teaspoon of the Tisano Cacao stuff that Wombatgirl sent me earlier. This is either going to work or it’s going to completely ruin the Tan Yang.

The idea was to emphasise the natural cocoa notes in the tea, seeing as I’m definitely entitled to something cocoa-y, because I’m celebrating the loss of 1½ kg since wednesday and I’m not about to wreck that with chocolate. (I’m not stupid) Another 1½ kg and we hit the 10 kg total loss that was my goal when I started back in the summer.

Awesome. I am it.

I’m even happier to report that, WRONG AS IT IS, the experiment is working quite wonderfully. It is indeed quite cocoa-y, but those note are still at the base of the tea. On top of it, it’s still the same grainy sort of flavour. Maybe even a bit grainier than usual, which is a good thing. The smoky note is not as pronounced anymore though, which is rather a shame. I should have liked to see how smoky and cocoa would play together in equal parts.

It’s not better than it was pure, mind you. It’s as good. Different.

Just one more reason for it to have the full 100 points.

Odd.

Like… Odd!!!

I’m getting a very strong smoky note in this one tonight. Like, not just strong flavour, but proper smoke. I did use this cup for Lapsang Souchong last night, but I rinsed it out and I never had trouble with flavour bleed like this before, ever. It should not be possible that this is merely contamination.

How very very odd!

Last time I logged this I was all about the fruity and slightly floral notes. Well, fruity is a bit of a stretch in this one and floral is just completely out of the question.

How did this happen?

It’s possible it oversteeped just a bit. Apparently this turns smoky (and somewhat astringent) with a longer steep. Interesting. I’ll even give it a few more points, because while the milder incarnation of it was nice enough, I definitely like this stronger version better.

Nommm!!! I was just skimming through the posts on my dashboard while eating breakfast and someone used the word ‘tangy’.

It was inspiring. Tangy, Tan Yang… I don’t really have to elaborate on that, do I?

There’s a certain ritual to making this tea. You cannot make a cup of this without first inserting your nose in the tin and sniff deeply. It jsut can’t be done.

It’s been a little while since I had any of it, and I wonder why. Gosh, this stuff is awesome…

GAH! Last cup!

Must restock at earliest convenience after moving!

I have absolutely definitely taken this tin this time. I have checked the tin in my hand several times and not put it down between then and scooping out my leaf dosage.

Interesting to see which sort of flavour it’ll have this time. Scent is sweet, fruity and somewhat astringent. Assam-y, although the sweetness isn’t so much a honey note as it is in Assams. There’s a hint there of something that could be slightly smoky, but on aroma alone I can’t really tell if it’s just an aspect of the astringency.

Now for the interesting bit. Are you ready Steepsterites? Has anybody started a pool on this? Will it be fruity? Will it be smoky? Will it be an Assam impersonator? Last chance to lay down your bets!

And the tea is…..

drum roll

Hmm… What is it, actually?

If anybody did start a pool on this, then I’d say you have all won. It’s sort of fruity, with a touch of Assam-y cardboard and a round of smoke. I’m beginning to think that it has been like this all along, but I have discovered these three things one at a time, and now that I’m aware that they’re around, I’m getting the full picture. Like a sort of jigsaw tea.

It is a very nice cup indeed, this jigsaw tea, and I’ll be sad when it runs out. Every time I have it I consider giving it a few more points. It seems to have been in limited supply because it’s gone from Teaspring’s website. They have one of a different grade still though. I just can never remember if special grade is better than refined grade or if it’s the other way around…

Today is a sad, sad day. I’ve had to decupboard this beauty of a tea. (Much thanks again to Angrboda for the share.) Is it an Assam? Or a Yunnan? Has cocoa been sprinkled on this? And where is that hint of roasty coming from? And is there smoky, too? Surely there isn’t any Lapsang in this…

No, it’s just a delightful tea with MPD. But that’s why I love it. That and the fact that no matter which personality shows up in my sip, I know it will always be smooth and sweet and so tasty. It will be missed. So let’s all take a moment of silence to morn for my cupboard, which is now lacking this tea.

::cricket::

Thank you. Now, in other news, I just bought plane tickets to go to Hawaii so I suppose this day isn’t a total loss, yeah?

This tea is so good in spite of (or probably because) its multiple personality disorder. It sort of wavers between a (higher quality) Yunnan – smooth and a little sweet – and an Assam – malty and almost chewy (but no bitterness!) – with some occasional smoky Keemun (or faint Lapsang Souchong) notes, then the taste is overlaid with Fujian-esque cocoa notes. Seriously, whatever kind of black tea you are in the mood for, this will probably satisfy. I’ve decided to bump the rating all the way up because, honestly, I can’t imagine this tea getting better.

Okay, who spiked my Tan Yang with cocoa powder? Because this is more chocolate-y than yesterday’s chocolate chai. Which, okay, considering the lack of chocolate-ness in the chai, that’s really not saying too much, but still. Added to that cocoa flavor is a little thick and chewy texture like a happy Assam, a little sweet like a lovely Yunnan and when I slurp it’s even a bit toasty/smoky like a Keemun. This tea? So awesome.

Thanks for sending me more of this little beauty, Angrboda! It’s so delightful!

Yum. A lovely cup for a cold and lonely morning. (Today is a holiday in the US – so most of my office is out). Lovely warm, cocoa-y notes and a complex aroma make this just an amazing cup. Thanks Angrboda for this stellar sample.

Fourth cup, ninth steep since Tuesday. I think I’m hooked.

Watch it, Steepster. I might have to order the rest of their supply.