Raw Bulang tea from April 2011

I roughly described this tea in an earlier entry but did not yet review the quality of the brew based on tastes and flavours yet. In the first infusion, great scents and colours despite a very weak smell of the leaves in their dried form. First sip of this tea felt really bitter followed by an overall astringency that could be felt in the mouth cavity and throat for at least half a minute. What is consoling to this overall bitter encounter was a rather prominent taste of the longan fruit, a very sweet fruit with strong woody notes.

The brewed leaves revealed very green young buds. A sight that I cannot reconcile with the harsh bitterness experienced. You can read the rest of this Bulang tea's review here from a fellow tea drinker who has been most dilligently documenting his experiences from the 2nd brew onwards.

If you have similar Bulang teas from the same year, please feel free to leave your blog review links on my page in the spirit of making objective comparisons and cross-referencing.

Tea-dreaming

With a poor sleep rhythm and finding myself awake at 8 on a gloomy day, I made a hot drink of Dong ding oolong. The last thing I remembered while sipping were the scents of seaweed and sugarcane that greeted my nose. After two infusions, the tea's sugary goodness coated my whole mouth as I drifted back to sleep.

Love at first sight and sniff?

At least half a year ago I received some tea samples from Yunnan, China. So far, I have tested two of the teas from the parcel and was disappointed. As it also takes a while before I can shake off all those nasty notes and aftertaste from my memory, this probably explains why I did not find any inclination to try out more teas from the box until I am once again in a risk-taking mood.

This is one of the better packaged teas that arrived. A full 350 g scrumptious-looking raw pu'er cake.  The dried leaves peeled off rather easily as the cake was not too compact. From the unusually weak dry scents, it was difficult to predict what the tea would taste like.

To compensate for the initially weak scents, I took a slightly larger chunk off the cake and brewed it in a competition mug for about 5 minutes. The standard in the tea industry is to brew 3 grams of tea for 6 minutes. As this was the only tea I was tasting, it hardly matters in my opinion as long as we brew the tea beyond its usual steeping duration. The purpose of a longer infusion time ensures the full release of everything good and bad from the tea. In a way, previous subtleties in flavours and tastes are magnified.

I took in the scents of this tea from the curved back of a porcelain spoon. There was a hint of red roses mixed with fallen leaves. A very promising bouquet indeed! Additionally, the brew was a bright amber colour with a high degree of transparency. After witnessing these hopeful first signs, my expectations went up accordingly.

The fun part about tea tasting is this sort of dramatic build up until the first sip of tea that could either affirm or debunk all earlier sentiments of pessimism or optimism. (To be continued)

Notes on Wuyi tea - Smelling

Earlier, we discussed some of the qualities to look for in genuine Wuyi tea. Moving on, it's time to put our nose to the test and let it lead the way.

First infusion: Smell this tea at the surface, then progress upwards to pick up any unwanted notes along the flow of steam rising from your cup.

Second infusion: Characterise the fragrances of your tea. In the case of a Wuyi Shuixian, you will notice a unique orchid scent.

Third infusion and after: Conventional wisdom has it that the fragrances and flavours of good Wuyi teas can last for seven to nine infusions.

Besides taking in fragrances through our nose, another technique taught to me by Teaparker is to inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose a few times. This can help us appreciate and recognise the nuances of real Wuyi tea much more.

Mid autumn night

Few hours before sunset on mid-autumn festival, I wanted to have a full-moon themed cha xi to mark this day of the lunar calendar that symbolises bliss and reunions. While waiting for the sun to take its leave and the full moon to gradually ascend to the skies, I decided to prepare a small sample of tea which I recently got from a friend, the content of which is unknown to me. The only clues found on the packaging pointed to an old loose tea with a long aftertaste. Marketing language of course, to be taken with a grain of salt.

Avoid cramming your gaiwan with too much leaves

Mystery tea calls for the use of a glazed porcelain gaiwan to do away with carried-over smells and tastes in the next tea. Inside this foil pack was a sachet of loose leaves. The first scent hints of sweet green beans. As these were not tea dust-grade leaves, I decided to do away with the sachet and cut it open to brew the whole leaves. Doing so will allow us to examine the leaves more closely and obtain an overall understanding of their wet and dry smells.

By now, I am able to identify this tea as an aged and cooked pu'er tea - its rather prominent woody note gave it away. To prepare this tea, I brewed all the contents of the bag in a pre-heated medium-sized gaiwan making sure that there is ample room for the leaves to release their full taste. This is only possible because pu'er leaves do not unfurl as much as tight balls of oolong tea leaves.
 

In the dark skies shines the bright moon

The first infusion was close to a shiny black with a decent degree of transparency. This tea's earthy character was complemented by the stronger scent and mildly sweet taste of green beans. It was an unusual combination of flavours in one drink and is slightly reminiscent of eating bean-flavoured mooncakes while sipping aged pu'er tea.

The sun rays were quickly diminishing. Waiting isn't always such a painful process when in the good company of a cup of tea, friends and loved ones. In fact, practicing this art of tea cultivates an understanding patience and rewards with simple, worldly pleasures.

Morning tea

With time to spare, I left the kettle on the stove to heat up slowly and went about to put together this morning's cha xi at my own pace. Cha xi is a dynamic and meaningful cultural expression that is demonstrated through selecting and arranging teaware that reflects your original style and taste. In fact, this is an extension of you and your preferences when it comes to drinking tea. The bunny-tailed branch that you see here is a timely reminder of the coming of the mid-autumn festival this Sunday ;)

Today, I opted for an Ali Shan high mountain oolong. Light oolongs tend to be floral and fruity in their aromas with a medium body to back it up. They remain one of my favourites when it comes to gradual awakenings. Fresh green teas like sencha or bi luo chun also work well for me in the mornings. The highly oxidised teas are reserved for mid days when the mind is alert and can better track the subtleties in taste variations and the length of the aftertaste. Also, higher oxidation teas, in combination with their roasting, are more likely to stand out and appeal to our senses following the first few bites of the day. I experience lighter teas as more subdued after a meal or two.

Since I was down to the last few grams of this tea, I took time to savour it at length and continue to make new observations about its performance. Besides its outstanding floral notes, four infusions of this tea did not drive my hunger pangs any bit higher on hindsight. This is a sign of quality that is confirmed by the amazingly soft texture in the opened tea leaves.

The first cup of the day is always the sweetest, I find.  

Notes on Wuyi tea - Observing

Shui Xian

Wuyi tea falls into the category of oolong. As it is rather scarce, few shops will allow for complimentary tasting. It is therefore useful to be able to judge the quality of the tea from its appearance and the colour of its dried leaves. Good Wuyi mountain tea shaped like uniformly thick strips presents a greenish brown colour and an overall shine in the leaves. A closer examination will reveal white specks and a surface texture similar to that of a toad's back. Not the most flattering term one can think of and likely a naming convention according to Teaparker.

Moving on to the colour of the infusion, a good quality brew should either be golden orange or red with a high level of transparency. The last few concentrated drops from the pot will present a brilliant amber hue.

Finally, inspect the spent tea leaves. You will notice a rather soft leaf blade with a dark red oxidised appearance on the leaf's periphery and a central yellowish green region.

What is often stressed during tea lessons is the engagement of our senses: the eyes, nose and mouth. Hence, when it comes to spotting the real deal, we rely heavily on looking, smelling and tasting.