The Green Tea Review

Mellow Monk's Shaded Leaf Kabusecha

2010-03-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

I tried to hold off on posting this review until I got my camera back, but when I finally did, I found my can of tea had magically emptied... Here's a picture of an orange sunset, instead, that reminds me of these mellow teas.

I have reviewed Mellow Monk teas in the past and haven't been disappointed. Even the less expensive and lower quality offerings produce enjoyable cups. On the table now is his Shaded Leaf green tea.

Shaded leaf is a Japanese green tea of a style known as kabusecha. Kabusecha is similar to gyokuro in that in its final stage of growth, it is covered with a woven cloth that diminishes the amount of sunlight that reaches the leaves. This encourages the leaves to produce more catechins and chlorophyll, and less tannins, developing what many consider to be a sweeter flavor. Kabusecha is not grown from gyokuro strains (yabukita), nor is it aged, so it's closer to sencha than gyokuro, and can be prepared likewise.

The dry leaf smells sweet, reminiscent of gyokuro. The leaves are curled like Mellow Monk's other tamaryokucha teas. As per the usual sencha methods, 2 tsp of leaf are steeped in 180ml of 176° water for 1.5 min. The liquor is a light yellow-green with a muted, yet sweet and lightly earthy mellow aroma.

The tea has a silky body with a mineral profile and grassy/marine taste. Overall it is sweeter than the usual sencha and has less of the grassy taste. Surprisingly, it has a long lasting huigan(returning sweetness/aftertaste) that runs into the second steep of the tea. The second steep is made with the same parameters, but for the exception of a ~5 second steep time, and mild splashing to prevent the "stewing" of the tea (During later steeps, sencha-type teas can give a stewed flavor which is hard to determine the cause of, but too much and too little splashing have been put to blame). The second steep is not too different except for the more muted aroma and sweeter, gyokuro-like flavor lacking the mineral profile of the first.

In summary, Shaded Leaf is another mellow (surprise?) green tea offered by Mellow Monk. It's great for relaxing, and is easily enjoyable. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the complexities that I yearn for. It has, instead, an enjoyably sweet flavor, a dominant mineral profile, and an unusually long, sweet aftertaste. The aftertaste brings Shaded Leaf up to my level of teas, and the mineral profile gives a hint of what growing in volcanic soil will do to the flavor of a tea.

Why Better Teas Have Less Flavor

2010-03-17T12:45:00.001-07:00

If you haven't yet learned this base fact about tea, then now is the time. You may have found yourself quite pleased by the emboldened flavors of cheaper, less quality teas, only to be disappointed when you took a leap to the next tier (probably in price), by a definite lack of flavor-bursting pleasure. This is no surprise to the experienced drinker who understands that better teas have less flavor.

While a bold statement, it holds 100% true, if we are to define the level of flavor by the profoundness upon which the main flavor greets us. However, to shift this definition to the allowance of a complex, post-introduction, intellectual investigation into the flavor profile of a tea will move us into the realm of connoisseur. What is meant by this long-winded definition is that a truly flavorful tea, in the connoisseur's eyes, will have it's live, main flavor, followed by complexities such as other milder flavors, mouthfeel, and even chaqi, which give the tea a wealth of character and an engaging profile.

The goal of every tea-loving person should be to try to find these complexities and understand in their own way what these flavors and feelings impart onto a teas true character. Is it their terroir, or something more distinct? The most difficult part of becoming a knowledgeable tea taster is to get a foothold on these things. Terroir, mouthfeel, and chaqi are very interesting aspects of drinks that will slip right by you unless you take the time to find out what they are. But once able to identify them, you'll enjoy tea on a whole new level, and understand why better teas actually have more flavor.

Cold Winter Nights

2009-12-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

A long hiatus, drawn to a close as the cool, crisp air of winter envelops the small town of Eugene, Oregon.

Cold winter days need warm, steamy drinks. Sniff the aroma, taste the sensation.

Review coming soon.

Sencha Ashikubo

2009-02-14T14:07:00.000-08:00

Sencha Ashikubo was sent to me as a sample from Davids Tea. DavidsTea caught my eye with an awesome website (even though it's pink now...), and their Sencha Ashikubo caught my interest with its "traditional wood-fire drying" description. But just where is Ashikubo Valley? I had to do some research to find out. There wasn't an official Ashikubo Valley on the maps I was looking at, so I had to look into less official sources. Ashikubo is said to be a valley area in the outskirts of Shizuoka City, in Shizuoka Prefecture. Further, Ashikubo is supposedly where the first tea plants took root in Shizuoka, grown from seed by a monk in 1244, which began the transformation of Shizuoka into the leading sencha producer of Japan. One would think this kind of history would earn you a place on the map.

Sencha Ashikubo could be blocked under the category of Hika Sencha. Hika is a Japanese word used to describe a roasted aroma, and can be used as a descriptive term for all sencha. Houjicha would be said to have a very strong hika, while most sencha and gyokuro are said to have very little to no hika.

Enough research into a tea will leave a man dying to try some, so I'll dive right in.

The aroma from the dry leaf is especially strong, a pervasive hika that reminds one of roasted barley and grains, but there's also a sweetness to the smell that draws one in closer. The leaf doesn't look any different than your regular asamushi sencha, so I'll use the asamushi time recommendation of 1.5 minutes, with my general sencha parameters of 2tsp/200ml/176°f.

The liquor is a light green-yellow, a pleasant reminder of asamushicha. A strong hika and some light, placid vegetal character make the aroma up into a foody concoction that beckons a rumbling stomach. The mouthfeel is very light, like watery tea-air, and easily slips over the tongue and down the throat. This lightness is reflected in the taste left behind. The overall crisp flavor is made up of flavors of barley-grain, fresh wood (no charcoal), and a stimulating, slightly astringent vegetal-grassiness. A sweet honey after-aroma lingers and adds a nice dimension to the tea.

I expected a sencha that was composed entirely of a barley flavor and left little else to explore. Sencha Ashikubo provided more. The expected barley had a fresh wood quality to it which surprised the senses. To help wash itself down, the tea provided a vegetal quality that wasn't run off by the firing. I noted some astringency, but shaving some time off the steep, and keeping it under 1:20 would have staved it off. But the astringency gave the tea its own palate-cleaning quality which isn't common. I think this sencha would make an excellent after-meal tea, and could be a more pure replacement for the genmaicha cravings. It stands on its own quite well.

O-Cha Surugawase Sencha

2009-01-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

I received this new addition to O-Cha's lineup the other day. Before I could try it, I read about it being difficult to brew. This excited me. I rarely have problems brewing sencha, so something that might challenge me to improve my technique was most welcome.

The dry leaf is neither light nor dark, neither very broken up nor whole. What the dry leaf does have is an abundance of stems. I tend to favor stemmy teas, I think the stems add complexity to the overall flavor. The smell from the leaf is pleasant, with a little bit of tart.

My usual parameters were used for the first infusion (2 tsp - 180 ml - 176°f - 1.5 min). The only tweaking of these parameters usually has to do with the infusion time. 45s for fukamushi, 1-1.5 min for chumushi, 1.5 for asamushi, 1 for karigane, guricha, and mecha. If the 1.5 minutes is too long, I'll adjust to a 1 minute infusion and see how that works. 2nd infusions need less time, and I generally just pour hot water in, and a few seconds later, pour the hot tea out.

The color comes out as a light yellow-green, full of small tea particles. The aroma is subdued, but sweet. The flavor is astringent. Light in the grass and vegetals, but there's an astringent sensation of the tea biting the tongue. It's quite surprising, and somehow enjoyable. I think this astringency is what makes the tea. Without it, it would taste ordinary. A few minutes later I get another shock from what this tea gives: a might caffeine kick in the rear. I start shifting in my chair while a light sweat breaks out.

Following infusions are smooth and creamy, while the liquor is still full of particles. Towards the bottom of the cup, where the particles lie, the astringency returns.

Now, just what brewing parameters should be used? I have no fracking clue. You can check this thread to see where the conversation has gone. I believe that the astringency is the product of an odd processing method where the leaf was slightly oxidized. Might it have been a mistake? It's possible. I see two possible brewing techniques: do it normally and get used to the astringency, or brew at cool enough of a temperature (~140°f) to keep the bitter bits from being released en masse. One could also try filtering out the particles which might be responsible for the astringency. I will continue to tweak parameters, and leave a comment on this post if I do find Surugawase's "sweet spot."

Kuradashi Gykuro Hibiki-an

2009-01-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

Hibiki-an Kuradashi Gyokuro "Super Premium." The "super premium" title is just some marketing mumbo jumbo that Hibiki-an thinks makes their tea sound better. Really, it's just there for hierarchical sake. Kuradashi refers to the type of gyokuro it is. Kuradashi gyokuro can be summarized as an intentionally aged tea. Traditional gyokuro is aged for up to 6 months, while kuradashi gyokuro can be stored over a year for enrichment. Hibiki-an aged their kuradashi in unsealed foil bags in wooden boxes, which are then kept in a refrigerator. For more information than you probably want on Hibiki-an's kuradashi, and kuradashi tea in general, see here.

The first thing noticed in the tea liquor is how clear it is. Wow! I'm not well versed in the area of gyokuro, but I've never seen one come out so clear! Along with the color, the aroma is also subdued, but has notes of sweet honeydew and grass. I'm also somewhat surprised at how light the flavor is. There's no punch, not at all, instead, if one weren't paying attention, it might seem like water! But there is still some viscosity that follows the honeydew and grass on their sweet passage across the tongue, and the very slightest hint of astringency that is the tea telling you it's still there. A later note on this tea is that it stays very consistent from steep to steep, hardly being able to distinguish one from the next. It does drop off in flavor in the 4th infusion, even though the flavor consistency stays.

Synopsis: A much refined tea for the initiated palate. Likely a pleasure to those new to Japanese greens as well, but more stimulating for those who can appreciate the flavors locked by refinement. In other words, experienced tasters can be analogized to sound systems with very powerful amplifiers, being able to pull out tastes that could easily be looked over as "noise." Characterized mostly by the sweet honeydew, it is an easy-to-enjoy pleasure, but at $24/40g, it's also a very expensive one.

1991 Alishan Aged Oolong

2009-01-18T15:53:00.000-08:00

There's no story behind this one. An aged Taiwanese oolong that has a hard roast, so has likely been reroasted frequently, and not forgotten.

Little black balls of oolong. Like most aged oolong, they can really pack a punch. They open up after a rinse with an aroma that's thick with cookie-dough sweetness. The liquor starts with some charcoal in the mouth, but is all sweetness after that. Full flavor, high sweetness, rich, and thickly sweet.

For most, I imagine this will be too sweet and not have enough else going on. I love it, but as it's turning out, I can only drink it as frequent as once a week. Otherwise it can be too sweet to the point of disgust. Luckily, later in the session, the sweetness dulls down, or the taste buds adjust, and the tea becomes a nice charcoally sweet blend, still with the flavors of raw cookie dough (or you can think of it as caramel and coffee).

Lishan Taiwanese Black Tea

2009-01-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

Recently I made my way to the local tea house, J-Tea. Josh of J-Tea specializes in Taiwanese teas and carries a nice range of their oolongs, as well as a few other teas. However, one of the teas that caught my interest wasn't an oolong at all, but a black tea, a Taiwanese black tea. I know lots of people are interested in these rare-production teas, so I wanted to share my experience with it.

The tea hails from Li shan, or Pear Mountain, in Taichung County, Taiwan. Lishan can also refer to the mountainous range around Pear mountain. The mountain is named after the numerous pear orchards which used to be the mainstay of the mountain, but currently, the region is famous for its tea. The tea here is grown at an elevation of 1600-2600m.[1]

Here's the story behind this Li shan black tea. Summer harvests in this area tend to create astringent teas, so many farmers don't bother with a summer harvest production. This farmer had something else in mind. Thinking the astringency would affect a black tea less, he decided to try his hand at producing a special quality black tea. This black tea is made from the same bushes that will be producing jade oolong in the winter, and it was picked and processed exclusively by the same man.

The leaf is of top grade, very long and full, and the leaves sport a tough hide. Big long twigs accompany the leaf with their golden color. Having the giant leaves means that more leaf needs to be used to get a thick flavor. I added a good amount, then went on to brew the tea in the usual black tea fashion (212°f - 3-5min). I noticed about a minute into the steep that aroma was radiating from the gaiwan, a tell-sign that a steep is complete. After this, I switched my prep to gongfu-style.

The notes on the tea punch out as follows: Aroma is complex for a black. There's the upfront deep sweet notes, but there's also complexity hiding as notes of honey and some fruit (like Darjeeling terroir). A light mouthfeel gives the illusion of an understeeped tea, but a viscous and sweet character provide contradictory signals. The flavor is indeed complex, like the aroma. Up front there's some of your usual black tea notes, but complexity is added by a fruit character (think Darjeeling, Nilgiri), honey, and a sweet huigan; honey and fruit return in the aftertaste and afteraroma. After a few cups, a drying mouth is noticed. This complex tea lends itself to more than 5 more infusions.

The spent leaves have a virescence to them (hard to capture on film)... A true black tea shouldn't look like this. I remember Josh was telling me something about incomplete oxidation, though I dismissed it as I thought he was referring to the golden twigs. When buds and twigs get fully oxidized, they turn gold. When leaves get fully oxidized, they turn black. Well, I guess he was right. The greener leaves would mean incomplete oxidation, and this would in turn account for the added complexity I was describing, as well as the hardy durability.

Summary: I love it. It's a rare-production Taiwanese black tea with oolong characteristics, good complexity, and surprising longevity (for a black tea). In retrospect, it reminds me of Glendale Estate Nilgiri, but with much more to offer. It's not on J-Tea's website, but if you contact Josh, I'm sure an order can easily be arranged.

Mellow Monk's Blissful Buds

2008-12-21T13:12:00.000-08:00

There's a great vibe I get from the mellow monk. I like to keep up to date with his blog because I truly enjoy every post. He finds some stunning photographs, research into tea, and many interesting articles. There have been more than a few things I've wanted to repost here, but figured it's best if you check it out for yourself. http://www.mellowmonk.com/blog.htm

I've tried a few of his teas. I enjoyed his Top Leaf tamaryokucha, and his Monk's Choice, but I didn't ever post on the Monk's Choice. In short, it's an enjoyable everyday green tea. There's a slight foody (like graham) taste to it, but also a fresh tang to compliment. It reminded me most of Den's Guricha, which I fell in love with shortly before trying Mellow Monk's tea. Today, I have another tea from him.

"Blissful Buds. Made form only the choicest young buds." Blissful Buds is a mecha, which is otherwise known as "bud tea." It's created from the small buds of the tea plant, and after being subjected to Japan's brutal processing machinery, to which the buds surrender their integrity, the leaf gets broken into a low grade. Mecha is a common tea for sushi restaurants to serve. It is said that its bitter features are good for after a meal. I don't feel the same way, and I've never even had a bitter mecha. It makes me think that sushi restaurants just don't know how to make a good cup.

It's called a "rolled tea," but I think "crushed tea" is more accurate. You can see that it isn't whole leaf, but in the world of sencha, having whole leaves doesn't really matter. All sencha are crushed to some degree, and all that matters is the outcome. Of course, you don't want any coarse or yellow leaves in your sencha, but that is rarely a problem.

Brewing with my parameters of 176°f / 180ml / 1 min / 2 tsp. I'm using a new teacup that I got as a gift from Chip of TeaChat. It's taller, opens up more with a wider opening. It's a rice grain cup, which I believe has actually had translucent rice grain put into the walls of the cup, so you can see light come through each of the grains. The wider opening helps to spread the tea out over my tongue as I taste it, giving me a wider flavor profile.

The color is a nice and bright light-green (greener than photo). Aroma is spinach, and rather succulent. The taste is great. In the mouth there isn't much more then a vegetal asparagus flavor, but after the swallow, a sweet aftertaste kicks in, and is followed by the true character of the tea. This aftertaste has a sharp but sweet spinach taste, some tangy dew like guricha, and a fresh outdoors feel. The mouthfeel is a little drying, which further accentuates the aftertaste/afteraroma. The whole experience feels delicate and refined.

I am completely surprised by this tea. The mecha I tried from Den's tea wasn't pleasing in any way. It had a mild flavor that could satisfy a craving for tea, but couldn't bring any pleasure along with it. This mecha is completely different. It's just as mellow in the mouth, but lives in the aftertaste, inviting you to sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy the extended experience. Sometimes, there's really nothing like a good, long aftertaste. It moves the tea from being a simple flavorful drink, to an elongated sensation.

Please don't drink this tea after food. I'm afraid that if you do, you'll lose the ability to enjoy the aftertaste. I still didn't get the slightest bitterness from this brew, so I suggest everyone should follow these parameters for a delicious cup of Mellow Monk's mecha, Blissful Buds.

2004 Nanjian Phoenix Tuocha

2008-11-25T13:40:00.000-08:00

I never get too excited about drinking tuos, I don't know why, maybe it's just because I haven't fallen in love with any of them, but it leads them to sit around forever. I can't remember when I got this tuo, but it managed to survive the storage mishap without so much as a speck of mold.

It is is low-grade, made up of very small pieces of leaf, and some very, very small leaves. Definitely not daye (large-leaf). Perhaps as a direct result, the soup is thick, cloudy, and a pleasant orange. Aroma is light, grassy (dry), and something spicy. The taste has a lot of kick, but not much flavor, very prone to becoming overly astringent, bitter, and dry. No aftertaste more than a dry grass, and unsweet honey. However, as the more intense flavors die off in later infusions, a light honey taste and sweetness shines through.

Overall, the tea isn't any good to drink yet. I guess all the kick it has is going to result in some lasting complexity as it ages. I probably won't drink this stuff again for at least another 5-10 years. On the plus side, it does feel like this tea is doing a number on all the extra food in my belly.

Pu-erh Storage and Mold and A Return to '06 Yongpinhao

2008-11-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

Mold
It's the one thing that can go wrong with pu-erh. Mold is also one of the things responsible for pu-erhs maturation. So, while mold is good, it can also be bad, very bad. Yellow mold on pu-erh is said to be toxic, however, a light frosting of white mold is said to be beneficial. So, in short, mold development must be kept in balance.

Sadly, a few bings in my collection have developed mold. This mold has passed the beneficial point. It journeys into the realm of yellow pu-erh mold. Not only the color, but also the rate at which it has developed is a bad sign (in this case, under a year). Because of the lack of information on pu-erh on the web, especially in the field of mold development, I'm hoping this will be of interest and help to enthusiasts.

The story...
So, here's what happened. I made a storage cabinet for my puerh, with elevated RH levels in the 70-80% range. I got careless in opening it up for air exchange at one point, leaving it closed up for 3-7 days at a time. After a couple months of this, I found mold growing on one of my cakes. I checked most of them out, and about half are affected, this '06 Yongpinhao, for some reason, took the grunt of the burden...

Pu-erh mold starts on stems...
What's very interesting to note, is that the mold is essentially only growing on stems. Is this typical? Does pue-erh mold generally start on stems? Did the stems soak up more water from the air because they're, well, stems, and made to transfer water? Hard to know because of the miniscule amount of data out there. From what I can remember, I haven't seen mold exclusively on stems. Hobbes of the half-dipper posted this photo of moldy puerh (which he drank), which shows mold on the leaf. This seems typical to me. My other bings that have developed a lesser amount of mold, also show it almost exclusively on the stems. Bings from the cabinet that don't have many large stems showing, for example the 01 baoyan, don't have any mold.

So, for now I have opened up the cabinet to ensure good airflow, and removed humidifiers. The area is resting at just over 60%RH on average. For one very stemmy cake ('05 ming-yuan hao), I brushed off the mold from half of it with a toothbrush. The mold on that side hasn't returned, but the mold on the other side hasn't gone away either.

These pictures are all of the '06 Yongpinhao, which I will revisit in this entry. The mold on the other cakes isn't significant enough to photograph, and appears at most as a very light frosting on the cake, with some more significant development on the looser edges of the cake, again, only on the stems. My plan is to brush the mold off all of the affected, except for the ming-yuan, which I will watch closely to observe development. The Yongpinhao is not being subjected to a brushing, but to more air circulation, and light. While these aren't good for the tea, they'll hopefully take care of the mold, and it will be interesting to learn what it takes to get rid of the mold.

So what happened...
Over a few months, in a storage cabinet with no air flow for 3-7 days at a time, and 70-80%RH, raw sheng bings developed significant visible mold. Most with only minimal amounts, occurring mostly on the looser edges, and exclusively on stems. After being opened to free air flow, and resting in an RH just over 60% for a few weeks, the mold has not gone away, but has not increased either.

If you're curious about anything, feel free to shoot me an e-mail (address found at bottom of page).

2006 Yongpinhao Yiwu Zhengshan

I reviewed this tea a while back. My final thoughts were that I was very interested in how the strong lemon/zest and lumber flavors would develop over time. I've been interested in the storage of this cake ever since.

9 Months Later...

Because of the condition of this cake, I had to chip leaf off of the bottom, where there was less mold. I also rinsed it twice, just to be careful. But, to be honest, the mold doesn't scare me too much. Mold is what makes pu-erh better, or so I will tell myself.

So, I'm tasting this 9 months later, and I've noted some new things. First off, the color is much darker, an orange now. Quite amazing really. Compare the orange above to the yellow of this photo, taken 9 months ago:

In addition than the color, the tea has changed in multiple other ways. It now has a very noticeable mouthfeel; it's viscous, and sticks to the tongue and cheeks. I can still smell the lumber on the wet leaf, but I believe that it's a subjective scent. It took a moment for me to recognize the aroma as lumber. It was like it was hidden beneath the other aromas. The taste now is much sweeter. There's still a lot of orange/zest to it. Some smoke, but little bitterness if brewed with very short infusions (except when it has cooled off, then it is very bitter, and can be very bitter with longer infusions). Some astringency sticks to the throat, drying it out.

Now, I don't think this cake is of good quality. In fact, I find it to be pretty low. So, why do I like it? I enjoy the flavors it presents, especially the lumber and orange/zest, and am real interested in how these will change over the years. Puerhshop still has them in stock, for $17/400g, which is worth it to me. So, I think I'll buy another, and keep it mold free, but I'll keep this moldy one around to see what happens to it.

Chiran Yutaka Midori O-Cha

2008-11-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

A while ago, I tried this sencha grown in Chiran, Kagoshima from Itoen which came from the kanaya-midori breed. I found it to be a light-flavored asamushi. Today, I have another sencha from Chiran from one of my favorite online sencha suppliers, O-Cha.com. It comes from a yutaka-midori breed plant.

The dry leaf is really broken up. According to the description, this tea is deeper-steamed, thus the more broken leaf. The first steep is a clear yellow-green, with an aroma that is slightly foody, yet succulent. The taste is very satisfying, but very different from most of O-Cha's high-quality senchas. The foody aroma transfers into the taste, which gives the tea a lot of body and warmth. However, it also reminds me of lower quality sencha, and even bancha. This characteristic gives the tea a much less refined feel. A medium viscosity and thick mouthfeel tell me the tea is situated right around the chumushi (medium-steamed) range.

The second steep finally delivers that thick, deep-green liquor. Now, the taste hasn't changed much, still being foody and succulent, but it has blended and come out fuller. This tea actualy reminds me a lot of Itoen's makinohara fukamushi, but I think the chiran rests a few levels above, for just $2 more. Compared to O-cha's more expensive ($23-28) offerings, it doesn't quite match up. But because it's only $18, I believe it holds its place. I really can't tell any similarity between this chiran and the other one from Itoen. Whatever differences in upbringing, and processing are greater than the similarities chiran soil and climate must impart.

I've been drinking lots of gyokuro and asamushi sencha lately. This chumushi is obviously quite different. It delivered 3 flavorful steeps, all thick and succulent. If this is your price range, then it's not a bad choice. If you can, I highly recommend stepping up to O-Cha's classic offerings. $7 more will get you a better Kagoshima Yutaka Midori that few other chumushi sencha can compete with.

Mystery Xiaguan Tuocha

2008-09-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

Jade Cicada of the Pu-erh LiveJournal Community found this Xiaguan tuocha hiding in a vendor's cart, selling for $8 a piece. She supposed it was shu, but later found that something was different about it. To help identify, and reassure her opinion that it is not a young Xiaguan shu, she enlisted the help of a few fellow tea enthusiasts. It took me a while to get to this, but here we go.

A simple examination of the dry leaf already reveals much. The color of the leaf is dark, however, the golden color of the buds and stems show that if it were a cooked pu-erh, it would have to be on the light side of fermentation. Though these looks alone aren't revealing a lot, the smell of the dry product gives big hints towards the identity of the tuo. A floral/honey aroma is what comes from it. This is the main giveaway that it is, in fact, uncooked. I can't recall a cooked pu-erh that smelled anything like honey and flowers.

The white you see is mold. Showing only on parts of the tuo, I would say this is a sign of wet storage at one point or another. White mold is said to be ok, and some say that an aged pu-erh will not be good without it. The mold is not just on the outside, but spread throughout the tuo. In fact, there is more visible on the inside. This is likely because handling of the outside has rubbed some of it away.

Whew! While rinsing and warming up cups, it is completely obvious that this tuo is a sheng, uncooked pu-erh. Smoky, spicy aromas fill the air around the table. Aroma from the cup is mellow, with a woodiness, and a hint of sweet. Color is a deep red match to my gongfu table. Taste is smooth, relaxed, mellowed out. Flavor is actually pretty minimal. I get a good sweetness, a lovely wood and, yes, a pleasant aftertaste. The aftertaste is sweet and lingers for a long time. No acid, no bitter, only perhaps the slightest touch of astringency.

My conclusions. It is definitely a sheng, no doubt about it. It underwent some wet store, and it's my guess that this mellowed it out significantly. Depending on how long the wet storage was, I would guess anywhere from mid to late 90's. It could be as old as early 90's, but that would mean a short wet-store, and a very long dry-store. It is a boxed tuo, so a long dry-store is actually likely.

Did I like it? I did, a lot. It's not a complex tea, in fact, it is quite the opposite. Mellow sweetness, but with enough wood/leaf flavor to keep it interesting and very enjoyable. If intense flavors really do make good aging candidates, then my guess is the lack of bitter, astringent, and acid flavors in this tea means that it won't stay as tasty in the long run. Another 5, 8, even 10 years? Sure, I think a few more years would make it delicious. But I also think that it's already delicious enough to enjoy regularly.

So, congratulations JadeCicada, on finding this little gem. Not only is it a cheaply bought aged tea, but it's well stored, and very tasty. Thanks for bringing me into this tasting.

Here is JC's original post on livejournal. Here's the follow-up on livejournal. Here's the post on TeaChat. Here's JF's entry.

Tencha

2008-09-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

I received this as part of a tasting from Eric of Me And My Tea.

The leaf is a deep green and looks more suited to a kitchen's chopped herb jar. The smell is enticing, a deep, sweet gyokuro aroma, and light milky smell resembling matcha. Tencha is the precursor to matcha, so it seems natural that they should smell similar. Tencha is grown similar to gyokuro, with a period of shade before harvest to develop higher chlorophyll levels, which among other things, produces a sweeter, grassier tea. After harvest, tencha is ground for many hours into a fine powder, matcha. Matcha is then whisked in hot water and drunk with a slight foamy head. Matcha is the tea used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Knowing that this tea had been shade-grown like gyokuro, I decided to steep it at a lower temperature of 150°, a good temperature for matcha as well. Due to its fluffy nature, I also used 3.5 tsp leaf in 180ml, as opposed to my usual 2 tap/180ml I use for sencha, and it took some convincing to get the leaf underneath the waters surface. In my attempt to brew this tea using gyokuro parameters, I upped the time to around 2.5 minutes.

The resulting tea: clear, quite grassy, and a little sour in aroma. The taste surprised me with how similar it was to gyokuro. No bitterness at all, abundance of grassiness, sweet, the slightest tang, and pleasant vapors reaching the nose. I was expecting the buttery, milkiness of matcha, but that is definitely not what I got. As I look at the spent leaf, I see that I could have used twice as much, 7 tsp. Shocking.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. The flavor is light enough that I find myself downing cups much quicker than I normally would. Although it is light, there are still prominent tastes, the grass, and a pungent sour. The sour develops after many cups, and could seem nasty if one doesn't enjoy the taste. I do, somewhat, so I did like this tea. At $50 for 4oz at Harney & Sons... I wouldn't say it's worth it. Very nice to have as a sample, but I feel that the money would be better spent on a good quality gyokuro. Tencha is a great novelty for the matcha drinker, or any green tea enthusiast, for that matter. It lets the enthusiast become more intimate with matcha's path to powder.

Thanks Eric, for letting me try this exclusive tea.

Other reviews of this same tea can be found at TeaNerd, Me And My Tea, and perhaps elsewhere.

Duan ni Yixing Pot

2008-08-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is an extra special day because I just acquired a new Duan ni yixing pot for my wuyi oolongs.

The pot is made out of Duan ni clay, "a yellow or green Zisha, literally Satin Mud." The walls are thinner than my other pots, which is a bit of a scare. I don't think this pot can take a fall. I got it from Rishi-Tea, who packaged it very well, very safe. I seasoned it very mildly. I ran a lot of hot tap water through it, shaking the water inside to disturb loose particles. Then I brewed a few steeps of Wuyi Amber in it, leaving the steeps in for longer than I would have, had I been planning on drinking it. Afterwards, I brewed a few pots of some 2005 Shui Xian, which came out thicker, more viscous, and sweeter than when brewed in a glazed porcelain gaiwan.

I think the quality of the clay is very high. When I got it, I performed the "sniff test," which is a simple test to determine quality of Yixing clay. I learned of this test through Jason Fasi, aka BearsBearsBears. It is very simple. You start by rinsing the pot out well to get leftover dust and powder from the manufacture out. Then you pour near boiling water into the pot, then back out again, and take a good whiff of the smell that the clay puts off. There are basically three possibilities. If the clay smells like chemicals, then it has been mixed with paint or synthetics. If it smells like mud, then it's been blended with low-quality clay. Real yixing clay will smell like hot rocks or sand. If it's real, then the hot rock smell will be very pronounced, so much so that it may seem a little too intense.

This pot passed with flying colors. The smell was very strong and was exactly like hot rocks. So even though it's a little thinner than I'd like, the quality of the clay was better than I expected.

Red Blossom Yancha, Rougui

2008-08-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

Red Blossom Rougui

I got this Rougui along with the other wuyi oolongs from Red Blossom. I already blogged the Huang Kuan Yin, and the Jin Fo "Golden Buddha." Neither of which I liked very much. I also got a few others I didn't blog: Wuyi Amber, which is very low quality, not very pleasant, but still drinkable. Organic Qi Zhong which is just around as bad as the Amber, not surprising. Good organic teas are few and far between. I also got the Tie Luo Han, "Iron Warrior Monk," which was delicious. I'm holding off on finishing the sample until I can blog it.

The large, twisty leaf puts off a smell that is clean, but bold and roasty. Sadly, the brew comes out a golden amber, denoting a less-oxidized tea, making this closer to a green oolong, which I don't enjoy.

Suprisingly, the aroma is mostly roast, but with some underlying floral. So perhaps a more roasted lighter oolong? And that is exactly what it tastes like. The oxidation seems to be a little more than that of the Jin Fo and the Huang Kuan Yin, but lighter than I like, making the tea floral. In the first steep, the roast masks much of the floral, which is quite nice. In fact, the floral seems to add a nice amount of complexity to the first brew. But this didn't turn out bold, how I like my yancha to be.

As I expected, the roast rinses off and the tea becomes rather boring. It's too bad I find less-oxidized oolong to be boring, because there is a whole lot of it out there. It does have a nice, tranquilizing qi to it, so I'll continue to finish it off and enjoy that aspect.

What's odd about this tea is that it isn't what I would call a green oolong. It is less oxidized, and that shows through the floralness, and the "boring" attribution. But it is also something more, which means it's most likely between the two oxidation levels of what I would call green and dark. The poor side of this is that it has the boring characteristic of a green oolong. But on the other hand, this odd level of oxidation leaves one analyzing cup after cup to see what's really going on.

The evolution of this tea is very intriguing. While it starts with a roasty steep, then followed by two floral steeps, which are then followed by what tastes like a darker oolong, but lacking in roast. An even odder aspect is that the taste can shift somewhat from sip to sip between the two. I'm probably just crazy, but this is how I tasted it.

So who knows about this tea. It's quite odd, which makes it interesting. It has light-oolong characteristics, and dark-oolong characteristics. This makes me think it's at an uncommon level of oxidation, in between the common greener and darker thresholds. For now, I can't say that I like it or that I dislike it. So, while I'm unsure of this tea, I find it quite interesting. If anyone has, or knows of anyones notes on it, I'd love to read them. I'll revisit the sample again, and leave a note on any changes.

Huang Kuan Yin Red Blossom

2008-08-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

The leaves are large, green, and smell delicious. Aroma of floral, and graham, not much roast.

The tea is golden amber in color, and floral and honey in aroma. The taste is smooth, creamy, floral and honey. The slightest taste of graham is left from the light roasting.

This tea is rather boring, which is what I find nearly all green oolong to be. The light roast adds a little to the character of the tea, but it wasn't enough. Either more oxidation or more roasting is needed.

Georgian Tea

2008-08-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, Georgia, the country that's all over the headlines. Who knew they grew tea... until now.

The smell of the dry leaf is nice, fruity and dark. 3 minutes, the liquor comes out a deep red-brown. The smell had that fruitiness and dryness that reminds me of an assam or ceylon.

Having just ate sour rasberries, the tea seems very light in taste. There's the fruity flavor, and some soil but different from the pu-erh dirt taste. 5 minutes for another steep, similar in character.

So, it's not amazing, but I really didn't have high hopes. I would say, "surprisingly mediocre," not bad, as I expected to be. It's not a tea I would rush out to buy, but if I was offered it, I would enjoy it with a warm heart. [insert sentimental political statement here]

Chiran Kanayamidori Itoen

2008-08-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

The second of three teas I just ordered from Itoen. I chose this over the others on the Itoen website without much basis. It seemed less steamed, like an asamushi, which would be nice to have around so I don't get overloaded on fukamushi. I was also drawn in by their description, verdant with succulent notes of leafy greens.

The leaf is a good deep-green. It's fairly broken up, which doesn't say anything about the tea by itself, but is a sign that pushes towards the side of a deeper steamed sencha.

176°f - 1.5 minutes. The tea presents itself in a color that is not entirely green. I would definitely say it's green, but more of a yellowish green. The aroma doesn't have much to offer other than leafy greens and an inkling of tang. The taste is delicate, light, and delicious. Its sweet on contact, then opens up with a very very slight floral, dominated by spinach-like greens, and a slight accommodating tang.

This is actually a quite good tea. It's delicate enough to be enjoyed anytime, but provides more for those who wish to pursue it. At $16.50/3oz, it's neither cheap nor expensive, and I say a good deal. Although I'm not usually fond of lighter-steamed senchas, this one accommodates my need for a smooth, luscious, and succulent drink. Some might say it is chumushi (medium-steamed), and I may also say this at a later date, but right now it provides a contrast to the fukamushi Megami, and adds to my cupboards healthy selection of senchas.

Jin Fo Golden Buddha Yancha

2008-08-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

"Golden Buddha is a new Wuyi oolong cultivar developed only ten years ago." -Red Blossom

The smell of the dry leaf is already enticing: sweet graham, which passes over into the aroma of the tea. Also noted is an aroma difficult to pin down: a dry to bitter caramel aroma. The taste is new for me, being quite different from all yanchas I've had. At first I notice a delicate, yet dominant sweetness like caramel accompanied in the mouth by more than a share of floral complexity. Followed afterwards by the sweet graham. There's a lingering aftertaste. In fact, I can still taste it after 2 minutes.

The roast must have been a very light one. Most of the yanchas I've had have been medium-fired and carry a heavy roast flavor throughout the first few steeps. This tea must have had a lighter roast because of the floral's ability to come out early, and the relative lack of a heavy roast character.

The florals come out more, and the sweet graham dissipates as the steeps go on. 3rd is well-balanced, but the flavors mesh and mellow out. By the 4th, they've started to dissipate. The tea dies around the 6th.

When I first sipped, I thought I loved this tea very much. But as the session wore on, the floral became more than I like to have in tea. Then, it started dying by the 4th infusion. Not long enough for me I'm afraid.

Megami Sencha Itoen

2008-08-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm trying Megami Sencha from Itoen.

I believe it is a deep-steamed fukamushi because in the site's description, they say, "You'll immediately note the jade green intensity that comes from extra steaming." Well, the first steep(176°f - 1m) isn't so intense in color:

A light lime-green. The taste, however, is bold, lucious, and delicious. Flavor mostly of spinach, asparagus (name your vegetable), slightly grassy, carries a wonderful lip-smacking tartness, and definitely some lime.

Now, it's been a long time since I've had a deeply steamed sencha, fukamushi style. With this in mind, Megami is hitting the spot perfectly. One factor that may be influencing my opinion is that I'm using a small gongfu cup(right) instead of the usual(left):

The next steeps are the same lime-green color, but cloudier.

What is really appealing to me from this tea is the tart lime flavor. It's my favorite flavor in a sencha (right next to grass), and is typically found in abundance in karigane (gyokuro stem) tea. I always feel lucky when I get a stem-less tea with this flavor.

The bottom line is, I love this tea. It's full of flavor, slightly creamy, quite vegetal, and well-balanced with a tart lime flavor. My first impression of Itoen was that they're too commercial to have great sencha, but hey, I was wrong. However, their packaging was a simple padded envelope, which didn't protect the tea as much as one would hope. Luckily, 2/3 of the teas I ordered were deep-steamed, and already broken up. Deep-steamed senchas taste best when broken up, but the breaking of the leaf is just an effect of the deep-steaming.

At $16.50/3oz, Megami Sencha is a tea worth your time and money. I have two other Itoen senchas I'm looking forward to trying: Chiran Kanayamidori, and Makinohara. If they turn out as well, then I'll give Itoen the seal of approval.

2003 Dayi Yiwu Sheng Pu-erh

2008-08-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

I got this tea in a 2oz sampler from Puerhshop. On inspection, the leaf is quite dark. But on a 2003? Obviously a sign of wet storage. The smell is deep and barky, similar to a semi-aged sheng, but also carries a sharpness.

Aroma in the cup is not strong, but subdued, milky, and sharp. Taste begins with a smoke, followed by a lightly sweet vicosity, some milkiness, and a bit of wood. There is also a sour flavor which probably is responsible for all the sharp notes.

I've actually tried this tea twice before. The first time, I had been drinking a lot of young sheng. Then, I thought it was a lucky find, having been wet-stored to get it more quickly to a stage where one can enjoy it more. The second time I tried it, I had been drinking mostly well-aged sheng. When I tried it the second time, I didn't like it much at all. The sour flavor starkly contrasted with the aged sheng I had been drinking, and left me feeling like this tea had been overly wet-stored.

During todays tasting, I picked up on more flavors of the tea. I hadn't noticed the smoke or the milkiness before. I had noticed the viscosity, but didn't get a good grasp of it at the time. For this tasting, the tea took on a different character. My general thoughts are that it is too much on the side of a wet-stored tea. The sharp, sour flavor only becomes more and more pronounced as the session goes on, and one develops a strong aversion towards it. What also happens as the session goes on is that the tea becomes deep red-brown in color:

Unfortunately, I got sick of the snotty sour flavor and gave up on the tea early. Most probably, a good few years will get rid of a lot of that flavor, and that is probably what will happen with the few chunks left of the sample. It seems like it should be a good tea, but the snotty flavor is just too much. Perhaps a few more years will unlock some potential in it.

Sea Dyke Brand Wu-i Yen Cha

2008-07-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

Part III of this yancha run-though. Jim of puerhshop included this fairly tasty yancha with one of my orders. Too bad it isn't offered on his website...
Sea Dyke Brand Wu-I Yen Cha (alternative spelling of wuyi yancha).

Dry leaf carries an enticing aroma of sweet roasted chocolate.

I filled my gaiwan just under halfway with leaf. After a rinse, the first few steeps came out rather potent so less leaf might be a good idea. I rather enjoyed the strong flavor, and nothing unpleasant became pronounced.

A heavy roast aroma comes out in the cup, along with chocolate and bark. During the first few potent steeps, the roast was very prominent in the flavor, but accompanying it was strong cocoa and sweet bark as well. Around the third steep, the prominence of the roast dropped off and the tea blended all the flavors together very nicely. This lasted for a while, and for the 6th steep I sat it for 45s.

I found this yancha to be quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, my palate is not the slightest bit developed in this area. The tea has a heavy roast and cocoa flavor, which last for a good 8 steeps. I expect the price to be cheap, and if that is the case, I would be interested in buying more. However, I currently have three yanchas on the way from houde, and I presume that after expanding my palate with those, this Sea Dyke Brand Wu-I Yen Cha will be a tea for the shelves.

2002 Aged Rou Gui Yancha

2008-07-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as Mystery Sample A, thanks to Sir Brent of TeaNerd.

So this is what they call an aged yancha. "Quite aged," even. If it were a pu-erh, then I would still consider it to be young. This 2002 Rou Gui, however, is reaching the end of it's life. This starts to show in the lifeless aroma of the dry leaf, then even from the rather light flavor of the tea.

The tea starts off by giving aromas of subdued dark chocolate, dry grass, and bread. The flavor is much lighter than I'm used to in yancha. I had to increase from my usual short steeps, to 10-20 seconds, to get a good grip of the flavors. After that, the tea comes out with very little roast, but a dry grass flavor that seems to have replaced it. The roast is light enough in flavor to resemble something like bark. If I look for it, I can taste a bit of sour.

After being pleasantly surprised by yesterday's 07 DHP, I found this tea disappointing. I expected something as bold and sharp as that DHP, but got something much lighter, and perhaps slightly stale. The flavor drops off sharply around the 6th infusion, but the tea continues to give significantly dark-colored steeps. Interesting to note is that the tea started out light in color, then grew darker and darker through the steeps. The picture is of steep 1, and steep 6 got about 3 times as dark (brown/red). Each consecutive steep was longer, which accounted, at least partially, for the darkening.

Mystery Yancha B

2008-07-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Brent of TeaNerd for involving me in this mystery tasting.

At first I was curious as to why I decided to partake in a yancha tasting (I don't drink the stuff). The yancha I've had in the past has all been fairly cheap and not amazing, so I figured if this TeaNerd guy knows his stuff, then I'll get my paws on "good" yancha. As doubtful as I was about liking it, this tea surprised me.

The dry leaves were in good shape, smelling mostly of burnt wood and some dark chocolate. I threw the whole sample into my gaiwan, rinsed it once, and followed with a few flash infusions. The aroma from the cup was dark and new. My untrained sniffer drew in many long breaths until I came up with this: "dark (mysterious), chocolatey (not specifically dark chocolate anymore), pancakes (sweet dough with tart), all of this under charcoal."

The taste is less complicated, but I was shocked at first to discover how sweet it was! After my excitement dissipated, I tasted a sweet caramel, and a dark chocolate. The strong charcoal from the smell becomes a muted, yet complex taste.

Overall, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this tea. I have to thank Brent again for this excellent tea. This was my first yancha that was more than $20/100g, and surprised me at how good it really was. It turned out to be the 2007 Exquisite Da Hong Pao from TeaCuppa which goes for $20/.42oz (although I waited for this information before I tasted it muahaha).

2007 Guoyan Classics 88

2008-06-17T18:03:00.001-07:00

This review is long overdue. I've had this cake for almost a year and it's time I make a record of how it is now.

When I first got this bing I wasn't enthused. It was harsh, smoky, and bitter. Back then I was using a big kitchen knife to break off leaf which probably accounted more than a little to my bad experience. Now, using my tuocha pick (my preferred tool for tightly compressed pu-erh), I can hunk off nice whole chunks.

I still used a lot of leaf for this tasting, enough to mostly fill the gaiwan when wet. The color of the liquor is a golden amber. The aroma is sharp with hay. The taste is clean, not sharp, starting with a smokiness followed as delicately floral with lots of hay. The infusion has a high tone of lightly sweet and is quite quenching.

Supposedly following the 7548 recipe, the tea is well-rounded and has served as my model for the "young sheng" taste. Although quenching at first, over the steeps the tea is somewhat drying. The same sequence happens in every steep, the taste starts with a kick of smoke, then follows with much hay and delicate floral. A bitterness lays in wait, pronouncing itself if the infusion is any longer than a flash, as well as when the tea cools off.

I feel that nothing has changed over the past 9 months with this one (good!). Jittery energy and a slight headache surfacing... I add some Teriyaki Oberto turkey jerky to the mix and am again revitalized. I implore everyone to try this jerky with their sheng. It is the most excellent tea and food combination I have had the pleasure of finding. It's especially good if you feel bad about imbibing large amounts of young sheng. Hmm... I wonder if TCM has anything to say about that.

I have high hopes for the future of (what's left of) this bing.

Finding Good Pu-erh

2008-05-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

How to find good pu-erh? Negotiating through the plethora of pu-erh is not an easy task. There are many teas out there that we must taste to determine whether or not they are worthy of our money. Price and opinions of other cannot always be trusted, and even good teas are wasted on us at times.

The best way to understand pu-erh, and develop a palate is to sample. Sample a lot. Never stop sampling! In my endless sampling, I rarely find a piece that I deem worth buying. When I do, they're rarely the $3/tuo kind. More often, they're the $30-40/bing. Even more often, they're the $100+/per bing. The truth is, I can't afford bings in the $100+ range. I can afford many in the $35 range, so when I find one I like in the $35 range, I get real excited! However, when I find the golden taste in a $3 tuocha (which I don't really expect others to like), I become ecstatic because I can buy as many of them as I want! I have discovered in my samplings that while price can be a good determinant, it accords only very slightly with how much I will enjoy a tea. To only try samples of the more expensive pu-erhs is naive. There are good, and bad, pu-erhs in all the price ranges. So while sampling for a good pu-erh to buy, why not get samples from all ranges?

Now, there is a reason for starting with cheap stuff. The truth is, that an undeveloped palate can not notice much difference between the quality of pu-erhs. When I first started drinking, if you handed me a $1000 long-aged sheng, and a relatively good shu, I probably wouldn't be able to notice much difference. Sure, I'd probably pick the $1000 aged sheng on taste alone, but maybe I wouldn't. I might have thought it to be too earthy. In fact, when I was starting out in pu-erh, I liked the young shengs more than the aged stuff. It wasn't until after I drank a lot of young sheng, that I had another go with an aged sheng and loved it. I had an epiphany where I said to myself, "This is amazing tea! This is definitely what pu-erh is all about!" Such a tea would have been wasted on me earlier on.

Concerning tea blogs, the reviews that are posted are not an extension of one's own palate! Some people like some things, some people hate those same things, it is simple truth. The best way to use blogged reviews is to get the samples, and taste them while reading the review. This can help one find flavors and aromas one wouldn't have alone. Sometimes one can find a reviewer with very similar tastes to one's own, and only then be able to trust the opinions they give on tea. Even if the reviewers don't have similar tastes to oneself, experienced tasters can still give some very interesting information such as factory and tea-region quirks and trademarks.

So, sample, sample, sample! Never stop sampling! There are diamonds in the rough, diamonds in the smooth, and tasting is the only way to find these. Not every diamond in the smooth is worth getting either. Without a developed palate, better teas are often wasted on people who don't understand what is actually making these teas good. Once one has a good understanding, one can really get every pennies-worth out of a great tea. To find the diamonds of tea, one can't trust reviews blindly. Reviewers can be found that have similar tastes to oneself, and experienced reviewers have a plethora of information to give. The world of pu-erh is vast and ancient, and we get to delve into it with freshly-found interest.

Subjectivity of Taste

2008-05-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

I wrote this in response to Hobbes' recent post in which he gives humble words, which I will summarize as a suggestion to take his reviews with a grain of salt, and to sample teas for oneself to find what the truth of a tea is for you. It is a nice perspective, very humble.

It really is amazing how different people can experience the same teas in entirely different ways. "Oh, you must have brewed it too long," the pretentious will say. But is it really so simple as determining brewing factors?

To analogize with food, two people can taste the same thing, for example cheese, or even fish. While these two people are consuming identical substances, the ways they perceive those tastes differ. They can differ so greatly as to reflect one person's disgust at the taste of cheese or fish, while the other person adores the tastes. If people can have opposite perceptions of a taste, then can there not be a middle route where, for example, certain tastes in a tea might fluctuate between wood and tobacco depending on the person?

The most interesting thing I've found in my tastings is that I can often find a note of something in a tea if I simply look for it: tobacco or woodsiness in a sheng, leather or pondiness in a shu, melon in a sencha. My greatest tool is to hunt for these flavors for which I already associate with a certain kind of tea, then find the degree to which they are present. When I put into words this style of analysis, I say things like: "Wet lumber covered by a cloud of must, with a low note of swamp in the distance." It is very hard to clearly deliver these perceptions through words. This varying "presentness" of flavors is more ideal for numerical percentages (ex. 60% fresh lumber, 30% pond, 5% cinnamon, 5% chemical), but being so hard to quantify accurately in such a way, I stick to the words.

Accurately describing sensations for people to understand is no walk in the park. I hope this post has helped to show some of the problems, and will cause you to look at the tasting notes of myself and others as extremely subjective perceptions.

Wes

90's Tongqing Hao Shengpu

2008-05-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

This flimsy old cake could be split and pulled apart with a gentle touch. Wabi-sabi beauty definitely shows through as the cake droops slightly over the edge of the table. The brew comes out as a lovely dark red/brown, smelling of wet lumber and tobacco.

Opening up in the flavor is a rich mellow flavor over wood and tobacco. Following the first infusion, a deep sweetness comes out that is very rich and reminiscent of an aged shu. The taste builds to be a little too rich, so I park some leaves in a spare cup for the time being.

Removing some leaves greatly increases the quality of the cup giving me lots of delicious lumber in the taste, good lumber being my favorite aspect to find in old sheng. Dry wood, wet wood, old wood, all under a blanket of must are noted after the stripping of leaves. The shu-like tastes are nearly diminished as I enjoy cup after cup of warm, lumber-rich, musty goodness. I begin to perspire as a sprite of hot qi envelops my body. Still going strongly in the 'teens, the large leaves open up to reveal a still somewhat green interior. Though the leaves are large, they are also quite thin and break apart easily.

I find this tea fluctuates dramatically in taste. It can be rich, mellow, woodsy, musty, shuey, and even calm, but not at the same time. Is this a sign of a good tea? I don't know. I do know that I like it, with the transient flavors making the tea somewhat more of a journey. Doing this tasting in 90°f weather has been somewhat demanding, especially after eating some spicy lime-chicken pizza. On another day, with a light breeze, a cleaner palate, and less leaf, I will write up a part-2 of this tasting.

2001 Xiaguan Baoyan

2008-05-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

I got this brick after reading the positive remarks put forth by Hobbes.

The leaf is rather crumbly, flaky, small, and over all, low quality. It's no surprise when the filter accumulates nearly a full gongfu sessions worth of sediment after only a couple steeps. The tea is a light-brown orangish-red. I can't smell much in the aroma besides a light-sweetness and an almost grainy bite. The taste comes out quite nice, although somewhat bland in the first steep. I can taste a mellowness surrounding a slightly complex flavor profile.

The second steep comes out a deep-red, a significant sign of aging. Although the aroma is subdued, hints of wood, tobacco and the mellow end of age are present. Most notable so far is a taste that is somewhere in between a tang and an astringent bite (acid). A very interesting taste, and very welcome. Noticeable calming/qi and a cooling effect in the mouth and nasal passages.

The leaves in the gaiwan change to resemble something like mush. More wet-stored flavors are released in later steeps, as well as a nice rush of qi. Also noted to be in more abundance in later steeps is a strong acidity (that tangy/astringent bite).

It's too bad Xiaguan didn't use better quality leaf, although, that could make it an entirely different tea. While I agree with Hobbes that this tea is in a very good stage, I think I'd enjoy it even more after a few more years. The acidity seems prevalent enough to stick around.

For a comparison of notes, please see posts by: Bill and Hobbes

80's Liao Fu Vietnamese Maocha

2008-05-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Vietnamese maocha pu-erh from the 1980's.

Come to think of it, I've never seen border tea compressed into anything, it's always been kept loose. Border tea is pu-erh tea from the border regions of other countries around China, where the environment is similar to the growing regions of China. The dry leaf carries almost no smells. Suprising, yet expected, the leaf is quite whole. Even after 20, 30 years even, the Vietnamese prevail with keeping their leaf wholer than any other country.

The smell comes out dry and sweet. Clean, smells lightly of wood and dirt... not very complex. The taste is smooth and sweet, clean, dry and lightly woodsy. The tea seems to be rich, yet very lacking in flavor. A very contradictory and confusing taste experience. It loses character after around the 4th steep (~15s steeps), and I notice that the leaves are still hard and unopened. A 30 second steep teases some flavor back into the tea. Increasing steep time sooner than usual and giving it much longer steeps does let this tea leech out a few more good cups to give out completely around the 8th.

The overall picture of this tea is that it is very bland, uncomplex. On the up side, the taste is very clean, sweet, and accessible. After the session seems over, with most of the taste having dissipated and the color of the liquor lightening, the leaves are still not opened fully. Messing around with the leaves reveals that they have an almost dry feel to them, even when wet. Very rough, black as midnight. The browner leaves are softer. The large, whole nature of the leaf that I first thought was a good quality, may be the reason why this tea is so plain. Next time, I'll remind myself to crumble the leaves somewhat before drinking. Can't expect much from border tea.

2001 Yiwu Zhengshan

2008-05-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

Zhongcha? CNNP...

I got this sample from Puerhshop. Not sure exactly who made it.

From the cup comes an aroma is of wet hay. In the taste is hay, hair, and dried orange peel (without the citrus). The tea leaves my tongue and roof of my mouth feeling grainy. The taste, aroma, and leaf all are typical of a younger pu-erh. I would guess a 2003 or 2004. Over the steeps, the tea turns to sweet and mellow with hay flavor very quickly. Longer infusions bring out the higher notes of hair, skin, hay, and an inkling of age. This tea is definitely in its awkward, adolescent phase. Taste and leaves depict a younger profile, while a hint of age can be found in the taste, and color of the brew.

The grainy feeling in the mouth turns to an intensifying dryness of mouth and throat, and a slight cooling effect. The tea mellows out rather quickly around the 5th steep.

I didn't enjoy this tea much. It was moderately pleasant before the intense drying took hold. It was fun trying to pick out hints of age, but this tea comes off as quite younger than a 2001. I prefer something older, or younger. I'm not too keen of the adolescent stage it's in, or the dryness of this pu-erh. My speculation is that these factors will probably be fixed after a few years of wetter-storage.

1996 Dayi 7542

2008-05-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

Ah... the 7542. Thanks to Salsero for the sample.

The smell of the dry leaf is powder-coated with the yummy mustiness I associate with aged puerh. Like the smell of fertile soil after a fresh rain.

Aroma of dried plum and cherries, fresh wet lumber, and typical mustiness. The taste is full of lumber, delicious accompanied by a soft must and on another note, dried plum and cherries. Very much like the aroma. The sweetness increases as the temperature cools. After two cups, I'm in a state of mild serenity.

The aroma of aged puerh is so wonderful in and of itself, that it tends to evoke a calm ending to my daily tension through its redolent odor alone. Once I taste it, and delve into my session, that feeling becomes ever more tranquil.

The second steep comes out darker red, with some brown. A much greater taste of lumber, which is my favorite to find in puerh, especially older puerh. This taste might also be described as a tobacco. I used less leaf than normal, hoping to squeeze two sessions out of this wonderfully-smelling tea, yet I find these cups to be very potent, entering my nostrils with a punch.

Third steep migrates back to a dried plum/cherry taste, losing the sharpness and kick that was felt in the nostrils. The dried cherries follow the tea through the subsequent steepings. As a result of my serene puerh-induced mood, anyone who walks by my station gets offered a cup of deep-red 1996 Dayi 7542. This tea isn't amazing, but it'd be a lovely addition to my minuscule stock of old puerh.

Tetulia's White Tea

2008-05-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh. A rather odd growing region for tea. I've actually never heard of a tea coming out of Bangladesh. When I got a message from a representative of Tetulia, I was excited to try a tea from this area. It's always a pleasure to try new and different things, which unfortunately become harder to find as time goes on. Tetulia is a company that participates in an interesting co-op program in poor Bangladesh:

Co-op members receive a milking cow, for which they pay back not in cash, but with milk and cow dung. Members pay only one liter of milk per day, keeping the rest for their children and the calves. They pay 10 to 20 kgs of cow dung per day, keeping a measure for their own use. Most members manage to pay off their cow within two to three years. Best of all, they keep any calves that the cows bear!

I think this is an amazing idea, one that should become widespread in less well-off nations.

The tea I received was an all-tip, 100% bud white tea, which is the only kind I drink nowadays. The leaf isn't the furry-white that I love to find, but rather has some green leaves.aph

Brewing it up at 180°f for 5 minutes gave me an orange-amber soup. The tea's aroma carries some berry and an interesting grassy/melon. The grassy/melon aroma follows the tea into the taste, resulting in a quite individual brew. The flavor profile is similar to that characteristic of Darjeeling teas, but the individuality of this tea is found in the grassy-melon that permeates in smell and taste. Like a cantaloupe field at high-noon, or a cooked plate of snap peas, sprout, and cucumber. Also noted is a hint of astringency. This tea would lend itself better to a shorter, 3-4 minute steep.

The glass-brewed cup, shown in the picture, got steeped at a lower temperature for indefinite time. The taste of this cup is smoothly-sweet, non-astringent, and more melon than anything else. Following the melon is slight embodiment of snap peas and hay.

In retrospect, this tea isn't amazing, but it is good for an organic tea from a region that isn't known for growing tea. Also, when you drink this tea, you can feel proud, knowing that you are supporting struggling people in an extremely poor country (Bangladesh's GDP/capita being 1/33 of that of the USA). Tetulia's tea garden was planted only in 2000, so I expect their tea to get better in the coming years, as the plants grow and adapt, and as the processors gain more experience with this new crop.

Nilgiri Black Tea

2008-05-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

If I didn't know better, I would guess that this was a white tea, or an oolong, but not a black. The dry leaf smells almost exactly like Froot Loops (thanks Brandon). The handmade leaves do look wonderful and long, although, what accounts for this is the usual inclusion of stems into the finished product.

The brew (208°f/3m) comes out a full, golden-yellow color. Smelling very similar to a Darjeeling oolong. Tasting delicate and smooth, with heavy notes of fruit. This tea is really good! It manages do go down smoothly, with a delicate bouquet of fruity notes, accompanied by a muted floralness, and yet it still packs a punch! This is a very good tea, and I am going to be buying a big bag.

The second steep (208°f/3.5 m) is still wonderful, delivering the same flavors in their beautiful profile, albeit somewhat weaker.

Going 5 minutes for a third steep helps this tea to dish out yet another palatable two cups. This Nilgiri "black" even managed to turn some hot water into a good 4th steep. Because of this good turnout of multiple infusions, I'm going to gongfu this using my Darjeeling oolong standards.

Just look at those beautiful leaves...

2007 Huanglong Mengsa

2008-04-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

The leaves look alright, 2007-green.

No prominent aroma from the leaves in the preheated gaiwan. The liquor comes out quite yellow, with orange character. Smell is rather dry and grassy. Hints of bark and lumber with hidden hints of zest. Taste is pleasant and clean, like trees and grass in dry months of summer. Hints of zest are tasted now as a mellow, non-acidic dull orange. The second steeping reveals some honey-floralness.

The second steep seemed dull, so I used less water and more time for the third. It came out smelling very little. To sum up the aroma in one sensation: dried-up oranges under a canopy of withered trees, over a floor of dried-out grass and earth. I pick up the orange to smell it, but alas, it does not smell.

The color of the brew darkens, but the flavor remains lifeless. At this point, I'm rather tired of the tea, so I thumb through the leaves to find one which is smooth, thin, and fragile, and another which is coarse, thick, and durable. A rather interesting find.

The coarser one looks to be about 1/3 of a larger leaf. This picture shows the varying leaf types found in this tea.

My lack of enthusiasm for this tea isn't because it's a bad tea. Its taste reminds me of a stale, sun-dried Chinese green tea. This is kind of what it is. I've had some bad shengs, and I can't lump this tea into that category. For the price ($12 and change), it's not a bad way to go. I'd be interested in tasting it again in a few years, which is likely, because the sample is sizable.

I arrive at the grove. The area is arid. The orange trees have all but died, spewing forth only a number of green leaves. I crunch over the dead grass and kick up some dust and grass pieces from the ground as I walk. Noticing oranges on the trees, I become curious. I grab an orange and rip it off with modest force. It comes off with a snap along with a sizable portion of the branch. Pollen is released from the branch. I squeeze the orange, but it is dried-out and solid as a rock. I smell it, but the smell has dried away. All that's left is me in this dead field. It's time for my nomadic-self to grab up my spear and depart.

Longer Tea Video with Thoughts

2008-04-27T10:16:00.001-07:00

Fukamushi Video

2008-04-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Here it is, a steeping video featuring fukamushi sencha.

Tea Videos!

2008-04-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Good evening, everyone. I finally kicked on the spurs and made a tea video. This first one is of me gongfuing some shu pu-erh cha. I'm thinking of making a fukamushicha brewing video soon.

Here's my channel:http://www.youtube.com/user/Gurucha

Okayti Darjeeling Autumn Flush Oolong

2008-04-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Gongfuing tea is wonderful.
What one normally expects from a Darjeeling is a single-steep black tea. Not with this Darjeeling. Mighty Leaf's Okayti Darjeeling Autumn Flush Oolong, when gongfued (lots of leaf, many short infusions), lasted me about 8 infusions. Not incredible for an oolong, but not bad either.

The taste, at first, is buttery-smooth Darjeeling goodness. The aroma and taste is sweet, late-spring honeysuckle blooms, and light wood. Dominant in the taste is a melody of fruit: apple, pear, and raisin. Unlike pu-erh, throughout the steeps this tea's flavor doesn't change much.

Comparing the oolong to it's back tea brother (same estate), one might say the oolong lacks in flavor. This is understandable, as black tea packs all its punch into its first and only steep. I adore the flavor that the Okayti black gives, however, I am much more passionate about the oolong. The oolong may not pack the same punch, but it can be enjoyed over many steeps, and over a longer period of time. I also prefer the oolong because it has a lighter character that allows me to enjoy it any time of day. On the other hand, black teas are at their best in the morning.

An awesome aspect of Darjeeling leaves are their varying colors. From light green to dark brown, it seems the complexity of the color scheme gets carried into the cup. From these pictures, and this review, this tea might seem like a lighter oolong. I would classify it otherwise, as a more darkly oxidized oolong. In reality, it's between the two: my favorite.

2004 Liming Yue Chen Yue Xiang shu

2008-04-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

To accompany me in my late-night shu session is this 04 Yue Chen Yue Xiang from Liming Factory.

The leaf looks good for a shu, specially when compared to the last two. The color of the first infusion is a nice, clear, deep-red. I should note that the added leaf was left in small chunks, so unfurling will occur over the steeps, however, I did rinse twice.

The aroma from the cup carries a bit of graham and some odor resembling dough. The taste is quite mellow (a term I may have to stop using when talking about shu). Instigated on the tongue is a pleasant taste of sweet dough, bordered by overly-wet mulch. Very warming. Starting on the tongue, then moving through the mouth, the warmth follows the tea down the throat and heats the extremities from the inside.

The wet leaf smells only of one thing: pungent wet wood. Similar to the pungency of freshly cut wood, as if a wood that has been soaked and decomposing has simply refused to give up its pungent odor. An interesting aroma, but one that is not carried into the brewed infusion.

In the 2nd steep, the color of the liquor turns to a deeper red. Permeating in the aroma is a slight maltiness that goes along well with the dough. When the tea is significantly hot, one can taste a hint of the wood aroma that was found on the wet leaf. While finishing off the second steep, I find it interesting, and vexing that I have found another enjoyable shu. Two in a row is an extreme record for me. This one does have value over the menghai brick from yesterday in that the taste is of higher quality and purity. The better looks and texture of the leaves also play their role in this teas status.

The 3rd steep got 10 seconds or so and delivered a soup that was near-brown in appearance. This one becomes a rounded, sweet blend of flavors, with a deep, hard-to-notice huigan. 4th infusion's aroma has the same hint of malt. The flavor provides a nice balance without being overly thick. The warming sensation persists and courses nicely through the body. Huigan builds slightly over the steeps.

Unfortunately, my excitation about finding another good shu all but fades to dust as I notice the flavors in the shu have all blended together by the 4th infusion, maybe even the third.

Retrospect
This shu does rate above yesterdays menghai brick in the aspects of quality and purity. However, I prefer the "crisper" flavors of the menghai brick. This Liming shu tends to blend it's flavors too early, perhaps in the 3rd infusion (post-2 rinses). This becomes an issue in the 4th infusion where it's hard to pick out any flavors from the tea past a simple "pure" feeling. As an end note, this shu is about four times more expensive than yesterdays menghai brick. Obviously not priced according to my tastes.

2005 Menghai Xishuangbanna

2008-04-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know exactly what this one is, so here's a pic of the uhh... paper description note for those interested.

The dry leaf looks alright. Typical small-leaf young sheng, really.

Leaf into the pre-heated gaiwan produces a smoky aroma. The brewed soup is light-orange and slightly cloudy. Taste is slightly smoky, and has a hint of some floral, warm fruit. Rather smooth past the initial hints of smokiness. Quite floral, with the fruit taste perhaps being a very flavorless melon. There is a soft huigan that dissipates rather quickly.

The smoky aroma and flavor really kick in if this sheng is oversteeped even a little. I think this will lead the tea to have a better balance of flavors later in its life.

2006 Menghai Yue Chen Yue Xiang Pu-erh Tea Brick

2008-04-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

The leaf looks bad, like the xiaguan, it's very stringy from crumbled-down leaves. Not a good first impression.

The cup lends out a deep brown color. I used a lot more leaf than I meant to, and usually do for shu. The smell is interesting, shu-like, but bordering on a graham-cracker aroma. The aroma definitely transfers to the taste, giving this shu a "foody" character. Indeed, it does taste low in quality, and like Chinese medicine. But if you're looking for a cheap shu, yet one that still shines with some character in the flavor, this is the one to get.

This stuff gets very dark brown in the second run. Yet it stays not cloudy. The flavor profile does have some distinctness; I'm finding a good malt, associated also with a graham-cracker taste. It has the sweetness, mellowness, and richness one can expect when in the mood for a ripe puerh.

In the third infusion, I notice this is the only shu I've been able to pick out some inkling of the wood flavors dominantly found in shengpu. It is mellower now, and moreso reminding me of the usual shu.

I feel right now that I definitely like this shupu. I think it's been produced better than most of the rest. Could this opinion be biased by a fact that I'm just in the mood for a warm, mellow, thick, rich shupu? Nonetheless, it will be a good tea to have in my collection. I'll have the 2006 melon for when I'm in the mood for a lighter shu, and I'll have this one on stock for the richer, thicker shu.

Why I place this one above other rich shu is that this menghai brick still carries a few interesting flavors. Noted are malt, graham, and the surprising wet wood flavor that doesn't normally get carried into the shu category of puerh (in my experience, anyways).

I do have to admit that while this brick is cheap, and seems like a great deal, the quality is low. However, even the low quality won't stop me as this one matches my tastes.

5th infusion is still kicking me some good flavors, although the brew has mellowed out. A ~15 second infusion for the 6th gives this more character once more. A nice, relaxed, and calm state of conciousness has been induced. 7th steep for ~25 seconds is still kicking. The color has lightened, but the taste is riding on.

I'll throw a stamp of recommendation on this one. I like it, it's a shu thats more according to my tastes, and is cheap. Can't go wrong with cheap. You can find it here, at Puerhshop.

2006 Puwen Nannuo "Four Good Words"

2008-04-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

This mini-beeng(250g) appears to be almost as buddy as yesterday's Chunming. A few more leaves, and the buds don't look as scrumptious. The cake is more solid than the buddy Chunming, but it still easily breaks apart with the hand. This one is deemed to be Nannuo leaf, made by Puwen factory.

The smell as the leaf hits the preheated gaiwan is very much the same, strong odor of hay. The wet leaf looks a lot more green, and more leaf than bud. The color is light amber.

1st infusion, after one rinse. The taste has a strong hay, dead grass body. There's a warm and silky texture that lingers on the tongue.

2nd infusion is rather bitter after only maybe a 5-second infusion. Still sweet, hay-like. Silky texture, and sweet aftertaste.

3rd Infusion. Again astringent after only a flash-infusion. This tea is real young, and quite harsh. I used enough leaf to just about fill the gaiwan. Because of this tea's young character, I think it would be better with less leaf, enough to fill about half of the gaiwan.

I think in about 5 years, this one will be very nice, but for now, it's going to the shelf. The leaf does look good, and the strong hay and astringency give me the feeling that it will age well, so I'll keep my faith in this one.

2005 Chunming Highland Spring Tips

2008-04-12T19:19:00.001-07:00

This one is really catching my interest. I sourced this chunk of a sample from Puerhshop.

Messing around with the chunk... it's really buddy, just as the title suggests. It's much less dense than the usual puerh. It bends, and flakes apart easily with only the hands. Pretty fun to break up, to tell you the truth. I pretty much broke this up to the point of it being loose. Because of this, I'll only do one quick rinse, and I won't expect too many infusions.

Leaf in the preheated gaiwan gives off a fragrance of dead grass, fairly earthy. The brewed soup is very light amber in color. Smell is slightly honey and hay. Taste is actually very pleasant for a young sheng. A sweet structure, tasting of honey, some floralness, a muted hay, and perhaps some hidden cantaloupe. No astringency whatsoever.

Sip. That taste was amazing. I've never had a puerh anything like that. I feel like this is a significant tea. The taste is giving me something that I would have expected from a "white puerh." This is a pleasant break-away from the usual profile of young sheng.

The wet leaf, however, does not smell good. Like hay and animals.

2nd infusion is slightly darker in color. This infusion tastes slightly more like hay when it's at its hottest, subsiding as the temperature drops. The taste then slows to a floral concoction, similar to a green oolong, yet with notes of hay bringing it back to the sheng side. I think this tea should definitely be drunk at slightly lower temperatures. The aftertaste is pronounced and enduring, mellow and sweet, similar to potato chips.

3rd infusion and the smell of the wet leaf is reminding a lot of the berry-notes of white tea. Exactly what it is. The hay in this infusion has now hit the same taste that I find characteristic of white tea; a berry-like smoothness accompanied by a hay-earthiness. This tea is very individual. If you're expecting a young sheng, you're going to be surprised. If you expect what you read in this review, you're going to be dead-on.

This definitely tastes better warm(warm-hot), rather than hot. The deeper flavors come out, and the high notes of hay become blended and muted.

20 second fourth steep added a hint of astringency. If this isn't a white puerh, I expect it to be very simlar. Doesn't taste like a 2005 sheng either. Perhaps more like a 2002 or older mellow puerh.

This picture is of the first infusion. Following infusions actually came out a bit darker, oranger. Unfortunately I was feeling the vibe of the session and forgot to take more pictures.

5th infusion stays kicking with all the flavors mellowed out. I did forget the filter for this one, although this tea hardly needs to be filtered.

6th infusion. Looking through the leaves in the gaiwan, this isn't just "mostly" tips. It's all tips. Minus a couple very young leaves. This tea didn't give out early, I'm surprised. I thought the less leaf, and fully broken apart nature of the leaf would lead this puerh to infuse quickly. However, this sixth steep is not even pronouncing signs of backing down. Perhaps only just, this one is a bit lighter in flavor, but not lacking in it. I find it more enjoyable now, to be honest. Mellow, light, and extremely enjoyable. This tea compliments the end to a warm spring day quite nicely. In fact, I've never tasted such a good decline in a tea.

I seem to have developed a nice, relaxed state of calm. Listening to "Underworld - Dark Train," and enjoying the development and decline of a puerh throughout the steepings. Truly something to be cherished in life.

7th steep. What's interesting, is that unlike white tea, all these buds sink and stay at the bottom. Again, I tried a 30 second steep, and was awarded with a hint of astringency. This tea doesn't need the longer time yet. 10 seconds would have sufficed. Still, this longer steep has brought back the earthy berry-nature that reminds me strongly of white tea.

8th steep is running down in flavor. I am surprised it lasted this long without a smathering of leaf. Overall, I'm very happy with this tea, and I recommend anyone who's looking for something a little different in sheng to grab up a sample.

I actually just threw in a 9th infusion. Gears still moving. I'm surprised it can last this long. One of the favorable characteristics of a good puerh.

Pu-erh Chamber Update

2008-04-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

First, an updated graph:

I did get lazy and stop logging the RH, but it has leveled out and is staying consistently between 68% and 71%RH. This could be a result of the tea having absorbed it's proper amount of moisture. This could also stem from my not opening it every couple hours to check the humidity, like I was doing before. Lastly, it could be from having a greater volume of water, which I don't think is the case because all the vesicles holding the water still have the same surface area as before.

I've been swapping out water every two weeks, cleaning the dishes with soap, and rinsing them very well before putting them back in. The cleaning is keeping the water from growing any mold, and the hefty rinsing is to keep all the odor of the soap away from the tea. I've been striving to keep the cabinet clean. This means washing hands before handling all puerh so as not to contaminate them.

I acted on commenter Stephane's advice, who suggested that I store a chunk of the puerh on a nearby shelf. Down the road, this will hopefully determine differences between the two storages. The victim of this experiment is a 2004 Xiaguan tuocha that I picked up from Puerhshop last fall.

I wrapped the pieces in tissue paper to best keep all other storage aspects identical.

I decided to chop a chunk off of one of my purple leaf cakes. This, I thought, was a good idea because purple leaf puerh is fairly new to the market, so it's aging process is widely unknown. SO in the interest of scientific advancement....

I broke my knife. Damn. Next puerhshop order, I'll snatch the Pu-erh Sacrificial Death Knife. For now, I'll have to find a replacement. I still managed to get a chunk of purple out. This new experiment box has gone onto the top shelf, just above the pu-erh chamber. It now contains 1 Chunk 2007 Purple Leaf, 1 Chunk 2004 Xiaguan, and 1 mini-tuocha for good spirits. Some time after this picture, the humidity is reading at 52%, and still dropping.

I must admit that my hygrometer might be reading a bit low. I performed a shifty experiment that is supposed to determine how far off the mark a hygrometer is, and mine read 8%RH below. Well, I don't think this is saying much yet as there are too many factors that could have resulted in this bad reading. I'll try it a few more times and see how it goes.

Now that experiment is in order. I want to show you my other invention for puerh drinkers.

That's it. A can to collect pu-erh leaves. Please, save the Lemelson-MIT award, really. ...Ah, the meaning of the can. Well, there were too many times when I was done breaking up some puerh, and had a smathering of crumblings and dust left over. I also found that after I finished my samples, I would be left with a few chunks which weren't enough to make a pot. I decided to stop throwing them out the window, and to collect them. JF is doing something similar, I believe he's wet-storing them. These are going to stay dry (well, in my enlosure). This will probably benefit my other teas in one way. That is, when I finish an expensive aged puerh sample, I can keep some crumblings in this can. I hope this will serve to more quickly introduce all the friendly bacteria that develops on puerh over time.

Check back in a few years to see how things are developing!

2000-something Rishi Puerh Maiden

2008-04-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

2nd of 3 received from Bhale.

Maiden is a dark shupu said to hail from a small tribe where only female virgins pick the tea-leaves. That aside, the leaf is small and has that slight powder-coated look to it.

The taste is much as I remember it when I first tried it oh so long ago. The color is quite red, and if I could say it tastes red, then this would be a lot easier. Anyways, the taste is fairly bold, in it's shupu style, with a heavy fermentation taste (*like malt) and some doughy sweetness. The cloudiness is not too much, but the tea isn't clear either. For some reason my filter has been getting clogged quicker of late. This shu set the record. I don't know what I'll do about that. Maybe I'll pressure-wash it. Otherwise it's time for a new one.

This stuff is really red. Kind of scary. Like blood. Maybe my tea got virgin sacrifices dedicated to it. That'd be a deal.

In my experience, there are two main colors of shupu: red and brown. At least to me, the reds have always been better than the browns. This is one of the few reds that have carried a hefty maltiness. The malt is usually found in the darker, cloudy-brown shupus. I find the malt to be a pleasant flavor.

The secon infusion keeps with it, delivering that same heavy fermentation(*malt) smell. This one tastes quite different from most shu I've had. I suspect it might be from a slightly different cooking process. It's very shu-like, malty. That might be it. A strong taste and odor of maltiness. I usually use the word "malt" to describe the texture, but in this case it definitely instills the flavor profile.

The tea color stayed surprisingly consistent in the following infusions. The taste mellowed out around the fifth. Leaving the 6th to be drinkable, but not interesting. Color lessens around the 6th. I figure this one could go for 8 if someone wanted to push it. I didn't use much leaf, so more would probably mean more good infusions.

I conclude that this is good stuff, on level with my other favorite shu. It's interesting to think that the first shu I liked, oh so long ago, is still at the top of my list. I do have around 5 more new shu samples to try. If none of them pan out, I might try to keep a stock of this stuff. Although, it is pretty overpriced at Rishi. Oh well.

To define this one in one word: Malt.
Crap, that was a lot easier!

70's Vietnamese Liao Fu San Cha

2008-04-10T23:48:00.000-07:00

I received this sample from Brandon as part of a tasting. Thanks again, Brandon. No pictures for this one today, sorry for that.

70's Vietnamese Liao Fu San Cha

The leaf is quite dark, but looks a lot better than what you'd expect from a shu (I'm not saying this is a shu). The stuff, after 30 years, is still in relatively large pieces.

The smell that emanates from leaf in the preheated gaiwan is musty and dusty. Normally I would be taken aback (as I'm allergic), however, what develops in a longer sniff is a luscious odor of old lumber.

2 flash rinses, then about 5 seconds for the first steep.
The smell of the must mostly got rinsed away and is only very minutely present in the brewed infusion. However, the must is one of the high notes in the taste, accompanied by a rich woodsy flavor. Deeper notes of wet leather and old lumber. The taste is very well-rounded and extremely enjoyable.

In the second infusion, I tasted a bit of tang. Probably akin to plum.

In following infusions, the flavors blend into a very enjoyable cup. Deep, warm, rich tones of old, wet lumber and leather. I bumped infusion 5 to a ~20 second infusion. The leaf lasted to about 10 infusions for me.

I really enjoyed this one as I don't get to have aged sheng all that often. It's from Houde, but unfortunately was sold out before I could get to more.

Pu-erh Storage Solution

2008-03-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

After looking through various cigar humidors and old furniture pieces, I had a hopeless feeling that nothing would be worth it. I was saddened to think that my pu-erh would be dry-stored for it's entire fermenting life...

That hygrometer is reading a "comfortable" 52% relative humidity. Not comfortable for the pu-erh, I'm afraid. I got to thinking that I should build my own enclosure. Well, not having any good wood for the job, I decided to go for the next best, cardboard.

Yep, that's right, 100% cardboard paneling...
That's the front, with at least a little bit of aesthetic bettering done.

You'll notice that all the cardboard ended up with plastic wrapping all over it. This is because the cardboard alone made the chamber even more dry by absorbing all the excess moisture that my pu-erh needed. So I wrapped it, and in doing so, solved the problem.

As you have already spotted, I had to add a fair bit of water to the environment. I started with just a very small bowl which turned out to not be enough, and I ended up with this setup...
...Which did the trick. :)

I made a graph on the relative humidity levels. It starts a bit chaotic because I was excitedly pouring hot water into the bowl to raise the humidity. The first steadying is marked by the switch to leaving the water at room temperature. The second change (for the better, into the target range), is when I changed from the small bowl to the three larger vesicles.
The graph is clickable for an enlarged version.

As the graph shows, the numbers are looking better. Now my pu-erh and I can rest comfortably.

2006 Yongpinhao Yiwu Zheng Shan

2008-02-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

Another Yiwu for the collection.

Picking off leaves for the first brew goes well until I find these odd plastic-like strands:

I don't know what they are. They feel more organic than plastic, like rice-paper. Perhaps scraps from the production of the neifei(inner ticket). I found more of this stuff on the backside of the cake. It will probably be something thats dispersed throughout the life of the beeng.

Plastic pieces out...

On to the brewing...

2006 Yongpinhao Yiwu Zheng Shan
During the rinsing, I find an aroma coming off the wet leaf that I've never smelled before. At first, the smell reminds me in one way or another of hair. As I continue sniffing, I smell something that reminds me of a desert. There's a dry floral quality and a hint of fruit.

1st Infusion
The liquor is very clear. A pale yellow with hints of green. I don't think the leaves fully woke up from the single rinse. The smell is pretty floral, with hints of fruit. The taste is dominated by a fruity flavor. There's no leather or dirt taste to this pu-erh. The main flavor has a lemon-like taste without the citrus. Also in the taste, following the lemon, is a muted wood flavor.

2nd Infusion
The aroma that was coming off the leaf is definitely more pronounced now. It is a strong odor of wood. Like what fills your nose when you walk into a home-improvement warehouse. There's almost a spice to it, like the smell of dry cayenne or cinnamon. The second infusion's color is pretty much the same, but slightly more yellow with some cloudiness. The aroma is muted, but has notes of both wood and dried fruit. The first flavor to hit the tongue in this infusion is the wood. Not dominant over the dried fruit The two flavors are now pretty equal, complimenting each other.

The tea tastes clean, fresh, mellow, and slightly sweet. I've noticed many Yiwu shengs share these characteristics when they're young. What's particular about this one is the dried-fruit-lemon peel flavor, and the prominent aroma of wood from the wet leaf. In appearance, the wet leaf is mostly green, typical for a young sheng, and some yellow with a couple pale yellow leaves.

3rd Infusion
The aroma seems to stick to the leaves, as the brewed tea carries only muted notes of wood, but the wet leaf still throws out a strong wood aroma. The tea this time carries a little less flavor. The lemon taste now comes out just on top of the wood and is followed by a smooth, sweet finish.

4th Infusion
Gave it a little more time, about 30 seconds. Came out better. A slight hint of astringency accompanying the wood at high temperature. As the tea cools, the flavors are brought back into balance to give a smooth and mellow cup. Wood being complimented by dry lemon peel.

5th Infusion

The color is on the verge of decreasing, the flavor is in balance, but has decreased. I figure this is the last developing steep, but I will probably get two more good ones out.

Overall Impressions: 2006 Yongpinhao Yiwu Zheng Shan
I think this tea is well done. As with most of the Yiwu I have, this pu-erh is young, but already pleasant and drinkable. The wet leaf of this one lets off a very dominant and persistent aroma of fresh and cleanly cut wood. Like that of a home-improvement store. The flavor was composed of wood and lemon-peel(without any citrus bite). The two flavors complimented each other, but one of them was usually more prominent in the taste.

It will be interesting to see what the lemon and wood aromas develop into over time. Although this one is nice young, it's going into the aging section for the time being. When I'm in the mood for pu-erh, 2006's are usually just a tad too young. Being young, they are a bit similar to green tea, and when I want green tea, I'm pulling out the kyuusu.

Cheap Gongfu Tea Table - Puerhshop

2008-02-23T17:59:00.000-08:00

I just got my first real gongfu tea table from Puerhshop . Gongfu tables are small table-top tables that have some way of catching water for making tea gongfu-style. For a while I'd been looking through all the choices. At first I wanted one that was like a box, then I decided against it because I didn't want water sitting directly on the wood for extended periods. So then I decided I wanted one with a drain tube so that I could have the excess water go directly into a small container seperate from the tea table. Realizing that all the ones I wanted would have to be shipped from China put me off from buying for a while. I didn't want to have to pay $20 or more for shipping that could take around a month.

Eventually, I found a small table being sold for $16 from a shop in the U.S. When I noticed that it would only cost an extra couple of dollars to ship it, I decided to buy the table. The picture on the site wasn't far from horrific, so I wasn't expecting much. But when it came, I was pleasantly surprised. At first glance, it looked an order of magnitude better than I thought it would.

The table has a nice, dark stain that really enhances its looks. Removing the tray showed me that I had lucked out. I found that it was (kind of) hooked up for a drain tube!

Well, on closer inspection, I found that it wasn't ready for the drain tube at all!

Thinking of all the ways to cut up that plastic tray scared me because it would prove next to impossible to find a replacement if I messed up. I decided to play it safe(r) and send an email to Puershop to see if they had the wisdom on how to do it right. I'll wait it out and see what they say, and I welcome any suggestions on what you think is the best way to go about this.

On closer scrutinization, I did find some small imperfections. Mostly just things to do with the glazing. Not every single inch being covered, and a very small glob of glaze left on. None of these really matter as I scored this tray for about $18 total instead of spending $50-$100 on a nicer one.

Pictures

Overall Impressions: Gongfu Tea Table
For $16, and little extra for shipping, this is probably the best tea-table deal on the net. For anyone looking for a table, and not looking to spend too much, I strongly recommend this cheap Gongfu Tea Table. It can either be used with a removable tray, or a drain tube (hopefully!), and has a removable top for easy cleaning and any other reasons.

O-Cha Washi Tin and Kabusecha Sencha

2008-02-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

After a long week, and an extra mail delay due to President's day, I received my O-cha order. Highlighted in the order are the new O-cha Tamaryokucha, the Kabusecha sencha, and a beautiful red Washi tin. I ordered the tamaryokucha because I absolutely love this kind of tea (also known as Guricha), and added in the Kabusecha as a daily sencha. I've also been needing more double-lidded tins, which are best for air-tightness, so I added to the order one of each tin. I already had one of the $8 tins, so I knew I could expect a perfect-sized tin with an excellent seal. I decided to buy the washi tin because I thought my tea deserved something beautiful to reside in.

The Washi Green Tea Canisters from O-cha are "handmade with Japanese washi wazome paper" which results in each being a beautiful and individual tin. There's no way to choose which color or design. I thought it would be a welcome surprise, and it was.

The inner lid fits fairly well, and I consider it to be air-tight. The outer-lid is also fairly snug, and perhaps air-tight as well. Double-lidded tins are the best because if theres a flaw in one of the lids, it is usually covered by the other one.

I'm happy I bought the tin, because now I can open my bag of Kabusecha sencha and dump it right in.

Kabusecha Reveiw
The smell of the kabusecha upon opening the bag is not extravagant. Though it does smell great, with a heavy grassiness and a pleasing sweetness. The leaf is not overly broken up and has a nice needle shape. The tin perfectly fits the entire 100 gram bag of sencha after tapping it to help the leaf settle.

How To Brew Sencha
For this session, I will use my small kyuusu which holds around 190mL. I will fill it with hot water first, then pour that water into my chawan (tea bowl, what I drink my sencha from). This will preheat both pieces. I'll then fill the kyuusu with boiled water, and let the water cool to ~176°f. Then I'll throw in 2 teaspoons of leaf and let that steep for 1.5 minutes. That's for the first steep. For the second infusion, I'll put 178°f water into the still-warm kyuusu, and let it steep for 30 seconds total, including the pour. The third will be about 182°f for 80 seconds.

The larger size of the leaf reminds me that this sencha will be less-steamed than what I'm used to. 2 teaspoons is what I usually use for this 190mL teapot, although I wonder if this lesser-steamed sencha would turn out better with more.

1st Infusion
The tea came out very clear, as is usual with first steeps. The color is a very light green which looks more yellow under incandescent light. The aroma is light with deep vegetal notes and a slight grassiness. The taste is also considerably light, yet very delectable. Noted is a mellow sweetness, perhaps from brewing a little cooler. The leaf might want to be brewed hotter, around 180°f to bring out more aroma and heighten the flavors. As it is, the mellow sweetness is accompanied by a broad range of vegetal flavor and partnered with an undertone of grassiness.

As I wash down the final sip of the first steep, I remark that the flavor is not intense. There are not sharp flavors as there are with tamaryokucha, and no extremely bold flavor that we find in fukamushi. The flavor is instead a balance of vegetal and grassy flavors, accompanied all the while by a sweetness.

This "vegetal" flavor I speak of is defined differently by different people. Some people find this "vegetal" flavor to remind them of asparagus, while it reminds some of green beans. It might remind some people of spinach, and still others of broccoli. I call it "vegetal" because I can't find it similar enough to any vegetable in particular to call it by that vegetable.

There seems to be a certain smell residing in my bowl after this steep that is reminding me of "dried up" syrup (syrup never really dries, but gets sticky. Touching the bottom of the bowl insures me that it is not sticky). I've noticed this smell regularly with sencha, and find it interesting. It's intriguing that such a healthy beverage can leave behind a smell that reminds me of liquid sugar.

2nd Infusion
The second steep came out with a greener, cloudier brew, as is usual. Not cloudy enough to be seen of as a good fukamushi, so it is still relatively clear. The aroma is more present than in the first infusion. The aroma is mostly vegetal with the grassy smell all but lost. This infusion is still tasty and sweet. The vegetal flavor is dominant, with side-notes of grass. I want to claim that a slight woodsy taste is present, but it isn't bold enough for me to be sure. The ever-present flavor of this infusion is the vegetalness. I expect successive infusions to just be a downplay of the vegetal flavor, with the hidden caramalized sweetness coming out more dominantly in later steeps.

Overall Impressions: Kabusecha
When I first saw the unbroken nature of the leaf, I expected a brew that was more asamushi (lightly steamed) than I was used to. I've had many asamushis, and the kabusecha reminded me of the general category. The grassiness was a welcome involvement in the flavor, which set it apart from previous asamushis. I enjoy this tea, and welcome it to my tea cabinet as an inexpensive daily drinker. Comparing it to the daily-drinking Sencha Fuka-Midori from Den's tea, I'd rather shell out the extra $6 and get the Kabusecha.

Overall Impressions: Washi Green Tea Canister
The first thing that shows is the tin's beauty. Hand-wrapped with washi wazome paper, and an indent on the lid that helps in lining up the design on the lid to the design on the canister. The function of this tin excels as well. A second inner-lid helps seal the green tea leaf in nicely so that fresh tea can be enjoyed even longer. The best part about this tin is its beauty. If I were to recommend it to anyone, a few words relating to good looks would definitely come up.

Mellow Monk's Top Leaf Tamaryokucha

2008-02-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

Looks like I get to satisfy the curiosity of sencha drinkers everywhere with this review. More Guricha! Mellow Monk's Top Leaf tamaryokucha is what's in the pot today. Here is the description from the Monk's website:

This is our top-of-the-line honcha, or traditional green tea. Top Leaf tea is specially pampered in its own separate corner of the tea orchard. Not only does this tea receive extra fertilizer (organic, of course) during the growing season, but at harvest time, the growers pick only the top layer of young tea leaves. The result is a distinctive, more subtle, gentler flavor. This tea is always first flush.

Top Leaf comes from the Aso region of the Japanese island of Kyushu. All of Mellow Monk's tea comes direct from small family-farms that have been certified ecologically friendly by Japan's Eco Farmer program.

The Tea

The aroma of the dry leaf is mild and mellow, but carries with it the tantalizing tang noted in the previous post. This tang smell is exclusive to the leaf of guricha. The leaf is in amazing shape compared to the usual broken up sencha leaf. This shows that care really did go into the processing of this tea.

For this first steep, I used 1.5 teaspoons leaf in 180mL of 176°f water for 1 minute. The Mellow Monk advises simple brewing, paying no mind to thermometers, timers and the like. I decided to go my usual route, as appealing as simple brewing sounds. I do wonder whether there might have been a tea-scientist of days past, putting sand grains in a glass vial for exact brewing. :)

The scent from the brew is mellow and slightly earthy. Upon tasting, the slight tang presents itself to the palate. The tea at first tastes very clean and mellow with some earthiness, and is followed by a soft bite of tang characteristic of guricha. The tang is predominantly present in the aftertaste. The gist of this first steep is that the tea has a very clean taste. Den's guricha had a much stronger bite of tang, which was a kick to the tastebuds. This tea is different in that it brings into the picture a slight earthy taste, but is still characterized by the guricha tangy aftertaste. I feel that I can taste the more organic methods used in growing the plants, and perhaps even the volcanic soil of the Aso volcano.

For the second steep I decided to go with 180° water to see if I could bring out any hiding tastes. The result has an aroma similar to that of most sencha second steeps. It has a deep vegetal-sweet aroma as well as a ghost of something that smells almost citrus. The taste has smoothed into a deep vegetal-sweetness that reminds me of second steep fukamushicha. The characteristic guricha taste is still present, but has gone down to a much deeper flavor, and can no longer be seen as a "bite." This second steep is thick, and just as flavorful or moreso than our famed fukamushi, but the taste resides in mellow vegetal-sweetness with no burst of flavor.

In comparison, Den's guricha packed a punch of flavor that made me believe could only be done with heavy chemical fertilizing. Mellow Monk's Top Leaf, whether fully organic or not, brings a much cleaner and mellow flavor profile to the palate, while balancing in an earthy undertone to a sweetly green tea. What I realize now is that the mellow flavor profile is brought about by the use of the uppermost tea leaves put into this tea. Tea buds and younger leaves always bring about a more mellow tea. The Top leaf is very interesting. Next session will see more leaf go into the brew. Right now, I'm thinking 2.2 teaspoons would bring about something different. If this additional leaf adds a new dimension, I'll throw up a post. I also have some the Monk's Choice to review on another day.

Den's Guricha / Tamaryokucha

2008-01-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

Well isn't it about time for a green tea review?

I hold in my hand a wonderful tea that hails from the shizuoka prefecture of Japan.

This beautiful green leaf is called Guricha, also known as tamaryokucha. This particular one comes from the online shop of Shirakata Denshiro Shoten, known to us as Den's tea. There are other vendors that carry this tea, and I look forward to tyring them all in time. There is very little information to be found about tamaryokucha, but from what I've gathered, it differs from normal sencha by having comma-shaped leaves instead of the rolled needle form of most sencha, as well as a quite different flavor profile. The comma-shape is said to be caused by the omission of a later rolling/kneading process involved in sencha production. Other sources say that the leaf follows the same processing as most sencha, but in the final stage it is rolled into comma form instead of needle form. Tamaryokucha and guricha translate to "curly green tea," reflecting the shape of it's leaves.

I have been using 1.5 tsp leaf in 175ml water at 176°f for 1 minute. (I let my water cool in the kyuusu, so this is the temp at which I throw the leaf in. Steep time includes pour.) If overbrewed, this tea won't become as astringent as sencha normally does, but it will become unpleasant in a way that is all it's own. So don't beat up the leaf, or you'll be left with a less-than-worthy cup.

The dry leaf smells amazing with a pungent smell similar to that of a good karigane. The leaf also smells sweet and slightly grassy.

Guricha Leaf in the drained pot is delicious-looking: dark green with some lime-green leaves. As I look at them, I notice I used slightly less leaf than normal.

The aroma is similar to gyokuro in that it is sweet and mellow, but hiding in the fragrance is a wonderful tartness that is usually associated with karigane. (The sniffer is a little broken right now.)

The first steeps liquor is clear as opposed to the cloudiness of fukamushi, but it carries a vibrant yellow-green.

(The picture of the tea didn't come out well and is somewhat inaccurate. Don't take it to heart.)

The flavor is amazing. At first it resembles gyokuro with its mellow sweetness. Then, with a little percolation and a sloshing of the tea around the taste buds, the sides of the tongue pick up a wonderful pungency similar to karigane, but tied into that tart flavor is the mellow sweetness that resembles gyokuro. The aftertaste is incredible for a green tea. A mellow tartness sticks to the back of the tongue and throat, while the deep sweetness pleases the palate during exhalation. This tea gives my mouth a lasting flavor profile that is most enjoyable.

I'll have to wait a short while for my palate to become unsaturated with the goodness of this leaf before going for a second steep.

For the second steep, 176°f for 30 seconds(including pour).
The liquor of the second brew has more color, and a slight cloudiness, but the aroma of the tartness has decreased, and the tea still gives off a sweet vegetal aroma.

As expected from the aroma, the taste of the pungent tartness has decreased and it has been blended into the grand sweetness of the tea. The tea is much sweeter, and more vegetal. The tartness is still present, but has lessened and is more incorporated with the overall sweetness of the tea.

I really love this tea. Right now, it's place is at the top of my favorite list. O-cha.com is going to start carrying their own soon, and an online vendor named Mellow Monk exclusively carries this kind of Japanese green tea. In fact, I just found a blog post by the Mellow Monk about Guricha/Tamaryokucha in general. Tamaryokucha = Guricha by the Mellow Monk. It's a good post that sums up the curly leaf, and actually is a response to a few posts I made a while back.

I'll throw up some more reviews on this curly green tea in the future. Until then, enjoy your tea.

-Wes

2004 Yan-Ching Hao

2008-01-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

2004, fairly young. I ordered this sample from Hou De and got what seems to be the final chunk of the cake. The leaf appears typical of a young sheng, smallish leaf, and slightly darkened past the new-green stage.

I chipped off a few good chunks, used 2 10 second rinses to break them up. I snuck a sniff during the first rinsing, and it smelled of sweet caramel.

1st Steep: The lid of the gaiwan carries the sweet caramel aroma, while the wet leaf has the characteristic tough leather smell. The tea smells of the light caramel mixed with a healthy fresh wood. The taste is characterized by caramelized sugar. Mostly caramel, with a dark toffee. - A clean bark smell is also present, which also is in the taste of the tea. Tastes of roasted sugar, caramel, and a clean woody-bark compose the tea. Also notices is a bit of cloudiness in the tea.

The lid of the gaiwan again smells like caramel, which is also present in the smell of the wet leaf. The wet leaf is also accompanied by a dry grass smell, and faint leather. I think I might be feeling a dose of qi from the first steeping.

2nd Steep (20s): Smell hasn't changed much, but the taste has changed from the dominant caramel, to blend with a stronger light leather, and some deep notes of wood. Cloudiness also present. - At a temperature that is more warm than hot, the caramel flavor is more present, with a hit of wood, and a sweet aftertaste of roasted sugar (huigan).

At this point, I feel a definite high on qi, perhaps some teadrunkness.

3rd Steep (~20s): A rounding of the flavors leaves it harder to differentiate, but with a bit of percolation, the wood is the most dominant flavor acting. Still, the aftertaste is of sweet caramel (huihan). Leaves an odd coarse, sweet, and airy throat feel.

4th Steep (~30s): A lighter sweetness with the woodiness being fresh, light, and slightly floral. Lighter altogether. - Still sweet, and again, more percolation is giving more woodsy flavor and aftertaste.

The leaves are looking slightly light brown.

5th Steep (40s): The liquor has turned slightly lighter. The leatherness is now identifiable, complimented by slight woodsiness. The sweetness is light, but still present. - The leather and the wood go well together, and compose the character of this 5th infusion.

I'll go for one more infusion with this. The leaf has an almost animalian smell.

6th Steep (~65s): A long steep gives the liquor back a little color. This is a good last steep, light, yet still sweet. Carrying more leather this steep, I would say the leathery taste is the main characteristic here.

Retrospect
This 2004 sheng gave me something I've never gotten from a tea before, that is a sweet and strong caramel character. That is what makes this one so interesting. It starts with a dominant flavor of roasted sugar and caramel, but into the 3rd steep it rounds out into a balances tea, then afterwards it turns to a more characteristic sheng, with a hint of leather, and a fresh, dry woodsiness. I really like this one, perhaps mostly because of it's sweet beginnings, but it still delivers complexity, especially with more percolation. The sweet aftertaste (huigan) is a definite plus. Hou De doesn't have the cake up for sale, and only one sample left... but I heard that the price for the whole beeng was around $135, more than I'd like to spend.

2005 Ming-Yuan Hao Yi-Wu

2008-01-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

A 2005 harvest makes this one of the youngest shengs I've ever tried. I've had luck with Yiwu leaf before (2003 Keyixing), and was told this is similar, so I decided to give it a try. If I like it, I might buy a whole cake.

The leaves are giant, as long as my longest finger.

After two rinses, the leaves smell like crispy leather, sharper, a bit like a live animal, similar to hair.

From the brew I get a smell of dry, dead grass, and a light, dry woodsiness. The color is a healthy amber with some orange.

Taste: Surprisingly smooth! A warm welcome cup that is not intense with flavor, but has a hint of smokiness. Not dry or sharp, the third infusion (post-two rinses) has a smoothness and balance of flavor. The light, calm leather flavor lingers on the palate. VERY GOOD!

The wet leaf now has a smoky/mesquite hint, and a slight sandy smell.

The 2nd steep smells more of the dry-grass and also the barbecue smokiness. Again, incredibly smooth! Warm, and sensuous, this tea is very well balanced, with only a hint of astringency, which is actually welcome. There is also an odd sweetness that is actually a high note, not a deep sweetness, but an open, light, yet smacking sweetness.

At this point, I think I've decided on buying a whole cake.

The 3rd steep (5th infusion, after 2 rinses) has a flavor that is more smoky, a tad more astringent, which is contrary to the norm. Perhaps because of a longer steep time.

Feeling a little tea-drunk at this time, but the 4th steep is once again a brilliant balance of flavors. No unwelcome flavors to unbalance the tea; neither too much smoke, nor astringency. I feel that this tea lacks a strong character, and is instead a wonderfully smooth balance of many light flavors.

Well, 5th steep carries a woodsy aroma and flavor, perhaps giving this tea a character of light flavors of leather and wood in a very equal balance. Yet the overall flavor has become even lighter.

The leaf is slightly amber, past green, and reminds me of the '03 Keyixing Yiwu.

A longer steep-time for the 6th brings back a little bit of the leather, and a deeper woodsiness, and a bite of astringency. Also lighter in color. This is either the falling off point, or the saturation point of my taste buds.

This one was a great session. After two rinses the first cup came out smooth and rounded, with a good blend of light, welcome flavors. The tea lasted well into 6 infusions, and gave gave me a very satisfying drink. I still have about two-thirds of this sample, but I may go ahead and buy the cake, perhaps along with some more samples. This is the best young puerh I've had to date.

1996 Chung-Cha. Menghai. "Orange-in-Orange."

2008-01-10T13:51:00.000-08:00

This is my first aged puerh. The leaves were picked and pressed in 1996. Which makes this tea almost 12 years old.

The leaf is so dark that I would easily mistake it for a cooked "shou" puerh. Unlike shou, the smell is more dry and leathery, opposed to shou's musky, muddy, fruity smell.

The aroma of the leaf is very earthy, dark and dank, similar to a shou.

While smelling the tea, an old, dark leather comes to mind. As well as a musty bookcase, but the tea has just a hint of the mustiness. There is also a fruitiness present in the tea. Not a light yummy fruitness, but the tangy sweetness most fruits have.

The wet leaf smells strongly of dark leather, and wet bark.

The second infusion is sweeter, more mellowed out, with the strong leather flavor blending into the others to give an overall deepness of flavor. I get a hint of an old car in the smell, but overall, the flavor is extremely earthy.

The wet leaf has the light-dark brown color that is characteristic to black tea.

The third infusion is marvelous. All the stronger flavors noted earlier have blended to give a very well rounded drink. The strong leather flavor is no longer predominant, and the tea has become mostly a very earthy drink, with wet bark and dark, wet wood chracterizing the taste.

The wet leaf now smells more woodsy than leathery.

The fourth infusion is similar to the third, except perhaps lighter, or maybe wasn't given enough time, or maybe my taste buds are become saturated.
The fifth is milder as well. Smoother in the sense that it has less strong flavor.
The sixth, after being brewed for 2 minutes carries a heavier leather taste.

Too much tea. Need food.

NEW FUKAMUSHI SUPREME

2007-12-27T17:27:00.000-08:00

My favorite type of tea has washed ashore at O-cha.com

Fukamushi Sencha Supreme

Today I opened my little baggie of Fukamushi Supreme I ordered from Kevin at O-cha.com the moment he brought it online.

I have to say: WOW. This stuff is not only one of the best fukamushi's I have had, it is the SUPREMEST.

The dry leaf smells incredible, better than any other sencha I've had.

The wet leaf smells the cleanest I've ever born witness too.

Steep after steep, this tea delivers the utmost clean and quality taste and feel.

Movies!

2007-12-18T00:40:00.000-08:00

You guessed it, my other favorite thing to do is watch movies.

Two compatible hobbies, what could be better?

Anyways, I've decided to log some of my thoughts on this cascade of movies for all to view.

The Movie Solution

http://themoviesolution.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Tip

2007-11-17T19:11:00.001-08:00

Hey. I've been real busy lately, but here's a fun tea-tip:

Sencha:

Brewing at a higher temperature brings out more aroma, but more astringency as well.
While brewing at a cooler temperature bring out a sweeter flavor, but less aroma.

Aura Baozhong. Adagio Baozhong.

2007-11-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

I received a few samples of tea from Aura Teas today.

Among them was this Formosa Wenshan Baochong.

The dry leaf smells like a lightly oxidized "green oolong" It reminds me of Adagio's pouchong, but with less of the earthy smells. After thinking about it for a minute, I realized that both these teas are really Baozhong. Baozhong is a variation of oolong that is lightly oxidized, producing a green, sweet cup. Both Aura's and Adagio's originate from Taiwan. There are Chinese-grown baozhongs, but I believe these should probably be avoided, just like Chinese senchas.

For a long time, my favorite teas were these kinds of lighter oolongs. Probably because they are predominantly sweet, and very forgiving in their steep time. One day I got a stomach ache after drinking some. Then again the next day. I decided to let it rest for a while, and never really got back into the green oolongs. Today I'll try these two Baozhongs from Adagio and Aura.

Baozhong

Aura's:

Adagio's:

The dry leaf of Aura's smells sweet, in the way that green oolongs do, and lightly earthy.
In contrast, Adagio's has a bit of a deeper sweet in the smell, while also smelling much more earthy.

I brewed them both at about 1 layer of leaves on the bottom of my 125 mL gaiwan at 190° for 3 minutes, not according to any instructions. By the way, with large leaf teas like oolong, it can turn out that you can only fit 1 leaf on a teaspoon, so they often require either weighing, or just a good visualization.

Aura

Aura's smells honey-suckle sweet. Lightly floral.
The taste is very nice. Having good balance of floral sweetness while being very smooth.
I was surprised by the 2nd infusion here. As always, the first infusion wakes up the leaves after having been dried. The second infusion had a nuance of a smoky smell, similar to gunpowder.
The taste turned out quite pleasant, with a more rounded flavor, losing any sharper floral notes to the deep sweetness. The taste still has an airy floral quality to it.
The third steeping is still tasty, but very rounded off.

Adagio

In order to compare, I used the same methods as with Auras.
The tea's fragrance is much stronger than Aura's. It smells a bit less sweet while putting off a sharp floral montage, as well as a heavy earthiness.
The taste is very earthy. I would call it a sweet, floral earthiness because it is predominantly earthy. The flavor is not that pleasant.
The 2nd steeping smells less earthy and more sweet, with deeper floral notes. The taste, however, has become predominantly floral, with a heavy backing of sweetness.
The 3rd steeping is a bit "off." Tasting seperate floral, earthy, and sweet flavors.

Retrospect
The Pouchong from Adagio was not as pleasing. It was very obvious that this earthiness was no good and that the pouchong was simply not well-rounded. In truth, Aura's Baozhong arrived today, and I received Adagio's baozhong a couple months ago. Although I ordered Adagio's right when they got it in, you never know how long its been in the chain from Asia to America.

Recommendations
Both teas would be great as an introduction to Baozhong, or to green oolongs in general. Pouchong was my favorite tea during my first few intiation months into the world of tea. Adagio's might be better if you're looking to pick out the different qualities of a baozhong, as the flavors are not blended together, but I believe Aura's is more pleasing. In my opinion: because it's flavors are blended together, which allows it to be easily perceived as a whole, while Adagio's flavors are seperate, which may leave someone to wonder what a baozhong is really all about.

Aura's tea shop can be found here.

Adagios tea shop can be found here.

Organic Wuyi Qi Lan

2007-10-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about Wuyi tea, or oolong tea in general. I am more of a green tea drinker. It's the scenario of needing a darker tea in the morning that leads me down the path to wuyi. Put simply, oolong tea is a halfway tea between black and green. It is more oxidized than green, but the oxidation process is stopped before it becomes black tea. Other processes that make oolong what it is could be brought on by a roasting process. Wuyi oolong is tea from the Wuyi Mountains of China.

Wuyi tea's individuality is said to be caused by the rocky soil and microclimate of these mountains. This is of course in addition to the tea varietal that grows there.

Wuyi tea is good in the morning because it carries a bigger kick of caffeine, has a more complex flavor variety, and is shrouded in sweetness. It is also very easy on the stomach, allowing me to drink it before any kind of breakfast, like today. I also have black teas in the morning sometimes, but the reason I like to have wuyi is because of it's complexity of flavor, and the lower amount of caffeine. For me, I seem to drink black tea mostly for the caffeine, while wuyi gives me both the caffeine, and the flavor.

I have only tried 3 different Wuyi teas. One from Adagio, which was a good introduction, another I got in a tasting pack from puerhshop, which was heavily fired, and thus a little intense. The third is Rishi's Organ Wuyi Qi Lan.

Rishi's Qi Lan is my favorite of the three. It is more complex than Adagio's, and less intense then Puerhshop's. On to the tea:

The aroma of the dry leaves is very pleasing. Getting the dry smell from the leaves is hard. What I do is take a small amount of leaves, and place them in the palm of my hand, the moisture from my hand releases the aroma of the leaves. The aroma given off is a deep, roasted-sugar sweetness, along with some roasted raisin-like complexity.

I put enough leaves to cover the whole bottom of the small yixing pot.

The brewing parameters I've been using are roughly 208°f for 3.5 - 4 minutes. But I have been told that wuyis are normally prepared with short steeps. For now, my methods are working wonderfully.

My camera is still having a hard time focusing on the tea. :(

TEA

Smell
Roasted sugar, sweet, complex. A nice dry wood fragrance, perhaps slightly barky, and accompanied a bit by the raisin-sweetness.

Taste
1st Steep
Strong and sweet, and just as the description on the bag says, a dry kick of roasted sugar. The sweetness seems to be coming from a raisin-like presence. The woody flavors, and roasted flavors are a bit intense, sharp.
2nd Steep
The tea becomes better rounded, with a less "complex" feel. Woodsy flavors are more present, and the roasted sugar flavor has blended into the rasin-sweetness. Perhaps the taste also becomes a bit lighter in the second steeping. As tea cools to a warm temperature, it becomes predominantly sweet, but the sweetness seems to be somehow "complex."
3rd Steeo
Third steeping is still very nice. Reaching a state that perhaps can not be any more rounded. Deep sweet flavors of raising and sugar have blended. The tea has become slightly lighter as well. Less woodsy flavor.

And the remnants:

As you can see in these pictures, some of the leaves are green, some brown. All the wuyis I've had have been like this. But I have been told that not all wuyis show this characteristic. This leads me to believe that all the wuyis I've had are a blend of some kind.

Conclusion
This is my favorite Wuyi. Absolutely wonderful. It is very satisfying as a morning tea. A good pick-me-up and an awesome complexion of flavors. It is this tea that may lead me to experiment more with wuyis. I recommend this tea to anyone who hasn't yet had the pleasure of trying a Wuy oolong tea. Rishi's Organic Wuyi Qi Lan is one of the most complex teas I've had the pleasure of drinking.

Adagio's Anteadote

2007-10-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

I, like a few other tea-bloggers, recently received a complimentary box of Anteadote iced teas. Adagio carries these organic, unsweetened iced teas on their website. The 5 flavors they currently carry are: Black, Oolong, Green, White, and Jasmine.

They all have Vitamin C added as a preservative instead of the usual junk present in iced teas. The problem is that the vitamin C puts off a little bit of a taste into the tea.

Summaries

Oolong: This one is the best. Made with Ti Kuan Yin, this tea is pleasantly sweet, carrying the floral notes of a green-oolong. The taste of the vitamin c is either not present, or blends in magnificently.

Black: Made with a nice Yunnan black tea, this anteadote carries the sweet flavors of a good black tea on a creamy-smooth finish. Vitamin C flavor doesn't interfere.

Jasmine: I've only tried one jasmine tea before which was extremely over-flavored. This tea is much better, tasting mildly of fruity/floral jasmine.

White: Made with White Peony, this tea tastes like white peony, but the "berriness" of the peony has turned a bit earthy. This tea also has a significant aftertaste of vitamin C.

Green: This was the only tea I was truly disappointed with. Through the whole bottle, there was nothing for me to taste but that funky off-flavor of vitamin C which is mildly present in the other teas. I do not recommend this one.

Recommendations
Out of this series, I would recommend the jasmine anteadote to those who enjoy the flavor of jasmine. The black I would recommend to all who think they may like a good-tasting, unsweetened, black iced tea(I'm not a black-tea person myself, but I rather enjoy this one). I recommend the oolong to everyone!
(I recommend passing on the green and the white.)

A Sweet Day for Sencha

2007-10-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

I recently made my first purchase from a tradition Japanese tea shop called Ippodo. I turned to Ippodo because they have an excellent deal on a matcha kit. I had been interested in matcha for a while before I got around to getting this kit. Unlike most teas, matcha comes as a powder made from ground leaves. The leaves used are shade-grown to help give matcha a sweeter flavor and less bitterness, this is necessary, because with matcha, you mix the ground leaves in water. This means that you are essentially consuming every portion of the tea leaf. You can imagine that consuming the entire leaf would give more health benefits, but it also gives a massive kick of caffeine. I have recently heard it rather accurately described as the espresso of green tea.

We'll wait to go in-depth on the matcha kit and matcha in general for now. If you want to read a few informative posts about matcha, then check out Tea Nerd's Matcha Madness (1 2 3).

Today is a day for Sencha.
Along with the matcha kit, I also ordered a 100 gram bag of Sencha Hosen from Ippodo teas. Described as being well-balanced, with "subtle sweetness, elegant fragrance and fresh aftertaste" this tea seemed to be a good choice, and was recommended by a couple of seasoned sencha drinkers.

The dry leaf smells fresh and sweet, with a hint of tang. A deep dark green with a bit of shine.

While the wet leaves are
a bright, healthy green.

Using the testing parameters:
3.5 tsp/300mL
175° for 1.5 minutes

We get a cup that is more yellow than green:

Despite the unfavorable color, the tea permeated the air with a sweet fragrance of honey with a floral note. Perhaps a honeysuckle smell. The sweetness of Hosen is very different from the sweetness of fukamushi. While fukamushi is more of a grassy-vegetal sweet, the hosen is a floral-honey sweet.

Taste
I was at first taken aback by it's similarity to my mothers teabags. The taste is plainly sweet, with only a loose and light addition of floralness. I am reminded of sucking on a honey-straw with a light, fresh breeze in the air. At lower temperatures, the sweetness tends to take on a more fruity-honeydew quality. This honeydew sweetness is more enjoyable than the honey-sweetness as it adds a rounded fruitiness, and a floral-fruity aftertaste.
A confusing drink, at times I am reminded of honey-sticks, at times I am reminded of dead grass. I would not recommend this tea to a seasoned sencha drinker, but perhaps to a new convert who still needs to be driven into the tea-world by a sweet tea.
The 2nd steeping creates a more cloudy brew. But not the cloudiness we enjoy from fukamushi, a more yellow cloudiness that for some reason is a lot less appetizing. The smell, however, is back to the floral-honey, while the taste has lessened greatly. Still honey-sweet, but much less so. During this steeping the Hosen tastes primarily like hot water. Mixing up the tea bits from the bottom adds a bit more of the honeydew sweetness. Perhaps my honey-sweet taste buds have simply been overloaded, nonetheless, this second-steeping is not so pleasant.

In summary, Sencha Hosen lacks complexity, donating a simple floral-honey-sweetness to the cup, which gains favor as it turns to a fruity-honeydew sweetness at a lower temperature in the first infusion. The second infusion becomes slightly cloudy, with less sweetness and even less complexion. I would give this tea as recommendation to those people who are new converts to loose green tea, and those who enjoy a simple, sweet tea. For those who enjoy a grassy, green sencha, this is definately not the tea for you.

Rating

4/10 - Good for someone who doesn't drink tea regularly, yet still enjoys something better than a teabag full of fannings.

A Flavor of Japan

2007-10-19T13:44:00.001-07:00

Much has happened since my last update. As can be seen in the last 2 posts, I have gotten deeply involved with a great tea called Fukamushi Sencha. In fact, I have almost entirely diverted my green tea consumption to Japanese teas, and I'm really loving the change. This change could also lead to a very different tea-blog that concentrates almost entirely on Japanese teas(change in title included).
Of the Japanese teas, my primary drink is Sencha. Sencha is the most commonly drunk Japanese tea. The main thing that makes Sencha different from Chinese teas is that it is steamed to stop the oxidation process. In my opinion, this allows Sencha to retain the more grassy flavors, while Chinese(pan-fried)teas take on a more "foody" taste. Sencha carries with it a perfect blend of sweetness, sharpness, and wonderful aroma.

I hope we have all tried Rishi's Fukamushi by now?

If not, you can have the honors!

Hehe, just kidding.

Time for another tea review!

While I was scanning Rishi's selection, I came across an interesting flavored Japanese tea, called Yuzucha.
The reason I decided to give this flavored tea a try was because it seemed strictly Japanese. Yuzu is a small Japanese citrus fruit that is used in various Japanese dishes(wiki), while "cha" means tea. The main ingredient in this blend is a Sencha(1st flush). -I have a slight problem with this assertion, as the Yuzucha is full of stems. This makes it seem to be more of a Kukicha or Karigane(twig teas)-. Also in this yuzu-flavored blend is a small amount of matcha, but not much. I really wish they would have added more matcha, as I find adding matcha to a whole-leaf tea really adds to the fullness of the tea. (The sencha I'm drinking now is Sencha Hosen from Ippodo teas. It produces a very clear, light liquor, so sometimes I add some matcha when I want a more bold and "powerful" tea.)

Getting to the actual leaf, the dry smell is quite intoxicating.

Out of the bag flows a strong, citrus-sour fragrance. The smell is very natural, and very pleasant. The tartness in the smell is a bit similar to Hibiki-an's Karigane Sencha. A tinge of the singular matcha smell follows the citrus.

The dry leaf is very nice, altogether giving high expectations for the brewed tea.

At 3 tsp/300mL for 1:30m:

Sorry about the blurriness, but I just couldn't get it to work. It's also a bit greener in person.

The smell of the tea is predominantly a sourness from the Yuzu. Yet this yuzu smell is followed by a karigane-tartness which is probably the smell of the stems. The smell is also sweet and floral(senchaness).

Tasting the Yuzucha was a bit of a disappointment. It's really not that bad, but the wonderful citrus aroma of the dry leaf leads to expectations of a strong yuzu-citrus flavor. This was not the case. The first noticeable flavor is that of matcha, a deep, yet airy sweetness(this taste is very light). In the background is the mellow, floral sweetness of the Sencha. A light tartness is mildly noticeable as it hits the back of the tongue and the throat, the tartness seems to be a combination of the more sour yuzu with the more "tart" karigane (this tartness develops in the throat, getting stronger and stronger).
Perhaps caused by the accumulation of the yuzu taste in the back of the mouth/throat, the 2nd steeping of the tea tastes more sour(more yuzu). The 2nd steeping also has a deeper flavor of sweetness, more rounded.

In retrospect, the tea is not strongly flavored, but carries a more natural character. I find that I have more respect for a flavored tea that is more of a tea, and less of a flavor. My opinion of this tea is that it is a lightly sour-tart yuzu-flavored karigane tea with a touch of matcha to add a tinge of thickness. Yuzucha will serve well as a mildly flavored tea that can be treated as a palatable departure from the usual grassy and vegetal flavors of Japanese green teas(note: Japanese greens are much more than just "grassy and vegetal!").

With yours truly being neck-deep in schoolwork this quarter, the blog posts will probably decrease greatly in length. I will still try to get notes in on all the "notable" teas I try. Until next time...
I'll be a brewin'

A much greater focus on Japanese teas is taking hold.

A Lesser Fuka

2007-09-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests, this Fukamushi isn't as good as the last one I reviewed from Rishi. This fuka is from Hibiki-an, which is a very good supplier, but lacking in this tea. I was attracted to Hibiki-an for many reasons, they not only ship direct from Japan, but they are a tea farm in Japan, shipping out their very own teas, which they can supply at a low price. Also, an enthusiast very well versed in Japanese teas recommended I try some of their teas. In addition to ordering this enthusiasts favorite (Sencha Karigane), I also decided to try one of their fukamushis, Sencha Fukamushi Superior, at $22 for 200 grams, it's quite a bargain.

A positive note for Hibiki-an is their packaging:

That is one purchase of 200g of Sencha Karigane in two seperate bags, and one purchase of 200g of Sencha Fukamushi Superior.
Of course I got overly excited about the fukamushi, which turned out to be not as good, letting me down :(

The dry product looked very similar to Rishi's fuka:

The smell of the leaf was slightly tart (during my next review will become clear that this "tartness" is a key characteristic of the Karigane), very sweet, with a deep, dark grassiness. The tart smell concerned me because I it could be a sign of contamination of the Karigane into the fuka. But, the tasting went on...

Weapon of Choice: Fukugata

3.5-4 teaspoons for 300ml, the same parameters as for Rishi's fuka, gave me this:

Even with it being the first steeping, the wet product was just not that green, not that full.

The wet leaves were fairly good-looking, but they still have some unhealthy-brown leaves placed throughout:

The cool thing is that one of my preferred cups holds the Fukugata's volume exactly:

The aroma of the tea is very sweet, containing more vegetal notes than grassy ones. The tart from the dry leaf smell is still concerningly present (as an undertone).

The taste of the hot tea is predominantly sweet, accompanied by slight vegetal on top of the tongue, and slight grassiness on the sides of the tongue. Once the tea cools down to a warm-hot temperature, it develops a deeper sweetness with more vegetalness on the top, yet still a noticeable grassiness on the sides. By the time the tea has reached a warm-warm temp, I've lost much of my interest. The tea becomes much more "watery," depicting a loss of desirable flavors. I noticed during this drinking, that when the sediment in the bottom of the cup gets mixed back up into the tea, then a deep sweetness again dominates the flavor of the tea. This is a note to always mix the bits back up into the tea, it allows one to become more intimate with the tea, bringing up flavors that may normally be missed. On a good note, the tartness did not come out in the flavor of the tea, meaning that it was just a contamination of aroma, not actual tea. I'm curious as to what has caused this...

The second steeping was much more aesthetically pleasing, holding a greater opaqueness and a sweeter flavor:

Much better looking indeed :)

The aroma coming from the second steeping was sweeter, less complex, yet still more vegetal than grass. When the tea is hot, the taste is sweet, yet more noticeably grassy. As the temperature lowers, the grassy taste is overtaken by the vegetal-sweetness.

In conclusion, this tea is not as flavorful as Rishi's Fukamushi, even when steeped to the verge of bitterness.
As I unenthusiastically finish the cup, I'm swamped by thoughts of how much better this tea is when combined with a large amount of the Sencha Karigane (which is the best mixture I have devised, and will write a review of soon).
This may just be a case of "not my cup of tea," but I truly believe that this is a fukamushi of lesser quality, and at $22 for 7oz, this is easily conceivable.

On a closing note, I have decide to submerse myself into the world of Pu-erh. For what reasons, I am not entirely sure. I have planned to document my coming into the pu-erh world in a blog, yet I am again irresolute. Should I chronicle my pu-erh tastings and reviews in this blog, or shall I create a new one, specialized for my beginnings of pu-erh, which would eventually show my whole journey through the pu-erh, becoming increasingly more sophisticated and complex. I rather admire the theme that a "Newbie Pu-erh" blog would give, yet it would also be simpler to have enerything in one place...

My Favorite Tea

2007-09-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

For a long time now I've been experimenting with all different kinds of green teas. From Japanese to Chinese, from Gunpowder to Gyokuro. I have probably tried around 40 different greens. Out of all these different teas, I have found the Fukamushi Sencha from Rishi Teas to be my favorite. Fukamushi can simply be considered a Sencha that has been steamed for twice to three times as long. Fukamushi differs from the average Sencha by producing a more emerald green cup, as well as a more opaque liquid due to high particulate matter. The higher particle count, which causes the virescent cloudiness, is probably a result of the deep steaming process, which is harder on the leaves. I have only tried two different Fukamushis, so my experience and knowledge of what makes a good Fukamushi is very limited. So far, I have come to understand that the more opaque the virescence, and the deeper the sweetness, the more I enjoy the Fukamushi. These two factors are what have connected me with the Fukamushi Sencha from Rishi.
As my knowledge of Fukamushi is very limited, this review will be kept very simple.

Upon inspection, the leaves are very broken up, due in part to this being from the end of the bag, and also due to the deep steaming process.

(Me trying to hold it still with shaky hands)

The dry leaves have a very nice smell, they smell very fresh, very "green." They are also quite minty, a nice "grassy mint."

I steeped 3.5 tsp of leaves in my Fukugata at 175° for about 45 seconds.

As you can see, the body of the tea is very opaque, a dark emerald green, which is my favorite in tea.
The aroma from the cup is quite sweet, very vegetal and a light-sweet-grassy smell. The sweetness in the aroma is not all that different from candy, save the sweetness is bolder.

The wet leaves do not appear that different from the dry:

The taste of the tea is very pleasing. At high temperatures, the taste is fairly grassy, yet still quite sweet. As the temperature goes down to more favorable conditions, the sweetness really comes out, but the sweetness comes right along with the vegetal taste. The sides of the toungue pick up the grassiness, which is also accompanied with the sweetness. At even lower temperatures, the tea is simply a very deep, vegetal-sweet. After the tea is all drunk, a light sweetness rests on the toungue. This tea is definately my favorite.

The second steeping is done in the Fukugata at 175° for 30 seconds. Less time is needed because the leaves have now been rejuvenated after their long dry period. The second steeping is even better, letting out a much darker color:

Would you look at how dark that is? It's like magic, this is very definately my favorite tea.
The taste of the second steeping is very similar, but lacking some of the grassy notes, and having an even deeper vegetal-sweetness, even sweeter!
The third and fourth steeping were very similar in all respects, but logically they carried a lighter flavor, yet magically, the color of the tea seemed only to get darker.

This tea has helped me discover my love for fukamushi, with respect to that, this blog will see much more Fukamushi in the future.

Rishi Teas has really been an awesome dealer. If I didn't have a half-pound of Fukamushi to drink from Hibiki-an, I'd be making another order this very minute.

Kasora Teas: Yun-Wu Meilan Chun

2007-09-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

I just recieved my first package from "Kasora Specialty Reserve Teas." From them, I ordered their green tea sampler pack which is made up of four different samples, each less than 1/2 oz. What came was their Ringo Kukicha, Stone Blossom Biluochun, Gyokuro Hoshino, and a Yun-Wu Meilan Chun.
I decided to try the Yun-Wu Meilan Chun first because it had an individual earthy, stone-like aroma, while reminiscent of a spice.

The name is quite confusing, "Yun-Wu" means "clouds and mist" indicating that it may have been grown at a high elevation where clouds create mist in the growing environment. "Meilan" could mean many different things, however "Mei Tsan" is the name of the tea plant this tea comes from, which is a slow-growing variety, often grown at a high-elevation, in a misty environment. After finding multiple different teas with the name Mei Lan to also be made up of tea from this Mei-Tsan plant, I believe this to be the defining connection. "Chun" means either springtime or precious, and with tea, springtime harvests often produce the best teas, so this tea is probably a spring harvest. In retrospect, this Yun-Wu Meilan Chun is from a slow-growing tea plant, grown in a high-elevation misty environment, and harvested in springtime.

As stated previously, the leaves have a particularly individual aroma for a green tea, smelling stone-earthy, while also relating to a stale, old cinnamon.

Loosely following the directions on the back of the tin, I steeped the tea in 175° water with a steep time of 3.5 minutes.

As the leaves became hydrated, it was clear that this tea was typically chinese in the sense that it was made up entirely of small, young leaves. From my experience I've found that the younger the leaves a tea is made up of, the less flavorful it becomes. This said, I was surprised when this tea was done.

The steeped leaves, while looking healthy, were all very young leaves, typical of a Chinese tea.

A pale yellow/green color:

While still having a more pale yellow/green liquor (typical of the less flavorful, young-leaved teas), the aroma that came from the tea was quite different from most greens I have experienced. This tea had a dominantly spice-like aroma, similar to cinnamon, maybe more of a roasted cinnamon. This part of the smell was quite pleasing, but also present was an undertone of a sweet lemon, almost peach-like in it's slight fruitiness.
When tasting the tea, it is sweet and elegant, another light chinese green. The spice is not as present in the taste of the tea as it is in the smell. The taste of spice is much lighter than it's smell, being lightly sweet with an almost mint taste to it. Investigating further, the sides of the tongue pick up a floral note that is slightly bitter at lower temperaturess. The floralness is similar to a dried out, sun-bleached weed-flower, not entirely pleasant.

The second steeping was identical in all aspects except taste.

The taste during the second steeping contained more of the spice, while having less of the fruity undertone. The spice flavor was accompanied by a very stray undertone of wheat.

In conlusion, the Yun-Wu Meilan Chun from Kasora Teas is a fairly good quality tea, being allowed to steep over three minutes without gaining any bitter taste. At over $15/oz I can say that it is a tea that is quite good, yet not one that I will be paying such a high price for. If offered, I would gladly accept a cup of such a tea, and I believe this sample will extinguish fairly quickly.

Fukugata Tokoname Yokode Kyuusu.

2007-08-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

In other words: a Side-handled Japanese teapot made in Tokoname, Japan.

For a long time now I have been enjoying Japanese greens. My favorite of which is Sencha. I will admit that I enjoy Gyokuro more, but Gyokuro is so expensive that it's not a practical tea to drink. The lower price of Sencha allows me to enjoy it more often and to entertain my palate with a wider variety of such greens.
When I first started drinking Sencha, I would use a glass infuser to prepare it. After a few months of tea-drinking, I found that Sencha was the tea I drank the most. When I realized this, I also realized that I should get more serious about my Sencha drinking by buying a teapot made especially for Sencha. I looked through over 50 teapots before deciding on Rishi Tea's Fukugata. I decided on the Fukugata because of it's low price, smooth and elegant style, and the fact that many tea-enthusiasts have the same pot and are quite happy with it.

After 9 days and a UPS reschedule, the pot arrived, packed with an abundance of protection (as shown in the last post).

Upon examination, I was hit by it's perfection through simplicity. The spout and the handle, by no means intricate, are flawlessly crafted to the body, exhibiting nothing but the intention of use.

A pot made to be used. I felt a sudden dire need to pour out cup after cup of air:

The lid was even more delightful, fitting as snuggly as possible into it's proper place.

With the lid off, the sasame is exposed:

The sasame (clay filter) is of much importance when brewing Senchas. This is because Senchas are very often composed of small pieces that need to get filtered out. Typically, the best filter is a stainless steel mesh screen, traditionally however, the filters are made of clay, and known as sasame. These clay sasame are preferred by many who believe metal to affect the taste of Sencha. This is why very serious Sencha drinkers also boil their water in a clay pot as opposed to a metal pot.

As can be seen in the pictures, the sasame is riddled with small holes. At first I gleefully cheered at such fine work, however I then realized (after touching it a little too roughly), that this had also made it moderately fragile. Now luckily nothing that is ever placed in a teapot (tea and water) will ever damage it. I will, however, have to watch my own fingers If I ever feel the need to "investigate."
The only real problem with the sasame is with the tea leaves that get stuck in it. So far there are about 6 leaves stuck in random holes. I could very carefully poke them through, but this would risk breaking the sasame. For now, my plan is to wait it out and determine whether the holes will eventually all be filled, or if it will stay around a constant 6 holes.

At 300ml it is a bit larger than most other asian teapots, and quite a bit larger than my gaiwan:

The feel of the Fukugata is perfect. The side-handle provides a solid grip on a light pot that allows for easy pouring.

With the tight-fitting lid, I can flip the teapot 90° with no fear of spilling (as long as a slight thumb is applied).

To be used for comparison purposes, I decided on Adagio's Sencha Overture. It was a good pick because Sencha overture is between a "good" sencha and a "bad" sencha. Being closer to "bad" allows easy determination of when a process has improved the quality of the tea.

I decided on one steeping in the gaiwan, and one steeping in the Fukugata, fresh tea leaves in each.

Notice the amount of leaves used.

The amount of leaves is roughly proportionate to the amount of water to be used.

85 seconds with just under 180° water for each.

Gaiwan brewed tea:

And the following are the Fukugata brewed teas:

Notice how these...

Compare to this:

The second picture here shows an obviously darker brew, yet all the tea shown in these images was from the same pot/steeping.

The darker tea actually was the last from the pot and is to be expected because of the components that color tea often sit near the leaves. Thus pouring out of the pot last. Since the gaiwan brewed tea was all poured into a single vessel, this was not noted.

Here the gaiwan brew is in the middle:

I then combined the tea from all the vessels holding the fukugata brewed tea into a single vessel (gaiwan brewed tea is in the cup):

Gaiwan brewed tea in cup on right, Fukugata brewed tea in cup on left:

Birdseye view:

Although much harder to distinguish, the Fukugata brewed tea is still a might bit darker.

Differences in temperature interfered greatly in the tea-tasting comparison. As such, none of my notes are definite differences.
What I did note as a near-definite difference was that the Fukugata brewed a tea that was more "vegetal" while tasting cleaner, and airy. The flavor of the tea from the gaiwan leaned more towards "grassy" carrying with it a peck of astringency and an undertone of a grahammy-bite.
These differences are not at all extreme, and are describing a roughly 5% difference between the teas.

In summary, the Fukugata is a solidly constructed pot, lacking in durability only by having a somewhat fragile sasame (clay filiter). The many holes of the sasame also allow for tea leaves to get stuck, which is expected, yet the fragility of the sasame make it a difficult and careful job to remove such leaves.
The handling of the Fukugata during use was extremely pleasing. The handle is long and thin, which helps it to keep cool, yet is also firm and durable. The lid fits very snugly, allowing the pot to be turned 90°(as long as a thumb is reasonable applied to the ever-cool ball on top). The fukugata's capacity (10oz) allows it to brew a larger cup of tea than the average asian teapot, yet for cases such as gongfu brewing, will require greater precision and more spacious equipment.
While not being intricately designed, the Fukugata still holds beauty in its simplicity.
My conclusion is that the Fukugata is a wonderful purchase. For the price ($35 from Rishi-Tea), I do not believe one can find a better pot. Although I have no experience of other pots of it's kind, I strongly recommend the Fukugata over other Japanese teapots in it's price range. It has proven to be a solid, well put together pot whose spirit begs for it to be put to use.

Teaware

2007-08-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Too much time drinking, not enough time writing. Sigh. Well, I guarantee there will be many posts to come as I have just placed multiple online orders.
Today I got my first shipment from Rishi Tea: six teas and my brand new Fukugata Japanese Kyuusu teapot.

First off, the package was marvelously packed:

And under the peanuts? Airbags! Alright!

...wow, it just keeps coming.

...OK, skipping two more wrappings.

This thing is wonderful. So wonderful that I've decided to write up the full review of it tomorrow. :)
And the 6 teas:

As you can see, there are already many reviews to look forward to. However, today I'm not going to review any teas. The tea reviews will be put on hold for a moment while I take my time to show you all of my "equipment."
What came first, the tea or the teapot? Well, that's an easy one. But presently neither one is more important than the other. The way one brews tea directly affects everything about the tea. From flavor to caffeine content, it all depends on the measures used.
I have gone with a simplistic view, I want my tea making equipment to help make the process easier, quicker, so I can have more time to enjoy the actual tea. This view may have led to the teabag, however, to truly indulge oneself in the world of tea one must place importance into the tea-making process, everyone should have their own ceremony. Versatility is often great, but having specialized equipment for any task is down-right fun. So here is my small, yet ever-growing collection of specialty tea-making supplies.

As nice teaware is downright expensive, one of the most difficult decisions is whether or not to just spend the money on tea. For a long time I was under the impression that tea is more important, creating a tea collection that is slowly taking over a whole set of cabinets:

Many, many hours have gone by when I stare at this cabinet and contemplate my future...

If there is one thing I laud, it's finding a balance in life. In everything in life, eating, excercising, learning, experiencing, there are limits where there can be too much of a good thing. A great scientist who can also write well and clearly and enthusastically deliver speeches is a much stronger person than a scientist who confines themself to their lab at all times. And thus I have decided to not slow down on my tea purchasing, but instead to start buying more teaware to try to balance the tea collection. :)
I knew there would come a day when "Old Faithful" could no longer cut it:

Or shall I say crack it:

Chip it:

Forseeing such chaotic destruction beforehand, I took a trip up to portland to purchase some fun new teaware.
It all began with the gaiwan:

A cool looking and very versatile tea-brewing device.

This gaiwan has already paid for itself many times over.

For anyone needing a true tea-brewing device, a gaiwan is the way to go. They're very cheap, and very versatile, often getting more use than the more expensive, more aesthetically pleasing pots.
When the tea is done steeping in the gaiwan it needs to go somewhere, and thus the samashi. Samashi are USUALLY water-cooling devices used to achieve that tea-perfect temperature, however, I use my samashi as a tea-cooler and tea-pitcher, bringing my tea down to a drinkable temperature, and refilling my cup multiple times. Also used is a mesh filter to keep little tea bits from following the tea:

The extra cups are to give my family and friends a pleasant cuppa:

Still, one cannot be happy only brewing with a gaiwan, and thus, we have a whole happy family:

The kyuusu on the lower left should look familiar. A full review is on the way. On the lower right we have a specialized Chinese Yixing teapot.

This pot was fairly cheap and as such I'm unsure of whether or not it is truly a Yixing pot. However, Yixing pots need to be dedicated to a certain type of tea, and this one is my "dark oolong/wuyi" pot.

Sitting pretty in the middle of the previous picture is my "green/light oolong" pot.

I use it with my larger Yixing "Stone" cup for my deliciously sweet green oolong drinking experiences. The first steeping fills the cup halfway, second steeping slightly overflows the cup...

The cup is magnificent and a great treasure of my teaware collection. It is my "curl up with tea" teacup.

For my green tea, I enjoy drinking out of a cup that carries a quite distinct personality:

I give much love to all my teaware, however, as many people do with hobbies, I have that "way too expensive" specialty something.
That something is my water heater:

Ahh, my Zojirushi. It has everything I could want in a water heater. With green tea it gets very annoying standing over the stove with a thermometer everytime I want a cup, essentially ruining my whole tea ceremony. My Zojirushi has changed everything. Keeping my tea at a constant temperature of 175°, 195°, or 208°, I never again have to wait by that stove. This thing doesn't only keep my tea at a constant temperature, but dechlorinates the water, pours slow or fast, and even has a timer. Before my head meets pillow at the end of a long day, I punch in the time I want my hot water by and the Zojirushi does the rest, never disappointing.

I may post a full review and fun walkthrough of all it's features once I bond with it a little more. :)

Mmmm, green.

Well, it's time for me to depart. If you need me, you know where to find me:

Tomorrow, after a few hours of green tea with the new Tokoname Fukugata Kyuusu, I'll write up a nice juicy report on how it handles.

For now, it is time to depart.

They will be watching.

J-Tea International

2007-08-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

Ah, the time has come to review a tea that can be made readily available for purchase, J-Tea International's Green Spring Oolong.

A note about myself: As you have undoubtedly noticed by now, I'm a green variety of tea-addict. As a result of this, whenever I shop for tea, I look for green, and I look for cheap. My purchase of this tea is a direct result of this. As I searched through the J-Tea teas, I rooted out the greenest, then selectively considered the cheaper two, and then determined the vacuum sealed bag to be preferable.
And thus:

The bag is very nicely sealed, with no air in the package, and no light allowed to hurt the little greens within. The use of scissors and a swift hand movement allowed the spilling.

The dried leaves give off the common sweet smell associated with green oolongs, yet accompanying this common smell was an odd one. Also noted is a hint of an earthen-graham smell. The odd undertone was that of floral astringency: the everyday light floral tone had been marked by an almost salty astringency, leaving a quite intriguing smell, one that I hoped would develop in the steeping process (for sake of tasting something so intriguing).

Here's the 80g bag and some rolled up leaves next to a DVD for comparison:

A very nice looking green oolong, which has unavoidably made me a bit thirsty...

My preferred way to drink a green oolong at the time is with my trusty glass cup and infusor cup. Combined with a measuring teaspoon and a thermometer, this is a very convenient way to drink a big glass of tea.

There it is, hot water already added.

Then we measure about 1.5 teaspoons of tea per cup, place the rolled leaves into the glass infusor.

After that, one needs only to put the infusor into the cup and let it do it's job.

After about 30 seconds:

And here it is, after four minutes of steep-time.

Then we take out the infusor, press the leaves into the side over the cup to let out as much tea as possible (in order to have good subsequent infusions, we must get as much water out of the leaves as possible. The method I use is to first squeeze the leaves, then move them around in the infusor while blowing on them).

And the final product...

As it is normally very hard to match the color of tea in the pictures to the actual color (especially in a glass cup), many photos of tea you will see online will not be accurate depictions of the color of the tea, I took plenty of time to make sure this one was 99% accurate.

During the first steeping, the leaves aren't given much time or heat to expand, so they are still left slightly curled:

A note about myself: A big problem with these wet leaf pictures is that people pick out the better/best looking leaves from the infusion. What I'm trying to do is to give the most accurate depiction of what is actually supplied from the tea shops. Because I believe that my readers should receive the most accurate information, the tea leaves wont always be the most aesthetically pleasing, but they will be the most accurate.

Even after the second infusion, the leaves are not fully opened, yet many large leaves have been exposed:

And more from another day:

After the second steeping, the leaves look fairly nice. Not amazing, but not really bad at all. I did find a tad bit of brown in two of the leaves though, yet thats two out of what could be 50 or more.

Here's a fairly accurate depiction after the first steeping:

The smell of the steeped infusion is that of a sweet, floral cream. Mellowly smooth, devoid of anything resembling bitterness, and predominantly a sweet, green oolong. However, interestingly enough, the faint floral astringency is still lurking in undertones.

Sipping on the tea at a lower temperature of around 150°f allows one to identify a wider palate of tastes. As the tongue first meets with the tea, the taste is nothing but a creamy, smooth-sweet liquid, which immediately is followed by the mellow, greener, floral notes of honey. Thick and rich, this tea is able to induce much salivation during it's consumption. While smelling the faint floral astringency, the sides of the tongue pick up it up, only to be greatly surprised by the lack of the salty astringency, finding there only to be the open floral notes and a seperate light, breezy astringency. As the temperature of the tea reaches the optimal 115°f, we are left with nothing but the honey-sweet, light florally green taste. This is the taste which is desired in a light oolong.

In conclusion, there is very little to dislike about this tea. In fact, my only disappointment was not being able to taste the so intriguing "floral astringency." I feel, however, that the tea is better without it. The light breezy astringency that is present in the taste only adds to the character of the tea, making it quite original.
They say first impressions are the most important, which is good for J-Tea, because this tea has left me with no complaints. More reviews of J-Tea's products can be expected in the future, for J-Tea has proven, thus far, to be the local quality teashop.

J-Tea's products can be found at http://www.jteainternational.com/
If you would like for me to do a review of another one of his greener oolongs, shoot a note to thegreenteaman@gmail.com and I'll see what I can do.

Lots of pictures!

2007-08-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today I headed back to Market of Choice to cash in on the Dragonwell. At $26/lb It's the best deal I've found.
I got all this for $5!

I have to say I am most pleased. Had I bought this good of tea from anywhere else, the price most likely would have quadrupled, putting it around $20! The strangest thing about this store is that they sell a Sencha for $62/lb! I picked up a small bag today which turned out to be over $5 and far less tea than the Dragonwell.

The cat's name is Lucifer. He's very sweet and in many ways resembles an owl. In the pictures, however, he seems more pantherish.

See what I mean? Kind of cute there, although most of the time he's a bit demonic...

The cat always follows me around while I attend to my tea duties in the kitchen, this is how I justify the tea-less pictures.
Momentarily taking me away from the felines was a prospect of trying that gruesomely overpriced Sencha.
A slight misfortune is that there will be no teapot usage due to (quite visible) unfortunate reasons:

Residing on that spoon is something that no tea should ever meet. (And yes, that was just one scoop from the side of the kettle).

For the routine tea-session pictures:

There it is, dry and ready for some H20. Adding a little water brings about a fantastic product:

Ah, the marvelous virescence.

Here we see some particulate matter in the tea:

The wet leaves really aren't much to look at:

To my disappointment, the tea was nothing special, tasting somewhere inbetween a good Sencha and a bad one. Between Adagio's Sencha Premier, and Sencha Overture. Between fresh fruit and frozen fruit. This tea doesn't get the grin of approval.
Instead:

Not quite worthy of such a sorrowful expression, I just couldn't resist.

To take me away from that frown was the beautiful Oregon weather:

Ahh, I had to go outside. Whilst in the wild, I found a couple feathers (from birds of prey?):

My, is that a pen?

Heh, has to get tied in to tea somehow!

And look who decided to greet me in the outdoors:

Mad?

No, just hanging in the shade.

Well, thats it. I've got a very interesting "Making of Yixing" movie I'm looking forward to.

Here's a taste of what I've got lined up for next time:

-From the man who claims to have "the best tea in the world." (http://www.registerguard.com/news/2007/08/08/b1.bz.teahouse.0808.p2.php?section=business)

Dragonwell-Market of Choice

2007-08-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

Time for a photo-review. I had to buy milk and tortillas at the local "Market of Choice," to my surprise I found a Sencha and a Dragonwell in the spice section. I decided to save the Sencha for next time, but purchased a small amount of the Dragonwell, which ended up being $1. The Dragonwell was attractively priced at $25/lb while the Sencha was over twice that at $56/lb.

And then I steep it and turn one thing into two!

The color is lighter than the picture shows, yellower. The tea is a great example of Dragonwell, having a light flavor while carrying with it a reminiscence of spice. I feel that the tea is very fresh.

I put it into an old Adagio tin, and this is the picture of what was left after the first steeping (keep in mind that I steep into a 2.5 cup mug, using on average three teaspoons of leaves).
-"Grin of Approval"-

Great, clean taste, very inexpensive, locally available: my cup of tea.
A taste of what's to come:

Two of them are oolongs, I know, yet we must give them a chance, hidden under those wrappers may be the marvelous virescence of a great tea.
Have any questions? Want more/specific pictures? Let me know!

Welcome!

2007-08-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

Hello TEAmates.
This is the first post of a blog that will be first and foremost a photo-blog. This means that I will detail my day-to-day experiences with tea through photographs. The pictures will range anywhere from the average 'dry leaf-wet leaf-liquor' sequences, to pictures of my tea buddies, local tea shops and their products, the sink (which is clogged with tea leaves), the floor (which has been strewn with tea leaves), the growth of my tea plants, random commercial products which have been laced with tea... you get the idea. Pictures of anything relating to tea are fair game here. Green tea will be the most photogenic of the teas, yet green oolongs will be common, and some .dark. teas will also be shown.
I will also give readers my opinion of the tea that is detailed in the photographs. To stay true to the idea of a photo-blog, I will try to keep the words short and the pictures many. However, if any readers wish for me to write a full review of something shown on the site, I will be disposed to give them what they want.
By the way, this will be the only post that lacks pictures. Actually...

My bugs would like to welcome everybody to this aesthetically pleasing photo-blog.
Questions, comments, regards, and suggestions can all be directed to: thegreenteaman@gmail.com
Enjoy!