Hunting for Aged Things

I have been curious about aged oolong (and really all aged teas) for some time. Aging tea was first introduced to me when I started getting interested in puerh. Back then I read through much of marshaln's blog and I noticed that he also devotes a large amount of text to discussing aged oolongs.

James at TeaDB has also devoted time to discussing aged oolongs, and I have read his reports with great interest. I can commiserate with him in the fact that much of what is available to me in the West is largely overpriced and uninteresting. I have been meaning to try some of the more premium aged oolongs from Tea-Masters, however I haven't gotten around to it yet.

A work colleague and friend of mine, whom I have spoken of before, hails from Taiwan and primarily drinks oolong tea. I can credit him with sparking my interest in loose-leaf teas in the first place, so I was curious to discuss aged oolong tea with him. He did not know much about it, and hadn't really encountered many people selling it in Taiwan. A friend of his did have some aged oolong that he obtained for somewhere around $1/g, which we tasted on a break at work and I wasn't particularly impressed by it. It seemed kind of thin and lacked depth.

My work friend, J, had to travel to Taiwan recently to aid at a customer site and he asked me if I wanted him to get me anything. I asked him to try to find some aged oolong.

On his one free day, J went with a friend to the town of Yingge, which is famous for their pottery. It was raining and they had missed their bus, so they had to sit around for a while till the next one came. My name was mentioned ('I have a work colleague, a white American' - I quote) and J told his friend that I was in search of aged oolong tea (particularly the variety that hasn't been re-roasted). As it turns out, an older woman was eavesdropping on their conversation and leaned over to say that her brother sells aged oolong tea, and, as luck would have it, has a shop in Yingge.

J and his friend accompanied the woman on a visit to her brother's shop. It was tucked into the corner of a back alley, and J would have never found it unless he had days to simply wander around.

The gentleman who ran the shop claims that tea these days is impure, that it contains pesticides and pollutants that didn't exist long ago, and so he strives to find old, "pure" teas. He claims he tastes something around 600 teas a year and only selects a few to sell. J and his friend tasted four teas, three of which J bought some of to bring home.

The teas are a 1969 Zhushan oolong, a 1972 Lugu oolong, and a 1978 black tea. All come in around $0.30/g. There was a fourth tea, an alleged 1934(!) green tea, supposedly obtained by a military fellow from Japan. This fourth tea is something around $1.30/g, and J did not have enough cash to purchase any.

Are any of these teas authentic? Who knows. The price for the quality was there, so I'm extremely fortunate to be able to try them. Many thanks to J for the teas, and many thanks for those who have read through all that story just to reach descriptions of actual tea.

1969 Zhushan 

This has a definite smell of Chinese herb shop. This tea was originally stored in an herb shop - it was given to customers to drink along with the herbs that they take. The shop owner passed away and left his business to his son, who found a bag of this tea in the back. The son did not want to continue in the business, so he sold the tea to the gentleman who now sells it in Yingge.

The tea is composed of very small leaves, many are broken now. There is the odd leaf which is bigger, and it was once loosely twisted and given a fairly strong roast. After many infusions, green can still be found in the leaves.

Its taste is thick, and the liquid sits in the top of the throat, producing a 'pooling' effect and a returning sweetness that lasts a good long time. This is the best tea of the bunch, in my opinion.

1972 Lugu

This tea comes from Lugu, the area in which Dong Ding oolong is produced. Was this a 1972 equivalent of dong ding? I can't say.

What I can say is that the tea is is not as good as the 1969 Zhushan. It still provides a nice aged taste, but its body is thinner and it lacks the throatiness of the previous tea. It also steeps out a bit faster. It is extremely difficult to overbrew it, never presenting sourness or bitterness, even when pushed. We have larger leaves here, many of which are mostly intact.

It reminds me a little bit of some of the aged wuyi oolongs from the now defunct OriginTea, albeit with less throat taste.

1978 Black

I'm not sure on the story behind this one. This is the first aged black tea that I have had, and it is an interesting tea. The dry leaf smells very strongly of malt and sweetness, just like a fresh black tea. There is a hint of something darker within the leaves, but it's difficult to detect.

The taste is very fruity, with a throatiness greater than the 1972 Lugu, but not as thick as the 1969 Zhushan. It is very sweet, and it has a mineral character which makes the tongue tingle. I think perhaps this is the aged taste?

I find it brews out rather quickly, although after letting it sit overnight and revisiting the leaves, I was able to get a few more infusions out of them. Its color is also very fresh black tea-like. More orange than the deeper, almost ruby red of the two aged oolongs. If I can find some more aged black tea, I'll be interested to compare. I know TaiwanSourcing has one..

Many thanks to J for the tea, and many thanks to anyone who has taken the time to stop by and read.

As a side note - I'm always open to doing some sample swapping with anyone who is interested. I'm always in the market for some more aged oolongs, so shoot me a message here or on Instagram if you wish :)

Happy Tea Drinking!

Taste vs. Cost

Spring is here!  Okay, more accurately it is Summer in the northern hemisphere, but it has only been as such for the past week or so.  Spring means a fresh harvest of tea.  This year I decided to purchase a sample of every raw puer tea that white2tea has produced.  This order came in at just under $100 for 200g of tea, with samples ranging from just over $2 all the way to an alarming $34.

Something which I have spent a lot of time thinking about is price justification in tea.  The cost we see as consumers reflects raw materials cost, processing, travel expenses, warehouse space, web hosting fees, operational costs, potential sample markup.. the list goes on and on.  This post is not intended to rail against the cost of tea in general, but I feel it bears mentioning.  What exactly makes a tea worthy of a price an order of magnitude above another?  Also, can I even discern such differences?

I am in no way an experienced puer drinker, although I have been getting a bit more serious about it over the past year or so.  I wanted to expand my palate in the realm of fresh raw puer and I also wanted to see whether my tongue's preferences align with the cost of a tea.  To do this, I set up a blind tasting of the 8 different samples I purchased.  I measured out 7g of each tea and placed them in numbered bags and have been drinking through them and taking notes for the past month or so.  Each was steeped in a 100ml gaiwan and went through around 8 infusions.

I'll include my full notes below, along with the ranking I gave the teas after each subsequent sample.

Notes

#1 -  Smooth.  Thick, silky mouthfeel.  Grapey/slight apricot sweetness.  Virtually no astringency.  Slight smoke.  Not overly complex.  "simple".  Pleasant throaty aftertaste.

#2 - Juicy.  More up-front than #1.  Similar flavor, hedging towards more fruit.  Better aftertaste with a slight cooling feeling in the throat.  Some tongue-drying astringency.  Developing a coating quality on steep #3, a bit bitter.  Some noticeable energy from this tea.  Caffeine is definitely present.

Rank - 2, 1.

#3 - Thick.  Surprisingly soft, however small amount of hay-like 'barnyard' taste.  Coats the roof of the mouth.  Slight cooling.  Aftertaste is mouth-centered rather than throat-centered.  This 7g is rather stemmy.  Becoming throatier as it steeps out.  Bitterness on par with yesterday (#2).  Vaguely 'grapey' aftertaste.  Slight disorienting feeling like a head fog.  Huigan is building as steeps go on.

Rank - 2, 3, 1.

#4 - Stimulating.  Produces an immediate tingling, cooling tongue sensation that lingers after swallowing.  Almost all taste centers on the tip of the tongue and makes it salivate.  Floral, grapelike aftertaste blooms in the mouth.  On steep 3 the taste moves back in the mouth and develops strength.  A thick sweetness is developing, too.  Mouth stimulation continues as it steeps out, but moves back towards the throat.

Rank - 4, 2, 3, 1

#5 - Throaty.  Produces a 'pooling' feeling in the throat, as if it were physically sitting there.  Interesting cured meat smell on gaiwan lid.  Quite soft overall, less obvious huigan as compared to #4.  Leaf is very bud-heavy.  Huigan building in later steeps.  Developing astringency, too.  Ignore earlier huigan comment - it is extremely apparent now.

Rank - 4, 5, 2, 3, 1

#6 - Subtle.  I'm really not getting much from this.  Fairly astringent, especially in the middle tongue and roof of mouth.  Very few noticeable flavors.  Not really getting much sweetness either.

Rank - 4, 5, 2, 3, 1, 6

#7 - Crisp.  Good smoothness, some tip of tongue astringency.  Bottom of cheek and throat aftertaste - like apples or gentle grapes.  Some salivation, good huigan that builds across the steeps.  Quite sweet on its own, too.  Grainy base.  Good endurance.

Rank - 4, 5, 7, 2, 3, 1, 6

#8 - Sweet.  Medium astringency in the middle of the tongue, but high degree of natural sweetness.  Aroma confirms that.  A candy-like sweetness is within these leaves.  Just very pleasant, easy-drinking sweet tea.  Nice aftertaste at back of tongue and top of throat.  Small leaves, though this is a 'center of the beeng' sample.  After a half-day's rest, not as sweet.  More vegetal, some floral quality now too.  Very nice overall, body still apparent.

Rank - 4, 5, 8, 7, 2, 3, 1, 6

----------------------------------------------

What are the teas?

#1 - Poundcake ($6.50) [7]
#2 - Milk, Cream, & Alcohol ($2.35) [5]
#3 - Bosch ($16.00) [6]
#4 - If You're Reading This... ($6.50) [1]
#5 - Tu Hao as Fuck ($18.50) [2]
#6 - Last Thoughts ($34.00) [8]
#7 - Colbert ($10.50) [4]
#8 - Little Walk ($2.60) [3]

I find it extremely interesting that I rated one of the cheapest teas as my favorite, whereas the most expensive tea I ranked dead last.  Indeed, the price fluctuation between my rankings is about as random as I expected it to be.

What does this mean?

1) My palate for young raw puer teas is not appropriate to appreciate high-caliber teas (Last Thoughts, I'm lookin' at you...)
2) I tend to prefer the easier-drinking teas, and specifically ones with good mouth action beyond just a simple sweetness/astringency. 

I will most certainly be re-visiting all of these teas until my samples are gone.  There are a few anomalous experiences across my tasting which I wish to resolve with a more carefully tuned awareness.

Most of all, I think this goes to show that there are so many factors that go into whether a tea is worth it to a particular person.  Personal taste is definitely the biggest.  You simply cannot make someone appreciate something more expensive if they do not already have a taste for such things.  I'm glad that I took the price of the teas out of the equation for my first tasting.  I still have around 18g of each of these teas left, so I can proceed with a bit more background knowledge when I approach them again. 

If you reached the end of this rather long-winded post, thank you!  I encourage you to take everything I have written with a grain of salt, since I am in no way an authority, or even someone you ought to listen to.  I hope you have found this somehow informative!

Happy tea drinking.

What's in my Cup : Nov 13, 2014

2002 White2Tea White Whale

Still riding the pu'er train today as I drink a tea about to hit puberty.  Twelve years of age have turned this tea into a very smooth affair.  It has a firm undercurrent of wood, hay, and smoky apricots that lingers in the mouth and throat for a significant amount of time after swallowing.  It has a pleasant sourness that is accompanied by a slight tongue-drying astringency.  

It is notably sharper when brewed in a gaiwan, however the rounding of flavors offered by this yixing teapot is very welcome on a day where I needed some extra smoothness and relaxation.  

If you are interested in pu'er and haven't been to White2Tea's website.. check it out.

What's in my Cup : Nov 11, 2014

Though it may come as a surprise, I am not paid to take down complex tea tasting notes while on the job.. Alas the format of this blog was perhaps a bit too ambitious given my limited time.  As such I shall be trying out this new format for a bit and see how it goes.


What's in my Cup : November 11, 2014

2014 White2Tea New Amerykah 2

After many months of drinking nothing but oolongs, I am expanding my horizons into pu'er.

This one is brash: wet hay and floral notes dominate the smell of the wet leaves, while the taste is apricots, grass, and the slightest twinge of smoke.  It is up front with its bitterness which transforms to sweetness at the top of the throat for minutes after swallowing. Very nice.

Origin Tea : Winter 2013 Alishan Shi Zhao

Back in the saddle!  The end of the fiscal year for my company is February 1st, so naturally there has been quite a bit of ado in the office and sadly I can't spend as much time paying close attention to the tea I'm drinking... what a shame.

Today I'm reviewing another Winter 2013 gaoshan tea from Origin Tea.  Normally I wouldn't think of high mountain oolong as being a winter tea, but winter here in California has been one of the mildest I can remember. 

This tea comes from the Alishan mountain range.  It is situated at a lower elevation than the Li shan mountain range, however it is still well above the 1000m cutoff for high mountain oolong.  Additionally, Alishan teas are typically much more affordable than other high mountain teas.

This particular example has a more pronounced oxidation than then previous teas I have written about.  This style of processing, according to one of my tea friends, is more traditional for Taiwan.  With slightly more oxidized tea such as this, one can expect more pronounced fruit notes and perhaps even enhanced sweetness.

The wet leaves have a very deep, candy-like sweetness to them as well as a toasty scent which I again associate with baked goods.  The first infusion is light in flavor and body, however it already hints at its fruity, sweet nature.  The second few infusions have a much more pronounced sweetness and tropical-fruit taste which lingers in the throat and back part of the mouth long after swallowing.  The tea is equal parts classic high mountain floral and slightly buttery, tropical-fruit that blend very nicely in the mouth.   

This tea begins to loose its character around the fourth or fifth infusion, however it remains fairly consistent up until that point.  The level of complexity and aftertaste far outshine this tea's price.  I like it better than some Li shan tea that I have had.  If I had to pick one word to describe this particular tea, I would choose 'balanced'. 

Taiwan Tea Crafts : Winter 2013 Da Yu Ling

Today I will be discussing another tea from Taiwan Tea Crafts.  It is another gaoshan oolong, this time from the Da Yu Ling mountain range.  Geographically speaking, Da Yu Ling is within the Li Shan mountain range of Taiwan, however its peaks reach even greater altitude than the rest of the range.  They are the highest peaks in the country and the teas from the region often command the highest prices when it comes to gaoshan.

The leaves have the typical high mountain oolong look to them, tightly rolled and lightly oxidized.  The smell of the dry leaves is very sweet and creamy, with a more muted floral aspect when compared to the Li Shan Cui Fong.  Again, this tea is extremely fresh, harvested just in October of this year.

The wet leaves smell sweet and floral, however they also hide a slight toasty smell.  The toastiness reminds me of cookies for whatever reason.

My first two sessions with this tea were using the same weight of tea that I typically use for my gaiwan.  The early infusions are light and slightly vegetal, with a good throaty aftertaste that brings a delicate sweetness as I exhale.  The fragrance of this tea is a little more reserved, taking longer to open up.  The tea is not what I would call sweet, at least not in the very bright, high, fresh way that the LSCF tea was.  The liquid itself is actually slightly astringent, however its aftertaste is sweet and fragrant. 

Somewhere around the fourth or fifth infusion, the aftertaste changed dramatically.  It became much more fragrant, sweeter, and had an edge to it which reminded me of tropical fruits. 

My third session with this tea, I used less tea than I had in the earlier sessions.  I was hoping to try to bring out some of the creaminess that I was smelling in the dry leaves.  What happened, however, was that the tea itself became much sweeter.  The fragrance was improved, too.  The tropical fruit notes of which I spoke were also enhanced.  The aftertaste had many layers of flavor, quite special.

I have pushed this tea in excess of 10 infusions, and never did it hint at any sort of bitterness.  The taste becomes lighter as the infusions drag on, however I could still taste the character of the tea.

To compare this tea to the LSCF directly, I would say that this tea is probably of higher quality.  Its aftertaste is situated in a different part of the mouth.  This tea has a very throaty aftertaste, something which I spoke about in my previous post.  The LSCF's aftertaste sits more in the top of the mouth.  The LSCF tea is extremely fragrant, almost to the point where it is like drinking perfume.  It completely penetrates the nasal cavities, whereas the DYL has a more reserved floral profile that is certainly there in the aftertaste, however it is never as penetrating as the LSCF.  The LSCF is also sweeter in a sort of sugary way.  Its sweetness fills the mouth when the liquid is still present, whereas the DYL's sweetness hides briefly before displaying itself in the aftertaste.

Overall, the DYL I would call a more reserved tea.  It is, for that reason, more complex and what I would call of higher quality.  It is hard for me to rank them against each other in terms of which is 'better' to me.  I think I would enjoy drinking each one under different circumstances. 

There is one more gaoshan from TTC which I have to try, perhaps I shall be able to rank them against each other after that. 

Taiwan Tea Crafts : Winter 2013 Li Shan Cui Fong

We are firmly within the holiday season here in the States, and while I have been drinking plenty of tea lately, I have been more focused on other things than keeping up my journal of tasting notes.  This tea is the first in a while which I have thought more seriously about.

Today's tea comes from a tea company located in Taiwan; Taiwan Tea Crafts.   Taiwan is famous for its tea, most notably its bao zhong and high mountain (gao shan) oolongs.  This tea is of the latter category.

Generally speaking, a tea is classified as high mountain if it is grown at an elevation of at least 1000 meters.  High mountain oolongs exist towards the greener side of the oolong 'scale' and are revered for their orchid aroma and sweet, throaty aftertaste.  As you can see from the image above, the tea is rolled into tight balls which unfurl quickly and display a dramatic increase in volume.

This tea, grown on Li Shan (Pear Mountain), displays a very low level of oxidation, as evidenced by the slight discoloration of the edges of the leaves themselves.  Taiwan Tea Crafts notes the harvest date of each tea they sell so that a prospective customer can be aware of the freshness.  This tea was picked in November of this year, and is certainly the freshest high mountain tea I have had the pleasure of drinking.

The wet leaves have a thick, sweet, creamy floral scent to them.  During the first few infusions, the floral aroma is so strong that the leaves smell more like perfume than tea.  Early infusions display more muted floral notes, leaning more towards a gentle vegetal sweetness that lingers on the tongue and in the top half of the mouth.  As the infusions progress and the leaves open, the tea becomes increasingly floral, peaking around the fourth infusion or so.  At this stage, the aroma is extremely penetrating, completely filling the mouth and nasal cavities with scent.

The aroma dies quickly after the fifth infusion, and the tea becomes more gently perfumed liquid until about the eighth infusion, at which point I discarded the leaves.  At no point during the infusions did the liquid become astringent or bitter.

My tea friend and colleague, who hails from Taiwan, explained to me that the two things that people look for in a high mountain tea are the floral fragrance and aftertaste which lingers in the throat.  This tea has the first aspect in spades, however the aftertaste of this tea is felt more in the top half of the mouth and in the nasal cavities, rather than the throat.

We tasted this tea along side an unopened bag of 2012 high mountain tea to compare the similarities.  The 2012 tea had a more muted fragrance, however its aftertaste was apparent in the throat, a lasting sweetness that could be felt every time I exhaled.  I can assume that fragrance, and perhaps a degree of sweetness,  are the first things to leave a tea as it begins to age.  This 2013 Li Shan was certainly the sweeter and more fragrant of the two, however the main difference could be found in the placement and length of the aftertaste.

I, for one, am extremely pleased with this tea.  I do not mind that the aftertaste has different placement in the mouth.  What I am most impressed with is the freshness of the tea, which can be so easily felt in the sweetness and the powerful aroma that the drinker experiences.

I inadvertently had a session of this tea which was brewed with a smaller quantity of leaves than I intended.  What happened was interesting.  A creaminess in the tea which was not present in other sessions was revealed.  The taste itself was more milky, and interestingly enough, the floral aspects were more muted.  It is perhaps possible that the creaminess existed in the other sessions as well, but was just overpowered by the high floral fragrance.  It was an interesting result, and I think that I will try varying the amount of tea in the future as I work my way through some other samples.