Raw Loose Puerh, mid 1980

Stephane Erler has labeled this leaves as "Mind blowing". Well, who would not like to let his or her mind to blow, right?



Our before Christmas season in studio was more then busy. I decided to enjoy my free, holiday time with somehow special teas. I opened my jars and boxes and have pulled out few too-precious-for-everyday-drinking teas. Teas, which I look forward to try but I save them for the right moment. This was also the case of this loose puerh.

I was wondering, if there is anything what I can ad to Stéphane's descriptions. Regular reader of my blog knows that I am not very good in depict of tastes anyway. I rather prefer to draw down my impressions and my personal relationship to leaves I met. Maybe one day I will be able to write real, honest and objective tea reviews. Till that, here is just next couple of thoughts and feelings...

Dry tea shows to us a mixture of unsorted leaves. Small leaves, big leaves, hairy buds, stems. Leaves are clean of dust. In order to air them up, I have moved them from aluminum bag to my porcelain jar. When I asked my 12 years old niece to smell the tea inside the jar, she pronounced "it smells like forest spring water". I agreed. Fresh water with all those moss-lincen-stone-trees aromas. It has forced me to close my eyes and let my imagination fly...

As big surprice I could probably call the first sip. The taste and mouthfeel was far from what I have expected. I am always pleased when I found new dimension of tea. I think that this is what Stéphane call: "It is like silk on the tongue, refreshing and lively!" and I can hardly express it better.

After that first touch surprice there is not much to say. Which doesn't have to mean that is poor. New brews comes and goes as waves in ocean. I stopped counting and analysed. The taste has not change really, just in time become slowly lighter. Sweet and silky, that is what remains. Complexity from light fragrances, through remarkable taste and mouthfeel to long living after taste.

 The Qi of this tea is.

Testing new kettle with ceramic handle...

I have to admit I have had just few puerhs of similar age, so I don't have too much to compare to. But so far, this is the winner. Real stuff. When you drink pressed teas there is more development through brews. As piece of cake or toucha opens, each brew is different. Loose leave puerh (MaoCha) is fully speaking from beginning.

Some leaves are really big. Notice that the top leave is just a middle part, maybe lass then half of the leave...

 I am glad that we met. Looking in to the jar, I am happy to say that there are leaves for one or two more tea sessions. Thank you very much!

Thank you for reading!

Misty morning with raw coin from 80'

Autumn is here, and it is getting already cold. We had white frost every morning last week. But today morning was a bit warmer. When I went out there was mist walking around and also some brave bird tried to sing. Being aware that this can be one of the last chances, I have took my tea table outside.

 With basic equipment and mist around I decided to open one of the treasure bags which arived from Taiwan a month ago.

Stephane Erler write to me this note: "The puerh coin is probably made of plantation buds. What's interesting is that they were stored inside a real bamboo stick. Nice packaging! Quite smooth, but by far not as powerful as the mid 80s loose raw puerh I've described recently. (I have only 1 coin left in my inventory!)"

Raw puerh which is about 25 years old is not common visitor in my cup. These, to coin shaped leaves, are brown, small with very light flowery scents. Pressing is rather strong and I was glad to realized how it fits to my small yixing pot.

First quick infusion (after one rinse brew) was very light, alive and pure in my mouth. I have put lid on the side and sniffed a bit. When steam reached my nose I smiled. It is like start to read a new book and after first page you know- I am going to enjoy this adventure. Scents of nuts mixed with resin and woods are intense and force me do sniff again and again. This repeat after each infusion but after fifth it getting to be more subtle. And I started to believe to my mind which found there also fragrances of sweet flowers. I found the complex of fragrances surprisingly similar to scents I know from much younger LiuBao I have.






Second brew was already full bodied and also darker in color. Mouth fell is rounded and smooth. On taste profile participate tints of coffee chocolate.

Third...

...and fourth cup

After six infusions I have taken a break. Energize but calm I went to studio to get back to this tea during evening. 

The boiling teapot still works...

This tea fits to autumn colors and moods very well. I also feel that drinking and learning from really aged, mature teas is quite important. Important for me as someone who like puehr tea and who would like to make my tea sessions deeper. It is good to have the experience to know where our young teas can go. I always become aware that the magic of good aged puehr tea is not in its look, taste, smells or mouth feel. All of this can be great but there is something more why we love it.

Have a sun in your cups, no matter how misty or rainy your morning is!

Thank you for reading.

Red Water from mountains

Another tea experience, I would like to share with you, arrived from Taiwan in January. It is not easy for me to write shortly and concisely all I would wish. Each new tea I have, teaches me (and usually pleases me) from very beginning - first look at the package, reading the name, first smell and observation of dry leaves. Than, when the time is right - first brew and first sip of the liquor. I am looking for the right setout with each new companion on my Way of Tea.

color of leaves goes from light yellow-green to dark green

Gao Shan Hung Shui Oolong
Origin: Shan Lin Shi, Taiwan
Harvest: Spring 2010(June 3rd)

 In this case it was package from Stephane Erler, so I knew for sure - it will be interesting. I opened the vacuum sealed bag and nice, roasted aromas reached my nose. I was drinking some aged oolongs before and my first thoughts were "this could be interesting to store!"  Gao Shan Hung Shui we can literally translates as "high-elevation red water". Maybe some more educated reader can tell us why "red water"? Anyway, Hung Shui usually refers to more traditional way of processing, which is not so common these days. Higher oxidation (more then 50%), slower and longer roasting is what also characterized this Gao Shan. I wish to see and experienced this processes live.

I like how the celadon cup have liven up the set.

first infusion is yellow green

Enjoying this tea, I find very difficult to describe individual tastes and fragrances there. Fragrances are not "popping" but rather calmed by the roast. At first, this tea resembled, in my mind, YanChas, but then I realized - the roast is not so strong and flowery scents are not from cliffs of Wui, but from mountains around Shan Lin Shi. Soup is definitely not watery, but not so creamy and thick as I know from other GaoShan oolongs. 

Thinking about it - the best thing, I find on this tea is its evenness. In the taste and fragrances as well as in mouthfell and aftertaste - there are no sharp edges. This kind of "serenity" allows to drink it often, but it is too good to be called the“everyday tea". I also find pleasant how its late infusions are still enjoyable. As the roast "calm down" fragrances in the same time it makes them deeper and long-lived.

I am glad to say that spring is slowly coming to our country-side. From my childhood the barbs with "lamb's-tails" are sign and symbol of the spring. I bring them with the mornig sun around on my tea table. We usually associate certain tea with certain kind of whether or season. In case of this Gao Shan there is no one mood to link up with. But during cold spring morning it works very well.

Wet leaves of the tea are green, with brown-red oxidized rims and spots. You can find mixture of different sizes, some leaves on stems some individual. If I should make a conclusion I would like to learn more about Hung Shui process and try more Hung Shui teas. And also try to store this tea (or similar one) for few years. I think the roast, oxidation and quality of this tea should be good presumption. 

New cup and new tea

I thought that the last post  was the last one in this year. But when I got new tea and new tea cup I was so happy that I decided to sit down behind my tea table, take few pictures and share that with you.

                                New cup and new tea- what a nice combination.

50ml porcelain cup, with cooper oxide decoration

 The creator of this cup is Peter Fulop . The Hungarian potter living in Ireland for so long time that we can easy call him the Irish. His work is as magical as Irish countryside where he is living. I find this small cup visiting Daniel Klasek who runs, with his wife, e-shop with tea and tea ware. They are going to offer tea ware from Peter Fulop and I was happy to be the first customers who bought something from him there.

Gao shan Luanze Oolong-Bi Lu Shi, Taiwan- Autumn 2010

.

 The tea has arrived in box from Taiwan- as a gift with tea I ordered from Stephane Erler











 I have opened sealed bag with this tea yesterday and put it in to porcelain tea caddy.

I was impatience and during the evening I opened the caddy several times. Fragrances were each time getting stronger and more complex. Sweat cream, light vanilla…I am usually not sentimental about Christmas but I  started to look forward to it. 

I have to say that I am not a big fun of  Gao Shan teas. Very often those vanilla and sweat fruits fragrances are too aggressive for me. But this one is clean, balanced and full in taste. I also enjoyed purity of liquid. White porcelain cup helped to enjoy this purity.

Part of the package from Stephane was the Christmas card. I like it very much

Even though all infusions were sweat with pleasant bitterest, the tea was so strong that after third infusion I had to take a break. The tea withstands more then me…I have continued with it later.

Leaves are strong, a little broken and still nicely smelling…

Thank you Stephane for your tea Thank you Peter for your nice work.