2002 Yibang cake

 I got a package from Chawangshop a week ago. There was more then five kilos of tea- autumn greens, aged oolongs some shu touchas but mostly shengs. And many samples of course...The tea I am going to talk about today, is not my favorite from that package but definitely worth to mention. It is Yibang Cha Wang Yuan cake from 2002.

I had sample of this tea few months back. The reason why I have decided to go for whole cake is what we can call "stage of aging". The seller claims that the cake was stored in humid Banna for first few years. It has created something in the tea profile what I miss in many cakes of similar age. Or maybe, it is just harder to find it for a reasonable price here, on west.

You can see even from pictures, that the cake is not fancy or perfect. Yes, there are stems and older yellow leaves. And yes, there is mixture of different leaves, shapes and sizes. But all this give a natural look to it and I think that "not looking fancy" does't mean poor tea. Probably also those impefections are involved in its price- 38usd for more then ten years old tea is (unfortunately) very cheap these days.

To see single mountain Yibang tea of this age is also very rare, at least for west audience. I am not sure if testing such example can give you any idea how your fresh Yibangs are going to age. This one is not distinct in any common way- not strongly sweet, smoky, fruity, bitter, floral. But rather there are all those aspects, mellowed by age. I wouldn't label it as overwhelming and really powerful tea, but I enjoy it. For me it is like forest in rain - calming and pleasant experience.

As you can see on wet leaves - it is still quite green. It is interesting thing about the color and aging. I have made side by side testing of this tea and Hong Kong stored 7542 from 2003. The HK tea was much darker in both leaves and liquer. But taste and aroma of the Yibang was more "aged". 7542 is probably better tea with potential and future, this Yibang on other hand is very nice to drink right now, but I am not sure about its potencial for long term aging.

You can find surprisingly big leaves in this cake-  Yibang should have small leaves as Jingmai, shouldn't have?

I will tag this cake as "ready to drink now" anyway. There is some aged quality I like and profile, which is different from what I have. Next time, when a vendor is going to warn me that a tea was stored in humid place in its early live, I will sit up and notice. It is worth to try.

Testing new kettle...

Thank you for reading!

Comparing two CNNP Shu from 2002

I find a comparing teas as good opportunity to learn. Few tea samples putted in to the line always strain my senses. I use to have troubles to assort my observations. Sometime when I received pile of samples I got lost - drinking them thru several days or even weeks brought to me many great and inspiring tea sessions but also some confusion. My gustative memory is not so perfect and it is not easy to compare tea in my cup with another which was there few days ago. So I have decided to create few, more or less the same, testing sets. I know about standard competition sets, of course. But for my nature, testing with those set was always somehow cold or too laboratory to me. So I have made an attempt to create an alternative.

Sets I have made are quite small...

Shibo can hold about 70-80ml of water...

 Created from technical porcelain and glazed just by Czech feldspar, those small shiboridashes and cups reflect fragrances in the way which makes me happy. Brews are softer then from most of hard, white porcelain competition sets I have tried. I have taken them out of the kiln in "tea arrival days". In days when couple of boxes with many teas in them have arrived to our doors. Great combination - I have used those testing sets many times since that !

Two teas, which have urged to be prepared next to each other, were from Gingo of Life in Teacup. Both are from 2002, both produced by CNNP. The 7581 brick is like old familiar friend to me. Like someone who I like and enjoy to be with. In the sample pouch was hidden its brother, piece of The Golden Brick. So let's put them next to each other...

Big difference between those brothers you can already find when looking on dry leaves. The French Export 7581 brick is made of bigger, thicker leaves and stems make it look wild or disheveled. The Golden Brick Shu fulfils its name - small leaves are nice looking and streaked by golden leaves.

The Golden Brick                                                             The 7581 French Export Brick                                                                                                                                  

The difference between leaves is even clearer on pictures of wet leaves. Dark, almost black 7581 compare to brown gold Golden Brick. Smelling to those wet leaves, I have found the basic personalities which went thru the tasting like a fiber. Lighter, fruity and flowery Golden Brick in one shiboridashi and more dry, woody - nutty, like green almonds fragrances of 7581 in the second one.

After first quick infusion...

The Golden Brick                                                             The 7581 French Export Brick     

After fifth infusion....

The Golden Brick                                                             The 7581 French Export Brick       

                                                                                                                                If this comparing should be a competition or race, then during first two infusions The Golden Brick was the leader. But as I said before, I knew what is inside of 7581! Leaves of The Golden Brick show its beauty - brews have full body and strong fragrances. My mind was still looking for names of flowers to link those fragrances with. Chrysanthemums? Honey orchids ? Very tasty, that is for sure.

As you can see here, colors of those teas in cups are very similar to each other. But not smells, tastes or mouthfeels...

 Cup with 7581 started to captivate more attention in second infusion. In third and later brews it become strong but smooth potion. Dry, woody mouth feel with green almonds tastes and long after taste. Hints of resin and forest flowers. On other hand The Golden Brick started to loose its power. Maybe it is just judgment originated from my personal love for character of 7581 brick. I can also imagine that there is a million tea lovers who will always pick The very nice Golden Brick. And I enjoyed it too. But my heart belongs to Shu from 2002 produced under CNNP and labeled as 7581 French Export.


Thank you for reading!



As addition I have released here one more (imperfect) picture of my new testing sets. Here with this year's shengs which I enjoyed yesterday, together with my friend. Tea and water, charcoal and teapot, cups and friendship...