Dragon from Bulang mountain

As usually I will try to say a story with me and tea as main characters. The story still goes on- We are (the tea as well as myself) getting aged. Or just getting old?:) We will see. 

I got this tea quite a while ago from one of my favorite Czech tea suplier  -LongFeng. The owner of the company started produces his cakes in 2009. Usually in several small series from different "mountain" of Yunnan. I liked both 09 and 10 teas I have tried before so I was curious to find what is in this nice, small package.

There are few interesting points, which I should probably mention. It was made from Gu Shu maocha gathered 15km from Lao Ban Zhan. Spring material pressed in August. It is offered as one half of wedding edition together with "Phoenix from Bulang mountain". Some of my friends do not like it and at the same time the owner of the LongFeng call it "this tea is the highest and finest tea we have ever offered in The LongFeng Exclusive Production".  Ok then, let’s see what is inside that package...

Scent of dry leaves is strong, heavy with very light smokiness behind. It seems to me that this "smokiness" almost has disappeared during couple of months I have it at home. Although the aroma of those leaves is quite strong it is not easy to identify all particular ingrediens of this "soup". Maybe kind of flowers I don't know? Spicy honey?

All infusions were clear with nice feeling in my mouth and throat.

Many young shengs I have fit to two categories for me- First it is "good for drink it now" or it is too wild, too sharp to be enjoyed without aging. Here it is something between- One year after pressing it isn't "an easy-tea to drink". It is strong, with very complicated taste. There is also bitterness of wormwood. This bitterness and young power don't forestall to me to enjoy it, it is not overwhelming. But for sure, ten years in one of my puer jars will show us more. Maybe the friend who didn't like it will also change his opinion then. Maybe he is going to regret that he didn't buy few of those small cakes as I did. And I will have an opportunity to invite him for cup of the tea. 

This tea is also a keeper. The taste of soup holds on its position for many infusions. Only slightly changing and developing thru my tea session. It is also not so easy to destroy it (compare to other fresh shengs I have). But still, it is better to be careful- we are talking about young guy here.

A week ago I got box of treasures from Nada. It was interesting to compare this fresh, 15km from LaoBanzhang picked tea with the 2005  GanEr Lao Banzhang 

I got from Nada. Of course, it is as compare apples and pears but still- I have found some essence of those teas very similar. One reminds me another when I have tried them at week intervals. I hope to find time to prepare those teas in line to see how much I am wrong here.

Leaves of the Dragon from Bulang mountain are small but strong, with many tips.

You can see on pictures here a small teapot which I got as a present during my last year Korean trip. I like its small size and simplicity. It is probably piece from big series but the quality of the clay is quite nice. There was interesting discussion on The Listening to Leaves blog related to this kind of the teapots. The ball filter is not perfect here, probably too complicated for such small piece and for pressed teas. But it is not such big deal and I like to use it.

It is very nice to take your tea accessories outside. When you are sitting outside during sunny morning you can see your cup of tea in different light. Please lets go outside and enjoy your tea under a tree. Thank you for reading.

Is this going to be our Dragon Well ?

 I belong to that smaller part of earth dwellers with pretty good and sufficient water supply. I can hear, time to time, people around grumble about high water tariff and bills but I know it is nothing. I can freely drink, bath or even fill my swimming pull (if I would like to have one, which I don't) -and all that with safe, drinking water! And that is not because I work hard on it. I was just born in to it. I can be thankful of it, I can be thrifty when using that liquid gold and What else??

One of many ponds of our countryside.

When we brought our property, it was unused for many years, in very bad shape but with quite interesting history and energy. It made us (among others) to choose it like a place where to work and live. We got lucky at several things but the water was probably one of the most important. There was water supply network going to be finished just after we have bought this old stonework building. It saved us from digging our own well. It is also nice to know that this water conduit is full of water which garnered directly from forests and hills around the village. Great! Good water is first half of good cup of tea.

One day, cleaning wild bush on our future garden we found this hole. Hided under mud and two big stones there was old well! It was almost full of dirty water. Under one and half meter of water there were another few meters of mud. When we sucked up all water it was nice to see how this old fashioned dug well is slowly refilled with new water. And the idea was born -We should clean it, repair it and try to make it live again. We have enough water around so we do not need it. Actually small brook makes border of half of the property. But who knows what can happen in the future? One extra well can be useful reserve.

I know, the cement isn't so nice. But sometime you have to make compromises...

Neglected plot is slowly changed in to the garden...

I hope to clean this old companion of our building before winter. I look forward to see how the water will turn out then. Is it going to be drinking water for plants on our garden? Support for our work with clay? Or it will be useful for cooking and drinking? Or is it going to be our Tiger Spring?  The best water for leaves in my teapot? For fresh, spring Dragon Well of 2012? Anyhow - I feel blessed to have this old well here.

reflection of the heaven...

Firing in June 2011

As we are potters it is not surprising: We fired again. After few weeks of working with clay followed two days of glazing, one long day of  loading and then around twenty hours of firing. Writing this the kiln is just about to be unloaded -we have put aside few bricks waiting till temperature will be safe for pieces inside the kiln. In mean time I would like to show you few pictures from the process.

Time for tea :  Wild buds 2011 -good choice for hot afternoon.  Sample from  Jiri  Melzer

Now I already fished out few pots...I hope to see more pieces like those soon. All pots you can see here are from the lower parts of the kiln where we use charcoal technique. Above there are more glazed and finer pots.

Unglazed jar -some Liu An basket tea is waitng for it...

I am going back to the kiln. After unloading the kiln there are two days of cleaning, sorting and completing in front of us. 

2003 7572

My Pots and Tea blog is still pretty new, like a fresh cake. But still, I realized one thing - even thought I drink mostly puer tea I have not posted any puer post yet. Maybe I am a little bit afraid of this. It is like a love you do not fully understand. With many cakes (touchas, bricks etc.)  I like, it is hard for me to describe what is so special about them for me. But on other hand- I like challenges! So here is the first story....

Ripe Menghai 7572 03  

I like this kind of wrapping -it looks old and traditional even when it is not

I got this cake more then year ago from my friend-customer, owner of teashop. It was part of our tea-teaware exchange. When I am thinking about it now I think it was given to me extra, as kind of added value of this exchange. Yes, I am happy man!  I remember that when I tasted it for a first time I was not fully impressed. The smell of dry leaves as well as fragrances going out from the teapot were great but I couldn't find it in the taste. I also miss body of the tea which I like to have when drinking a shu. So I putted it to my storage box...And year after, when I was digging there, looking for some Shu to enjoy I decided to try it again.

When I have a tea where the smell and look of it promised more then I find in my cup it usually (not always) means that there is something wrong on my side. I mean water, pots I used, timing, and amount of leaves and so on. After several sessions with this Menghai product I find in my cup what I was looking for. Thick syrup which fill up your mouth. There are no those muddy-musty smells and tastes of too wet storage ShuPu. Tastes of sweet walnuts and un-sweet cocoa -it goes from my mouth to my nose and back. I realized that it is better to use bigger amount of leaves -then I can play during infusions and enjoy stronger liquor with footprint of bitterness or lighter one with more nutty and slightly flowery character. 

When I find out that this cake is the Shu as I like it, I asked my friend if this tea is for a sale. But unfortunately the answer was no- he has only few of those cakes and he likes it to much to sell them. So I started to "google" and so far |I find it only at Yunnan Sourcing. But for 148usd? It is too much for me right now -especially for Shu. I find also 2003 7572 for 75usd (for example here ) but in different wrapping...what does it means? I will try to find it out. In the meantime I am going to enjoy this treasure and looking for Shu with similar qualities. 

Enjoy your day