Hon yama koju oolong 2020 thes du japon

Vendor

Origin : Kozeto, Aoi ward, Shizuoka city, Shizuoka prefecture
Cultivar : Kôju
Harvest : Aprile 23th & May 9th, 2020, hand picked

Zairai so should have low bitterness

unique fruity fragrance, recalling white grapes, peaches and also sweet citrus.

Review

Based on the description I treated it like a chinese oolong: threw 5 g in 85 mL gaiwan. Off boiling water:
Rinse/35s/30s/35s etc

The dry and wet leaves smell a bit like a hybrid of baozhong and zairai sencha: floral and vegetal.

Unfortunately the first few infusions are quite bitter. The bitterness in the front is eye popping and devastating - I will start with the positives. The flavors in the back and in the aftertaste are much more pleasant: sweet grape juice, some light savory herbs, and a greenness that reminds me of gao shan. The aftertaste lingers for a long time and is nice. The infusion is also thick with a medium to heavy body.

Regarding the bitterness, it is so strong and off putting that when my wife had it, she gagged and coughed - and had to wash the taste out of her mouth with tap water. She has never done that in the past with other teas, even young sheng!

This makes it clear to me that florent has a very high capacity for bitterness since he thinks there is no bitterness at all.

As an oolong, this tea dissapoints due to unpalatable upfront bitterness. I think perhaps as a zairai sencha, it is quite good, esp with the complex fruity flavors, and long satisfying aftertaste. Therefore I believe this tea likely demands lower leaf to water ratio (maybe 4-5 g per 100) and cooler water (maybe around 80-85) with the typical sencha brewing parameters.

Ultimately I found this to work best: 4g/85 mL off boiling. Quick rinse. Then 15s / flash / 10s / 20s and so forth.

Using cooler water prevents the floral character to emerge.

Comments

Glenburn king single estate first flush 2019 from vahdam

Leaves are small and bud like. There are many broken leaves as well and leaves with holes indicating insect bite. This could explain some of the Muscatel. 1.8 teaspoon 350 mL water 90 C water Steep 1: 4 min Steep 2: 8 min Steep 3: indefinite time Light, flowery, herbal Some muscatel in nose Muscatel, herb, flowery hops, light wood notes in taste Lingering herbal, fresh hop and cooling mint I am told mint is often a sign of Assamica tea but these are supposed to be chinary.

Longfengxia High Mountain Spring Oolong Tea, Day 5, Lot 948, 2020 taiwan tea craft

From vendor: PICKING DATE May 2020 OXYDATION LEVEL Low BAKING LEVEL None TERROIR Shanlinxi ADMINISTRATIVE REGION Nantou County PICKING STYLE Hand Picked CULTIVAR(S) USED Qing Xin GARDEN ELEVATION 1750 m Review: Dry lead is intensely flowery with prominent yellow stems Brewed 5 to 7 grams/100 mL boiling water in kobiwako. Lower leaf is okay due to intensity of flavor but higher leaf has stronger sweetness in later steeps. For 5 g: Rinse / 55 s / 45 s / 55 s / 1:10 / 1:30 /2:30 Brewed leaves have strong pastry and tropical fruit Steeps 1-2: Taste of green mango, citrus, and baked pineapple pastry. Clean minerality and medium to thick mouthfeel. There is strong perfume of oily flowers, mainly rose and some lavender. At higher leaf to water (7 g per 100 mL) there is some slight green astringency. Steep 3-5: fruit notes are much more mild but still present and long lasting. Much more buttery. There is slight green brandy like astringency. At higher leaf to water ratio, frui...

2020 Competition Grade Jin Jun Mei Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

From vendor: Late March Harvest Tong Mu Guan Village (Fujian) Review: Strong yeast and honey suckle aroma from dry leaf. Lots of orange yellow powder from the small, tight buds. A small holed filter is necessary. Brew parameter: 4 g / 100 mL 90 C in porcelain Rinse / 10s / 10s / 15s / 35s / 1 min / 2 min / 5 min Strong honey and milk chocolate notes. Smooth and thick with stone fruit (peach) aromas and sweet yam flavors. Some vegetal notes develop in later steepings. Early steepings are quick and strong but drops off after 3rd steeping. Strangely, a pu-erh like wet pile funk is faintly present. This is not particularly pleasant. Western brewing is also acceptable at 1 g /100 mL for 3:30. However, the chocolate notes are much more mild when brewed in this way.

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