Hojo's da xue shan 2019 mao cha (wild tea)

Opening the bag, I was greeted with a thick fruity aroma like grape juice and ripe melons!

Brewed 3.5 grams in my 110 mL late 70s hqsn. Flash brewing of course.

Wow is this green tea or sheng?

Very juicy fruity flavors like white grape juice and some honey. Is this really young sheng?

Where is the bitterness???

Where?

Can't find it in this tea.

There is the slightest throat prickle of astringency...or was that from drinking the tea while it was too hot?

Felt very energized after drinking - 3.5g is more than enough! Could actually drink this on a daily basis!

Update: after a few sessions, it is clear the tea "changes" quickly once exposed to air, shedding its fresh fruity aromas and gaining more oolong like characteristics. 3.5 g per session quickly becomes too flat - and I find myself progressively using more leaf. On the plus side, the tea gains body and properties that remind me of good gaoshan. The aftertaste is exceptionally robust and comes back in strong waves. Very nice! It makes me wonder if the withering process was done a bit longer than typical. In this post from Hojo, he mentions experimenting with very long withering times for sheng, achieving a gao shan like aromatic profile:

https://hojotea.com/en/posts-166/

I may start brewing this as an oolong! Still, astringency is nearly absent. This is def. a separate genre compared to typical pu. It is more like some hybrid of oolong, white tea and sheng!

Update: brewed it more like oolong: 5g/110 mL rinse/ 25s/20s/25s/30s/40s/50s/60s/2min/3min/5min

The fruity flavor is resurrected with this method. However, the aftertaste somehow suffers though is still present. Interestingly, the cha qi is very strong with these longer infusions, which makes me realize this is still a genre of sheng, even though the flavor profile is different

Update: brewed it more like white tea:
2g/100 mL
2min, 2min, 3min, 5min, 7min, 10min, 15min

Brewed this way, the tea is more complex but a little flat. Astringency and bitterness are more present in early infusions yet not overbearing..again a surprise for young sheng.

Final update: brewed at Hojo parameters again, going back full circle but using gaiwan. The teasoup is full of floral aromatics and complex fruity flavors. There is also a distinct mushroomy mustiness and a very mild acidic note that actually "livens" up the experience. The hqsn clay that I had been using was actually muting the brightness and mustiness, as well as shaving off the fruity flavors and floral aromatics. Because of this, it seems the optimal teaware should indeed be porcelain gaiwan for this tea.

Comments

Da hong bao from 小罐茶 (Xiao Guan Tea)

The container contains 4 grams of tea and looks expensive. The red label and the brushed aluminum surface has a minimalist, modern appeal, resembling the surface of an apple computer. The label, and the company website showcases associations with famous tea masters for each tea. However more important details of the tea such as terroir, cultivar and picking times are not disclosed. Tasting notes: Overall, the tea lacked stamina and did not impress. I steeped the tea in the following ways: 1.) 4 g / 125 mL boiling water. Rinse / 30 s / 45 s / 1 min 30 sec / 4 min 2.) 8 g / 125 mL boiling water. Rinse / 15 s / 20 s / 30 s / 1 min / 3 min In the first session, the taste tapered off after the second infusion and could not be recovered. Therefore, I doubled the leaf for the second session. However, the tea did not last many more infusions. The dry leaf has intense charcoal, roasted coffee and chocolate notes. These are enhanced in the wet leaf and completely reflected in the first steeping

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, fruit flavors are

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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