Tea

 At 0.8/g from da xue jia dao Steeped 8g/110 mL boiling Flash/ 10s/15s/20s/25s/30s/40s/55s/1min30s/2min/3min/5min/7min/10min/15min/ steeped out in large volume A stunning tea like a velvet hammer. Soft and rich yet presenting a strong but pleasant astringent note that establishes a firm flavor structure. Taste is difficult to describe but includes rich milk chocolate and strong minerality as steeps progress. The early steeps include a bright plummy note that balances out the darker flavors. There is a sensation of walking into an ancient church and seeing a dusty canvas in the shadows layered with little mountains of paint - defined by strong textures and a vague impression of old, long forgotten madness. The minerality is bound tightly with flavors of dried ginseng and ginger. .

Vendor: Grower:  Chen Huan Tang Cultivar:  Qing Xin Wulong Region:  Lugu, Nantou County Altitude:  700m Review: The tea has a layered structure: sweet dried fruit, roasted nuts, chocolate and some dried flowers and herbs. Each layer is clearly expressed, separate yet playfully interacting, like baroque counterpoint, long into the aftertaste.  The roast is very clean. The one flaw to me is that the flavors are a bit thin when brewed according to the vendor: 6g/100 mL 35s/30s/40s and so forth. This may be due to the poor winter harvest. Interestingly, the leaves expand so greatly, that I cannot fit more than 5g into my 85 mL gaiwan making it hard push harder with leaf:water. This tea should benefit from a teapot with high heat retention and longer brewing time. In Peter Kuo's teapot following same parameters, the tea is perfect and dynamic. With third infusion, bright fruit notes emerge like a flute over the ensemble.

 Brewed 10 g/ 150 mL in wood fired pot Rinse/45s/35s/50s/1min/2 min/5 min / 8min/ steeped it out 3x Strong coffee and chocolate scent from the dry leaf. Surprisingly restrained brew. Early brews surprisingly similar to low to medium grade da hong bao yancha but with a cleaner finish. Second steep has a distinct sour plum note. Am told this is not in the flavor profile of hy chen tea directly from the farmer and is indicative of poor, storage with moisture issues. Flavors fall apart after third infusion. Longer brewing time in later infusions are good. Pairs will breakfast food. I am starting to suspect hy chen dong ding is primarily meant for grandpa or western brewing... even in grandpa brewin, sour note is present. This is acceptable to me Note, this tea is almost undrinkable in a thin gaiwan. The roast is like cigarette butts. 

Brewed 10 g/ 150 mL boiling except for rinse Warm rinse / 45s / 37s / 1 min / 1min 30 / 2min 45s / 7 min / steep it out 2-3 times Dried tropical fruit sweetness, mostly pineapple and maybe some prunes, that seems to linger for a long time (close to an hour after sipping). Along with this taste is an "after aroma" that is like aged wood, or very light incense. Maybe i am being biased by kyarazen's obsession with incense - kyaren also being a huge advocate of hy chen. First 3 steeps are the sweetest. Later steeps are more roasted (dark chocolatey, maybe some medium roast coffee) with some greener tropical fruit notes and floral scents emerging from time to time that is more aligned with gao shan from shan lin xi. Stamina is not high in terms of flavor and short steeps. Later steeps, though lighter in flavor, maintain long aftertaste. Also, long steeps after 6th steep is well tolerated and yield pleasant cups. Bottom line:  the surprisingly long and pleasant after taste is w...

Vendor: Bai Ji Guan (aka White Cockscomb) is a classic Wu Yi varietal originating from the "Bat Cave" deep in the Wu Yi mountains. Bai Ji Guan is lightly processed through shade withering.   This tea has been grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Late April Harvest Review: Light yellow green and brown leaves with roast and toffee smell Brewed 5g/85mL gaiwan off boiling water Rinse/25s/30s/40s/1min/1min30s/2min/3min/5min/10min Bright lemon curd and citrus candy-like sweetness in early steeps framed with chocolatey yancha roast. Buttery toffee flavors emerge a few steeps in that lingers for a long time. A complex cup dominated by aroma over body. However, after only one week of opening, the tea falls apart.

Brewed 9.2 g in 150 mL Rinse/35s/30s/40s/50s/1min20s/2min/4min/15min First infusion is still closed off: some light nuttiness, caramel sweetness and dried fruit Second infusion opens up with surprisingly deep fruit and toffee flavors. Third infusion adds some butteriness Fourth infusion is much lighter than 3rd infusion  5th infusion is lighter still 6th infusion is quite light 7th infusion is fruity again Long 8th infusion, slightly stronger than 7th First 4 infusions are interesting, and made think of slowly entering and delving deeper into a large house. The roast and the leaf flavors are well integrated: there is no conflicting taste profile between leaf and roast. Stamina is a bit low, possibly due to non-ideal storage  (not vacuum sealed) Left an "interesting" roasted medicinal/herbal aftertaste that is vaguely like baked rosemary. This may be the effect of the longan wood charcoal After much experimentation, i had the best experience with 10 g /150 mL: Light rinse with...

 From vendor: PICKING DATE May 2019 OXYDATION LEVEL Medium-High BAKING LEVEL Light oven baked TERROIR Emei ADMINISTRATIVE REGION Hsinchu County PICKING STYLE Hand Picked CULTIVAR(S) USED Qing Xin Da Mu GARDEN ELEVATION 600 m Review: Dry leaf resembles colorful autumn leaves on thr forest floor Brewed 5 g in 85 mL gaiwan using boiling water Rinse/25s/20s/30s/35s/40s/45s/1min/1min30s/2min/3min/5min Strong honey and topical fruit notes with medium low malty bitterness. After 5 infusions, the brew becomes more buttery and less fruity. After 8 infusions, it is no longer interesting, but still has a black tea flavor.

From vendor: Harvest and processing dates unknown. Origin : Shimen District, New Taipei City, Taiwan Cultivar : Ying Zhi Hong Xin & Jinxuan Elevation : ~300 meters Oxidation : 30~40% Roast Level : Dark Review: Dry leaf Packed in paper bag like coffee beans. Was worried that would make it stale. Very loosely rolled leaves. Dark brown with brown sugar and light coffee scent Brewed 9g /150 mL boiling in Peter kuo wood fired pot Rinse/25s/25s/35s/50 sec/1min 15s/ 2min/4min/8min / steep it out grandpa style Early steeps: The scent is smoky, like a mix of very light cigar and expensive incense. The taste begins with the cigar and incense smoke that immediately opens up to sweet, creamy toffee and wood barrel flavors, that build up layer after layer far into the after taste Later steeps: the scent and the sweet toffee notes coalesce more and more. Some dried fruit and chinese sweet red bean paste flavors that are reminiscent of clean shu pu erh emerge. Grandpa steeps seem almost indisting...

From Vendor: Harvest:  Hand picked in small batches. Spring 2020. Yonglong, Nantou. Elevation:   700m Medium oxidized, heavily roasted tea with a hearty, complex, and robust character. This farm is managed by a father (Mr. Su) and son team who inherited their family tradition as artisans of Dong Ding Tea. Their tea has been awarded first prize in the  world's largest Oolong tea competition , and they consistently achieve top awards in their local competition of traditionally made Dong Ding Oolong. This family's tea gardens are 30-40 years old, and are solely comprised of an early strain of Qing Xin Oolong that some some farmers consider to be an heirloom strain that is no longer readily available. Review: Dry leaf: rolled balls appear heterogeneous in size. Color is even. Moderate scents of charcoal roast. Brewed 7.8 g / 125 mL boiling water in porcelain Rinse / 40 s / 30 s / 40 s / 50 s / 1 m 10 s / 2 min / 4 min / 15 min Wet leaf: medium charcoal smokiness. Tr...

 From vendor: ORGANICALLY GROWN Organically grown STYLE OF TEA GABA Oolong Tea PICKING DATE April 2019 OXYDATION LEVEL Medium ,  Oxygen Deprived BAKING LEVEL Baked TERROIR Baguashan ADMINISTRATIVE REGION Nantou County PICKING STYLE Mechanically Picked CULTIVAR(S) USED Jin Xuan, TRES No. 12 GARDEN ELEVATION 350 m Lot 887 was baked in February 2020 from Spring 2019 tea .  ------------- The Dry leaf is not very aromatic, with some roasted seaweed notes. Stems are present as expected for machine picking but not too prominent, suggesting decent quality. Brewing: 8 g / 125 mL boiling water in porcelain pot. Rinse / 45 sec / 50 sec / 1:10 / 1:30 / 2 min / 3 min / 6 min Wet leaf has a strong scent of roasted seaweed that leads to some funky seaweed and soy sauce aromas along with raisins and baked fruit cake. The vendor claims this scent is comparable to third flush Darjeeling. I tested this by brewing an autumn flush Darjeeling a few days later. I concur that they share a simila...

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...

 Info from vendor: This farmer manages his own small plots of Tie Guan Yin, also known as "Iron Goddess", tea plants and processes the leaves in his home factory. This batch is 75-80%  Tie Guan Yin  tea leaves blended with a batch of Jin Xuan Oolong that he processed in the traditional  Tie Guan Yin  fashion.  _______ By the even, dark color of the balls, the roasting was consistent Ball size is a bit heterogeneous. Also, stems are prominent Almost no particles after wash. Overall quality is good. Dried leaf smelled of raisins and toffee Did 9 grams in 170 mL pot with boiling water. 45 sec and then +5 sec for subsequent steeps. First steep had lots of dried fruit as well as medium smoky character that lingers for a long time. Smoke has a herbal/medicinal quality and reminds me of TGY from the 80s. Second steep was a bit too smoky, bordering smoked lapsang souchong quality. Jin xuan butteriness comes through at this point. Would recommend shorter second stee...