This is a tasty ripe tea. It had a fair amount of fermentation flavor in the early steeps. It was thick and somewhat creamy in nature. There were some chocolate notes in there and it developed a fruity flavor in later steeps. Broke in my new small Yixing teapot for this session. Got it from one of my favorite EBay teapot sellers liwz88. He sells nice teapots at reasonable prices. This one was only $35 and I like it. I gave this tea two more steeps than my usual because I was using a smaller pot than usual. I unfortunately still have to watch my caffeine intake.
I steeped this tea ten times in a 110ml Yixing Teapot with 8.2g leaf and boiling water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, and 1 min. I’d say that I would get another four or five steeps out of this tea if I was to continue.
Flavors: Chocolate, Earth, Fruity, Sweet
Preparation
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hi alan, i got the same here, i always wonder why people brew with boiling water and longer than a few seconds because it will get that “fermentend” flavour.. i call it fermented bitterness ;), i think 90 °C for the wash is quite hot enough and the latter steeps should be around 85 °C.. at least this is how i can avoid that fermentation flavor that covers everything else. it really had a nice creamy smell when washing, but i couldn’t find it anymore after steeping with boiling water. this tea was so compressed in flavor i was able to brew it up 10 times with immediate pour and couldn’t see through the liquor, just black and brown (8g on 150ml) until the 8th steep.
the flavour was still the same, even when pouring with 75 °C !
but apart from that typical dayi flavor and fermentation flavor i got nothing too pleasant and the creamy one was totally gone after the wash. i bet i did it pretty much the same way you did, steeps for 5-10 seconds max, 8g leaf, 5 second rinse, 5 minute rest. i couldn’t get any fruity aroma from it or sweetness at all, just very earthy and maybe chocolate (bitter chocolate though ;) ). do you have any advice on how to make it smoother ? it tasted exactly like my 2012 7262 to be honest. only difference was the creamy smell when rinsing it.
Generally as you resteep the tea it will improve and lose it’s fermentation flavor. I find that with most ripe after four to five steeps the fermentation is not so noticeable. I use boiling water with ripe because that is what has been recommended to me. I suppose there is no reason you cannot use lower temperature water. I generally find that if a fruity taste is going to develop in is in the later steeps such as eight and nine etc. It has been quite a while since I drank this one. Not even sure where I put it in my collection.
i find its the same with sheng.. i always get a bitter note in the first 4 steeps. i can avoid it totally though when using 50 °C for rinsing and 80 °C for steeping (immediate pour every time). i have to try that with shu, too. maybe it works the same.
X-Ray you are right about the temps and mellowing the off tastes. However, for tasting purposes, boiling water is the test at which only the best teas will hold up, in terms of leaf strength and quality. It is a litmus test, so to speak, that will reveal the good and bad. The lower temps will improve the flavor and lessen the bad, whereas boiling reveals everything about the tea and the storage.
X-Ray, the best way to avoid fermentation flavor in shou is to get a cake that has cleared. I have come across a couple, one is the 2008 Song of Chi Tse from Berylleb King Tea on EBay. Another is the 1996 CNNP ripe from Yunnan Sourcing. I think it was 1996 CNNP Green Mark but can’t remember for sure. It was definitely 1996 CNNP though. I have not come across many teas that have cleared but those two are two I remember have.
what does “cleared” refer to ? can you clear a cake by yourself ?
X-Ray, cleared refers to the fermentation taste. It means that over a certain interval of storage this flavor will slowly go away. You can clear one by yourself but it takes years depending on your storage. Generally higher humidity will clear a cake faster.
hi alan, i got the same here, i always wonder why people brew with boiling water and longer than a few seconds because it will get that “fermentend” flavour.. i call it fermented bitterness ;), i think 90 °C for the wash is quite hot enough and the latter steeps should be around 85 °C.. at least this is how i can avoid that fermentation flavor that covers everything else. it really had a nice creamy smell when washing, but i couldn’t find it anymore after steeping with boiling water. this tea was so compressed in flavor i was able to brew it up 10 times with immediate pour and couldn’t see through the liquor, just black and brown (8g on 150ml) until the 8th steep.
the flavour was still the same, even when pouring with 75 °C !
but apart from that typical dayi flavor and fermentation flavor i got nothing too pleasant and the creamy one was totally gone after the wash. i bet i did it pretty much the same way you did, steeps for 5-10 seconds max, 8g leaf, 5 second rinse, 5 minute rest. i couldn’t get any fruity aroma from it or sweetness at all, just very earthy and maybe chocolate (bitter chocolate though ;) ). do you have any advice on how to make it smoother ? it tasted exactly like my 2012 7262 to be honest. only difference was the creamy smell when rinsing it.
Generally as you resteep the tea it will improve and lose it’s fermentation flavor. I find that with most ripe after four to five steeps the fermentation is not so noticeable. I use boiling water with ripe because that is what has been recommended to me. I suppose there is no reason you cannot use lower temperature water. I generally find that if a fruity taste is going to develop in is in the later steeps such as eight and nine etc. It has been quite a while since I drank this one. Not even sure where I put it in my collection.
i find its the same with sheng.. i always get a bitter note in the first 4 steeps. i can avoid it totally though when using 50 °C for rinsing and 80 °C for steeping (immediate pour every time). i have to try that with shu, too. maybe it works the same.
X-Ray you are right about the temps and mellowing the off tastes. However, for tasting purposes, boiling water is the test at which only the best teas will hold up, in terms of leaf strength and quality. It is a litmus test, so to speak, that will reveal the good and bad. The lower temps will improve the flavor and lessen the bad, whereas boiling reveals everything about the tea and the storage.
X-Ray, the best way to avoid fermentation flavor in shou is to get a cake that has cleared. I have come across a couple, one is the 2008 Song of Chi Tse from Berylleb King Tea on EBay. Another is the 1996 CNNP ripe from Yunnan Sourcing. I think it was 1996 CNNP Green Mark but can’t remember for sure. It was definitely 1996 CNNP though. I have not come across many teas that have cleared but those two are two I remember have.
what does “cleared” refer to ? can you clear a cake by yourself ?
X-Ray, cleared refers to the fermentation taste. It means that over a certain interval of storage this flavor will slowly go away. You can clear one by yourself but it takes years depending on your storage. Generally higher humidity will clear a cake faster.