Lovely, deep red/orange broth with a sensual, dark aroma of malt, fruit and raw cacao. Taste is also dark and sensual with a thick, dark, malty taste like a good stout beer but without any bitterness at all, as well as a light fruit and raw cacao flavor. The second infusion was not quite as thick but still very round and lush, the malty goodness was still there, as well as the taste of fruit and raw cacao nibs. The third steeping was left for close to two minutes and I was rewarded with an aroma and taste that was just as thick and lush as the first infusion but brighter and with even more raw cacao taste and aroma added to the fruit, though the malt overtones were much less foreward but still there. The fourth infusion was much lighter, even after steeping for three and a half minutes, but still just as delicious. A fifth infusion was weak, even after five minutes, so I let it steep until cold and it made a very nice cold tea.
This was actually the first ‘real’ tea (non-flavored) I’ve ever bought and I bought it via Amazon.com. I loved it so much that I went to Yunnan Sourcing’s site and bought more immediately.
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Actually, since Yixing clay is a porous earthenware clay, jars made from it are meant only for puerh teas that need to be able to breathe a little (they way they absorb and retain moisture and allow limited air circulation helps maintain a stable environment for puerh aging). For non-puerh teas you really need a normal air-tight container to keep the tea fresh.
Did you get the Jar from Yunnan sourcing? I can’t find any on their website
Thanks for the heads up. Yunnan Sourcing says on their page for the Yi Mei Ren that it will keep and age well and I’m afraid I inferred aging to mean exposure to air, like one would store a puerh.
No, I bought two Yixing jars from the Chinese Teapot Gallery and
Tea Culture Shop on Ebay. I’d read good things about them on several tea forums and tea blogs so I thought I would check them out by buying two tea storage jars. They’re quite nice, though probably not hand made.
And they’d be especially bad for storing oolongs, since oolongs are very moisture sensitive you want them kept as air tight as possible, oolongs (especially unroasted/green ones) can turn sour pretty quickly from environmental humidity/moisture. I’d say the jars are about as airtight as a cardboard box.
I think Scott just meant that he thinks this tea will have a good shelf life.
I have this tea as well, and I love it too, although it’s not really representative of yunnan blacks, or of anything really, it’s pretty unique.
Again, thank you! I’m beginning to be really glad that I joined this site, you’ve saved me from ruining a favorite tea. I think I’ll just put the two shou puerh dragon eggs I just bought into this jar and put the Yi Mei Ren into the double lidded tins I have.
Actually, since Yixing clay is a porous earthenware clay, jars made from it are meant only for puerh teas that need to be able to breathe a little (they way they absorb and retain moisture and allow limited air circulation helps maintain a stable environment for puerh aging). For non-puerh teas you really need a normal air-tight container to keep the tea fresh.
Did you get the Jar from Yunnan sourcing? I can’t find any on their website
Thanks for the heads up. Yunnan Sourcing says on their page for the Yi Mei Ren that it will keep and age well and I’m afraid I inferred aging to mean exposure to air, like one would store a puerh.
No, I bought two Yixing jars from the Chinese Teapot Gallery and
Tea Culture Shop on Ebay. I’d read good things about them on several tea forums and tea blogs so I thought I would check them out by buying two tea storage jars. They’re quite nice, though probably not hand made.
And they’d be especially bad for storing oolongs, since oolongs are very moisture sensitive you want them kept as air tight as possible, oolongs (especially unroasted/green ones) can turn sour pretty quickly from environmental humidity/moisture. I’d say the jars are about as airtight as a cardboard box.
I think Scott just meant that he thinks this tea will have a good shelf life.
I have this tea as well, and I love it too, although it’s not really representative of yunnan blacks, or of anything really, it’s pretty unique.
Again, thank you! I’m beginning to be really glad that I joined this site, you’ve saved me from ruining a favorite tea. I think I’ll just put the two shou puerh dragon eggs I just bought into this jar and put the Yi Mei Ren into the double lidded tins I have.