9 Tasting Notes
WanGong(弯弓) directly means “Pull the Bow”, though just a name of tea region.
Taste character is soft, sweet, lingering tea flavor, viscous.
Bitterness and astringency is so minor near none, though still can be perceived.
Brewed tea leaves are like noodles curled together.
Sleek silk like smoothness and brightness.
Always called “油润光泽 YouRun GuangZe” in mandarin.
Preparation
The fragrance comes out from GaiWan with steam,
attracts me so much,
when LongJing tea leaves encountered hot water.
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Brightly yellowish tea leaves.
There is still some unique fragrance produced during killing green using relatively hot pan to completely stop the natural fermentation by enzyme included in tea leaf.
Some like roasted flavor.
85-90℃ is suitable temperature of water.
I opened the cap of teapot to let it cool down soon after boiled.
Gongfucha style may seem ridiculous for brewing green tea,
but I like it because it keeps tea leaves from coming into mouth when use traditional “one-stop” like tea cup.
Compare to Puerh tea, the astringency of LongJing is minor.
No bitterness at all except infused too heavily.
HuiGan comes from aftertaste is fresh like spring water from mountain. Very different from the sweetness comes from Puerh tea which is thicker and more viscous.
Salvation is satisfying and lingers long.
Fragrance from the dry leaf seems like disappeared during every infusion, even you sniff the tea liquid or cold tea cup deeply. But it comes back from deep throat during aftertaste.
Soothing mind feeling even in this hot and humid morning in Guangzhou.
Preparation
DaHongPao, WuYi YanCha also called Cliff Tea or Rock Tea.
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Dry tea leaf:
Heavily Roasted.
Dark color with some reddish appearance.
Charcoal like flavor from dry tea leaf.
Floral mixed with caramel aroma.
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Tea liquid:
At first 1-3 infusions, the color is brownish yellow color, then it turns to golden color from then on.
Caramel like sweetness can be felt at the first sipping.
Mellower than lightly or medium roasted tea, also less irritation to stomach.
Viscous.
Mouth feelings varies along with infusions.
Soothing mind feeling.
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Brewed tea leaf:
Greenish color appears more apparent during the end of session.
*Toad skin seems like on every leaf especially these with greenish color. Toad skin hears like unpleasant as description right now, but definitely it is always used to describe these tea leaves roasted better and well approves the skill and ability of the tea master who processes tea.
No bad quality tea leaf.
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Brewing method:
4g tea leaf.
70ml GaiWan (full capacity of 120ml)
97 Celsius degrees to boiling water.
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P.S Enjoyable and I am becoming understanding why someones like heavily roasted WuYi YanCha.
Flavors: Caramel
Preparation
Just tasted a puerh tea made from BangDong(邦东) tea region in 2009 year.
Floral, honey and herb like aroma from the dry tea leaves.
It has impact on each sip, bitter and retreats fast.
Astringency is weak from the beginning to the end.
Thick tea liquid is rich with density.
Tea flavor in mouth lasts long and varies with time neither too fast nor too slow.
HuiGan comes soon and from wide place in front side of mouth and tongue.
Salivation is always on a satisfying level and lasts very long even after the session.
Long lasting steeping times.
Fragrant tea flavor even like comes from inner nose.
Very energizing especially in this stifling hot afternoon in Guangzhou.
According to the tea flavor from dry leaf and cold cup along with brewed tea leaf, guessing it was blended with GuShu tea material on a high ratio even with some wild tea leaves blended in.
Well aged till now, and it is still can be highly expected on evolution in coming years in GuangZhou.
Brewing method.
7g tea leaf.
70ml porcelain GaiWan (full capacity of 120ml)
Filtered running water.
97 Celsius degrees to boiling water.
Preparation
Pure GuShu tea sessions from left to right:
Left (3rd session):
BingDao (冰岛) LaoZhai (老寨) which means Old village of BingDao.
Bitterness just appears in a blink during every sip.
Astringency is very minor.
Salivation comes firstly than HuiGan and alongside momentum.
Chinese word 舌底鸣泉(she di ming quan) describes Salivation springs up like a spring hided under tongue.
Now I can find a place to use it without hesitation.
Then HuiGan(sweetness from aftertaste) and Salivation comes in turn.
ChaQi is the strongest during the 3 kinds of tea tasted this afternoon. The most obvious body feeling is smoother and broader breath and clearer head than before.
Middle (1st session):
DiJie (地界), another sub-village of BingDao village.
The taste is very different to LaoZhai.
Soft, sleek silk like or even oil like tea liquid with roundness in mouth.
Both bitterness and astringency are not so obvious near very minor.
The most easy to be remembered character is candy sugar like sweetness emerges on the front and wide surface of tongue and stays very long.
Also felt throat was widened and soothing feeling.
Right (2nd session)
BangDong (邦东), a place near XiGui(昔归), with around same altitude and along the river, so it gets another name BangDong JiangBian(邦东 江边).
Very strong aroma emerges from dry tea leaves. Like FengHuang DanCong of YuLanXiang flavor. I still don’t know the reason and assume there maybe some similarities on minerals from soil or others? But also mixed with classical puerh tea flavor especially appears in LinCang area.
The most impact or irritation to mouth during the 3 kinds of tea.
Ever bitterness or astringency is strong but very different from tea of MengHai tea region.
Also another character of Rock flavor called YanYun(岩韵) in Mandarin. This word is usually used to describe the unique flavor of WuYi YanCha directly translated as Rock Tea or Cliff Te a because this rock flavor. Take a look on the photos taken from BangDong JiangBing, very less grass and other brushes plants compared to luxuriant brushes in MengHai tea region in spring. Many places are naked soil and large or small rocks only. Is it the reason? Or other reasons, I still have no idea before having confidential evidences.
Preparation
A tea has most classical characteristics of YiWu tea.
Orchid fragrance mixed with flavor of honey.
Appealing on both aroma and taste.
Well balanced mounth feeling on every aspects and varies naturally along with every steeping.
Compare it with same tea from last spring,
the aroma and fragrance become mellower like melted into every part of tea leaves,
but when poured by boiling water,
these will come out soon without any hesitation.
Tea liquor turns to golden on color and comes with more fermented flavor.
Flavors: Floral, Fruity, Honey, Orchid
Preparation
Tea sample from supplier, a primary dealer of BoYou tea factory.
Published in 2009 year using tea materials picked up in 2008 year according to official description.
Tightly pressed chunks. Even after rinsed 2 times, the largest chunk is still solid. Finally I used the cap to separate it to parts after 5th infusion.
Rough tea materials seem like 7-9 grade. Including high ratio of stems but cut to short around 10mm on average.
Heavily fermented.
Brownish red color of tea liquor. Near dark red.
Herbal fragrance on mouth feeling.
Obvious bitterness.
Caramel sweetness.
HuiGan comes not so fast, but there was enough momentum. I assume the reason is the high ratio of stems which contains more content.
Texture flavor.
Cleanness and clearness ever on tea leaves or on tea liquid.
Totally, I think the description of “MengHai Flavor” is suitable for this tea.
Info of steeping:
1) Small porcelain gaiwan has volume of around 100ml.
2) Boiling water (running water, not recommended. I will try to filter it next time.)
3) Rinsed 2 times. (each time costs 8- 10 sec)
4) Steeping it around 3 sec at first 5 times and a little longer and longer on coming infusions.
Preparation
An old tea
Feeling: (Background introduction will be in the most below)
1) Earthy ★
2) Ripened flavor (near medium fermented ripe tea) ★★★★★
3) Mellow. Soup like. ★★★★★
4) Fruity near tart fruit (slight acid mixed with fruity, pleasant feeling personally ) ★★★★
5) Lingering sweetness from aftertaste. ★★★
6) Near none smoky from taste but a bit obvious on brewed leaves. (I like some smoky flavor but it is not necessary to judge one tea) ★★★.
7) No bitterness and no astringency at all. ★★★★★
8) Smoothness like sleek silk. ★★★★
9) Brownish brewed tea leaves with softness.
Background of tea session.
1) I joined it from the halfway around 10th steep.
2) Tea has ever been lightly processed according to HongKong storage method(做仓). Depending on introduction from host.
3) The oldest and most expensive tea has ever been taste by me till now. Without comparison of other 88 Qing cake.
Conclusion:
I love this tea, but it is so far beyond my affordable.
Preparation
There are many comments under my post on Puerh Tea Club.
May that help people learn more.
Tea was pressed in 2015 year by TongAnHang from HongKong.
Properly compressed disc cake which can be broken apart by hands. Hairy threads have fermented flavor because of RuCang(入仓) which accelerates the aging of sheng puerh tea by manually controlled humidity and temperature and storage time in different stages can be long or short.
Mellow, even the bitterness after heavy steeped infusion is not brisk.
Rich tea soup contains many tiny hairs dropped off from threads.
Fragrance is on a low level ever on cold cup or cap of GaiWan.
My kid asked me that after her sip of puerh tea,
“Why does it taste so bitter firstly, but then it turns to sweetness? "
The answer diversifies some time, especially from different persons, doesn’t it?
Tea farmer: Yeah. HuiGan, ahahaha
Tea vendor: Sure. Beautiful HuiGan and it lingers long time in aftertaste.
Tea lover: Interesting. Any more additional description?
Tea addict: Wow. I feel thirsty again.
Tea scientist: No wonder. Bitterness is from caffeine, tea polyphenols and tannin. Sweetness is from monose, oligose and amino acid etc.
Philosopher: Sweetness usually comes after bitterness, but bitterness is not always followed by sweetness.
Pastor: Tribulation is temporary and there will be eternal life in heaven.
Tea skeptic: It must be fake tea or bad storage. What I have experienced classical taste of puerh tea is different from this one. No matter what you guys say. Anyway, I’m confident on my judgement. Bad experience.