Clay Day

I’m playing hooky from work today, so since I’m home with no real plans, I decided it was a good day to dedicate my last two unused yixing pots to their respective teas. So while I’m at it, I took some pictures of my small yixing collection to share as well. This post is long and picture-intensive, but I kept the pictures fairly small, and you’ll have all weekend to read it.

This was one of my first yixing pots – my “Irish Breakfast/Assam” pot. I bought it here in town at a little tea shop, and spent a long time waffling over the money (I think it was $45 if I recall correctly). I loved it though, the symmetry, the stump-like aspects, the color…it just seemed like I had to have it. I dedicated it to my favorite black tea blend, Irish Breakfast. After figuring out that the malty Assam tea in Irish Breakfast blends is what I really craved from them, I started using the pot for Assam as well, and even in this short amount of time (a year or two?), I can tell a definite difference (for the better) between both Irish Breakfast and Assam teas made in this little pot as opposed to the same tea made in a filter bag, ceramic teapot, or my triniTEA. The flavor is deeper and richer when made in my yixing pot, and while I don’t use it often, it’s a special treat when I do.

This second pot was used once for oolong, but now is my “raw puerh” pot. I use a gaiwan for initial tastings, but any young raw puerh that I’m saving to age will be brewed in this little pot. I’ve only used it a couple of times, but again, I can tell the difference in flavor and depth almost immediately, even though I haven’t used this pot often.

My third pot is my cooked puerh pot. I use it for my favorite cooked puerh teas, and I bought it mainly because I loved the shape. It’s a very simple pot, but is very relaxing and beautiful to me.


The fourth pot is my Formosa oolong pot…dedicated to one of my favorite oolong teas. It’s larger, and suitable for serving several people, though it hasn’t been used for that yet. As you can see, I have matching yixing cups, but they get so hot I prefer to use other cups with it. It brews a lovely cup of oolong too, when I have the time for more than one infusion.

This fifth pot is going to be dedicated to pouching tea – I’m going to do that this afternoon. It’s big, but I loved it for the plump, round shape, and beautiful leaves on the side. It will also serve a crowd, and pouching would be lovely to serve to guests in several infusions. It’s taken me months to decide which tea to dedicate this pot to, but once it popped into my head, I knew it was perfect.

And finally, my last pot, a carved yellow crane pot. This morning I dedicated this pot to one of my absolute favorite teas, Yunnan Gold. I love the intricate artwork on this pot, and it just seems perfect for my super-yummy Yunnan gold tea.

I’ve read a couple different methods of dedicating yixing to their respective teas, but I simply brew the tea in it’s pot after rinsing it well with boiling water (to get rid of any clay grit), giving careful rinses over and around the pot with each infusion brewed. When I’m done with the tea, I let the leaves sit in the pot in hot water and “marinate” for 20 minutes or so, then rinse everything out with hot water, and let air dry. Then I just use the pot whenever I can, and eventually, the flavors start deepening and I know that they have been absorbing into the clay.




So there you have it – my yixing collection on this lovely Friday afternoon.

Planning Tea Purchases

I get paid tomorrow. Sometimes it seems like my life hinges on paydays, but hey, gotta have something to look forward to! July will be an expensive month for various non-tea-related reasons, but I’m still making a shopping list for tea, and thought it might be interesting to post, in case anyone wants to compare notes (or see what will be up for review later in July).

So this is my post for today – my list of tea/teaware purchases I hope to make in July.

Adagio: New carafe for my triniTEA (you don’t realize how much you need something until it’s gone!) I’m just going to pay for them to send me a new carafe if possible – I hate shopping, and don’t feel like running around town to find one that fits.

Art of Tea: 2003 Fucha Vintage Dark Tea, if I can get some before they run out (the way they’ve been advertising it, I expect it will be quite popular when it goes on sale July 1st). It sounds and looks intriguing, something different. Depending on the cost, I may get some of the other TNT’s as well. I also need more Garden of Eden for icing, and Chocolate Monkey Rooibos. I need more filter bags too, might as well order them at the same time.

Teacuppa: 2005 CNNP Big Blue Mark Puerh cake

Dragonwater: whatever 3 samples I get with my monthly tea club purchase. For those who don't already know, Dragonwater has the only tea club I've found where you can pay by the month, and suspend your membership when you need to. If you like trying new teas every month, head over there and sign up! It's the only tea tasting club I'm in, simply because you have to pay for all the others in advance. Do check it out if you have a minute.

And that’s it for July. A few new things to try, and one to store…other than that, I need to keep drinking down the stash I already have. That includes plenty of teas to review, never fear. Lots of whites and greens yet to try. I may have to have a tea party soon, to clean out some of my extras.

Anyone else planning any tea purchases in the near future?

Casablanca Twist from Adagio

Scent in tin: Pure peppermint-y goodness.
Brewed in: small glass teapot/glass infuser
Steeped: 3-4 min.@180 degrees
Cup: China teacup

Last night I found myself in need of something mellow and easy on the stomach, so I reached for my sample of Casablanca Twist. I had ordered it along with the Japanese green teas from Adagio, because it sounded intriguing and because I like good peppermint tea. I’m not sure why it’s listed as a “green tea” – the base tea is Darjeeling, and the peppermint is an herb, but that’s where you’ll find it on the site.

The scent is heavenly, if you love peppermint. You immediately get the cooling sensation in your throat when you just breathe it in, and the tea is nice to look at too – small bits of dried dark green tea swimming among a sea of brilliant green finely cut peppermint leaves. It brews up dark for a green/herbal tea, and smells divine while it’s steeping.

It’s darker in the cup than a green tea, and while the peppermint scent is very strong, if you focus you can separate out the typical muscatel perfume of the first flush Darjeeling tea they used for this blend. The taste is wonderful and changes over time. When the tea is still very warm, you’ll only taste the peppermint, but there is a smoothness that a straight tisane of peppermint doesn’t normally have. As the tea cools, the muscatel notes blend more readily with the herb, and you get this interesting mixture of smooth, sweet Darjeeling rivaled by strong mint. It’s quite enjoyable, and very calming at the same time.

I do wish there was a bit more balance of tea to herb…it’s more of a “tea-flavored tisane” than the other way around. Next time I make it, I think I’ll add some extra first flush Darjeeling to balance it out more. But it is a very nice blend as is too, so don’t hesitate to try a sample if you like peppermint.

Golden Dragon Aged Oolong from Teas, Etc.

Scent in package: warm, like raisin bread, with a malty fragrance
Brewed in: Tea for one pot (work)
Steeped: 4 min@180 or so, then 5 min. @180 (or so)
Cup: Café mug at work

This tea was another free sample sent with an order…I do love free samples. This one I loved so much I immediately ordered a larger bag, which is where the leaves I’m drinking now came from!

It’s an interesting tea to look at…large dried leaves of brown and green in a twiggy mixture that reminds me of something I’d see on the forest floor in autumn, minus the white mold spores. It smells faintly earthy and warm, almost like you’d expect from a cooked puerh, though not nearly as strong. There is a sweet, malty scent underlying, which smells like boiled raisins, malty, sweet and sticky.

I brewed the sample at home…with tap water, as I normally do. My filtered water at home just makes tea taste thin, while the tap water gives it body and more flavor. At work, I use spring water from the water cooler, which is kind of in between the two. I used the same brewing parameters at home, though there may have been more infusions (I don’t remember, and I didn’t take notes, unfortunately).

I love this tea mainly because it consistently tastes like warm raisin bread, and I *adore* raisin bread! That’s not to say that the taste excludes the quintessential oolong flavor, but rather it compliments it most nicely, intensifying the traditional oolong taste into something sweeter and more bold. It is a bit thinner with the spring water, and I will say I prefer it with tap water, but either way, the tea is sweet and absolutely delectable, like a dessert. If you like darker oolongs, and malty teas (think a very light Assam), this tea is definitely one you should try. I highly recommend it, and I may just go get some raisin bread to snack on next time I’m brewing a cup (or several). This would be a wonderful breakfast tea too, good with something that needs syrup, like pancakes or waffles.

Try it. You’ll love it.

Tea-less Weekend

Yes, sadly enough, I did not drink one ounce of tea this weekend. In hindsight, 1:30am this morning when I was fighting off the effects of some sugar substitutes I’d inadvertently consumed would have been the perfect time for something cleansing in my system, but by then, I wasn’t thinking straight at all. Oh well.

I did look for a carafe this weekend to replace the one I broke from my triniTEA, with no luck.

This morning though, Yunnan Jig is on tap, and I suspect my tea tastes will get stronger as the day goes on (3.5 hours of sleep requires mega doses of stimulant to remain conscious at work – I’m definitely considering a bowl of matcha with lunch, and I'll admit to a can of Coke this morning). Hopefully the tea will help me “detox” from whatever it was I got into yesterday (probably splenda), and another tea tasting will be on the horizon for tomorrow.

2005 CNNP Big Blue Mark Raw Puerh from Teacuppa

Scent: mild, earthy, nothing special
Brewed in: small gaiwan, about 1/3 leaves
Steeped: 10s rinse, followed by around 12 infusions (didn’t keep good count), at near boiling for first few, then lower.
Cup: Small porcelain tasting cup

Yesterday I finally received my order from Teacuppa, after almost a full month of waiting. The package must have gotten held up in customs, because one end was open when I finally got it. But everything was there, including two teas I ordered and two puerh samples as well. As usual, I decided to try one of the samples first, and opened the one marked “Blue Mark Puerh”. I found the complete name and year on the web site this morning.

So last night I decided to just “drink tea” rather than focusing on notes, pictures, and such. I prepared a tea tray with my new gaiwan, pitcher, one of the new cups and a teapot of boiling water, and settled into my chair in front of the TV (we were watching an old movie). It was only after the session that I decided to take a few pictures, since I did really enjoy the tea. The dry leaves pictured are what I have left, the wet leaves are the ones I brewed up last night. The "setup" picture is my new teaware, with the exception of the stash teapot I used to hold hot water.

The taste of this tea wasn’t really all that special – it was quite light and sweet, and notably not bitter like the young puerhs that I have on hand. The liquor also wasn’t anything special – it was thinner than I would have expected. The difference with this tea was purely one of sensation – I actually experienced that camphor-like quality with this tea, and was just the slightest bit light-headed towards the end of the session and into the evening. I believe only one of the puerh’s I have presented those qualities when I was tasting them, and I really did enjoy the overall experience with this particular sample.

Now if young puerh should be bitter to age well, this one may not be so great in a few years. It’s astringent – more so towards the last infusions, but not bitter in the least. But it is very pleasant to drink right now, and I’m very tempted to spend the $35 for a beeng when I get paid. It left me very satisfied, and with a good feeling afterwards, and it would be interesting to try it side-by-side with others that I have. I have a little bit left of the sample, and will try it again before I decide.

Kukicha from Adagio

Scent: very light, sweet, grassy scent
Brewed in: unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 3 min@180 degrees
Cup: Café mug at work

Continuing on with my sampling of Japanese green tea, I opened up my little tin of Kukicha this afternoon. Japanese green teas just don’t look like their Chinese counterparts at all. The leaves are thin, like strips rather than whole leaves, and this particular tea is mixed with white bits of tea twigs. Overall it’s a very pleasing mixture to the eye – the dark green of the tea leaves mixed with the stark white twigs. I used about a teaspoon and a half of the mixture, not wanting to make it too strong to begin with.

The taste is really very mellow – not crisp and fresh like the gyokuro, but rather smooth and sweet, very relaxing to the palate (and to the mind, by extension). The flavor is not “in your face”, but rather just lingers in the background. It’s not quite grassy, more “roasted asparagus” in nature. It does get slightly more astringent as it cools, but never turns bitter (I’m a slow sipper).

All in all, it is very good – and excellent for a break to kind of mellow out in the middle of the afternoon. Would be a good “before bed” tea as well, I think. It’s certainly not something I’d mind having on hand for daily drinking – and for a $2 sample, it won’t break the bank either. Very nice.

Standards and Tea Reviews

I was afraid this would happen. I started doing reviews with pictures, and they do look better than reviews without pics, but since I drink most of my teas at work, and don't have a lot of time in the evenings, I don't have time to do a "proper" illustrated review very often. This means less reviews posted, because I don't have a way to do an illustrated review when I'm drinking at work. I kind of thought that once I started posting photos, it would get harder to keep up with (more work equals less output).

So we have two options. #1 - less reviews, fully illustrated. #2 - daily reviews, with only the occasional illustrated review thrown in. Any comments on reader preferences would be appreciated...unfortunately, I just can't do a review with photos every single day.

And I broke the carafe to my triniTea Sunday morning...slipped right off the counter after I washed it. *sigh* Now I have to order a replacement. But my long-awaited order from Teacuppa should be left at the door today, so I guess it evens out (teaware in the box).

Imperial Chinese Ti Kuan Yin from Ten Tea

Scent: Very vegetal, grassy, “green”
Brewed in: small gaiwan
Steeped: 10s rinse, then 5s, 12s, 15s, 15s, 20s at below boiling.
Cup: small tasting cup

I ordered this along with a pouchong tea when I ordered my silver tea tray from this company. For some reason, I have a “thing” about ordering teaware from a tea company without ordering tea – I feel guilty for not at least sampling their offerings, like it’s an insult or something. I realize these companies don’t know me from the next person in most cases, and probably don’t care as long as I spend money there, but regardless, I try to order tea along with my teaware when I’m buying.

So I have this lovely tea (I couldn’t get a good picture…my camera batteries were going dead) that is comprised of tightly rolled pea-sized balls that are dark and very bright green. I got a ceramic canister with it, which looks lovely on my counter. This was my first time trying Ti Kuan Yin, so I used about 1 teaspoon in my gaiwan…a bit too much probably, but it didn’t turn out badly at all. I rinsed it, but more to “wake up” the tea than anything else…the leaves were intriguing, and I wanted to see them unfurl. The Ten Tea site suggests using Yixing, which I can see is an excellent suggestion, though a glass teapot would reveal the lovely leaves.

The first infusion was very light, with a soft floral scent that was unassuming and sweet. It was creamy and very smooth, with no bitterness and just a hint of astringency. It was very mellow and relaxing – a great way to start a tea session.

The second infusion was a bit darker, with a stronger floral scent, and tasted like artichoke dipped in butter, though not super “buttery”. The third infusion had a definite “melted butter” scent, and reminded me of a dip for lobster – extremely rich and creamy. There was a mild astringency, but no bitterness, and it was thick on the tongue. There was almost no actual “taste”, but rather the aftertaste of butter – that sensation that melted butter and salt leave in your mouth after you swallow. A slight oily/salty sensation, which is quite odd and interesting (in a good way).

The fourth infusion was slightly weaker, though the fragrance was still rich and buttery. The taste was weaker though, with little sensation. It wasn’t as interesting as the third. The fifth was also lighter, and back to a more floral fragrance. There was a touch of sweetness, and the brew was thicker and creamy. I have no doubt that further infusions would have yielded much of the same if steeped longer.

I quite enjoyed this tea – it gave me a feeling of drinking something very sophisticated and rich, not to be wasted as everyday fare, but to be savored and attended to as a thing of beauty. The wet leaves were very curly and fancy, and every bit as sophisticated as the brew.

I enjoyed it so much, I’ve decided to dedicate one of my unused Yixing pots to this tea. I haven’t decided which one yet, though my yellow pot with cranes comes to mind every time I think of this tea. So perhaps that will be a match. I look forward to enjoying this tea again soon, and highly recommend it. You can get a sampler for $3.20, or a canister for $24 at Ten Tea…and I don’t regret the cost one bit, having experienced the tea.

Gyokuro from Adagio

Scent in tin: Sweet and grassy.
Brewed in: Tokoname style teapot w/metal infuser basket
Steeped: 3 min. @ 180 degrees w/tap water
Cup: matching cup to the pot

After experimenting with Matcha, I decided to try some other green teas from Japan. Chinese greens are often not really “my thing” unless scented (though as I learn to brew them better, they taste better – imagine that). But for some reason, the Japanese greens seem more to my taste. So I ordered several sample tins of Japanese green teas from Adagio to try them out.

According to the In Pursuit of Tea site, Gyokuro is the type of tea Matcha is made from. It smells grassy and vegetal, and I used a Tokoname style pot to brew a cup before bed last night. It brews up rather bright green in the cup (though my cups are green, so probably enhanced the color, as you can see). The scent in the cup is also grassy and vegetal, but the taste is light and sweet. It’s an interesting tea, as it is rich at the same time, and tastes like crisp, fresh vegetables that are perfectly cooked (no mush here!). You can almost imagine the texture of bright, sweet asparagus crunching in your teeth…as unappetizing as that may sound when we’re talking about tea, it’s the sensation that came to mind as I was sipping. The tea does seem to get more astringent as it cools, but not in a bad way.

Ironically enough, though the tea itself is bright, fresh and “crisp”, the brewed leaves are mushy and unappetizing.

It is an expensive tea – my little sample tin from Adagio was $6, but worth it, I think. It’s not really something I’d drink everyday, but it was a very pleasant cup, especially late at night while winding down to sleep. I certainly enjoyed it more than many Chinese greens, and I’d recommend tasting it at least once just for the experience.

Garden of Eden on Ice

Scent in package: Citrus, vanilla, and floral…very fresh and yummy!
Brewed in: triniTea maker from Adagio
Steeped: 5 minutes @ boiling x 2
Container: Decanted into pitcher of ice, then tall iced tea glass

I tried this hot last winter (see review under Art of Tea topic), and liked it well enough, though I over-steeped it twice and noted that it wasn’t anything terribly spectacular. I planned to try it as iced tea this weekend, and did just that yesterday. I have to say the results were, indeed, “spectacular”!

At home, I do tend to use the triniTea maker for flavored teas, and it’s incredibly handy for iced tea, since that’s really the only time I re-steep black tea leaves. It takes about 1 ¾ triniTea pots to fill my tea pitcher, and I don’t have to bother with paying much attention to it while the tea brews…I just listen for those three magic “beeps”, pour the pot over ice into the pitcher, and voila! Fresh iced tea.

Garden of Eden is Art of Tea’s iced tea blend, and it’s comprised of Nilgiri black tea (which I tend to like anyways), along with tropical flowers like mallow and safflower (they sent me a book with a description of each tea with my last order – very helpful!!). The blend is beautiful and colorful, and the brew is a lovely dark golden brown.

When I took my first sip, I was blown away. Icing this tea really does bring the flavors right to the forefront, with the Nilgiri tea a wonderful backdrop for them all. It’s naturally sweet – even without sugar it reminds me of a lightly sweetened tea, and when I had my hubby try it, he thought it tasted like peach. We both agreed that it’s just as good as the Cranberry Blood Orange we normally drink, so I definitely plan to keep Garden of Eden on hand to switch off with that. It brewed up very nicely in the tea maker, and truthfully, I probably won’t drink this tea hot ever again, simply because it is so delicious on ice, and the coolness really brings out all the tropical fruity flavors.

If you’re looking for a great iced tea this summer, I highly recommend this blend from Art of Tea. It’s $10.00 for a quarter-pound ($7.00 for 2 oz.), which should last a while, and I’m planning on ordering a larger bag as soon as I’m out of my 2oz. size. It’s wonderful…order some, and taste for yourself!

Wako Thin Grade Matcha from In Pursuit of Tea

Scent: sweet green, not at all like a Chinese green tea…hard to describe, but very fresh scent.
Brewed in: Ceramic matcha bowl
Steeped: No steeping, just whisking.

I know I’m not the only one who watched the movie “The Karate Kid” as a youngster and immediately wanted to try the Japanese Tea Ceremony featured in one of the scenes. It was lovely, mysterious, and so very different than anything I’d experienced to that point, but at that stage in my life, I wasn’t really in any position to go out and buy the necessary things to try it myself (and I’ve never seen matcha here, though one of the tea shops might carry it now).

So many years later, I finally decided it was time. I scraped my pennies together – this tea is very expensive due to the processing it goes through – and ordered a matcha Starter Kit from In Pursuit of Tea. It was about the best deal I could find where the bowl, whisk and tea were all included, and the price was still $56.00. I went ahead and ordered a screen to sift the matcha through as well to get the free shipping (the sifter was $6, shipping would have been about the same, so I broke even there). It showed up on my doorstep last night, and I was eager to try it. But I waited until this morning, since matcha has a high caffeine content, and I thought it might be a good drink to get the day started with (I fully admit to being a caffeine addict).

So before work this morning, I got out my new tools, and followed the directions carefully. I didn’t have time to sift the entire can at once, but I sifted 1/3 teaspoon for one bowl (the directions say 1 teaspoon, but I’ve read online that you should start with less, and work your way up, as it is quite strong…and I’m glad I didn’t start with more). You can see from the picture the difference in the tea on the wax paper (just sifted) and the tea still in the can, with lumps here and there. I probably should have re-measured after sifting, and I’ll sift the whole can before I drink it again.

You’re supposed to pour a little boiling water into the bowl, and soak the whisk (chasen) for a minute or so to soften up the bamboo. So I did that, then poured the water out and dried the bowl with a paper towel, as instructed. Next, you add the sifted powder to the bowl, along with 1/3 to ½ cup of hot water just under boiling. Then you whisk the mixture in a “W” pattern until the top is frothy. Then you drink it, right from the bowl.

Having completed those steps in short order, I raised the bowl, catching a somewhat bitter, very green scent wafting toward me. I knew then I’d made a mistake…as I’d read that matcha is strong, and somewhat bitter, but also sweet tasting at the same time. I sensed mostly bitterness, and when I took a sip, confirmed that it was indeed, very strong, and very bitter. I think my error was in not re-measuring after I sifted the powder…I think I used more tea than I should have.
Even so, there was definitely a strong, sweet aftertaste, a hint of what I think it will taste like when brewed with the correct amount of tea. I gulped the rest down, and rinsed the bowl and chasen before heading out the door for work. The aftertaste stuck with me all the way to work, until I “washed it down” with my morning cup here at work. It wasn’t a bad aftertaste, just much different than what I’m used to. While I was drinking the tea this morning, I remember thinking to myself that it wouldn’t take long to “acquire” a taste for this particular tea…because there is something about the bitter and sweet notes that blend together in a fascinating way. It’s very complex, and while I can’t say I enjoyed it, I found it most interesting (when I wasn’t wincing from the bitterness).

I’ll try it again tomorrow morning – I did feel more alert when I got to work this morning than I normally do, and not in a jittery sort of way, just more awake and ready to start working. So if I can master the proper brewing technique, and acquire the taste, it will be a very nice addition to my morning routine (healthy too – matcha is supposed to be the healthiest of all tea, since you are not just drinking what steeps out of the leaves, but the leaves themselves). This is the “thin” version, which is for everyday drinking…the actual tea ceremony version is referred to as “thick”, and I look forward to trying that as well someday – it’s prepared slightly differently.

All in all, I highly recommend trying it, at least once, because it is a very interesting experience. This starter matcha kit would make a great birthday or Christmas gift, I think, though you may have better luck than I did finding all the necessary accoutrements cheaper if you keep looking.

Too Warm for a Fire, So...

...no tea review today.

I was all ready to brew up some Ti Kuan Yin last night, for something completely different. I was going to take pictures and everything - a bonefide tasting session. And just as I was getting up to head to the kitchen...bam! The power went out. It was stormy, thunder & lightening and everything, and the whole block went dark.

Normally our power outages are very short, but this one lasted almost two hours - long enough I was starting to get nervous about my fish tanks. On the "brighter" side, I did light practically every candle in the house, a good excuse to burn some of the stock I have around. I even lit the hurricane lamp, which hasn't been used for years.

But our stovetop is electric, so no hot water for tea, since it was far too warm to light a fire (not that I have a fire-worthy kettle anyways). We drank iced tea instead, and enjoyed the gentle glow of candlelight throughout the house until nearly bed time.

Perhaps tonight will be better for tea?

Black Chocolate Cream from Dragonwater

Scent: Creamy Chocolate – very yummy smell!
Brewed in: Café cup at work, unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 5 min@boiling

Decadent, heavenly, rich, full-bodied…all words I’d use to describe this absolutely scrumptious blend. It is smooth, well-balanced, and without even a hint of bitterness. There are bits of chocolate laced throughout the dry leaves, and when you taste the tea, you can tell that it’s real, not some sort of cheap imitation chocolate bits. There’s a definite vanilla cream flavor as well that perfectly compliments the brew. It’s dark, and while the liquor isn’t thick, the taste is very well rounded and “heavier” than a normal flavored tea might be. It was my first cup this morning, and it made a very nice breakfast cup, though I dare say it would be a wonderful compliment to a heavy dessert as well (like chocolate cake or brownies with ice cream).

All in all, this tea is absolutely marvelous, and I’ll certainly be ordering it again. If you like flavored tea, and like chocolate, this tea is for you. It’s only $4.50 for a quarter pound…very affordable, and a half-ounce sample is available for $1.25. I highly recommend at least sampling it!

Golden Puerh (loose, unknown age) from Art of Tea

Scent: Like warm raisin bread, fruity and smooth
Brewed in: small gaiwan, 6 infusions with tap water
Steeped: (near boiling overall) 10s rinse, 5s, 8s, 8s, 10s, 10s, 10s
Cup: small tasting cup


I said I’d revisit this tea for puerh week, so I thought I’d end with it. I’m assuming it’s shu, as the Art of Tea site gives no date for aging, and only says that it’s “lightly aged to perfection”. The leaves truly are “golden” though – not dark at all as one would expect from a cooked puerh, and the liquor doesn’t even hint at red – it’s golden as well. At $14 for 2oz (which is over double what their vintage ’97 loose puerh costs), it’s a fairly pricy tea to buy, especially since there are no samples available.

I enjoyed it before, more so than other loose puerhs, but detected a sour note to it. This time, with a little more tasting experience under my belt (so to speak), I’ve decided that it’s more a tartness than a sourness in most cases.

The first infusion (pictured) was flush with a very strong “boiled raisin” taste – like you’d get in a good oatmeal cookie. There is that tart aftertaste that goes well with the almost sugar-sweet finish. The smell is strong and earthy like a normal puerh, but the taste is definitely more “baked goods”. An enigma, I guess.

The second and third infusions reminded me more of tart cherry pie than raisins, and were cooling on the tongue. There is no astringency whatsoever, and always that earthy note is in the background.

The fourth infusion was actually much lighter than the rest, with fewer flavors as well. I was worried that it was starting to give out already. But the fifth infusion was the best of all – strong, average astringency, earthy, woody, and imparted a warm feeling throughout while still leaving the tongue somewhat cool. Odd, but not in a bad way.

The sixth infusion was weak, flavorless, and just plain boring. I gave up after that.

So basically, it’s a very complex tea that changes with each infusion, though it doesn’t seem to hold out for very long. The wet leaves are very dark, with that woody smell typical of cooked puerh. The brew never even approaches red in color – it’s always a nice round golden color, and the cooked fruit tastes are interesting and enjoyable when they come out. I’d definitely recommend trying some, just for the experience. It’s a very interesting tea, to say the least.