茶笔 Chá Bǐ – The Tea Pen

  • Yuè Guāng Bái Chá, 月光白茶, Moonlight White Tea

    Autumn, 2020; var. Camelia sinensis; (Lucy WangYNteas Agri Tech Co., Ltd.) Menglian, Yunnan; bud and 1-2 leaves, EU Organic, White tea process, unfixed; 1400-1800m; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.

    Infusion: 3-4g in 150ml for 30-50sec@85-95deg. C

    Dry Leaf Aroma: noticeable, dominance of juicy, semi-dried apricots;
    Wet Leaf Aroma: aromatic, spicy, vegetal, with an undertone of vanilla;
    Liquor: light green-golden colour, with faint, indistinct aroma, and a late suggestion of sweetness;
    Mouthfeel: creamy, smooth, minty fresh, stimulating, sweet;
    Taste: pleasant, sweet, floral, with a spicy fresh finish;

    Opinion: This is my first time drinking this particular tea. Whilst creamy, it has a thin finish, with a sweet minty freshness. After several infusions in quick succession it leaves a dry sensation on the back of the throat. However, the taste is very pleasant and overall enjoyable.

  • Xíng Jiàn Bái Mǔ Dan, 行健白牡丹, Xingjian White Peony

    Autumn, 2020; var. Camelia sinensis; (Lucy Wang YNteas Agri Tech Co., Ltd.) Menglian, Yunnan; bud and 1-2 leaves, EU Organic, White tea process; 1400-1800m; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.

    Infusion: 3g in 150ml for 20-30sec@75-85deg. C

    Dry Leaf Aroma: sharp, pungent, like dried raspberries, red berries, and tropical fruits;
    Wet Leaf Aroma: sharp, aromatic, vegetal, a hint of wintergreen, and subtle undertone of honey;
    Liquor: thin, pale yellow colour, with a vague peach blossom aroma;
    Mouthfeel: syrupy, viscous, sweet, tingling on the tongue, and late, mild buttery finish;
    Taste: mellow, comforting, luscious, sweet, mildly peppery, fresh, with retronasal floral hints;

    Opinion: This is a pleasant and entertaining Tea. It reminds me of a, “face dancer” one moment you see one face, then the next moment it is something delightfully different. Most enjoyable.

  • Yúnnán Féngqìng Gǔshù Hóng Chá, 云南凤庆古树红茶, Yunnan Fengqing (Wild) Ancient Tree Black Tea

    #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.

    This is a spring picked, 2019 Yunnan (Dian) style black (hong) tea, sourced from wild/ancient (gushu) tea trees (>100y.o.) growing in the Fengqing region at an elevation of around 1600-220m.

  • Wèn Xiāng Jīn Zhēn Diān Hóng Chá, 问乡金针滇红茶, Yunnan Wen’xiang Golden Needle Black Tea

    Autumn, 2020; var. Camelia sinensis; (Lucy WangYNteas Agri Tech Co., Ltd.) Menglian, Yunnan; bud and one leaf, EU Organic, Dianhong black tea process; 1400-1800m; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.

    Infusion: 3g in 150ml for 20-30sec.@90-95deg. C

    Dry Leaf Aroma: carob, malt, and honey
    Wet Leaf Aroma: strong, aromatic, sharp, orchid?
    Liquor: reddish amber colour with a faint malty aroma;
    Mouthfeel: tingling, a slight bitter bite, moderately viscous, moderately sweet finish, and late onset of mild, lingering astringency;
    Taste: malty, with retronasal honey and floral hints;

    Opinion: This is a mature style of tea, insofar as its flavour, whilst notably malty, is complex and nuanced mostly in its aftertaste and finish. This tea demands your attention, and refuses to be ignored, in a good way. Worth drinking.

  • Wǔ Hào Sī Xiāng Jīn Zhēn Diān Hóng Chá, 5号思乡金针滇红茶, #5 Golden Needle Yunnan Black Tea

    Autumn, 2020; var. blended cuttings; (Lucy Wang YNteas Agri Tech Co., Ltd.) Menglian, Yunnan; bud & 1 leaf, EU Organic, dianhong black tea process; 1400-1800m; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá.

    Infusion: 3g in 150ml for 20-30sec.@90-95deg. C

    Dry Leaf Aroma: roasted malt and chocolate, with a slight suggestion of cherry;
    Wet Leaf Aroma: spicy, peppery,
    Liquor: brassy gold in colour, with a faint malty, buttery aroma;
    Mouthfeel: immediately creamy and smooth followed by a watery thinness, sweet with a mild tannic presence;
    Taste: mildly sweet and very malty, with a familiar vegetal finish.

    Opinion: Both the wet leaf aroma and the aftertaste of the tea has a familiar vegetal presence, that left me wondering for a while. It “kinda” reminds me of the aroma of Yǎ Shī Xiáng Oolong Tea All in all a pleasant, not particularly confronting, easy to drink tea.

    Particularly nice with fresh baked bread. This bread was a Parsley and Onion bread from last night’s bake.

    A special thanks 🙏 to Lucy Wang from YNTeas Agritech Co., Ltd for supplying this, and several other tea samples for #TodaysTea.

  • Today’s Tea Project

    #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, #JīnTiāndeChá has been an interesting and compelling project for me. I started it to, a) drink my way through my, “small” collection of tea, and b) to learn a little more about the tea I was drinking. I have definitely achieved both those goals.

    However, though they are complete, I have come to some kind of impasse: What to do now? What’s next for me and this brief journey into tea?

    “My cup is empty, but the promise of tea remains…”

    I am far from an expert on any of these teas, and whilst I have grown in knowledge of them and Chinese Tea in general, there is still much to learn. So, what to do now? Let’s drink our way through them again, but this time talk about them in a somewhat different way.

    I hope you will continue to join me along the way.

  • Nán Nuò Gǔ Hóng #ShàiHóng Chá, 南糯古红晒红茶, Nannuo Ancient Sun-dried Black Tea

    2016, Spring; var. yunnan big leaf; Yunnan; bud and 1-2 leaf, sun-baked, 300+y.o. trees; elev. various; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, Jīn Tiān De Chá.

    Infusion: 3g in 159ml for 20sec@90deg. C

    Dry leaf aroma: plums, raisins, dates, rich, dark, a touch of dried tangerine peel;
    Wet leaf aroma: earthy, woody, raisins;
    Liquor: amber yellow colour with mild, cinnamon, and honey aroma;
    Mouthfeel/Taste: moderately viscous, mild stimulation with a minty fresh character, mouthwatering, and a sweet fresh finish;
    Flavour: mostly a soft malty presence, with slight honeyish, sweet, floral finish;

    Opinion: a very soft, unassuming, easy to drink, daily tea. It’s preparation is a sensory delight which lends itself well to focusing on the ices of tea making as well as the end result. A true, tea ceremony tea.

  • Gǔ Shù Shài Hóng Chá, 古树晒红茶; Ancient Tree Sun-Dried Black Tea

    Spring, 2019; var. Yunnan Big Leaf; Bing Dao, Lincang, Yunnan; bud and 1-2 leaves, sun-dried, 100+y.o semi-wild trees; elev. 1600m; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, Jīn Tiān De Chá.

    Infusion: 3.65g in 150-200ml for 20-30sec@95-100deg. C

    Dry leaf aroma: malty, plums, dates, raisins;
    Wet leaf aroma: spicy, sweet, ginger,
    Liquor: malty, peppery, earthy;
    Mouthfeel/Taste: thick, viscous, syrupy, watery finish, mildly stimulating and tingling, with delayed sweetness;
    Flavour: cut flower stems, malty, creamy, hint of apricot;

    Opinion: The “other” Yunnan Black Tea, #ShaiHong kinda sits between black tea and dark teas, such as pu’er.

    I found this tea to be an excellent pairing for a standard lager, its malty backbone and mild sweet and bitter finish contrasts well with a mildly hopped pale lager. Further, its mild finish doesn’t challenge or tire the palate.

  • New English Tea – English Breakfast Tea, 英式早餐茶, Yīng Shì Zǎo Cān Chá

    Summer 2019; var. Assamica; Western Hills, Sri Lanka; Ceylon Broken Pekoe, CTC BP1, black tea process; >1200m; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, Jīn Tiān De Chá.

    Infusion: “One tsp per person and one for the pot!” In 150-200ml for 2+ min.@100deg. C

    Copper tea pots are amazingly deceptive. Being so good at transferring heat through the metal, it is easy to burn your fingers on the knob of the lid. 🤪

  • Anastasia Scented Black Tea, 阿纳斯塔西亚香红茶, “Ā Nà Sī Tǎ Xī Yà” Xiāng Hóng Chá

    Best before Autumn 2020; var. sinensis, China & Ceylon; #KusmiTea Co., Paris, France; broken leaf black teas, a Russian blend with scents of bergamot, lemon, lime, & orange blossom; elev. unknown; #TodaysTea, #今天的茶, Jīn Tiān De Chá.

    Infusion: 1 tsp/pax + 1 tsp/pot, 90-100deg. C, steep for 1-2 min;

    Dry leaf aroma: lemon, lime, citrus, sweet;
    Wet leaf aroma: lavender, citrus, floral;
    Liquor: orange amber colour with dusty, minerally, earthy, aroma with hints of dry tangerine peel, and ginger;
    Mouthfeel/Taste: thin to mildly viscous texture, mild peppery stimulation, slightly astringent, drying, and bitter, with a mouthwatering finish;
    Flavour: Seville orange marmalade, citrusy (lemon-lime-tangerine-pomelo), with lingering retronasal floral hints of lavender and orange blossom.