#TodaysTea: Spring, 2017; var. yashixiang; Lintou Village, Chaozhou, Guandong; small leaves, no buds, oolong; 1300-1400m
Dry Leaves: scantily pungent, evasive, elusive, taunting hints of wood smoke
Wet Leaves: spicy, long pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, horseradish, fragrant, aromatic
Liquor: buttery/creamy, peppery, mildly astringent, delicate, xmas biscuit, prickly ash
Aroma: elusive, vague, a touch of unripe white peach, late elusive hints of coal tar after drinking.
#TodaysTea: This Tea is best allowed to cool a little in the cup before drinking to allow its delightful mouthfeel to present itself and to allow the tea liquor to linger longer in the mouth. It really is a delightful sensation of a tea.
Taiwan Milk Oolong; Spring, 2019?; var. Jinxuan; Taiwan; leaf & stem, semi-ball rolled; elev. ? – 4g in 150ml at 95deg. C
The aroma of the dry leaves have an immediate apricot pungency. This tends to a peach aroma in the hot water.
The wet leaves are vegetal and buttery, (coconut oil?) with a faint hint of peach.
The tea tastes syrupy, thick, creamy and buttery, with hints of apricots, peach, almond, and a lingering, gentle coconut finish. Very pleasant.
I don’t always drink Chinese Tea. I do like to sample around. #todaystea Feiner Friesen Broken Tee, Schwartzer Tee Nr. 168. German, Friesen blend of Assam #blacktea. Use before 2022.
I was always taught, with Assam black teas, measure 1 spoon of tea per person plus 1 for the pot, then steep for 3-5min. No wonder its bloody strong. 🤪 The correct tea ratio is 1 spoon to 146ml water. I now prefer to brew this lighter and faster. 10-15 second infusions with 90-95 degree water.
The dry leaf aroma is typical of almost all commercial loose leaf, unscented Assam teas I’ve previously drunk. Its not fruity, more floral but I can’t nail it down. The wet leaf looses the elusive floral note for more herbal grassy hints. The liquor is a deep copper red and has an immediate tannic bitterness that tapers off to a spicy, peppery mouth feel. The body is thin, and leaves a lingering, perhaps malty, perhaps smokey suggestion.
#TodaysTea: something incredibly Smokey Black Tea. Age unknown, source unknown. Very dominant smoke aroma. Also noticeable in the taste. Creamy mouthfeel, mildly tannic. It seems to be a Wuyi Rock Tea? #LapsangSouchong, #DaHongPao, perhaps something else?
On May 21, I held an event to commemorate International Tea Day, at the Kachelofen Brew House, in Shanghai, China. Here are some images.
My Tea Course Completion Certificate.
This program was put together by Shana Zhang who is based in Yunnan.
https://www.udemy.com/user/shanazhang/
