31.12.2013

Sampling pu-erh.sk: ManZhuan 2013

Today I had something like a tasting. Not quite, as I am still harbouring a cold, coughing and sneezing with only a very limited sense of taste or smell. Yet I felt like sitting down and experiencing a new tea - even if I had to concentrate on other impressions than taste or smell.
Heute hatte ich fast so etwas wie eine Verkostung. Nicht ganz, denn ich schleppe eine beharrliche Erkältung mit mir rum, die mich husten und schniefen lässt. So sind meine Möglichkeiten zu schmecken und zu riechen sehr eingeschränkt. Trotzdem hatte ich Lust, einen neuen Tee zu erleben - auch wenn ich mich mehr auf andere Eindrücke als Geschmack oder Duft verlassen musste.

The tea I picked is a very young one: ManZhuan 2013. Manzhuan is one of the traditional Six Famous Tea Mountains, it is situated between Yiwu and Gedeng in eastern Xishuangbanna. A good collection of Yunnans tea mountains can be found here on Teachat.com.
Der Tee der Wahl is ein sehr junger: ManZhuan 2013. Manzhuan ist einer der traditionellen Sechs Berühmten Teeberge und liegt zwischen Yiwu und Gedeng im östlichen Xishuangbanne. Eine gute Sammlung von Karten der Teeberge Yunnans findet man hier auf Teachat.com.

The cold has not affected my eyes, so I could fully enjoy the beautiful, healthy looking leaves. A good silvery shine to the dark green leaves and an aroma (well, okay, I couldn't keep my rather congested nose from sniffing) which reminded me of an unusual Longjing green tea.
Die Erkältung hat nicht meine Augen getrübt, also konnte ich die schönen, gesund aussehenden Blätter bewundern. Ein silbriger Schimmer auf den Blättern und ein Duft (ja okay, dann konnte ich eben doch nicht meine verstopfte Nase von den Blättern fern halten) der mich an ungewöhnlichen Longjing Grüntee erinnert.


Thinking of Longjing (and following the line of thought that very young sheng is similar to green tea) I chose to brew this Manzhuan like a green tea: using fewer leaves, water which had cooled down a little and extended infusion times.
An Logjing erinnert (und der Ansicht folgend, dass ganz junge Sheng wie Grüntees sind), entschied ich mich für eine Zubereitungweise wie bei einem Grüntee: weniger Teeblätter, Wasser unter dem Siedepunkt und längere Ziehzeiten.

The first infusion really turned out somewhat flowery like a green tea - as far as my limited impression of taste went. But there was so much more: a tingling feeling in my mouth, lingering long after the tea was swollowed. And an increased awareness of the blood pulsing through my body. Over the next infusions something else happened: my nose opened up - an effect caused by gushu leaves.
Der erste Aufguss erschien dann wirklich etwas blumig wie ein Grüntee - soweit mein begrenztes Schmecken es erkennen ließ. Aber da war noch so viel mehr: ein prickelndes Gefühl im Mund, das noch lange nach dem Schlucken verblieb. Und eine gesteigerte Wahrnehmung davon, wie das Blut in meinem ganzen Körper pulsierte. Über die nächsten Aufgüsse geschah noch mehr: meine Nasenatmung wurde freier (ein Abschwellen der Schleimhäute) - so reagiere ich auf gushu Blätter, also Tee von alten Bäumen.

During later infusions I found the taste (or at least my impression of it) to turn from flowery, fresh hay to sweet mushrooms, displaying more orthodox sheng flavours. While I can't say anything about the aftertaste, the sheer force of the tea was amazing. The gushu nose, awareness blood pulsing through my body ... yes sir! This is truly well done sheng, not just some "near  Longjing".
Während späterer Aufgüsse fand ich den Geschmack (oder zumindest das, was ich davon wahrnehmen konnte) im Wandel von blumigem, frischem Heu zu süßen Pilzen, also im typischen Sheng Spektrum. Obwohl ich nichts über Nachgeschmack sagen kann, war die schiere Kraft des Tees wirklich beeindruckend. Der Gushu-Naseneffekt, die gesteigerte Wahrnehmung des Pulses im ganzen Körper ... jawoll! Das ist wirklich gut gemachter Sheng, nicht nur ein "fast Longjing".

Sorry, awfully blotchy. In reality the leaves looked great
What I made of it tastewise (at my currently limited abilities) was nothing too exiting and definitely far too young for my liking. But apart from fragrance and flavour there were truly good sheng qualities. Yes, even if you can't rely on your olfactory or gustatory system (nerdy choice of words?), it is still possible to appreciate high quality sheng. Perhaps even better than under conditions where individual preferences in taste might tell you otherwise.
Was ich vom Geschmack (sofern er durchkam) hielt, war nicht so aufregend und vor allem viel zu jung für meine aktuellen Vorlieben. Aber unabhängig von Duft und Geschmack zeigt der Tee wahrlich gute Sheng-Qualitäten. Ja, selbst wenn man sich nicht auf Geruchs- und Geschmackssinn verlassen kann, kann man immernoch guten Sheng zu schätzen wissen. Vielleicht sogar unter Umständen besser, wenn subjektive geschmackliche Präferenzen einen nicht ablenken.

Almost midnight - Happy New Year!
Beinahe Mitternacht - Guten Rutsch!

28.12.2013

Durch die Sheng-Galaxie, per Anhalter

Es wird Zeit, dass ich mal ein paar Überlegungen loswerde, die nach wohlwollende Meinung philosophisch genannt werden können.  Mein Standard-Referenzwerk zur Philosophie ist seit Jahrzehnten die 5bändige Trilogie "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Univers" von Douglas Adams. Wer das Werk kennt holt jetzt schonmal das Handtuch. Wer es nicht kennt, sollte den DON'T PANIC Button beachten und mal bei Tante Wiki reinschauen.

Nun aber zum Thema Sheng. Ein sehr netter Neuzugang im Forum TeeTalk.de hat mich gefragt, wie er denn mal einen Einstieg ins Thema Puer finden könne. In meiner Antwort (etwas länger als ein Zweizeiler) schrieb ich Empfehlungen zu einzelnen Sorten und Zubereitungsweisen. Als ich das abgeschickt hatte, kam ich ins Grübeln.
Wenn ihm das jetzt nicht schmeckt?
Wenn er jetzt nicht genug über die Herkunftsregionen kennt, um sich über die Typischkeit zu freuen?
Wenn er jetzt enttäuscht ist, weil er einfach nicht auf den Nachhall achtet?

Letztlich die Frage: ist er schon genug in der esoterischen Lehre unserer elitären Sheng-Galaxie vorangeschritten, um den Tee entsprechend zu würdigen?

Im Dezember habe ich in unserem Bonner Fachgeschäft Tee verkauft. Ich würde mal tippen, dass 99, 8% der ganz normalen Teekunden völlig pfeifen würden auf huigan, gushu oder chaqi. Denn: ist ein Tee etwa nur dann ein guter Tee, wenn er mir erst nach
monatelangem Studium der esoterischen Sheng-Lehre gefällt?

Um jetzt mal zum Werk von Douglas Adams den Bogen zu schlagen (leider habe ich gerade das Buch nicht zur Hand für ein exaktes Zitat): Es gibt wohl auf dem Planeten Magratea (wo ja auch unsere Erde gebaut wurde) eine riesige dunkle Halle, in die alle neuen Präsidenten geführt werden. In dieser riesigen Halle ist Nichts bis auf ein einziges Stück Erdbeerkuchen. Normalerweise versinnbildlicht dieser Kontrast zwischen riesiger Halle und kleinem Kuchenstück, wie unbedeutend das Individuum für das Universum ist. Bis Zaphod Beeblebrox nach seiner Wahl in die Halle kommt, umherirrt, das Kuchenstück findet ... und es isst.

Sollten wir Shengtrinker nicht auch wie Expräsident Beeblebrox einfach auf das ganze Drumherum pfeifen und den Tee bloß trinken?




Eigentlich gefällt mir der Ansatz. Aber andererseits macht es mir auch Spaß,  die große Blogwelt zu durchforsten und auch verschrifteten Tee mit den Augen zu schlürfen.

26.12.2013

Chenshi Chinatee: Mengku Daxueshan 2006

Before we get to the English version: 
Einen deutschsprachigen Bericht zu diesem Tee habe ich im Forum www.teetalk.de hier veröffentlicht.

There are days which are great, cause you've got good tea. And there are days on which you need TGT (Truly Good Tea) to ballance out all the rest. Thanks to the new compensation policy of Deutsche Bahn (our national railway service), I could afford to buy a TGT right when it hit the (virtual) shelves at Chenshi Chinatee (link to procuct in shop).

Here it is:
Truth be told: this is in the Himalayas, not THE Daxueshan in Lincang, Yunnan
"Daxueshan" - "Big Snowmountain" is a name which feels like home to me. The first Sheng I ever tasted from a reliable source of young Sheng Puer was William's Daxueshan of 2010 vintage. That tea instantly won me over for Lincang teas.

What is it like to revisit that mountain of fond memories with a tea from a different producer (Shuangjiang Mengku) and another vintage? I have thoroughly tested this one in different sessions and I will publish my notes from a session at which I took some photographs. But to make this clear from the start: whether I brew it in a gaiwan while watching TV or I do a blog-worthy session with my zisha teapot ... this is TGT which always stays true to its character.

Let's get started with my notes from the recorded session.
 
Dry leaves look biggish, darkbrown with some coppery-golden tips, a few stalks and even some of the yellow flakes (huang pian). The preheated pot gets filled with a fragrance of ... well ... storage! That delightful aroma of antique furniture, ancient libraries(and some dark basement) is paired nicely with the fragrance of brown sugar. Basement and sugar remind me of caramelised potatoes - a wonderful side dish in wintertime I remember from my youth in Denmark.

When sniffing the rinsed leaves my nose barely detects a fruity note, but that is far too fleeting for me to pin down. Predominantly I get impressions of basement furniture, sugar and butter.

Infusion #1 yields a cup of purest orange colour. The first few sips surprise me by their concise and refreshing acidity (pleasant!). As the tea cools in my cup, the taste turns to the Gunpowder-like character which I can not describe by any other expression than 'camellia flavour'. Through all of this there shines the clear freshness which I have come to attribute to Daxueshan. Instead of an aftertaste there is an 'afterfeeling': a lively pulsing in the mouth.

Infusion #2puts more emphasis on the taste of storage. But beneath the storage there is a clear impression of camellia with some slightly sour freshness. But that sour impression is soon washed away by the sweetness of brown sugar. After the tea is swallowed, sweet and sour tastes are replaced by a minty fresh aftertaste. As an afterfeeling, a minty cooling sensation pulses up and down my throat.

At infusion #5 I get the feeling that someone hase merged a Gunpowder green tea with Darjeeling Second Flush, smoothed off all edges and poured such a harmonious and rounded tea into my cup, delivering a good body and pronounced aftertaste.

From infusion #6 onward the tea's sweetness dominates the taste, ballanced by a good helping of that Daxueshan freshness. Along with that character of good storage it made me note "One of my best tea moments in 2013!"

Infusion #11 got 6 minutes of steeping time (by accident). Yet there was no astringency. The taste has become thin and watery but the mouthfeeling is wonderfully silken.

Infusion #13tastes like a rather bland white tea. But the aftertaste! Sweet mint with a good helping of antique furniture.

The spent leaves are far from spectacular. They show no sign of their grandeur.

Conclusion: this is T*G*T!
Storage in Guangzhou has given that cozy coat of mellowness to lend sweetness and an air of mystery to the clear, minty freshness of the Big Snow Mountain. I should have posted this review earlier, so you might have had a chance to order this tea for christmas, as it is just the right treat for the holidays.

Hope you have all got delicious teas to celebrate the season!

02.12.2013

Sampling pu-erh.sk: Yiwu autumn 2012 and Bulang 2013

Blogging might be a source of additional income - if I would allow Google to place advertising banners amongst my ramblings. Well, I don't think I could become wealthy in a monetary way through these ramblings - but sometimes gracious benefactors send me samples I can write reviews on. Peter from pu-erh.sk contacted me some weeks ago, asking if I would be interested in sampling some of his teas and writing reviews about them. Who am I to resist such an offer?
Truth be told, we exchanged a few emails before the teas arrived. I offered to Peter the same terms I have offered before in exchange for a review of teas from a shop I haven't previously ordered from: when the review is written, I send it to the person providing the samples to ask if they place a veto. There will be no changes in my review (unless they find factual mistakes) - just the choice to accept the publication as it is or getting no review at all. Peter's reply to my offer of these terms was very straightforward: no censorship whatsoever! Okay Peter, you have asked for my honest opinion, so here it starts with the first two reviews. (The gracious Mr. pu-erh.sk sent me a total of 7 samples, which will be covered over several entries).

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even the bag looks nice with such a neet handwriting

The first sample I picked was a Yiwu, harvested in autumn 2012. Okay, autumn teas are typically considered inferior to their spring versions - yet on a cold and grey autumn day the highpitched characteristics many youngish spring teas offer were not the things I wanted to happen in my teacup. So the quietude of an autumn tea seemed to be a good idea.

The dry leaves look big and healthy. Several buds are included - ranging in colour from silver to copper. The bigger leaves pick up the autumn theme by blending colours of fallen foliage into the dark green predominating the look.

Once rinsed the leaves open up readily and present some stalks blended in - what a relief to my supersticious assumptions! (no proof for this credo, but I assume that bings bereft of all stalks are artsy fartsy pretties neglecting their historical roots in being an everyday commodity. They are devillish imposters mimicking true bings, but alighting my stomach with purgatory flames or giving me the boredom found only in the deepest of hells. Or, if you would take it without any meta physics: the Japanese aesthetic ideal of wabisabi is better met by allowing something as rustic as a stalk.) The wet leaves appear to be tinted slightly rusty - colours of autumn or signs of a production allowing slight oxidation to make the tea more accessable? The fragrance is surprisingly fruity: strong mango aroma with even some hints of roasted bell peppers. 

The first infusion tastes of mushrooms, mango and passion fruit. Well - at least those are the impressions I got. To most people it would propably taste like sheng puer with some hints of mushrooms and exotic fruits. The next issue in my notes might seem odd (which topic doesn't) to anyone outside my weird head: the tea's mouthfeel (not taste) makes me think of Darjeeling Second Flush. 
in case this your first time on my blog: the binary infusion counter shows infusion #4
Subsequent infusions lean more and more to the type of mushrooms and sweet hay, but the fruity sweetness doesn't disappear. At infusion 14 I called it quits and emptied the gaiwan. The reddish tint of the leaves (many beautiful set of '2 leaves and a bud') in combination with the fruity flavours have me convinced: this tea has been more or less oxidized on purpose.

Is the oxidation of maocha a bad thing? That depends - all my sources agree on a negative correlation between initial oxidation and the ability to age such a sheng successfully. But to me this is not a raw material needing to be aged, rather it seems to be a tea tailormade to win over tea drinkers sceptic of sheng: hardly any bitterness, sweet and fruity flavours, a mouthfeel which is not alien.
... or just the right tea for me to cuddle up on a rainy day with a good book and some Sibelius on the radio.

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And now the second sample, picked randomly by my dear wife:
 Fate made it a tea promising a bit of a rough ride: a 2013 Bulang. That area is considered the epitome of Bitter Tea. This year's harvest gives me no hopes of a mellowed character and the fact that this sample is taken from the spot of highest compression within the bing (its dimple or navel) screams at me to expect fragmented and torn leaves laden with astringency...
... a challenge I am eager to take on. Let's see if the tea will knock me out or I'll manage to wrestle it down.

Here is my life coverage of this fight:

Dry leaves: tightly compressed nugget from the bing's dimple. Hard to say anything about the leaf size in that extreme state of compression, but the many silvery downy parts speak of a high percentage of tips in the otherwise grey-green leaves. Is my opponent trying to mock me with that girlish show of tender silver locks?

The notion to rinse this tea twice crosses my mind. Might help to break open the nugget - but on the other hand that might be considered cowardice to rinse out initial bitterness. So it is just one rinse and that alone makes the nugget crumble. The hard fist of tea opens up into smallish leaves fragmented and reminding me of ... Bi Luo Chun. Even the fragrance screams of fresh green tea - fruity, fresh and light. Will I be robbed of my fight? To my nose that fragrance is like the white flag of surrender.

Do you know Aikido? The Japanese art of using your attackers force of aggression to best him. That is exactly what the first infusion does to me: with me coming braced to the battlefield, prepared to meet an opponent that strikes hard and fast ... I am instantly disarmed by a flowery sweetness and a mouthfeel like syrup. Mostly like fresh green tea, but with more body, presence and enduring mouthfeel than a Bi Luo Chun. An experience to make you dream of light spring clouds caressing the trees on Mount Bulang ...
... and then I sipped again of the cup which now contains a slightly cooled tea - now revealing the edge of Bulang Bitterness.

The second infusion is usually an awkward moment - at least to me. My mind has been set by the first introduction as I just can't seem to learn my lesson that a sheng practically never reveals its true nature in the first infusion. But then it comes - the tea releases more of its essence and reality clashes with assumptions based on rinse and first infusion. The same here: the syrup turns to chicken stock. Well, there might be something flowery in the background, but actually the soup has become savoury now. The cooled sip at the bottom of the cup tastes of licorice (yummy!) and the aroma found in the emptied cup is of that adult feminine type, which can be quite dear to some (such as me).


Some impressions I got over several infusions (3-6):
Full bodied, viscous mouthfeel and extreme bodyfeel (being alert of your bloodcirculation in each part of the body - tingly - alive and tippsy). Gushu material included? My nose detects the tell tale symptomps (sinuses opening, increased intake of oxygen). Reminding me of music which is not something I listen to very often but which fits the sensations very well:



Having arrived at infusion number eleven I have long since given up considering this as a battle  - it has become like a dance which invites you to surrender. Dancing like this, with the tea lulling you in, it is hard to focus on a precise description. Concerning taste and fragrance I have to resort to stereotypes like sweet hay, mushrooms and the usual sheng attributes with just the chicken stock to make it individual. But to me this tea is most definitely not about taste or fragrance. Neither is this one of the teas to drug me and conjure pictures from the past - I am 100% in the here and now, enjoying the tea undisturbed by old memories.
To me this tea is about feeling. Not smelling, not tasting - just feeling the tea filling your mouth with its thick soup, spreading warmth from your belly throughout you body with the blood pulsing from my toes to the scalp.
  A most pleasant tea - using the Bulang strength not for the typical bitterness, rather giving power to its body. My uneducated gut feeling makes me think this tea's heavy load of substance makes it well suited for ageing. Yet I don't trust in my skills and environmental conditions to age sheng successfully, so I'd rather not risk 48€ for a bing of 250g (equals 68,54€ for a standard bing of 357g) on this notion.

Aaw really - I shouldn't be doing this live! Infusion 12 is pure school book Bulang: sharp, precise bitterness to shake you up and then transorming into a sweet (slightly minty) aftertaste. An unexpected uppercut when I thought this fight was called off before it had even started. 

But still I stick to my conclusion: a most pleasant tea.

Thank you Peter - I am very much looking forward to tasting the other samples!