tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37275213283436771272024-03-20T08:14:28.459+01:00茶 dropsADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-8295657618822134362022-12-26T20:00:00.034+01:002022-12-26T21:46:50.231+01:002021 Da Xue Shan (Xin An Chu)<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In <i>The Way of Tea</i>, Aaron Fisher writes about the real story of tea: </span></p><p></p><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<i>[A] humble tree, lost in forest of others for longer than we as humans can know. And you might be wondering, then, why we have here glorified its birth, setting the background of Yunnan as a mystical, magical place</i>" (</span>Fisher, 2010:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 30).</span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yunnan, also known as "South of the Clouds", has the perfect balance of sun and rainfall with ideal humidity created by consistent fog and mist in many mountain areas that are the home for ancient forests of old trees (<a href="https://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=gu+shu&define=1" rel="nofollow" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank" title="Clicking this link will ask forvo.com for the pronunciation of 古树. If forvo doesn't yet have it, you'll be able to request them to enter it into their database so that later you'll be able to get it pronounced.">古树</a>, Gu Shu). One of them is Da Xue<span style="background-color: white;"> Shan (大雪山) in Lincang prefecture.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #f4f4f4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Da Xue Shan literally means "Big Snowy Mountain" and as written in a detailed post on <a href="http://www.puerh.fr/article/mengku_da_xue_shan_ses_terroirs_et_ses_thes.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">puerh.fr</a> blo<span style="background-color: white;">g, "</span><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: inherit;">there are not one but many mountains that bear this name in China, and the Lincang region alone has three of them, enough to confuse tea lovers in search for the origin of their leaves. </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: inherit;">Among these Da Xue mountains of Lincang, at least two are famous for their teas. </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: inherit;">One is in the Yong De region, while the other borders the Mengku region, which is why it is generally called Mengku Da Xue Shan." </span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How idyllic the Mengku Da Xue Shan landscape can be is portrayed further in the post: <span style="background-color: white;"><i>"<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: inherit;">Around a fine path lined with ferns, a dense and mysterious plant universe emerges. </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: inherit;">In the shades of greens and ochres, the light plays with mosses, lichens, and the ... texture of the trunks, constantly redrawing the environment as it appears to us. </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: inherit;">The omnipresent lianas cling to the trees, dance in the air and draw incredible patterns in the sky.</span>"</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Reading the paragraph above reminded me strongly of Fisher's poetic description of Yunnan forests:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">"<i>With awe, I contemplate the trees I drink - their vast, untouched connection to ever-larger ecosystems, starting first with those pristine jungles, then on to the mountains, the rain and the sky, the sun and the moon, beyond even that to a communion with everything [...]</i>." (Fisher, 2010: 31)</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In harmony with the poetic tone of Aaron's book and the french blog, the Da Xue Shan cake I am drinking today was produced by <a href="https://www.xinanchu.com/product-page/xin-an-chu-commemorative-raw-sheng-puerh-cake" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Xin An Chu</a> that <span style="color: #242a35;">literally means <i>"the place where one feels at ease".</i> The name Xin An Chu refers to </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #242a35; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Chinese poet from 11th century, known as Su Shi and his quote </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">此<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: darkred; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">心安处</span>是吾乡</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #242a35; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Wherever I feel at ease, there is my home)</span></span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #242a35; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the vendor's site you can read that this cake is a commemorative one, produced in order to celebrate the opening of their online shop: </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">"a <span style="color: #242a35;">small cake of 200g, using the highest quality fresh harvest picked in March of 2021 from a little-known village near Da Xue Shan in the Lincang area, and processed in a trusted factory under our control." </span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242a35;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">As the french blog suggests, the mere information of Da Xue Shan as the origin of the maocha is not very specific as it covers an area quite large and diverse. I was therefore curious about the "<i>little-known village near Da Xue Shan"</i> mentioned at the Xin An Chu website and asked for more information about the leaves used for this particular <i>bing</i>. According to Liu, the owner of the shop, the leaves come from old trees near Gong Nong village (公弄) which belongs to the Mengku Da Xue Shan puerh region. The cake therefore is a blend that includes leaves from three areas: Xiao Hu Sai (小户赛), San Jia Cun (三家村), Wu Jia Cun (五家村) specifically.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The cake itself is beautiful at first sight and scent. Its leaf is rather dark, with some lighter hairy buds present. Some of the leaves keep a longer stem which I believe adds more sweetness to the taste of the brewed tea.</div><div><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN1i-oW2_Bt-ZVbS3l8Vp-r1c2EJRMxsmsNWcCbZg6-Vzm7J3F53bTtR33foGD7JQ3Pk2FjtDcZE53HRy5LCXU2PwtQFlQVT0V-MKkXgoJpLNE-T-kja8HNoVyEjT72v1qlNvZdK7BSM21h7qeuuzinEcrdCytlTi6QbcwFm_azk9_gXafct_1YRySw/s4128/20221217_163007.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN1i-oW2_Bt-ZVbS3l8Vp-r1c2EJRMxsmsNWcCbZg6-Vzm7J3F53bTtR33foGD7JQ3Pk2FjtDcZE53HRy5LCXU2PwtQFlQVT0V-MKkXgoJpLNE-T-kja8HNoVyEjT72v1qlNvZdK7BSM21h7qeuuzinEcrdCytlTi6QbcwFm_azk9_gXafct_1YRySw/w288-h384/20221217_163007.jpg" width="288" /></span></a><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTt8T0FcaivJMPvrLk2HfnClCBaMOApXn08BjRDxnetK6RlG32hVMlSS1S8hqvrovA7wYf1tgbQwPevlB4DLD08sSmSe5nwYK6gq7Cv4jV7oP0vpxr709HU7JEtu-MBV9veJYezOtX-TMEkkKJPLvbsHckvxN4NPf54EVGzq1HFoHULzLA0x1jvFeqw/s4128/20221217_163036.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTt8T0FcaivJMPvrLk2HfnClCBaMOApXn08BjRDxnetK6RlG32hVMlSS1S8hqvrovA7wYf1tgbQwPevlB4DLD08sSmSe5nwYK6gq7Cv4jV7oP0vpxr709HU7JEtu-MBV9veJYezOtX-TMEkkKJPLvbsHckvxN4NPf54EVGzq1HFoHULzLA0x1jvFeqw/s4128/20221217_163036.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTt8T0FcaivJMPvrLk2HfnClCBaMOApXn08BjRDxnetK6RlG32hVMlSS1S8hqvrovA7wYf1tgbQwPevlB4DLD08sSmSe5nwYK6gq7Cv4jV7oP0vpxr709HU7JEtu-MBV9veJYezOtX-TMEkkKJPLvbsHckvxN4NPf54EVGzq1HFoHULzLA0x1jvFeqw/w285-h381/20221217_163036.jpg" width="285" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">The taste of very young sheng puerh is known to be very changeable within first few years. The tea slowly ferments and develops diversity of nuances that reflect its age and ageing process in phases. In the post from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUp7Bh1IEK4/">tea.travel.xinrong</a> you can read how beautifully it can be captured in words. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had a chance to taste this tea three months ago for the first time, today it is the second time I brew this particular cake. Despite being it only three months, the change is noticeable, especially for its diminishing dryness that is quite typical for very young sheng. When brewing the tea in September, the third cup uncovered some astringent note. Today the tea seems to be gentler on the tongue, bringing a stronger Hui Gan and intense sweetness in the mouth, one that is more floral than fruity, yet the fruitiness (ripe dry fruit) is already noticeable in the fragrance.</div><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFH7b6WBOPKLUIAZcMkhqbsIJi8hEaOUgebIPrYXOWlJdKDxMMnl3Qfqz8p-qDuVIDpEjz4eL4O4Ef4H2HfTn6UJsPCb3FeNmtW5PeID_93yoAyjeV3B8MdaY-r01_cG5zPpvCqkijQ9BOAqiG7iaV_Q9LEgXVibids0qTr9FFirjn8aJ94Gj68pYmA/s4128/20221226_145159.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3096" data-original-width="4128" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFH7b6WBOPKLUIAZcMkhqbsIJi8hEaOUgebIPrYXOWlJdKDxMMnl3Qfqz8p-qDuVIDpEjz4eL4O4Ef4H2HfTn6UJsPCb3FeNmtW5PeID_93yoAyjeV3B8MdaY-r01_cG5zPpvCqkijQ9BOAqiG7iaV_Q9LEgXVibids0qTr9FFirjn8aJ94Gj68pYmA/w663-h497/20221226_145159.jpg" width="663" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The tea is not bitter (</span>unless you steep the leaf for too long)<span style="font-family: inherit;">, the astringency is very low, and the floral notes are intensely high and diverse. As for the floral aroma, it has almost some oolong intensity. There is no harsh taste that some young puerh uncover in further brews, quite typical for Xiao Shu (small tree leaf) that is sometimes mixed with old tree leaf but the first few brews will not tell. The cooling, almost minty effect on the tongue and later in the throat, so typical for Gu Shu, might as well confirm the age of the trees of the original maocha. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This cake might be the imaginary or true gateway for those curious about Da Xue Shan area, one that very well challenges the reputation of raw puerh being too bitter and astringent. For tea being so young, the taste is very pleasant already, yet the impact of young raw peurh on a sensitive body is more cooling than warming. I might therefore enjoy drinking it in summer rather than Christmas time. It is, however, not so easy to resist its intense balsamic fragrance.</span></div><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGc80xFWxGryduVVZ4SetuqGHU-R7kXgAu_SVLL9r2QaR11qyz3GDeUyJWmZqtvEpmzU-l375hC-ima_o4poxdvd8dg9rpm1jx9FstOnArtl5G-oah7VMWc0nBPVR89G0AFYz7yPPvyJ9ALhK86dIhD2JTKTeOwu3VNiFYDgdoBrDHnlUC5Vv4lqW6gQ/s4096/20221226_174610.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="875" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGc80xFWxGryduVVZ4SetuqGHU-R7kXgAu_SVLL9r2QaR11qyz3GDeUyJWmZqtvEpmzU-l375hC-ima_o4poxdvd8dg9rpm1jx9FstOnArtl5G-oah7VMWc0nBPVR89G0AFYz7yPPvyJ9ALhK86dIhD2JTKTeOwu3VNiFYDgdoBrDHnlUC5Vv4lqW6gQ/w656-h875/20221226_174610.jpg" width="656" /></span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Merry Christmas and peaceful brewing to all.</p></div>ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-48939367782799777442022-10-02T17:17:00.018+02:002022-10-04T09:21:18.988+02:00On time, reset, and forgotten teapots<p style="text-align: justify;">These times are strange and stranger. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Maybe it is for the Saturnian push to reorganize, or the Uranian desire to disrupt and liberate. Or it may be the square between the two that has been challenging our daily routines since 2021. I have been going through a peculiar reset of my own tea experience. The fact that everything is in a constant change does not surprise me. The flow of the changeable dynamics of fragments in caleidoscopic chaos creating order is something I have observed ever since I soaked my finger in the art of <i>gong fu cha</i>, realizing that I can never brew the same tea the same way twice as, put simply, the second day it is not the same tea anymore and I am not the same person either. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">As life made me move houses and countries recently, I have been rediscovering the old stuff I had purchased years ago and then stashed it somewhere, forgetting I ever got it. For example, a teapot I bought exactly eleven years ago just for its shape and size. I never really thought of the clay impact at that time, I just loved the shape of it. When it arrived, I felt so disappointed that it ended up sitting on my shelf for quite some time. Was it <i>too </i>small actually? Did it smell funny? Who knows why, the suspicious side got the better of me and the teapot ended up in one of my old Xiaguan tuocha box only to be discovered a decade later when I was moving my things to another place. It smelled even funnier now after so many years in the old Yellow Crane box. Interestingly enough, eleven years later it didn't look so small at all! Recently I have read that the more one cultivates their passion for tea, the smaller their teacup becomes. I find it to be accurate. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMURfEemp0kwkkPNpqpQNnS-s8vFzsmbhPtAwXUr88oKwAyX6fOv7iQCCYARs9tUB4u6r40SJEj8fMYx06Wr5z-EGX5BzEWGu1TTNR-rp-Pew0Dh8Org5BO72m2_-_qowHKyfnx_KCjDz82UHX7rGoj7jHOPaHGBqqzETfks2FxPKo8KoHv4wS22cgQ/s720/original_087eb8ea-5efc-4671-92e1-c5abf3d54054_FB_IMG_1664721290248.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMURfEemp0kwkkPNpqpQNnS-s8vFzsmbhPtAwXUr88oKwAyX6fOv7iQCCYARs9tUB4u6r40SJEj8fMYx06Wr5z-EGX5BzEWGu1TTNR-rp-Pew0Dh8Org5BO72m2_-_qowHKyfnx_KCjDz82UHX7rGoj7jHOPaHGBqqzETfks2FxPKo8KoHv4wS22cgQ/w333-h251/original_087eb8ea-5efc-4671-92e1-c5abf3d54054_FB_IMG_1664721290248.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><p><span style="text-align: justify;">After taking a series of photos of this tiny vessel and putting them online </span><span style="text-align: justify;">to inquire about its origin among</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> the expert on Yixing, I have learnt that the pot seems to be handmade having the necessary seal inscriptions at the bottom, the lid, and the handle that authenticate the potter </span><a href="https://www.mincang.net/yanxuan/zaxiang-4807464.html" target="_blank"><i style="text-align: justify;">Deng Chun Lin </i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">鄧春林</span></a><span style="text-align: justify;">. </span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;">The quality is not very persuasive as there is a small crack at the upper part of the handle that might have been the result of the firing. </span><span style="text-align: justify;">The clay also is hard to be defined, probably some basic level of purple </span><i style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=Zi3+Ni2" target="_blank">zini</a></i><span style="text-align: justify;"> clay. Nevertheless, the group approved the teapot as a decent piece and so, after eleven long years, I finally decided to give </span><span style="text-align: justify;">this 50 ml princess a try.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUeyiuvTqAJrIXzS7YJDiSrAFHFpOXUVVJQqxdNWofAb6WZ-sA6r5CkWX5_R42cR9KnO96BKVhOTbvpoU4Z4IufbdE5gY_MZHI6do0GZc6ZqXuncM6whs3zcEh_vs4iYCPKiX_G5Hfz7dEZ6awI4d3SP2t-fkn1FuIYzAW1ayV_3CEu5ZKWMMlZtfpg/s960/original_e1a95c43-51f9-4ad4-8ea1-1e24657492d4_FB_IMG_1664721307584.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUeyiuvTqAJrIXzS7YJDiSrAFHFpOXUVVJQqxdNWofAb6WZ-sA6r5CkWX5_R42cR9KnO96BKVhOTbvpoU4Z4IufbdE5gY_MZHI6do0GZc6ZqXuncM6whs3zcEh_vs4iYCPKiX_G5Hfz7dEZ6awI4d3SP2t-fkn1FuIYzAW1ayV_3CEu5ZKWMMlZtfpg/w225-h300/original_e1a95c43-51f9-4ad4-8ea1-1e24657492d4_FB_IMG_1664721307584.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBWWIRG4YTyFblVob9Okz2eDH2TT5dBxM8OPxHogXkuSsEr_exYVQSeGRLZb-TNUlJwJsAAfO9m4Qg8CTggvlA-w10A8S9NsTwDOFsF-AUcTULtaBrnpKmtPf7pSaMuQpu4xaanDCShlby3YDHHaH4jKkwRTbryBq_wUMpYn5xX9s7RnmiSKkFB5ExA/s720/FB_IMG_1664721298564_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBWWIRG4YTyFblVob9Okz2eDH2TT5dBxM8OPxHogXkuSsEr_exYVQSeGRLZb-TNUlJwJsAAfO9m4Qg8CTggvlA-w10A8S9NsTwDOFsF-AUcTULtaBrnpKmtPf7pSaMuQpu4xaanDCShlby3YDHHaH4jKkwRTbryBq_wUMpYn5xX9s7RnmiSKkFB5ExA/w402-h301/FB_IMG_1664721298564_2.jpg" width="402" /></a><p></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;">When I started my tea journey some twenty years ago, I fell in love with Oolong tea, Shou puerh and </span><span style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=Hei1+Cha2" target="_blank">Heicha</a></span><span style="text-align: justify;"> in general. Then I discovered Sheng and my tea experience narrowed down to </span>Gushu<span style="text-align: justify;">, "alleged" </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Gushu</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> and </span>Xiaoshu<span style="text-align: justify;"> only, and I almost completely forgot about the rest. The extremely hot summer 2021 I spent in Northern Spain sampling some 2021 spring Sheng and the overwhelming young raw </span><i style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=Cha2+Qi4" target="_blank">chaqi</a></i><span style="text-align: justify;"> somehow made me crave some really good aged Liubao. I do not remember where such taste memory came from but suddenly I could recall the taste of the tea I used to drink, again, eleven years ago, in 2011 when I started this blog.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I ordered some Liubao and dedicated this tiny pot to this wonderful liquid gold. The 50 ml volume seems to be perfect. As I have observed drinking such earthy tea, if I consume too much of it at once, it converts me into a mole. At least this is how it makes me feel. The seven hole spout is also very useful, as some of liubao teas can have very tiny or even broken leaf and in a single hole teapot they would often clog it. In comparison to my 1990's <i><a href="https://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=Hong2+Ni2&define=1" target="_blank">hongni</a></i> Shui Ping that poooours soooo slooooow, this tiny pot is a champion. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Today I brewed some 2006 Zhong Cha Duoteli Shan Shui Liubao in a small 60 ml gaiwan and then poured a small part of the brew into a cup. The rest I shared between my old-new tiny purple teapot and a 1990's F2 zini Shui Ping, just to taste the difference of the brew. It is interesting to compare how both of the teapots similarly round and mute some of the edgy earthiness. Despite the tea being quite aged, the taste is smooth already in the gaiwan. However, the further difference between the cup and the clay is noticeable. Have I been not sensitive enough to be able to assess the difference in taste before? Maybe. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Eleven years later and I find myself reseting old teapots as I am becoming aware of not having them used properly. Or have I? Is there a norm of the proper use or isn't? The more I read about someone else's experience, the more convinced I am that there is nothing like "proper use of a teapot", nor "proper way of brewing tea". Just sit and try for yourself. Perhaps your taste will change and develop in time and one day you might realize that the tea you loved all those years tastes different today. It could be the water, the day, your mood, the tea itself, or just the way things are. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Today I enjoyed the way of experiment. It made me feel as novice again, thinking of change, the only constant there actually is. My frustration from not being able to repeat the best session I had some time ago now seems funny. Why would I even need the hunt for repetition? And so I conclude my today's contemplation with timeless wisdom: </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>When a mindful practice converts into a mindless routine motivated by particular results, there is no more joy nor life in it. </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I do not know yet how to pair my newly re-set old <i>hongni</i> teapot. I know, however, that it is the teapot that chooses the tea. I am here to provide the tea <i>for her to make that choice</i>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-76644592824548397152018-01-21T14:58:00.004+01:002022-10-04T09:21:57.565+02:00When life gives you lemons (2012 YouLe addendum)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Oh yes, I have noticed. It seems that I simply enjoy taking my time.</div>
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Today I woke up to one of those winter mornings when you can literally sense the change in the air. Everything is white and covered in light snow as if untouched but there is this strange feeling that one door has closed and another is being opened. We were all coming through that Uranus square Pluto frantic transitioning times in 2017 that made our heads spin and just like when you shake a bottle, the liquid inside needs its time to calm the level down a bit or to separate the clean water from the sh*t slowly dropping down to the bottom. Just like cleaning the septic tank, it takes time before you can see the water clean again. Purging was the mantra of us all throughout the last year, as most of us were probably trying to let go of old patterns that did not serve us any longer.<br />
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Well, I admit this is probably the worst way how to start a post about tea after 2,5 years of silence. Authenticity, however, has somehow become my closest friend. I guess the transformative plutonic energies of metamorphosis have eventually started to bring its fruits. </div>
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So what has happened ever since my last post was published? I carried on drinking tea in a hermit mode that helped me slowly grow my wings in a cocoon, separated from the turmoil of external world where part of my being was present, half-asleep / half-awake. It took more time than expected but what else can you do when life gives you lemons? You can make lemonade and find someone who was given vodka and have a party, true. I, however, preferred no hangovers as the reality felt blurred and unclear already and sometimes made me feel <i>"mal de mer"</i>, so keeping my head light instead was more bearable despite the squeezed environment of the cocoon. </div>
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When the cocoon eventually cracked, I moved to a much calmer area of the city. The city I chose to settle down and call home after seven long years. It feels good. It is actually really empowering. I finally have the space to spread my newly-grown wings (that I cannot properly use yet), and what's more, I have this beautiful view from my windows, right into the vineyards <span style="text-align: left;">which sometimes look rather misty, clouded heavily in fog:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSXxrrIygGDTuomxBKG60TH2egNTAkfVlcQdJIOrDnJiZiyepa-eehWc2R9JvAg4lz066iMCvgRgzB7iD8V5YFSj3SlriV9H88I2lmFezA7Dz6hQgcWb13LVmrEgjyiTH09NpibPp2NZP/s1600/misty.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSXxrrIygGDTuomxBKG60TH2egNTAkfVlcQdJIOrDnJiZiyepa-eehWc2R9JvAg4lz066iMCvgRgzB7iD8V5YFSj3SlriV9H88I2lmFezA7Dz6hQgcWb13LVmrEgjyiTH09NpibPp2NZP/s640/misty.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">But back to the tea.</span><br />
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It does not happen very often that I have a chance to do some re-tasting of the tea sample I drank nearly six years ago. In august 2012 I had the opportunity to taste a fresh sample of the Pu-erh.sk 2012 YouLe cake that even at that time I found very tasty, despite its young age (as oxymoronic as it may sound).<br />
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As you can read in the old post <a href="http://teadropping.blogspot.sk/2012/08/2012-youle-pu-erhsk.html" target="_blank"><span id="goog_410881299"></span>right here</a>, "<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #484848; font-family: "calibri"; line-height: 26px;">YouLe, 游乐, is short for </span><a href="http://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=youleshan" style="color: #5378b3; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 26px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">YouLeShan</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #484848; font-family: "calibri"; line-height: 26px;">, which is one of the mountains in Xishuangbanna, also known as Six Famous Tea Mountains, that are a canonical growing area for puerh tea, according to babelcarp.org."</span></i><br />
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In 2012 I was wondering what the cake could taste in a few months' time. Now that nearly six years have passed, I have a chance to find out for myself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPs_tbFUYL1x7jIIDUHkWfS-_hFSZQEOGS7sIPD4zjBpPXPfZbFZU4Gi2to9lrre6bpB6-24D6fLs9zVCIiZ1_VxakvQa-rQgBEucjLjoLjmck5b_av1kWApdwNIUorm2rOSnIZqf-26_B/s1600/IMG-2728.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPs_tbFUYL1x7jIIDUHkWfS-_hFSZQEOGS7sIPD4zjBpPXPfZbFZU4Gi2to9lrre6bpB6-24D6fLs9zVCIiZ1_VxakvQa-rQgBEucjLjoLjmck5b_av1kWApdwNIUorm2rOSnIZqf-26_B/s640/IMG-2728.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The sample is from a cake that, according to the information from Pu-erh.sk, was <i>"stored in a warehouse of Douji tea company in Guangzhou since 2012 until 2017."</i> The tea leaves are rather dark in comparison to the fresh sample from the 2012 post. The tea itself, even after more pouring of hot water, keeps its dark honey colour which evokes sweet taste just by looking at it:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHyXrucnVMoGDkPgXkYLudhP7hxm8dTYR_S2y_lMeXF5joX7tXC-HBEJh8tKc_zNbqSdZ7CfM5xwwU9Lu9gTC4DLBaL0YfXLr7qV3bC3wONBbzt3s2HKOiK-OSihzmTqAHLsL18M_Gp6p/s1600/IMG-2729.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHyXrucnVMoGDkPgXkYLudhP7hxm8dTYR_S2y_lMeXF5joX7tXC-HBEJh8tKc_zNbqSdZ7CfM5xwwU9Lu9gTC4DLBaL0YfXLr7qV3bC3wONBbzt3s2HKOiK-OSihzmTqAHLsL18M_Gp6p/s640/IMG-2729.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the old post from 2012 I wrote that this tea would <i>"wake up your senses, any time of the day"</i>. It could not be more accurate. Just a few sips of this magic potion and you are right there ... summer time in one small cup. This is the typical YouLe with the sweet heavy smell of dry fruit, now with a way more charm and elegance as five summers have passed, leaving their signature in it.</div>
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The taste is round, with no astringent edges that are more typical for fresh greenish samples. It is also quite consistent, just milder after refilling your cup for a few more times. There is this acid effect typical for gushu puerh leaves, which makes the taste more interesting and alive. The aftertaste is strong, with the typical returning sweetness on the tongue which does not keep the mouth dry for too long. Lovely tea for Sunday morning.<br />
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Best wishes for the new year, which I hope brings good things your way.<br />
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Until next time<br />
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-74836962291006144342012-10-21T17:57:00.002+02:002022-10-04T09:22:20.721+02:002011 LaoBanZhang (Zhi Zheng.Song)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Two months ago I ordered a few samples from <a href="http://www.zhizhengtea.com/about-us.html" target="_blank">Zhi Zheng Tea Shop</a>, an interesting Chinese-British company based in Jinghong, the regional capital of Xishuangbanna. I came across their online shop through one of Tea Urchin's posts on his wonderful blog and ever since I spent hours and hours, weeks and weeks browsing through their website... <br />
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I must admit it was all happening usually during my working time when I was supposed to be creative and write something intellectual, as this is what I should do at my work, but somehow I was lacking inspiration and could not concentrate. As I tremendously enjoy browsing through online teashops, discovering the Zhi Zheng website made my heart sing: it is full of interesting information about their own production, tea trips and Puer areas and I would also like to mention their blog <a href="http://www.zhizhengtea.com/puerblog/" target="_blank">The Horses Mouth</a> that I started to follow ever since. <br />
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Zhi Zheng Tea Shop focuses on high quality Puer tea from old, or ancient arboreal trees, which is exactly what I most enjoy. Their 2012 production offers interesting cakes from Bulang, NanNuo and one called Kong Shan Xin Yu, the area of which I still have not figured out but always found the name interesting. Apart from the last mentioned, which I received as a bonus sample, I ordered samples from 2011: Xin Yu Qiu Lan that I might review in the nearest future, and Lao Ban Zhang that I would like to introduce today:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNE0Lb2aU7wReZSAMORhBLzXc4DDkvwDqn3yrikigEzEKvlFOJW1w9pn1Qo91Dqiv3jYApfUmKn53eivox-sdIi77sWpH7qoN-ku2RYTiHs3za8qmeMM_u_VUNQW6owF7I5x46we5p6a7/s1600/01+(741x545).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNE0Lb2aU7wReZSAMORhBLzXc4DDkvwDqn3yrikigEzEKvlFOJW1w9pn1Qo91Dqiv3jYApfUmKn53eivox-sdIi77sWpH7qoN-ku2RYTiHs3za8qmeMM_u_VUNQW6owF7I5x46we5p6a7/s1600/01+(741x545).jpg" /></a></div>
This sample is a part of a cake pressed from early Spring 2011 ancient tree maocha from Lao Ban Zhang village, as you can read at the producer's site <a href="http://www.zhizhengtea.com/shop/Lao-Ban-Zhang-2011-Raw-Puer-Cake" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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In a nutshell, it is beautiful at first sight. The leaves are long and clean. They in fact look lighter and shinier in my tea bowl than in my low-end tablet picture (but somehow I gave up on trying to picture the "reality" as I consider it to be an infinite and actually quite futile struggle).<br />
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Before ordering the sample I somehow overlooked a small note on the ZhiZheng Tea Shop website, where there is some explanation considering tea from Lao Ban Zhang area and this cake especially:<br />
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<i>* There are essentially two areas in Lao Ban Zhang, each with a distinct type of tree; one quite bitter, the other softer. Most farmers have trees in both areas and their tea reflects the mix of trees they have, as they typically mix the two together. Also, Ban Zhang tea often has Lao Man E tea in it - bringing a stronger ku wei. Our Lao Ban Zhang Tea does not have this kind of profile. It is softer, less baqi.</i><br />
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Unaware of this I expected the sample to be rather strong. Right after opening the package I was however surprised by its wonderful aroma which was intensely sweet and promising. It smells abundantly of marmalade, ripe fruit, perhaps with a hint of wet herbs or wet hay, a bit of YiWu, a bit of YouLe, a bit of BangPen, and a bit of something more. I could identify many various tones I knew and still was not sure how to describe the complex aroma emanating from the sweet lovely packet.<br />
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The smell of wet leaves in the pot after a quick rinse remained intensely sweet and emphasized my feeling that this tea is a little treasure. Its taste is surprisingly honey-like and juicy, yet rather mellow and soft. It closely corresponds with the information given by ZhiZheng at their website, with the exception that the tobacco hints might have already lessened considerably with time. I in fact did not notice any tobacco-like presence in aroma or flavour, just a very gentle kuwei which I welcomed with joy as it brought nice dynamics to the flavour.<br />
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Despite its interesting complexity that I try to describe here, this tea is somewhat beyond description, truly delicate and rather soft, nothing comes too forward, nothing is too hidden. Opening the packet, preparing a dose and drinking the infusion, all of this is pleasure I can fully relish. I unfortunately cannot afford buying the whole cake but I do not regret as I want it to remain rare to me. Knowing this, I enjoyed every sip of this sample even more. For me, this tea is something like a Christmas fairy-tale that I do not feel a need to read or watch every day but when I do, I feel completely satiated for the rest of the year.<br />
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-39757476313525158322012-09-22T18:31:00.001+02:002022-10-04T09:22:53.424+02:00Shang shan jo shui<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Best to be like water,</i></div>
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<i>Which benefits the ten thousand things</i></div>
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<i>And does not contend.</i></div>
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Tao Te Ching, 8 / transl. Addis & Lombardo</div>
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-32690593698930100502012-09-08T19:52:00.005+02:002022-12-27T17:23:58.405+01:00On purchasing and appreciating tea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>"The fact is the intellect can often get in the way of our tea drinking."</i><br />
<i>-Wu De (Aaron Fisher)</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugxG1-vHaavM3XVGHmWr03x_F2j2QkrY-zHXtu2Feymj5FhvIDqJTUjowx8MOApLNRMeBdskSz9i6bVztcy7vJEFmkB-AX9USMefG7AdfKPUV3805opj7ACe5XevktPw4mD2qWYDdlLot3q_CB_tfM_Fm_58Uah7eCcqUd0NaJZUMnBfkjlkNXGbR5A/s4128/20221227_134210~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugxG1-vHaavM3XVGHmWr03x_F2j2QkrY-zHXtu2Feymj5FhvIDqJTUjowx8MOApLNRMeBdskSz9i6bVztcy7vJEFmkB-AX9USMefG7AdfKPUV3805opj7ACe5XevktPw4mD2qWYDdlLot3q_CB_tfM_Fm_58Uah7eCcqUd0NaJZUMnBfkjlkNXGbR5A/s320/20221227_134210~2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I enjoy reading about tea as much as I love drinking it, and in fact also choosing it, preparing it and finally writing about it. In one of the older issues of <a href="http://the-leaf.org/The_Leaf/Home.html" target="_blank">The Leaf Magazine</a> (the website I return to regularly to enjoy their love and wisdom for tea) I especially like this paragraph from an article written by Wu De (Aaron Fisher):<br />
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<i>"As I sat with my friend and fellow traveler in Wuyi itself, discussing this poorer-quality tea from my distant past, he laughed, “You got ripped off!” I wholeheartedly disagreed with him. “But you just said you paid five times this price for tea not half as good!” he exclaimed, pointing at the cups before us. I then explained to him that at the time I paid fifty dollars for the tea and got more than what I considered, again at that time, to be fifty dollars worth of enjoyment out of it. I really loved that tea and for all intents and purposes no better existed in my world. I gladly paid the fifty dollars because the tea was worth that to me, and so I wasn’t cheated, not at all. And even if you told me that the tea I thought was “Da Hong Pao” was really another kind or produced in a way different from what I understood, none of that information would change the fact that I enjoyed it; drinking it brought me hours and hours of calm joy, and the experience as such can not be abrogated by any later understanding." (Wu De, 2009)</i><br />
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From time to time I go through my previous posts and start reading here and there what I wrote very often to find out that I used to buy tea I would never buy again, probably not even consider to be as good now, for with more tea sessions and hectolitres of consumed tea I have become not only more experienced, which is the positive side of the story, but also very picky and somewhat "spoilt". It is, however, really pleasing to know that I do not have to buy it or drink it again because I have the experience and the privilege of choice.</div>
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Choosing, selecting and deciding carefully is nevertheless the most difficult thing when tea is concerned, especially when your budget is quite limited. All you who are still students probably know what I mean. I suppose I am not the only one who, when searching for some new tea, struggles with questions such as: is it better to buy all the samples from this particular vendor or should I buy only some and see what they will be like and then perhaps buy the rest? And if I should pick only some of them then what should I choose first and what perhaps leave for later? And what if there is no later and things get sold out? Should I buy a cake and risk I will not like it despite its good review? And if this tea was not reviewed well, should I try it and find for myself or is it just a waste of time? And if this tea was reviewed well but by someone who enjoys completely different areas from those I enjoy, should I give it a try anyway? I could go on like this but there is no need, most of you know that sampling is a great way to try out new teas we could never be able to afford buying in big amounts, but even choosing samples requires some determination, experience and last but not least: intuition and a will to learn with all its consequences.<br />
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Through all the years of my more or less avid tea drinking I learnt that some tea could be of superior quality but will not bring as much pleasure to a newbie, who simply cannot appreciate it at the particular moment, as it would bring to someone who just through years of experience developed the ability to distinguish it and enjoys all the subtle nuances in flavour and aroma. Also, it is very likely that some tea of much poorer quality, which brought us great pleasure when we first tasted it (and then full of enthusiasm started our teablogs for the pure joy of sharing our love for it), would not satisfy us now should we retaste it again and see how we "moved on". And of course, from time to time we may realize that some tea we decided to buy would now benefit more as <a href="http://tea.theskua.com/?p=648" target="_blank">compost tea</a>, as we simply make choices and learn by "mistake". <br />
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The thing is, I actually do not believe in making mistakes, as in fact all the "mistakes" I made brought me here where I am now. It means that each "mistake" I made gave me exactly the experience I needed. In my opinion, this could not have been a mistake then. I actually do not believe in good and bad experience either. I, however, believe in experience and practice.<br />
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I know I bought tea I would never buy again now, but at that time it brought me joy and pleasure, either when drinking it or just through the simple way of discovering its potential. And I am sure I tasted a few cakes that I considered to be better than many other people would find but then again, it brought me joy and pleasure and I appreciated the experience deeply. And of course, I am sure I tasted many samples of tea I would love to have a chance to drink now but I cannot, since I did not buy it and it simply disappeared, which means I cannot retaste it again to find out how it and I myself have developed.<br />
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As my possibility to store tea is in fact very very low, I learnt by experience to give way to buying only tea I can drink within a few months. My poor experience of storing tea did not work out with good results, most of my stored tea I bought dried out and lost everything I enjoyed in it. With such an attitude it is clear that I cannot join the rush for buying tongs of puerh to store them, I can afford buying one or two cakes from each, enjoy drinking them throughout the year and then wait and see what else is going to be offered. With the decision to give up on trying I may be losing the great opportunity of mastering this particular skill but I already know there are people who will do it much better than me and have also better conditions for it. In few years I might be having a chance to pay for one of those cakes I would probably not be able to take care of well and it would be a waste of rare tea. Of course I know I will pay much more than I would if I bought it now but it is not the point. Money is always a problem but if the tea is good at the particular moment, it means now, then it simply is good and is worth it.<br />
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I saw a few discussions on teablogs nowadays discussing the increased puerh prices and despite the fact that I really understand the point, I cannot agree that tea can be judged upon its price. It is definitely a good and useful way how to compare its affordability, but that's it. I am also aware that some information is actually more useful to a vendor than to an ordinary consumer and I do not intend to become the first. My tea tasting will therefore always be somewhat naive and subjective but I do not see a problem in that. As for me: <i>"A good tea is good. It speaks for itself and will be worth the price or not based on how much enjoyment you can get out of it." (ibid.) </i></div>
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Enjoy your tea.<br /></div>
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<b>Sources:</b> <br />
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"Quality; Understanding Leaves" By Wu De, The Leaf, issue 5, April 22nd, 2009<br />
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-49247812127446776542012-08-28T17:22:00.005+02:002022-10-06T20:38:20.656+02:002012 BaDa & ManNuo (Pu-erh.sk)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here I am again blogging about 2012 fresh cakes, this time one post about two different spring samples: 2012 BaDa and ManNuo. Both of these are excellent tea of great quality and there is no way I could compare them. Both of them are special and have a lot to offer. </div>
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Since 2011 Bada was by far my most favourite last year's shengpu (you can read the review here: <a href="http://teadropping.blogspot.sk/2012/03/2011-bada.html" target="_blank">BaDa 2011</a>), I was interested in how the 2012 sample would introduce itself. Dry leaf is beautiful and has an intense fresh fruity smell after unripe berries (perhaps currants), tamarind (indian date), with a nice fresh flowery scent. </div>
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It tastes fruity and floral. It is easy to detect apricot in the first few infusions, quite typical for young sheng, which further develops into yellow melon tone. Later infusions turn golden, still very bright, and get a bit bitter with a longer steeping time. It is, however, pleasant kind of <i>ku wei</i> bitterness. As for young sheng it is still quite dry. It allows for intense sweet and mouth-watering aftertaste which leaves a juicy trace of grapes in the mouth. </div>
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It seems to me that this year's BaDa is even more potent than the 2011 cakes but it could easily be just my own subjective impression of the intensity of the fresh sample. It gives many powerful infusions and despite its very fresh taste it offers quite complex experience. This definitely is a sample to remember.</div>
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The 2012 ManNuo sample is as beautiful as the BaDa one, with fresh and intense smell after fruit and a whiff of some rough remote places. I have not actually written about pu-erh from this region so far so let me ask babelcarp for some information: <i>ManNuo, 曼糯, is short for ManNuoZhai, which is a plantation in Bulangshan, a Menghai County mountain where maocha for puerh is harvested</i>. The Bulang region is famous for its "good" bitterness and strong qi. </div>
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This ManNuo cake moreover has a very assertive floral and fruity tone which leaves a sweet and intense mouthfeel sensation. Together with its bitter and somewhat typical Bulang spicy component it evolves in a long-lasting complex experience. The fresh green tone is present, too, and adds to the complexity of the taste. Aftertaste is full and mouth-watering, bringing in a bit pungent and spicy, almost celery, scent. This tea is sharp yet delicate, with a powerful <i>chaqi</i> intensifying the energy flow in the upper body while still reminding of the roots it comes from. The samples show the potential of very good and quite complex tea in both cases.</div>
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-16630478202759004752012-08-26T09:07:00.005+02:002022-10-04T09:33:55.580+02:002012 YouLe (Pu-erh.sk)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It took me five months to get back to my tea-blogging. You know the story already: daily life, busy work, BMX, travelling, apocalypse, etc. Well, I guess there actually is a reason that makes it all easy to explain: I simply did not come across a tea sample I would like to blog about, until now. Seriously, I ended up drinking more or less ordinary Chinese and Japanese green tea throughout most of the spring and summer time as the temperature tended to climb immensely high. I also had a chance to taste and order some interesting kinds of heicha, but none of these made me feel like telling you about it immediately after tasting them. </div>
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The samples that made me change my mind arrived last week. What a nice surprise when you get back from fieldwork, exhausted and in a need of some fine thirst quenching ritual. Pu-erh.sk have some very interesting 2012 cakes this summer (from BaDa, YouLe, ManNuo, and MengSong) and I am lucky to have a chance to give all four of them a try. I picked YouLe sample first, as I was in need of a bit of a bittersweet symphony this morning, after waking up at 5 AM unintentionally, forced to listen to a bunch of drunk tourists singing football anthems just beneath my window.</div>
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As most of you know (but I will write it anyway), YouLe, 游乐, is short for <a href="http://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=youleshan" target="_blank">YouLeShan</a>, which is one of the mountains in Xishuangbanna, also known as Six Famous Tea Mountains, that are a canonical growing area for puerh tea, according to babelcarp.org. </div>
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The sample of the cake I was tasting is made of the fresh 2012 spring crop. Immediately after opening the little package with 7g of leaf I could smell fresh apricots. Not dry ones, the most typical smell of mildly aged puerh, but very fresh one, almost like a mashed apricot smell, it is fresh and intense. If I did not know what YouLe is famous for, I would probably expect the tea to be really sweet in taste. </div>
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Despite being warned by other tea-bloggers that it might be perhaps a bit "too much" for a single dose, I decided to use the whole 7g sample in my 100 ml teapot as my senses were telling me to do it. I do not regret. The first very fast steeping turned out to bring brisk yellow flowery broth, playful in both smell and taste, a little astringent on the first touch of the tongue, tuning into fresh and typical YouLe aftertaste. I wish I had words to describe the fresh qualities of this region but there is just one I can come up with: YouLe.</div>
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The second and third broth deserves some longer but still rather short steeping, unless you really enjoy paralyzing your senses in the morning. I actually enjoy the bittersweet characteristics very much but still appreciate the complex taste, 20 to 30 seconds were fair enough for me. I could clearly detect the cooling and somewhat acidic effect on my tongue. As far as I remember, it is often explained as one of the typical gushu characteristics, especially when the cake is really fresh like this one. The aftertaste is intense and long-lasting, turning into sweet and somewhat jasmine flowery tone.<br />
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To put it simply, this tea will wake up your senses, any time of the day. It is brisk and sharp but still delicate in tones of taste and smell. It is rather fresh, with a strong <a href="http://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=cha+qi" target="_blank"><i>cha qi</i></a> which made my head spin a little bit but it is definitely worth a try. I might be, again, interested in how these cakes will develop in a few months time. </div>
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Enjoy the rest of summer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-60446012716126126312012-03-09T23:48:00.006+01:002022-10-04T09:35:29.887+02:002011 BaDa (Pu-erh.sk)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><b>35 Jing: Proceeding Forward</b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b>
<i>Things cannot remain forever in great strength.</i><br />
<i>Thus, after Great Strength, Proceeding Forward follows.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i>
<i>[The complete I Ching by A. Huang, 2010: 293]</i><br />
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Today I Ching tells me to realize that the Sun is rising over the Earth. A simple truth we tend to forget whenever we experience something as present without a chance to see the end. The truth is that everything changes and proceeds forward, after a dark night a new day follows and that's how it is.<br />
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Proceeding should be stable, gradual and steady. Without experience we want to proceed but are held back. I see many patterns in my life that correspond with this simple principle. Without experience it is difficult to respond. The advise is to be calm and unhurried. Things cannot remain forever in Great Strength but neither in its weakest position as the change is unstoppable.<br />
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Aging puerh is a nice way to discover this simple truth: tastes develop and transform depending on the way it is stored. I wrote about the experience I had when tasting <a href="http://teadropping.blogspot.com/2012/01/2011-chawangpu-yiwu-gaoshanzhai.html" target="_blank">2011 Chawangpu Yiwu GaoShanZhai</a> and the impact it has had on me considering my new perspective on very young sheng cakes. As I am quite an avid drinker, I am now fully enjoying new interest in 2011 cakes and it seems that these will be on my tasting note list for a while.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFwuoN4Iblh3byrUYB-enmoVDcU3H3PwCD1tYYndun9nWfaqcbHJhlur16ITWLL0vUZ9csHW18d7FDFdgZHeo4VY8RCTjAIgitNC-RzktgiezaJ_vB6ts8qUYMAmAVGrR4R00VDESjfw9/s1600/chunk.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFwuoN4Iblh3byrUYB-enmoVDcU3H3PwCD1tYYndun9nWfaqcbHJhlur16ITWLL0vUZ9csHW18d7FDFdgZHeo4VY8RCTjAIgitNC-RzktgiezaJ_vB6ts8qUYMAmAVGrR4R00VDESjfw9/s1600/chunk.jpg" /></a></div>
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I had a chance to taste a sample of 2011 BaDa cake from pu-erh.sk five or six months ago. At that time the leaf was rather young, vegetal in flavour and aroma, freshly bitterish but overall I found it quite promising. The time has come and here I am tasting this lovely piece of BaDaShan old tree leaf again, with optimistic anticipation as at first sight and smell this tea is developing nicely.</div>
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BaDaShan, <a href="http://www.forvo.com/word/%e5%b7%b4%e9%81%94%e5%b1%b1#zh" title="Clicking this link will ask forvo.com for the pronunciation of 巴達山.
If forvo doesn't yet have it, you'll be able to request them
to enter it into their database so that later you'll be able
to get it pronounced.">巴達山</a>, is a mountain in northern Menghai county and this particular cake is made of leaves from a village which is situated in a wonderful nature. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bnsZhkki_t2Hh6V5uVTN2LKXKSiFc7dd2nbPyTUJRfBOOFEb964RcHRpHlsSJsIlsweDLP7BndLBnt5s0UJGC76Nmz6Ph0rQhhnwV_qYMr29xx1npSvW9ca8M71r2eiaz16BVUQQ-y7A/s1600/cup.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bnsZhkki_t2Hh6V5uVTN2LKXKSiFc7dd2nbPyTUJRfBOOFEb964RcHRpHlsSJsIlsweDLP7BndLBnt5s0UJGC76Nmz6Ph0rQhhnwV_qYMr29xx1npSvW9ca8M71r2eiaz16BVUQQ-y7A/s1600/cup.jpg" /></a></div>
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The tea broth is darker than it was six months ago, it is less green, and more yellow, deeper and thicker in both aroma and flavour. The infusion is sweeter, rounder and more complex. The flavour still keeps its fresh green vegetal tone which is covered in light astringent bitter-sweet coat. Immediately after the first sip there is a nice dynamic harmony of forces dancing on the tongue.</div>
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The first infusion brought another nice surprise for me: I detected a sweetish buttery trace that was easy to track again in further infusions.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnK7B9hkSzTJcUfIzYDIKxfGurzVdaJB-828zJWRNUV2SAtmPXH9L7204d_6GGmiTSrPC0eD_ESa3EfkZ_v_1tHh-dvHxvYSPdunFR37s1Vvt3teA4NSWL1bGiPCQq0MvRgdYBM-D9K-I/s1600/pot2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnK7B9hkSzTJcUfIzYDIKxfGurzVdaJB-828zJWRNUV2SAtmPXH9L7204d_6GGmiTSrPC0eD_ESa3EfkZ_v_1tHh-dvHxvYSPdunFR37s1Vvt3teA4NSWL1bGiPCQq0MvRgdYBM-D9K-I/s1600/pot2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Later, flowery and fruity tones develop significantly, still coated in bitter-sweet undertone that in fact never disappears fully from the flavour in the cup. It is probably this bitter-sweet dance and the buttery tone that I keep in mind and imagine again when trying to recall today's impression, as well as the aftertaste that is very refreshing and beautifully extends the stage for the concert of tastes. </div>
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If I am lucky, I might have a chance to re-taste this tea again in a few-months time. In the meantime I am going to enjoy this cake with its future treasures hidden in its leaf.</div>
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Take care & enjoy spring.</div>
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-64070804221019330012012-02-19T19:16:00.013+01:002022-10-04T09:36:22.289+02:00Strange Encounters / 2011 YS "Ban Po Lao Zhai"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Trying to control the world?</i><i><br />
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<i>I see you won't succeed.</i><i><br />
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<i>The world is a spiritual vessel</i><i><br />
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<i>And cannot be controlled.</i><i><br />
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<i>Those who control, fail.</i><i><br />
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<i>Those who grasp, lose.</i><i><br />
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<b><i>Tao Te Ching, 29 </i></b><b><i>(transl. Addis & Lombardo)</i></b></div>
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<b>Strange Encounters</b><br />
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Time flies so fast but somehow this winter seems to be too long. And I am tired. I know, it is not the best way to start a tasting note. This extreme exhaustion is not something to be easily taken away with a few cups of puerh. Saturn has been transiting my 8th house and I can feel his omnipresence wherever I look. It seems that somehow I was pushed by my own subconscious mind to open Pandora's box and now I try hard to have a chance to observe the effect it has got on me. Most of the time I am affected without even knowing it and then I just end up realizing how uncontrollable life is. This winter has been really demanding and I have been counting days to welcome spring. </div>
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This all is not the best state of mind for writing clearly but it might be a good opportunity to learn how to become the master of my own mind. This new transformational period blurs my own perception of all I encounter, everything feels different from my previous experience. Everything feels so new. It is a state of permanent flux where everything changes rapidly. My life has become a stream and all I can do is to go with the flow. I try hard to understand the complex situation where things that are going apart are coming together at the same time, creating new shapes of reality, new feelings and experience.</div>
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I have been drinking too much tea lately. Perhaps it has an effect on me too. I am aware more than ever before of the energy leaving the cup and then circulating in my body, looking for its place to exist within me. I can observe it in a time loop, a period of silence when everything stops for a while. It is a new dimension of tea drinking for me and I am grateful for having this opportunity to experience the non-existence of everything, once I disconnect from the everyday stress, insecurity, pain and chaos which slowly disappear and appear again, when I refocus my mind and pay my attention to them. I look for solace in tea and try to implement my newly shaped awareness in looking at things from new point of view..</div>
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<b>2011 </b><b>Yunnan Sourcing Nannuo "Ban Po Lao Zhai"</b><b> </b></div>
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My new cake from Yunnan Sourcing has become a good friend of mine very quickly, despite the fact that "to have a friend takes time". <a href="http://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=Ban+po+lao+zhai" target="_blank">Ban Po Lao Zhai</a>, 半坡老寨, is according to babelcarp the older, higher elevation part of Ban Po Zhai, which is a Nannuoshan village where taidicha is grown. According to Scott's information, this production is entirely first flush of Spring 2011 material from tea trees between 60 and 200 years old and in total just 50 kilograms were produced. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoBWXjTK8MS1nzdJi3fw14aQzOY507jR27SldZpmwN7ZGUwNaciLjOVn3z0FFltZhKQsNAgr2fhlVqknuiatLsLHcuymb7tlVW-9R18LXLKgIxjbYTOrmO9U6BlUOOEIgdQwHEnWZpv8l/s1600/ys_cake.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoBWXjTK8MS1nzdJi3fw14aQzOY507jR27SldZpmwN7ZGUwNaciLjOVn3z0FFltZhKQsNAgr2fhlVqknuiatLsLHcuymb7tlVW-9R18LXLKgIxjbYTOrmO9U6BlUOOEIgdQwHEnWZpv8l/s1600/ys_cake.jpg" /></a></div>
It is a beautiful piece. It smells good, looks good, tastes good. I did not have to think twice when choosing what to buy. I have already mentioned my new interest in 2011 sheng and I have ordered several samples lately to confirm that I really enjoy drinking them now. This has been one of the blind purchases when I simply trusted my instinct more than any review.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyZAbx2J6JzvFZHW-65YpOTllrXdyQJRr37j7wOMYx9g9sQifL-E9T7dWJDoOKo5yeRet-7WCtLTvznHQOC0ztN9i6jIPcvQKoBn6o4cQF675PtWVZJB9Ee6TkPCr1pv4q1-kJtGC7IIc/s1600/ys_leaf.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyZAbx2J6JzvFZHW-65YpOTllrXdyQJRr37j7wOMYx9g9sQifL-E9T7dWJDoOKo5yeRet-7WCtLTvznHQOC0ztN9i6jIPcvQKoBn6o4cQF675PtWVZJB9Ee6TkPCr1pv4q1-kJtGC7IIc/s1600/ys_leaf.jpg" /></a></div>
The smell of dry leaf is sweet, the smell which stays in the cup is sugary and thick. The tea broth is sparkling yellow and gives away its sweetness easily with a simple look. It is aromatic, sweet on the tongue with a trace of caramel and in further infusions it uncovers its rawer side at the back of the tongue.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnGOXFujlNgtJGFZFzQHOF0l414nvbEYImk5VJ0u8nMJDnFG-ih5S0hoR1mgWh837KrX42rs7nlfMEgodtrnxiDFGjy_6jBdBh39paH8tOk8svUq4sLLqnoeFi4nF6p9Z8llq1iQK5Cmp/s1600/ys_broth.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnGOXFujlNgtJGFZFzQHOF0l414nvbEYImk5VJ0u8nMJDnFG-ih5S0hoR1mgWh837KrX42rs7nlfMEgodtrnxiDFGjy_6jBdBh39paH8tOk8svUq4sLLqnoeFi4nF6p9Z8llq1iQK5Cmp/s1600/ys_broth.jpg" /></a></div>
Given the fact that the cake is very young, it can have a powerful impact on a sensitive drinker so for those who prefer softer flavour it is better to keep the steep time shorter. Nevertheless, its rawer, more "aggressive" side of fresh young cha qi is quite interesting too. The aftertaste takes its time before entering the scene but when it comes, it is refreshing returning sweet, bringing the strong aroma of the tea back to life.</div>
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If you had a chance to taste 2010 YS NanNuo YaKou, a sample I reviewed <a href="http://teadropping.blogspot.com/2011/10/2010-yunnan-sourcing-nan-nuo-ya-kou.html" target="_blank">here</a> last year, you would probably find her 2011 sister more complex, more aromatic, thicker and also sweeter. Surprisingly, when I tasted NanNuo YaKou, I was not very impressed by the sample as its fresh characteristic was not what I was looking for in raw puerh at that time. However, my taste has developed or changed and now I am looking for the exact opposite. And all this makes me think that the more I taste tea as a simple ordinary consumer, the more I realize how much I do not enjoy comparing anything. I do not like saying what is better and what is worse as I somehow do not believe in these categories, at least they do not work for me. I agree, of course, that the quality of leaf, environment as well as processing is definitely an enormous part of the final outcome and it is something to be taken into account, especially when one is a vendor or a producer. </div>
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As a consumer I believe that I can choose intuitively what I like, or what speaks to me. I can therefore say that for me this cake is great which is absolutely subjective statement and again, I am not sure how different it can be after a few years of aging. I really like its fresh flavour as this is something I value the most at the moment but again, all of this is changeable and impermanent. </div>
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<i>T'ien hsia shen ch'i.</i><br /></div>
ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-33540295817171055872012-02-19T18:40:00.009+01:002022-10-04T09:37:02.922+02:002011 Baozhong Top Grade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is probably the only oolong I am going to write about here unless I drastically change my tea selection, which is however absolutely possible since change is a characteristic sign of my contemporary living.<br />
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If we ask babelcarp what Baozhong means, it will tell us that it is "very lightly oxidized tea (formerly?) wrapped in paper during drying, literally the Wrapped Kind (包种 or 包種)." It also gives the information that in Taiwan this word is often applied to any oolong. This sample comes from pu-erh.sk and has been at my humble place quite for a long time. I have tasted it once already and really enjoyed it, it brought me a few deeply hidden memories from my previous oolong drinking period, long time ago...<br />
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The colour of wet leaf is truly adorable. It is green, but the kind of green that is perfect, with a trace of blue and the leaf is very very gentle. It has a slightly waxy cover, something to be often found on oolong leaves. This one is probably the softiest I have ever touched. </div>
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Each time I see a perfect shape of a tea leaf like this one, I wonder how could we people ever think we can beat Nature. Look around, She is perfect and it is her who beats anything human-made. Tea is perfect as it is. We can only help it or not when processing it but the essence, which stays in each leaf, is perfect. And each time you pour water on it, with no expectation at all, you can feel it or you can't but it is there, waiting to be discovered.<br />
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The first few infusions are the best as this tea has an ability to paralyze my tongue when drinking it. But the trace of peach / apricot essence, which stays at the back of the mouth after the very first sip is clearly recognizable. It has sparkling yellow green colour, bright and shining.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAp1gaqZunRmLI_tozgdlvHuTciT4CCv73nVmhZWakvH7hFNVfE3R04P8oH1U0iKvwq-xKJfXNHMizev7meJnDqL47mEXgslbpMqOdZZULHJNQE3dcs-F0Xk8218L-gGfztbj4SBTrKwDp/s1600/cup3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAp1gaqZunRmLI_tozgdlvHuTciT4CCv73nVmhZWakvH7hFNVfE3R04P8oH1U0iKvwq-xKJfXNHMizev7meJnDqL47mEXgslbpMqOdZZULHJNQE3dcs-F0Xk8218L-gGfztbj4SBTrKwDp/s1600/cup3.jpg" /></a></div>
If only I could take a piece of sunshine with me. It's minus twelve outside right now and having a hot cup in my hand feels comforting. This tea does not need any review, it speaks for itself like many others. Today it is speaking to me through her aroma and flavour which I can try to catch and put in words but the real essence of it is untouchable. So this time I give up. </div>
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Keep warm.<br /></div>
ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-48688246026911744742012-01-28T20:49:00.009+01:002022-10-04T09:38:10.387+02:002011 Chawangpu Yiwu GaoShanZhai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Long time I have been getting ready for writing more tasting notes but absolutely unsuccessfully. As if something was holding me back. The whole time since Christmas I have been experiencing something powerful considering this world, something I am not able to talk about directly as I am running out of words each time I open my mouth in an effort to explain it. Strangely though, I have encountered people who are going through the same experience as I do and it feels more comforting at least. The beginning of 2012 is not easy but the more we can handle now, the easier will be the next step, perhaps. I desperately hope so. Life can be very bittersweet sometimes but it would be of no use if we tried to prevent ourselves from either of those two aspects. It seems to me that the dynamic process of change is usually easier for us to bear than enduring a long monotonous flow. </div>
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But back to tea: I used to like sweet flavour in tea a lot, now I am looking for deeper bitterish side of it as too much of one thing turns out to be boring. I used to enjoy the taste of a little aged shengpu a lot, now I am enjoying leaf from 2011 and I cannot be satisfied more. The process of discovery is what makes me happier than keeping the treasure at the end of it. I received a sample of this excellent cake a few months ago and at that time did not feel like trying it. I told myself to wait for the best occasion, as this is what has proved to be a good thing to do. Once the moment comes, everything is perfect. <br />
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This little sample showed me something very important. I tasted some younger old-tree leaf in autumn 2011 and did not find special pleasure in tasting the leaf so young. This sample recruited me! It is very good, true, but I cannot say it would be so much better than other young old-tree leaf samples I drank before. I guess I probably was not ready for appreciating it. Or maybe I was looking for something very specific, something to be found in more aged leaf.. I am now discovering a plethora of flavours which to me seemed a bit boring before but now I simply welcome the change. </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLkPb9wR4cOOPjYnSr7TFsmZMumQmML2lvl0FZjjo0gUQbuclB_XjBdQ8ZoKsBBoXGHXn4AGn2ce9D9oePepglfzXxF2pN9veCCmgId91w9L9KPGlQhUeM1riQanGhfownZva4LI4EExp/s1600/chawangyiwubroth.jpg" /><br />
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This yiwu cake was produced (almost on my birthday) last year by Chawang Shop. I found the leaf to be very nice, rather light green with lovely hairy tips here and there. The light green colour shone beautifully especially after the first rinse and throughout the first hour of the session before it started to oxidize. I enjoyed taking the lid off many times just in order to see the young spring energy embodied in perfect shape.</div>
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The flavour is really delicate. It is floral, sweet but very special, it almost reminded me of greener type of oolong from Formosa. I used to drink them a lot few years ago and did not miss it but now it was as if with each cup I was going through the pages of my old diary. It is quite aromatic, the element I never looked for when drinking shengpu. I however enjoyed every sip of this little wonder. It is a cake with great potential but I cannot say if drinking it in a few years time will be even more satisfying, I can only tell that at this moment it is really worth it.<br />
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-16820105432675538862011-12-31T22:58:00.005+01:002022-10-04T09:39:41.897+02:001998 CNNP Youle QiaoMu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is the last post I am going to write this year, it is for sure. The last days of the year are always strange for me. I never know what to do so I usually end up doing nothing. Today I have spent almost the whole day drinking tea, contemplating my life and everything it brought me to experience this year. I encountered many changes, new interesting people that I am grateful for, and some very good tea. I enjoyed a few very good and rare samples, one of them is this one that I actually cannot compare much to anything similar as this is by far the oldest sample of shengpu I have ever tasted. It implies that I am not very experienced with aged shengpu. I therefore really welcomed the opportunity to taste this particular cake. </div>
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I ordered the sample from Chawangshop. It is Youle and Youle has easily become one of my favourite areas. I like its bittersweet taste, changeable profile, it is never boring and as far as I can say thanks to my brand new experience, it ages nicely. As tonight is very dark (and loud) and I brewed my first cup at quite late hour, the pictures lack light. The tea however has plenty of Chinese sunshine conserved in its leaf, it is best for cold winter dark days and nights like this one.</div>
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As I do not have much experience with aged tea, I really cannot say much about its expected characteristics. I can only tell that to me, it tasted almost like some lighter excellent shu. It is rather sweet and earthy, less fruity and flowery but still sweet. It smells wonderful, like a mixture of old wet leaves and soil with all its richness and beauty. The broth is rather dark, red-brown which is perhaps not very visible from the pic above.</div>
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Drinking this tea, I enjoy the sweetness which turns into bittersweet aftertaste at the back of the tongue. I left the leaf longer than I usually do as I wanted to taste the whole potential of the tea, it reacted nicely. When steeped longer, the amount of bitterness develops and brings with a tone of bitter almond. </div>
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It is a nice experience, one that I chose today to close this bittersweet year. I actually do not have much to tell more. I would like to finish this post with a simple message:</div>
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-2502233698265355592011-12-15T17:31:00.013+01:002022-10-07T16:12:20.377+02:00The Spirit of Thea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em>The songs she sings,<br />Altering synapses,<br />Turn my body to her dream<br />And everything her earth had held<br />Is now holding me.</em><br />
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F.H.Murphy / The Spirit of Tea / 2008<br />
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I bought myself a Christmas present. Not that I would love Christmas that much, but I like presents and keeping my inner child happy, so I bought myself a book. I have been reading it for a few days now and I would like to share my insights as I find the book quite an interesting read. </div>
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It is not an ordinary book about tea. Sure, you can find here information about the typical tea groups and etc. However, this book is much more than that. It actually is quite personal. I can imagine some people might have hard times accepting what the author tried to get over. Mr. Frank Hadley Murphy seems to be a very interesting person and although I do not agree with everything the book describes, in general it shows an approach similar to mine (and probably not that common among tea lovers). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZCKFR9rNZF0OvcIsIa5GMhKGH6uruTkzvQ5AT2cE5FR84VAnjP05h3rgjPOS-gVPPXXPwIqUkyjgDuMJYlTRnbrgR4aIulIgkrc5mMQCd5rceCX1RSBXk-1d6nUGln9YDBWXmHoYhyGK3V4B-t3E1YF8Tbr7qHyJGorrYEOhtR8Kne5z6E27z_ANjg/s4128/teasporit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZCKFR9rNZF0OvcIsIa5GMhKGH6uruTkzvQ5AT2cE5FR84VAnjP05h3rgjPOS-gVPPXXPwIqUkyjgDuMJYlTRnbrgR4aIulIgkrc5mMQCd5rceCX1RSBXk-1d6nUGln9YDBWXmHoYhyGK3V4B-t3E1YF8Tbr7qHyJGorrYEOhtR8Kne5z6E27z_ANjg/w350-h469/teasporit.jpg" width="350" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The author describes his experience from the spiritual perspective which, of course, is a thin ice - something that cannot be proved nor battled. We as individuals create our own worlds, adore our divine beings, and Thea - the original botanical name for present Camellia - can be one of them. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the reviews that I read clearly shows the reader's disapproval of some of the most sensitive aspect of the Murphy's personal - almost shamanic - experience with tea:</div>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><i>Tea calls to our deepest selves and invites us to celebrate with it. Any plant that can do all of these things must have an element of holiness about it. You may think that this is a lot for a plant to do. You may think that I imbue tea with charms it does not possess. You are not alone. [...] Sometimes I wonder if what appears as steam rolling off the surface of my cup is not really the individual soul of each leaf rising heavenward. Sprinkling a little water over your tea leaves before you brew them awakens them from their slumber, but we may awaken them further with prayer. Call upon the soul of the species. Invoke the devas of the tree. Enlist their aid. They are there to help us. </i><i>(Murphy, 2008: 21-23)</i></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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I imagine for some readers this could be just far too much. Not for me. I welcome that Murphy gives, with almost autoethnographic rawness, some most personal details about his experience. The book introduces some scientific facts too - a detailed part about the caffeine and the stimulant effect of tea, facts mentioned in order to support the author's feelings. It is however evident that the facts are not what really matters, it is his personal experience. He describes how his life was transformed through a deep and profound encounter. That it was a plant and not a human being or an event could be irrelevant, however, it is not. I guess Murphy tries to point out the fact that we were given a gift and we might be unaware of its real value. That it is pure, transformational, divine .. whatever you want to call it. And that it is a gift that should be treated the way it deserves.</div>
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Mr. Murphy found a special place in his heart for a lovely devotion of this kind and wrote a book about it. I totally respect it and find it very inspiring. What I appreciate even more is however the fact that despite his own needs for ritualizing his practice and approach to tea drinking he is in no way critical of hundreds of other approaches as he is aware of the fact that there is no ritual to be learnt or adopted unless you feel it goes right from within. There is a sentence that had quite an impact on me - a quote from the <i>I Ching</i> and I understand how important this message has been throughout my whole life so far:</div>
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The quote says a lot and I run out of words when trying to touch the meaning of it. I feel it within but this experience is probably difficult to get over in words - you either understand or you don't. The chapter <i>Thunder in the middle of the lake</i> includes an interesting part on I Ching. I enjoyed similar chapter on tea and tao in Aaron Fisher's book <i>The Way of Tea</i> as both of them try to uncover a wider context of Chinese history that is tea related, society, and more. It is educational as well as interesting, especially when we share puerh as a common joy and passion, the tea that gets older when left to age and ripe, the tea that keeps its history within its leaf and when you have a chance to taste it, you are overwhelmed with years of lived experience in one cup. That is fascinating to me every time I sip even semi-aged tea. </div>
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For me the encounter with tea was a life-changing experience. I strived for finding peace and tranquility in my life and every time I found time for gong fu cha, I found it, maybe just for a few seconds but it was there, waiting for me to get closer, giving me hints how to let go off everything I was carrying on my back. I am grateful for having that experience and I recommend this book to everyone who knows what I write about.</div>
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-13271322663451243592011-11-21T23:48:00.009+01:002022-10-04T09:40:51.273+02:002008 Gedeng Pu-erh.sk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">I have to apologize for a longer period of silence that I did not intend to make, however, my work travel and fieldwork related fatigue awarded me with an unpleasant gift of short but complicated state of powerlessness and coughing fits which prevented me from any proper tea tasting, let alone writing. It took a few days before my taste cells were brought back from the dead but I am back safe and sound and ready to share my love for tea with you again. </div>
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While at the field I met several interesting people, one of them is a young Chinese gentleman from Singapore, who studies journalism in Chicago but currently spending time at one of the American Colleges in Prague. We met at the opening party of one film festival and had a nice conversation about Chinese tea and language in general. He taught me how to pronounce some crazy Chinese tongue-twisters and I decided to scan one of them for you. Those who are good at singing while talking might appreciate this exercise. I am definitely NOT one of them but I like the way it sounds. As I lost my voice at the above mentioned party, I could not even practice enough but I do not believe it would have been worth it anyway. I tried to cure my throat instead while drinking various kinds of puerh and then I stopped as it tasted all the same, an effect I somewhat regretted. </div>
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A few days ago I decided to examine myself and taste one of the older samples I have had at home to see if perhaps I have been recovering well. The sample is 2008 Gedeng from pu-erh.sk. For those who might have not known, <a href="http://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=gedengshan">GeDengShan</a> (革登山) is a famous Mengla tea mountain. As this tea belongs to very delicate ones, having a good olfactory impression would therefore prove the test positive and lucky me, I have smelled something. The sample is beautiful at first sight, see for yourself.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNxq5W4yKDhavMkZGxxpgOyRJvJoVK4GN_XYiMMHb2_MXEyk78BdgwkHdjr4mEKqYVVvFQpkpRcNEA0jKz-Ge_QzDRHhskowBb0hTxk9LFVeD33kjG2QeR5lLbgBXEZfqJD8CJN-1gG8S/s1600/sample.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNxq5W4yKDhavMkZGxxpgOyRJvJoVK4GN_XYiMMHb2_MXEyk78BdgwkHdjr4mEKqYVVvFQpkpRcNEA0jKz-Ge_QzDRHhskowBb0hTxk9LFVeD33kjG2QeR5lLbgBXEZfqJD8CJN-1gG8S/s1600/sample.jpg" /></a></div>
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It consists of strangely shaped large leaf and some stems which fall apart nicely when using needle in a moderate way. Dry leaf in a hot teapot smells after ripe plums, wet leaf brings a different smell, rather soft and light, something like vanilla or gentle tone of strawberries. The smell is promising, however, I had to struggle with proper brewing method. </div>
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It took me a while to understand that this particular tea needs her time, it is a good teacher of Tao. The first time I was probably too impatient and tried to squeeze her up too many times in very short time. The second tea session I decided to use my intuition and dedicated the first infusion 30 second long bath (5g / 80 ml). It was a wise thing to do. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivR2nBnimAU5H573_pGOIv2xYkqFHvZGWllebcnWIzBldHTSWeqpmJopz3SRuDY46ZLvrF8b1ai2mkrzHhxPzLJFGpjj_w2GIKpvIepUtPnE579_ev0fDb9bnDREH6gAfVtn6A83PGoTkE/s1600/1st+ifnusion.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivR2nBnimAU5H573_pGOIv2xYkqFHvZGWllebcnWIzBldHTSWeqpmJopz3SRuDY46ZLvrF8b1ai2mkrzHhxPzLJFGpjj_w2GIKpvIepUtPnE579_ev0fDb9bnDREH6gAfVtn6A83PGoTkE/s1600/1st+ifnusion.jpg" /></a></div>
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This tea is too delicate to be pushed in any way. You just cannot help it, brewing tea is the real art of conversation skills. I perhaps did not ask the tea properly the first time I tried to make her adapt to my own needs. It should have been done the other way round, I know now with all respect. This tea needs care. If you allow her time, she will give you much pleasure.</div>
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Do not expect any intense flavour, the aroma is a sort of clue for your imagination but the flavour keeps its secrets. If you are patient enough, after a few cups it will appear in all its beauty. It is not one of those kinds of tea you can drink without your full awareness. Well, of course you can but believe me, in this case it is a complete waste of time. I cannot tell you much about the particular characteristics, this tea is very hard to define. Each time I try, it simply runs away. It does not like being categorized. It is simply good.</div>
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-3261582182272785482011-11-06T00:17:00.006+01:002022-10-04T09:44:08.776+02:002006 GuanZiZai "Nanlahe" Yiwu #605<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I got up to sunshine today, a pleasant and totally unexpected Saturday surprise from Mother Nature. Another one was waiting for me at the local post office where I walked at noon to pick up a small package from China. These lovely birds from Kunming brought me a sweet after-lunch cake.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKSQAfzok4CFIGDCqXVjfZkP8ZGm8yZFjmvBORh3cR3C7luYl_vlarutNwNheIZupVNuTUiLgJ49B7t9MoF7h6Rscg1HYFKfJrZyO0sYqpB9DVINHAZ8tnnrgILRILC45xiZ9F0toBkYe/s1600/stamps2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKSQAfzok4CFIGDCqXVjfZkP8ZGm8yZFjmvBORh3cR3C7luYl_vlarutNwNheIZupVNuTUiLgJ49B7t9MoF7h6Rscg1HYFKfJrZyO0sYqpB9DVINHAZ8tnnrgILRILC45xiZ9F0toBkYe/s1600/stamps2.jpg" /></a></div>
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It is one of the cakes I bought at AWaShan, 阿佤山. I can never be sure of anything when buying a cake that I have not tasted before and therefore I intend to pick "intuitively" as much as I can. I am also quite curious and interested in discovering the variety of flavours and aromas, so this time I probably half intentionally chose an Autumn harvest cake.</div>
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This one is from Guan Zi Zai, a company which is sometimes praised for their Yiwu cakes on one hand and criticized for having wrappers more beautiful than their contents on the other. I am one of those buyers who buy through eyes too and I found this bing to be likable on the inside as well as on the outside, as far as the picture on the screen can tell. What I however liked the most at first "sight" was the company's name. </div>
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<i>GuanZiZai, </i>觀自在, is actually the Chinese name for <i>Avalokiteshvara,</i> the omnipresent Bodhisattva of Compassion (living manifestation of which is our dearest Dalajlama). Chinese name <i>GuanZiZai</i> is not a simple translation though, it has its proper meaning which refers to the attainment of the bodhisattva stage. One of the interpretations explains the meaning of <i>GuanZiZai</i> in Chinese as the one, who observes and therefore awakes own mind and the world through practicing the bodhisattva path (<i>guan</i> as to watch, observe or look at). The one who is free from samsara, <i>who is able to halt the two kinds of birth and death and the five fundamental conditions of passions and delusions,</i> can be called <i>ZiZai </i>(see more <a href="http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/heartl01.htm">here</a>).</div>
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I am not going to go deeper in this topic, no. It is nevertheless at least interesting to mention that it is believed by many (not only buddhists) that visualizing and contemplating the name we can come to understand its meaning (not in the rational way though). This is, btw, the principle of repeating mantras. Now you might already know what I am pointing at: what a gracious and compassionate deed the GuanZiZai company did for us! The beautiful GuanZiZai name, written in a calligraphy font on each wrapper, should in fact be considered the highest treasure of the cake (regardless of its flavour). You can see it written there even twice: in the right upper corner of the wrapper, and the third, fourth and fifth sign in the left vertical sentence. </div>
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Btw, the vertical sign in the middle reads this is a GuChaBing (litteraly ancient or old tea cake, 古茶餅, which means either tea that has been aged or tea from old trees pressed in the cake shape) from Nanla river (NanLaHe, 南臘河). For those like me who did not know, Nanla is a river in Mengla county of Xishuangbanna. This, then, is the clue to the strange <i>Nanlahe</i> term in the name of the cake.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUs_vJ8X-9JGCBcfBPnzLFpFALMzWE0t4meit3FpUncbxAmjY4E2oOe6ScC4nlRD6B2d8uHgBMDykrQLwyyiIZDQhFv2IcxYr1Q2SVSRJ8STP9nuFqRJ3ENKjcs3TyFjYsurVj_PXceeL/s1600/cakepart.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUs_vJ8X-9JGCBcfBPnzLFpFALMzWE0t4meit3FpUncbxAmjY4E2oOe6ScC4nlRD6B2d8uHgBMDykrQLwyyiIZDQhFv2IcxYr1Q2SVSRJ8STP9nuFqRJ3ENKjcs3TyFjYsurVj_PXceeL/s1600/cakepart.jpg" /></a></div>
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This cake si QiuCha, 秋茶, tea picked in Autumn which is also composed of very long stems and large leaf. I was interested in both, the Autumn Yiwu harvest as well as the stems effect. Some people praise the stems for adding a special ingredient to both aroma and flavour and I was wondering how different it could be. </div>
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This tea asks for attention from the very first touch. It is simply beautiful. When separating the stems and leaves, they fell apart willingly and spontaneously as if they were giving me the permission to taste them. I must say this is a very special cake in all aspects. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVz4VMO4Je9cqyBvd41tK7fSTSlFJY_3eL9TJDTHV6yuZzQT46Zbi-s1hdWq2fo91qPsZLHUSucrMlA7YGjY_rTAeUxPyZ5kV-LgmkH9ATfzAgF6VqZ81BwyrCka34QLXiZ09LlP5vvqM/s1600/sample.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVz4VMO4Je9cqyBvd41tK7fSTSlFJY_3eL9TJDTHV6yuZzQT46Zbi-s1hdWq2fo91qPsZLHUSucrMlA7YGjY_rTAeUxPyZ5kV-LgmkH9ATfzAgF6VqZ81BwyrCka34QLXiZ09LlP5vvqM/s1600/sample.jpg" /></a></div>
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It smells wonderful, sweet and fresh, sweet old Yiwu. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnrZxCboonb6X9e8sV-Vem-6VepHQ580naiehsDXD2TDOqTeMOpbjcLzQ-VohN7pgaW9Y9rrr4UXtwRtew4PhHo88gf-FU53iFdItMOa-YSGY7amGPOQrkGgb5pz-gO1w57Ly0ZvCbZ2ki/s1600/broth.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnrZxCboonb6X9e8sV-Vem-6VepHQ580naiehsDXD2TDOqTeMOpbjcLzQ-VohN7pgaW9Y9rrr4UXtwRtew4PhHo88gf-FU53iFdItMOa-YSGY7amGPOQrkGgb5pz-gO1w57Ly0ZvCbZ2ki/s1600/broth.jpg" /></a></div>
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The first rinse was of very deep colour, I therefore expected the first infusion to be the same. It really was, as the picture above is supposed to show (with no contrast or saturation added). The first infusion has a very deep sweet tone within, it covers all the tongue and throat and it is very promising and calming. The flavour is however as if covered under the lid. There is almost immediate huigan though, sweet, mouth watering, intense and nearly infinite. It brings a special tone of almond skin, coming from sweet to slightly acidic with nutty background trace, offering a symphony of tastes. <span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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This tea is definitely a nice surprise. Its chaqi is very friendly, warming and relaxing and it nicely underlines the whole smooth and pleasant character of the cake. I have had just one single chance to meet this interesting piece but I am sure it will always be a special encounter in the future, especially with such a name.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEGDd19ruNms0O90OtELWIPW8jrdPAUDtgziJl0EQwHYPsH3qqybsh5eTcE4UJdmsc3XGqHnF5ejjekmF-QIJRHPaFq7x7HHngQfmG2gKU71MFDCOIvVxb_YmEg1aXlINi-L-CkIgZh9W/s1600/bookcup.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEGDd19ruNms0O90OtELWIPW8jrdPAUDtgziJl0EQwHYPsH3qqybsh5eTcE4UJdmsc3XGqHnF5ejjekmF-QIJRHPaFq7x7HHngQfmG2gKU71MFDCOIvVxb_YmEg1aXlINi-L-CkIgZh9W/s1600/bookcup.jpg" /></a></div>
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Good life, <br />
觀自在<br /></div>
ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-90794850926740043122011-10-30T14:11:00.011+01:002022-10-04T09:47:11.716+02:002010 Yunnan Sourcing "NanNuo YaKou"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This 2010 YS NanNuo YaKou sample comes from the Yunnan Sourcing production and according to the producer it is <i>"composed entirely of first flush of Spring material from the village of Ya Kou in the southern stretch of the Nan Nuo mountain range in the county of Menghai". </i>The vendor also informs about the leaf origin, saying that "<i>this tea has been carefully processed by hand at each stage and comes from tea trees ranging in age from 80 years to 250 years of age growing naturally unadulterated by fertilizers or pesticides".</i> </div>
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When you see the sample, you must admit it definitely is a very nice cake that smells after blossoming flowers. The smell however, again as with 2010 YiWu Zheng Shan reminds me of fresh green tea which does not belong to my most preferable characteristics.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQtDufj8ni9zM-DL6lyjnA-SNbbxxWWPpfbc48YszaGD2AJNTSR8Se7qlrYY6srhqH0OOJaak7Hq8XKjpCUlQCzmCurlXhJM12ZO70HP6LvuMjZ6fdo8NXcN7yDaVHCe9yEZjqzvYPGqq/s1600/nannuo+yakou+sample.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQtDufj8ni9zM-DL6lyjnA-SNbbxxWWPpfbc48YszaGD2AJNTSR8Se7qlrYY6srhqH0OOJaak7Hq8XKjpCUlQCzmCurlXhJM12ZO70HP6LvuMjZ6fdo8NXcN7yDaVHCe9yEZjqzvYPGqq/s1600/nannuo+yakou+sample.jpg" /></a></div>
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The leaf is perfectly separable with bear hands, you don't need a knife or a pick, it goes apart itself as if it hasn't even been pressed. It smells intensely and the leaf seems to be of high quality: long, clean and dark green (not too dark though). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHrXgmfzWGbI2lNsVxNp5LO02x4tF2hXA9dIzfY44fi3tyQJfdogr3k0lQ2uH41ImGO03PFuojJe6Nz6t9mGeVJLlV8wpr_WpwWTnlCW6bOIcXLs2SpE6nxP-ZRGTNySHN6l3n2Tiqdq0/s1600/separate+leaf.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHrXgmfzWGbI2lNsVxNp5LO02x4tF2hXA9dIzfY44fi3tyQJfdogr3k0lQ2uH41ImGO03PFuojJe6Nz6t9mGeVJLlV8wpr_WpwWTnlCW6bOIcXLs2SpE6nxP-ZRGTNySHN6l3n2Tiqdq0/s1600/separate+leaf.jpg" /></a></div>
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I was wondering what its flavour will be like as I have already mentioned here I enjoy drinking NanNuo teas. This tea definitely comes from that area. It has the typical NanNuo attribute in its flavour which is so hard to describe for me. I compared it to Bergamot orange hint in another NanNuo ancient tree cake but in this case I would not say the same. It was nearly there but it just wasn't that specific. On the other hand, I was able to detect the presence of apricots in the background, as a part of the returning sweet of this tea.</div>
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As you can see from the picture below, the colour of the first infusion is not very dark, it is rather sparkling yellow and to my surprise it did not change much throughout the rest of the session. I took a picture of the tenth infusion just to compare the results. It did not seem to get darker or more golden. It even more underlined the character of younger tea together with its fresh and strong floral aroma.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwMoLpQfLl79jcTYrOW7IuCaEPMx_Lx4ePs-DwxbUGXKKPeQp_VjJCwRPhZfwOGpoK6z4zsE_roEjvME1xh7nMcyFnIbjcdIFDMv-3sARLTFtIQGyiglWSpC0lbkTZe2Njk60ZITRxgkJ/s1600/nannuo+yakou+broth.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwMoLpQfLl79jcTYrOW7IuCaEPMx_Lx4ePs-DwxbUGXKKPeQp_VjJCwRPhZfwOGpoK6z4zsE_roEjvME1xh7nMcyFnIbjcdIFDMv-3sARLTFtIQGyiglWSpC0lbkTZe2Njk60ZITRxgkJ/s1600/nannuo+yakou+broth.jpg" /></a></div>
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The taste of this tea is pleasant, I could hardly say anything else considering the fact that I like this kind of combination of flavour, aroma and aftertaste. Neverheless, I can of course take advantage of having the experience with excellent NanNuo and average good. This one is somewhere in the middle. </div>
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Despite the fact that I nearly overstuffed my teapot with the leaves and therefore expected a higher level of <i>kuwei</i> in first few infusions. I was surprised by its unchangeable and rather weaker character. Since there were no bitter highs, there were no sweet lows either and the <i>huigan</i> was nice but absolutely in tune with the flavour of the tea. It just tasted the same from the very beginning to its very end. </div>
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I identified a strange presence of astringency in the first infusion and was expecting its higher intensity later, it however turned out to be that special kind of "numbness" people often describe when drinking ancient tree cakes. In this particular tea this <i>tongue-paralyzing effect as if you were chewing mint leaves</i> is quite high. It therefore as if suppressed the rest of other taste traits and it was quite hard to feel anything else. The tea got suddenly weaker around the tenth infusion and with the intention to squeeze the leaves up a little bit I was getting very similar results for the rest of the session.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdNLqCn0Hms2mi5SQjcLuhGeoXARUz8wVIG57SHG-_aOs3GGuI57DJnyRJZOW3c8REepmrDA4A1sCDbViV5eITCG1rWYIhLtLZfOqbIYt69vIEouRShuwY-HUp_8HZoH15qWO5hTKDq0Z/s1600/nannuoyakou+wet+leaves.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdNLqCn0Hms2mi5SQjcLuhGeoXARUz8wVIG57SHG-_aOs3GGuI57DJnyRJZOW3c8REepmrDA4A1sCDbViV5eITCG1rWYIhLtLZfOqbIYt69vIEouRShuwY-HUp_8HZoH15qWO5hTKDq0Z/s1600/nannuoyakou+wet+leaves.jpg" /></a></div>
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It is not a bad tea though, rather fresh and powerful. Scott even warns against its strong chaqi and he probably knows why. I got quite alert after drinking first few cups and also a bit distracted, feeling it circulating in my body as if it was looking for the best place to sit but could not find one. It might be appreciated by people who like tea that can wake you up, with floral flavours and aroma. I would probably not buy the whole cake now, maybe in a few years time. I believe however it can turn up to be a treasure one day.</div>
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-53012906775838999762011-10-29T19:14:00.006+02:002022-10-03T21:47:42.330+02:002008 BangPen (Pu-erh.sk)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This morning I opened a plastic bag with a 30g sample of 2008 BangPen ancient tree cake I ordered three days ago as I decided to give it another, this time more proper, testing. I already had a chance to taste this tea approximately a month ago as I received a sample with one of my previous orders. After having tasted it again I am sure this is one of the rare cakes that deserves to be mentioned. </div>
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I opened the plastic bag and saw there was a <a href="http://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=neifei">neifei</a> (内飞, small inner label or ticket embedded in a cake) hidden among the leaves. I consider it a stroke of luck. I easily took it out to look at it, take a picture of it and put it (together with my Chinese stamp collection) into my tea diary I keep just for pure pleasure.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gwgSw_9JsTJMO_WTtd4ZaplNEHIC0c1_UPnIxVbSWvvd9IGp3aO14PMBPgEcu8oOMdtIC383IaLzSpLsE-LA34lyW-5tQvTwYw5aOREa4UwsTzHdgCub2b_WVYkdJhy0sbt8kO5LS_Eu/s1600/neifei.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gwgSw_9JsTJMO_WTtd4ZaplNEHIC0c1_UPnIxVbSWvvd9IGp3aO14PMBPgEcu8oOMdtIC383IaLzSpLsE-LA34lyW-5tQvTwYw5aOREa4UwsTzHdgCub2b_WVYkdJhy0sbt8kO5LS_Eu/s1600/neifei.jpg" /></a></div>
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The dry leaf smells after ripen fruit and wild wood berries, perhaps even dry plums. It is the intense indescribable smell of ancient tree cakes that makes me smell the cake again and again in wonder. The wet leaf in a hot teapot smells little bit after summer woods, it is deep, fresh and enticing. The colour of the first infusion already shows some care and "history", as it is rather darker ochre, still light though, transparent and pure. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWT_TWtp7HKFkVu8G5HV1kGwmp2nyDiTHRjNKThGfklgVAJ3FC-zYMVHrVveIgRtJZAde91hwUlY4X3MrVRXKczfqbvHi5gl13gDeKRhBaidimFtXvHP8_a9QRlSilQqgFSvGYcE_R3Tg/s1600/broth.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWT_TWtp7HKFkVu8G5HV1kGwmp2nyDiTHRjNKThGfklgVAJ3FC-zYMVHrVveIgRtJZAde91hwUlY4X3MrVRXKczfqbvHi5gl13gDeKRhBaidimFtXvHP8_a9QRlSilQqgFSvGYcE_R3Tg/s1600/broth.jpg" /></a></div>
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First few infusions are gentle but it has nothing to do with the tea being weak, rather the opposite. It is only a prelude to its immense delicacy which is about to come later and accompany you as long as you wish (well, not that long in my case but pretty long). I decided not to give up this time and had a pleasant conversation with this tea for a few hours, giving it regular brewings, perhaps up to 20 in my 80 ml teapot (<i>Liu</i> is her name). I stopped counting after the thirteenth infusion when an immense wave of its <a href="http://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/babelcarp.cgi?phrase=cha+qi">chaqi</a> (茶气, the vital energy in tea) came and made me sit and melt down in an armchair for another few hours. </div>
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It came rather slowly and somewhat carefully. Surprises such as this one are more than welcome, especially when they come absolutely unexpected. I was just sitting in the armchair, sipping tea, watching the world around go by and suddenly I just stopped moving and realized this soothing and calming while arousing and uplifiting effect that slowly flooded my whole body. </div>
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As I am very sensitive to energies and my body is rather light, I usually react strongly to fresh green tea and sheng cha as well. Despite the fact that I really like its taste, I usually cannot stand the reaction for long. I figured out it is not only caffeine/tein that makes me feel this way but the whole energy of the particular tea which is very referential to its origin, storage and care it was dedicated. Being too fresh or young (or from a certain region) it might have a very strong impact on me. I therefor prefer tea which is at least little aged and more balanced as I am able to drink it without being distracted by its effect. After this experience I am now more open to giving a try to younger BangPen samples. It would be interesting for me personally to meet the energy in its different stage of aging. (I have already put it on my tea "to do" list and will do it in a few weeks time).</div>
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In later infusions I clearly identified honey-like sweet flavour which strangely reminded me of some YiWu teas I have tasted lately. It was not as intense and straightforward as in the above mentioned YiWu teas but it was there, waiting, as a gift, especially after longer steeping. The colour of tea broth got gradually thicker and golden, exactly as I was expecting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJsqDwmhdXkSxfIYH4mqtuQxVcVE2GXBVOuV3sHEGkuFgpUW7EM45Ce-OtUIILovHx07V_XUepBK8rbAvmo2yX-yuAtVUsM_p6eGV4yEdul0AxiMiYHcW_sXOU_dHm5z3JSl7T5KGROGr/s1600/lateinfusion.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJsqDwmhdXkSxfIYH4mqtuQxVcVE2GXBVOuV3sHEGkuFgpUW7EM45Ce-OtUIILovHx07V_XUepBK8rbAvmo2yX-yuAtVUsM_p6eGV4yEdul0AxiMiYHcW_sXOU_dHm5z3JSl7T5KGROGr/s1600/lateinfusion.jpg" /></a></div>
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If I should say one thing about this tea that I keep in my "memory of tastes" I would probably say I like its mellow but intense indescribable aroma and flavour (perhaps due to its few-years time of aging already), soothing effect and almost everlasting potency of brewing. My mother had a chance to drink this tea with me and she would probably never have guessed it was puerh if I hadn't told her. Some people still think that puerh is the black dirty stuff you can buy at each corner and believe it has got the power to help you lose weight which might be the main reason they drink it even if it tastes like a fish pond. We spent 1,5 l of water on 5g of leaves and didn't want to stop. It is exactly that kind of tea you want to squeeze up to its last drop because it's just great.</div>
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<b>2008 Pu-erh.sk BangPen</b></div>
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Type: Raw Ancient Tree</div>
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Astringency: Almost none</div>
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Bitterness / Smokiness: None that I would be aware of</div>
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Flavour: Very special, intense, sweet, fruity but it has something indescribable within which makes it extraordinary</div>
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Aroma: Sweet, fruity, intense</div>
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Aftertaste: There is a nice returning sweet I did not mention above, altogether it creates great tea experience.</div>
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Excellent tea.</div>
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Good life.</div>
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-34128323635087051962011-10-28T11:39:00.008+02:002022-10-06T22:47:25.566+02:002009 YiWu MaHei (Pu-erh.sk)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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MaHei is short for <i>MaHeiZhai</i> which is a puerh producing village in Yiwu reputed to have wild-growing trees. This sample belongs to those more interesting ancient Yiwu cakes I have tasted so far. <br />
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My description of the characteristics of this tea will not differ much from other Yiwu old tree samples I've had a chance to try recently. It is rather sweet and round with no bitterness nor astringency. It can be brewed for quite some time and it just doesn't get any worse, perhaps only stronger in aroma and flavour. The typical Yiwu honey-like sweet taste is already present in the first infusion and the sweetness develops further with no significant change in character. It gets a bit weaker after the 6th infusion but it is still present in the overall character of the brew until the very last cup. </div>
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I like the leaves of this sample - clean, easily separable and beautiful. The smell of dry leaf is sweet, fruity and almost ripe. I was able to identify a hidden tone of chocolate dipped cherries. I truly enjoyed the way the tea got thicker, the taste rounder and sweeter with every next cup.<br />
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<br />Aftertaste came with a nice refreshing citrus trace. The fourth infusion was surprisingly creamy. The tea gets a bit dry after the 7th brew but it is not as strong as the very young leaf often can be and does not impact the taste much. </div>
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<br />A very friendly cake I must say - sweet, fruity, almond-like, almost velvet. I enjoyed it as much as the 2009 Yiwu LuoShuiDong sample that I haven't reviewed here. I, however, seem to run out of words when describing the taste of Yiwu area. All the old tree samples from 2009 and 2010 I have tasted were simply good - sweet, almost predictable in taste. They only differ in gentle undertones that are not as easy to distinguish. It may also be the matter of developing tasting skills that only come with time and practice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Good tea.</div></div>
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-2267188948452555132011-10-27T16:02:00.016+02:002022-10-03T21:48:10.908+02:002010 Yunnan Sourcing "Yi Wu Zheng Shan"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today I am not feeling my usual self so I am at home, watching a nice Thai movie, eating Chinese food, drinking puerh. A few minutes ago I was choosing a sample for todays' testing and I was not quite sure what would be the best try. In the end I have gone for YS Yiwu Zheng Shan, a 25g sample I ordered a few days ago together with the 2010 YS Yiwu Purple 250g cake which is, btw, absolutely fantastic, one of the best affordable yiwu cakes I have tasted so far. As for now, I would like to share some notes with you about his little brother (or sister if you prefer) Yiwu Zheng Shan from the same year.</div>
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Leaves from YiWuShan (Yiwu Mountain) have been very popular recently. Despite having tried a few very good samples lately I must say I would not consider myself 100% Yiwu lover, I nevertheless enjoy descovering small nuances in their flavour as they are usually all very predictable and rewarding. The "typical" or rather "consumer-expected" Yiwu aroma is somewhat sweet, light, fruity or honey-like and not very changeable. It is a paradox though that I seem to (unintentionally) buy and receive many different Yiwu samples nowadays which is, btw, the best way to discover delicate differences among each of them.</div>
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What does <i>Zheng Shan</i> mean, btw? According to <a href="http://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/">babelcarp</a> Zheng Shan (正山) means (especially in the context of Pu'er) <i>Truly From The Mountain</i>, as opposed to from lowlands, or maybe only from the east side of the mountain where the crop gets direct sunlight only in the morning. On the <a href="http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/product.php?id_product=1347">Yunnan Sourcing website</a> you can read that this stone-pressed little cake <i>is composed entirely of Yi Wu area old plantation tea bushes. The area is just outside of Ma Hei village not far from Yi Wu town. It's entirely first flush of spring production and has that characteristic Yi Wu aroma and taste. </i><br />
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After reading this I was considering buying the whole cake but in the end I decided to try just a sample. I must say it was an intuitive choice. I do not like saying I feel disappointed about any particular kind of tea and it is for many reasons.</div>
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Firstly, I do not want to treat tea as something to fulfill my expectations. I prefer seeing tea as a gift from Mother Nature, something to be enjoyed, something that is enriched with energy (cha qi, if you want) and special characteristics which do not always have to be compatible with my daily needs. Secondly, I understand that tastes can differ from a day to day, depending on our physical condition, the food we just had or a mood we are in. It is simply too subjective to be taken too seriously. It might as well be my todays' frame of mind or the tea I drank in the morning that could have easily affected my privileged pre-tastes. This would probably be that case.</div>
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If I'd tasted this particular tea a few months ago, I would've probably said: what a lovely green tea! It smells wonderful, like a fresh meadow full of blossoming trees, the colour of the tea broth is sparkling yellow with a fresh green undertone. It just smells, looks and even tastes like very good and fresh green tea. <br />
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Well, these are the qualities I am not usually looking for when buying a sheng sample. Why do I buy samples from 2010 then? Good question. Having tried many samples from previous year I've found out the year is not always the most important factor when considering the potential taste. Even some very young sheng cakes can really surprise you. I would definitely say it about the above mentioned 2010 Yiwu Purple cake from YS. Yiwu Zheng Shan is, however, not the case. </div>
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The smell of dry leaves is fruity, but not very intense, and rather citric than sweet. The smell of wet leaves is not sweet either, it even offers a trace of smoky tone but very very tiny. The taste is best described as fresh green tea, not bitter though, just slightly astringent. I must admit I did not even find the typical yiwu flavour or aroma in the infusions, despite trying hard. </div>
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What I like about this tea is the huigan which comes back powerfully, refreshing the mouth and tongue with a sweet mouth-watering effect and stays long to give this tea higher credit just in time. It might be simply one of those cakes that is better to drink when it has aged a little. Well, a sample is always worth the risk, especially if you are curious about the variety of tastes puerh can offer.</div>
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Good tea, good life.<br />
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727521328343677127.post-46084630626661701122011-10-14T11:21:00.017+02:002022-10-03T19:53:56.992+02:002009 Douji "You Le"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I received this generous sample yesterday from pu-erh.sk and I was really looking forward to tasting it. So the first thing I did this morning, after having good breakfast, was boiling water, preparing Ming for a good tea bath and giving this sample a chance. I wanted to try some of the Douji Pure Series for some time already, well, this has been my first time.<br />
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The smell of dry leaves in warmed teapot is just indescribable. It smells of something very very concrete, I just don't know what it is. It reminds me of forest fruit jam or marmalade. I can't help but smell some berries there, it is so powerful that it made me stick my nose into the leaves six times at least before making the first rinse, just to be able to say what it was that I could smell but I guess I just have to do without figuring it out. This is the beauty of drinking tea, you just never know precisely what your teapot will offer a next day... I can feel Ming is in a very good mood this morning though. </div>
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The tea broth of the first brew is very thick and it becomes golden and transparent in later infusions as the tea leaves work exposed to air and water. I have been continually sticking my nose into the leaves for half an hour to be able to describe the aroma of wet leaves and it is typically gushu-ish fruity style, rather lighter and sweet, in contrast to the taste of the flavour.</div>
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The flavour could be probably best described as soft sweet with higher bitterness and some astringency which altogether creates a nice symphony of tastes. This tea is anything but boring. I was wondering what You Le could taste like, other tea-bloggers define it as a bitter-sweet or astringent-sweet but it is really difficult to catch the correct amount of both in words. I like the way the bitterness melts into sweet huigan and then vice versa in later infusions.<br />
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After the sixth or seventh brew the color turns sparkling golden and the bitterness tones down in a very nice constellation, as if the tea got something MengKu-ish within to offer, a slight trace of bitterness which never paralyzes nor disappears, it just stays there and it gets smooth but long lasting. The aftertaste brings a tone of grapes.</div>
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Cha qi is very active, somewhat warming, heartening and literally cheering, I can feel it all over my body but nowhere too intense, it is a pleasant late morning conversation.</div>
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Good tea, good life.</div>
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ADAMUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956207425758609786noreply@blogger.com0