Thursday, September 08, 2005

Corax on YiWu Region Wild Grown Pu'er [Sheng, 2003], Xinghai Factory, Menghai

DRY LEAF:
--- color: dark grey/green with brown flecks
--- constituency: fairly sturdily-compressed chunk
--- aroma: virtually nil

TEA-TO-WATER PROPORTIONS [grams to fl oz]:
--- 4 g to 6 oz

VESSEL: gaiwan

FIRST INF:
--- time: 90 sec
--- temp: 195-200F
--- color: pale amber with a green cast
--- aroma: vegetal [cooked spinach?] with a background of smoke
--- taste: the smokiness was very subdued when it came to taste. there was a metallic taste in the liquor that dissipated somewhat in the aftertaste, leaving the vegetal and smoky notes on the tongue.

SECOND INF:
--- time: 60 sec
--- temp: 195-200F
--- color: pale amber, less greenish than INF1
--- aroma: like INF1 but noticeably weaker
--- taste: the smoky quality steps forward in this infusion. noticeably less metallic. more pleasant overall.

THIRD INF:
--- time: 60 sec
--- temp: 195-200F
--- color: medium amber, no noticeable green
--- aroma: faintly smoky; very little vegetal
--- taste: mellow smoky; virtually no vegetal; very little aftertaste

FOURTH INF:
--- time: 60 and 90 sec
--- temp: 195-200F
--- color: [both i and ii] pale/medium amber without green
--- aroma: [both i and ii] mild smoky
--- taste: [both i and ii] mild smoky; mild smoky aftertaste

FIFTH INF:
--- time: 60 and 120 sec
--- temp: 195-200F
--- color: pale yellow/gold
--- aroma: faint smoky
--- taste: very mild, slightly smoky, faint leafy aftertaste; delicious overall

COMMENTS: this is a very pleasant tea. it should be said that i tend to favor wild-grown puers and sheng in any case. the 'earth' factor tends to be lower in shengcha, and this one was no exception. i favor the smoky quality. the astringency was low here throughout the infusion process. i almost did not proceed to INF5, but i'm glad i did; i felt that this was in some ways the nicest infusion of all. certainly, and not surprisingly, the most delicate.

1 comment:

Blake said...

Yeah, I'm a dope for taking so long. Dug these up and realized I had not completed the task.

This particular pu'er is excellent. Adrian, Geraldo and you seemed to find it pleasant, but nothing excellent.

I found this to be a younger family member of Guang's 99 Green Big Leaf....superior tea! Thick mature leaves that have not been kept too raw or to sundried or cooked. Not too smokey.

In essense, this pu'er is about balance. It is a subtle drink. Potent but no particular edge that would draw disdain or great praise.

I find this quality particularly satisfying.

Wonder if anyone can help me find a source for it.

Thanks
Blake