Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Mike on 2003 Wild Uncooked puerh qizi bing

Tea: 2003 Wild Uncooked puerh qizi bing

Method:4.9g of leaf

120ml Yixing pot reserved for sheng puerhs

Spring water collected from the source at a local mountain.

1st steep: 15 seconds, mild, should have steeped longer. Taste is smooth and somewhat floral, not bitter at all, mild elusive sweetness in the finish.

2nd steep: 25 seconds, a little astringency this time, still mild, less floral.

3rd steep: 25 seconds, More floral again, dryer, tinge of vegetal

4th steep: 50 seconds, still a tad astringent, much stronger sweetness in the finish

5th steep: 120 seconds, better, more balanced, nice.touch of bitter, touch of floral, touch of grain, touch of grass.

Conclusion: Nice qi on this one. The tea didn’t start to shine until the 5th steep but that could have been my brewing method. I eventually got 10+ steeps out of it. Definitely a nice young puerh. Spent leaf was predominantly whole, mixed shades of olive greed to gold. Good tea, just dont ask if I would pay the asking price.

1 comment:

corax said...

mike, you're making me thirsty here. coupla questions:

[1] what shape yixing pot did you choose for sheng puer? is there a particular shape you recommend for puers generally [as opposed to oolongs or hongcha]?

[2] i appreciate your comments, here and elsewhere, on the 'qi' of a tea. i know you specifically distinguish it from the effects of the *caffeine*. could we get you to comment a bit on all of that?

[3] i've heard it said that one can tell a wild leaf by its serrated edges. i am hesitant about this. are all wild leaves in fact serrated, and all cultivated leaves smooth-edged?

okay, that's three questions. enough for now!