There is some back-story to this tea, just not the kind that clearly describes what it is. I was in the local Bangkok Chinatown a few weeks ago to when Anna of Kinnari Tea was visiting, and stopped through the local market Yaowarat Soi 6 area and to a tea shop I'm familiar with, Sen Xing Fa, to pick up a spare gaiwan to give away. I'd bought a couple versions of shou mei there before, and a Tae Tea / Dayi 7542 that was on the younger side (3 or 4 years old then), and at one point bought an inexpensive, sort of no-name aged sheng cake.
That last wasn't an incredible tea, just decent, a bit heavy on tobacco and woody flavors, and a little thin in feel, but it was nice for having a moderate priced sheng around to share versions of. I think I still have some but I've split most of it between giving it away and trying some from time to time. It's not for people already exposed to aged sheng, to appreciate how good that version is, instead just to work as an example of the general range. Aged sheng is much different in character than all other types of tea, even shou, and although drinking a so-so version only gets some of the general effect across a lot of the novelty still gets conveyed. You can definitely tell that it's not black tea, or shou.
That shop had what seemed to be a knock-off 10 year old 7542 there that might've been perfect for filling the same role; certainly not as good as the real version would've been, but if in the same ballpark worth drinking and interesting for trying something new. I just didn't have time to try it, and didn't want to gamble on a tea I might not want to drink or give away.
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that same guy from last year, at the Sen Xing Fa shop |
I finally made it back there in the last week. I tried that tea with the guy working there (who's name escapes me), a family member of the shop owners. He admitted that it wasn't a genuine tea version (it was selling for $20-some, and a related version I looked up online was going for around $70-some). Which leads to a tangent: the actual right market-rate cost of that tea would depend on which lot number it is, what harvest batch it is. A discussion comment on Steepster just explained that system:
The other number to notice, at least with Dayi cakes, is the 3-digit number that indicates when in the season the cake was produced. It has the form xnn, where x is the last digit of the year, and nn is a sequence number starting with 01. ...the first pressing of 2018 would have been numbered 7542-801.
Generally the x01 pressings command a price premium, as the first and likely best picking of the season.
It doesn't matter what that other tea claimed to be, and since this tea isn't a Dayi (Tae Tea) product that I'm reviewing it probably doesn't have a similar number to be concerned with. To make a long story short I tried another tea with that staff, which he claimed was better, and it was a lot more substantial, not nearly as thin as the 7542 knock-off. It turns out it was labeled as from the Zhong Cha company, which doesn't mean much to me, but does turn up as a known producer. Whether or not it really is that or not who knows (or where the tea was grown, etc.); I bought it based on it seeming reasonable after trying a few rounds of it. Really this tasting session will inform what it's actually like more, since I didn't have a lot of time to focus there, or to adjust infusion parameters myself to what I liked best. Just rushing through tasting alone throws off how much you pick up.
I'll taste it along with a Changtai version sample a friend passed on, a 2007 Nannuo tea (at least presented as such; these teas do tend to get counterfeited). I liked that tea, although it didn't seem that much better than the tobacco intensive version I've already mentioned, maybe more pleasant in flavor but a relatively subtle tea version (thin, to put it less kindly).
I'm "brewing around" only having two thirds of what I'd normally brew for that Changtai version, so I'll need to go slightly longer on infusions to keep this even, throwing off a completely consistent comparison tasting but it's not really a problem. That tea was there to remind me of a range of what I'd tried in the past, and to serve as a marker for potential of sorts, not exactly as a benchmark to be achieved.
Review
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just getting started (Changtai left; there's less of it) |
2007 Changtai Hu Chen Nan Nuo: somehow the baseline idea seems to work better trying this tea version first in each round. It's interesting, not bad. Seemingly it clearly is aged sheng; kind of my impression from before. The flavor is a little towards tobacco, but more aged leather, hinting towards aromatic dark wood or spice. That works. It'll probably pick up a bit more complexity across rounds and be quite nice. Trying it again maybe pipe tobacco works as a description, a more aromatic version in the same range.
2006 Zhong Cha: it's more complex than the other version but the flavor range isn't quite as positive. I'm not alarmed yet; a couple infusions will show where it's going. It has a lot more depth, more mineral, more in the range of corroded iron versus woody earthiness. A touch of mushroom or musty aged wood pulls that in a direction that could be more positive; that's what I'm talking about probably evolving to be more positive. The overall intensity is completely different. The other tea wasn't really noticeably thin in effect, feel, and aftertaste (and just getting started) but compared to this version it kind of was.
Going back and trying both before moving on to the next infusion I appreciate the sweetness in the Changtai version, and how clean those flavors are for being in that earthy range. I'd not notice the lack of intensity or missing aftertaste as much in that tea without trying it with the other. The Zhong Cha version isn't exactly musty, as I normally use that term, but some flavor transition will either make it positive or else it will be quite limited. The staff at that shop mentioned it does transition positively, but I didn't have the time to spare to get through that much of a full round.
Second infusion
2006 Changtai: again the flavor is nice for this tea, shifted a bit into an incense spice and old furniture range a little. I'm using a slightly longer infusion time given the proportion difference but it never will be possible to compensate for that, but that's not really the point anyway. Feel is a bit thin, and the aftertaste doesn't disappear immediately but it's not pronounced either. As aspects go this is flavor intensive, which works for me, but missing a full feel aspect does lighten the overall experience a little. The flavor is interesting to me but I don't immediately completely connect with that range (pipe tobacco, warm mineral, dark wood, incense spice, and old furniture). It would be nice for drinking something different from time to time but I don't know that I'd want to experience it too often.
2007 Zhong Cha: at least it did transition, and in the right direction, but the mushroom or tree fungus part of the flavor is still clearing out. Mineral in the form of rusted iron is quite strong in this; again that's not awful but not something I'd want to spend a lot of time experiencing. It's almost hard to place what the extra levels of depth of intensity, mouth-feel, and aftertaste mean to me. I've never completely moved on from appreciating teas mostly due to taste but at the same time the overall experience has a character shaped by multiple factors. There's too much corroded metal range in this for it to balance for flavor at this point but I do get the sense it's still evolving into where it will be.
Oddly this isn't that close a match to what I experienced in that shop, but I'm getting a sense the staff was brewing it very lightly to get that aspect to balance better early on, since intensity is an issue related to being too much rather than the opposite, across the entire aspect range. I'll do a flash infusion next time and see how that goes. It was probably as well to try this made like a tea better brewed a little heavier to get a feel for all the aspects, to see if anything stood out as a flaw experienced like that. Taste range is still an issue, otherwise the rest works.
Third infusion
Changtai: it's not changing much. That flavor range is catchy; I like it better than I had. It's probably better for trying it alongside a tea that tastes a lot like a corroded iron bar. I think that other tea will be better having a couple infusions behind it, and for using a flash infusion this round, but it does brew a lot darker even for that (at a higher proportion too, mind you). Since this tea is coming across a bit thin I think I'll give it a 20+ second soak the next round to see what it's like brewed at a more conventional intensity; this really is still prepared lightly.
Zhong Cha: that initial mushroom and tree fungus (maybe including a little tree bark) has dissipated, and the iron mineral softened, transitioning to a nicer aged furniture / incense spice range. I guess in a sense it's headed towards where the Changtai started out for flavor aspects, or at least where it was a round earlier. Maybe that kid in the shop was onto something with his assessment in mentioning that it keeps improving.
I tend to not make a lot of what tea vendors say until I experience things myself but of course a lot of them have plenty of experience with teas to draw on. Buying this version was a bit of a leap of faith, not made mostly for that reason. I had gambled on some random no-name whatever-it-is somewhat aged sheng from that shop before, and it wasn't great, but for the price it was a lot better than it might have been. I should probably be comparing this to that; I think there is still some around. At any rate the next round seems to be the real starting point for this tea, when it finally clears past some initial odd character aspects and gets down to it.
The way that Changtai is working out, not transitioning much but decent right out of the gate, is probably better for letting people try a tea version they're completely unfamiliar with. It's probably a lot more forgiving related to infusion intensity too, harder to screw up.
Fourth infusion
Changtai: spice had already picked up in that last round, so this had really been more on aromatic wood and spice versus tobacco range then, and it hasn't moved off that. Giving it a 20+ second infusion didn't ramp up intensity much. It just is what it is; it has decent flavor but the feel and aftertaste is limited, and even the flavor intensity is a bit limited too.
It may have just been that initial character of the tea didn't lend itself to retaining intensity over a longer term. It could've been more bright, sweet, floral, etc., and then didn't have the bitterness or astringency (the related compound proportions) to transition to a fuller tea later on. It's still fine. I wouldn't expect it to be much different in another 5 years, and it may just fade more from here, but it drinks ok as it is. I've mentioned sweetness but I'm not sure I highlighted the critical role that plays in the balance enough. It's not so far off toffee or molasses in range, and it really makes the rest work.
Zhong Cha: this tea is striking the best balance it has yet. On the one hand it's interesting, complex, and a bit intense, with plenty of intense feel, mineral base, and aftertaste to support what's going on. On the other that flavor range just wouldn't be for everyone, even compared to this other version tasting like tobacco and then incense, aromatic wood, and other spice. I suppose it's heaviest in a range of incense spice now, frankincense or myrhh or whatever it is. It's a lot like brewing one of those incense sticks might seem it would be, except I don't think that's actually possible.
This makes for kind of a strange tangent, but I've been talking about traditional Chinese medicine a good bit lately, and actually visited a practitioner a week ago. I have less to pass on about that than one might expect; he looked at my tongue and checked my pulse, and the main problem for being treated with those medicines is that there isn't much actually wrong with me (I was there to join my wife; Thais tend to believe in everything).
Anyway, check this out about myrrh, from Wikipedia:
When a tree's wound penetrates through the bark and into the sapwood, the tree bleeds a resin. Myrrh gum, like frankincense, is such a resin...
...In traditional Chinese medicine, myrrh is classified as bitter and spicy, with a neutral temperature. It is said to have special efficacy on the heart, liver, and spleen meridians as well as "blood-moving" powers to purge stagnant blood from the uterus. It is therefore recommended for rheumatic, arthritic, and circulatory problems, and for amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, menopause, and uterine tumours.
Myrrh's uses are similar to those of frankincense, with which it is often combined in decoctions, linaments and incense. When used in concert, myrrh is "blood-moving" while frankincense moves the qi, making it more useful for arthritic conditions.
It is combined with such herbs as notoginseng, safflower petals, angelica sinensis, cinnamon, and salvia miltiorrhiza, usually in alcohol, and used both internally and externally.[10]
I have no idea what this tea might be doing for my qi. I'm on some random herbs from that Chinese medicine guy anyway; I'm probably good.
Fifth infusion
Chang Tai: this tea is just fading. It won't be a fair comparison from here because I've been stretching the infusion times all along to get it to match the other version being brewed at double the proportion. Again I think for someone trying to experience aged sheng range in an approachable form this really works. The flavor is pleasant and the thin spots in other aspect character wouldn't matter to everyone, especially not to people without developed expectations. I'll keep brewing this because it's pleasant but it will take one minute infusions just to get a light round out of it, probably onto closer to two minutes soon.
Zhong cha: aromatic wood and spice is balancing differently in this tea now. It doesn't work well to describe proportion or balance changes like that in an aspect-list style description. That underlying warm mineral proportion (tasting like iron, and also rocks I guess) is in a really good balance now, lighter, working a lot better as a supporting aspect versus a primary flavor.
Sixth infusion
Changtai: at least the long infusion times are coaxing a bit of floral aspect out and touch more earthiness as a supporting element. It works well still, it's just really thin even brewed for a long time.
Zhong Cha: the old furniture effect is picking up a little, which makes a trace of that earlier tree fungus range more noticeable. It hadn't completely cleared, I guess, it was just below the range of what was noticeable related to other flavors. It still has plenty of aromatic wood and incense spice range going on, still with a lot of supporting underlying mineral. It's probably nice for being thinner, since I'm not generally good about pulling off full-speed flash infusions and giving this the extra 5 seconds works at this intensity.
This tea experience raises the age-old question: do I like it? I suspect I will more once I've had it a couple of times, but it still works now. It would be nice if that Changtai tea had half this tea's overall intensity, with a flavor range more in between the two. There's just something about experiencing a tea that doesn't disappear out of your mouth when you drink it, that has some structure to it, that all joins in making this a nicer experience. The aromatic spice and wood range is something else; I'm just not familiar with it standing out to this degree. I could imagine people with no background with sheng at all, people I'm introducing the type to with this tea, wondering if it's really ok to drink it. It tastes a little like what one would expect from some Chinese herb practitioner. That stuff is kind of nasty, actually, but not so far off this.
Seventh infusion
I get the sense the Zhong Cha tea is only about half finished, unless transitions don't justify keeping on with brewing the tea, but I'll close taking notes after this round. I let the Changtai tea go for over two minutes so this will describe what was left to be drawn out of it.
Changtai: it's much better, given 2 1/2 minutes of infusion time. That faint spice aspect has moved a bit towards some aromatic root spice, as I interpret it. It would probably work out ok to go with a packed gaiwan proportion of this and stretch out the infusions to a dozen or so, and it would probably be even better.
Zhong Cha: this might be the best this has been; it might have more positive transition to go in it. That whole list of flavors (which I won't repeat) has shifted in balance, with the earthiness / underlying mineral moving a little towards tree bark or potato peel. That doesn't sound good, put that way, but it's the way a complex range of flavors (and other aspects) balance each other that's working, not one or more of the flavors being positive on its own.
Conclusions
Where a Laos black tea I tried recently had an aspect range and character that would appeal to everyone (fruit and spice, dried cherry and cinnamon, well balanced and not remotely challenging) this Zhong Cha tea experience really wouldn't. It's hard to imagine those flavors "cleaning up" with additional age but the degree of intensity would suggest that it might not just fade and taper off over a good number more years, and even if it did it has intensity to spare. It's the part about using this to share with people to try a new range I'm concerned about. Someone a few steps down the path of experiencing different teas might not love it but they could at least place it.
One thing I didn't mention about this Zhong Cha version: it's quite compressed, and the tea leaves are relatively aged, but not as much as I would've expected for a 12 year old tea version. That could relate to storage conditions (stored in a less humid environment), or that level of compression might've slowed up fermentation a little, by limiting air exposure within the tea. Or both, I guess. It's definitely fermented, and definitely not shou, so although I can't be sure it really is a 12 year old tea that still seems about right. The character (aspects) went in an unusual direction, compared to what else I've been used to, but it seems a good bit of fermentation could lead to that result, even if another half-dozen years might finish off transitions in progress more.
At least it's interesting. If anyone visits Bangkok they're welcome to try some of it. It reminds me a little of trying a very atypical "witches broom" sheng version (or at least I think that's the common name for it; it's called trà chít in Vietnam, where it was produced), but it's not quite that challenging.
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