This should be a really nice tea. I've expressed that I see shu as a tea type that varies a lot less than many others in the past, the "shu is shu" idea, which I always clarify by adding that some is better or worse, or more interesting. Examples of cha tou, or tea heads, clumps of shu that form naturally during production, have been an interesting and pleasant exception in the past. There's a particular range of experience that seems to differ in those, one that I've lost track of for it being so long for trying a version. Of course it could be that I just happened to try a really good version one time, and extrapolated from that incorrectly, but this is a commonly expressed opinion, that versions can be interesting and nice.
This version is from Lincang county (the Shuangjiliang District of that, which doesn't mean anything to me), which doesn't change my specific expectations, but that sounds ok. The age is interesting; for a heavily fermented shu it will just smooth out in transition over time, and not change that much (per my impression; of course plenty of others would disagree), but less fully fermented shu can transition more over time, and 17 years is awhile. The experience is the thing, more than back-story themes, even when those are interesting, so I'll move onto that.
Since this label includes a description I'll break normal form and add that here before tasting and editing, the opposite of more typically tasting without seeing any input (also on their site listing):
The brewed tea has matured, refined nutty balsamic bouquet with hints of chocolate, dried berries, herbs, and autumn leaves. The aroma is deep, viscous, nutty balsamic. The taste is rich, complex, sliding, a bit sweetish and spicy, with a slight bitterness and sourness. The aftertaste is juicy, lingering, velvety.
Part of citing that is looking for one distinct typical character range in cha tou. I could look up what I've written before, but it's not as if I've reviewed versions so many times a pattern would emerge, maybe only once or twice. There was something really catchy that I'm not remembering well, maybe along the lines of fresh baked bread, but towards a darker grain range. Or maybe that's way off, and there is no consistent aspect pattern in shu clumps versus the rest. I just looked up three other vendor references for versions, one of which I reviewed here, and they were just described as extra sweet, creamy, and in some cases tending to have a berry like aspect.
I might also mention that some other cha tou versions have seemed a bit more clumped than this, not that it means a lot to me as an input.
Review:
First infusion: I only used a fast rinse, all I ever go with. Some others mention a 10 or 20 second soak, but I just rinse shu, aged shengs, and hei cha versions quickly. This first round will be a bit light then, because it won't start infusing well quickly.
It's promising. Cocoa does stand out, and I can kind of get the berry range beyond that. There is no dominant or heavy earthiness, quite different from some shu range, and the overall effect is quite clean. For standard versions, regardless of form, origin, or fermentation level, it's often said that rougher edge fermentation product aspects will fade over 2 to 3 years, the heavy peat and petroleum and such, and 17 years is a long time for that transition to finish. This tea could've even finished fermenting naturally, if it was at a light level initially.
Spice is a nice input already, towards a warm and aromatic incense spice, but I would expect flavor aspects and feel will be easier to evaluate over the next two rounds.
Second infusion: I brewed that about 15 seconds, longer than would really be necessary for a high proportion, but that will move it along to a higher intensity and towards the character range it's getting to. For being brewed at twice the infusion strength of the last round the earthiness ramped up. It's along the line of slate, like a wet chalk board smell. It still seems relatively clean, with a lot of other range filling in along with that, the cocoa, berry, and spice. Aromatic wood would be a decent interpretation for another main aspect at this stage. I would expect this to "clean up" a lot over the next two rounds and for that heavier range to give way to a more refined character. It's not musty though, and barely contains any of the heavier and odder fermentation related flavors, so I don't mean in the same sense as for some shu becoming more approachable.
It's nice; it seems appropriate to pass on an impression of liking it, even if it is early for that. It's a little light as shu goes, with even the fullness of feel a bit light compared to how very heavy flavored and intense shu can come across. The trade-off for losing some of that weight or creamy fullness is this positive flavor range, complexity, and refinement.
Third infusion: there is a dark bread like quality to this, which emerges more across the rounds. Of course it would be possible to just eat a dark bread to get a very intense experience of that, but this is different, combined with a novel mineral undertone range, and other cocoa, warm spice, and light fruit complexity. Feel and aftertaste are nice, but it's easy to expect a lot of thickness of feel related to how heavier shu comes across, or some sheng, especially related to lengthy aftertaste experience. To me those fill in positive depth to the overall experience, with the refinement and flavor range and complexity more exceptional.
At the same time that this rejects the generality that all shu is similar it also partly supports that. This version is more complex, refined, and interesting than most shu, by a broad margin, but it's also an easy to drink, relatively simple to experience tea.
A discussion with a friend about cha qi warrants filling in, yet again, that I'm not overly sensitive to that factor. I can't say how this tea makes me feel any different than drinking Indian black tea with breakfast yesterday. When sheng effect is very strong I notice that, but I seem to lack a consistent baseline for inner experience that makes it easier to notice variations. My energy level varies for a lot for other reasons, even though my mood is a lot more stable than for most. I think the noise of living with kids throws off that degree and type of inner self-awareness; I'm most calm when the background noise dies down, and have the most energy when the demands taper off.
I'm also completely not into drug-like effects of any kind, so changes or inputs can seem interesting to me but I wouldn't necessarily value them. I don't drink alcohol or consume any other kinds of drugs; I've already done my time with all that. I've nothing against alcohol, and would drink some at a wedding, it just doesn't come up. I exercise at an intense level when running, and that gives you a bit of a buzz after, but I can't relate to people valuing that either. It's a minor adjustment of form of life experience, nothing too significant, and it passes quickly enough, and carries no meaning while it happens. Communing with nature during a hike, walking on a beach, or during a tea session outdoors, is something else, that's a longer term experience of a connection outside yourself, a real change of experience form.
I'm not rejecting that some people experience and value "cha qi" as the main desirable effect that is related to tea experience; surely they're really getting that.
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some variation in leaf color is interesting |
Fourth infusion: oddly the finish / feel of this tea seemed to transition the most; it is more velvety. Tone seems just a little richer, darkening a little, but this is absolutely smooth and clean at this stage.
Fifth infusion: I don't get the impression that this is going to evolve or transition quickly, or perhaps so much at all over a half dozen more infusions. Which is fine; it's really nice as it is. It has a nice depth to it; it's not just that the flavor range spans some scope, but it comes across as layered for having that plus the feel richness. Aftertaste intensity is a bit limited, but that's normal enough for shu in general, compared to potential for sheng. If someone really valued that they could brew this twice as strong, but as I experience it intensity is fine at a moderate level.
One concern that occurs with aged teas in general is value, cost. For sheng versions that weren't expensive at all that could still be moderate, but just as likely any aged sheng cake at all (from this time-frame) would be in the $150 and up range, at least 50 cents a gram, and how much someone values that experience has to factor in related the more significant expense. This really is novel compared to other shu experience, but only to a certain degree. Then again how people see spending 50 or 75 cents per gram versus 20 or 25 depends as much on their budget as tea preference, or variation in what they could experience. If this does cost in the lower aged sheng range, which I would expect, it's worth it in the sense of being novel, but at the same time not so different. Shu is shu, even relatively unique shu.
Editing note: it's listed for $37 per 100 grams, which seems quite fair to me given what this is. "Clumpier" cha tou might provide a bit of aesthetic edge but the character of this is nice.
I think the appeal of this tea would be relatively universal; there is that. It's novel enough that someone who drinks shu could recognize the uniqueness and approachable enough that for a relative beginner at least it would seem pleasant. I was trying to explain how that works from the other direction in talking in a group oriented for early exploration about someone trying a shu mini-tuo. Typically at best those aren't so bad, but shu can still be nice to experience in moderate quality versions, it just doesn't warrant as much attention.
Sixth infusion: what I interpret as root spice range is picking up, and creamy feel ramps up further; this is still transitioning. I should give it a slightly longer soak to check on what one more round and that brewing difference changes and leave off taking notes.
Seventh infusion: it's nice the way that cocoa stays present, even though the minor berry or fruit range kind of faded, giving way to more spice range. An earthiness in this is catchy, the way that driftwood smells, something unique.
Conclusions:
This reminds me of talking to a tea friend and mentioning that to some extent people see in teas what they want to experience. The opposite can happen, or other surprises, but quite often people expect a tea to be unique and exceptional and find it to be so, partly related to bias. This tea someone could judge as one of the most amazing shu versions they've ever tried, as novel, well balanced, and distinctive, or as kind of not so different than other good shu. I guess I expected to see both in it, and do, so that still kind of works. I can't imagine someone not liking this tea but seeing it as not so different than other shu versions would be easier to justify, I just don't see it that way.
The range of aspect variation isn't narrower for shu than for green, black, or oolong tea versions, so it's probably really just the crazy complexity and diversity of sheng that makes this type seem simpler in comparison. Or at least that's how I see it.
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Keo's idea of posing, looking away while moving |
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meanwhile glamour shots of her turn up in my phone gallery |
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