Ma Tou Yan and Niu Lan Keng Rou Gui (Wuyi Yancha oolong)

 

A few weeks back I met a couple of contacts that I already knew in my favorite Bangkok Chinatown tea shop, in Jip Eu (their Maps link and FB page, for contacts).  We tried some interesting teas, and I bought something basic (I tend to stock up on Xiaguan tuochas there when I'm not really buying much tea just then), and they gave me some samples of really nice Wuyi Yancha to try.  

For the most part that's that shop's specialty, selling higher end, good versions of Wuyi Yancha, Fujian Wuyishan origin oolong.  Then a lot of their business also relates to selling lower quality, moderate character related blends to local shops and such.  We drank aged sheng that day; they carry some interesting versions of that too.  I've bought good Dan Cong there, upper medium quality versions that don't cost much, and we also tried a pretty good Longjing just then, one of the main Chinese green tea types.  They carry lots of different tea.

I think they're actually selling these; sometimes they pass on interesting samples that they aren't.  I don't remember if I asked about pricing, but it may not have stuck even if I had.  A lot of their higher end oolong range had sold for about 1000 baht per 100 grams in the past, if I'm remembering right, or about $15 per 50 grams.  Depending on quality level that's either a normal price range or else a really good deal, and I think it just depends on which tea it is for them.  Some would be worth more, rarer types, and for versions that don't match your own style preference it's not mostly about that kind of value rating.

The one place name reference is familiar, Ma Tou Yan, or horse head rock; it's in the natural park area in Wuyishan.  That's probably a high-demand origin, so that version may cost more than their standard quite good quality range.  It's odd that a tone-variation of "ma" also means horse in Thai; there's a good chance that word was derived directly from Chinese languages.  Since I'm terrible with hearing or speaking tones horse, dog, and come are basically all the same word to me, which is definitely a problem when it comes to trying to say things clearly.

Review:

Ma Tou Yan:  it's pretty good, as it should be.  Roast input comes across first, in a relatively balanced form.  I suppose if it was even more balanced maybe the roast input wouldn't come across first, but this is the opening round, and that could settle.  This does taste like cinnamon, as these often do, as the name Rou Gui translates to.  Inky mineral depth is substantial, as it should be.  

Overall balance is good; sweetness and all the rest are right in order.  For this being the first round it's a little early for the big picture evaluation, but I'm not noticing anything like a flaw in this, and even looking for a limitation requires some interpretation. 

Niu Lan Keng:  interesting, for overlapping quite a bit and also being very different.  The cinnamon range is common, and this is also sort of an upper medium level of roast.  Again the roast could integrate just a little better, but that's the kind of thing to consider and judge over a few rounds, not just the first one.  The mineral range is quite different.  The other one is a bit inky, but this is really inky, so that it reminds you of the smell of pen ink (versus ink from a copier or squid, I guess?).  

Layers of mineral bunch together, coming across as depth.  Of course it is expressed quite a bit in an aftertaste experience, which is also pronounced in the other, but not like this.  It comes across as intensity, often a limitation across a lot of oolong range, but it's definitely not a limitation for this version.  It will be interesting to see how the two balance as they unfold, if the different dimensions complement each other better in one than the other.  For aspects being this positive it leads on to looking for refinement too, not just balance, but subtlety of inputs, and finer aspect character working together.

For these being this good and this intense it would make sense to me for someone to drink them brewed light, maybe best trying only one version at a time, letting the intensity and effect of the aspects build up over rounds.  For trying to do a comparison that approach and effect won't work.  I'll need to drink water between rounds to get back to a clearer palate just to make out what's going on with them.  The aftertaste experience from both, maybe mostly the second, is so strong that the water tastes sweet and mineral-intensive for a few sips, like tea.  I'll need to brew these fast to not overdo it for intensity, not true flash infusions but under 10 seconds.

MTY #2:  again it's nice.  For someone looking for this particular flavor profile of tea this would be just the thing, for heavy and warm cinnamon supported by medium-high roast input.  This might balance even better after another year or so, once that roast input had time to settle.  Warm, complex mineral coats the outsides of your mouth, and just a hint of char is part of the roast effect.  That's the part that would be dialed in perfectly for some, or out of balance for others, too high, depending on preference.  A lot of people seem to like quite roasted tea, and this definitely isn't in the higher roast level range, but it's just below it.

Inky mineral is nice in this.  It's odd then that it's so much more pronounced in the other version.

NLK:  cinnamon is still present but the mineral is quite intense in this, maybe a little stronger.  For someone who couldn't get enough of that effect this is it.  It ties to a structured mouthfeel and strong aftertaste carry-over.  As a potential critique maybe this isn't as balanced as it could be; it's pretty far towards that one aspect range.  Sweetness and cinnamon do counter it, and balance it, but it's about as mineral intensive as any Wuyi Yancha I've ever tried, or maybe more so.

That shift in related feel structure might also divide judgment on the experience.  Some people love intense feel, so much so that they give up positive flavor range to brew oolongs extra strong to experience a blast of feel and aftertaste ranges.  There's no need to settle on flavor balance--at moderate infusion intensity--or quite intense feel and aftertaste with this; both are there.

Using maxed out proportion for these, my normal approach, probably isn't optimum.  I'm just brewing the samples as I received them, but this might be 10 grams.  Or maybe only 8, and the tea tends to expand, but either way it's a lot for a 100 ml gaiwan worth given how intense these teas are.  Even using fast infusion timing these are a bit strong.

MTY #3:  this integrates much better; lots of layers of flavors are balancing well in this, coming across as more refined.  Roast input is still pronounced but now essentially even with the heavy cinnamon and heavy mineral.  This is brewed lightly, or at least brewed quickly; it has to be, given this intensity and the proportion used.  "Lightly" there is relative; this is upper medium infusion strength, more than it would be easy to ever achieve using a more mild form of tea.

It's nice the way that the char effect has settled from being a main input to an extra edge.  Somehow you feel this tea more than you taste it after swallowing it; the overall effect stays with you.

NLK:  that heavy mineral range didn't settle to even up and balance with the rest in the same way, but it might be easing up a little.  The heavy roast input (upper-medium in terms of level, but the "char" effect is a heavy flavor tone) is similar to the other, but probably differences in that one aspect input could be broken down, if someone focused on it enough.

A coffee drinker might love this tea.  It doesn't give up anything in terms of flavor intensity and complexity to coffee, and some of the flavors overlap.  There's extra bitterness in coffee, and the feel is full in an unusual way in it, which tea doesn't completely match, but this isn't thin in feel at all.  It would be disrespectful to this tea but it would be interesting to see how it works out with milk and sugar in it, how far that parallel with coffee could be stretched.

I usually notice drug-like effect from sheng pu'er most, that rush that you get, and a specific but varying range of head buzz, cha qi, as tea drinkers call it, but this has it too.  Maybe caffeine level alone is really high, or that plus theanine; who knows what goes into that effect.  Breakfast wasn't that heavy, a mix of baked goods we picked up on bakery shopping spree yesterday; maybe I'll snack a little on more and then continue.  

Maybe it will be informative how baked goods tend to go in a place like Bangkok:  for breakfast I had a Krispy Kreme doughnut, a couple of custard filled eclairs (the small spherical kind), and a chocolate version of a cashew-topped toffee cake.  There is more traditional bread with green pandan custard on the table; maybe I'll get to that too.

MTY #4:  this seems to balance a good bit better than the other version.  Earlier on I would've guessed that the opposite was going to happen, that the other would settle in intensity and really fall together, but the most intense range in that is still a bit extreme in comparison with the rest.  It's sort of a subtle, emergent theme but to me better Wuyi Yancha takes on a liqueur-like character, like cognac or brandy, and this expresses that.  It's more like cognac, or even like the scent of the solvent base in perfume.  I suppose it must be more pleasant than that sounds.

NLK:  this is improved in balance.  Heavy mineral range, a moderate intensity but strong roast flavor, and cinnamon all stand out, but none take over.  Aftertaste is really significant.  Feel has moderated; it was almost rough or dry in body before, in the first couple of rounds, tying to that flavor intensity, and now it's not as strong.  I suppose the other tea seems better in quality, as markers tend to go, but really they're just slightly different styles.  Maybe the "markers" theme is just something I tend to make up and apply.

For someone seeking out pronounced mineral, pronounced cinnamon, light but noticeable char roast effect, and overall intensity this version would be better.  It's dialed up.  The other is plenty intense, but this goes further.  Oolongs in general don't tend to work out like this; the material just can't support coming across that strong.

Both are exceptional.  I suppose both exceed my expectations, in different ways.  I thought that the teas would be good but these really are novel.

MTY #5:  the balance gets better and better, with cinnamon standing out all the more.  It's a good sign.

NLK:  this balances well too, but heavy mineral stands out more than the cinnamon.  Again for someone really looking to get that full "rock oolong" mineral effect this is it.  To me balance is really the thing, not one aspect standing out being better, but then preferences do vary.

a water park outing with a favorite cousin

a park outing with family; we rode paddle-boat ducks

the other boat

Chen Sheng Hao Menghai and Emperor sheng pu'er

I'm reviewing two more of the Chen Sheng Hao sheng pu'er samples sent for review by the producer (many thanks!).  The others have been nice, diverse in style, with some variation in quality level, matching the general descriptions in the site reference for which really stood out.

These are identified as two more of their signature product versions, so they should be nice.  They don't tend to list out a lot of aspect description, just some character reference, as follows: 

2022 Yi Pin Chen Sheng Raw Pu-erh Tea Sample Box

2022 Chen Sheng #1 (陈升一号)

One of the featured and award-winning blended raw Pu-Erh tea of Chen Sheng Hao. Selected early spring large-leaf arbor tree leaves in the Menghai area. It has a balanced taste and good coordination in all aspects of aroma, taste, and “cha qi”. It is friendly to new Pu-erh tea drinkers. 

2022 Emperor (霸王青饼)

Another award-winning and featured Pu-erh tea of Chen Sheng Hao. It is well known as a raw Pu-erh tea that has strong and penetrating characteristics like “Emperor”. It has strong bitterness upfront, penetrating aroma, pronounced salivation and sweet-after-taste, long cooling, and powerful Cha Qi. It can last for 15 infusions and still have good taste. 

As for pricing 2782 baht comes out to $76.55 right now.  I think this had been $79, and that change relates to fluctuation in currency exchange rates.  

Is that good, is the value ok?  It always depends on quality, since it's a relation of cost to quality.  Then different people could be on different pages related to budget, so that for one person keeping spending in a very moderate range would be a fixed requirement (15 to 20 cents a gram, let's say), and for another 40 could be the same as 30.  

This works out to 40 cents a gram, on the high side for pu'er per cake, but samples do run higher, and for exceptional quality level everything shifts a bit, maybe even a lot.  It's jumping ahead a little but for these two that rate seems fine, because they are a bit exceptional, then maybe the more ordinary range versions don't hold up quite as well.  

Looking at the expense in different ways might help place it.  $90 to 100 per cake is pretty standard now for higher quality in-house versions from specialty vendors, and those are often 357 grams, but then you just get the one tea version, and if you don't like it as well, or if it works out to be lower in quality level, then that's it.  As the sample description mentions if you were to drink 7 grams of each per day (one fourth of the 7 cakes) that works out to 28 days supply; about a month's worth.  For me spending around $80 on tea for a month is a good bit, but it's not for lots of other people.

Review:

Chen Sheng #1 (Menghai):  I let these soak awhile to get the brewing started, around 30 seconds, and this is a little too strong.  It's fine for getting a feel for character, just in the opposite form that I usually do, too light for an initial round.  

Of course bitterness stands out.  From there floral range is a main input, all framed around warm tones, over a strong mineral base.  This should come across quite differently brewed at more conventional strength.  A tea friend visiting mentioned brewing teas strong to get a better feel for characteristics not so long ago, and I've sort of been doing that, but it could be more familiar.  This is still pleasant and agreeable, but also too strong.  Flaws or off aspects don't stand out, just that intensity.  

It will be interesting seeing how a somewhat vegetal edge settles at more conventional infusion strengths.  That may well be tied to normal astringency that shows up more early on then settles out.

Emperor:  also too strong.  A perfume-like floral range is quite pleasant in this already.  It has good depth and complexity, and feel is nice, even though it's brewed wrong (wrong for anything but an odd form of evaluation approach).  It's quite promising.

#1, infusion #2:  brewed for just under 10 seconds infusion strength is more typical.  The usual ranges stand out, bitterness, astringency structure, solid mineral base, but there's another catchy aspect that's hard to place, that sort of re-frames the rest.  Along the line of warm spice tone, I think, but there may be some dried fruit in this as well, so it may really be two things standing out as related.  Spice would be vague, but some type of incense spice.  Fruit maybe along the lines of dried Chinese date, jujube.  I love that flavor, and to me it works really well in combination with other warm tone range.

Emperor:  rich and complex floral range stands out in this, but it's not just that.  The feel is quite full; that lends depth to the rest of the experience.  Bitterness might be slightly more moderate than for the other, or at least it comes across differently, positioned against different other aspects.  

With the other tea a couple of aspects pull it into a unique and pleasant balance, and with this it's distributed as an effect from across the entire tea character.  It won't describe clearly, since most of that range is floral.  There's an aromatic, perfume-like character that some better tea versions tend to express, as if some of the solvent effect is also present.  One might think of it as comparable to brandy or cognac instead.  Sweetness is pleasant, but it's how that sweetness comes across, as linked to complex floral and warm-toned range, and associated with a thick velvety feel.  I suppose the other may come across as more structured or drier in feel in comparison, depending on interpretation.

#1, infusion #3:  it's interesting how this comes across as narrow in flavor set range, with a number of inputs kind of closely integrated, but still complex in a different sense.  It's bright but also warm, sweet and approachable but also somewhat high in intensity with good depth.  Bitterness has fallen into a nice balance with the rest, somewhat limited, in relation to where sheng in general or one in this style would be.  It would be way too much for someone who only drinks oolong, but moderate for a young sheng drinker.

That one catchy range is still present; it hasn't transitioned away.  I think it might be a spice range note combining with a clearer underlying dried fruit tone, the jujube.  A hint of citrus picks up.  How am I calling that narrow or simple then, since it's quite a flavor aspect list?  There's an impression that it's all closely linked, that it integrates well, belonging to a somewhat unified whole.  It's complex but the range seems to all link together.

Emperor:  the perfume-like depth of this is really something.  It's almost entirely floral, in diverse floral range, but one part might seem like rich fruit, like dried apricot.  Bitterness comes across as lower in this than the other, but they're no far off.

It's interesting considering what these warm tones mean, where they are coming from.  This is two year old sheng; it shouldn't have transitioned that much, in normal medium humidity and temperature storage conditions.  Here in Bangkok teas change fast, but that's a different thing.  Flavors get heavier and some early range drops out quick, even over two years.  It almost seems like some of this has oxidized some, related to the warmth, dark tea color, and variation in color of the leaves.  I'm more or less a fan of sheng that has transitioned from extra oxidation in processing, it seems, but that would probably come at a cost in relation to long term aging potential.

I should clarify, this is nothing like the Vietnamese sheng I've been drinking that is a short step towards black tea from conventional sheng pu'er style, quite oxidized.  It still seems to represent standard sheng character, just a modified form of it.  Maybe that is from early aging; two years is long enough for things to change.  This version is compressed at a lower level than the other, much looser, and that could make a difference in relation to how it reacts to environment exposure over time.

Probably warm mineral plays more of a role than I'm describing.  It adds a lot to the overall balance, even though the richer perfume-like / brandy / cognac range is more novel, and stands out.

I'm feeling these teas; 6 infusions is a lot to rush through.  I ate a good-sized wheat biscuit breakfast cereal earlier to offset stomach impact, which would offset drug-like effect intensity (cha qi), but still it stands out.  I'll eat a little food and drink water to get back to a normal baseline.

#1, infusion #4:  it drifts towards warmer spice range; that's an interesting transition.

Emperor:  the light citrus note in this shifts, to a different light citrus note.  Like dried grapefruit peel?  It's something novel.  It works with the rest; it's interesting.

#1, infusion #5:  not so different.  I've shifted to brewing these relatively lightly since intensity is fine that way, even optimum, for me.  They're not that far along for being brewed light, after that first round.  These would go for another half dozen rounds easy, but I'll stop taking notes soon, off to do activities with the kids today.  They'll both probably express at least one more interesting transition too; I'll see later, but may or may not make a mental note of that to include it.

Emperor:  similar to last round.  Again the shift in the citrus tone is interesting.

#1, infusion #6:  I decided to try one more round brewed longer, a bit over 30 seconds, back to strong again.  That intensity comes roaring back.  Warm tones stand out a lot more made like this.  Nothing like a flaw emerges, even brewed strong, a good number of rounds in.  I had mentioned a vegetal note that I never got back to; that stands out more in this.  It's almost in between warmer and vegetal range, between cured hardwood tone and heavy mineral, or towards a forest scent.  It's complex; there's a good bit going on.

Emperor:  this is softer and richer.  Warm tones stand out in this too, but in a different way in a different other context.  Rich floral range is still present, and that hint of dried fruit and citrus, a bit obscured by the heavier flavors in this round.  This is pretty nice tea.

I've not made much of splitting out a quality level assessment against preference to type review here.  There's plenty to go on in relation to both, but just listing shifts in the aspects seemed like a lot.  Quality level is good for these.  I can't judge best-of-the-best range, because I'm not out buying $300 cakes, or even sampling that kind of material, but these are definitely decent, well above average.

I like the second version, this one, more for being so novel.  That rich floral and fruit range is nice, and the way a soft but full feel ties it all together.  The citrus note alone really changes how all the rest comes across.  I've not went on much about feel structure or aftertaste here either, again because there was so much to say just about sets of basic flavors shifting.

Pretty good teas; this has been interesting and pleasant.  I didn't make more notes about later changes or additional thoughts after this, so that's it for a summary take.

Vivek Lochan on status of Indian tea industry

Doke tea images provided by Vivek

After talking with Vivek Lochan recently about how social media group discussion goes, mostly on Facebook, I asked if he could fill in some background on the Indian tea industry in a Q & A form.  These are the kinds of ideas that should come up in online discussion, but it's hard to get starting points to develop to that.  

Most vendors and producers are posting online related to marketing, and tea enthusiasts might just show what they're drinking.  Marketing is fine, and it's interesting hearing about different tea types, or preferences, but it tends to not extend to a deeper level.  

This partly relates to me being the only moderator for a large Facebook tea group, International Tea Talk.  There had been interesting discussions there about a range of themes in the past, but it has shifted to occurring more in other places now, as tends to happen.  Reddit and Discord are active, for example.

For introduction Vivek is from a well-known tea producer family that owns and runs the Doke tea plantation.  His father, a main founder, is Rajiv Lochan, who has been very familiar in specialty tea circles for quite awhile.

This is their Doke website; there is more background there, and it lists some related social media channel contacts.  This blog post works as an intro to that background story.  This is a review in this blog about their Black Fusion flagship product, or one version of it, from back in 2021.

There is always a chance that different people could see different aspects or shifts in local tea industries differently, but to me it's quite interesting to consider thoughts from someone with more local area exposure than almost any of us will ever have, even given that kind of interpretation concern.  

I've discussed local tea industry themes in India quite a bit over the years, most in relation to discussions with Suzana Syiem, a close friend.  We even talked to Rajiv once about related themes, back in 2021 when Covid disruptions made talking to people online seem like a helpful outlet.  Most of this matches and extends what I'd heard before.

Vivek's input on tea industry status in India

How is specialty tea uptake going in India?  Do you see differences in how preferences are changing in other places?

Specialty tea is slowing increasing in demand and interest with customer across the country. People are willing to experiment more and with better buying power, they can easily afford to try more than once. The increase in availability of teas with flavours – natural like fruits and herbs or like mocktails kind of stuff – also helps attracting a newer audience of tea lovers who can’t necessarily be called tea lovers.

Specialty tea quality development often seems to relate to two different factors, to small, private producers developing a more artisan approach to making tea, and to experimentation and development by larger producers.  Is one of these inputs having the most impact, or others?

I think the abundance of small, private producers is having more impact. The larger producer is usually under economic pressure to produce more and sell more. The smaller producer usually doesn’t have as much pressure and is more open to experimentation to set himself apart from the crowd. 

These small growers sometimes mimic styles from other countries / areas but that is only apparent to a person who is well versed with teas from foreign nations. Most people are appreciative of efforts to partially ‘copy’ production styles while keeping the end result unique. Something like our Black Fusion from Doke seems to be well appreciated. 

Black Fusion, from that earlier review

In different places different approaches to promote awareness seem to work, eg. public tastings, or media articles.  What seems to make a difference there, and what doesn’t work?

Media articles, semi private tasting sessions, food pairings and free sample distributions seems to be working quite well. We are trying to get more hotels involved with setting up tea tasting and food pairing sessions so we can attract more people to the tea world. Larger public tastings don’t seem to work because then it can be difficult to engage with people. Engagement is important to have both the drinker and the brewer understand what each other are looking for - kind of like wine tasting sessions. 

Are cultivars in use continually evolving?  Can you add a bit about that?

The TRA is always working to introduce new cultivars or better the current crop of cultivars available [the Tea Research Association, a government run institution under the Tea Board of India]. They have certainly come a very long way in the past decade or so in making the tea crops more pest / insect resistant and sturdier against drought. Constant evolvement of the cultivars is very important.

I seem to recall mention of a specially designed sprinkler system doubling as irrigation and offsetting high temperature impact on tea plants at Doke.  Is that accurate?  Can you describe this more?

Yes – we have a new government sponsored irrigation system at Doke which has been working wonders for us for the past couple of years. Upkeep has been a little bit expensive at the beginning with sprinklers failing and pipes bursting but overall, it has been a great addition. The new sprinkler system has all its piping underground, so they are permanently placed unlike the old system which needed everything moved as and when required. Set up time and wastage is almost nil now. 

The older sprinklers had a larger coverage area per sprinkler with a stronger throw while the new system relies on smaller sprinklers creating an almost mist like situation. This results in better absorption of water in the leaves and in the ground. The sprinklers are situated according to a design generated by a computer program that takes into account terrain features like trees and elevation changes.

Are changes related to climate change impacting tea production?

Climate change has very severely impacted tea production throughout the country this year. A dry winter coupled with a very hot and dry summer had decreased growth very sharply up till May. The situation started getting better end May onwards with some rain showers. June and July has been much better with constant rain and some sunshine in between. The tea bushes are still under stress due to almost 6 months of rain deficiency, but the situation seems to be improving. 

How many flushes or harvest periods can you harvest from tea plants?

In North India, the tea season usually starts in March and ends in November end. Old hands like to say that it starts with the Holi Festival and ends with the Diwali Festival. This is true as both festivals are based on the lunar calendar. When either festival goes up or down in the date range, the tea harvest season seems to follow. Of course it is not an exact science but has been pretty accurate.

Can you add some description of background on major plantations in Darjeeling transferring from family ownership to corporate ownership?  Is this a concern for continuity of Darjeeling tea production?

Almost all the tea gardens in Darjeeling today are corporate owned with a head office in Siliguri or Kolkata and a managerial team at the garden itself. The only family owned and family run tea garden in Darjeeling today is Giddapahar. Both brothers look after all the aspects of the tea estate directly without employing any manager level employees. They make it seem easy to sustain a tea garden in the current economic situation but I know that it is anything but!

What factors are changing the local tea industry there most, among new themes like sustainability, fair trade, and safety (related to pesticide use and testing)?

The Food Safety Authority of India has recently highlighted the pesticide use but that is a very difficult situation to tackle. The Tea Board regulates what pesticides can be used in tea gardens and the dosage as well. A blanket ban is not possible as some pesticides banned by the Tea Board are allowed in other fields. Pesticide use also cannot be checked regularly at the field level. Soil testing takes time and labs are not very common. Made tea testing can be expensive and not every lot can be tested. People are becoming more aware about these things.

Are public sales platforms like Amazon—different variations of that—changing the tea sales landscape in India?

Amazon and other online platforms are certainly extremely helpful to market teas and find retail customers. We are seeing more and more of our customers moving online even if it is just to have an online presence. People are willing to purchase online and can find a wider range online compared to physical stores. 

What potential changes or developments could best improve the lives of tea plantation workers?

The biggest change would be to increase the wages of the workers, but the producer is barely able to make ends meet at the moment anyway. The consumer, the middleman, the wholesale buyer is certainly not interested at all in increasing their prices or reducing their margins. The tea gardens already provide subsidized rations, medical facilities and housing facilities but those can be a bit basic sometimes. The government could do more to help –  most of their programs don’t seem to be able to reach the right people.