Maybe for once this review can stay short and basic since this is a tea I've probably tried versions of for the past two years. It's the last of a set of Wuyi Origin samples they sent. I really like their Jin Jun Mei, and it's definitely exceptional, even though per my preferences in aspects and style I like their Lapsang Souchong and Rou Gui more. Their teas are quite good in general; the two Dan Cong I just tried were also exceptional, a Mi Lan Xiang (honey orchid) version and Xing Ren Xiang (almond aroma).
I'll specify no background here, and looking back I never did do a research style post about this tea type. I reviewed multiple versions from Wuyi Origin two years ago but that doesn't include more about that. It's a Fujian black tea closely associated with Lapsang Souchong, a variation of that, but those are really broad strokes. This is one of those tea types where there's a lot of conflicting input about most of what's sold not being "the real jin jun mei," but I don't have more to say about that.
 |
cool looking, but more intense to smell |
Review
The smell is deep and rich, very sweet and complex. The tea is golden with darker fine buds as well. But the brewed leaf experience is the thing; onto that.
The taste is sweet and rich as well, again very complex. Roasted corn comes across stronger than I remember in past versions, maybe including the way that roasted corn smell includes more complexity when you roast a version that still includes some of the silk over a fire.
I brewed this initial infusion for around 5 seconds, using water a bit off boiling point in a less packed-gaiwan proportion than usual for Gongfu preparation. The tea doesn't need time to open up. It has decent complexity now but I'll add more about the layers and aspect list on the next couple of infusions since it will probably develop a little more. Smelling the wet leaves is nice; there is a lot going on for aroma aspect range, it's very sweet and rich.
A lot of what that leaf aroma was getting at develops in this second infusion, and the tea probably isn't in it's main range of aspects yet. That roasted corn drops way back, now just a complimentary aspect but no longer primary. What you do experience comes across as a complex range bundled into an integrated set. Sweetness along the lines of dried tamarind is included, which trails into savory range, towards sun-dried tomato.
Earthiness picks up, both as an underlying base and a more forward component. That part is like the sweet smell of some tobacco, which is probably provided by spices like clove in such tobacco as much as the main leaf itself. This does taste like clove, but it also spills over a little into that tobacco. I've probably not included enough about the rich sweetness yet; that's probably close to a light version of molasses, which is itself more or less reduced sugar cane (or of course maybe honey, how they've described the tea version).
It's odd how simple and integrated all that comes across. It's clean, a bit bright in effect, and not hard to relate to at all. From the sounds of that list it would be all over the map but it's not at all.
The balance of all that shifted in the next infusion but the set itself didn't. I'll spare dropping down to finer level analysis of proportion of those. There's an interesting savory part that's novel, tied to that sun-dried tomato range, and to the roasted corn, which is a bit faint but still evident. That could be strange or unpleasant if it wasn't really well balanced by just the right other aspects but in this it is.
The next infusion shifts but it's hard to say in what way, again it's a proportion shift. It seems like I'm missing a description that might bring across the flavors better, that there might be one main one. The honey sweetness does stand out more at this level; it might just be that, all of that narrowing to the rich complexity of a dark version of honey. Wild tropical versions of honey here vary a lot, and can be really complex; maybe like those.
The next few infusions are just as nice. I went longer on the next one (near 30 seconds) and it brought out more of the fruit depth, still pleasant and balanced that way. Then lighter on the next two, and the same general balance worked out, lots of rich dark honey sweetness with a catchy complexity beyond that. It held up for a few longer infusions after that, a long count for a black tea, which is normal for bud material versions of blacks. Cinnamon seemed to pick up a little as the general profile thinned.
Another great tea. Original style or not it's exceptional. Since I've mentioned their own descriptions in other recent reviews I'll go back to that, which includes some other background:
Location: huang gang shan (黄岗山)
Harvest :2018.4.5th
Cultivar: Fu yun No6
Fermentation level : full -fermented tea
Picking standard: using the early spring top buds to be processed this tea.
Feature: Quite honey aroma, a sweet and smooth soup with good tea essence and body.
Not much for a flavors list but then I'm skeptical of how much those really convey anyway. Hopefully someone finds some value in all that but different people would write out different lists, and it's probably easier to enjoy the tea more fully without getting into all that during tasting.
One thing I've mentioned lately (at the risk of repeating myself): if I were to try this tea brewed different ways, and try it another half dozen times I'd probably describe it differently. Single tasting tea reviews are about passing on one immediate impression. This tea would definitely vary based on slight changes in preparation approach, even though it's probably a difficult tea to ruin. It's a much better tea than almost any other Chinese buds-only black tea version I've tried, but it's also just different in style than other types.
All that said I'll end on a completely unrelated note, sharing more pictures of my kids, this time in school uniforms (or maybe over-sharing, given how often they turn up here).
It's odd how simple and integrated all that comes across. It's clean, a bit bright in effect, and not hard to relate to at all. From the sounds of that list it would be all over the map but it's not at all.
The balance of all that shifted in the next infusion but the set itself didn't. I'll spare dropping down to finer level analysis of proportion of those. There's an interesting savory part that's novel, tied to that sun-dried tomato range, and to the roasted corn, which is a bit faint but still evident. That could be strange or unpleasant if it wasn't really well balanced by just the right other aspects but in this it is.
The next infusion shifts but it's hard to say in what way, again it's a proportion shift. It seems like I'm missing a description that might bring across the flavors better, that there might be one main one. The honey sweetness does stand out more at this level; it might just be that, all of that narrowing to the rich complexity of a dark version of honey. Wild tropical versions of honey here vary a lot, and can be really complex; maybe like those.The next few infusions are just as nice. I went longer on the next one (near 30 seconds) and it brought out more of the fruit depth, still pleasant and balanced that way. Then lighter on the next two, and the same general balance worked out, lots of rich dark honey sweetness with a catchy complexity beyond that. It held up for a few longer infusions after that, a long count for a black tea, which is normal for bud material versions of blacks. Cinnamon seemed to pick up a little as the general profile thinned.
Conclusions
Another great tea. Original style or not it's exceptional. Since I've mentioned their own descriptions in other recent reviews I'll go back to that, which includes some other background:
Location: huang gang shan (黄岗山)
Harvest :2018.4.5th
Cultivar: Fu yun No6
Fermentation level : full -fermented tea
Picking standard: using the early spring top buds to be processed this tea.
Feature: Quite honey aroma, a sweet and smooth soup with good tea essence and body.
Not much for a flavors list but then I'm skeptical of how much those really convey anyway. Hopefully someone finds some value in all that but different people would write out different lists, and it's probably easier to enjoy the tea more fully without getting into all that during tasting.
One thing I've mentioned lately (at the risk of repeating myself): if I were to try this tea brewed different ways, and try it another half dozen times I'd probably describe it differently. Single tasting tea reviews are about passing on one immediate impression. This tea would definitely vary based on slight changes in preparation approach, even though it's probably a difficult tea to ruin. It's a much better tea than almost any other Chinese buds-only black tea version I've tried, but it's also just different in style than other types.
All that said I'll end on a completely unrelated note, sharing more pictures of my kids, this time in school uniforms (or maybe over-sharing, given how often they turn up here).
ayam sabung
ReplyDelete