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Yiwu Ma Hei left, Huang Tian right |
John of King Tea Mall recently shared some samples to try, with two 2018 Yiwu versions as part of that set. These samples will help with knowing what I like best to buy later; starting with samples is a good strategy versus buying cakes based on descriptions. Some of the samples look really interesting, since there is a Naka included, and Lao Man E, and a Nannuo version, an area I've had good results with.
I've tried a good number of shengs from Yiwu but it is a really broad area, and tea versions vary by lots of other factors beyond that. The local area references don't mean much to me yet; I'm not there for trying to map out patterns:
2018 Spring "Yi Wu Ma Hei" gushu 200 gram [cake / bing size] sheng sample
2018 Spring "Yi Wu Huang Tian" gushu 357 gram sheng sample
There's a convention for tea presented as better material to be sold as that smaller size cake, with standard pricing for those often up around $200, with more medium level quality teas sold in the $40-$80 for a 357 gram version general range instead (or at least medium cost, but those should correlate). I'm tempted to check the listings before trying them but it seemed as well to taste them without further input, so I didn't.
I did go back and add the descriptions and pricing after the tasting though, as follows:
2018 SPRING “YI WU MA HEI ” GUSHU 200G CAKE PUERH SHENG (listed at $52.99 for 200 gram cake)
MaHei(麻黑) is a popular tea region under YiWu town... located in the central tea area of YiWu...
This tea is made from 2018 year spring gushu tea materials of MaHei.
Both the softness and fragrance are classical characters on this tea.
Bitterness and astringency are on low level even hard to notice that...
2018 SPRING “YI WU HUANG TIAN” GUSHU 357G CAKE PUERH (listed at $56.99 for a 357 gram cake)
There are both pressed cake and loose leaf option for this tea. It comes from wild GuShu in YiWu.
Character: Wild flavor. Lingering tea flavor. Soft and sweet tea liquid.
The sub village of MaHei village, please refer to map below. [that part is interesting, so I'll add it here]
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credit King Tea Mall site |
It's jumping out of order to add a conclusion here but my tasting impression agrees with those descriptions (although they are a bit general), and the pricing of each seems fair for how good the teas are.
Review
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Ma Hei version left, Huang Tian right |
Ma Hei: even at the first sip it's nice to be drinking better sheng again. I've been trying moderate quality versions related to picking up some low-cost options in China. Those teas were interesting and show promise, and were a good value, but this is decent tea. It's a little early for an aspect list to do it justice since it's just starting out, but it is clean and intense with pronounced floral flavor. A vegetal tone joins that, along the lines of green wood, better presented than in what I've been drinking, integrating well with pronounced floral range. Sweetness has a honey-like flavor.
Huang Tian: this strikes me as similar to the other tea, with pronounced floral range and a secondary vegetal scope, both over some degree of mineral base. Even brewed light and not really showing their full range yet the cleanness and intensity comes across for both. Mineral is stronger in this version, in an unusual range, a sort of flint tied to a hint of fruitiness. It'll be interesting to see how both evolve further.
Second infusion
I brewed both the first two rounds at around 10 seconds to get the process moving, and will probably shift that to faster for a number of intermediate rounds since I expect intensity will be optimum at less time.
Ma Hei: this will do better with that infusion time cut in half, but altering infusion strength works for getting a look at the tea from different perspectives. The character of this tea is unusual. It's floral, but that really pronounced sweetness and unusual vegetal range make it novel. There is some underlying mineral but it would be easy to miss that in a description, and bitterness isn't notable compared to a lot of young sheng versions.
The mineral is a stronger input than it seems at first; a warm version of it joins a lighter flavored version, tasting like two different kinds of rocks, so it comes across as mineral range complexity. The vegetal range is hard to isolate and describe, and also the floral range, since that often comes across simply as bright or warm floral tone to me. We've been eating a lot of Chinese vegetables with dim sum on that trip to Shenzhen and Hong Kong; it tastes like one of those, a relatively neutral version of a type I don't really recognize to put a name to. Similar to bok choy maybe? I can describe this further in a lighter infused version, and it will probably transition some.
Huang Tian: this version is catchy in a way that will also defy description. There is mild bitterness but the level is very low; floral tone is also a bit subdued. Sweetness stands out, and a mineral range contribution. It's all warm in tone, not that far off bees wax flavor, but it's not exactly that. For lack of a better description dried persimmon is also not so far off. A light astringency seems paired more with a warm wood-tone range, a feel aspect that comes across as a hint of dryness. One of those inexpensive sheng versions I'd mentioned was piney and really dry; this expresses a small fraction of a related feel aspect, but in a more moderate balance and type that works better.
Third infusion
I brewed both versions for about 5 seconds. Faster is possible, and these teas would probably still be fine brewed for only 2 or 3, an in and out pour time, but typically that fast moderates infusion strength enough for a tea that isn't challenging. Using a slightly lower proportion would also work; I'm just in the habit of going with a similar proportion and using infusion time to adjust for varying tea character.
Ma Hei: this infusion strength is about right, although shorter really would still work. Astringency is picking up a little, or rather it's as pronounced brewed lighter this time. Where the other feel aspect comes across as pairing with a warm mineral tone this vegetal related aspect comes across as a trace of flower stem, what it would be like to bit the stem or petal, but very light. It's not really negative since the floral range and pronounced sweetness lend the tea a nice balance.
I'm accustomed to some better Yiwu versions blasting straight floral tone, paired with sweetness, and light mineral range (moderate strength, I mean light in character, like limestone versus basalt or whatever else), and these two teas aren't exactly like that. The vegetal nature in this, now coming across more like green wood, given how the astringency has picked up and flavor balance shifted, might not work for everyone. I'd expect that the really pronounced sweetness would tend to universally be seen as positive.
Huang Tian: this version is slightly more straightforward and narrower in aspect profile range but it's catchy. There is plenty of sweetness, just not quite as much, and the warmth comes across as mineral, but again it trails over into what might be interpreted in different ways. Dried fruit seems to work best to me but that's just an interpretation. It sounds better to me, warm mineral and dried fruit, versus green wood or plant-stem range, but it is slightly thinner in aspect range, slightly lower in sweetness and intensity, trading off some character there. Both are nice though; both are clearly better tea versions than I had been drinking on that vacation.
That Farmerleaf version I tried not all that long ago, the one I bought a cake of, was pretty nice tea but it had its own issues, well-balanced but including a trace of character that might be seen as comparable to green tea, an unusual edge to it. I still liked it but it seemed a little atypical. That kind of result highlights why it can be better to show patience and drink rounds of samples prior to committing to cakes, since it could've as easily not seemed as positive to me, with just a little shift in mis-match to preference. I'm in a slightly different place for wanting to see how sheng versions with different characters change over time, so having some that don't clearly match what I like best could be a good thing. One of those Shenzhen teas tasted a good bit like mushrooms; maybe that works as an example, since I don't love sheng that tastes a lot like mushrooms. Or maybe I'll come to, drinking more of that.
It's hard to really bring across how positive I see these aspects, how well it all works for me, since a list-style description does nothing for clarifying how well it all works together. The part about seeing these teas as generally quite pleasant to experience and well above average in quality is about that, but it doesn't pin down why. The aspects work together, the teas balance. I'll use one more round for final thoughts, since I'm all but melting tasting this tea in 95 F or so Bangkok hot-season weather (at 35 C), and have stuff to do. These teas will not be halfway finished yet, so in a sense that's leaving off early, but typically late-round transitions are subtle enough that there is less to say.
Fourth infusion
Ma Hei: so much for that last idea; this tea did shift in character quite a bit. The vegetal aspect drew way back and the overall flavor range warmed. It had been tasting somewhat like a warm, rich version of honey and this shows through as a main aspect in this infusion. The vegetal range seems to have mostly been swapped out for a warm version of floral (again with that description limitation). The tea had been ok up until that transition but it's much improved in this round. I will try one more after this to see how it changes, if at all.
Sheng versions transitioning across the infusion cycle could be seen as a sign of quality but I'm not sure it actually directly means that. Some do and it can be cool that they do; it can make for a more complex experience. Some don't as much and I'm not clear on that meaning that they're not as good. It gives up one more range of complexity if they don't.
Huang Tian: that mild, warm fruit tone seems to be picking up a hint of dried citrus peel; this tea is better now too. Astringency is limited to contributing a full feel in both of these versions since they're not edgy brewed lightly. Aftertaste isn't insignificant for either but not as pronounced as "gushu" tea versions often can be; it doesn't really stand out. It's as well to take plant age claims with a grain of salt anyway, but often vendors do sell better quality tea as that, whether the plants are actually older or not. In the best case the description matches the tea inputs but in the end it's about results.
Overall intensity is positive in both, and balance and character in general.
Fifth infusion
Ma Hei: not so much change since that last shift in character. This may have picked up a little depth. It's probably just my imagination but it seems to be evolving to be similar to the other in some ways, gaining a hint of warm dried fruit and dried citrus peel, or really that could be a slight lean towards root spice. It's definitely complex.
Huang Tian: this has left off where it was too, maybe with the citrus aspect picking up just a little. It could still be slightly narrower in range than the other version, covering less aspect scope, or less complex, but it has a good bit going on too. The hint of dryness is moderate now but still noticeable.
Conclusions
I never did write this part up with the notes, so it's hard to reach back to the tasting a week ago and clarify a general impression, or place them in relation to each other, or compare value for each, to say if one costing more seemed justified. I liked both.
From the review the Ma Hei didn't necessarily start out as more positive than the other tea but it transitioned to become so, showing more depth and aspect complexity, and moving from a more vegetal nature to include more floral and dried fruit range and more sweetness.
The Huang Tian was a bit less complex but I did like the flavor and profile. It's interesting looking back and seeing it was listed as having a "wild flavor." I'm running through a lot of teas in a row since my kids are on vacation in the US, opening up time to do reviews, and that reminds me of another Vietnamese "wild source / old plant" sheng I've made tasting notes on, and had again a second time with breakfast this morning (or maybe third; I'm not keeping track, and it's not a sample, I bought 200 grams of the tea as maocha). It was really complex and soft, with a lot of fruit, warm tones (it was a 4 year old version, 2015 tea--that can soften and warm character), and a citrus edge. It wasn't all that different than this Yiwu version, at least as general character range goes.
I should probably hold off on saying more until that review but it was sold for $19 for 100 grams, equivalent to around $70 for a full-sized cake. Given how Western vendors bump pricing year to year it would cost about the same as the other more expensive Yiwu version among these two, which equates to $94 for a 357 gram cake. It's not fair to compare pricing and value for another reason, that supply and demand vary, it's not just about comparing tea quality or match to preference (although the last does relate to how you experience a version). Yiwu sheng is in demand and not so many people are even familiar with Vietnamese sheng versions. Kind of a shame, that.
Anyway, these teas I'm actually reviewing here both seemed quite nice, and quite reasonably priced for what they are, obviously pleasant and good-quality tea. I've tried mid-range priced sheng and thought that I could sort of see why the vendor thought the tea should cost over $45 per standard sized cake, and could also relate to why it shouldn't, and this experience wasn't like that. Then again some people just wouldn't spend $60 - 80 on a young sheng cake, and others would scoff at people wanting to drink such cheap tea (and do, in some tea groups). It's all relative.
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happy Easter! it was yesterday anyway. |
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