I've been going on and on about how some South East Asian sheng versions don't have the right character to age well, and here's a chance to look into that further. One sample Steve of Viet Sun passed on with an order from them, and another Wawee Tea passed on with an order from them (many thanks to both!). Let's see how they are.
It's interesting considering vendors' takes on teas, which I typically never review prior to making tasting notes, as I didn't this time either. Here's the Viet Sun listing:
Thượng Sơn 2016 (selling for $98 for a standard 357 gram cake; not bad)
A really nice tea from Thượng Sơn, Hà Giang made in the spring of 2016.
This along with the Thượng Sơn 2022 tea really showcase just how special the Thượng Sơn terroir is.
This tea was made from the same plus a couple of adjacent ancient tree gardens as the Thượng Sơn 2022 and was processed in a smiliar manner.
This tea has been aging in climate controlled storage (around 24-27 degrees Celsius and 70 degrees humidity). It still retains its heady alpine fragrance but has taken on some pleasing camphor and fragrant wood/ caramel notes. Heavy sweetness and low-medium bitterness/ astringency.
Rich huigan and strong qi. Nice tea for evenings and cooler days.
I enjoy drinking this one along with its 2022 counterpart to really get an idea of the transition from the new tea to its current state.
Interesting! Specific interpretation never matches between people passing on impressions but that does match my general take on the tea. It was good; more complex, intense, and positively transitioned than I expected, by a good bit.
I couldn't find any sort of product listing for the Wawee version, and search only brought up this Instagram mention of it:
Wawee Tea 2017 sheng (Pitakvavee Series):
Raw Pu-erh tea, aged 7 years.
Net weight 357 g.
The taste is very sweet and juicy.
So they were selling this as cakes, even though the sample they sent me hadn't been pressed, it was maocha / loose. "Sweet and juicy" isn't much to go on, but I can see if that matches. I've already reviewed this tea, so I know what to expect; here it's more for a point of comparison with the other.
It had aging potential; it's not going to be a version that just fades away, or starts to just taste like wood, as some versions can. I already knew that it was good, and pleasant to drink at this age, even though I end up speculating that this aging / fermentation stage might not be optimum.
Review:
Thuong So Spring 2016 sheng: interesting! Warm mineral base stands out first, and a complex feel structure. This is barely started infusing, so these will just be initial thoughts. It's pretty far through aging transition. Seven years is awhile, but it can just depend on storage conditions, and this was fairly tightly pressed. I've tried decade old sheng that wasn't nearly as far through transition, surely stored under drier conditions.
The general character of this is fine, as it should be, not a case of a sheng version seeming to fade or oxidize more than it fermentation transitions. Feel might include a little extra dryness. It's as well to hold off on flavor list and other judgments until next round. I can add that I've tried a purple leaf version that was among the driest in feel of any teas I've ever had recently, a Yunnan sheng version, and this isn't completely unlike that, just not nearly as intense (that related dry feel).
Wawee Tea 2017 sheng (Pitakvavee Series): much lighter, just in appearance alone. A different mineral base stands out in this, a drier version, which also includes some warm tones. This is going to be a mineral intensive session! Complex flavors and some sweetness is already developing, even though this is barely started. It seems warmer toned than the color implies that it would. Feel has more conventional sheng astringency structure than the other version.
Vietnamese sheng, round 2: brewed tea color evened up in the two versions quite a bit; interesting. There are inconsistent colors in this tea version. The other leaves vary some in color but not like this.
A slight mustiness from storage input (probably) stands out. This is going to infuse and transition differently related this being a hard pressed cake, versus the other maocha. After next round it will be completely wetted but the layered sheets of leaves only came apart so much initially. As a result flavors that would typically transition through over the first two rounds could last into the fourth.
The dryness eases up already, but it's still a dominant aspect. Even next round may be early to determine how this aged, what it might have been like initially, and what potential for further transition remains. Then it's always odd trying teas as 6 and 7 year old versions, really right in between an early 3 or 4 years of transition being favorable and a fuller 15 to 20 year cycle being the next stage it makes sense to experience. I just reviewed two Dayi 7542 versions in a similar age range for the same purpose, to become accustomed to that middle level aging range, to compare versions. Both of these are as soft and approachable as Tie Guan Yin oolong compared to those, a completely different range of tea. Better luck with flavor list breakdown next round, or the one after.
Thai sheng: this is moving through an infusion transition cycle much faster so any direct comparison would be more about that, related to this being maocha, to being fully wetted. It's pleasant. A broad and intense mix of mineral tones stand out, with limited bitterness, moderate but nice sweetness, and other complex flavors.
I think listing flavors next round will still make as much sense, once early round transitions are completely settled out. It tastes of age already, on to old books or furniture related flavors, a bit ahead of schedule. Maybe that's from storage conditions input, that these were stored in a wood paneled room environment? Spending years in a place with lots of very old tea might have entered in as well.
Vietnamese #3 (brewed a little lightly; it seems time to ease up on intensity): complexity keeps ramping up, and the clean character shines through (not that it was musty before, but it picks up depth and richness, and that early dryness is dropping out fast). This is quite nice.
Lighter tones pick up; that's interesting. A hint of something along the line of lemongrass or citrus shines through. It joins plenty of warmer tones, tied to earlier character. Mineral is still a strong base but moderate now, more integrated. I bet a medium strength infusion next round will show completely different character again, which is always an interesting experience, lots of transition that includes adding complexity and overall improvement.
Thai: this becomes more complex too, and also softens some, the transitions just aren't as dramatic as for the other, since it started brewing faster. A green wood tone stands out. It probably sounds better to describe that as a mix of warm and also light mineral base coupled with spice range, identified and broken apart a bit more. The aged character aspect faded some already, but it's still present.
There is no challenging range, as with the 7542 versions I just reviewed, but some edgier feel and flavor range is somewhat comparable, just as such a more moderate level that it's not as much something to endure, or struggle to brew around, as is true of 6 or 7 year old 7542 versions. I'm not sure this is at a fermentation transition stage that makes the most sense, that it wouldn't have been better 3 years ago, or wouldn't be even better yet in another 10.
This tea has (/ had) aging potential; that was and is true of both of these teas. They're just on a completely different cycle than those more intense Yunnan factory sheng, which need a full 20 years of somewhat humid storage (moderate or high) to draw into a more fully aged range, where after 20 you might want to leave it sit a few more years to see how it keeps changing. Related compounds in these teas will also change over a 20 to 25 year cycle, but they're drinkable now, at 6 or 7 years along. Not optimum now; not even close, probably.
Vietnamese, #4: this is really hitting it's stride. The balance of all the aspects works so much better than early rounds. That's not unusual; often the first couple of rounds of a sheng can seem edgy or not developed yet, and harder pressed versions that didn't separate as well might take an extra round. The same aspects are present but it's just much more pleasant and well-balanced. Dryness is all but gone, related to being a dominant aspect early on, falling back to fill in a decent feel structure, that comes across as rich and almost sappy (not quite, but towards that). Mineral and other rich flavor tones fill in, with a brighter and lighter range integrating and complementing that.
It doesn't "break apart" easily. A richer tone might be along the line of a warm spice input, or that and also including something like dried tamarind. The lighter range is subtle, easy to miss, but that leans towards citrus, or maybe lemongrass works better. It's funny how there's a lot going on but it comes across as all one thing, as an integrated set.
Thai: this is the best it has been yet too; both of these teas don't disappoint. A light, dry mustiness is all but completely faded now, integrated with the rest as a secondary input. Warm, rich tones dominate. What had seemed a little like green wood last round has transitioned to a more aromatic wood tone, close to spice range, along the line of cedar. People don't seek out cedar flavor as a favorite in sheng experience but it works in this, balanced with the rest.
Mind you both of these are not peaking at this point in transition, per my interpretation and preference. This is about judging style and potential as much as drinking these for the best aging input representation of these teas. I'm going to skip guessing how humid and warm the conditions were where these were stored; maybe I could make sense speculating about that, but it probably wouldn't add much, or be informative.
[later edit: Steve added that the Vietnamese version was naturally stored, in conditions relating to whatever occurred outside, for two years, and then was in controlled storage the rest of the time, from 24 to 27 degrees held at 70% humidity. There's a good chance the Thai version was naturally stored, at that humidity during the wetter season and a good bit drier otherwise. 27 is air conditioned indoor temperature in Bangkok--around 80 F--but I think up north that can be more of a normal temperature range, and it tends to get much cooler at night].
They're both not the lighter, sweeter, less structured style of sheng that I keep referring to, versions that you should either drink brand new or within 3 or 4 years of aging. Maybe they were fine back then but they still have potential to age transition positively. They give up plenty of intensity to standard factory sheng versions, to Dayi numbered series teas or Xiaguan, but then what doesn't. That's not necessarily a clearly good or bad thing; it depends on preference, and on a final aging result outcome.
Vietnamese, round 5: it is about time to stop drinking these but I might make it through one more round after this one, the one I regret for going too far.
This is quite pleasant. It's interesting how dryness and aged flavor input really stand out immediately, in the first flash of impression, and then richness and other complexity enters in a fraction of a second after, with sweet and light flavors showing through seconds in. Aftertaste expression really ramps up; maybe from a brewing intensity difference?
I wouldn't be surprised if this just keeps on transitioning, if it's different again in 2 or 3 more rounds. We're now into range where that's not necessarily from the cake material taking time to get wet. Variations in the material may be expressing themselves across different times more; it's not completely uniform. That can lead to a tea version not integrating well, or it can provide a unique and interesting balance, and make for an interesting transition cycle. Here it works well, I think. I think it's just a complex and intense tea version too, that the quality is good.
Thai: this seems a bit more uniform, as if it's transitioning from the tea itself offering a different balance of experience across rounds, not from varied material showing through more or less. Leaf color isn't completely uniform in this either though, so that's just a guess. Balance and integration of flavors works better in this than in early rounds too. An early dry edge (not nearly as dry as the other) also faded to change to a complex structure in this.
That cedar wood tone seems to be slowly transitioning towards more of a dried fruit range. A brighter component of that leans a little towards citrus, in this case dried orange peel, where the other might have included a hint of fresh orange, or maybe even lemon. That might work as an example of why this tea would be much better in 6 to 8 more years, or maybe even 10, so that more of that transition could occur. Intensity is moderate now but it's not fading, although both of these may go through a quieter phase before an aspect / character type transition is more complete. Probably they seem less intense than 3 or 4 years ago now due to a similar effect, being in between two places.
.jpg) |
color is way different, with the Viet Sun version (left) more broken |
Vietnamese, #6: it's interesting how this is one year older but also much darker in leaf appearance, in spite of being stored pressed (hard pressed, even, but this sample is from near the center, the "beeng-hole" part, so maybe the rest wasn't). It's not so different that the last description no longer works, not transitioning so much. It really hangs together well; a nice light citrus aspect balances the rest well. Sweetness is ok, not something I've been saying much about, but these aren't very sweet compared to easier to drink younger sheng versions. It's sweet enough to balance positively.
Feel and aftertaste structure are more pleasant in this than the other; maybe it's slightly better for those extra dimensions adding more to it. There's a richness to the flavor set that works well too. I really expected this to be different, to not hold up to 7 years of aging transition this well, to fade more. It could be subtle as a 15 year old version but it won't be mostly faded, and it's definitely not in that range where sheng seems to just be oxidizing instead of fermentation transitioning. I just tried a tea like that within the last couple of days, maybe of comparable age. It wasn't so unpleasant but at least to me that type range and experience form seems quite inferior.
Thai: this isn't really fading but the transition might not be further improvement at this stage; that might have leveled off. The character is pleasant but it gives up a good bit in terms of integration, balance, richness, and aftertaste intensity to the other version. I really expected the exact opposite; this Thai version is not bad, it's holding up and transitioning fairly well. It would be easy to miss that distinction when trying these teas a week or two apart; it would be easy for a preconception or varied judgment to enter in, a mood change or difference from how I'm feeling on any given day. Trying them side by side it's right there to experience; you can't miss it.
It might sound like I'm concluding something that I don't intend, that I'm saying that the Vietnamese tea is much better, and it has a lot more aging potential than the Thai version. I don't know that. They're both in odd places in a transition cycle, half-way through, and they're similar enough in character that a main difference might be how they are shifting just now, not related to final potential. I would guess that this Vietnamese version might be better in another decade, as it seems more positive right now, but that guess could easily be wrong. Time will tell.
Both have pretty good character now, and seem to exhibit decent potential. It's quite possible that the Thai version is a little more muted related to being one year behind, and storage conditions difference could've changed a lot, not necessarily in a way I could identify, but at a guess this Thai version is more like 3 years behind in aging related to storage conditions difference.
Conclusions:
Interesting! Both are pleasant, both seem to show good aging potential. I don't own any more of the Vietnamese version and very little of the Thai is left, so maybe I'll never know.
One important generality to emerge is that I keep expressing how a range of styles of South East Asian teas seem to have a character best enjoyed young, within 3 or 4 years, or maybe even new or rested for a year or two, and that doesn't cover everything produced. I suspect the other Wawee Tea version I bought this year may be similar, that it's going to be better in 15 years than it is just now. In a sense that's great; good aging potential makes for fantastic tea, later on. In a different sense it's a bit sad, because I loved the 2022 version rested only for a half a year to a year, and it was fantastic to drink at that stage.
It would be nice if I could specify what inputs and outputs led to that character difference, but all this isn't headed there. Varying initial oxidation during processing, differences in sha qing / kill-green step; who knows? That's part of what makes sheng pu'er experience so interesting (or "pu'er-style" teas), that the broad range of complexity variations don't necessarily end when you try the brewed teas, with aging shifting what you experience over time.
To me the Vietnamese version is better, as these stand now, and it's really down to a guess if the Thai version will be similar in character and as good in 2 or 3 more years when it catches up in terms of fermentation transition (catches up to the where the Vietnamese version is now; it will always be behind).
More input enters in related to how the later rounds went; the Vietnamese version stayed just as intense and transitioned positively over a number of additional rounds. It had a nice brandy-like quality, related to how those aspects came together. The Thai version stayed about the same. Based on this it sounds like the Vietnamese version was just better, and more suitable for aging, but again the Thai tea could be a but muted related to where it stands in the transition cycle. Only trying it in three more years would tell that story. I suspect it will be much improved, but maybe not quite as intense or complex, but that's just a guess.
No comments:
Post a Comment