Comparing exceptional Vietnamese and Taiwanese white teas

 

Vietnamese tea left, Taiwanese right, in all photos

I'm comparison reviewing Vietnamese and Taiwanese white teas, a Lai Chau Deep Forest White, from 2024, from Viet Sun, and a Lishan Taiwanese White, from 2022, from Tea Mania.

After getting a bit bogged down in describing how medium level aging concerns work out for sheng pu'er in a last post I want to keep this simple.  It will be about what I think of the experienced aspects, not about aging, trueness to type, regional background differences, or anything else beyond what is in the cups.  One of these is two years old, and one is from this year, and I won't really speculate on whatever difference that might have made.

There's some risk I'll like one more than the other, then maybe I'll complicate this talking about varying preferences for aspects, but I don't want to take that sort of theme very far either.  Writing a simple review would be nice.  As usual vendor page citations say what they are:

Lai Châu Deep Forest White Spring 2024  ($29 per 100 grams)

A beautiful and unique tea from ancient non-Sinensis varietal tea trees growing wild at altitudes of 2200-2500m in Phong Thổ, Lai Châu. The people living and making tea in this area are of the Dao ethnicity.

The raw leaves used to make this tea take on shades of red, purple and green with a glossy look and every tree produces leaves with a different appearance. You can also find leaves that look different on individual trees. Picking the leaves to make this tea requires a long walk into the forest and climbing up very tall tea trees. This is only possible on days with good weather.

This tea brews up into a clear golden soup. The fragrance and flavor is stone fruit fruity and floral with cane sugar, orchid and mountain forest notes. This tea has a lingering “purple effect” common in many wild varietal white teas like this and a strong but relaxing qi. No bitterness or astringency.

I like to brew this one at 90C for the first few steeps and then gradually increase to 100C during later steeps.

Interesting, that this isn't from Camelia Sinensis.  It definitely tastes unique.  For once my flavor description of it is pretty close to Steve's.  Very similar descriptions can relate to slightly different interpretations of the same flavors, but this matches better than usual.  

I don't know about the relaxing qi; I tried it along with another tea.  I suppose it was nice not getting blasted as I do when comparing sheng versions, but that experience is nice in a different sense too.

Lishan White (25 CHF / $29.44 for 50 grams)

This white tea is also an absolute rarity and we were only able to get hold of a few grams. The tea leaves come from Qingxin bushes which grow on the Lishan. The tea has an abundance of pleasant aromas with a floral and full-bodied character. The high altitude results in a much more intense and complex aroma which is normally not found in a white tea.

Harvest: Summer 2022

Taste: Full-bodied and complex

Terroir: Lishan, Taiwan

Preparation: Per serving approx. 2g, temperature approx. 75°C,  time 1 – 2 minutes

There are a few things to unpack there.  I'd brew it hotter; why not?  It really is one of the most unique white teas I've tried, maybe even more novel than this Vietnamese version, although both were absolutely different than any versions I remember trying before.  

60 cents a gram is a bit much, but then this tea probably is a type that barely even exists.  And it's unusually high in quality level, pleasant to experience, and from a high demand production area, where above average oolongs would command a decent price.  That price seems reasonable.

Review:

Lai Chau Deep Forest White:  the dry leaf scent is very deep, rich, sweet, and fruity.  Brewed it doesn't match that dry scent intensity; I may need to go a little longer on the next round.  I did brew these for 20-some seconds, so a bit, but I can push them for 30 to 40, given proportion is a little lower than I usually use.

Sweetness and fruit is evident in this.  It's complex; it tastes a bit like peach or apricot, but there's a lot more going on than that.  It might include grape as well, but not the modern grocery store grape range, more like the older Concord type used to make juice in the past.  Or I think that was a broad type range; I'm not completely caught up on types of grapes.  Mineral range includes a touch of savory quality, and significant sweetness makes it all balance well.

Lishan White:  I was concerned this might just be too subtle to hold its own but the opposite occurred instead; there's a strong spice range in this that's more intense than all of the character of the other.  It includes cinnamon, but it may extend beyond cinnamon.  Sweetness is pleasant; that works.  Beyond that there is other range but it's hard to identify at this stage, maybe a few minor supporting themes.  I'll push both a little harder and try to add more breakdown.

Lai Chai #2:  that picks up a lot of warmth and depth.  Flavors are so complex that it's hard to get it to separate out as a list of impressions.  There's a lot of fruit, all mixing together as one theme.  Again one part is in between peach and apricot, and grape doesn't stand out as much, but a hint of citrus does.  Warm tones are along the line of dry autumn leaf.  Sweetness is good, and feel is rich enough that it adds to the experience of overall complexity.  It would be a shame to swap out those brighter tones by aging this but it has enough depth already that it might work well to; that might increase further.

It's strange how when I try a little later, after tasting the other, when it's quite cool, the grape flavor comes back.  It tastes like grape bubblegum, more than actual grapes, like the old Hubba-Bubba version, or something such.

Lishan:  it's crazy tasting this much spice in a white tea.  This could actually include some cinnamon (it doesn't; I mean the impression is that clear and strong).  Feel might be even a little richer and fuller than for the other version, kind of velvety.  Sweetness level is comparable for the two, high enough to add to overall complexity, and a good level to support the balance.

It's strange how complex this comes across, even though the set of flavors is kind of bundled within a limited range.  There might be a general floral range beyond the spice, and a touch of fruit.  Warm tones are a main part of the overall balance, that spice range, and some mineral, with floral and fruit brighter.  Then as a secondary supporting input the floral and fruit range is less distinct, but it still plays a pronounced role in the overall impression.  Spice seems to include a hint of fennel seed, other warmer, towards-savory range.  These are some pretty interesting teas.

Lai Chau, #3:  there's a depth to this that's hard to describe.  I probably mean different things by that when I say it about different teas; that probably doesn't help.  There's a good bit of fruit, shifting now to warmer tones, but other deeper warm range really picks up, from the earlier mineral base and autumn leaf aspects.  It gives up some higher end, sweeter and more forward notes related to that shift, but it's pleasant.

Lishan:  this stays more consistent, evolving less.  I suppose there may be a shift to slightly warmer tones, brought on by round transition, and probably going slightly longer on the infusion time, but it's not so different than earlier.  It's interesting how flavor complexity and fullness of feel work together to make this seem complex.  That's true of the other tea version too, but in a different way, and a different sense.  

This includes fullness of feel more like oolong range can express.  There's a bright, sweet floral and mineral oriented note--a flavor set, I guess--that seems to tie it together with local origin oolong flavor range.  The other tea might be more complex, in terms of covering more flavor scope, and other aspect range, but this has a good bit more depth.  Some warmer range fills in complexity, and it comes across as quite refined.

They both brewed a few more pleasant rounds, but I left off taking notes here.

Conclusions:

These are both unusually good.  I kind of didn't expect that, since I didn't read the descriptions before trying them.  The Vietnamese version shows that interesting character in dry leaf scent, so much fruit, but the Lishan version doesn't as much.  It's interesting considering how they seem in light of those descriptions.  

The Vietnamese version does seem novel enough that it makes sense that's it's different plant type, but it doesn't include any of the sourness edge that can come up in those, even purple leaf versions, which I think are just a variant of Assamica.  Purple tea can taste a little like grapes, sometimes.

The Lishan version was really unique, complex, and refined.  White teas can lack flavor complexity and intensity, but these didn't.  Feel structure is often quite limited, but the Lishan version even covered that.  Both expressed so much depth that I didn't necessarily miss the intensity and edge that I usually experience drinking sheng more often.  

Someone could have drank a lot of more standard form Chinese white teas in the past, and like them, and feel that either of these really opened a door on new experience range for them.

Tea Tracks Zhang Jia Wan (2018) and Nan Nuo Shan (2016) sheng pu'er

 

Nan Nuo right, in all photos

I'm reviewing two more sheng pu'er from Tea Tracks, passed on by Jan, a friend who owns that (many thanks!).  

One part that looked interesting about these was how aging would factor in, since they're from 2016 and 2018, definitely not fully aged teas.  It should be interesting seeing how far along they are, and how it affects the experience at this point.  I broke normal form and checked the product descriptions before trying them, in order to avoid trying two teas together that make no sense as a tasting session set, which comes up sometimes.  They are these:

Zhang Jia Wan 2018 - 张家湾  ($127 USD, 114 Euro for 200 gram cake, also sold by sample)

Zhang Jia Wan is a village in the Yiwu mountains close to the border to Laos. This tea is made of ancient tree material (gu shu, 古树). This is an exciting tea! While it has the fruity characteristics of other Yiwu teas,  it can show a bit bolder side after a few steeps. It starts off mildly and flowery and turns into a bitter sweet fruity brew. 

After a few years of natural storage in Jinghong, in the southern part of Yunnan, it has hardly any astringency and produces a light, yet long lasting aftertaste.

Nan Nuo Shan 南糯山 2016  ($47 USD, 42.50 Euro for 200 gram cake, also sold per 25 grams)

This tea is from younger bushes in Nan Nuo Shan. Seven years of controlled storage in Jinghong has smoothed out the edges of it and it makes now a very enjoyable brew. 

It has a sweet and flowery aroma and a fruity taste. In the long aftertaste are hints of citrus. This tea has a nice uplifting energy. 

Taste:  Fruity with a long aftertaste

Trees:  Bushes （小木 xiao mu)

Origin:  Nan Nuo Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

Harvest:  Early spring 2016

The description of the Nan Nuo version character is just what I like in sheng; this may not be a fair test for this tea, in comparison with that one.  To some extent I can break down other quality level oriented factors, beyond my own preference, but it's easiest to describe what I like or don't like about the teas.

Review:

Zhan Jia Wan:  it's ok initially, but it's also seemingly in an odd place for transition.  Bitterness and astringency is gone, to the extent these had been present, but sweeter floral tones don't stand out either.  It's headed into a flatter sort of character, I suppose closest to wood flavor range, but that's really not it.  Mineral base is still nice, and there is some complexity, and decent balance, but early on overall range is a bit limited.

Six years along for a tea is well beyond the initial partial aging cycle, where teas vary in character some over the first 2 or 3 years, or maybe 4, but still express an altered early form.  People describe what they see as "awkward teen years" for sheng aging differently, and that really depends on the tea, and on the storage conditions.  If you want a 6 year old tea to seem younger dry storage input could be better.  If you want it to resemble a decade worth of age (under cooler and drier storage conditions) then warmer and more humid storage would be better.  I think in the long run a gradual middle ground is best, as in Taiwan and Hong Kong, but then you often need to allow for 15 to 20 years for a relatively full transition cycle to occur, and probably longer in some cases.

Yunnan storage can be fine, as this mentions.  I suppose conditions right where it was would factor in, since elevation could change temperature, micro-climate can affect humidity, and so on.

Nan Nuo:  warm mineral stands out in this too.  It's stronger; I may well have used slightly more, but it also seems to just be brewing a little faster.  I have really liked some versions of Nan Nuo origin sheng related to those being very fruity, but I'm not noticing it so much in this.  8 years is a long time for transition; even more of the earlier character range would have shifted, from lighter and sweeter floral and fruity range on to heavier earthier range, maybe not earthy in the sense of peat, but on to more spice tones and such.

I have some teas that are around that middle range, 6 to 8 years old, that I try from time to time, but it's not the most familiar range to me.  I lose track of what versions were like earlier, or in some cases what teas even are, if labeling is extra plain.  This leads back to the theme of making it hard to judge these against my personal preference; I drink medium aged sheng, but I usually like brand new or versions at or under 4 years old better.  That's for more drinkable teas, of course; I'll drink Xiaguan tuo tea when it's 6 to 10 years old to have an atypical experience, sometimes, but that's a bit harsh.

Zhang Jia Wan #2:  depth and complexity really pick up; this may not be fully hitting its stride until next round.  It's still in that subtle, somewhat narrow range though.  To me this is just how Yiwu often works out; it transitions to taste like cured hay, or mild floral range, like chrysanthemum, with good depth, and pleasant fullness and supporting mineral base, but also limited flavor range.  Then there's always the concern that maybe I've not tried the best of the best Yiwu versions yet, and that's almost certainly the case, but I've tried a lot of Yiwu presented as quite good quality versions, many of them aged to different degrees.

Sweetness is pretty good for it falling into this character type, of course nothing like in younger versions.  Feel is rich enough.  Aftertaste experience is significant, but with flavor range so limited there isn't that much to carry over.  I think pretty good medium aged Yiwu can often be like this; it can age to lose a lot of intensity.  It comes up in discussion that some of that can come back, that once a tea switches over to a different character later, after more aging transition, the effect can be higher intensity across a completely different aspect range.

Nan Nuo:  complexity and intensity pick up a little in this version in this round too (I guess that I said depth in the last case; it's similar, if still a little different).  I really want to notice fruit in this, but at most it leans a little towards dried fruit range, like apricot.  A tone that's in between warm mineral, spice, and a medicinal character is stronger; it hints towards how older, more transitioned teas work out.  

This isn't rough-edged at all, although it will smooth out some more and gain more depth over the following years.  Body is more structured than in the other version; it comes across more as a dryness.  This would probably be a good tea version to get to drink a little of now, to experience how it is, but to hold onto for 2 or 3 more years.  It's really close to having a more fully aged character; it won't take long.  For being 8 years old that seems to relate to transitioning relatively fast.

Quality level seems pretty good for both of these; it's more about where the character ends up right now in an aging transition cycle, related to how much someone would like either.  For a lot of sheng drinkers it's also about how they might like either in the future.  I probably would have liked this version more 4 years ago, as it had been at the end of its youth.  It's probably shifting towards having a new form of appeal, and it's ok now, but it also seems a bit in-between, hence that teen analogy.  

My son is 15, soon to be 16, right in the middle, and teenagers can get an unfairly bad image.  Sure he's a bit silly, and can be annoying, but it's a fascinating life phase, pulling it all together as he is now.  He's still a sweet boy.  Maybe he is awkward in some ways that are similar to this tea, still sorting out what he's going to be, and what he is right now.

ZJW #3:  there is a depth to this tea that I've not done justice to describing.  Adding a lot of flavor and feel related adjectives may or may clarify that.  So far I've said that the flavor resembles cured hay, and mild floral range, probably understating a mineral input.  

I clicked through to another blog review cited on the vendor listing (might as well, since I've parted with the standard limited input approach), and that cited "mossy" as a main flavor input.  That works.  I could imagine others interpreting it as tied to forest floor, or even some variation of autumn leaf, but to me mossy works better.  It's not vegetal, but to me moss stands in between the vegetal, earthy, and spice ranges, drawing on mineral input as well.

Nan Nuo:  actual bitterness enters in, along with a varied form of vegetal input, more towards a woody tone.  Feel is much more structured and drier.  That's probably better than it sounds, but I'm still thinking that this has the potential to bridge to an interesting and pleasant aged character relatively quickly, within another 3 or 4 years.  I had said 2 to 3 last round; intensity and structure picked up a little.

I suppose there would be sheng drinkers who have learned to really appreciate medium-aged tea versions, and then they would have their own individual preferences, and either of these could be regarded as very pleasant, right now.  It could be that only one would be judged as such, and the other not, and that different people would land on opposite conclusions, liking a different one better.  

They're fine, to me, but I've adjusted to younger sheng preference, to appreciating high sweetness and floral and fruit flavor level, at the cost of that adjoining more intense bitterness and astringency.  These probably never were quite bitter teas, in the sense standard Lincang or Menghai versions more often are.  That's just a guess, of course, and I'm not the best person for that sort of speculation.

ZJW #4:  I drank a good bit of water to clear my palate after that last round, not noticing that intensity of bitterness and residual sweetness had built up so much.  I took a break then, out checking on the garden.

This reminded me of considering why I like sheng pu'er more than other tea types, in part related to drinking really good Dan Cong recently, a review I'll finish and post here first.  That tea was just as complex in flavor as almost any sheng, more so than these, with great intensity and depth, and quite good refined character.  To some extent overall intensity isn't the same across pretty much all oolongs  though, the way that sheng builds up to be such an intense experience, even beyond the frequent intense flavors and mouthfeel.  

For that sampling experience, and maybe for drinking 50 to 100 grams of a tea, that Dan Cong was just as interesting and pleasant as any kind would be, in relation to my preference, but later on I would crave the other levels of intensity.  That happens with black tea too, but for whatever reason I keep returning to black tea, as a favorite simpler form to experience in between whatever else I get to.

Back to this tea, mineral depth seems all the stronger.  That mossy description fits even better for that.  Still, sweetness and other complexity is fine, it's just subtle, more of the cured hay or mild floral flavor range.  It's odd how one might associate that with having more of an aged character than the other tea, which is two years older.  It definitely shifted to an age-progressed form a little faster, maybe related to being less challenging in character earlier on.

Nan Nuo:  mineral tone is stronger in this too, but in a completely different form.  It's more along the line of rusted metal.  It works better than it sounds, because there is other range adding depth to that primary experience input.  Aftertaste experience is pretty decent for both, but then if someone doesn't love the flavor range while drinking the tea they might not love what carries over either.  

Again I'm guessing that this has good potential as a more aged version, in not so long, within a few more years.  It might be better yet in 5 or 6, more refined, not the most intense or complex form of aged sheng, but in a range that works.  All depending on preference, of course.  

Higher quality, more boutique style oriented teas tend to be more approachable and to land in a much different place than "factory teas" after significant aging.  I just re-tried a CNNP / Zhongcha sheng pu'er version from way back when that's familiar to many, a 2007 CNNP 8891 cake, one Yunnan Sourcing must have sold a shipping container worth of by now, that I first reviewed in April of 2019.  It's finally ready to drink, 17 years after it was made, after spending 5 years in Bangkok and at least most of a dozen in Guangdong, in relatively humid conditions, just not like here.

ZJW #5:  a more distinct floral note emerges; this is interesting.  It's pretty much in the range one might expect, light and sweet, but with some intensity and complexity.  I wonder why that stands out a little more now?  Natural variation in what extracts across rounds, I guess.  But in general that sort of range would be more pronounced earlier, shifting to warmer and deeper scope later on.  Sometimes early astringency or harsher edges can wear off, but that usually happens fast, in the first few rounds, and this wasn't really harsh at all.  

Nan Nuo:  a medicinal spice range tone picks up in this version, starting to shift a little towards aromatic bark spice, or incense spices.  This is more or less what I was guessing this might show in another 2 or 3 years of aging, but I just needed to wait a couple of rounds to get to an early version of it.  It's interesting how that relates to a different mouthfeel and aftertaste range, how this coats your tongue and mouth in an interesting way.  I wonder when the product review was written?  If those notes are from this year I suppose that I just disagree with that interpretation, but if it ties to an earlier and less age-transitioned form it tells a different story, of a tea going through some changes.

Interpreting the aftertaste as including citrus makes more sense now, in reference to that product listing description.  For this changing as much as it has over the last three rounds it might shift a bit more yet.  The other version goes through a more limited and subtle cycle of changes across rounds.  Tied directly to experienced aspects the drier feel range and heavier mineral input in this version (warmer in tone; maybe less different in terms of intensity) there is aspect range and limitations to like or dislike in both, again depending on preference.  

I would expect the Yiwu / Zhang Jia Wan to just keep fading from here, retaining good depth for an extended time, but already being limited in flavor intensity.  This Nan Nuo version should shift in character; to me that edgier dryness of feel and heavier mineral could represent potential.

Conclusions:

These probably have one more shift in character to express, in this infusion sequence, but ten cups of them is a lot.  I discount, or even reject, valuing drug-like feel experience in teas, cha qi, or however one puts that, but to some extent I probably value that too, along with other intensity.  But it can also be too much, and I can never write notes on trying a full cycle of two sheng versions at the same time.

Quality seems good for these teas, and character seems in order for what they are.  Age transition might be a little ahead of normal schedule, related to some teas being stored drier, but in general that's probably a good thing.  They're not rushed for age transition as occurs here in Bangkok, where intense heat and humidity push that pace, probably a little beyond what is optimum.  The story of these teas seems to be about where they'll be in another 2 or 3 years, although it's quite possible that someone might love them at this stage.

Adding a little more about the pros and cons of partly aged teas seems in order.  One part I've stated; someone could prefer tea aspects at that stage, but others would not.  Then it's an alternative to buying fully aged tea versions, which could be problematic related to both available selection and price.  I've tried more older teas that weren't great than that were quite positive, and buying really good versions from a reliable curator vendor would come at a premium cost.  

Gambling on inexpensive medium-level aged versions, not presented as exceptional quality, has also not landed on great results, typically.  That one CNNP 8891 cake was pretty good, when I last tried it, but it probably wouldn't be ready yet if held in dry storage.  I really meant buying inexpensive cakes; that CNNP would be more mid-range.  These teas are of better quality, and a different style range; it's a different kind of case.  I personally don't love aged Yiwu enough to justify the cost of one, but others do, and the Nan Nuo version shows a lot of promise.  If it does age-transition to become exceptional, over however many years that takes, it's value would be significantly higher, and it may not take that many more years.

These are part of a Tea Tracks pu'er sampler set; I guess trying different versions to see what they think would make sense, versus buying one of these based on someone else's impression.  There are black teas in that set, which I think Jan passed on samples of; those should be interesting too.

Tea Mania Da Wu Ye Dan Cong oolong

I'm reviewing a Dan Cong sample passed on by Peter, the owner of Tea Mania, on his visit here not so long ago.  I expected this tea version to be pretty good but it exceeded my expectations.  It's this:

 

Da Wu Ye, 2020,  $28 for 50 grams

Da Wu Ye is a little known Dan Cong oolong from Fenghuang. That’s too bad because Da Wu Ye is one of our favorites. It is characterized by its particularly fruity aroma which is underlaid with a subtle fragrance of flowers. This type of oolong is also called Phoenix Dan Cong and can be infused several times.

Dan Cong Oolong is grown on the slopes of the Pheonix mountains around the city Fenghuang together with other crops and is partly wild. Through this high biodiversity are pest naturaly controlled and the use of pesticides is unnecessary. The Phoenix Mountain range extends between a height of 300 and up to 1500m. The climate with an average temperature of 22°C is considered mild.

Tea production in Chaozhou has a thousand year old tradition and the historical knowledge of the art of tea is passed on from generation to generation. This tea is grown by the family Cha Xiang Si Hai from Fenghuang and thanks to a centuries-old knowledge processed to a superior oolong. The whole family is involved in the harvest and also in the entire tea production. The tea is still traditionally processed like in times of Lu Yu: The leaves are withered and dried in bamboo trays and then roasted over charcoal fire.

Through the high oxidation and the strong roasting is this Dan Cong good storable and particularly interesting for connoisseurs who like to mature vintage teas.

Harvest: Spring 2020

Taste: fruity and flowery-fresh

Oxidation: approx. 50%

Origin: Tianzhukeng in Fenghuang, Chaozhou, China

I don't go into detail on it in the review, indirectly mentioning it, but producers will sometimes age oolong versions with a slightly higher roast level, because that can fade in a more optimum way over time.  Not for 5 or 10 years, nothing like a sheng pu'er transition; the teas settle over a few years.  I think that's one part of why the balance of this version seems pretty close to ideal right now.  

Review:

First infusion:  just wonderful, fruity, intense, smooth, refined, with great depth.  And this is just the first round.  Dan Cong is a special category range to me, and good Dan Cong is almost a different kind of thing than just decent Dan Cong.

Floral range is strong; this has that perfume-like quality that marks out better Dan Cong versions.  It also leans towards the flavor of a very ripe peach.  Astringency input is quite moderate.  That may be due in part to this being four years old, to aging a bit, but then the harsh astringency that people sometimes associate with Dan Cong has more to do with average or below average quality versions.  My guess is that lower elevation, higher production versions are pushed a bit for output, requiring use of more chemical fertilizer input, which doesn't help the overall character.  But I really don't know.

Oxidation level and roast input are so well balanced in this that it's hard to even notice those parts.  It couldn't integrate any better than it does; it also couldn't express more refinement or depth.  It makes you wonder just how good this is, on the scale of all that's out there.  I couldn't say, but I'd guess that it's pretty far up that scale.  Sweetness is perfect, feel is rich, a pleasant fruit and warm floral range hangs around after you drink the tea.  It's complex but it comes across as simple, because it's all so integrated.

#2:  Intensity picks up, even though I brewed this quickly.  It's odd not having negative character aspects to brew around, but flavor intensity itself potentially being higher than optimum, needing to adjust brewing time to limit it related to that.  Floral range is something else this round.  It's complex floral scope; the right person could list a few flower types that go into it.  I would guess that orchids and lavender stand out, but taste-memory of floral tones isn't one of my strengths.

So why don't I drink more Dan Cong?  I don't buy tea that costs over 50 cents a gram, due to budget limitations, and this really should run a good bit higher than that [later edit:  it's right about that; a pretty good deal, for as good as this is].  I can get more moderate quality versions here in my favorite Chinatown shop (Jip Eu) at pretty standard specialty tea pricing, maybe $15 for 100 grams.  

Also sheng pu'er ruins me for oolong experience.  I think it's due to the intensity being dialed up for that type in a different way; flavor hits hard, feel is intense, sweetness and bitterness balance each other, and there might even be a cha qi / body feel theme that I tend to discount, but probably really do appreciate, on some level.  

This Dan Cong experience is probably more amazing because it's been awhile since I've had Dan Cong, probably longer since I've had a really good version of it.  But if I drank this a half dozen times I'd probably crave that other intensity.  It's like anything else, that if a little is good more is better; the rush from intense exercise, food experience going further and further, movie taste turning to more and more intense characters, more developed stories and action.  

It's probably all a bad habit, on some level, always wanting more.  Varying forms of resets could offset developed tolerance, that causes this pattern.  I do keep food experience simple; there's that.  I'm concerned about maintaining my body, so I eat a plain but balanced input of fruits, vegetables, grains, limited meat, dairy, eggs, and some nuts and seeds.  But then even trying to be healthier and healthier could get a little out of control.

Infusion 3:  brewed faster, under 10 seconds this time, even though this must be about 6 or 7 grams, it's also pleasant lighter.  Floral and fruit range is still intense.  That would offset astringency input, if there was more of that.  It's down to rich feel, which works.  Aftertaste still comes out, even brewed light.

It's hard for me to imagine anyone not loving this.  For lots of tea versions I get a bit tripped up explaining how I either do or don't like an aspects set and overall experience, but others may or may not.  I guess if someone acclimated to a limited, heavier, more challenging range maybe they just couldn't relate.  If they mostly drank shou pu'er maybe it would be too light, and too sweet.  Who would mostly drink shou pu'er?  It can be fine as a main preference but not as a main basis for a tea habit.

Again oxidation and roast inputs are so well balanced in this that they're invisible.  Of course it should balance exactly like this.  I wonder how it would've been different 4 years ago?  Maybe it included a touch more edge, and forward intensity stood out, now swapped out for that plus depth?

#4:  I'll brew this a little longer and let note taking go.  The point of these posts is to tell the main story, not all of the story.  It could transition a little but I doubt that's a main theme for this tea version.  For sure the quality level will hold up, and it will be worth it to keep stretching rounds as long as they keep up.

Stronger flavors are drawn out brewing it stronger (approaching 20 seconds).  Not just more intensity, but depth of warm mineral and richer aromatic spice range extract, and feel gains some structure, maybe even a limited edge.  For a sheng drinker not much edge, but it gives it a different form of balance.  

I've spoken in the past about a liqueur-like quality that some better twisted style oolongs express, along the lines of cognac, and this exhibits that.  I see it as a "quality marker."  All the aspects in this are quality markers; it falls into a great balance, with good intensity in all the right spots.  I could write a few poetic sentences on aftertaste experience alone, but it's hard to capture, even using symbolic language.  

As I walk out in the driveway here, filled with walls of plants, and fragrant flowering tropical vines, at certain times of the day, when rain input is right, the scent is so strong that you almost feel it in addition to smelling it.  It's a bit like that.  My mother-in-law, the owner and creator of these gardens, after her earlier family started them generations ago, sees that sweet floral intensity as too strong, as unpleasant for being too much.  I really don't; the plants have their own reasons for expressing themselves with so much intensity, and that's a marvel to me.

you can't see it in this but the plant in the front-center is loaded with chili peppers

In conclusion the tea is great.

It's odd saying it but for about 50 cents a gram this tea is also a great value, or so it seems to me.  You could probably buy plenty of other versions from curator vendors, going on and on about how special, complex, refined, and rare their Dan Cong versions were, and not experience tea this good. Some aspect in it could be dialed up just a little, here or there, but the refinement, complexity, depth, and balance are really something.

To play the devil's advocate, to turn that around and consider possible limitations, no individual aspects are all that unusual in this, and it's not that far off normal Mi Lan Xiang character, so I could imagine someone seeing this as better than average but still ordinary.  In a sense I would even agree.  It's how it all balances that really makes the experience, how every part is really nice, and they combine well together.

Tips on seated meditation

 

I'm working on a book on Buddhism; I guess this is my first public announcement of that.  These ideas I'm sharing here aren't directly about all of that scope, but it definitely overlaps.  I recommended in an online group that someone try out meditation in order to help them with memory and mental focus problems, along with getting their sleep in order, and exercising.  

That was in a Reddit thread here, in an interesting group about "biohacking."  Lots of those people take a lot of new and even relatively experimental supplements or drugs, but it also relates to other kinds of scope, basics, like adjusting sleep, diet, and exercise inputs.  I don't take random supplements or drugs, but it's interesting hearing about all that.

That person asked for tips or starting points on how to meditate, and I commented this:

Sure, along with the usual framing limitations. I tried practicing on my own a long time ago, and then did formal training when I was ordained as a Thai Buddhist monk, for two months, but all that is still limited. And there are different forms of meditation, etc.

Keeping it simple could help. It's probably best to try conventional seated meditation, "cross-legged," because that form is functional, but if you have a problem you could try in a chair instead. Not the lotus position, that most people's legs won't do, ordinary sitting. I'm going to explain why you might have problems, and how to work around them. That's beyond having a "bad hip" or whatever else; that is whatever it is. People carry tension in their bodies and it's essentially almost unnatural to try to remain motionless. It makes the tension in your body intensify, creating a feedback loop of feeling tense, feeling stress from tension, and so on. I'm only talking about sitting cross-legged for 10 or 15 minutes, early on; nothing too taxing. Still, it will probably feel unfamiliar.

Watching your breathing and relaxing it makes all the difference. Your breathing actually connects fairly directly with your mental state. Usually the link goes one way, and happiness or stress causes relaxed stomach breathing or tense, choppier, faster, upper chest breathing (respectively). You can practice and make it go the other way; you can adjust your breathing to adjust mental state. To meditate you only need to relax a bit, pay some attention to your breathing, and acknowledge random trains of thought as they come up, and let them go. In the very beginning your mind will be a bit noisy, but it will settle some. You can practice mental calmness while you walk too; that will help.

A limited amount of shifting around won't change anything, repositioning yourself. Later less will be required. If you can get to where you can do 15 minutes and it isn't a problem you can keep going, but beyond a half an hour things get harder, and there's no need to push it. Definitely set a timer, otherwise you'll keep guessing how long it will be, or looking at a clock. You can sit on something, a thin mat, a pillow, whatever, but it will be helpful to learn to let your body structure shift to a comfortable position, versus making a thicker cushion do the work. You are calming your body and mind at the same time. Your body's weight should settle into how your skeleton rests; that's a part of it.

Why do it? It seems reasonable to ask, even important to. It's not a wrong answer just to see what comes of it. It will relax your mind and give you more patience and focus throughout your day, but the process is slow enough that if you watch for it you'll be disappointed. Over a month of practicing every other day there might be some change. It takes more mental focus and causes more stress than it seems it might. That mostly drops out not so long in, but it's like how people are when they first try out running. They suck at it, and it's unpleasant. Later you can relax into it and it's familiar. You figure out what works for you.

I would avoid music, or any background noise, but some is fine. Your own mind will be noisy enough. There's a tipping point past which it's a lot more comfortable. In some training forms they might do more with breathing (just breath from your stomach, in a very relaxed fashion, a bit on the slow side). One approach alternates walking and seated meditation. I'd just sit, not too much, daily if it works out to. No need for too much pressure; skipping a day won't matter. If you feel very tense, sweat a lot, or feel pain you just need to relax more. It will bump your body temperature a little, the extra effort, more than it seems that it would. You don't have to be good at it, or put a lot of time in, or experience a quiet mind, for it to feel pleasant. Maybe just more so after you finish.

The rest of what I'm writing, the book that I mentioned, isn't mostly practical guidance like that, but one section is roughly exactly that, those ideas.  Then it's funny how the audience that you imagine or speak to changes how you frame and communicate the ideas, so the form wouldn't be identical.

The rest is about other interesting experiences with Buddhism, and about my own take on what Buddhism is supposed to be, how core teachings can be put into practice.  A long time ago I experienced a high degree of disruption in my life and looked into all sorts of explanations of what the human condition was all about, and how to make positive changes, and within a couple of years I gradually focused almost entirely on Buddhism.  It works.  Earlier on I was reading philosophy, psychology, random New Age oriented themes, whatever I ran across.

I have two degrees in studying philosophy and religion (and one in industrial engineering); that's related.  That came later though; it was more a part of trying to communicate what I had learned, over many years of study and practice, which ultimately didn't work out.  Now I'm trying again, and if communicating through writing a book doesn't work out I can live with that, but I feel compelled to try.  It could help people.

no need to make that face, but this is basically it

Tea Tracks Beng Long and Wa Long sheng pu'er

 

A tea friend, Jan, started his own vending business some years ago, based in the Netherlands, and he just sent some samples for me to try.  It's mostly pu'er, it seems; perfect for what I like.

As usual I've written notes without looking at details, and since these names don't ring a bell I only knew that it was sheng pu'er.  They're pretty good, so it's interesting going back to see what they actually are:

Beng Long 蚌龙 2022 (21.80 Euro for 100 grams; $24.20 USD)

Beng Long is a village in Menghai, Xishuangbanna. This tea is made from 50 - 70 year old trees, that grow on an elevation of 1800m in a good natural environment. The tea has been stored as Mao Cha for a year in Jinghong before being pressed into small 100g cakes.

We tried this tea multiple times as Mao Cha (unpressed Puerh) and felt it being great as a tea for traveling or a daily drinker.  

Taste:  Probably one of our more upfront bitter teas giving a good energy.

Trees:  50 - 70 year old tress growing in a natural environment

Origin:  Beng Long (village), Menghai, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

It really is kind of bitter, but that might be toning down some after 2 years.  This "daily drinker" theme is interesting; that must mean different things to different people.  This tea is a lot better than that price implies, and if someone takes "daily drinker" to mean decent factory tea this is lots better than that.  But then all that is in the notes.

Wa Long 瓦竜 2022  (65.40 Euro for 100 grams; $72.55)

Wa Long is a village in the Man Zhuan area (close to Yi Wu, Xishuangbanna). This tea is made from mostly from ancient tree (gu shu) material. The trees are growing in a national forest in a very good environment.

This tea starts out with gentle floral notes and gets a bit more bitter over time. It has a mind clearing and relaxing effect.

This tea has been stored as loose leaf tea (mao cha) for one year in Jinghong before being pressed into 100g cakes.

Taste:  Gentle floral notes

Trees:  Old and ancient trees (gu shu) growing in a natural environment

Origin:  Wa Long (village), Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

Harvest:  Early spring 2022

I tried both together; in a sense that's to compare versions directly, but also just to write half as many reviews and still cover the same amount of teas.  Getting around to doing the notes and editing once on a weekend is enough.

The price difference is interesting; this costs three times as much, and references the all too familiar gushu theme.

Review:

Beng Long on the left, in all photos

Beng Long #1:  that's quite intense; I didn't see that coming.  I let these brew a little longer than I typically do, even for a first round, maybe 20 seconds, and this got started really fast.  The proportion is quite high for these too.  The sample looks to be right at 10 grams, which is a lot.  But then I didn't want to brew 6 or 7, a more optimum tasting amount, and have 3 or 4 left over.  Maybe I should have?  Or brewed 5 and 5?  That would make sense.

I've been brewing versions that are hard to separate as much as this looser form, or samples pressed as coins; I guess that's why this outcome seemed unexpected, even though if you brew a maxed out proportion for 20 seconds that's what happens.

Bitterness stands out, and sweetness, but there is interesting range beyond that.  It expresses unusual vegetal character, and beyond that quite a bit of complexity.  It's probably as well to wait a round to do a list though, to let it get going, and to describe it brewed lighter.

Wa Long:  this is interesting for brewing so dark.  Two years isn't long enough for that kind of transition, even for teas stored here, in the hottest and wettest place imaginable.  Leaf appearance looks mixed in color; maybe parts are oxidized, or some parts a little over-roasted (from pan-frying), or both.  It could be a novel experience, seeing how all that unpacks.  Warmth is interesting in this.  Of course there's substantial bitterness up front too, that stands out more, but this includes a lot of complexity, and depth.  Again I'll do a fast second round and describe both then.

Beng Long #2:  much better balance.  Bitterness is really something in this; it's one of those teas in the higher end of the range for that.  I'm relatively open to those but it can be a challenge, especially for a combined tasting.  As is common bright and even somewhat complex floral range adjoins that, and decent sweetness.  

It sounds like I'm describing a broad regional standard character, doesn't it?  Was that Lincang?  My mind is not retaining information like it had 20 years ago.  The funny part about that is when something sticks it really does, and when it doesn't it's as if there's a system glitch about never holding onto that information range.  If someone's name isn't sticking hearing it a few dozen times won't help.

Not much of a list.  Bitterness, sweetness, and floral range stand out, and the vegetal note is pretty standard, like flower stem, or tasting a tree bud.  It's good, for that kind of style.

Wa Long:  this is tracking in an unusual direction instead.  It includes a lot of that same range too, it overlaps, the bitterness, sweetness, and floral range, but the warm tones are not just different, they're a bit unique.  This reminds me of loving Vietnamese sheng that's atypical (not that this is; some flavor range is unique, and for those I'm talking about something else, a more unusual character).  For those Vietnamese teas some others who tried them didn't like them, seeing them as yeasty, too oxidized, not properly balanced by bitterness and astringency, and just odd.  This is basically in a typical range, with one part novel, some of the flavor.  

It's not breaking down to a description well, at this point.  It's a little towards a warm wood range, or even spice, but it's not distinct yet.  It may cross over through some dried fruit range as it transitions, or go much heavier into spice.  We'll see, and I'll write more of a list as it goes.  

These are pretty intense teas; I suspect the feel will go along with the flavor intensity, and I won't get far through rounds before needing a break.  I'm feeling pretty sluggish from effects from a run yesterday evening, and I have a busy day planned, so that could work out, having a lunch in the middle, and absolutely getting dosed.

Beng Long #3:  overall balance falls together nicely.  For someone on that page, for loving high bitterness, highly floral range this would be perfect.  I might like it more in two more years, once all that settles a bit.  That bright, fresh, intense flavor isn't going anywhere; I wouldn't worry about it dropping out, as can be a real concern with more approachable, sweeter, lighter teas, which often include less bitterness and orient a bit more towards fruit tones.  

It would interesting trying this alongside a Da Xue Shan version I had not long ago, this one, from 2023 (that is Lincang, the broader area).  It was one year younger, and might've been that much more intense and bitter, a little more challenging.  They're kind of similar, and it would be interesting to see just how similar.  

I should've brewed this in two parts, as two 5 gram sessions; these are way too intense maxed out for proportion like this.  It's not like I couldn't possibly foresee that either.  I rely on intuition to tell me how to prepare teas, and which to try, and I don't know that it gets things wrong sometimes, but I'm not always clear on where it's coming from.  Maybe I felt an inclination to really get dosed?  I did get a sluggish start to the day, and have things to do.

Wa Long:  a touch of dryness to the feel structure is entering in.  The warm tones are still hard to separate apart (beyond floral range; a main component).  One part is like aromatic wood, like cedar.  Then it seems to connect with warmer mineral range.  There may well be spice range beyond that, which is hard to really separate out, since those flavors mix as a set.  

I just re-tried a tea (sheng) that tasted a lot like a warmer version of wood, straight wood, and I really don't care for that, and it's not what I mean related to this.  It's mostly bitter, then also floral, with decent sweetness for balance, and then these other flavors are supporting that range.  The main flavor range is fairly conventional.

Beng Long #4:  warmth picks up, and complexity, and it had plenty going on before.  It's odd how this takes a short step towards the other in terms of character.  Bitterness is still the main part of the experience, but it's more balanced now, already.  For brewing half as much of this, dropping proportion, it would be easier to dial that intensity level to where you like it.  Just using fast infusions is working though.

General pleasantness isn't coming across clearly in these descriptions.  Feel is pretty substantial, rich and not too rough or dry, and aftertaste experience adds complexity.  Nothing else is off about it.  That vegetal range does include a little plant stem / green wood tone, but it's secondary, after the bitterness, sweetness, and floral range, so it integrates well.

Wa Long:  that one warm flavor range continues to evolve, as it seemed that it would.  It still does taste a bit like aromatic wood, like cedar, with some spice undertone, but a bit more fruit joins it, something like dried citrus peel, or not completely unrelated dried tamarind.

What about camphor; that flavor keeps coming up in vendor descriptions, when I don't really see it?  Sure, maybe.  There's an edgy and warm medicinal tone to this too, and I think plenty of people would interpret that as camphor.  I tend not to, trying to break it down further to parts that are causing that effect, but it's a little like that.  

It's interesting how the bitterness, warm wood or spice tone, floral range, and some fruit mix in effect.  It's so complex, but it integrates.  It's not really "catchy," not the kind of set of flavors or complex experience that everyone would love, but I think a lot of more experienced pu'er drinkers would completely get it.

I'll drink a bit of water to get this hui gan effect to clear, then one more round, and get back to these after doing other things.  They'll both brew many more rounds, and keep shifting some, but I think the first 5 rounds will tell a lot of the story.  That reminds me of another favorite blogger who always writes out dozen round reviews, always highlighting transitions, mentioning a new flavor aspect for each round, making it sound like he is drinking 3 or 4 different teas, when it's just one.  You can kind of see what you look for in experiencing or reviewing teas; if the focus is on flavor transition then some of it is there to be noticed.

Beng Long #5:  that vegetal range bumped a little this round, for some reason.  It's along the line of kale, although green wood also works as an interpretation.  Again heavy bitterness, sweetness, and floral range dominate even more, and that other aspect stands out a lot for being novel.  Sheng can taste like green wood but the other range seems more common.

Wa Long:  it's interesting how that novel flavor set, which I've said enough about, seems to integrate more and simplify.  It's not as if it's losing complexity (not much, at least), but seems to come across as all one thing more.  For being in this novel range I'd really expect some part of that to be more negative, for an off aspect to be included that makes the rest more challenging.  I guess like green wood; that works as an example, even though to me it's not so negative in the other version.  

This comes across as fairly balanced and refined, where with just a touch of odd flavor or mustiness it wouldn't, at all.  Even a thin spot could throw off that balance, for example if sweetness level didn't support the rest, as it does.

These don't necessarily match what I love most in sheng experience, to be clear.  I'm a fan of quite drinkable versions, including some fruit, and a bit less bitterness, even when that comes at a cost, for example when a version gives up some intensity, or overall balance.  They're good though.

Of course I drank lots more infusions later, I just didn't get back to taking notes.  They may have transitioned a little more, but in general didn't seem so different than where they left off.

Conclusions:

I didn't comment on these in relation to the product descriptions or prices, since I hadn't read that before writing those notes.  It's interesting that one costs three times the price of the other.  The Wa Long does seem better, in a few senses, in a more interesting and pleasant flavor range, with nothing about it seeming negative, or like a flaw.  The Beng Long seemed nice to me too; some people might be put off by a touch of green wood in the flavor range, but to me that was fine, since it integrated fairly well with sweetness and pronounced floral range.

It's tempting to try to summarize a quality level assessment, and then move on to judging value.  Does the tea version that I liked a little more justify costing three times as much?  Local area demand factors in, not just character.  People love the gushu theme, and value it.  Then it's tempting to critique that entire context.

What are they seeing, and valuing?  I've been reviewing other teas that are presented as gushu sheng versions, and others said to have won awards in competitions.  It's not just about teas having good flavor range, complexity, intensity, and balance, with bitterness level and sweetness matching in a positive way, or versions lacking flaws.  An emphasis on depth comes up.  This is hard to even describe; it relates in part to a mineral layer supporting the rest.  

It's a type of intensity, but not forward flavor intensity.  I don't see it as all that positive, in terms of adding that much to the experience.  Some people claim that it relates to very positive aging potential, but I'm not so sure about that either.  I've tried plenty of tea said to be gushu that just went dead, while much more challenging and inexpensive versions were still becoming more approachable.

To me claims of quality level for oolong, green, and black teas are easier to unpack.  Flavor range is emphasized, and in the highest quality levels the aspects I see as "quality markers" make sense.  They're not always so desirable that they make a lot of practical difference between 40 cent a gram tea and 80 cent versions, but at least you can notice them, and they seem positive.  Really if a sheng version has positive and novel flavor range, with good intensity and complexity, good balance, a lack of flaws, and decent refinement it's enough.  All that is a lot to ask from versions that aren't blended--using multiple material inputs--to cover all that range effectively, and mixing different location materials instead trades out some flavor distinctiveness.

In conclusion, these teas are good.  I wouldn't buy 70 cents a gram sheng, but I get it why people can easily have a looser tea budget than I do, and can value unique experiences.  I'd buy decent Yiwu before this Wa Long version, which can be moderate in cost, if it's not "gushu."  It would be more standard in flavor profile, and overall character, so more ordinary, but I like that pleasant, approachable range.  I don't even buy much Yiwu, to be clear; it's more a comparison reference.

I can relate to that other relatively bitter sheng style, it's just also not a favorite range.  I was happy that a local tea friend gave me a whole cake of a version that's like that (200 grams; it's a bit though), so I can drink it when I feel like it.  If Jan meant that once in awhile it's really pleasant drinking something like that grandpa style, mixing up what you experience, in calling it a "daily drinker," then I completely agree.  Or sometimes you just feel like dialing up the bitterness and intensity.  Usually not so much that I want to drink a partly aged Xiaguan or Dayi Jia Ji tuo version, but once in awhile I'll even go that far.

I don't see that tea as being below average in quality level; to me it seems like a good value at that price, even though that does put it in the $80 or so standard size cake range, the low end of where a lot of better in-house vendor produced versions now land.

Online contact and teen social development

 

I just ran across a few group posts on Reddit about people not being successful at dating, attributing causes to that.  One guy said that he experienced early childhood trauma, and took a decade of therapy to get over that, and couldn't act naturally in dates or relationships as a result.  Fair enough.

My son is just starting into that kind of range, or really getting far yet.  He's 15, so it's still in a normal time-frame, to be on the fence, or just sorting out early interest.  I commented that online contact now must make it all much harder, because his friends don't hang out with him "in real life," and that's only going to be more of a factor in his 20s, that he might experience most of his social contact online.  It's not helpful for real-life forms of contacts, like dating.

I just saw a graph online that clarifies what I was getting at:

this was cited from here, which includes some odd right wing leaning spin

I would imagine this is really limited to "in real life."  He would spend a couple of hours talking to friends while playing online games last semester, daily, which of course impacted his studies and his grades.  In 2013 someone in his age range would have spent over two hours with friends daily, and the average in this graph dropped down to 40+ minutes.

Would that relate to covid, since it's apparently ending in 2020?  Maybe.  But it was around an hour in 2019, prior to covid, and the graph was showing clear annual decline.

For my age group that's not even a half an hour a day, in 2019, and that was under 40 minutes for the entire range, since 2003.  I get it; contact with friends can really drop out in your mid 30s.  A similar pattern of decline has been happening for the 25 to 34 age group though.

Of course this relates to generational differences, in addition to patterns that affect all of society; from 2003 to 2020 the people at each age range shifted over time.  This theme reminds me of the death of malls in the US, how less people want to go hang out in that particular public space.  It's easier to shop online, and in some cases safety issues come up, but overall people seem to be more focused on experiences at home, on watching streaming content, or spending time online.

Back to my son a discussion point came up about encouraging him to go to a school dance, or not, about letting him make his own decisions versus emphasizing that these really are once in a lifetime sort of social opportunities.  He's just not spending that much time with friends in real life.  He tries to arrange more, hiking outings, playing basketball in a park, or they gather to eat sometimes, but his friends are either busy or just not on that page.

He plays a sport; that helps (swimming).  It's time spent with other kids, and it's relatively social, even though there is training to be done.  As far as I know participation in sports isn't in steep decline; the kids still do that.

One point that made me think all this through, in a different light, is how some of my friends in college were fairly undeveloped socially, not having experienced much or any dating at that point.  Most of them pulled it together, and eventually did end up marrying.  It would be harder if someone wasn't in the habit of participating in real life social interaction at all; the starting point would be different.

Of course one theme that comes up is that online dating apps are making things worse instead of better, that patterns of how people match, or don't, makes it harder to meet people.  A broad range of commentary puts the blame for this on women, for most trying to match with a small percentage of the guys.  To some extent this must happen.  The broader conclusion that women are ruining dating I'm not so sure about.  I suspect that this trend for people to socialize mostly online is more of a cause than all women now only choosing a narrow subset of men.  It gets repeated though, surely making it seem more likely to be true.

I think I've mentioned interesting, novel, and odd forms of patterns of relationships being described online before, like in this graphic version, by a "Hoe Math" channel:

This kind of thing is bordering on misogyny, reducing dating habits and women's preferences--or really men's too--down to a simple series of patterns.  This content creator has given this some thought, but I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't done much actual dating.  If you actually go through it parts do match normal, typical experience though.  

It just probably wouldn't be helpful, since a short summary is that it blames women for putting too much emphasis on physical attractiveness, even though it says roughly the same thing about men.  Maybe people do tend to date and marry people who are generally as physically attractive as them, but it sets aside all the rest about sharing interests and worldview, or personality types matching or conflicting.

So where does all this leave my son?  We encourage him to participate in sports, and activities and groups, and hopefully he will build up social experiences and skills that help him in the next stage of his life, in college and beyond.  How much he dates and whether he attends any one sort of function doesn't matter as much, but to an extent it all connects.

I really am concluding that too much time spent online, even in social contact in online gaming, probably is negative.  15 to 24 year olds might really average around a half an hour of contact with friends now, and that's not much.  It seems to clearly be decreased by lots of people who don't spend any time with friends, in real life. 

This is a very common theme on Reddit too, that someone, male of female, is in their late 20s, reconsidering why they've barely dated at all, or never have, and don't hang out with friends, and have trouble placing meaning in their lives.  Of course all that isn't just due to online games and streamed entertainment; causes are complex.  Someone who experiences normal working hours and a long commute has no time to meet with friends five days a week.

Mostly this post is about sharing that "time spent with friends" reference, and some thoughts on that, versus arriving at actual conclusions in relation to it all.

My own list of exceptional classic tea versions

 

Someone just asked in a Reddit group (r/tea, the main one) about what others see as the main types someone should get to.  This is close to asking for a personal version of the top 10 classic Chinese teas, just without the Chinese origin limitation, and not exactly in that form.

The original question form:

What are some teas that you think a tea head should/must drink before they die?  What are some teas you couldn’t live without?  All time favourites?

My response

This question reflects a perspective on teas one would have before trying a lot of them. There probably isn't a list that would work for everyone, some 10 best teas listing, coupled with the results of a couple of other 10 best teas listings.

It's interesting to explore teas but it doesn't work so well in a checklist form. You wouldn't really know if the examples that you were trying were type-typical or of relatively high quality, so you'd end up chasing variations for all of it. Any list wouldn't be identical to the next list. Personal preference would factor in. Exploring teas works well as an organic pursuit, heading in different directions, better than looking up and trying 20 accepted good teas.

I've tried most of the teas mentioned here, although only a few yellow teas, so who knows what I tried in that style range. One didn't ring a bell at all, citron grafted Buddha hand: https://cultivatetea.com/products/yongchun-buddha-s-hand-first-day-harvest-2019

That's tea plant stems grafted onto a different plant type, selling for $50 for 4 grams. No thanks.

I can list some that I would see as favorites and basics, more so than my own top 10 or top 20:

Wuyi Yancha / Da Hong Pao: there's a lot to this range, but to me exploring Rou Gui, Shui Xian, and one of the original DHP plant types are a good start, Qi Dan or Bei Dou. When someone claims Ma Tou Yan version is better, from the Horsehead Rock in the nature preserve area, you can set that aside. Sure tea from a high demand area, that is suitable for the plant type, would get plenty of attention in terms of favorable growing, harvesting, and processing, but those ideal and traditional location stories are myths based on some core of truth.

Dan Cong: an amazing range of oolong, with strong fruity and floral aspects, versus a range grounded in mineral tone that is more diverse for Wuyi Yancha.

Longjing: really a good place to start, a very classic Chinese green tea, and one that I actually like quite a bit, but it can be tricky chasing more ideal versions. When you do find a real one it's amazing; the experience of smelling the bag being opened is more intense than tasting one a quality level down. This curator vendor is a good option for buying amazing and type-typical examples of many of these: https://www.tridentcafe.com/green

Glancing through that vendor's selection it looks like maybe 30 types are really distinctive and valued, and some others are interesting exceptions. It's actually like that.

Nepal white tea: amazingly bright, fresh, floral and fruity. Of course that applies more to better versions.

Darjeeling: this is an area, not a tea type. A good number of type variations come from this area, in part separated by flushes, harvest seasons, but also by styles. Good versions are on par with teas from anywhere else, combining complexity, diversity in style, novel flavors, and great balance.

Taiwanese teas: there's a whole list from this country, not as long as from China, but it's a bit much repeating it all here. High mountain rolled oolongs stand out, in a lighter form or more oxidized and roasted. Oriental Beauty oolong can be great. That works as start but adding 3 or 4 more would be more complete. A new set would relate to regions, and oolongs, and another one of those would be Red Jade black tea and another the bug bitten black tea version, which I think has different names.

Fuding white teas: I actually don't love these; I'm including them for completeness. I like better versions of Yunnan Moonlight White better, but plenty of people love Bai Mu Dan, silver needle, even Shou Mei, even though to some extent it could be seen as less promising than the other two.

pu'er: this is where I am now, and it is its own world of teas. I've been drinking mostly pu'er for about 6 or 7 years and I'm just getting started, in spite of trying at least a couple of hundred versions so far, and owning a good bit of this and that. It doesn't work to summarize what it is in terms of young / new versions versus aged, in relation to both broad and narrow production areas, tied to different styles and quality levels, related to variations or exceptions (eg. purple leaf material, huang pian), and of course sheng and shou, the latter being wet-pile processed to emulate aging effect, more or less.

Chinese black teas: there are many. I love Dian Hong, Yunnan versions, but whenever you try a really good example of another kind it re-writes your understanding of that type and range. Jin Jun Mei are novel enough to mention separately, but sorting through a range of those and figuring out what is probably "real" is tough. Even though it's flavored teas people should try smoked Lapsang Souchong early in their exploration, and then a better unsmoked version later on.

other Chinese green teas: I've only tried a few that really made me question green tea being my least favorite category, like Mao Feng and Mao Jian.

Japanese green teas: about time, right? Again it's not a personal favorite. It's really worth trying out a few good sencha and gyokuro to see where you stand on preference for this range.

yellow teas: nah, you can pass on that. It's hype, related to that being a main older traditional style and category. I've only tried a few and didn't like them, even factoring in novelty. Skip all gaba processed teas too; they're awful, and mostly just taste sour.

hei cha: these never make these kinds of lists, I guess for a reason. They're on the basic side, nothing flashy or spectacular, a bit earthy, sometimes edgy, sometimes with odd flavors or a touch of smoke. To be a long term tea enthusiast and never try any of them would seem odd. Liu Bao is so basic that's a good place to start, but that range varies. To me Fu brick teas can be interesting and pleasant; I just reviewed a couple of novel versions with golden flowers, an unusual case of fungus input (in the tea in the ancient world blog).

So what about Vietnamese teas, or Ceylon and Assam, Korean teas, and so on? Georgia (the country) has a novel new tea production tradition going, built on top of an old tradition. I suppose trying a little from here and there would make sense. I was more focused on main specific types range here, centered on what I happen to like, with exceptions that were noted.

What did I leave out?

It doesn't work to make this kind of list complete, even if you keep typing and typing. There's always something else out there, that's classic and wonderful in its own way. I'll mention a few that I skipped.

Anxi Tie Guan Yin: for some this should be on a top 10 list, but to me the modern, light, bright green, brewing to bright yellow style is pleasant in its own way but not great. The older style, that is more oxidized and roasted, can be great. Since it's almost all new style now it's definitely on the top 10 list of things to try but not as pleasant as another 20 on this list.

flavored teas: no jasmine green or white tea, no lotus green, Earl Grey, or jasmine black (a personal favorite). Sure, trying all those is worth it. Leaving them out wasn't about snubbing or putting down flavored teas, I just don't see them as classic in the same way.

masala chai: too novel and well-accepted to even put in the flavored teas category; this is definitely worth trying a few versions of, even getting into making your own batches of it. You would only know what I mean once you try an above average version.

Thai teas: I've been living in Thailand; how can I omit all the teas from here, and from Laos and Myanmar? Or even Indonesia, which makes some pretty good teas now. Are they inferior? Not really. Some style overlap or are borrowed from other places (sheng pu'er, Taiwanese oolongs, black teas range). Not much comes to mind that's completely different, so skipping everything from these three countries doesn't cost you much for new experiences. Eventually trying a few from these places would make sense, to see for yourself. Thailand does make that one orange colored, artificially flavored tea; it's a different thing, but it's nice.

ya bao: a white tea made from tea buds, harvested at a different time than silver needle. These are fine, and some people love them, but they seem a bit like drinking a tisane too. If you love them they are a must-try, and if they seem so-so not worth it, and you'd have to try them to know.

falap / bamboo sheng: there is a set of bamboo-stuffed, roasted or smoked sheng pu'er variations that are really pleasant and interesting (not clearly a sheng pu'er variation according to everyone; that's my own interpretation). This would make my top 30 list of teas to try.

other Japanese teas: hojicha, their versions of plant stem based teas and black teas, and whatever else, especially a really odd fermented tea version. Sure, these would make my list of top 50 teas to try.

It must keep going from there but that's enough. I've not been swept away enough by teas from other areas to include them, but some can be quite good: from Hawaii, the other US, Russia, wherever else.

I've not went far with describing a range of aged teas; people love to try really old versions of different things, which pretty much changes them into something else. OK, people could dabble in that.

If you set out to try 40 or 50 versions of great teas, on a list, to me that's not as pleasant as exploring as you go, following promising directions based on sampling less than ideal quality versions of lots of teas. It takes forever, but that's a positive thing. It's probably best to cover the few most promising ranges early, because maybe you'll tire of exploration. Getting stuck on a narrow range would almost seem a shame, any subsection.

People should probably put off pu'er exploration early on because that can happen with that type. Oolongs and black teas are nice, mixing in some white and green range.

a Chinatown market store, kind of unrelated, but Blogger can use it as a thumbnail