Wawee 2021 Thai sheng (pu'er-like tea)

 

This is the second review covering more teas from that friend who shared them, Alex Phanganovich / Alexey Zykov.  This is the first of two Thai shengs, this one from Wawee area material (Assamica, of course), actually processed in Doi Mae Salong, a separate area, better known for oolong production.

There's not much more to cover; that's all the background I know.  Teas from that area are almost always referred to as wild growth material, and I suppose most could be, and this could be that.  As I said last time Alex may sell these teas, or he may not, or maybe he just bought some to be able to sell and then it wouldn't last long.  He can be reached on Facebook and he could talk about that, or maybe pass on advice about local sources.  I've reviewed very similar teas from two local Thai sources in this blog; searching would turn those up.

One thing that I mentioned in that last Russian teas review (of a white and gaba red / black version) I'll repeat here, that I think my impression was altered for those for the styles not being familiar, which led to the individual aspects not matching what I already like.  The opposite occurs here; after many years of long exposure this particular style is very familiar, and the aspects are what I value in tea experience.  Just a half dozen years ago the considerable bitterness in this version would've seemed negative, but now it's really not.

Review:

First infusion:  a bit light, not really brewing at normal intensity yet, but very pleasant and promising early on.  This is exactly what I would've expected, or I suppose even hoped for.  Sweetness level is good, even light complexity is coming across well, with plenty of floral range and other flavor filling in beyond that, including a nice mineral layer that should strengthen.  There's no pronounced green or really strong and fresh range aromatic edge, which is what one would expect from a sheng that has rested for a year and a half.  There is fresh flavor range, but the form changes after that much time.  Bitterness is moderate, but at the right level to support the rest.  It's quite good; even brewed light the balance and refinement are unmistakable.  I'll add a more detailed flavor list next round.

Second infusion:  bitterness ramped up considerably for brewing that a bit long to make sure it was well wetted, around 15-20 seconds instead of the usual 10 or so.  That's fine, better for identifying some of the aspect range and quality, just not as good a match for optimum related to what I prefer.  Warm tones make this exceptional, on the fantastic side instead of just well-balanced and good.  Floral range is there too, and mineral undertone, and that bitterness, but warm aromatic range really complements the rest, towards an incense spice tone.  Other "green" range also picked up, a bit of wood or plant stem, but the way it all balances works really well.  Pronounced sweetness is part of that; that effect seems to help other range tie together well.  The clean nature of it all helps a lot to, and the refined character; nothing here seems like a flaw, or out of place.  Aftertaste is good, pleasant rich and structured feel is nice; it all works.

I made a big deal of how catchy one particular flavor note was in another Thai sheng, that I drank a lot of, finishing most of one of two small cakes in the 7 weeks I spent in Hawaii.  It included bitterness, and a touch of vegetal range, but was mostly about a really catchy floral aspect range, or I suppose how it all tied together, really.  This is the closest I ever remember having a tea to that.  It was pretty new, this year's tea, and that difference alone could account for the warm tones adding in to this one.  Resting for a year as a maocha, instead of being pressed into a cake, as that was, could allow for the earlier initial starting point to be nearly identical, or about as close to identical as teas ever get.  That's a promising range and comparison, as I see it, since I liked that sheng version about as much as any South East Asian sheng that I've ever tried.  

To be fair that's partly a statement about personal preference; I don't think it necessarily works as well as an affirmation of general and objective quality level.  But the tea is quite good, both this one and that one, and they're clearly very well made, surely based on use of very promising material.  Whatever this is I would definitely recommend buying it.  If the pricing is crazy, towards $1 / gram range, then it's back to concern over budget issues, and fairness, but at any type-typical price this tea would be a great buy.  

That part gets a bit odd, doesn't it?  A vendor can talk about ancient, wild forest product teas, and mention doing well in some convention contest, and then the tea is suddenly worth $1 a gram.  Different vendors tell different stories and market essentially the same teas in completely different ways, at very different price points.  There is no market value for this tea then, because it's too rare a find for that to work that way, but to me buying a 100 gram cake of this for anywhere near $100 would be too much.  But then you could probably easily buy tea that's not as good for towards that general range.

It's interesting that all that gushing over how good this is was based on a round brewed a little stronger than I typically like best.  That extra bitterness from overdoing it slightly integrates that well, in a very positive form.

Third infusion:  bitterness hangs in there even at a lower infusion level, but it's still really well-balanced.  I actually had two teas from Apiwat that were different versions, one on the brighter and sweeter side, and one including really notable bitterness, and I was just comparing this to the first, but bitterness might be closer to the second, or I suppose in between the two.  People tend to mix up bitterness and astringency effect, since they are often present at the same time, and of course I'm not saying that this is anything like the harsh-edged effect of drinking young, chopped material factory sheng.  Mouthfeel is totally different.  This is rich in feel, with a little bite to it, but not harsh at all.  It doesn't need more time to age and smooth out to be quite pleasant; it's there now.  

It might really peak for balancing more depth and broader flavor range, and more sweetness and richer feel, after another couple of years, but it wouldn't seem in order to age-transition this in a hot and humid environment, like where I am, in Bangkok.  Moderate level of transition in a drier environment, that's not bone dry, could coax out a limited shift that works even better.  Two more hot and humid years wouldn't ruin it, but to me this tea type range is probably well suited for slower, cooler, slightly drier aging.

It's hard to break down the experience further into a flavor list.  The plant-stem type bitterness is somewhat dominant still, and ample floral range beyond that is hard to split out to specifics.  It's light, sweet, and bright, along the lines of plumeria, but there may be more complexity to the floral range than I'm able to notice.  The overall flavor range expresses depth, with mineral and some degree of warm tones underlying the rest.  That could seem more like aromatic wood, cedar or something such, than a spice tone.  It works, however you interpret the breakdown.  Bitterness is strong enough that at least a bit of water between rounds might be good to cleanse the palate a little, to let you experience the full shock of that effect again and again.  Just trying that, it's cool how the water tastes extra sweet, part of the carry-over effect of bitterness shifting to sweetness, which many others probably wouldn't be hesitant to refer to a hui gan.

Fourth infusion:  bitterness eases, and honey sweetness ramps way up.  Floral tones shift to a richer, different range as a result, like how a buttercup flower might smell, or at least how those look like they should smell.  As with that one other Thai sheng one oddly pleasant part of the effect is how clean this is, quite intense, but all in a very positive way.  In a different tea type form one would see that as "refined," but here it just balances exceptionally well.  It's easy to miss all the parts contributing to cause that, how rich feel really is factoring in, and how extended quite pleasant aftertaste also does.

Fifth infusion:  similar to last round; I'll just enjoy drinking this and give the notes a break.

Sixth infusion:  those warm tones are picking up.  I think I'll mention the next round and then drop taking more notes though, trying to pin down the split here between warm mineral tones, spice range, and aromatic wood tones.  Maybe that's all there.  

Seventh infusion:  this is definitely not losing depth or complexity, or changing much, so there's not much to add.  It's just great at this stage.

Conclusions

It's crazy that tea producers in an oolong region made this, in Doi Mae Salong.  This is really good tea.

Related to the point about this style being a personal favorite, and it not being fair to those Russian teas that I didn't care for them because they were sour, this level of bitterness I really wouldn't have liked in the past.  I've drank plenty of sour teas too, and can also relate to that aspect better than I could've a half dozen years ago, but sourness never became a favorite input, and I never matched the same appreciation for sheng with other tea types.  Great oolongs can be just as good, I think, but not if they are sour, and those tend to be about refinement and complexity instead of intensity.

This version is as good as two recent Thai sheng favorites, this one (the Moychay cooperative version) and this one.  Really this is closest in style to the maocha from Gaw Khee Cha (Apiwat), reviewed in the first linked post, with the second pressed version a little less bitter, but still similar.  All three are about as good as any South East Asian teas I've tried, and not surprisingly a bit similar in style.  For people not yet exposed to sheng frequently enough to appreciate bitterness the Moychay cooperative tea might seem best, then the sweeter (less bitter) version from Apiwat, then maybe this one, then the more bitter version from Apiwat.  To me there was something about the second I linked to that eclipsed the rest, a dynamic floral intensity, with bitterness perfectly matched to adjoin that, but again I'm talking here about how oolong drinkers might interpret these teas instead.  

I hope that all would come across as good to many people, but it would relate to how one takes that bitterness, just as my more negative judgement about sour Russian teas weighed in as negative in those.  But that faded after the first two rounds, for both, so that's a little different, since it took 5 or 6 rounds for this sheng bitterness to really ease up.

I'm way out of the habit of sharing personal photos.  Happy belated Songran!

a cool image from a Chinatown outing, a dragon wearing a Santa hat

not so many places feel like home as much as that Bangkok Chinatown

a nice market area for picking up an informal dinner

Thai Mae Salong Bai Hao Mei Ren (OB inspired type)

I reviewed a Thai sheng version from this source not long ago, and here move on to a type inspired by Oriental Beauty (Taiwanese bug-bitten, relatively more oxidized oolong).  This naming is a little odd, mixing two of the names for OB (Bai Hao and Dong Fang Mei Ren).  I'll look up a description of it somewhere in a final edit, but here I'm more concerned about how drinking it works out.

There is some contact information on the label photo shown, or they have a FB page, and a Shopee page (kind of a Thai version of Ebay, one of two, along with Lazada).

Review:

First infusion:  nice!  A bit light, as I always go on the first round, but sweet and creamy.  A cinnamon note stands out the most, and the rest does lean towards Oriental Beauty / Bai Hao / Dong Fang Mei Ren range, with a hint of grape / muscatel.  The tea could be thicker, and the experience lacks intensity and depth at this limited infusion strength, but the aspect range is nice.  I'll give the next round a solid 15 seconds or so and see how it fills in, and add more of a detailed flavor list.

Second infusion:  it's interesting how flavor intensity does pick up a lot across a narrow range, and then feel stays quite thin, kind of a gap in the experience.  That hint of creaminess drops back instead of increasing.  On the positive side warmer spice tone increases, the cinnamon.  That's normal for OB ("real" OB; this isn't exactly that oolong type, an isn't really supposed to be).  Fruit is present supporting that but it's subdued.  Other aromatic woody range fills in, like a light version of autumn dry leaves, just a bit fresher in nature than that.  I could relate to someone interpreting all this as floral tone but to me the background range is more fruity, towards mango, or tangerine citrus.  It's not pronounced enough to stand forward as much as the warm spice range.  

Sweetness is pretty good but it could be a little stronger.  Feel being on the thin side could be seen as a quite negative input, as a gap; it would depend on how much one values that input.  It stands out more for normal oolong range, across a lot of types, typically being a good bit thicker.  Aftertaste isn't missing but it's not really a positive input either, kind of moderate.  Some sweetness, that spice, and a hint of fruit trails over, but the experience is limited, and doesn't last long.  

All in all I like the tea but the depth of the experience is limited.  You drink it and then it's gone, and part is missing from the time it is in your mouth.  To me it still works well as an interesting and basic tea, and a pleasant and novel version at that, but someone trying to judge for "objective tea quality" really could find it lacking.  I suppose it varies in relation to whether someone is looking for a particular experience, appreciating a full, balanced range of positive characteristics, or can appreciate whatever is positive in any given tea, without needing some basic aspect set to match up.  Flavor range is very nice.  

This kind of tea version might work better for people who aren't experienced tea enthusiasts.  Or the kind of tea enthusiast who can still appreciate an Earl Grey once in awhile would probably love this, and the kind who can't relate as well to medium quality level Taiwanese Oriental Beauty, versus an even higher end, probably wouldn't care for it.  For having a "crocodile's tongue" it works for me.

Third infusion:  a bit lighter; maybe I went just under 15 seconds this round, or maybe it is losing intensity already.  I will probably need to switch it to 20 seconds or longer to get the same infusion intensity out of this, and might be really stretching the times to get it to go a half dozen rounds.  It's made of really thin, broken leaves, so it's not surprising that it's fading fast.  I expect that I used a lot less leaf weight this time than normal for that density being so low.  A bit more would fit in the gaiwan but it's two-thirds full of wet leaves; it seems inclined to fluff up as both dry tea and also when wetted.

Typically that broken presentation would add astringency, across a broad range of tea types.  It didn't, in this case.  Something about this tea really reminds me of a white tea, as a version bruised and broken a bit but not put through normal rounds of oxidation as oolongs are.  Of course I don't know.  Maybe there is a hint more astringency in this round, lending it more structure, which is kind of positive, just not the full, creamy feel often present in oolongs in general and in Oriental Beauty versions.  Even though that astringency range present isn't necessarily positive--or negative; more neutral--I see the effect as a positive input for lending some complexity to a very simple, approachable character.  

Flavor range is about the same, beyond that.  Cinnamon stands out the most, then some mild underlying fruit, along with light and warm earthy tones.  It might remind some of tree buds or some form of light bark versus fallen leaves; to the extent this is like autumn leaves it's a really dry, light version of those.  I would imagine that warm tones and feel structure will bump up for infusing this for over 20 seconds that next round.  It's the typical trade-off one encounters in brewing lighter intensity white teas; brewed light the pleasant flavors are a bit weaker but they "pop" better; brewed stronger you get more flavor intensity, and warmer tones, along with more feel structure, but the pleasant light flavors tend to come across as weaker in proportion.  

Fourth infusion:  "pushing" this tea is the way to go, at least at this stage.  The warmer tones pick up, and a hint of dryness, with the increased astringency, but it gives the overall intensity a boost.  It would be nice if there was a way to pick up the flavor intensity without stretching out that astringency and shift to warmer range; I suppose really maxing out the proportion might work better.  For people who aren't accustomed to pushing down on a heap of expanding leaves in a full gaiwan this is brewed 3/4th full instead of 2/3rds; there's not that much room left.

At least there is nothing significantly negative about the tea, beyond the gaps (potential gaps; those kind of only exist in relation to expectations, but expecting it to have a fuller feel is kind of a typical broad expectation).  There was a faint hint of an odd scent in the dry leaf, a bit towards plastic (not new-car smell, not like a storage container, more like a cheap Chinese plastic toy).  That didn't really seem to translate to a main input, although I suppose if someone was really looking for it they might find it in the experienced brewed aspects set.

There's probably not much point in reviewing further infusions, since this is only changing in relation to brewing it out longer.  I could try one more round to confirm that but it'll probably just stretch a few more from here, or a half dozen, if someone doesn't mind drinking it thinner and thinner, with more and more of an astringency edge tied to stretching out the times.

Fifth infusion:  sure, just more of the same.  The overall flavor intensity dropping back while astringency stays as heavy as it ever was--not heavy, just filling in some range of experience--isn't as positive as the early balance.  This is where a conventional Oriental Beauty version might be after 8 or 9 rounds, with those supporting much shorter brew times due to possessing a lot more natural intensity.  For total infusion time this has been through a longer than typical cycle for 5 rounds, in relation to my normal approach for a lot of tea types.

To me this is pleasant for what it is, it just has natural limitations.  The character that comes across is pleasant.  If you expect it to match up against an above average Oriental Beauty version then it's not nearly as good; some of the aspect range is mainly a gap in relation to those.  The next 5 or 6 rounds after this review scope worked out better than I expected, retaining a lot of that earlier positive character, even for intensity dropping off. 

I drank it once since and it's an even better experience for really maxing out the proportion and not thinking about feel structure potentially being thicker, and the rest.  The flavor is nice.  It really doesn't fade fast; it's good for over a dozen nice infusions, prepared like that.  It would probably be fine prepared Western style too, or grandpa style, probably flexible in terms of getting pretty good results made in different ways.

Vendor product description:

From their Shopee page (automatically translated by Google):

Mixed with the scent of honey and mixed with the fragrance of flowers.

Suitable for tea drinkers who prefer a light texture. but gives depth to the taste of tea.

   

The specialty of Baihao Meiren tea (白毫美人)

*** It is tea from the top of Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai Province, which is 1,350 meters above sea level.

*** Picked from the young sprouts of the first half-pink tea From the young tea tree (軟枝), one of the favorite cultivars of oolong tea drinkers. and very popular

🌳🌳🌳 Bai Hao Mei Ren tea Grown in an organic tea plantation It is 100% natural without any chemical additives.

--- Process of production ---

👌👌👌 Use hand massage (hand made), pay attention to every detail meticulously.

to control the quality of the aroma and flavor of the tea So the tea leaves come out in three colors: white, green and brown.

🌞🌞🌞 a full day in the light sun.

👌👌👌Massage and shake your hands for thirty minutes to get the distinct smell of honey 密香.

🌞🌞🌞 baking technique Use the slow dry method to fully bring out the floral scent.

Interesting to read, but it doesn't add a lot.  I would take that organic production claim with a grain of salt, given how that kind of thing goes in Thailand.  Maybe it is organic, or maybe not, and even a local version of certification wouldn't make that claim much more convincing.  

Related to value this sells for 480 baht, or around $15 for 100 grams.  That seems pretty good, for what this tea is, quite pleasant and novel.  It seems normal for local vendors to either underprice their teas (tying them to local product pricing), or to really swing for the fences. This might be an example more in the middle, even though this pricing is high in comparison with standard Thai oolongs.  

That sheng version was selling for 700 baht for 100 grams, more like $20, or equivalent to a $70 standard sized cake, which I guess is ok.  I've tried equivalent quality tea selling for less and also for more, but both of these are rare enough that there is no standard pricing.

not sure what that was all about, making the cats line up

just what that looks like; the kids Xeroxed the kitten

Tea Village Thai dark oolong

their tasting area isn't currently open but we chatted there anyway

I finally made it back to Pattaya for two weekend outings (with a travel-blog themed post about that here) and visited Vee, one of the owners of the Tea Village shop there.  We met twice; catching up was nice.  I bought this more-oxidized oolong and an old tree source Assam black (in a style not unrelated to Dian Hong, it seems) during the first weekend, and some lighter oolong the second.

I've been critical of Thai teas in the past for being lower quality versions of what is produced in other places, and have claimed that Vietnamese teas can be better.  To me those generalities are accurate but there's something to be said for upper medium level quality good-value teas.  Even for an experienced tea enthusiast they can work for a daily drinker, as a tea to have with breakfast when you don't have time to put into brewing or appreciation, and for people still on tea-bag teas they could be a revelation and a gateway.

It all depends on the tea version too.  An average version of an average quality level tea might not be worth drinking, for many, but a much better quality version in the same general range, just on the higher edge instead, could seem very pleasant.  This review will identify where this version stands, per my judgement.  Brewing approach makes a difference, so it will cover a good bit about that as a factor.

Let's start with the vendor description first (from a sales-site web page, paraphrased since text cut and paste is disabled):

A dark (high oxidation level) oolong based on Assamica variety leaves, with flavors that include some tartness and flavors including prune, bark, and dark chocolate, produced similarly to Tie Kuan Yin.


That Assamica part jumps out, doesn't it?  It reads like a likely mistake at first glance.  I can only think of one version of Chinese Assamica-based oolong that I've tried, beyond teas coming out of India, but those aren't even supposed to be close to Chinese oolongs, it doesn't seem.  Tartness in an oolong is atypical but then an oolong made from Assamica would be atypical.

The rest seems right for more oxidized oolong, but the reference to Tie Kuan Yin could do with a little unpacking.  Per my experience--which isn't so extensive that I'm clear on everything, especially related to TKY range and processing--those Chinese versions aren't more-oxidized teas, they're moderately oxidized, maybe even still on the light side, with the roast shifting the profile more than that other processing input.  To be clear I really could've tried only atypical versions, because you tend to mostly only see the light version (bright green ones), and I wouldn't be surprised if producers trying to copy an older style would very often get that part wrong.

The Taiwanese more-oxidized or more-roasted oolongs I've tried spanned more of a range; those do tend to be made with either oxidation or roasting level increased, or both together, it just depends.  I could go on to say that I've not tried much presented as a more roasted or oxidized TKY from there (from that cultivar or plant type, which is also used to mention a characteristic style in some cases), but I wouldn't make too much of that, and here that point was just a description tangent anyway.

They recommend using full boiling point water and a modified Western brewing approach, with a somewhat typical proportion (maybe a little high) but backing off the timing and using 3 to 5 infusions of 45 seconds to 2 minutes.  That is kind of how I tend to adjust Western style brewing; we'll see about the temperature part though.

The tea is very inexpensive; the website lists 50 grams for around $2 (65 baht).  That is a standard price range for grocery store versions of Thai oolong here, or Royal project store versions, but tea quality levels vary a lot for both of those sources.  Among Western vendors tea just isn't sold in that price range, at least not decent oolong.

I've prepared it using an infuser cup, small glass pot, and gaiwan

Review

I first brewed this tea Western style, so that's where this review will start, based on a relatively standard process.  I tend to go a little heavy on proportion and brew three rounds versus two, which seems to work better for me for oolongs (which often turn out better brewed Gongfu style anyway, with more on that in a next section).  I most often use water a little off boiling point.

The tea tastes like cinnamon.  The overall character is closer to black tea than oolong, with the balance in the middle working well in this case.  A typical aspect-list description comes to mind: warm and sweet dried fruit, along the lines of tamarind, maybe even cherry (although that's a stretch), leather or dark wood, a trace of mineral similar to rusted iron.  This range often gets interpreted as similar to pastry, like toasted and buttery Danish, which works.

Really how someone sees aspects depends on interpretation, as much or more in this case as any.  It's a little creamy in effect but that could be stronger with this set of aspects.  It could be seen as tasting like cocoa instead of cinnamon, but per my read it's cinnamon.


Strengths:

-not off in any way, sour, or oddly roasted, overly thin.

-clean flavored with good sweetness and balance.

-cinnamon is nice.  Other aspect range is positive but it could have more depth and complexity.

-this kind of tea works well prepared strong, both a strength and related to weaknesses, since it can't be over-brewed but lacks intensity to pull off lighter infusion strengths.

-inexpensive (kind of a completely different subject, but it is a factor).


Weaknesses:

-a bit thin as oolongs go; nice flavor but thin in feel and after taste.  I'd said in the "strengths" it wasn't overly thin, but I meant two different things.  This lacks the depth and fullness of higher quality oolongs but doesn't come across as so light in body that I'd call it a notable flaw.  I see it as a limitation instead.

-not as subtle, refined, or complex as better Taiwanese versions.  It needs to be brewed strong to compensate for both of these limitations.

Initial conclusions (prior to trying a second brewing approach, Gongfu preparation)

I like this style of tea and this version works. For a good value tea it's pleasant and positive.  Thai producers more often get this slightly wrong, and similar versions often have one more flaw that makes it not work as well (sourness, or some other slightly off character).

I'm curious if light roasting played a role in end effect but I get the impression that oxidation did all the work of aspects transition in this, or at least almost all of it, which works but limits the complexity.

The part about the tea being Assamica is curious; how did that change things (or could that not be accurate?).  Of course it could be Assamica; if you process those leaves in the same way a tea variation of oolong will result, it just won't turn out the same.  The leaves seem smaller than I'd expect, but then Assamica is a broad category and newer leaves are still going to be small for that plant type (just maybe not the first three, but then I'm thin on the botany side of background).  Using that plant type could explain why it didn't achieve the depth and fullness that similar but less oxidized oolongs tend to.

I would have expected the taste profile to skew further off typical Thai oolong range with that as a factor.  I've described this as a mild black tea, for the most part (the descriptions would match that), but that pastry-like character I've never experienced in the same form in any Assamica or Yunnan black.  The cinnamon can be common, and of course a broad range of fruit and mineral, but that other aspect tends to not come up.


It's not typical but I'll compare this from memory with a personal favorite similar style tea from Vietnam, Hatvala's Red Buffalo.  In a sense that's not a fair comparison because that's a favorite, but the styles mostly match, at a rough general level, and there is a general point I'm heading towards.  I haven't tried that tea in about two years but I did buy a lot at one point so it sticks in memory better.

They're so similar that only a side by side tasting would clarify exactly where they stand in relation to each other, and year to year that might vary.  I remember that tea as slightly creamier and fuller, lighter on cinnamon but fuller in complexity.  For a casual tea drinker it's still possible this flavor profile might work better (or more likely not; I really did like that tea), but at a guess that Vietnamese tea version depth in flavor complexity and feel would tip the balance for experienced tea drinkers, for people with more evolved preferences.

To me this is still nice tea as daily drinkers go.  Gongfu brewing might pull out an extra aspect or two (I'll cover that next) but in general western brewing is just as well for this tea type.  It's nice because it would be one of the best teas someone new to tea ever tried, a good gateway tea, even if it is probably too limited for a Taiwanese oolong enthusiast to appreciate it.

that tasting room area is really cool

two minutes in; impatient little people

Gongfu brewing

I really expected the tea to be almost the same but to perform better prepared Gongfu style.  Instead the tartness was a lot more pronounced, taking over the other range of flavor aspects, standing out as dominant.  In the earlier review section here I didn't even mention tartness.  I kept thinking it would fade, and it probably did some, in later rounds, but I noticed more of what seemed like cranberry for flavor than anything else throughout the cycle.  So what happened?

At a guess the teaware I was using to brew the tea Western style absorbed more heat, and allowed more to dissipate during the longer brewing process, resulting in an unintended parameter change.  That is just a guess, but it would account for that degree of aspect change.  Just using a different proportion and timing can change aspects some too but it normally doesn't to that degree.

Using a full gaiwan (once the leaves were wet) also made it harder to moderate infusion strength, although flash brewing would accomplish that.  While I usually go lighter on Gongfu style brewing infusion strength I might have accidentally inverted that, and had been brewing the tea stronger for most rounds instead.  That would be my first guess for causes of the difference (related to the tartness) if I'd only prepared this tea twice, but I've been drinking it brewed Western style a few times and that tartness doesn't come out to that degree, no matter how long I infuse it or at whatever proportion.  It seems likely using fast infusions with a thin porcelain gaiwan caused a significant temperature difference, even for using the same water temperature at the start.


A Steepster discussion of someone brewing what they described as moderate quality Tie Kuan Yin (mediocre, they put it, a little more judgmental but the same idea), and getting better results than they usually do relates to this.  It turned out that per their final conclusion they accidentally dropped brewing temperature and that worked better.  It's a standard idea that better oolongs can perform well (or best, as the typical take) at full boiling point, but that lower quality versions may not.  All that was covered in this blog post about best oolong brewing temperature.

It seems likely that I really do like this tea brewed just a bit off boiling point, brewed cooler, but that thinness and lack of body I mentioned in the first review is the trade-off for limiting that tartness.

It's still decent tea; it was never supposed to be a higher quality version than it is.  If someone didn't mind or even enjoyed tartness in tea (which I sort of don't) the opposite trade-off might be the way to go; brew it hot, and get that extra intensity and depth back, but give up some apparent sweetness and more flavor aspect range towards cinnamon or dried fruit. 

Related to value and appreciating a broad range of style of tea it's interesting to me how this can seem like nice tea and a good value at $2 / 50 grams, and the Hatvala Red Buffalo similar oolong can too while costing nearly three times as much (still not much for nice oolong), and my favorite Chinese oolong in a different style, Wuyi Origin's Rou Gui (reviewed here) can cost more than ten times as much and still be a great value tea.  It would work better for parallel structure to be referencing a better Taiwanese "red oolong" but I don't have a favorite among what I've tried of those.  In my own progression of tea appreciation in the past I was more at one particular place or level, liking the quality level I had learned to appreciate versus all of them, each for what it is.  I'm not convinced that's necessarily a higher form of perspective; it's just where I am now.

I bought some extra of this to share with my daughter's teacher since although it's not great tea it's quite good for the price.  She's British and doesn't have much exposure to teas beyond the breakfast blends and such; it'll be interesting to hear how that goes.  

on his 10th birthday; they grow up so fast

the other, with Yai

one of many cool moments; they help me appreciate the little things