Sun Yunshan describes Wanmu Tea Garden and Xinyang tea culture

 

I've been hoping to tell more of the story of Wanmu Tea Garden, a Xinyang, Henan tea grower and producer (factory).  This is a better form of that than I could've hoped for, input that's mostly from the main founder, Sun Yunshan.  It describes their approach to tea, what is produced locally there, and hints towards some parts of Chinese perspective on tea.  As a tea enthusiast I'm very grateful to have access to this.

I've been talking about trying their teas, a little, and have one more black tea to try and review, which is likely to be exceptional, an award winning version.  I've already reviewed exceptional yellow teas from them, and novel Dong Fang Mei Ren oolong versions, which are an interesting and pleasant local interpretation of that style (here and here).  But here as an introduction I only want to frame some of my own perspective towards Chinese tea culture, and to a limited extent Chinese culture in general.  

Often somewhat trivial forms or depictions of Chinese tea culture come across, when Western vendors or enthusiasts describe their own limited contact, or sales oriented spin.  It ends up relating to aesthetics, or an appreciation of ceremony, maybe venturing into animistic spiritualism, although I come in contact with a lot more of that within Thai culture, to be honest.  That's a story for another day.  I think there is great potential value in recognizing, appreciating, and communicating with spiritual forces that you may not literally believe in, even if those only represent foundational dimensions of yourself in the end.

I experience a very pragmatic and limited form of tea culture.  It's about the tea.  But at the same time I have a deep appreciation for people holding different worldviews, and valuing different experiences, and for Chinese culture in particular.  

I've been to China several times, and have been friends with a number of Chinese people.  Some were fellow parents of my children's classmates, some work contacts, and of course some favorites have related to tea themes, especially one favorite producer who I've discussed so many times here.  Two local Chinese - Thai Bangkok Chinatown shop owners are like an aunt and uncle to me.  I've been through plenty of discussion of Chinese culture, and varying perspective issues.  

It's a little sad that a narrow, negative stereotype informs misguided bias within some Americans' perspective on China, but this is normal.  Everything I thought that I knew about Russians went out the window when I visited Russia, and met Russian friends, replaced by a more complex impression of typical positive and negative character traits.  People really vary as individuals wherever you go, and culture only shapes parts of the form of their worldview, and informs their experiences.

I have no difficulty at all in setting aside potentially problematic conflicts in terms of national interest, or the more problematic sides of government character.  Being from the US I need to be able to make this separation, in order to appreciate and embrace my own traditional culture, and national character.  The Republicans and Democrats don't represent my own culture at all, to me.  The perspectives, lifestyle patterns, social roles, and hopes and dreams of Americans do, of course including immigrants, since the US is a nation of immigrants.

So related to tea culture I can easily appreciate that thousands of years of history have went into developing the complex, nuanced, and very deep experience of many types of Chinese tea, coupled with a history of brewing and serving tea.  This includes a perspective on how healthy the drink must be, its role in daily life experience, and aesthetic or meditational experiences, or however one takes it.  

At the same time it's really about soaking dried leaves in hot water, and enjoying the resulting unique beverage, often tied to social contact.  That contrast between a simple yet also complex and profound experience is the foundation for Chinese tea culture, as I see it.  And as a tea enthusiast we join in this simply by trying the tea, only partly informed by whatever cultural contact we also experience.  Even if that tea is from Thailand, Vietnam, India, or elsewhere; these are connected experiences.

Considered in that light Mr. Sun Yunshan is sharing very deep, personal, and also simple experiences with us, especially his perspective on them.  Again I am very grateful for this.

my point of contact there, Gisele, from Thailand, now living in China

Interview with Wanmu Tea Garden (Wanmu Tea Industry Development Co., Ltd.)

1. Can you describe the background of your tea company?

Chinese: 你能介绍一下你们茶企的背景吗？

Our company is called Shangcheng Wanmu Tea Garden Tea Industry Development Co., Ltd. It is a privately owned enterprise invested by an individual. The company mainly focuses on solving the production, processing, and sales needs of tea grown within the 11,000-mu tea garden area of our administrative village.

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2. Your founder [the main source for this content] has been described to me as an authority on tea and a local community leader. Can you expand on these roles?

Chinese: 有人形容你们的创始人是一位茶叶专家，也是当地的社区领袖。你能进一步介绍这些角色吗？

Our founder, Mr. Sun Yunshan, is an inheritor of local tea-making techniques and a contributor to drafting several technical standards (for example, Xinyang White Tea – 2024). However, he does not consider himself a “tea expert.” He is deeply attached to his homeland, loves tea, enjoys research and exploration, and is enthusiastic about helping others. He is a young man with ambition and vision.

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3. To what extent does your production company also function as a tea cooperative—beyond purchasing and processing materials, and including other forms of cooperation with local farmers?

Chinese: 你们的生产企业在多大程度上承担着“茶叶合作社”的角色？

Our company has a certain scale and influence in the local area and is the only large-scale enterprise in our administrative village. We voluntarily take on the responsibility of ensuring stable purchasing, processing, and income growth for local tea farmers. Since our establishment, we have purchased fresh leaves without limit, continuously expanded production capacity, and extended the production period so that tea farmers can earn more income. We also undertake ecological pest control, ecological tea garden construction, maintenance of the certified Green Food production base, and offer free technical training to farmers.

4. To what extent did government economic or agricultural support contribute to founding or expanding your company into tea production?

Chinese: 政府在经济或农业发展方面的支持，对你们企业的创立或扩展起到了多大作用？

The government provides certain construction-related programs, generally in the form of proportional subsidies. However, the subsidy ratio is relatively low, the procedures are complicated, and they require early planning, which often does not align with the company’s own development plans. At present, we receive only minimal subsidies.

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5. What are the main local types of tea produced in your area (Xinyang, Henan)?

Chinese: 你们所在地主要生产哪些本地茶类？

In Xinyang City and Shangcheng County, traditional green tea is the primary product. Over the past decade, black tea production has been steadily developed and improved. In recent years, white tea has also grown rapidly and is currently undergoing further transformation.

yellow teas from them, reviewed here

6. I’ve tried Dong Fang Mei Ren and yellow tea from your company. What motivates you to experiment with teas from other regions or historical tea types?

Chinese: 你们尝试其他产区或历史茶类的动力是什么？

Our company has expanded from producing only green tea to producing all six major categories of Chinese tea: green, black, white, oolong, yellow, and dark tea. Over ten years ago, we realized that green tea alone had a relatively narrow consumer base and was more difficult to store. Based on market demand, we began developing black tea, white tea, oolong tea, yellow tea, and dark tea. Last year, we also incorporated tea tree flowers, honeysuckle, mulberry leaf tea, and wild chrysanthemum into our product line.

By adjusting the production structure, expanding product categories, and extending the production cycle, we aim to explore more potential from our local ecological advantages and high-quality fresh leaves. Extending production from the traditional spring-only season to all four seasons not only diversifies products but also reduces inventory pressure and increases farmers’ income year-round, motivating them to better maintain their tea gardens.

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7. How does your “Green Food” certification compare with international organic testing and certification standards?

Chinese: 你们的“绿色标识”认证与国际有机标准相比，有哪些异同？

The Green Food label is certified by the China Green Food Development Center. It is similar to international organic testing standards, though some testing values differ. Over the past five years, teas produced in our Green Food certified base have been tested by multiple domestic institutions, and the results consistently show: no detectable pesticide residues and no excess heavy metals.

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8. To what extent do these developments reflect national trends across China—such as increased production capacity, government support, and cross-regional or hybrid tea styles?

Chinese: 这些发展在多大程度上反映了中国茶行业的普遍趋势？

China’s tea production capacity continues to increase steadily and is relatively oversupplied. Adjusting the industry structure and expanding product categories helps small enterprises survive and also eases sales pressure. For example, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and dark tea have longer storage periods. In particular, white tea and dark tea improve in flavor with aging and have certain collectible value. Storing tea among the general population helps balance variations in annual production and changing market demand, reducing the risk of extreme shortages.

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9. Is the tea industry continually evolving?

Chinese: 茶产业是否在持续演变？

There will always be new research and innovation in the tea industry. However, tea is a culturally rooted product, and as the saying goes, “everything changes, but the fundamentals remain.” Therefore, the six major tea categories and traditional tea-drinking practices will not change drastically. The rise of new-style tea beverages mainly serves to expand usage scenarios and attract more consumers; it does not significantly affect traditional tea culture.

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10. How is awareness of and demand for tea changing among Chinese consumers?

Chinese: 中国消费者对茶的认知与需求正在发生怎样的变化？

With improved living standards and economic conditions, the number of tea drinkers in China is increasing. People who previously did not drink tea have begun to drink tea or tea-based beverages. Consumers who used to drink tea without caring about quality are now exploring more varieties and seeking higher-quality teas—and this trend will continue.

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11. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) concepts are not widely understood in the West. How are these ideas perceived and applied within modern mainstream Chinese culture?

Chinese: 在现代中国主流文化中，中医理念是如何被接受和应用的？

Although Western and Chinese cultures clashed during China’s reform and opening-up period, this did not diminish people’s confidence in the TCM principle of pattern-based diagnosis. In recent years, TCM-based wellness practices and medicinal-food therapies have modernized traditional consumption methods to better align with contemporary lifestyles. Many people now use medicinal-food-homology herbs as daily tea beverages. For example, the honeysuckle tea, mulberry leaf tea, and wild chrysanthemum tea produced by our company are all TCM herbs. As people deepen their understanding of TCM concepts, many can determine their own physical conditions and use common herbs for maintenance and health regulation.

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12. Does this extend beyond seasonal tea drinking—for example, choosing teas according to physical conditions such as tiredness or illness?

Chinese: 是否也包括根据身体状况调整饮茶选择？

According to TCM theories, people can easily identify changes in their physical state. For instance:

• When internal heat is high, they drink green tea, yellow tea, or white tea.

• When the body is cold, they drink black tea, dark tea, or oolong.

They also adjust tea choices based on the time of day—green tea in the morning for alertness, white tea in the afternoon for calmness. Moreover:

• Spring: green or yellow tea

• Summer: white tea or oolong

• Autumn & winter: black tea or dark tea

Closing thoughts

It was interesting how the ideas transitioned from local producer background, on to broader Chinese production issues and cultural trends, then to practical daily tea drinking practices.  I think that last section will resonate with a lot of American tea enthusiasts.

Tea producer meetup, representing five countries

 

I debated not writing about this last meetup since the most interesting parts of the discussion, the details about growing and producing tea, I won't be sharing, since most of that is confidential.  Some parts might not be proprietary and related to business differentiation enough that I could share them, but to get the cut-off right I'll only mention general range of what was discussed here, not details, which really were the best part.  Let's start with who joined and why that was even possible.  First, my deepest thanks to all who participated, for sharing information that was really interesting to me and probably directly helpful to others in many cases.

Who joined:  Jason McDonald of the Great Mississippi Tea Company, Rishi Gopaldhara of the Gopaldhara Darjeeling producer, Anna of Kinnari Tea of Laos (a vendor, but also a tea production consultant across broad scope), Nika Sioridze of Georgia--the country--and the Greengold producer, and Narendra Kumar Gurung of Nepal, a private tea grower and processor.  What an honor to meet with them all, really.  My other tea clique joined as well, Ralph, Suzana, and Huyen.  Huyen has experimented some with making tea but it didn't take that many leading questions to move through a range of interesting scope.

To be clear all these people make great tea (or Anna sells it, but she's also involved with processing consulting).  Nika is a bit closer to the starting point than the rest, and that shows up in styles he hasn't perfected yet, but in general his teas are much better than one would expect, already above the level of some much more developed forms.  Even the one oolong, still being worked out, has a great distinctive roasted bamboo flavor aspect that makes it very positive to experience as it is now.  It's also possible to see some degree of ongoing transitions in what Jason is producing, even for trying one set as just a snapshot, but their teas work well for exactly what they are right now too, and don't come across as a work in progress.  In both those cases very positive inputs define their teas as distinct and unique, so it's not just a matter of copying forms and versions elsewhere.  

Rishi and Narendra aren't finished with making adjustments to styles, probably, but both make good representative forms of Darjeeling and Nepal teas, which is a positive thing.  It's almost not fair for Gopaldhara to have such a developed starting point in relation to a lot of other producers and types, but that's how tea goes.  There's another level of Chinese or Japanese producers drawing on even longer term prior production and processing, but I suppose to some extent more developed cultural tea tradition enables a better starting point and established demand but also well-developed competition.

So how and why did we end up meeting in this form?  In talking to Nika about processing issues, about them making adjustments to styles, it occurred to me that we have talked to a lot of people with a lot of exposure to those issues.  Getting them all together to share very proprietary, hard to come by information seemed a stretch, so I initially approached asking them in terms of how they felt about such a thing.  Everyone was completely open and positive; which was really surprising.  To my understanding it's not that none of the others was a direct competitor, although that might have helped, but more than that it seemed like "giving back" related to others having helped them in different ways, which caused them to be more open to sharing knowledge.

It probably didn't hurt that Jason and Rishi had met.  The rest my friends and I have met, in the meetups I keep talking about, but I'd imagine their contact was quite limited.

I won't add details here but the scope of what we covered was interesting, and I can at least share categories, and one very interesting general theme that emerged.  They discussed growing tea quite a bit, challenges that come up in different places (and natural environments), along with issues with market demand, sales channel development, and labor support.  I suppose it's not going too far to say that Jason experiences as much problem with getting staffing for farm labor as anyone else, and what he contributed about research and use of automated harvesting was interesting.  That's not a new subject but the actual approach and equipment does keep evolving.  

Jason also mentioned how climate change is a huge potential challenge for them.  Again it's not a secret that the climate in the US is shifting quite fast, with unusual storms, temperature extremes, periods of high rainfall, and droughts.  They'll make the best of it in compensating for drought, and beyond that the plants will have to try to endure most of the rest, and some plant types just won't.  He didn't talk about hard freezing occurring that far south in the US yet but it's probably only a matter of time.

To skip ahead to a general conclusion, or theme that was interesting, it was fascinating how the different producers were sharing detailed knowledge based on a range of different kinds of experiences and sources.  Of course Rishi was drawing on the inherited knowledge of a very developed business and growing region, even though he's making changes and experimenting with pushing forward from that starting point, adjusting tea styles and processing.  Jason had access to great research derived information; some of what he shared was really interesting, even for being isolated ideas from different scopes (their whole story for tea growing and processing would take a long time to tell).  Anna has broad exposure to what a lot of Laos producers are doing, at a very detailed level, and to how their industry is developing to respond to a lot of internal and external changes.  Nika is newer to tea business but it's fascinating how they've made a fast start based on reclaiming and renewing an older Soviet era plantation, which was interesting to hear about.

Narendra had a conflicting family issue to deal with and was less involved for joining towards the end.  In a sense that's a shame, because Nepal doesn't necessarily stand below other countries in terms of produced tea quality and novel character, in spite of working within a less developed tradition.  The farming and production that Narendra carries on was started by his father, so it's not really new.  He has attempted to translate his own production into a co-op theme, which I've not heard much about in terms of results since we discussed that last a couple of years ago.  I suspect that it was significantly disrupted by the pandemic, as many things were.

a capture version with Narendra

It was nice not talking very much about pandemic disruption and concerns.  We mostly stuck with basic tea growing, harvesting, and processing themes, with just a little added on the distribution and sales side.  If you could talk with a close tea producer friend, and you knew a lot more about those issues than I do, it's the kind of discussion that you might have, but with multiple inputs instead.

One concern is always how it's going to work in terms of flow of conversation; we've never tried to get nine people to meet and converse.  I suppose we never had nine present this time, since a couple joined late and Huyen was called away.  It went really well though, with the odd zig and zag for theme, or missed comment, due to that many joining.  I think Anna might have been able to add more about processing but naturally slipped into a coordinating role, and it was probably as well to lose some input from one member to enable three others to share a lot.  The knowledge and experience everyone was drawing on wouldn't fit in an hour or two of discussion, but what did get covered was a great sample, with some points very relevant and actionable for others.

an early capture with Huyen included; it's hard to get 7 or 8 good images at the same time

The differences in their businesses were interesting, not just about climate and historical / cultural context, but scope and scale, and type.  Jason is ramping up very developed and advanced production for being a half dozen or so years into moving past a background and design review, and initial steps.  They push forward on lots of fronts, at the same time they are ramping it all up, across scope like environment design, equipment use, and sales channels.  

We didn't even touch on combining plain, high quality tea production and blend / flavored tea development, which I see as both a response to a market condition and also "the tail wagging the dog," them proactively changing their tea market as they expand into it.  Tea blends / flavored teas aren't new but their approach to them seems to be, to me.  Rishi is on the opposite extreme, also making a lot of the same changes for experimenting with new range, but drawing on tea tradition that goes way back. Their website mentions that they were founded in 1955, but that's the year his family took over the plantation, which was founded in 1881.

One really interesting difference came up in Jason's approach of drawing on modern research inputs that identify compounds in teas that transition in different ways during processing.  In the end best-case growing and processing practices that derived from that input seemed to map to traditional practices developed from received knowledge and personal experimentation.  

I suppose that theme of transitioning from a very old, grounded tea tradition to it being necessary to make a lot of radical changes just to make a business and "local" tea production theme work was common to everyone.  Laos was a completely isolated and undeveloped country 20 years ago; when I first visited there around 14 years ago they had just finished wiring the more populated half of the country with electricity access.  Nepal might have started on development a little earlier but must be in a roughly equivalent place.  Nika and Georgia's case is fascinating to me, related to their economy going through a reset after the 1990-91 end of the Soviet Union.  He invited all of us to visit there, and I would really love to get to that.  

Without climate change, a pandemic, general economic disruption, and large scale staffing issues a lot shift would be required for tea producers to keep up, but with those factored in ongoing success will require aiming at a moving target.  None of them seem to be getting caught flat-footed, trying to keep on with what tea production had been before; instead quite the opposite.

One part that helped make this possible, that I appreciate even more than the fantastic knowledge sharing, is how these are all people that I respect, admire, and can look up to as good examples of human beings.  None of them are taking short cuts, "doing what they have to do" in difficult circumstances; they're not that kind of people.  They are all paying dues in full, putting the work in, not trying to benefit from others' disadvantages, instead only seeking out successes that they've earned.  I only partly joked with one about how I would trust any of them with watching my kids, the one thing I value most in this world. 

All in all it seemed very successful to me.  I don't doubt that a much longer version wouldn't have ran out of discussion scope, so maybe we will be able to break past form and repeat that meeting version.

Great Mississippi Tea Company black and oolong

 

I've written an interview themed post about the Great Mississippi Tea Company teas, talking to Jason McDonald, and we met both Jason and Timmy in an online meetup not so long ago.  It was great trying some of those teas (which they provided; many thanks!), the first of a larger set.  Beyond them expanding tea options made in the US, which would be enough, they also specialize in making novel tea blends, flavored with other natural ingredients, with those and other products described here.  Those might be even more interesting, but it made sense to start with the plain teas.

I think they sent some of these too

These are the first teas I've ever tried from the US.  That's strange, since I've lived in Hawaii, but I was only into tisanes then.  A local "uncle" has sent tisanes from Hawaii a few times, so in the broadest sense I have tried tea from there, but in general I only use the concept in the narrower sense.

Let's check in on their descriptions of these, starting with the black tea:

Black tea is the most popular type of tea among Americans. This particular black tea is lightly oxidized to allow for its more delicate flavors to come to the forefront of the tea... This has flavor notes of sweet potatoes, molasses, malt, and stone fruit. 

I did say a lot about the low oxidation level but didn't duplicate any of those descriptions.  Alternate interpretations of the same flavors is a normal theme in vendor description, review, and online discussion.  Using a different brewing approach changes a lot, and even changing the version of water used can shift aspects.  I didn't brew this Western style; that will cause essentially the same flavors to come across much differently.  If I get around to it I'll mention how that works after trying it later. 

There is no description of this newer Empress Oolong version on that sales website, but they do describe it in a Facebook post introducing the type:

This tea is a lightly oxidized oolong using older leaves to give it a rich mouth feel and a floral aroma. It is similar to Taiwanese High Elevation Oolongs...  This tea has flavor notes of floral (jasmine and lilac), sweet green (watercress or green beans), and mineral with a buttery after taste.

I'm not great with identifying floral flavors, even jasmine, which is quite common here, but the rest matches what I describe following.

Review:

Black Magnolia:  interesting, quite pleasant.  It seems a bit atypical for black tea range in general, which is usually a bad thing, but this aspects set seems to really work out.  One might move right to a guess that oxidation level is a bit low, even just based on color, and that's one main variable, but it seems like a few inputs cause this to seem different.  

Since the first infusion is light (my typical approach) it's too early for a developed flavor list, which never is going to do it justice later either.  There's an unusual depth to this, and smoothness, and flavor range across a mild root spice range.  The normal astringency, sweetness, and higher end flavor notes are fairly mild.  It swaps out warm depth for those edgy, sweeter, and sharper tones, which per an early take is going to be pleasant and reasonably well balanced.  One wood tone range aspect (or maybe spice) seems a little odd at this stage, which may turn out to be a flaw, but it's also not unusual for some early aspects to drop out over the first infusion or two, so it might be a non-issue.

Empress Oolong:  it's odd how the one characteristic note in Taiwanese oolong is actually the first and main thing you notice in this.  I'm not saying that it's completely type-typical in relation to those, but it shares some of the main aspect range, which is a part that's quite positive.  That main flavor aspect is hard to specify; creaminess and underlying mineral compliment and probably help define it, but they aren't it.  It's closest to floral range but really not that.  

I suppose for it being hard to describe floral kind of works.  It's that but a little towards a new car smell, not like plastic, but aromatic and distinctive in a similar way.  From there one would next evaluate the whole flavor profile, overall balance, how an extra warm tone factors in, and if there are any flaws or limitations.  I'll get to all that.

Black Magnolia, second infusion:  oxidation level definitely was a part of it; this isn't relatively fully oxidized black tea.  That's fine, of course, that level normally varies in black teas.  This is at a lower edge for being in the category but that's fine too.  

I'm not noticing any flaws in this related to flavor aspects; it did clean up.  The depth is really nice, smoothness, richness, and flavor complexity.  One could easily miss the edge usually present in black teas, a bit more astringency, higher sweetness level, sharper or more pronounced higher end flavors, but it's good as it is.  Warm wood and spice tones give it a good complexity, and it balances.  Sweetness level is fine, it just comes across differently, that milder form, which integrates with richness.  Feel thickness and aftertaste are fine, not limitations.

From there developing a clearer flavor list would fill in description.  But that's the part that no two people would ever identify in exactly the same terms.  For someone else root spice could be wrong, and this could clearly be mainly almond flavored instead.  Or listing both would make sense.  A rich flavor out towards sweet potato or yam is hard to identify, integrated with the rest.  I'll give it a slightly longer steep and try a clearer list next time.  I think I'm noticing a touch of cinnamon; I'll see if that develops.

Empress oolong:  it's funny experiencing that Taiwanese oolong flavor in this.  If I were judging this as a high altitude Taiwanese oolong I would say that underlying mineral should be a little more pronounced, creaminess and fullness should be slightly higher, and that floral range flavor edge should pop just a little more, with more intensity.  That it's really in the range to be criticized exactly as a Taiwanese oolong is cool.  Some of the variations could relate to a balance that's not diminished, to an aspects set that overlaps but works in a slightly different way, so let's look at it through that lens instead.

This adds a smooth wood-tone layer to all that, which diminishes those specific notes' intensity.  Whenever I mention wood it seems like an insult to the tea, but wood really covers a lot of range, of types, bark versus aged or fresh wood, sweet versus warm and rich, clean or else musty, like aged sawdust (which would be a flaw), and so on.  Someone could easily "see" that same aspect as herbal in nature, more like chamomile, or similar to a root spice or nut (Brazil nut, versus almond in the first black tea version).  The floral range here is really covering a lot of scope.  One part more similar to Taiwanese tea is brighter, sweeter, and a little more forward, with a part overlapping with this range more like chrysanthemum, much deeper and more neutral.  Complex floral and clean root spice / nut / light wood tone is nice.

Black magnolia, third infusion:  this keeps improving, adding intensity and range.  Some of that could relate to variations in infusion time but I think it's also transitioning nicely.  That cinnamon spice note did increase again.  One could easily interpret part of the range of this as cocoa, I just wouldn't tend to, since I'm accustomed to some versions of black teas really including a cacao / chocolate blast, and this is subtle.  There's more I'm just not placing.

This is really a lot like I expected the oolong to be, to be honest.  From there other range is what I'd already mentioned, mild tones that could be interpreted differently, as almond, root vegetable, or even root spice, a warmer tisane range (not very descriptive, that part; maybe like chamomile), or even wood.  Just a touch more astringency and that sweeter and sharper black tea edge might help this a lot, but it's nice as it is.

Empress oolong:  not varying.  If anything this shifted closer to standard Taiwanese light oolong range.   There is actually a range related to those, with factors like growing elevation, plant type, and degree of oxidation making a big difference.  It would be cool if I could pin that down, for example saying this tastes like Qing Xin from a certain area and elevation, with a light but notable oxidation input.  Someone more focused on Taiwanese oolongs really could; I drank more of that range 5 years ago.  I just never really moved on to become a sub-type expert, gaining enough exposure to a high quality range and repetition to learn patterns.  I suppose that I have drank more oolong versions from Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia than most, but that doesn't clarify simple cause and effect sequences at all.

Fourth infusion, black tea:  cinnamon is getting even more pronounced in this black tea version; I bet it will be better and better as it's stretched for more rounds, brewed a bit longer.  this isn't necessarily even beyond a halfway point yet, but I'll stop making notes in order to go do things, the weekend routine.  Usually the stronger astringency edge that comes out from that isn't positive, but in this case it has been so mild I think it will be.  This being more subtle than black teas typically are could come across as a lack of intensity, but it does have a depth to it.  Probably adjusting brewing process and infusion strength would help it come across even better.

oolong:  more of the same, not really evolving, which is fine.  A trace more green wood edge might be picking up.  Floral range probably is shifting slightly round to round, but this description of that has been so vague it doesn't do it justice.  I'm noticing more rose petal range than I think it had before.

Conclusions:

Both are good tea, both distinctive and pleasant.  I really expected more flaws; maybe I was being pessimistic.  I suppose someone could experience all of this black tea character as a flaw if they don't love the range and balance, but really it's not that, just how it is.  For it being uncharacteristically low in astringency level I thought it worked.  It's really not my place to judge style choices or make suggestions but just a bit more of that--astringency edge, and related sharper flavor intensity--might have been good.

It was surprising that the black tea wasn't really in the range of a true black tea, probably most related to the low oxidation level, but the oolong had matched the main flavor aspect in Taiwanese oolong, which would seem to be a lot more challenging.  Both were good, the main thing.  

All in all quite pleasant and a great start.  It will be interesting trying others.

a school cooking assignment

Keo and the cats

Oiirabot Assam hand made black tea

Tippier version left (per description), but they look similar

I've written about this general theme before, about protecting small farmers by arranging growing and processing co-ops to produce higher quality, organically grown, orthodox tea, and preserve farmers' way of life by selling better tea more directly, to increase created value and the proportion returned to them.  One might wonder, how is this different?

It sounds a bit like the case of Assamica Agro, or Assam Teahaus, the venture by Maddhurjya Gogoi, the tea producer / coordinator I met here in Bangkok awhile back.  I'd be guessing to venture how this initiative it is different, but I will do that.

I just met one of the main people developing this visiting Bangkok, Jaba Borgohain.  I didn't see any web page references for the producer these are labeled under, Oiirabot, but Jaba's profile page did reference the Organic Assam Campaign.

Jaba is visiting the local university my family has the closest ties to, Chulalongkorn, my wife's former school, for an education conference event not related to the subject of tea.  The approach here is going to be for me to guess how these different ventures differ, and shed more light on hers, and then let her correct that by passing on more feedback in a later post.  The potential for adding some error is present, since I did just meet her for a few hours and talked some about this, after discussing it by message for a week or so.   But passing on an initial rough take is completely valid, as I see it.


To be clear these different ventures all are doing similar things in similar ways; I don't want to take away from that, or reject it.  The same is true of discussing this issue with Narendra Kumar Gurung related to Nepal, or that contact in the North of Thailand, Aphiwat Kokhue, or related to what Anna and William are supporting in Laos, through NGO development projects (covered lots of place in this blog, but last mentioned here, with links to follow).  This isn't about saying this project is somehow better or more important than those.  It seems unique, but only to a limited extent.  To me the general approach is great, and all of these initiatives sound uniquely promising.

Jaba is also trying to reconstruct past tea history, researching what was produced and how over the past, so that the end point isn't to produce Chinese style or fusion themed teas related to current market demand.  It's to produce the best possible tea using traditional sources and methodology, making some adjustments for optimizing results along the way.  She's not trying to import as much foreign processing approach or equipment as possible, or to change over types of teas being grown (again, all this is my understanding; maybe some retraction and clarification will follow).

These development themes always vary a little related to those sorts of focuses.  The work Anna and William are doing in Laos is more or less trying to bring Laos tea up to Chinese standards, for better versions from there, which would involve adjusting processing in relation to a foreign standard and type.  That's not such a bad thing, since those two tea traditions there are continuous, in an old form.  Probably processing has shifted to some extent over the last half a century in China (or improved over the last 20 years, as likely), but the style of tea hasn't changed as much as refinements have made best versions more universal.  Or at least that's my understanding.

Maddhurjya is trying to import Taiwanese tea production equipment (not just trying; he's done it); and probably is borrowing from foreign tea production styles.  That's also not such a bad thing.  A vendor in Indonesia related how they were going for a complete fusion of tea plant sources, processing steps, equipment use, and final styles outcome (Toba Wangi, with a vendor profile here; those teas I tried from them were great).  I can relate to why some people would appreciate the native-approach theme a lot more, but it's not as if it's the only valid starting point or input.

The tea itself will tell some of the story about how results go so far.  And Jaba can correct what I've said that's a bit of a miss, or fill in more details.  I'll let the package description add more background, to clarify that I'm not just re-interpreting discussion points as ran across them:

Handmade Tales is a specialty tea brand of Oiirabot, a tea enterprise based in tea city, Dibrugarh, Assam (India).  Oiirabot specializes in handcrafted chemical-free premium teas, cultivated in remote regions of Assam.

Oiirabot works in close colaboration with the small tea growers of Assam to create premium quality tea varieties and promote chemical-free tea farming among the tea growers of Assam.  Other range of premium tea products under Handmade Tales:

White Tea
Blue Tea [so oolong?]
Bamboo Smoked Tea [she passed on some falap / phalap, which I've never yet tried]
Green Tea with Silver Tips
Black Tea with Golden Tips
Assamese Traditional Smoked Dheki Tea


I didn't emphasize that organic theme, even though she and I talked a lot about the pros and cons of certifications.  In short I had told her that doesn't seem to be a primary selling point in the US, even though it is definitely a practical concern people are very aware of.

Review:

I'll prepare these Gongfu style, even though the package lists Western brewing suggestions.  It's my understanding that relates to that approach being much more familiar, and more relevant to a broader audience.  People already using a Gongfu approach for black teas would have an idea of how to go about that.

I did brew these for much longer than I typically would sheng pu'er or most twisted oolong styles, for around 20 seconds.  It would work well to limit that to 10-15 seconds, but the stronger form would be closer to the results from brewing the tea Western style.  It will help with moving through the initial saturation phase, going slightly longer, and I can adjust timing based on results from each round based on results from the last (all standard stuff, really).

version with more golden tips left

Assam Black Orthodox Tea with Golden Tips:  that's really interesting.  You would expect malt to stand out most in any Assam, and it never really drops out for any version, but in this it's only one part of a broader profile, not dominant at all.  If anything a flavor range similar to sun-dried tomato stands out more, a rich, almost fruity sweetness that includes a bit of umami.  Nothing like that aspect framed in a seaweed or "greener" context in Japanese green teas, but I'm interpreting it as related. 

This isn't so close to any other tea style I've ever tried that I can use that as a clear starting point, not even other orthodox Assam.  One part reminds me more of Jin Jun Mei, that warm, honey-way sweet and rich range.  There's malt too, so that's different from those, but barely present in relation to the typical role that plays in Assam versions.  Cocoa joins those; that's more common with other Chinese black tea range.

It's nice, just a bit shocking to experience so much complexity at first, so removed from any expectations.  There's almost no astringency; it doesn't even have a dry or rough feel, just fullness of body.


Assam Black Orthodox Tea:  presumably this is similar to the other but based on less tippy material, but that may not work to assume that.  It could be from a slightly different local area, made from different plant type sources, and processed differently; I just don't have that information.  Inputs are one thing and experienced results another anyway; in the end the tea speaks for itself.

This does overlap a good bit with the other version, only quite different for all the same aspects balancing differently.  Malt plays a similar but different role in this, or maybe it just comes across differently.  To back up and frame that, when you drink CTC Assam, or even better versions of orthodox Assam, it's typical for a blast of malt--in a very specific form--to define the experience.  Even when it balances well with the rest it still usually stands out as the single dominant aspect.  Not in these.  Related to good versions of Chinese black teas tasting a little malty these are comparable; it's still present.

It's as sweet as the other version, possibly slightly sweeter.  An aspect like sun-dried tomato is also present, that rich, warm, complex range, it's just not as dominant.  Cocoa and bees-wax (which I referenced as common with Jin Jun Mei) is also present, but again not as much.  Since it's just as intense as the other version it's hard to clarify what is filling in for the difference.  An underlying mineral structure may stand out just a little more, or a sweet version of dried wood tone, approaching that of bark spice, but leaving off where dried sticks tend to smell.  Or that could be tied to a version of tree bark, but only a very specific type, not the full, thick bark of mature hardwood, or the lighter, mineral intensive nature of peel-bark trees (aspen or birch), but instead a thin, dark bark common to other ranges of tree types.  Maybe "like sticks" is clearer than all that.

Related to feel this has a different kind of structure, a hint of dryness, but it's not astringent.  Malt in Assam usually seems somehow connected to a dry, structured feel, but these are a good bit softer and fuller than that, or "rounder" if a more vague, graphic comparison helps.

Right out of the gate these are on par with or possibly even better than any other Assam I've ever tried, and I've explored that range a bit.  Usually newer producers go through a "dialing-in" phase while they work out removing obvious flaws, but they're onto the next step already, optimizing results.  I was surprised that Narendra seemed to jump over that step in making Nepalese teas too. 

I think both may have been successful for a common reason; they're really not new to it, at all.  Both sets of producers (farmers, who also produce tea) were probably making pretty good tea before, and did go through some adjustment phase I wasn't in on testing, but were able to rush that process for starting out further ahead.  External input could also be a factor, as in William and Anna's case, drawing on one or more good reference sources.  Anyway, the teas are nice.

Second infusion:

I went fast on this second infusion, around 10 seconds.  That will soften mouth-feel even further, which wasn't necessary, but I'm curious about how the flavors and other aspects work at a light infusion level, around how I prepare a lot of Chinese teas.

Golden tips black (leaves and tips, the tippier version):  more of the same, only slightly lighter; it's not really developing to change.  That sun-dried tomato range umami effect is interesting; that just doesn't come up much in any black teas.  It's pleasant, just really novel.  An optimum infusion level (intensity) for this would be brewed for longer, as I expected.  It's interesting that the tea has reasonable thickness of feel, even brewed lightly; even some aftertaste effect occurs.  That mix of sun-dried tomato rich sweetness, bees wax, and cocoa is quite pleasant, with hardly any malt filling in for balance between an earthy and mineral range, but just a touch.

Someone looking for a blast of malt in this tea would be disappointed; for being more on a Chinese-black style range it works really well.  It's odd saying it but this probably wouldn't be ideal for making masala chai.  It's one of the better Indian black teas I've tried, so that's not really a natural connection anyone would make anyway, considering how simmering this with spices would work out.


Orthodox black (just less tippy):  this does transition, or maybe it's that it comes across much different at a lower infusion intensity, while the other just seemed lighter but with identical aspects.  I get a sense there's something I'm missing in this description, some way of portraying what it's like in a clearer way I've not considered.  It also contains a faint bees-wax aspect, and limited amount of cocoa, and a faint trace of malt, maybe just a little more.  Then there's a wood tone that's different, closer to tree bark or bark spice than fresh or cured hardwood or pine, nothing like those ranges.  It's not like forest-floor either, nothing like autumn leaves, or wetter earthier range.  Maybe leather, that sweet, rich smell from a bomber jacket, leather bound book, or baseball glove.  Framed within the rest of the complex flavors I'm not sure which it's closest to.

The feel has a hint more structure and dryness to it.  You can't really pick it up within the flavor range but it seems like maybe a touch more mineral (warm-toned mineral) is supporting that other mix, and that's why it comes across as complex in a different way, and why the feel character is different.  Or it could just be the malt-tone is different, but it's light enough in these that it's hard to break down.  A stronger infusion will help with identifying that difference.

It's a little known fact that Assamica plant types produce more caffeine than variety Sinensis, one of very few uniform inputs that identify a difference.  The other is that younger leaves and buds contain more caffeine as well; beyond that it just varies by case.  These teas really hitting me reminded me of all that.  For being two infusions in I'm feeling that caffeine.  Maybe some of what people write off as "tea drunk" in young sheng just is that.  Only some; I get it that people are having semi-mystical experiences of different types, not just caffeine buzzed.

Third infusion:

These I brewed for 20 seconds this round, twice as long as the last time.  I'd expect the teas to only produce a half dozen or so infusions using these longer times, or maybe 7 or 8 with stretching out long-brewed late rounds.  They will probably require longer infusion times by round 5 or so to keep up intensity, and will transition in aspects quite a bit by that or the next infusion.  All just guesses; interesting trying to see how teas match my expectations, or don't.

Tippier black:  intensity is back up but only in a normal range; these may be fading just a little already.  It doesn't help using up a lot of time between rounds to write, because in effect I'm letting the tea leaves cool, which cools the water I pour onto them.  Again that sun-dried tomato umami stands out, with the rest of the list as I had described.  It may be edging towards slightly earthier and slightly less sweet.  The cocoa and bees wax may be on the way out, with a mild dark wood tone picking up, closer to the form of the other, but not really the same.


Orthodox black:  the feel of this is quite different; astringency really did ramp up.  It's nowhere near the level of a CTC tea, or maybe even a more standard orthodox black range, but compared to both in the first two rounds it's considerable.  If anything the other tea lightened in character and feel, the opposite.  That stronger edge draws out more of the bees-wax impression, with malt tone picking up quite a bit; now it really is a main aspect, just not yet a dominant one.

The slightly dry feel that is common to Assam tea is more present, the structured feel / body that comes across that way, versus Chinese teas being softer (or often Darjeeling too, for that matter, but those vary a lot, covering many pleasant forms and aspect combinations).  This is probably the only infusion of the six I've tried that would be familiar to people drinking "more bold" and more typical forms of black tea.  Boldness seems to imply some degree of value judgement, and "briskness" overlaps with that a little, relating more exclusively to feel instead of also flavor.  I tend to not use those terms because to me they're not descriptive enough, and try to describe actual flavors and feel aspects instead.  But they could definitely be meaningful; it's a matter of preference of terms and convention.

Fourth infusion:

This might be a good place to leave off given that 8 small cups of tea prepared like this is a lot.  I'd expect that the story of round 5 is about how these transition towards the finish, with how durable they are to produce lots of consistent infusions more relevant than how that final transition sequence plays out.  It is nice when some Dian Hong (Yunnan black, my overall favorite black tea type, or range, as it works out) are still very positive in later round forms, so that stretching out 2 or 3 late rounds is still nice to experience.  You get more experience out of your tea that way.  It's more common for all black tea types to stay positive for a shorter run, to fade to become woody or something such.

Orthodox with golden tips:  this is thinning a little further.  The richness, round feel, thickness, and overall pleasantness is still present but it's fading.  A longer infusion time would bump that next round.  I'd expect that's not how the other version goes, that it's just changing form more, not intensity level so much, based on the last round.


Orthodox black:  it might be fading a little, but not like the other version.  It still has that astringency edge, although this is brewed too lightly for it to feel rough, it just has structure.  The balance isn't quite as positive as it had been, the level of flavor in relation to that feel aspect, and related mineral / malt flavor tones (seemingly related; maybe they have nothing to do with each other, and I'm adding the association).

This is much closer to other forms of orthodox Assam I've tried, as it comes across this round, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Those usually break into two sets of character types, as very intense and malt-heavy, and much thinner and softer and more subtle.  At a guess harvest season timing may have caused that as much as any other input, spring teas (the more intense versions) versus those harvested and produced at other times.  Of course that's just a guess.  Darjeeling second flush is just as intense as first, just different in character, related to picked leaf characteristics and processing differences.  I'm really not familiar enough with Assam "flushes" or harvest seasons to speculate, just mentioning the obvious, as I see it.

It seems like one more slightly stretched timing round would tell a more complete story, and since I'm just buzzed versus blasted on caffeine I might as well go there.

Fifth infusion:

These brewed around a minute, plenty of time to draw out more infusion strength, just maybe a bit much for the second.

Black with more golden tips:  the aspects are a bit more subdued but in the same range as earlier, just leveled off a bit.  It's still very positive, not picking up astringency, heavy mineral tone, or any woody flavors, still just as sweet, mellow, complex, and balanced.  Given how subtle this has become it might only work to run two even longer infusions, since it's staying so positive, with that seventh one pushing it a bit.  I never compared the flavor to honey, but I guess it went without saying that saying it tasted a bit like bees wax overlapped some with that.  This is more like honey than that bees wax now, which is also very pleasant, just subtle.  The sun-dried tomato flavor range dropped out (earlier in the rounds, really), leaving other warm, soft tones, closer to cocoa, but not branching into being woody.

I never did mention that although these two look kind of similar the character of this version is much closer to that of golden tips or buds-heavy tea versions.  That content difference must be right; both the label and corresponding character match can't be wrong.


Orthodox black:  the tapering off of intensity is in a positive place for this version too, with aspect balance a lot closer to the other than I'd have expected.  This has more astringency now, and malt is more pronounced, but the honey sweetness and soft, rich tones aren't as different as they had been.  The feel in this has more structure, at this point, but the other isn't thin, even for becoming lighter, it's just not as thick as it had been.

Conclusions:

This already covered what I thought of the teas; they were really good.  It's tempting to say that they are better than the other two sets of versions of orthodox Assam produced by small co-op producers (Assamica Agro and Assam Teahaus).  It might be the case that I'm just trying a later, more-tweaked version of these teas, that from 2 to 3 years ago when I tried those others the ones made by this same producer wouldn't have been quite as refined.  And those other two producers may have made quality gains since then, and adjusted to make new types; in fact, I'd be surprised if they hadn't.

It's a little odd that all three seem to be on such closely related time-tables.  I don't think any of them were doing anything remotely like this 4 years ago (or maybe it's 5 instead, but I think it's not), and they've covered a lot of similar ground fast.  I like this individual theme, the idea of going back to earlier, traditional forms of tea, versus fusing other production methods along with what was already done.  Optimization of both may follow similar patterns; the outcomes may be more similar than one would expect.

This is only the beginning of this description.  I have one more green tea to try, and I want Jaba to help adjust what I've said to make it more detailed and accurate.  She has also been researching the history of tea in Assam, which can confidently be re-written from the present form based on citing clear and reliable text references.  I'll leave that part as a teaser, and won't share what I've already heard about that.

Jaba is here on a academic conference visit, related to a subject other than tea.  That's interesting to me, how people can bridge experience and strengths from other backgrounds and discipline to inform tea investigation or development.  Of course the tradition she is a part of, was born into, also related quite a bit to agricultural themes, and traditional tea production.  Academic research does open the door to exploring history in a different way, though.  Probably not in any way that made this tea as good as it is, but it's still an interesting sub-theme.

More will follow across those different scopes.

meeting Jaba at Jip Eu, my favorite shop, along with Ralph, from Germany

visiting Wat Pho, a main Bangkok temple

the main ceremony hall Buddha statue there