Kokang Myanmar dragonball sheng vs. cake review

I just wrote about pu'er-like teas from South East Asia in general, here, and this is another example, from the Kokang producer in Myanmar.

These teas are probably not identical, besides the shape, but I expect the difference in brewing from the shape difference to be the main story.  They're both from the same producer, both from the same general area.  The cake tea (which I already reviewed) was from last year, and these dragonballs may be too, but I missed reference to that.

I checked the prior review to see if I was describing this cake-pressed version in the same way, and it mentions a hint of dried fruit (interpretation) that I didn't seem to include here, with the tea mainly floral for flavor range in both.  And quite sweet, with moderate, well-balanced bitterness; all that is relatively common.  The idea was to see if the shape really made any difference, in addition to comparing the two versions for style that might not relate to that.

This shape presentation gets mixed reviews in online discussion.  Some people like dragonballs--which aren't always called that--for the convenience of starting with a pre-measured amount.  Others can't stand them, probably related to being accustomed to using their own carefully controlled brewing process, which getting tea pressed into a ball saturated throws off, since beyond dictating the amount could need to be infused for a few rounds before the tea in the middle even starts brewing.  It's possible to tear them in two, or in parts, after a rinse and an infusion or two, and I usually don't wait however many infusions it would take for one to unfold on its own.

I'll focus on how this difference actually changes brewed tea character.  That will probably require using longer infusion times for the ball, initially, because it will need to unfold, while the other loose version will infuse to a good level in 10 seconds or less, at proportions I prefer.  To me this cake version amount relates to a standard proportion, not enough to crowd the gaiwan when infused, but not a lower proportion that will require extending brewing times.  As to how many grams that is I could guess but I've just been eye-balling sheng for years, not weighing it, so it would only be a guess.

a moderate length rinse didn't get far with the dragonball

Review:

a faster start than I expected for it opening up

I went with a 10 second infusion the first time, not short, but standard enough.  This dragonball probably won't be far along yet.  I tried to tear it in two but it was too early, and only split off some leaves.  That's not ideal because those leaves are probably more broken now, and brewing as loose tea while half the rest hasn't been exposed to hot water.

The loose version really is pleasant.  There's a way above average sweetness present that works well with the moderate bitterness.  Mostly floral tones dominate the flavor profile, which works.  Mineral is also notable, but as an underlying aspect.  Feel already has some fullness to it with aftertaste even more pronounced.  The way that heavy sweetness, moderate bitterness, and flint-mineral combine and balance makes this more appealing than the set of individual aspects would be otherwise.  It'll probably be even better in a year since it has intensity to spare and that floral range won't fade quickly, and swapping out some bitterness for warmer tones would probably work well.  Or it's quite good now; I'm not implying that it isn't.

The dragonball version almost has to be from a quite different leaf source.  All of those descriptions still work, sort of, but the aspects are present in a different form, with none of it matching directly.  Mineral range takes on an almost medicinal quality, sweetness isn't as pronounced, or the floral range, or bitterness, for that matter, and a hint of smoke seems to be included.  Natural smoke flavor, this seems, like the earthy/mineral trace that seems different in form than smoked teas tend to come across.  If it was really smoked that could be pine smoke.  A bit of pine flavor seems present, as strong as the floral aspect in the first, but here mixed with a different expression of floral range.

It is possible to pull this ball apart, not by splitting or tearing it, but just carefully pulling leave bunches apart.  There's a small core that's not infused yet but after the next round this will about as saturated as the loose tea already is now.  The leaves will have been infusing unevenly, across the rinse and first three rounds, but after that differences might level off quite a bit.  I'll go ahead and give both around a 10 second infusion time again.

the ball is coming apart already (right), with some assistance

Second infusion:

dragonball version slightly cloudy, but that was mostly cleared next round

The dragonball tea is brewing slightly darker, with just a trace of cloudiness in the liquid (not necessarily a good sign, but nothing to be too concerned with; the effect will show up in the experienced aspects).  It would've been possible to let this open on its own, to not untangle it, so that the process would have taken one or two infusions longer.  I see opening faster as a best case, of sorts, but that might be a judgement call.

The cake pressed version is about the same, maybe evolving a bit more warmth and complexity.  There's definitely bitterness present; someone trying to avoid that in sheng wouldn't care for this tea.  To me it balances well, with the form and level quite pleasant.  The overall effect is clean, bright, and intense; it's good.  Again the bitterness, pronounced sweetness, light mineral (now slightly warmer), and floral tone balance really well.  Most of that judgement is subjective, of course, that I like the mix based on my own preference.

Smoke picks up in the dragonball version.  It's heavier in bitterness, with stronger and different mineral tone.  The floral is almost not noticeable as a background aspect, with a green wood filling in more vegetal scope instead.  This tea also kind of works but lighter brewing would do it justice, and it has probably just finished an initial wetting process that will enable it showing its true character better next round.  Which can be a short one; the cake version is plenty intense enough for a 5 second infusion to work and this will be better lighter, it seems.

Third infusion:

The cake version isn't different, but it works well slightly lighter.  I don't remember that this character evolved all that much over the rounds in the first review; maybe it won't.  That's not such a bad thing, if it starts out positive.  The flavor range might still be warming slightly, with the more intense sweetness and floral tone drawing back just a little.

The dragonball version is slightly clearer; cloudiness is hard to notice in this infusion.  It's definitely darker.  One might wonder why.  It could be a year older tea version, not a 2018 but from the year prior.  Or the leaves could have oxidized a little.  Tea character can change a little during the processing steps, from what I've heard, but both of these were probably re-wetted (steamed) from a loose / maocha form to be made into these shapes.  It could have taken longer to dry, or the heating process (pan frying) didn't remove quite as much moisture from the leaves initially, enabling them to dry slower.  It could've just been a lot more humid out, which would make a change, with young sheng appearing this dark atypical but definitely not unheard of.

I just ran through all of this with Anna related to a Kinnari Tea sheng cake she passed on (compared to a second maocha version here).  She confirmed that her impression matched my guess about the oxidation level in that (with the rest about moisture levels I just expressed a bit beyond what I really should be saying anything about, since I have exactly zero experience with processing tea):


the batch they took for that pressing was autumn tea. especially the stems were probably not cooked quite enough during shaqing, a common occurrence especially in autumn when the stems are thicker, so they turn red (oxidize) early on during maturation. it's a point that is often criticized by chinese buyers of lao tea, and one of the points we try to address during trainings: how to manage the moisture content in the leaves during shaqing so that the leaves can be cooked enough before becoming too dry.



So this could potentially also relate to this tea being an autumn version, although that's not indicated as likely by this input, just possible.  In discussing it further Anna and I both agreed that a bit of oxidation present in sheng isn't necessarily a flaw, that a tea can be just as pleasant but slightly different in form with that, but that it probably does cost it a little in terms of aging potential.  But even that would be more clear after letting the tea sit in storage for at least a dozen years, and probably clearer yet after 15.

Anna mentioned that other Laos teas are on the way, but I still have three versions I've not reviewed yet from her; I should get on that [editing note:  the reviewed I already mentioned occurred the next day and was posted already, these are posted out of tasting order].  Two of the other tea versions she described are really novel (I'll get to explaining how), but it sounds like the best of the sheng they picked up in Laos might be the others.  Best is all relative, of course; I really liked both that I tried already. 


Back to this review.  The dragonball version expresses a different, stronger form of bitterness.  The other tea's bitterness is pronounced but lighter (not the level, the type), maybe a little "cleaner," although really no description probably does the distinction justice.  Bitterness in this version is like biting a dandelion flower or stem; heavy, but also specific in form.  It could just be an intensity issue and I'm adding bad judgement to isolating causation.  I still like this tea but it's not as light, sweet, floral, and clean, and swapping out floral tone for green wood isn't positive.  I don't like it as much.  These would also seem to have pretty good aging potential because intensity is definitely there, and bitterness level could reduce a good bit and still balance.

Fourth infusion:

The cake version is consistent.  The same aspects shift slightly in balance, giving the effect of not drinking exactly the same tea, which is nice, but it's not so different.  Which is good; it's quite pleasant.  Later editing note:  towards later rounds in the first review I interpreted the flavor as moving from only floral to slightly into dried fruit range.  It's easy to do a less complete review when trying two teas, especially when one is re-reviewed and used as a benchmark, versus that description being a primary goal.


The dragonball version cleans up a little and shifts some in flavor.  The earlier aspects set is still present (bitterness, which overlaps with an unusual pronounced mineral tone, green wood, light supporting floral), developing a little towards tobacco.  There's still a faint hint of smoke present; that works well with the tobacco range.  The aspect range seemed to "clean up."  The other tea is light in profile but intense in comparison; this is a little burlier.  Some people probably would prefer this version for that difference.  Put another way it comes across as less refined but it hits a little harder.  I can't imagine that this is an autumn tea, but then what do I know.

Fifth infusion:

the brewed liquid color evened up

I'll have to let this tasting go after this, off to a water slide outing today.  That would be more exciting if I was 5 or 10 years old myself but I do love seeing the kids go through all that.

Flavor range is shifting for the cake version; it's picking up some aromatic wood range now, along with warming in tone over the last couple of rounds.  It's still pleasant, just not improved.  The feel still has a nice thickness and it carries over to plenty of aftertaste.

It's odd how the smoke strengthened in this dragonball version, gradually over a few infusions.  It seems possible that's just a natural flavor aspect, since if it was from smoke contact it should have also stood out initially, maybe even more then.  The smoke along with tobacco earthiness (related to what was green wood earlier on) works well enough together.  Floral is not noticeable at this point, but then it also wasn't so prominent in the cake version at this round.

I'm curious how these will unfold for one more round so I'll rush it, but both will probably be what I expect, just woodier.  I'll let the infusion run well over 10 seconds, so not rush it in that sense, just make the tasting part quick.

Sixth infusion:

Brewed tea color evened up, with the cake version darkening over these rounds; I'm not sure what that means.

Wood really is picking up in the first version.  You can still pick up floral but it's in the background now.  For tasting like aromatic wood this still comes across as really bright and clean, and well balanced.  It's those subtle context forms that make it so pleasant; it's sophisticated and light but intense, not heavy but full and slightly wet, not overly bitter but the form and level of bitterness works really well.

The other is more intense related to flavor, that set of green wood, tobacco, and mild smoke that has more effect on the overall impression than the light level might indicate it would.  The feel has a touch of dryness to it, but decent fullness.  Aftertaste is pleasant but less sweet than for the other tea, more green wood and that hint of dryness and smoke lingers.  For someone on that page it would still work really well but for me the other cake version just works better.

Conclusions:

The teas are both nice.  They share some similarities but are quite different.  I really thought the form difference would affect how they brewed more than it did.  The first couple of rounds unfolded differently but after that more differences seemed to stem from the tea itself, not so much from the shape.

It probably doesn't make sense to say a lot about value since I heard pricing related to these at a sales expo centered around wholesale pricing distribution, but for someone buying the tea at that range it would be a very good value (probably for both versions).  To me these teas are in that medium level quality range that tends to be priced way above the earlier $40 or so cake norm now, from the recent past, more typically selling for $70 and up.  Demand for versions from a local area factor into that, and I have no idea how that works out related to Myanmar teas in general.  As far as character related to a judgement about them being pleasant and of good quality level these are nice, with the cake version probably slightly nicer.  Or that could just be a judgement call based on personal preference, even though that's not how I see it.

about people visiting from Germany and India; I should write a post about that

Pu'er-like teas in South East Asia

First published by TChing in three parts (here, here, and here).

I tend to talk about teas version by version, or maybe source by source, or at most type by type.  A question came up in a tea group (in the Facebook Pu'er Tea Club) about trying versions equivalent to Yunnan pu'er from South East Asia (so not pu'er, since that's a regional tea name).

In response I mentioned a number of sources, which works as an introduction to what the teas are.  I'll reference the general feedback there and what those sources sell, which will outline what is out there too (most of it; the range is quite broad).


The different versions vary a lot. Not all the styles are exactly the same as in Yunnan, and of course those vary a lot too, just in a different sense. Some versions can be just as similar to green or white teas, depending on the source. For all the ones I just mentioned the general style would tend to be familiar, quite continuous with the Yunnan processing and style conventions. 

It's hard to separate local character from processing variations, especially given that context. It had seemed to me that Myanmar sheng were very bitter, in general, but I just tried a 2018 sheng version that wasn't, necessarily, from Kokang. Compared to a Yiwu maybe it was but I mean it was quite drinkable and well-balanced for a young tea. More "local" sourced shu varies quite a bit. I've had great luck with Myanmar and Thai versions, and less with what I've tried from Vietnam [related to shu; sheng versions were generally quite pleasant], and less shu comes out of Laos.

It's a bit much to cite all those vendors but who they are and what they sell tells the story.


Hatvala, in Vietnam:  one of my favorite vendors for selling an interesting range of different local teas at a good value.  Vietnamese sheng is something of an anomaly, but really the tea traditions in this region extend back to well prior to when modern country divisions were settled where they are now.  Vietnamese versions vary but they're similar to Yunnan pu'er and in general a good value, from the right sources.  I have reviewed versions of their sheng but citing a description of one I've not tried might give some insight about the sources and into how unique those can be:


...from Y Ti in Lao Cai province. Produced in a Red Dao community where families live either side of the Vietnam/ China border which is separated by a simple stream here. This is another complex tea with a broad range of flavours – green plum, raisin, moss, stone, floral, mild spice and dried hay – that take turns to explode in the mouth. Pleasing bitterness and a very long sweet aftertaste make Forest Genie an extremely refreshing tea.

a Hatvala and local Hanoi shop sheng

That's marketing content, of course, but it adds depth to how flavor range can vary a lot in teas from vastly different sources.  That "Dao" reference relates to an indigenous people who live throughout the region, including in China.  I'm mixing themes a bit here but this Farmerleaf (Yunnan source) video about a Laos development project sheds more light on how local producers in SE Asia aren't necessarily as well organized and compensated as Yunnan pu'er producers.  This NGO reference covers more about that from a non-commercial perspective; the images communicated alone make that worth a look.

credit the Comite de Cooperation avec le Laos site

Tea Side, Thailand:  this is the main source for well above average Thai tea versions, selling a much broader range of sheng and shu than I've encountered across all the rest of all sources (and Myanmar versions, just not as many).  Again Thai versions can be distinctive but aren't necessarily uniformly different than those from Yunnan.  I own what's left of a 2006 sheng cake from Tea Side; Hong Tai Chang was an old Chinese producer who processed local Thai teas some time ago.  They're also working on small-batch shu production (well along with that, since 2013 per this 2017 article on the subject), and their newest sheng product line expanded a lot, so production of that must have changed recently too.

on Tea Side producing small-batch shu pu'er (photo credit and article)

Lamphang Tea, Thailand:  a real exception, a very small local producer.  There are actually a lot of these sources through Facebook pages, especially out of Vietnam, since tea culture and production is more mainstream there.  Such teas would less often be compressed, but this vendor does sell versions as tuochas.  Lamphang isn't in the remote North, where the older trees would tend to be found, so I'm not clear on how a producer from there makes sense, but the tea is nice.

Lampang sheng tuochas (credit their page)

Kokang, Myanmar "pu'er":  I just met this producer at a Bangkok expo, and reviewed the sheng and shu.  It's quite good.  The first two blog posts that turn up from searching that location are about a version a tea-expert contact passed on (Olivier Schneider), and a 2006 version I bought this year from Chawang Shop.  The 2017 shu and 2018 sheng I just tried are clearly well-processed teas made from good material, distinctive for expressing local character, but not quite as bitter as prior sheng versions have seemed.

meeting the Kokang producer at a Bangkok expo (description and review)

Kinnari Tea, Laos:  I love Laos teas.  This producer is a friend, and another friend and tea enthusiast travels in Laos passing on interesting versions that he turns up (Somnuc).  As with Vietnamese versions styles and quality levels vary a lot but also common to there the best examples can be distinctive and very pleasant, giving up nothing to Yunnan teas.  Kinnari isn't selling direct retail at this point (except for a new kombucha RTD venture) but reaching out to her online might work, instead of taking a flight to Vientiane to pressure her to sell some directly.  I just met Anna a few days ago; this first post is a start on reviewing some very interesting Laos versions from them in the next couple of weeks.

a small sheng cake Anna of Kinnari Tea passed on

I mentioned three other sources in those discussion comments, about buying a nice sheng from a Hanoi shop online, Hein Minh (old-tree slightly aged versions), about Farmerleaf (as I'd just mentioned), and about Moychay, a Russian vendor, selling really good Myanmar shu.  Options are around.  In an odd twist I tried Laos tea from another Russian producer in a tasting in Moscow once, but Laos Tea isn't so broadly available that it would be likely to turn up.

Laos Tea tasting in Moscow (with a rare Laos shu review here)

Black and green tea are produced in those countries too, and oolongs, even white teas; sheng and shu are just the page I've been on for around two years now.  It might seem like I would have SE Asian options somewhat sorted out but I'm not so sure; quite likely sources and types completely new to me will keep coming up.  I've heard of local Taiwanese sheng recently, and bamboo pu'er coming out of Laos (a version of falap, which is also produced in Yunnan), and sheng cakes from Assam (just outside the edge of SE Asia, really).

It's a shame that very few Thais know these teas are out there, or appreciate better quality teas of any type, but I'm working on that.

Kinnari Tea Nyot Ou (Laos) Forest Sheng

with a more complete description (it's maocha, loose, on the right)

I'm trying the second sheng that Anna passed on, the owner of Kinnari Tea of Laos.  The first pressed version I reviewed not long ago (here).  It was pleasant, unusual for being slightly oxidized.  Or at least seeming so, with her take on that confirming it, already mentioned in a Myanmar Kokang dragonball review draft (which I'll post out of order), so I'll not go further with that idea here.

I didn't have long to try this tea before a swim lesson this morning.  I'm doing most of the editing on the same day; not how that usually goes, but I do have two hours to spend during the lesson, since I'm joining it.  It made for a strange call then to comparison review it, since that would add to the time demand, but I was curious about common ground with the other sheng, and if the difference related to the extra oxidation would stand out.

Anna mentioned the pressed version's background and it seems nearby but not completely local, from near different villages in the Phongsaly province:

That sheng is a forest gushu from autumn 2018, from Ban Nammanoy in Nyot Ou dirstrict, one of the villages we're working with for CCL project where William is involved too [of Farmerleaf]. They just started making cakes - they are likely among the first in Laos to stone-press their own cakes.

this version left, compared with the one already reviewed, right

Micro-climate, soil type, plant type, and processing could all be nearly identical or completely different whether the tea was from a relatively close area or far away.  One would expect the common causes to correlate to proximity but that wouldn't be necessary at all.  Rainfall patterns can be quite local, or soil coverage and type could vary with terrain features, and so on.  I focus on how teas come across most as a result, de-emphasizing background that really is interesting and relevant, because even in this special case where someone knew the producers and saw the trees there's only so much detail that can be included anyway.

You might think you could look up those places on Google Maps and see how they fit together, the two villages mentioned, but it seems to not work that way:

zooming doesn't help; that North-West area stays blank

I can mention lots of other references, if looking up related pictures is of interest.  Why wouldn't it be; remote Laos has a cool look. 

Here's a Farmerleaf FB post of being on the related same visit (they also support the NGO development project), with more in Kinnari's FB page if you look around (although maybe none so directly related, more on the other two teas I've not checked out yet), and a page with lots of photos from the CCL NGO involved (William stands out a bit in those; he's the guy that doesn't look Laotian).  This Farmerleaf video is from the village this tea is from, Tungkualin Noy; it's fascinating hearing that local farmer's perspective.

Review:

this Ban Tunkgualin (sp.) village sheng left, Ban Nammanoy right

The first round is just a first impression, a little light to go far with descriptions.  It seems interesting.  Floral doesn't stand out as much as it might, or any flavor or other aspects, since the tea is quite subtle still.  Mineral is already showing up, with a bit of vegetal range, and an unusual pleasant spice-like note.

The other version (the tea cake pressed tea that I had already reviewed) is warmer in range already, with a lot of warm mineral and a hint of dryness.  Since it won't do both justice to say a lot related to this round I'll add more in the next.  I've given this first round around 10 seconds time and will go slightly longer on the second to get this moving. 

Second infusion:

This Nyot Ou version is still on the subtle side; that's interesting.  The thicker feel is there, and aftertaste hangs around, what there is to taste, and it seems like sheng, but it's not strong flavored at all.  Bitterness is very mild, sweetness is also limited, and other range doesn't stand out, to an unusual degree.  The flavor present is pleasant.  It has a root-spice theme going, it seems; that's what I wasn't placing.  Vegetal range is hard to pin down, and people would surely interpret that in different ways.  A light but warm and sweet version of autumn leaf is close enough.  Maybe it's odd that teas don't resemble the scent of dried forest (tree) leaves more often than they do.  Some light mineral supports that.  It all works; it's nice, just unusual for being light across those different aspect ranges.

The other sheng is much different, although there seems to be some common ground that stands out more for trying them together.  It's brewed a little too strong at just over 10 seconds; astringency picks up as a result, with that dryness and mineral coming across closer to how black teas do for character, just a very mild version of that.  Bitterness is much stronger but still light for young sheng.  Sweetness could be more pronounced but the balance isn't bad.  I'm probably missing a couple of flavors, or one other character aspect (I could go on about feel, for example), but time is tight so I'll rush past all that.  I'm off to swimming lessons soon; it's always something with the kids.

I mis-matched these proportions slightly for rushing, going too heavy on the second version.  It's odd it's even possible to get as close to judging tea amounts by eye and feel as seems to be typical in these.  They're not so far off it will make it hard to get a feel for that as an input, and the point wasn't about identical comparison anyway, just to get a feel for similarities and differences.

Third infusion:

Again, interesting for being subtle.  More wild grown tea versions can be mild, and interesting in flavor range, so a lot of variation across related type versions isn't unusual.  No real change to that list though; if an accurate read root spice is a main component, with a good bit more filling in the rest given how subtle the tea is.  Bitterness probably picked up a little but it's still very light.

A warm version of dried leaf stands out a lot in the second, which has a bit dryer, warm mineral character.  It's quite pleasant tea too, just unusual in character across some different range.  Some background wood character might be common between the two, harder to recognize for these being so different in other ways.  The first tea comes across as slightly sweeter for having the balance it does but it may or may not be.  It could just be an effect related to how the different aspects combine together.

It's almost time to swim; we're at the stage where my wife is shouting.  One more infusion might be it, for now.

Fourth infusion:

I like this tea more than I would have expected for getting so little to experience out of it.  That subtlety works better for all that's there being so pleasant, and slightly novel.  The root spice aspect (or one I'm interpreting as such) is nice, and balances well with the rest.  The feel has a thickness to it, and there is some bitterness and sweetness, just not much.  I think seeming sweeter probably is an effect from other aspects in trying the teas one after the other.  In a way this reminds me of an oolong, the way that a thick feel and pleasant complexity can go together with a tea that's not intense in flavor, although most oolongs are stronger in flavor than this too, just not like young sheng.  It might resemble a typical white tea character as much or more.

More of the same for the other:  interesting warm mineral tone, autumn leaf aspect, some hint towards spice range, a little harder to pin down, maybe an aromatic bark spice.  A slight dryness to the feel is different.  Dropping infusion time to relatively fast pulls that into a good level; it balances with the rest.

Fifth infusion:

I did squeeze in one more round, not so different though.  Bumping time just a little drew out more intensity out of the Nyot Ou tea, but it wasn't lacking something to experience, and hadn't seemed out of balance.  That root spice aspect leans a little towards a dried fruit, maybe along the line of dried longan.  It's hard to separate if that's from going slightly longer or a natural transition across rounds, but at a guess it's the second.  The second version transitioned aspects and balance a little, which I'll leave off deconstructing, since I'm out of time.

Conclusion

Rushing the tasting didn't do that justice, especially given that main version I wanted to try is one of the more subtle sheng versions I've experienced.  I liked that though; it helped that the aspects pleasant were positive, well balanced, and that thickness of feel filled in some of the experience.  The freshness of young sheng still seemed to come across, a bit odd given that it was conveyed by a tea with a very light flavor.

I'm often considering aging prospects in teas, sort of the page I'm on for learning now, and this is harder to place than most.  Often it seems flavor intensity, bitterness, and astringency represent character that could transition positively over time, probably shifting a good bit in character over just one year in a warm and humid enough storage environment.  Or conversely, being preserved in original form in a cool and dry enough storage environment, it seems.  This doesn't have much for flavor to "swap out," and minimal bitterness, with astringency limited to a moderately thick feel, which is related to what people often mean by astringency but kind of different.

I would guess that in a year or two it would still be subtle, and it's hard to imagine that flavor intensity or any of the rest could increase so much.  I'm not sure it would fade quickly though.  Brewing this stronger, going with a higher infusion strength than is typical, would ramp up aspects across the whole range, and there is no bitterness or other aspect limiting using such an approach.  It would be natural to try that, to go with 20 second infusions instead and see how it goes.  With feel (thickness) in a light but normal range brewed more conventionally that would really ramp up if doubling infusion strength, and those subtle flavors would have to strengthen.  Often bitterness, feel, or specific flavor aspects aren't positive in simply doubling timing, but in this case it would probably taste slightly more like it already did. 

I did try brewing it longer in later rounds after returning home (from swimming).  Maybe it did concentrate the fruit flavor a little, but it had already started to pick up a slight woody flavor common in later rounds across sheng types.  It was still nice for a few more infusions.

the kids playing up being exhausted prior to the lesson

she graduated to the next training level; hard work paying off

it's not all work; they get play-time in between training sessions

it's cool how chaotic it looks with groups at different levels separated out