2019 Taiwan "Oriental Beauty" Dong Fang Mei Ren

It's cold here, out of the 60s now (around 24 C / 75 F) at 10 AM, since I helped Keoni make breakfast and started a chicken roasting this morning.  Ordinarily we would go to a swimming class now but 75 F is too cold here to swim; funny how things work out in the tropics.

it doesn't look cold, or different

It's so cold the local pets even need to bundle up a bit:

I picked a tea that sort of matches cool weather, to me, and one I don't want to compare to anything since I'm not feeling like doing all that.  I have an interesting looking Oriental Beauty from King Tea Mall (a sample, provided by them) I've not tried yet.  It's interesting related to that type being a personal favorite; I have no idea how good it is, or how type-typical.  I hope it's above average so I can use this post, since I tend to just not write about teas that I don't like.  There's less of a story to those, although in some cases flaws in teas can be interesting.


This ties to a theme I mentioned in the last post, about why personal preference shifts over time as it does.  For example, why so many people experience sheng pu'er as close to the taste of taking an aspirin (or tasting like kerosene, I've heard), then still go on to keep trying versions until they like it.  I've been through that.  One read is that people try better versions later, so they're liking different things.  I think it's more that sheng is an acquired taste, like coffee, or beer, or lots of things.  My grandfather would eat smoked fish or cheese, and raw green onions, and all sorts of crazy foods and he had probably went through similar transitions.

In contrast a tea version like this would tend to appeal to everyone when they first try it; these are mild, sweet, complex in flavor, and lack significant astringency and any bitterness at all.  I can't place why so many people seem to like Oriental Beauty (per the comments that are made), and why it rarely ever comes up in discussion, and isn't really a main tea type.  There's the parts about bugs biting the leaves, and there only being so much of it, and good versions being expensive.  Somehow the general hype just never focused on it. 

Dan Cong gets good buzz, even though it's expensive, but sheng is a bit "hotter" as a tea type to like now.  Wuyi Yancha seemed more in that role in the past, between 5 and 10 years ago.  I'm not clear on how any of those levels work out, about preference transition, or public awareness and shared interest landing in different places.  Probably none of this will factor in much in a review description, so I'll just move on to that, starting with considering the King Tea Mall description:

Tea Name: Oriental Beauty (Dong Fang Mei Ren )
Harvesting Season: 2019 Year Summer
Production Area: Taiwan.
Level: Special Quality

The tea liquid has clear and clean amber like color.
Natural and elegant tea flavor which lasts long in whole mouth. After taste is honey like sweetness.


That's not very specific.  This tea type tends to be flavorful and pleasant and then vary across limited dimensions (flavor range, feel, level of sweetness, etc.), so detailed background matters less, as I see it.  There would be a more standard plant type and narrower source area but it's the final aspects that matter most.  As to pricing this costs $9 per 50 grams when purchased in the 100 gram amount; definitely on the low side for versions presented as above average in quality.

Review:

First infusion:  just awesome, perfectly type-typical, in the best sense.  Versions of this tea span a bit of range, covering different flavors, and this is well within the norm.  Those include heavy citrus, towards muscatel, or warm spice range, along the lines of cinnamon.  This particular version covers both:  there is pleasant orange zest citrus, and warm spice tones, not missing cinnamon but extending well beyond that.  Sweetness is great, mouthfeel is rich and full, soft and round (although that is all relative; there is probably a lot room for increase in that range).  Even a child would love this tea.

The heavy fruit tones aren't limited to citrus.  One part tastes a lot like apple cider, that warm, rich sweetness.  There's none of the sourness that cider can express (which balances well in the sweetness and flavor range, in even decent versions of that), but that warm, sweet, slightly fermented apple flavor is one of the main parts of the experience.  It leans a little towards raisin, I just don't think that would be the most natural interpretation.  After a minor shift in flavors across infusions, or caused by using slightly different brewing parameters, and it could be mainly raisin.

Why wouldn't people drink this?  Why don't I, related to seeking it out and buying it?  I've been exploring sheng for about 2 years now, and where for this type of tea you can appreciate it the very first time you drink it, in much the same way you might years later, that takes some doing.  It's not just about tolerating bitterness, or learning to like that; either that one part comes naturally or the whole venture would be a non-starter.  There's a lot of other range to consider, and lots of variations to explore.  Maybe it's as simple as that; after trying a dozen good versions of Oriental Beauty you'd be repeating the same experience, to some limited extent.  That wouldn't get you far for exploring the basic range of sheng, never mind sorting out aging and storage environment concerns.

Second infusion:  kind of similar, not shifting a lot.  The balance of those earlier aspects probably changed a little, but not in a significant enough form to make it worth the trouble describing that (spice gained a little ground on fruit, for example).  It's great; just what this should be.

Tied back to the idea of preference, one might wonder, why not just buy apple cider and throw a cinnamon stick, and a bit of orange zest in that, then simmer it?  That would be pleasant too, and that should happen.  The flavors would be in a similar range, but the overall balance and effect would be completely different.  This also "tastes like tea;" there's underlying mineral and a warm malt range that marks this as good tea (for lack of a better concept; it's not what most people associate with malt as found in Assam, which is dryer and as close to forms of mineral as fermented grain).  It's subtle, and well balanced. 

It's a similar answer for why this tea version is nothing like a Christmas blend featuring black tea, cinnamon spice, citrus, and some apple flavor.  You simply can't mix natural and artificial flavor inputs to get to this end point.  It would be nice if you could; then flavored tea blends found on grocery store shelves would be completely worth drinking.

It's not easy to say why it can't be replicated.  I just cooked a pumpkin pie from scratch, roasting a Thai version of a pumpkin (closer to Japanese pumpkin, or a bit more like squash), adding spices, making a crust, all of that.  In theory a version from canned pumpkin or one from a grocery store could be identical, or close enough, but they're just not the same thing.  Subtle differences add up.

Third infusion:  a mild vegetal range is picking up and the spice and fruit are dropping back.  I wouldn't say this has lost a lot of it's charm but it's not quite as good.  It's still very pleasant, just not great on the same level. 

It's interesting seeing an unusual level and type of oxidation on this, with a good bit of green showing through, and with other leaves or edges very darkened at the edges.  That probably means more to well-informed others than to me.  Related to final results I can't say that they "did it wrong" related to making this tea version; this is how this should be, in a positive case. 

The effect of a high level of sweetness is hard to place, and a rich feel that's almost an oiliness that covers your tongue and mouth, versus other kinds of structure in other teas.  Even though it has dropped back a little combining that much cinnamon, citrus, and slightly fermented apple is what makes this a unique experience.  If only two thirds of that was present this would still be a really pleasant tea.

Fourth infusion:  only faded slightly from where it was on the last round.  Often black teas and more oxidized oolongs tend to expend their flavor faster, to transition away from the most exceptional character over a much shorter brewing cycle, and that's going on with this.  Not all do; depending on type some black teas last a really long time, for a high infusion count, and keep transitioning in interesting and positive ways.

It's quite pleasant this round but two more infusions fading at the same rate will cost it a lot of what makes it exceptional.  It seems the more oxidized parts really did get a fast start, so now the parts of the leaves not as well oxidized are providing more input.  It will draw out how much tea this will produce but it might seem more like an ordinary, good oolong by the half-dozen infusion mark.  Since I've ventured into guessing about rounds transitions I'll have to keep going with the notes through a couple more.

Some of noting all this probably relates to being so focused on sheng for so long.  Young sheng tends to only "open up" and move past an initial edginess over the first two infusions, and stay consistent for the next half a dozen, maybe with some character transition but definitely no tapering off.  Older, more aged sheng (15 years old or older, to put a rough range to that) loses some intensity but it doesn't brew a lower count of positive rounds.


Fifth infusion:  still exceptional.  Some of the issue here is that I'm comparing these rounds against the benchmark of the earlier rounds, which were much more intense.  Lower quality Oriental Beauty tend to come across just as this one is on this fifth infusion, in the same general range but a good bit flatter.  Citrus seems to be ramping up in the balance again for some reason.  Even moderate shifts in infusion strength would cause that effect, switching which part seems stronger.  Lower quality Oriental Beauty (or moderate quality, really; what you would tend to buy from standard resale vendors) could include a slight mustiness or woodiness, not related to the tea being off or flawed, just as a part of the standard character for that version.  This doesn't include that.

A bit on infusion strength and brewing time is relevant.  This tea type you can prepare in lots of different ways; there is no astringency limiting that choice, no negative aspects to "brew around" at all.  It would work well wispy thin, how I tend to like lots of other tea types.  A relatively intense version of sheng pu'er can't be "wispy thin" in the most typical sense, even flash-brewed at moderate proportions.  The point here is that lighter often works better for appreciating some of the aspect range for some teas.  That's completely a matter of preference.  If someone values an intense feel aspect they may like teas prepared towards the other extreme. 

To me this works really well brewed in the middle, definitely not light, but also not so strong that it ramps up aspect intensity to well over what I consider normal.  Put in terms of timing, brewed for 10-15 seconds, closer to 15, across all these rounds, at a proportion that has the gaiwan just over 3/4ths filled with wet leaves (so most of what would fit).

That changes the transition cycle too, of course.  This same tea brewed for in between 5 and 10 seconds would be that much slower to change across rounds as this has.  The only way to really optimize that experience is to brew the tea exactly as you like it best, and not be concerned about how it plays out for a count.  It would make more sense to me to drink this really light than to brew it so strong that astringency, or at least stronger feel, really does ramp up, parting ways with experiencing those flavors as well-balanced, but that's just a statement about preference.  As transitions go it seems that people newer to better tea tend to like it prepared stronger, then lighter as they adjust to experiencing aspects at a different intensity level.


Sixth infusion:  still great, but still fading.  It wouldn't be nearly as good if that bright citrus wasn't hanging in there, but it is.  A lot of the other complexity has dropped out, narrowing the range of the experience, but the sweetness and positive balance remains.  The feel still has a nice thickness to it.  Pronounced aftertaste never was one of the positives of this experience, in relation to how some other tea types go.  It did prepare a few more infusions but those were light in intensity even brewed longer.

Conclusion

Pretty good Oriental Beauty, very nice.  It's been awhile since I've even tried one so I'm probably not the best judge of those (although I did try an aged version earlier in the year; that's different).  Earlier in my tea exploration these seemed to just come up more frequently, probably with a half dozen versions reviewed in this blog, maybe not even counting hybrid theme versions from other countries.  It helped passing through Taiwan on a trip once to gain exposure, but in other contexts too, buying samples, or teas from shops locally, or related to vendors sending tea to try.

Per my judgement this version was quite pleasant.  Related to placing it on a scale of the highest quality types I'm just not on this page enough.  I suspect someone much more familiar with this range could spot limitations or flaws better than I have here.  I tend to not see brewing a limited number of infusions as a flaw, as much as seeing the opposite as a strength, but that could relate to room for improvement.  Overall this seemed a well above average example of this tea type, probably more so for emphasizing flavor as the primary consideration.

at skating class, with a new haircut

experiencing snow in a form closer to shaved ice, by making it

limited Christmas decor at the rink

Phongsaly Laos ancient tree sheng and black teas

sheng left, black tea right

Related to discussing a tea source (Phongsaly Laos Tea) that's been mentioned online that vendor offered to send samples for review.  Much appreciated; thanks!

The main back-story has been sourcing from 400 year old tea trees, along with winning an event award for a sheng version in a Hong Kong expo / conference.  The first plant-age part I take with a grain of salt, or essentially just set aside.  Maybe gushu typically is from plants 100 years old or over, and maybe these older plant age ranges were accurately assessed, or maybe that kind of thing tends to often not be true at all.  For me it's easier to just ignore it than to try to sort out who is probably right and who isn't, or to what degree.  It's probably not young-plant farmed tea, or then again it could be that, or a blend.  So it's as well to judge it on character, what it's like.

pictures of old tea trees (credit the Phongsaly Laos Facebook page)

I've tried about as much Laos tea as anyone living outside of Laos, and Laos was the first place I ever visited and saw tea growing, nearly a decade ago now, but that's not part of this story.  It shouldn't be hard to place this in relation to the rest, but only in general terms, since tasting across months of time doesn't work that way.  I last tried a locally grown and produced, likely natural-growth Laos sheng version within the last week (described in this post), so it does still come up once in awhile.

They sent a sheng (from 400 year old tea plants; nice), a black tea, and a green, so I'll try the first two of those together.  The black tea experience won't help in placing the sheng, it's just a matter of condensing reviews, and combining impressions.

This is the coldest day in Bangkok in about 12 years, per my recollection; very auspicious.  It's around 24 or 25 (C) since it's not that early in the morning (75 F, give or take), but for us that's pleasantly chilly.  It's nice to try the teas outside to catch the most of the experience.

it doesn't really look cold

Review:

sheng left (you could tell, right?)

sheng:  it's quite good; a sip confirms that.  There's a nice citrusy front end note, with depth and complexity hitting you at the same time you pick that up.  The citrus is sort of in between lemon and grapefruit, but paired with notable sweetness, which makes it come across closer to orange or tangerine.  A deep layer of mineral tone supports all the rest nicely, a light flint / granite range.  Feel is nice; full with a good bit of structure.  This ran a little long to get it started but balances well, so later short infusions will work better for pinning down feel structure.

Aftertaste is nice; it definitely doesn't drop away, with that mineral, the citrus, and some of the middle flavor range carrying over, so a lot of the experience.  Bitterness is present but moderate; astringency is also limited, just enough to support that full feel.  There's other intermediate flavor range, a sort of cured hardwood, which works well in combination with those two other ranges.  This is better than the Laos tea I tried this past weekend, although that was also nice.  Some of that sweetness and bright front end is comparable to a Kokang Myanmar version we also tried at that tasting last weekend, but this has more depth to it, more other layers going on.

I won't really need other rounds to decide this is what it's supposed to be, quite pleasant tea, but those will fill in more details.  If it develops further in positive ways and shows even more complexity, and brews very positively across a series of infusions, then it will be on the high end.  If this is somehow part of a first-two-infusions peak that drops out and turns less positive then it's still quite good tea.  As far as tea tree age I'd just be guessing.  Putting specific year counts to that is even more meaningless than claiming trees are 100 years old or over, so that part is a throw-away to me.  But it does comes across as older, natural growth source sheng, to the extent I can collect past experiences into a guess about that cause and effect.  The tea being good means a lot more than the tea being from old plants though.


Black tea ("red," to them, sticking with literal versus figurative translation from Chinese):  where the other is a bit strong this needs a little more infusion time.  I tend to never use a rinse with black teas but did for this, I guess just to connect both into parallel approach.  It's too early to judge it, and it'll be clearer on a next, longer infusion, but I'm underwhelmed so far.  It's soft, full, complex, and flavorful, but also non-distinct and not really intense, even taking infusion strength and infusion progression into account.

Still it seems nice; I like black teas in this style.  It just doesn't seem well above average as these go.  It seems clean in effect, with character and aspects in the right range (cocoa sweetness, underlying flavor complexity, etc.), just without intensity and distinct flavor and other character that stands out.  Maybe that's wrong, and it will develop in character along with picking up intensity; I'll hold off on conclusions.

To be clear even if this doesn't develop to become any better than I'm interpreting I'd still order 50 or 100 grams to drink if I was buying the other tea (if the price was in the right range).  If there's a decent looking Dian Hong style black listed along with whatever else I buy to me that's worth a try.  I have a Yunnan version to get to from the last tea I bought at least a month ago, now that I think of it.

Switching back to sheng after drinking the black it tastes quite bitter in comparison.  It's funny how that level of bitterness depends on expectation and preference.  A tea friend I keep mentioning, Ralph, has been discussing how funny evolution of tea preference is.  Do we like bitterness and sheng because it's a natural preference progression to go there, after exploring more approachable mild black teas and oolongs, or is it because we kept trying sheng because we were "supposed to" like it, and eventually did as a result?  Learned preferences are a funny thing, related to beer, scotch, coffee, spicy or bitter foods, cigarettes, etc.  There are definitely different ways to look at how all that works out.

Second infusion:

sheng:  more of the same, pleasant related to the same balance of aspects.  That one bright citrus note is really cool.  It works really well with the sweetness, mineral base, other flavor complexity, and feel and aftertaste range.  For as positive as all that is it might work better placing this to explain limitations, what is missing or could be different.

Feel is a little light; there could be more richness, thickness, and structure to that.  What is present works really well; it has a slightly oily feel that makes the part present work.  It's just not "structured," and it doesn't match the rich, velvety feel of some sheng.  Intensity is good but could be more developed.  Ramping up infusion strength just a little would help with that but to some extent how strong you brew it doesn't affect intensity in one other sense.  Aftertaste is pleasant but it's not the very extended effect in some sheng; it carries over so the experience doesn't just end but it trails on in pronounced form for a few minutes, not for a long time.

Back on the positive side the aspects pleasant balance really well; to me that's as critical as any one factor in sheng experience.  The catchy citrus note is paired with a nice level of sweetness that works well, and supported by other range that also matches, deeper mineral tone and some cured wood.  It's all quite clean; absolutely no flaw there.  There's a way the flavor experience transitions across the time-frame you experience it, an early hit, mid-range effect, and aftertaste that changes form enough to be interesting.  That experiential transition can be a lot more pronounced in some other sheng experience but it's there in this, in a moderate form.

Intensity is probably the main limit, but not notable enough to be considered a flaw.  Some sheng versions can pack a punch at exactly the right upper limit, and this is typical of the scale for how that often goes in a more moderate form.  Novelty and balance are the strongest points, and those are great positive ranges to cover.


black tea:  brewed twice as long as the sheng (about 20 seconds versus 10, counting the pours) this is still subtle.  It's nice though.  Cocoa stands out, with some non-distinct complexity supporting that.  The overall effect is positive, the character is nice, it's just not exceptional in any way.  "Pushing" this tea would probably draw out better results, using maximum possible brewing temperature and an upper range for proportion.  There is no astringency or any negative character to work around, so it could worked brewed light or as strong as one likes.  It's funny considering that this "cold" weather is probably cooling the tea leaves and gaiwan between rounds more than normal, given that it's around 25 C / 77 F out now.  Normal hot Bangkok weather probably does support brewing tea well, just not the part about drinking it.

For some people this black tea would be a revelation, a new world of potential to explore, but since I've tried lots just like this I'm being a bit critical instead.  It would be 10 times better as a breakfast tea than anything that ever found its way to a grocery store shelf.  Careful brewing could draw out slightly better results (than even I'm probably achieving, to be honest), but this would also work brewed Western style, an unmeasured amount brewed for an unmonitored amount of time, probably making three or four infusions that way, depending on proportion and timing.

For me teas like this are either exceptional or fall short depending on how they are presented, in relation to how they are supposed to be.  If it's sold for a moderate cost, presented as a well-above average version of a standard style, then it's great, actually slightly better than that billing.  If this is presented as some exotic, exemplary, novel form of the highest quality black tea available then it's just not that, at least related to what I've experienced so far.  This general style is one of my personal favorites though; there's that.

To place this, Somnuc--a Laos friend--passed on a Laos black tea that struck me as something really exceptional last year, like this, but that extra bit more distinctive, intense, and novel in flavor character.  This year he gave me a good bit of a different black tea that's closer to this in character, maybe a little better, or more likely just equivalent but slightly different.  That first version aspect set doesn't come up so often; out of trying a half dozen promising versions from very reliable sources--not just from random online outlets making bold claims--you might find one like that.  One Thai locally-produced black tea was like that too; a bit higher on the scale.  Almost every other Dian Hong reviewed in this blog is more in this tea's range; quite good, just not necessarily at the top of the scale.

Third infusion:

sheng:  again, good.  Feel probably is picking up some intensity, thickness and richness; nice.  Bitterness is also drifting towards a touch of sourness, not so positive.  Not the sourness that relates to something having went wrong with tea processing, just a hint of how dill pickles come across.  It seems to tie to that novel citrus transitioning; most likely that effect and what this has shifted to will change again next round.  We'll see.  It's still quite positive.


black:  this might be picking up a bit of depth; interesting it would work out that way.  The cocoa and non-distinct supporting range is shifting to more of a root-spice flavor aspect.  It had been relatively clean in effect, with just hint of dryness to the feel, but that has faded to a smoother, even cleaner feel.  It's still not astringent or structured, or thick in feel, but the moderate amount of body works.  It helps a lot that I love this general tea style.  I think it's a type that essentially everyone could relate to but it being a personal favorite might not be universal.

Again it's funny retrying the sheng after the black tea.  It sort of makes you question why you love that much bitterness in tea, which is hardly noticeable within the other framework of expectations.  It comes up in discussion that sheng drinkers move on to preferring feel or aftertaste effects, or learn to detect and appreciate how teas make them feel, "drug-like" effects, for lack of a clearer English term for cha qi.  I should know why I like whatever I like but I'm not sure that we can really fully sort that out.  Past experiences and expectations lead to wherever we happen to be.

Fourth infusion:

sheng:  the earlier citrus (still present, not so pronounced though) and touch of sourness shifted towards spice.  Not exactly clove, but that helps place it, since it's as close to that as anything else.  Interesting and positive transitions are a marker for a better tea; that works here.  It's strange thinking this tea being approachable (easy to drink, easy to relate to) is a negative, but per some sheng preferences this just wouldn't pack enough punch, either related to flavor or the rest.  I like it.  I tend to like Nan Nuo sheng, which doesn't match this exactly for flavor range, but some of that source area character generality seems common to there, fruit intensiveness, approachable character, positive sweetness, moderate bitterness.


black:  this is the best it's been; interesting.  Maybe it's time to take it back about this being a good but not great version.  The earlier cocoa was nice but cocoa mixed with root spice in a cleaner feel presentation works better for me this round.  It almost leans a little toward dried dark cherry at this point, picking up fruit range that either I hadn't noticed, or that wasn't there earlier.  I wanted to call it quits to keep this from running long but I'll brew both on the strong side and leave off final impressions with how that goes.

Fifth infusion:

sheng:  a bit paradoxical, this seems to be losing intensity even though it is clearly brewed stronger.  It brewed for awhile, over 30 seconds, but it's not that much more intense.  It's interesting that the bitterness and astringency still balance positively, that it's so pleasant like this.  It does seem like it's on the way out already though, that from here stretching infusions will allow it to produce a few more but not necessarily into the double digits (although I would have to check that).  I don't take high infusion count as a main sign of quality but it's a positive thing; it does seem to relate.


black:  thinning a little, but not so different.  Overall aspects are the same as in the past round, not so different than the one before, just narrowing a little, losing some depth.  This will easily stretch for two more positive infusions, since it's not drifting into any negative character range.  It's odd that it seems to be as comparable related to amount of tea produced with the sheng (number of infusions, although running through the rest would determine that better), since it was brewing for longer, and black teas tend to "brew out" faster.

Conclusions:

Quite nice teas.  There is another level for Chinese tea version quality, complexity, and intensity above these but these both fall pretty high on the scale related to those.  Sometimes characteristic "rustic" character comes up in trying teas from other South East Asian countries but beyond somewhat unique flavor ranges these weren't like that.

The main limit for the sheng version was giving up some thickness of feel and intensity, versus some best-case optimum.  The black tea was more positive in later rounds, pleasant initially, but not quite as intense, especially related to flavors extending beyond cocoa.

If I hadn't tried a lot of related tea versions from Laos before (and Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar) these would both seem a lot more novel, and maybe even more positive as a result of being new to me.  Teas like these are out there, but most from comparable sources aren't on this level (although to be clear, some are).  How good they are kind of depends on how good they're supposed to be, which inevitably ties back to price.  To put a range to that I've bought "presented as upper-medium tier" $70-90 standard size cake versions from a couple of the main producers / vendors who come up this year, and these teas are at least as good as that, but different in character. 

It's harder to place these in relation to the standard $1/ gram Yunnan gushu versions, some of which aren't as good as this, but many of which share a defining range of aspects that this sheng overlaps with but doesn't completely match.  For example, underlying mineral tends to be really pronounced in Yunnan gushu sheng versions, and in this it complemented the other aspect range but didn't stand out quite as much.  I didn't miss it; some of that range may relate more to aging potential (that may not be clearly tied to any one marker) than to aspects being enjoyable in younger tea versions.

Preference for aspects and type complicates an attempt at assessing a general quality level.  To some degree dragging in pricing also does; supply and demand sets tea prices, not quality level, and to some extent that's as much a marketing decision as a clear claim about quality level or type. 

Regardless of how all those different factors play out for anyone these are definitely interesting, quite pleasant, good quality teas.

happy holidays!

Anatomy of a failure: tea tasting

The most recent attempt at a tea tasting wasn't a complete failure, because I had a pleasant time having tea with two local friends.  We swapped teas to try, both there and for later on; many thanks to both for that, and for attending.  One was Danittha / Pop (Thais always have nicknames), who I've met a few times now, and also Noppadol, a local tea vendor who was at the two earlier versions.  He sells unusual teas here, and Lamphang Thai sheng versions here.

Related to sharing tea with people I didn't already know, people new to the subject, through social-media event notices, that didn't work out at all.  No one else attended, which wasn't a complete surprise.  It is an unconventional theme.

The tasting I'd set up due to a demand to meet four different people the week prior, for the most part initiated by them.  I did meet one guy, to pick up tea sent by a friend in India, but meeting three others separately within a week wasn't going to work.  As it worked out the two people I planned it with both missed it, and those two other local tea friends attended instead.

small tastings worked at Sasha's place; the "intro to tea" theme was always a stretch (Pop is on the right)

This post title is a reference to one of my favorite Youtube channels, from a guy who breaks down movie reviews as either successes or failures (always with the extremes, right?), related to film-theory expectations and overall results, as in this:

Why Captain Marvel Failed where Wonder Woman Worked


That analyst, who has a really cool accent related to this credential "Krakozhia's #1 content creator," wouldn't focus on the potential social-justice oriented issues that tend to get press in the Captain Marvel movie.  He explores film-theory informed experiential aspects, developing characters, story arc set-up, etc., as typified in another video about why Wonder Woman worked in spite of including one very significant story line flaw.

A concurrent sports analogy

Something my kids experienced this weekend reminded me a little of this tasting event limitation, the "failure" theme.  They've been taking classes on ice skating, after a class series on roller blading earlier in the year.  My wife enrolled them in a day-long competition event held by the Bangkok Skating School, the group that held their earlier roller blading courses.  The one instructor, Ash, is an interesting guy (a Thai from Saudi Arabia previously, but that's not part of this story), who both my kids love.  Based on that alone, and their overall competency, I'd highly recommend that training group.

teacher Ash, Kalani (in the University of Hawaii shirt), and Olia, a much-missed Chinese friend

That event was setting up to be a bust early on.  My kids had been off roller blades for months and doing ramps was proving too much, even though they could do that with ease earlier in the year.  That outing wasn't set up as training, as a competition instead, as a way for kids from different schools and class programs to meet each other and interact.  But then they warmed up to it, and both did ok in a slalom course race.  Not great, not "placing," but they were doing fine.

 I hadn't given thought to them representing Penn State and University of Hawaii (ramp on the right)

WE ARE...

Towards the end there was a relay race, and for whatever reason they had Kalani next to last and Keoni as the anchor.  He was the tallest; maybe for that reason.  It was an exciting race, close to even, with a few falls balanced out by other falls.  Kalani held her own in her leg, giving up a bit of ground, so that Keo just needed to beat his opponent by seconds to bring home the win.  Heading out to a turn at the end it was his to win or lose, neck and neck, and he covered that gap by skating faster on the first outward stretch than the other kid.  Whoever made that turn faster might win it.

He didn't judge the maximum speed right and went off course, crashing, losing the race on that turn instead of making it to a race down the final straightaway.  Heartbreaking!

But that's what they were really there for, learning to compete, how to win and to lose, along with just to have fun.  Every other kid I saw who crashed that day cried as a result, probably not sure if they were injured, hurt, or if only their hopes and expectations were shattered in that fraction of a second.

It had to sting for Keo but it just was what it was; he was under-prepared and made a mistake.  It was a natural one to make; he had caught up to the skater he was going up against, and closed that gap, but was carrying too much speed to make the turn.  He's done a lot of sports for as young as he is, and although it doesn't seem like he's experienced his fair share of victories just yet the ups and downs are already familiar.  Both of them went back to practicing on a second ramp in a different area, until they could clear it with ease.

resting between rounds

My favorite tea blogger, Geoffrey of Steep Stories, would have set this up better, told it better, and would have synced up the lesson learned in the race with the tasting shortfall.  But they were also just different kinds of things.  I did feel some sting of disappointment in inviting thousands of online group participants through a few linked notices (narrowed lots through feed filtering), and not having any show up.  It's hard to place what this trivial degree of "blog celebrity" means (some people actually read this), but events like this clarify that it just doesn't carry much weight.

That's close enough to how the earlier tastings had went before, but having a couple extra local friends as a starting point and a few actually turn out made for a different result.  It wasn't like losing a race, but both relate to dealing with disappointment.  In a way experiencing that race has me questioning if quitting or some form of reset is best.  If the event theme doesn't make sense then dropping it works, but quitting anything one values over a minor setback should be thought through.

I always could've been clearer on why I value getting the word out about tea.  "To help the producers" kind of works, and I kind of just need a hobby, and an excuse to write, but there must be more to it.  In part I want to share tea that vendors share with me to review; it seems only fair and balanced to do so.

Why this event didn't draw interest

I've held two small tasting events before that drew around 8 participants, with that one local friend Noppadol at all three.  That's a reasonable number; a dozen or more would be pushing it for the outing form.  So what changed, or what could have been improved?

My friend Sasha moved; that alone dropped out him and his wife Nok joining.  Now that I think of it prior to any of those open tastings we did a nice practice run, joined by one interesting local guy, in a local Bangkok park, Benjasiri.

Noppadol offered the following suggestions / explanations, with some of this also relating to Pop's input:


Event location was too remote:  this was at a local school and Chinese language academy where my son was taking a Mandarin lesson on Saturday morning.  It's not far from BTS or MRT stops (sky-train or subway), but it still is in an unfamiliar part of town, for many.  It's right beside Chulalongkorn University, if that rings a bell, but I didn't make any allowance to draw student interest there.

I had no idea that many people joined to wait out their kids' Mandarin lesson

Event location (form) is not ideal:  I don't think people were planning to go or avoiding an outing considering this level of detail, more that specialty tea just wasn't something they were going to go seek out.  All the same this was held in a food-court area in a public school and language center, which was quite pleasant and on the quiet side, but also well populated compared to my expectations.  My wife takes our son there on the weekends, and this is the first time I've ever spent the three hours there myself, so that part came as a surprise to me.

I suppose something beyond the school canteen / food court theme could be more appealing; it's just rows of tables, not so different in appearance than at a Tesco Lotus (grocery store version).

with Noppadol and Pop

Tea theme too vague:  I mentioned in an event notice that we would try different types, especially sheng ("pu'er-like" tea) from Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar.  Pop mentioned that most people who aren't already into tea wouldn't be familiar with sheng pu'er.  Probably true:  I told the staff in the Oriental Cultural Association office--where my son took that lesson--about the event, and no one there had ever heard of pu'er.   At least they had heard of oolong.

Noppodol's idea was that mentioning specific tea versions, adding more detail, like a tasting list, could increase interest.  Maybe.  I'm not sure that a more detailed presentation of rare black teas or oolongs would've been received differently.


Insufficient marketing:  the odd part for me is that I'm giving away tea at these, sharing it, and shouldn't need to push selling for that.  I suspect that's not really a positive, for many, since there is no pre-existing expectation related to joining open tea sharing events.

It might work even better to make up a more developed event framework, and notice reference, and to charge for the experience instead.  Value can be associated with cost; if I were to charge 1000 baht ($30) I'd be promoting the event as worth that much, with the potential for the opposite assumption to happen in relation to not charging.  As a fight promoter and commentator once said (Chael Sonnen, for people into the UFC) "if you fight for a dollar then you are worth a dollar."  A free event could be seen as either not of enough value to include a charge for it, or could actually be selling something, or might be so unconventional that people couldn't place what to expect.


Tea gear isn't sophisticated enough:  this definitely didn't make or break the event, but it fits in this section in another sense.  I make tea in a very basic, stripped-down form for myself, using only a gaiwan and a cup when I brew tea for myself.  I simply don't own the equipment to change that for this type of presentation. 

This is basically a philosophical choice, but also tied to a practical budget concern:  I don't set aside enough money to spend on tea, and don't like owning things I don't absolutely need.  I took up running a year ago, and of course bought shoes for that, but haven't tried on a basic sports watch my wife bought me because I want the running to be about the experience, not messing around with a device to track timing.  I do run 4 1/2 miles at roughly a 7 minute mile pace these days (7.4 km at a bit under 5 minutes per km), typically twice a week, so it's working out.

Back to tea gear, I've seen the relatively universal bamboo slat tea trays sold locally for not very much, in the $30-50 range, but I don't own one.  Or want to, really; if it adds no practical function it's not of interest to me, and tea wouldn't turn out differently if I spilled relatively little and used a cloth or napkin to clear that up.  I own a couple of clay pots but never really got far with that direction either.

minimalist or undeveloped, depending on spin.  it's cool having Keo in a photo, doing what he does, and my wife is never in pictures here.

Gong Fu brewing, backing up a bit:  Gong Fu brewing really means two different categories of things.  One is mainly about the tea proportion to water, brewing temperature, and limited infusion time; this is the sense in which I practice it.  The second sense relates to an array of devices and a somewhat ceremonial approach to preparing tea.  Most of the devices and steps have a function, they're not just for decoration, but essentially very little of the outcome is changed if you don't follow all the steps or own all the equipment.

As an example, a hot water rinse step cleans the teaware and warms it, but that shift in temperature doesn't change much, and with enough delay for other ceremonial steps between the rinse and brewing it wouldn't change anything.  "Tea pets," small figures that you pour tea over, in one interpretation to support making wishes, can be regarded as purely cosmetic.  Maybe the use of bamboo tongs too; they look cool but you can just pick the items up with your fingers.  A sharing pitcher actually has a function, as does the straining step.  Of course there are Chinese terms for all that gear; since I'm not into that scope the names tend to not stick.

one of my first intros to tea, at a Huawei cultural presentation, 7 or 8 years ago

Outing details

We shared some tea; that was the point, and it worked out.  Rather than add more about time-line, or the role my kids played in visiting (not much, although they were both there at the end) I'll just mention the teas we tried.


2018 Kokang Myanmar sheng

Familiar enough to me, since I've been trying versions of Myanmar sheng ("pu'er-like" tea) for years, and I met this tea producer at an event, who gave me this tea in July of this year.  It's a bit bitter, and quite sweet, but on the whole very approachable and pleasant, definitely good quality tea.  The feel could be a little thicker and aftertaste a little more pronounced (tied to quality markers and what many prefer in sheng), but related to flavor, astringency, and overall balance it's quite good.

leaning into the retrospective theme; the Kokang producers at a Bangkok expo this year

I tried to pass on samples of a 2006 Kokang sheng version I also brought to try, that we didn't get to, but the high level of compression of that version made it impossible to do so in a hurry at the end of the tasting.  In part due to that high compression that tea really needs a half dozen more years to age to reach more of its potential, but it is interesting to check out in its current form.


Kinnari Tea Phongsaly Laos local sheng (2019, I think)

This isn't really a Kinnari product in the ordinary sense; Anna, the owner of that company, passed on an experimental local production version from a manual cake pressing training session.  It's pleasant tea, maybe only slightly more rustic and unconventional than the Kokang version.

That type of description tends to cover a lot of range, from a tea version only expressing a slightly different flavor profile and feel, on to one that's bordering on not being sheng at all.  This is the former; it's clearly a conventional sheng, just an unusual version of one, as much as any character can be unusual within the broad range those cover.  It was slightly less sweet than the Kokang version, slightly warmer toned, with more mineral base, not really lower quality or less well balanced in overall effect, just different.

pressing worked out; it's a cool small cake version

Yunnan version:  a tea version the Pop (Danitha) brought I don't remember the origin of, beyond it being actual Yunnan sheng, maybe one 4 or 5 years old instead.  With that as an intro and framing I'll keep the description here limited.

It was interesting, a bit subdued and earthier, much different than the other two tea versions, not necessarily clearly better or worse.  A match to personal preference probably would've outlined that differently for each of us.  Those standard quality markers (positive flavor range, balanced astringency, bitterness, and sweetness, fullness and type character of feel, aftertaste range experience) didn't seem to mark it as much better tea than the other two, but it seemed quite reasonable as quality level goes, perhaps most different related to age range.

It's odd that I don't even remember the broad area; maybe the village name cited wasn't familiar related to that, or maybe it was and memory just isn't my thing at this point.  Have I mentioned that?


Bing Dao huang pian, provided by Noppadol


The name of some higher-demand local tea areas immediately brings up the question of whether a version is actually what it's presented as, and this origin ranks fairly high as this factor goes.  I mentioned in discussion that I've tried tea versions presented as Lao Ban Zhang three different times and can't be sure if I've actually tried any tea from that area or not yet.  Maybe I did three times, maybe none.  One of those versions caused perhaps the strongest drug-like effect I've felt from a tea, and another had a really cool, distinctive, complex and sweet flavor, that included bitterness, and an unusual level of transition of the experience across drinking it.  At least they were all pleasant.

Bing Dao huang pian mini brick

This Yunnan Sourcing reference of their own Bing Dao version covers part of how that goes:


Made entirely from Spring harvested tea leaves! Bing Dao Lao Zhai (lit Bing Dao Old Village) is one of the two villages called "Bing Dao".  There is Bing Dao Xin Zhai (lit.  Bing Dao New Village) as well, which is the more famous of the two villages in the same area.  Bing Dao Lao Zhai trees range in age from 100-300 years old, and while there are older trees we were not privy to that material due to high demand and very high prices.   That being said this is still the most expensive Lincang tea we have ever produced.  It is also one of the best we have produced and if you want to drink Bing Dao tea from spring harvest and from old trees, then this is an excellent choice!

It's interesting that "Bing Dao" means "Ice Island" in Chinese, because this tea is very cool in the mouth and is at once subtle and powerful.  It's got a "creep up on you" cha qi and a powerful pungent mouth-feeling that will stay with you long after your session has ended.  There is is bitterness and astringency but it's never center stage and adds to the complexity of this tea.  One of the more difficult to describe raw pu-erhs I have had.  It can only really be judged by several sessions, so I recommend buying at least 25 grams to start.


That first sentence covers one way a vendor might source and sell authentic limited availability tea that costs below a typical market rate:  autumn harvest tea is lower in demand, and per most accounts not as intense or desirable in character.  Tea varies by so many factors it's always tricky isolating just one input factor as consistent, but some number of autumn harvest versions in that sorts of seems clearer.  Huang pian is usually lower in cost too, tea made from older or yellow leaves instead of the bud and first two. 

The rest is clear enough; local areas can have an edge, a slightly outlying area.  Or different source types can occur within a limited area, quite often tied to plant ages, with ways for demand level to vary by any of those factors, and for more inexpensive related versions to become available.

Sheng pu'er enthusiasts love to finally be able to flag a sales option that can't possibly be genuine, and tea-tree age and low cost selling points for a high-demand source area version are the two main triggers for that.  Especially tea-tree age; any claims of a source plant being over 1000 years old is very dubious, although I take most plant-age claims as meaningless myself, avoiding the grey areas of what to believe.  In earlier forms of vendor marketing that pattern wasn't so uncommon, as was parroting traditional health claims for tea (eg. oolong helps you lose weight).

My take is that local farmers and producers keep exaggerating source stories to sell the tea on their end, and resale vendors either actually believe absurdities or are complicit in passing on obvious falsehoods.  Verdant and Mei Leaf were swept up two of the main "scandals" related to this, with Mei Leaf going as far as claiming sheng was from 1600 year old plant sources, which is roughly the documented age of the oldest tea plants in existence.

Let's check Mei Leaf for a Bing Dao version description and see what they pass on:


Night Forest Muse

This tea was sourced from crazy old tea trees in the hallowed forests of Bing Dao - an area renowned for making potent tea. We estimate the tea trees to be between 500-800 years of age although this is not officially confirmed through testing.

Drinking this tea is a reminder of how PuErh is often judged by mouthfeel, finish and body sensation. The flavour and aroma are complicated and intriguing because of the level of minerality. I would say that the taste has fruits, flower, creaminess and sweetness but this is covered over by a layer of rockiness to make the experience altogether more 'mature'. So lemons become Limoncello, orange becomes blood orange, floral notes become dank, creaminess turns to burnt banana and dark toffee. All of these notes have to be uncovered through focusing beyond the mineral richness of the tea.

The party takes off after swallowing. This tea has such minerality that it makes your mouth fizz and there is a rising sweet and vaporous quality which feels like it goes into your head directly. It is pleasurable and at the same time a little overwhelming.

The body sensation is a potent one. In my experience, it causes excitability, giggliness and a floaty and shaking feeling in the legs with an almost narcotic dreaminess. This is a similar body high which I associate with Lao Ban Zhang...


Where to start.  There is no testing for tea tree ages, although the right plant experts could make very informed guesses, working with live plant versions.  Per some input even taking core samples won't work for plants of that type and age, and no one is going to drill a hole into a 500-800 year old tea tree to check anyway.  For the rest, sure, maybe.

It's interesting to note that both of these are priced in a comparable range (with the Mei Leaf version sold out); the Yunnan Sourcing tea is $150 / 250 grams (60 cents a gram), and Mei Leaf's had been 125 pounds per 200 gram cake (80 cents a gram, probably more before Brexit tore up the pound exchange value this year).

It's very difficult to find an online baseline example of what real Bing Dao is like or should cost.  This reliable puerh.fr reference sets up part of that background:


Bing Dao is now though and definitely the most famous village of Da Xue Shan, but also all the Yunnan and more than 2000 euros per kg of crude maocha (2014) , authentic teas Bing Dao reach prices which no young puerh could have asserted before. If it is less than a decade that we see such a craze around Bing Dao, the reputation of the village and its tea is not new and dates back to the fifteenth century...

...With only a few tons produced each year, the true teas village Bing Dao are found almost on the market where 99 % of what is sold as from Bing Dao is the best surrounding villages , and often not even Mengku . We must therefore go to the village Bing Dao, where cars are searched at the entrance to prevent the import of tea from the outside , but be prepared to put more than 1000 euros in a small pouch 500g of tea , to taste authentic teas old trees Bing Dao...


This isn't necessarily intended as a claim that the Mei Leaf version wasn't "real Bing Dao," but come on, it wasn't.  If it was from a nearby village it could still be exceptional, distinctive, even somewhat similar tea.  The problem comes up that if you buy a tea that clearly isn't what it's sold as, what is it then?  It could be anything.

This version from Noppadol was huang pian, older or yellow leaf tea.  It wasn't so exceptional in character or quality level, but then huang pian is a different kind of thing, mellower, often earthier, spanning a different aspect range.  It was interesting trying it; a nice experience.  Teas having a cool back-story can be nice, I personally just don't spend money on stories.  I barely have enough to spare on decent tea, given how other priorities work out.

Conclusions

I'll probably drop the tasting subject for awhile, maybe until some other external trigger brings it up again.  It really was nice meeting Noppadol and Pop again, and there's no reason why a two person tasting couldn't work out, why we needed to meet even that threshold of three people trying teas together.  I had brought tea to try alone to my kids' swim class a couple of weeks before, and that planned solo tasting outing was nice, something different.

It just doesn't make any sense as an open-event version, since it would take more extensive marketing to draw out participants.  If the demand isn't there then there is really no need to try and create it.  But  I do have a different idea to pursue on how to get the word about tea out.

meeting people this year; Kiattichai of Jip Eu ends up hosting limited notice, informal tastings quite often

The odd part is that I've met so many people visiting Bangkok this year, and have tasted teas at my favorite Chinatown shop (Jip Eu), or elsewhere, with so many.  Beyond that recent tea exchange I've also met an Indian visitor and a friend from Germany at that shop in the past few months, and others from those countries and also Laos and Russia, just between July and August.  The last meeting there with Sasha and Noppadol was early this year (in the one photo), awhile back now, but I think I've met both there two different times.

If I was in a social circle of even a half dozen local tea friends who were into outings this kind of thing would work out.  But I'm not.  That would be problematic, because I need all the free time I have to spend with my kids, who appreciate every moment together.  For many that would add up to a lack of balance, but for me the tea interest works for fitting into a limited space.

All the same if anyone who is local (or not local) has an interest in tea events I started a Bangkok Tea Tasting group to keep track of them awhile back, which others could use to mention their own events too.  That would be anticlimactic if that was the last planned event, but it probably won't be.

later that day; right back to practicing on the ice.  it's no easy life for these poor little buggers.