Two Pu'er Samples From MarshalN

Dear MarshalN:

Thank you for the pu’er samples! I have tasted them side-by-side, and I hope my findings are relevant to the collective opinion of those who also received these same samples. Please find my tasting notes and comments below. As with the tea samples that you have generously shared with me in the past, you have again challenged my taste buds and knowledge. This has been a relevant exercise, and if I am mistaken in my opinion, I can only attribute that to my lack of experience and shallow mental references.

Many thanks again and I hope to reciprocate in the near future.

Your friend in tea,

~ Phyll

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I am very glad to have received MarshalN’s pu’er samples, which traveled all the way from China to me in Los Angeles. It took its time getting here, however. Double glad that they arrived intact. Inscribed on the bags that hold the samples are letters A and I, separately. Purely on account of how I feel, I will refer to them as Glad A and Glad I below :)

As of writing this note, I have absolutely no idea about the vintages, producers and the exact origins of these samples.

[Brewing parameter for both samples: Crystal Geyser spring water, about 7gr in 100ml gaiwans, boiling water. 10s rinse, and then 10s, 10s, 10s, 15s, 15s]

Glad I
Dry leaves are dark green-colored with streaks of white, downy leaves. There are a little amount of brown leaves intermixed as well. It seems to me that the oxidation of the leaves is a bit inconsistent throughout. It looks like a one or two-year old tea. It smells fresh, plummy, fruity and a bit smoky. Quite inviting. After rinsing however, the aroma of the wet leaves becomes ashy…as in cigarette ash. Not a pleasant nose for me.

Excellent clarity. The brew comes out medium yellow-greenish color. It tastes bitter! From the 1st until its 5th infusion (I stopped after that), the tea tastes like a bitter vegetable concoction. In more ways than one, the taste reminds me of the time when I over brewed some cheap Taiping Houkui green tea, actually. The body is thin to medium and it has a mouth coating astringency. Not a pleasant tea to drink and I suppose this is an example of green tea parading as pu’er, although I am not 100% sure.

The spent leaves look quite appealing; mostly fresh green with some showing reddish hues. Most are half-chopped. Plantation leaves? 1 star (not good, not bad).


Glad A
Dry leaves range from being reddish-brown to very deep brown with some hairy white streaks here and there. I suspect that this tea was lightly “cooked” or at least mixed with some lightly cooked leaves. The aroma, when still dry, is like a deeper tone of smoke and plum, especially when compared to Glad I. And it also has a hint of light shu smell. Maybe my nose is playing a trick on me? After rinsing, the wet leaves give off the smell of talcum and tobacco.

The brew comes out slightly foggy, but still quite clear overall. Medium brownish-red color. This tea is certainly mellower, smoother and less green tasting than sample Glad I. In fact, there is hardly any bitterness in its taste. Each brew has soft astringency and plummy qualities to it. The aftertaste is quite pleasant and sweet, which further persuades me to attribute the tea to being the semi-shu kind.

Overall, though, the tea is rather simple, boring and lacks any character. Weak chaqi. It certainly is more enjoyable to drink this than sample Glad I, however.

Spent leaves look brownish-red overall. I set aside several leaves and stems that look the darkest among the bunch…and the more I inspect these few dark leaves/stems, the more convinced I am that this tea is a mix of lightly cooked leaves or contains cooked leaves for added smoothness and approachability for earlier consumption. 2 stars (mg).

Le Petit Restaurant on Ventura Boulevard

Oftentimes, the litmus test of a fine [western] restaurant is its wine service. Simply put, a knowledgeable and gracious waiter or sommelier truly makes a dining experience more sublime. Le Petit Restaurant (formerly Le Petite Bistro) excels in this regard without much pomp.

Located on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, Le Petit has been one of my favorite French bistros. This semi-casual, small restaurant with an intimate and personal atmosphere is a place that my wife and I have patronized for the past 5 years or more (more regularly before the birth our daughter). I would attribute our loyalty as patrons to their courteous service, the good food, decent prices, and perhaps most of all, their gracious wine service.

Their wine menu, while neither extensive nor exquisite, should manage to serve most occasions. Bottle prices are very reasonable (’04 Kistler Les Noisetiers Chardonnay for $75…about the same at retail.) and half-bottles are available as well. Best of all, they allow guests to bring our own wine for a $10 corkage fee. To me, this speaks loudly about how they regard wine as unpretentious accompaniments to their cuisine. On most visits, I bring my own to Le Petit and happily pay the reasonable corkage fee, which pays for a first class service. It’s worth it.

When my wife and I visited Le Petit for the umpteenth time last Saturday, we brought a 2001 Chard Farm Pinot Noir Finla Mor from Central Otago, New Zealand. We purchased this very bottle from a store in the Marlborough wine country during our honeymoon 4 years ago. It was the very same wine that we enjoyed together at Orbit, the restaurant on the top of the Sky City Tower in Auckland. Suffice to say, each delicious sip of this wine brought back fond memories.

Upon arriving, our waiter graciously acknowledged the bottle in my hand, inspected its label, and readily prepared 2 Riedel crystal globes on the table. When we told him that we’d start with something harder as aperitifs, he gladly uncorked the wine to let it “air” while we enjoyed very delicious lime margarita (for her) and a smooth Grey Goose vodka martini with olives. Both cocktails hit the spot just right and wound us down sufficiently.

(At 10pm, less crowded by then)

Our waiter insisted that we did not hurry with ordering our dishes, and we were more than happy to oblige his suggestion. We eventually ended up with a plate of César salad and a bowl of onion soup gratinée with melted Gruyere cheese for starters. As entrées went, we ordered a filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and Dijon brandy sauce (for her), and a grilled veal chop with shallots, asparagus and mashed potatoes. Both entrées were cooked to medium temperature perfection. We closed our meal with an order of raspberry crème brûlée to share. Everything was excellent, except for the onion soup, which I found to be a bit too salty.

Another pleasant point about Le Petit’s wine service: asking for a bucket of ice to cool my red wine was a totally painless experience. The request was complied without a single flinch or a note of absurdness. On many occasions at other lesser “fine” establishments, I had to reconfirm my intent, either in response to a polite inquiry or by the server’s unintentional body language.

And the ‘01 Chard Farm Pinot that we brought to the restaurant? Just great to pair with the dishes we had. It was supple and mellow, yet resplendent with red berries, cherries and lively acidity. 4 stars (vg).

The wine took us back to the top of Auckland. The only downside being this was the only bottle I had, and I have not been able to find one by the same producer in the United States (online or otherwise).

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Le Petit Restaurant (formerly Le Petite Bistro)
13360 Ventura Boulevard
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

Food 3.75 stars (g – vg)
Wine selections 3 stars (g), corkage fee $10 per 750ml
Service 4.5 stars (vg – ex)
Overall 4 stars (vg)

1960's Guang Yun Gong Pu'er, Liquid Jade Preview

Yesterday, after a simple lunch, I prepared the water to brew the 1960’s Guang Yun Gong. It was to be a handsome treat after an entire morning of running errands and shopping for groceries.

With the very little sample I got, I inspected the dried leaves carefully. I have apparently received a small chunk from the rim of the beeng and some loose leaves, which were intermixed with stems and twigs. A thin film of whiteness and some white spots here and there were present, an indication of wet storage. Then again, Guang Yun Gong is a "lightly cooked" type of pu’er, so perhaps this was expected. I could detect little smell, almost none. When thrown into the warmed up gaiwan, the heated dry leaves gave off faint aromas of earth, wood, black licorice and herbs. It was neither expressive nor impressive, but such is the nature of old pu’er. The reward often lies within its liquor, if the tea was any good.

I gave it a quick 5 seconds rinse and the tea water looked very promising indeed. Its color and clarity were excellent throughout. I let the leaves rest inside my gaiwan, lid closed, for a minute or slightly more, allowing the steamy banya to wake them up from their 40+ years slumber before the first infusion.

[Parameter: 5gr, 100ml gaiwan, 5s rinse, 10s, 10s, 10s, 10s, 15s, 25s, 25s, 35s, 45s, 1m, 1.5m]

I had a total of 11 brews, by which time it was on the brink of giving up. Not very durable, in retrospect. Throughout all the infusions, the tea tasted rather simple, clean and smooth. In fact, I can’t say that there was anything special from its taste. A little bit of earth and wood, thin bodied, with a slight sweetness in the mouth and finishes a bit mint-y. To sum, it tasted ordinary.

What it lacked in taste, however, was very well compensated by its strong qi and the way it made me feel physically. The first brew shot tingling sensations around my lower back and neck. The second warmed my shoulders and front. The third hit my head pretty hard. And by the fourth and fifth, I was sufficiently swimming in clouds. I felt quite tea drunk and high! It was a sensation I rarely get from merely 5 infusions, especially with a filled stomach after lunch. Conventional wisdom says that tea should not be drunk on an empty stomach. Should anyone have the desire to break this rule, be forewarned that this is not the tea to do it with.

I savored each cup slowly. On and off, I wandered about the events surrounding the decade in which the leaves of this tea were harvested. China was at the beginning of the cultural revolution, while in America, the sexual revolution was hitting high (wonder what Woodstock was like). The Indonesian communist party, allegedly supported by the Chinese embassy, unsuccessfully attempted a coup d'état against the then-present government, which resulted in the discriminatory anti-Chinese legislation. By the directives of the government of Indonesia, the country cut all ties with China. The Chinese diplomats were "deported" and the embassy shut down, no flights were allowed to and from China, Chinese schools were closed, Chinese books and publications were banned, and most out-reaching of all, I think, Chinese names were no longer allowed in the birth certificates of the children of Chinese immigrants. And then there were the war in Vietnam, The Beatles, the assassinations of JFK, Malcolm X and MLK, man on the moon (faked?),….

It is pretty amazing to think I was sipping a tea that came from an era I know only through stories that my elders told me, from books and from films.

At the end of the second cup, I grabbed from the bookshelf a book that arrived a few days ago: Liquid Jade by Beatrice Hohenegger. I skimmed through the Acknowledgement and the Preface sections quickly, and by the time my third brew was in the cup, an old tea poem greeted the first chapter:

On the peaks of Mount Ling,
a wondrous thing is gathered:
It is tea.
Every valley and hill is luxuriously covered
with this wealth of the Earth,
blessed with the sweet spirit of Heaven.
In the month of the harvest moon,
the farmers get little rest.
Couples at the same task, searching and picking.
take water from the flowing river Min,
drawn from its pure currents.
Select vessels and choose ceramics
produced from Eastern Ou.
Emulate the example of Duke Liu:
Serve tea with a gourd ladle;
In only this way can one begin to perfect
thick froth, afloat with the ‘splendor of the brew:’
Lustrous like piling snow,
resplendent like the spring florescence.

~ Tu Yu, Ode to Tea, 4th century C.E.

Four pages later, a quote from the Pen T’sao Ching, a medical book touted as one of the earliest in China:

“Tea is better than wine for it leadeth not to intoxication, neither does it cause a man to say foolish things, and repent thereof in his sober moments. It is better than water for it does not carry disease; neither does it act like a poison, as does water when the wells contain foul and rotten matter.”

Hmm, the very tea in my cup had leadeth me to intoxication.

That quote compelled me to stop reading at the moment. Another pro-tea, anti-wine opinion in a tea book within the first chapter, much like Okakura's The Book of Tea. I’ll pick Liquid Jade up again soon – for it has piqued my interest – perhaps with a glass of Chateau Musar in one hand.

Reviews and references
Review of 1960's GYG: Half-Dipper by Hobbes
Background notes on the 1960's GYG: Clouds on LJ Puerh Community, Hou De Blog
Review of Liquid Jade: Cha Dao by Corax

Mother's Day Champagne

We celebrated Mother's Day by dining at Saladang Song, a trendy Thai restaurant in Pasadena. Its decor is uplifting, the food delicious, and best of all, the place is relatively family friendly (we had 3 naughty toddlers with us). The weather was perfect and so the 12 of us sat in the restaurant's patio. We all had a wonderful time, albeit the kids were running around being curious about everything.

Afterwards at home, I popped open a 1996 AR Lenoble blanc de blanc Champagne (Grand Cru -- Choully) for my lovely wife. The wine was wonderfully yeasty, toasty, lush and supple. It is full of sweet tangerine and ripe Granny Smith apple nose and taste. Its mousse is soft and mouth filling. A very good bubbly that is ready to drink now. 4 stars (vg).

Photos: Google, Flickr Creative Commons and Wine Spectator Magazine

2004 Adelaida Pinot Noir, HMR Estate Vineyard

One week of agonizing respiratory infection is finally over and I can now enjoy my tea and wine properly again. I have been craving for the softness and suppleness of Pinot Noir. However, it was not meant to be.

When I purchased the 2004 Adelaida Cellar Pinot Noir, somehow I missed reading the "Paso Robles" designation that comes after the "Santa Lucia Mountain Range". I feel that Paso Robles is not the right place for the Pinot Noir variety -- the area is too hot -- and it shows in this bottling.

On the other hand, I have had a number of Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, a viticultural area within the cool and beautiful Monterey County (80+ miles north of Paso Robles), and they have always been superbly balanced on the side of being feminine and earthy. Some of the more memorable wines are from the well known Pisoni vineyards.

2004 Adelaida Cellar Pinot Noir, HMR Estate vineyard, Santa Lucia Mountain Range, Paso Robles (14.2%, $27)

Deep and vibrant garnet color. Beautiful nose of ripe cherries, red berries, salty plums with hints of earthiness and dark chocolate. Full bodied, opulent and intense. Seems too overdone and alcoholic for a pinot noir and the wine seems to have been singed by excessive heat in the vineyards. Finishes with bitter dark chocolate. Ripe, grainy tannins. A complex and layered wine, but it tastes more like a syrah (pinot on steroids?). Not my kind of pinot. 2 stars (mg).

I feel that Paso Robles hot(ter) climate affected this wine detrimentally. It simply is too bombastic for a Pinot Noir. It could have easily passed as a Central Coast Syrah or Grenache wine if tasted blindly.

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From the winery's website
www.adelaida.com

Pinot Noir HMR Estate 2004
The historic HMR Vineyard is located in the hills west of Paso Robles at an elevation of 1,700 feet. Planted in 1964, it is the oldest pinot vineyard throughout the entire South Central Coast of California, encompassing San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. Just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean, its unique microclimate benefits from cooling marine breezes. The Burgundian-like, fractured calcareous soils give the wine a complex element of terroir-focused flavors.

HMR wines have received much acclaim for over three decades. The "Maestro," Andre Tchelistcheff loved the wines from HMR, particularly the Pinot Noir. Since 1994, Adelaida Cellars has owned this prized vineyard, one that truly has earned its place in the annals of California wines.

A few swirls reveal the classic mélange of cherry fruit accented by Asian spice and exotic tea aromas. The HMR Pinot Noir is a more feminine pinot characteristically due to the influence of its limestone infected terroir. Like a French Volnay, its restrained delicacy of fruit makes it a perfect companion for grilled salmon, braised rabbit or Coq au Vin.

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I beg to differ with the winery's "feminine" characterization. Tomboy-ish is probably closer to being right.

Breaking Up is a Messy Affair

To the music of Tchaikovsky's Love Theme (Romeo & Juliet), I broke the beeng up using a sterilized letter opener and a pair of white cotton gloves.

6 Halved and the resulting loose leaves.

6 The resulting initial pieces. Uneven sizes. To be evened out later.

6 After the sample sizes have been evened out, into thick sealed mylar bags they went. 12 bags total (2 are going to some other friends -- unsolicited). On Monday they will travel to San Diego, San Francisco, Illinois, Georgia, Missouri, New York, Kentucky, Kansas, Oregon, Maryland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

6 My leftover from a whole beeng. Lots of loose leaves were produced in the process.

To the 10 - 12 people who are going to receive the samples: Enjoy! I look forward to hearing what you think of the tea when you get a chance.

Learning Together (Want Some Tea?)

I quickly realized that my musings on the 2001 Menghai Yiwu Zhengshan below probably has little meaning to those of you who couldn't get your hands on this tea in time before it "sold out" or simply because you didn't know it existed. I also realize that the path of tea learning which I stand on is paved with the generosity of others.

"The road to hell..." :)

There are many teas that would have stayed out of my reach, either because of their prices or by my lack of access, if it had not been through the kindness of my friends.

In that same spirit, I would like to share this 2001 Menghai Yiwu Zhengshan with the first 10 individuals who express their interest to me by e-mail (see below). There is no obligation whatsoever on your part to compensate me or to write any tasting notes, though I would love to hear what you think of the tea in private or on this blog. Any contribution to help defray the cost of shipping is strictly voluntary but not necessary.

Apologies beforehand, I can only accommodate 10 interested individuals with about 15 grams each. I don't own a mini scale, so please don't mind the inconsistencies when the tea arrives. You might just get more. Kindly e-mail me your name and mailing address to: phyllsheng@hotmail.com.

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02:25pm 5/5/07 in Los Angeles
10 spots taken
The list is closed
Thank you

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PS: If you are a member of the "LA Tea Club", there should be enough left for our enjoyment together when we next meet.

PPS: If I know that you have tasted this tea before, unfortunately I won't be sending you any. So Davelcorp, Hobbes, MarshalN, VL, xcuseme_sg...sorry!

TN: 2001 Menghai Yiwu Zhengshan & 2004 Kurt Darting Riesling

Embarking on a memory trip, last September Davelcorp sent me a generous sample labeled simply as "Mystery Yiwu". This was soon after I tasted M. Erler's 2003 Yiwu Pu'er. The "Mystery Yiwu" turned out to be the 2001 Menghai Special Production Yiwu Zhengshan "Collectible Leaf of Precious Grade".

Having enjoyed M. Erler's tea using the little-leaves-long-infusion brewing method, my 1st attempt with Davelcorp's sample was to employ the same technique. Somehow, I didn't like the resulting tea. This was my email to Davelcorp, dated September 14, 2006:

"Hi [Davelcorp], I just tried your mystery Yiwu Pu'er tonight for the first time (btw, thank you very much for the tea!). I used the "little-leaves-long-infusion" method. I hope you won't mind me being candid with you. It is my own very subjective assessment (I'm still learning, so forgive me if I'm off base).

Brewed this way, I think this tea is quite unremarkable in its overall quality. From the dry leaves, it looks like it is about 6-7 years old...but I'm not sure. The taste itself overall was like drinking a red tea...a cross of English Breakfast, 2nd flush Darjeeling and a hint of Red Keemun. Not complex...rather monolithic and unchanging from one infusion to the next, actually. Some woody-ness and an almost noticeable (but present) tingling. A bit cooling on the throat, especially when inhaling. Unfortunately, I found this tea to be a bit coarse. Somewhat astringent too.

In my very humble opinion, I'd give this tea at most a 2 stars (moderately good), if not less."

To which Davelcorp responded that he had never tried brewing this tea in such a way, and he recommended me to use about 7 gr of leaves with ~120 ml of water and shorter infusions. So I did that and got back to him saying:

"Hello [Davelcorp],

Remember the mystery Yiwu pu'er that you sent me?...So I played with lots of leaves short infusion time, and the tea came out pleasant and complex. Classic Yiwu taste in that the taste is mellow and unassuming, yet complex. Smooth liquor, but later I felt the fine dusty texture. Medium body. There is a just a tiny bit of astringency in the finish that makes it taste a bit fruity. The liquor is already quite red and I can taste the aging. What do you think about the finish on this tea? I thought it's a bit short.

I learned something new again. Not all pu'er should be treated the same way. While Stephane's 2003 Yiwu worked well with using little leaves short brew time method, your pu'er works better with the opposite brewing method."

In hindsight, a long infusion time extracted coarseness and astringency, which are detrimental characters if found in excessive amount.

I later learned that he acquired this tea from Jing Tea Shop for $45/beeng. Most recently, however, with the mad pu'er price increases in Guangzhou, JTS re-offered this tea again at $165/beeng, while Houde Fine Tea was able to offer the same tea for $80/beeng. Needless to say, this created quite an excitement within the LJ Pu-erh Community blog. Add the fact that Houde was about to increase its pu'er prices across the board by as much as 25%, the result was a buying frenzy. The '01 Menghai Yiwu was sold out within days at both Houde and Jing Tea Shop.

2 days ago was my 3rd visit with this tea (purchased from Houde). I used about 7-8 gr in a ~100ml gaiwan and employed short infusions of 10s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 45s, 1m,...

The experience strongly reminded me of my previous 2 attempts. The dry leaves look great and smell a bit herbal. The color and clarity of the liquor is excellent. The wet leaves gives a lively and energetic aromas. In the mouth, it is rather thin and with a dusty/sandy texture. Further aging should improve its taste and texture. The overall taste is quite assertive and bold for a Yiwu. Good chaqi. There is a bit of astringency in the finish.

A good tea overall but not quite there yet. I have high hopes that it will improve with further proper storage. 3.5 stars (g - vg).

Other reviews: Half-Dipper, LJ Pu-erh by Davelcorp and Xcuseme_sg, and MarshalN.

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2004 Kurt Darting Durkheimer Nonnengarten, Kabinett, Pfalz
(9.5%. $14/1 liter)

Shimmering golden yellow color. A rich and expressive kabinett that comes across rather heavy despite its merely 9.5% alcohol level. Quince, lychee, peaches and honey. A bit too sweet and not lithe enough for my taste. 3 stars (good).

What a Year!

One year ago today, I started this blog. I had this idea in mind that perhaps the subjects of tea and wine would compliment and contrast each other harmonically. Little did I know what started as a venue to express my musings would quickly become a portal of learning and making friends of similar passions.

It is amazing to think how tea and wine have connected me with individuals of completely different backgrounds and cultures. And yet our common interests have build pillars strong enough to endear us together. In my humble opinion, such is the true virtue of the grapes and the leaves.

If there is one person who I can blame for the genesis of Adventures in Tea & Wine, then I would heartily point my finger in compliment at MarshalN. Thanks to him, I am now equally as obsessed about blogging and tea as I am about wine.

Thank you all for your readership, friendship, kind comments, criticism and encouragement, without which this blog would have been less meaningful and my knowledge would have been only a tiny fraction of what it is today. There is still a lot more to learn, however.

In return, I sincerely hope that my musings and irreverent banter have somehow also contributed to our communal effort in exploring these noble libations. I also wish that our friendship will develop, persevere and extend towards other branches of our lives in the pursuit of a rewarding and artful journey through life.

If you have any suggestion on how I can improve this blog – from whatever angle it may be – please do not hesitate for a millisecond to let me know.

Let the adventure continue on...

With infinite gratitude and humility,

Phyll

Dungeon

Here they slumber still
in darkness and humid air
'till the master calls
(thunder, lightning and sinister laughter!)

A snapshot of the offsite cellar (one of the corridors) where I keep my wine and pu'er tea. Contant temperature and humidity at 58°F and 65%, respectively.

Nothing inspiring, nothing fancy. The wines and teas can not see where they are anyway.

TN: 2005/06 Menghai Yunnan - Tibet Caravan Shou Pu'er

While inventorying my stash, I found this shou pu'er tucked among the other shou I own (not much but growing). It is the same one that Scott Wilson of Yunnan Sourcing mentioned in the 1st volume of The Art of Tea. In the article, his response to the question which Puerhs of 2006 will prove to be the best investment was:

".... The 2006 Menghai Yunnan to Tibet Horse Ripe Puerh cake, on the other hand, only had one unique batch and will not be produced again after this year. [This] tea's wholesale price had already doubled within 6 months of its release...."

Oh well, so what, I thought. I only have 2 beengs and they are going nowhere but down my throat. I purchased each beeng for $19 from Scott back in May of last year. I would have profited a whopping $40 or more by now. Big deal. I would have thought differently if I had a jian or two, however.

Tasting Note
The dry leaves emanated a clean and salty sweet aromas. Once wet, it smelled like smoked meat / fish / shrimp that was strangely quite inviting. When the leaves had cooled down it reminded me of root beer (sarsaparilla), just as the V93 Menghai shou tuocha did. The root beer characterization was brought to my attention by Davelcorp, who I thought made an accurate association.

The thick, black, opaque liquor tasted smooth, clean and creamy. Fortunately, it gave no pond-y taste. The tea finished creamy with shades of sweet and metallic notes. From the 3rd infusion onwards, a hint of all around sweetness was present. Brewed well for 8 infusions with enough juice for a few more. In many respects, this is a rather different shou pu'er than most that I have tasted so far.

I enjoyed it very much. 4 stars (vg)

Making Sense of Tea Collecting

I finally did what I have procrastinated from doing until last Saturday. I recorded and labeled my pu’er stash. The main goal was simple: to keep track of what I have, the quantity, when I bought them, who or where from, and the price I paid.

When the tea dust settled, my spreadsheet said I have about 48 kilograms (~106 lbs) of pu’er. Assuming a standard beeng weighs 357 grams, then I have the equivalent of 134 beengs or 19 tongs. By all means mine is a small stash when compared to the collection of some other pu’er enthusiasts I know. Nevertheless, I probably have slightly more tea than many tea drinkers have in their cabinets. Showing off how hefty or how little I have is not my intention here.

After knowing exactly how much tea I have, one question loomed over my head: just exactly how much tea do I have? Being a wine lover and a small time collector, I tried to make sense of my tea collection the way I know how. So I calculated how many standard 750ml bottles my tea – the brewed liquor, mind you – can fit into. Here is how my mind works:

Conservatively speaking, 7 grams in a vessel that pours out 100 ml of tea can be infused for 10 times. That is saying 7 grams of dried pu’er leaves can produce 1,000 ml of non-alcoholic libation. With this logic, I have 9,143 bottles of tea.

Some would say that my computation is too conservative because one really can infuse them up to 20 times or more. Well, if that is so, then I have the equivalent of about 18,259 bottles of pu’er tea.

Yikes!

I like pu’er. However, I also love my oolong of different types, my Darjeeling, my wine, my whisky and, yes, plain water, too. I estimated that if I drank 2 sessions of pu’er per week on average, then the 48 kilograms stash will last for 66 years!

I have often heard about wealthy individuals who own an upward of 10,000 bottles of wine in their private cellars, and I have always thought they must be mad. Those few people who own 20,000 or more bottles for their “personal consumption”, well, the roads will be much safer without them. And here I am, sitting on top of 9,000 to 18,000 plus bottles of tea.

No, I have nothing against wealthy people. I inspire to be one, in fact.

27 of the 48 kilograms that I own are of vintage 2005. It’s the year my daughter was born in. My hope and wishes are that one day, when I’m dead from pu’er overdose, she will inherit these teas in addition to a sizable, generation-skipping, non-taxable trust fund. While the trust can easily be arranged, who can really know how the tea will fare. The aging potential of pu’er is still a big mystery to me, even after having downed many types and soaked myself with all the information I can get ad nauseam. Here is to planning and hoping that she will like the taste of pu'er in the first place.

The moral of this post? I should buy tea (and wine) with my consumption habit and future plan in mind because they really are just for personal use.

An E-mail From Mary Lou Heiss

I am pretty excited about the upcoming Pu'er event in Pasadena on June 16th. While the tea lineup is certainly something that any pu'er fanatics should not miss, it is meeting and drinking tea with fellow enthusiasts that I look most forward to out of the event. For one, I will finally meet Guang and his family in person. Most -- if not all -- of the unofficial LA tea club members will be there, providing me with familiar friendly faces. Many other known names will be coming from different cities, states and countries to be at this event.

Two of the people that I look forward to meeting with are Mary Lou and Robert J. Heiss, the husband-and-wife team and owners of Cooks Shop Here in Northampton, Massachusetts. Mary Lou is the author of Green Tea: 50 Hot Drinks, Cool Quenchers, and Sweet and Savory Treats (Harvard Common Press, 2006), and the couple are co-authors of the soon-to-be released tea book titled The Story of Tea (Ten Speed Press).

Mary sent a kind e-mail to me saying:

Dear Phyll,

I have just discovered your tea blog and am finding it very interesting. I wanted to let you know that my husband and I have just completed a very large and comprehensive book on tea which will be published this fall by Ten Speed Press in Berkeley.

...The book has a very educational slant and is fully-illustrated with tea processing photos from our tea buying trips to China and Japan.

I assume that you will be in Pasadena for the Pu-erh tasting as will we.

Best wishes,

Mary Lou
www.CooksShopHere.com

Thank you, Mary, and I look forward to meeting and getting tea drunk with you and your husband in Pasadena!

Folks, FYI below is the cover shot and the short synopsis of The Story of Tea, which will be available in October 2007. I can't comment much on it, but judging the book by its cover, it's something that I'd like to have on my bookshelf.

TN: Japanese Sencha -- 2007 Spring Tenbu & Tenbu Fuka

Something strange happened over Los Angeles last weekend. Tiny droplets of water fell from the sky and soaked everything wet. The TV called the phenomenon "rain" or, even scarier, "thunderstorm" on Friday. I stayed mostly inside until it was safe to go out.

During this "thunderstorm", I experimented with the Japanese Sencha samples that came from T Ching. The Sencha teas are named Tenbu ("Dance in Heaven") and Tenbu Fuka ("Dance in Heaven Profound"). The one with the Fuka designation is the higher end of the two. Many others also received the samples as part of T Ching's monthly online tasting event.

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Edit 4/25/2007: According to Dr. Bushberg of T Ching, the Tenbu Fuka is not the higher or the lower quality tea. "They are from the same early picking but Tenbu Fuka is deeper steamed in a special way, so the pores of the tea leaves are more open and the constituents dissolve easier and faster in the hot water. The color of the infusion is deeper green and the taste is a little stronger."
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I have never had Sencha before and I must admit that my knowledge of Japanese teas at this moment is pretty much nil, if I don't count the supermarket genmai-cha, mugi-cha and the restaurant Yamamotoyama brand bagged green tea that I often had with my Japanese roommates back in college days.

More about these wonderful half-shaded Senchas' background here.

Parameter
Volvic bottled water, 60-65 C, 3gr:200ml or similar ratio. 60s, 15s, 15s, 15s, 30s.

Dry leaves
Deep emerald green, healthy and fresh looking. The leaves of both samples were visually similar. While there was an equal amount of fanning, those that were not were quite short in length. Is such brokenness representative of both teas’ original condition, or perhaps it was broken in transit?

Highly fragrant! The smell was savory, buttery, green and sweet all at once. I noticed that the Tenbu Fuka’s nose was sharper and had a slightly higher note than that of the Tenbu. Both reminded me of a delicious Japanese food seasoning (not diced seaweed). I was almost tempted to sprinkle some on top of steamed rice and eat it as is.

In summary, by looking at and smelling the dry leaves alone I was hard pressed to find any differences between both teas.


Tasting Notes
There was a considerable amount of soft fanning that flowed out of the brewing vessel into the cup (unfiltered). Not liking that much tea dust, I employed a fabric mesh filter, which became clogged halfway through pouring out of a gaiwan. The new Kyushu teapot that I purchased from T Ching has a built-in metal strainer that kept the fanning in the pot quite effectively. I wonder if customarily this tea is served with a lot of tea bits in the cup or not.

Tenbu: The first infusion was light green in color and the liquor was cloudy. It tasted vegetal with a creamy sweet undertone and buttery texture. The second infusion was bright, limey green and stronger and thicker tasting than the first, which made the tea rather soupy. The third infusion was weaker and more balanced in my opinion. The fourth and fifth infusions were watery. I enjoyed the 1st and the 3rd infusions the most out of each five-cup session.

I should note that I felt my mouth and lips as if coated with grease, though I believe it is due to the polyphenols, the amino acid (L-theanine?) or both. The texture was present at every session I had, whether the tea was brewed in a clay teapot or in a gaiwan.

Tenbu Fuka: Similar tasting note to the Tenbu in most respect, except it was slightly more vegetal.

Photo of Tenbu session with the new Kyushu clay teapot
Photo of tea brewing in gaiwans
Photo of the 1st infusion
Photo of the 2nd infusion

Brewed Leaves
Wet, soggy mush. (Photo here)

Conclusion
I was quite surprised to find that the second infusion yielded a stronger and thicker cup of tea than the first, despite the fact that brewing time was cut to one-fourth of the first. By the third brew, the tea was weaker than the second, but was still enjoyable. The fourth and fifth brews were too watery.

Having no prior benchmark against which these Sencha’s can be evaluated, I would defer any attempt at scoring until I have tried and experimented with more teas of the same genre. For these samples, I loved the smell of the dry leaves, though I found the tea too vegetal for my preference. The presence of too much tea leaves in the cup was also rather hard to enjoy.

Thank you, Michelle and Sandy (of T Ching), for the tea samples and the opportunity! This was an eye-opening -- or rather a mouth-watering -- experience.

Miscellaneous Catching Up

My prayer and thoughts go out to the families and friends of those who were senselessly slain at Virginia Tech. I am particularly moved by the braveness of Professor Liviu Librescu who went towards and blocked the deadly threat in order to save many and sacrificed his own life. May they rest in peace and be remembered lovingly forever.

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Though my blog has been static lately, I have actually been quite active within the tea and wine blogospheres. I enjoy visiting other blogs to leave some thoughtlessly written comments just because. The collective online knowledge and wisdom of those who are passionate about tea and wine are immense! I've learned so much from consuming their writings and personal opinions. They never fail to freshen my perspectives.

Some of the interesting happenings lately within the tea and wine blogospheres:
1. Bearsbearsbears made his own pu'er tea cakes (35kg of them!)...
2. And he wrote an article for the 2nd issue of The Art of Tea magazine, too!
3. Brent, a Tea Nerd (like me!), made me realize that, unlike in wine, tannins is not what makes tea feels puckery. Mr. Sanwar M. Changoiwala's excellent article on Chadao about tea and polyphenols confirmed this as well. So I guess it will be "polyphenolic" instead of "tannic" from now on when I describe tea.
4. Imen of Tea Obsession is opening a tea lounge!
5. Houde Asian Art raised their pu'er prices...again.
6. Various discussions about the current state of pu'er price inflation (MarshalN, LJ, Tea Drunk).
7. Eric Asimov, the chief wine critic for the NY Times, contemplates on the topic of how technology changed the art of winemaking (is it still natural?)

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As a result of my blogger's block (as in writer's block and nothing to do with China's overzealous censorship), this piece of news had likely become stale. But here it is anyway.

Two Saturdays ago I met three new tea friends: "Estif", who came down from San Francisco for the Easter weekend, Imen, who I have communicated with many times before, and T, who is a friend of Danica. The gracious host was Danica, again.

I think we managed to come across as quite fanatical to T in how we discussed, slurped and comment about the teas we drank that day. Fortunately, she was very open to the new experiences, and all of us could tell that she has got a taste for fancy teas! Another convert?

[Photo (L-R): T, Estif, Danica and Imen holding a 3kg Xi Zhi Hao Lao Banzhang pu'er tea disc]

Teas we tasted:

'07 Ming Qian (pre-Ching Ming) Shi Feng Long Jing from Jing Tea Shop
Lovely. Nutty and buttery with a long sweet and buttery aftertaste. 4 stars.

’07 Early Spring Biluochun from Jing Tea Shop
Good. Nutty and floral, but seemingly short on the aftertaste. I can’t say that I’m a big biluochun fan yet. 3.5 stars.

’07 Spring wood-fired Nantou oolong, Taiwan from Houde
Light, thin and not expressive enough. Floral, grassy with a soft roasted taste. Came rather short of our expectations. 2 stars.

'06 Highly roasted Dong Ting oolong, Taiwan from Teamasters
Delicious, complex and balanced. One of the better roasted Taiwanese oolongs I have ever tasted. 4 stars.

'06 Lincang Sheng Pu’er from Teamasters
Expressive and charming. Brewed with little leaves and long steeping time in the silver teapot. Best tea of the day for me. Alas, its very pricey for a young 2006 tea. 4.5 stars.

Banzhang Pu’er (tightly compressed squares), source unknown
Strong tasting. Don't remember much else. 3 stars.

’06 Hai Lang Hao Banzhang Sheng Pu’er from YSLLC
Strong and kicked everyone's head pretty quickly. 3 stars.

Reverse Osmosis Water Is Not That Bad
We used three types of water that day: Fiji (artesian), Trader Joe's New Zealand (artesian), and reverse osmosis. Danica added about six drops of some ionic mineral supplement into the RO water in the 1.5 liter tetsubin to an excellent result! The supplemented reverse osmosis water was actually as good as or better than the expensive Fiji and New Zealand artesian water. More testing and comparing still need to be done, however.

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Lastly, please meet my new ceramic tea friend. It's made by a miniature specialist company called Hagen-Renaker.