60 Tasting Notes
Prepared in my Jian Shui gaiwan, and served in my porcelain tea cup via my glass cha hai. Filtered Santa Monica municipal water just off the boil throughout.
8 infusions from 10 to 60+ seconds. Sienna liquor with harvest gold highlights; gentle roast in the nose with hints of Japanese yam and barley; faint floral and mineral notes present a lingering chocolate-tinged sweetness. Moderately malty, but very little smoke on the palate. Finishes medium-dry with a distinctive nutty/grassy flavor I can’t quite put a name to (perhaps what others have referred to as “oaky”?). Longer infusions bring out more cocoa and darker toast flavors with a tiny bit of smoke in the finish.
Smooth, medium-light bodied, and surprisingly refreshing.
Closer to a good Keemun than a Lapsang Souchong, this is a unique and interesting Hong cha, well worth sampling.
Preparation
Generous sample kindly provided by the proprietor.
Prepared in my Jian Shui gaiwan, and served in my porcelain tea cup via my glass cha hai. Filtered Santa Monica municipal water just off the boil throughout.
Dry leaves resemble long slightly twisted black sticks with some spots of rust.
10 infusions ranging from 10 to 60 seconds.
Chestnut liquor; wet wood, river stones, and a hint of chocolate, walnut skin, and grain husk in the nose; smooth, creamy, and faintly nutty on the palate – long, increasingly cocoa and autumn-leaf-laden finish that takes ages to unfurl despite a persistent subtlety. Very low acidity/bitterness. Flavor/aroma drops off very slowly over the session. Consistent, gentle, and nearly delightful.
Preparation
Generous sample kindly provided by the proprietor. 25g yields about two lengthy sessions.
Prepared in my Jian Shui gaiwan, and served in my porcelain tea cup via my glass cha hai. Filtered Santa Monica municipal water just off the boil throughout.
7+ infusions from 10 to 90 seconds. Fulvous liquor; aromatics of fresh cut wood, lychee, and berry; sweet mellow palate entry is again fruity and perhaps slightly floral or spicy, with a pleasant nutty finish.
I was expecting at least a hint of smoke, roast, or char given the high temp final processing, but none of these elements obtrude on the rounded, youthful, easy-drinking flavor profile. Fairly potent/energizing with regard to caffeine, this would be a suitable daily-drinker at the office if you like the flavor signature (which is perhaps more distinctive than my notes suggest, it’s just that I can’t put a name to the individual flavor that is present throughout).
Preparation
Filtered Santa Monica tap water just off the boil throughout. Poured from a pear-shaped purple clay tea-pot into a glass cha hai, and served in a porcelain (“peony”) cup.
7 infusions from 30sec to 2 minutes:
Very pale canary yellow liquor. Floral/grassy aromatics with a hint of warm roast nuts. Sweet palate entry with vanilla, chestnut, grain (cornmeal?), opening out into a complex floral finish with hints of fresh hay and maybe even a whisper of kelp; yields significantly more flavor than the aroma hints at. Soft rounded mouth-feel, medium-finish, no astringency.
The flavor shifts around after the first infusion, with a faint sourness, almost like that of sumac or wood sorrel emerging at times. The distinctive floral aftertaste persists for a long time, though this fades in later infusions.
Maintains its distinctive varietal character, while the (not quite) medium roast gives a bit more interest/complexity – pleased that this option is available.
Preparation
Filtered Santa Monica tap water just off the boil throughout. Poured from a pear-shaped purple clay tea-pot into a glass cha hai, and served in a porcelain (“peony”) cup.
6 infusions (no wash), 45 seconds to 4 minutes: Marigold to gamboge liquor, a bit of sediment (seems like a lot more in the bag); Deep roast notes in the nose, nutty with a whisper of smoke; smooth toasted sweetness on the palate with hints of walnut and daylily. Some scalded milk notes emerge in the finish. Increasing earth and wood on the palate as you raise the temperature or infusion time; Soft, low astringency if not over-steeped. No char.
Robust, responsive, and clean for a dark roast – somewhat one-dimensional at the moment – this might be a good candidate for further aging (it’s only 1yo at present).
Preparation
Received as a generous sample from the proprietor.
Filtered Santa Monica tap water just off the boil throughout. Poured from a pear-shaped purple clay tea-pot into a glass cha hai, and served in a porcelain (“peony”) cup.
8 infusions (no wash), most around 45 seconds – the first was my favorite:
Saffron to Fulvous liquor; Biscuity/faintly-floral aroma with notes of hay and popcorn; Very low roast grain on the palate with meringue/custard and rice pudding elements as well. Medium finish with residual honey, fleeting malt, and faint apricot notes. Longer infusions/higher temperatures seem to flatten out (or better integrate, if I’m being generous) the flavors – although I also get a faint vegetal note suggesting weakly stewed morning glory or water spinach along with a hint of corn when the tea is pushed. Medium-light bodied; Good longevity.
Reminds me of the bug-bitten oolongs I’ve sampled from Taiwan, with similar levels of oxidation and roast (modest but perceptible). An enjoyable not-quite-medium roast tea, fairly responsive to infusion time/temperature, though not finnicky to brew.
Preparation
The dry leaves, twisted, fine-haired, and multi-colored (black, green, yellow, gray, in myriad shades) reveal careful attention and skill on the part of the producer, and emit a subtle perfume of hay, wildflowers, and raw sugar cane.
Brewed in my Korean-infuser cup 5g leaf to a bit less than 5oz (filtered L.A. tap) water @ 195ºF.
Gong-fu style infusions, roughly doubling each steep: 10, 15, 45 seconds, 1, 2, 4, and 8 minutes total.
What Cha’s description mirrors my own experience closely:
Pear gold liquid; creamy/biscuity/faintly floral aroma – quite subtle; initial unripe winter fruit note gives way to a complex gentle sweetness, suggesting alfalfa, honey, and melon. Faint spice (cardamom?), earth (worm casings?), and malt in the finish. Hints of pumpkin and baked citrus emerge at times. Lingering/returning sweetness is notable as well. Full bodied and relatively thick for a white tea, yet still largely clean (only the slightest glimmer of vegetal/oxidative notes, mostly restricted to the wet leaves themselves) and free of bitterness/astringency.
Interesting to see a “hand-made” tea come out of industrial/factory production – Kangaita is setting a high standard here.
Preparation
The dry leaf has the appearance of kibble or rabbit droppings.
Arylide liquor turning muddy if over-steeped. Ginseng aroma with hints of licorice, orchid, and a faintly medicinal note. The lightly oxidized base tea disappears on the palate with the ginseng dominating. Soft, almost powdery mouth-feel. Finishes sweet with a long lingering aftertaste. Moderately energizing.
I’ll be sticking with the subtle balance of Ten Ren’s king’s tea as their dark oolongs stand up well to a touch of ginseng – by contrast, this tea has an insipid base overwhelmed by the full frontal assault of the flavoring.
