Bitterleaf Teas

Gongfu – an old session, I’m working through some queued posts this afternoon…

I’m not really a big fan of plain teaware, though recently I’m slightly starting to understand the appeal of plain/white teaware a little more and I actually purchases several new pieces of teaware for myself this week that are a lot more white (still not plain, though) than anything else I own.

One of the pieces that I love but rarely use is a taller cup from Camellia Sinensis that’s adorned with adorable cat paintings – it’s too big for most gongfu style brewing, and too small to be used as a Western cup but I just think it’s stunning. This session was really built around that cup, as an excuse to use it, with the loose theme of “cats” in general. I added a cat teapet to my tea table and even selected a tea sample that has a cat on the packaging. If I owned a cat themed teapot or gaiwan, I definitely would have used that too!

The tea itself wasn’t bad at all – smooth, and soft both in terms of taste and mouth feel. A little sweet. Nice warm body feeling as well, and a finish that had the most gentle huigan coupled with a little bit of a vegetal quality. I feel like it’s a fair assessment to say that there isn’t much going on with this tea, but what it does offer is really easy going and low fuss. It’s also very nice for it’s considerably affordable price point!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_diempg-vX/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_1MxVlid7s&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=9&t=0s

From the weekend!

I know this is a favourite of my manager – well, an earlier year’s version of this material anyway. I picked it up this Spring because I was curious to try it given that he likes it, and because it was really cheap.

I can see why he likes like – it’s got a nice coating sweetness and it pretty smooth and easy going. I imagine this would be _really_hard to over steep and brew poorly and he drinks most of his sheng Grandpa style so that’s a quality that would be very appealing for him. The session, for me, was pleasant but I found that I wanted a bit more depth or nuance to the flavour – however I do think this is a perfectly good tea for its price point. I imagine I’ll finish the rest of my sample Grandpa style…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4axc1cA4FH/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWN81V7ojOE

Yesterday afternoon’s tea session – ‘7 Star’ 2009 Tian Jian Anhua Heicha! This was a freebie sample, but one I was happy to receive as I’d debated ordering it anyway ^^

The liquor steeps up a gorgeous amber colour, and the aroma is mildly smoky with wisps of wet potting soil. As someone who hasn’t massively delved into the world of heicha, I found this tea didn’t have the body or intensity of others I’ve tried and I did find myself missing it – even with really pushing steep times for infusions I couldn’t reach the heavy, thick flavour I wanted. The trade off is that this tea is incredibly smooth and damn near impossible to brew in a way that tastes off – which would make it a prime candidate for a daily drinker tea, or lazier session/grandpa style of brewing.

The taste is sweet and smooth, permeated by soft campfire smoke and wet pine wood notes. Early infusions had the faintest hint of black currant in the undertone and finish. Very clean tasting, and as the session continued it almost had a crispness to the finish. I suppose that’s the cooling note described? However that feels like a bit of a stretch to me. Overall, I enjoyed this tea! With a slight expectation switch, I found it really approachable and easy going!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4fJZaqgmHh/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgjKlTHbE0k

Gongfu!

The second tea from Friday night’s online tea session with Teajay – 2018 “In Bloom” Jingmai Huangpian – which he actually picked out from my stash for me to drink. It was a good selection! I had it in this gorgeous, but very lumpy, bumpy and impractical to drink from teacup that I actually sculpted and glazed myself back in highschool. I was NOT a tea drinker then, so I definitely made it for the “aesthetic” without realizing how insanely impractical it is! The tea was pretty lovely, with an incredible anise aroma on the dry and steep leaf that had me feeling all heart eyes!! Steeped up, the taste was more more of a heady floral profile with a greener backbone. Still pretty smooth and even a little creamy. The oolong I had just brewed out was mind blowing though; so it was hard to compete with that…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAip2vBAoxv/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wupqoofgrok

Gongfu!

Made this last week around the end of the week; I was helping a coworker set up some educational tasting and I was brewing steeps of this in between the set up to share with her. I picked it out for us since she’s not really a pu’erh drinker at all and I thought the floral notes from this sheng might be something more approachable for her since she does tend to like more floral, green oolongs.

However, my plans were kind of foiled because all four infusions (it was a very short session – one of the cons that sometimes happens when you try to Gongfu at work) came out really tropical and fruity tasting. Like passionfruit!? It was medium bodied and a touch tangy and while there were some florals it wasn’t what I’d expected and the taste didn’t win her over. However, I enjoyed it!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Nd9_dActt/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OxOHtD0RDw

Drank Grandpa!

I’m surprised I’ve not written a review for/had this tea before!? It tasted very familiar and I swear that I had – but maybe I’m thinking of the non Huang Pian version of it? I do own that one as well…

Regardless, this was very lovely! It’s sweet and smooth, with those lovely and distinctly “Jingmai” character floral notes that I’ve actually come to appreciate a lot in a nice young sheng. I thought it coated my mouth in a nice and refreshing way, and also had some crisper vegetal notes – like snow peas. Very sweet, lingering finish also.

Just a feel good cuppa!

Sipdown (717)!

Followed through with my comment in my last note and finished off the last of this one steeped up Western style because I actually found it pretty nice when prepared that way. Still a little bitter, but just more of that sweet note that can best be described as the sweetness you experience after the bitter taste of chewing up an advil…

Western Style!

I figured this might tasting a bit less bitter to me if prepared Western style, and just slightly under leafed – and the logic was that if it was less bitter it would then also be more enjoyable. Despite forgetting I was steeping it and leaving it for a solid nine or ten minutes to steep, I actually liked it a lot more than expected. It was still a little grating-ly bitter initially and I found myself experiencing a good deal of scratchy-tongue astringency. However, it also rewards you with lingering sweetness on the tongue after the initial bitterness, and after a third or so of the mug I had acclimated to the bitterness and no longer found it all that bad. It was actually enjoyable, even.

So I guess I’m finishing this one off Western style?

I had this as my evening tea and it positively surprised me. I had a few Man Zhuan teas that are significantly more expensive, but I actually preferred this one. Of course, it doesn’t last as long. However, even taking that into account, I think it is a bargain. The tea has a strong fruity fragrance, a good body and a long sweet aftertaste with a slightly cooling sensation. Even though I didn’t take detailed notes as this was my only session with it, I think it ticks all the boxes I would like from a raw pu’er in this price category. The taste is really pungent for a huang pian, and although I could detect some general similarities with the other Man Zhuan teas I’ve had, this one I found more balanced and agreeable taste-wise.

Gongfu!

A nice Friday morning/afternoon session at work to round out my day – I brought this one in from home because I was craving shou (and I don’t keep any in my work stash) and when I opened up my shou sample drawer this sample was sitting right on top. Serendipitous, I thought!

Overall this was a very nice session, but I don’t think I like this shou as much as some of the other BLT offerings that I’ve tried. However, it simply must be said that the name they’ve selected for this shou is spot on! Right from the start, and throughout the whole session, this was a very smooth shou without any off notes to it – I think it’d be incredibly approachable to even the most new pu’erh drinkers. I did find, when I pushed the steep time a bit longer in the middle of the session, that infusions had a light bitterness hanging off the end of the sip. Much like a car teetering on a cliff’s edge, my impression was that with this shou one would walk a fine line between smooth, silky notes and a deep plunge into bitterness if the tea was oversteeped or, perhaps, over leafed.

What ultimately stops me from really enjoying this one as fully as I’d like to is that, smooth as it is, there isn’t really much substance to the tea’s taste. I would like some type of flavour note to bite back at me a little bit in the body of the sip – either a sweeter brown sugar or fruity type note or a more robust earthy/woody characteristic. As is stands, I found this rather pleasant – but simple.

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3PDiSFAg_K/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qritXcYLg4g

Gongfu!

As is tradition after placing my Spring tea order from Bitterleaf, I am now attempting to sipdown some of the leftover bits and pieces of samples from last year. That includes 2019’s pressing of the aptly named “The Bitter End”, which is a bit love or hate in my opinion. I like early steeps of this sheng, which are sweeter/softer before that bite kicks in. At least this isn’t painfully bitter, like some of the other sheng I’ve had before. Plus, it does have a nice huigan and body feeling.

One more session of this tea left.

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOorK0AfBr/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7rHb8knizw

Gongfu!

I’ve actually avoided this tea prior to now, as I generally don’t enjoy bitter profiles in any of my teas but this tea sample was part of the Spring raw puer sampler I picked up and I figured I might as well try it with as open a mind as possible. My verdict!? Bitter, yes, but a lot more pleasant than anticipated and amazing huigan. Not a tea that I will likely brew to completion, but still drinkable and if you push far enough in to the session it rewards you with salivating sweetness!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2r0_zlgf58/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVddzeC9upM&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=299&t=0s

Sipdown at work. Drinking raws has gone so much better for me since I stopped trying to boil them.

190-195F, shibo, 1 rinse
1 square
10s- apricot/vegetal
10s- apricot/creamy
12s- same
15s – apricot, sugary (more as it cools), creamy, lingering minty cooling aftertaste.
several steeps after this but no new notes

I did find this last session to be more enjoyable.

7.3g (2 waffles), 100ml gaiwan, 205F
rinse – thick
5s-thick, musty?
8s-thick, musty floral
10s-drying, coating
5s- frutier, hint of bitterness

Long lasting fruit aftertaste. not sure how much I like this though I have more to play with. Thinking about running this at 195F to see how it goes.

Grandpa Style!

Has this one last Friday, all throughout the morning. I remember that initially it was a little more nutty and hot hay like in terms of flavour but the longer it steeped/more the leaves brewed out the more the flavour sweetened and got fruity, even taking on a red fruit like flavour at points. Very “nectar of the Gods” kind of vibe, and so delicious. I did not expect this tea to brew as well as it did with this style.

More Gongfu!

Was feeling in the mood for yellow tea over the weekend, so brewed up a session of this. I actually have quite a few yellow teas right now so I had a bunch of options, but I went with what I think is the oldest yellow tea in my stash – you know, gotta sip down some of the stuff I’ve been hoarding for ages…

I choose to think of those older teas as “unintentionally aged”. Usually they’re pretty good despite their age, but generally do seem a little less awesome than when they’re fresh. I don’t think I ever drank this fresh though, so I don’t have a point of reference other than other yellow tea I’ve tried. Can’t remember if I actually ordered this or if it was a freebie…

Here’s what I wrote on instagram:

I only just started this morning tea session but the tea is already brewing out sweet jammy peach and apricot notes, toasty peanut and hazelnut with a greener undertone and a finish that tastes pleasantly of burnt sugar and soft smoke. Probably the sweetest yellow tea I’ve ever had..

I also see someone here on Steepster has described this as tasting like cotton candy and, honestly, I get it!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2JyONIpkHg/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPAB-9_IiaQ

Gongfu!

Nabbed this one in the sheng sampler BLT put out earlier this year; however I likely would have picked up a sample even if it wasn’t in that sampler. I’ve been on a MAJOR yiwu kick this year, and while I think there’s generally a profile associated with Yiwu sheng that I know and love – sometimes a tea will have different characteristics that my golden Yiwu standard, but I’m developing an appreciation for them as well.

That describes this tea pretty well – it’s a bit greener and slightly more bitter than what I usually love about Yiwu (sweet, syrupy, tangy fruit…) but it’s still really good, and that fruitiness is there, you just have to look a little harder and push through a couple more bitter steeps. Ultimately, this is a beautiful tea with a great huigan that settles into something very enjoyable and smooth. I brewed out the session, and immediately afterwards I just felt this sadness about only having a sample of the tea and not a full cake of it…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2K8hRLp0yY/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNoafUU4Ikw

Gongfu!

Had this one last night with my Arbee Ceramics pot – I still can’t get over how gorgeous this pot is and how smoothly it pours! The sheng was unsurprisingly lovely – so far I’ve enjoyed all of the Plum Beauty variants. Fragrant as soon as the water hits the leaves, this starts sweeter and syrupy with floral stonefruit notes (white peach, magnolia, a hint of jasmine) moving into a bit of baby bitterness and greener edge on the finish with great huigan!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CB8IXR_AkvH/

I feel like the first photo really well captures the level of chaos and clutter on my desk – I thrive on it though, it’s like this little alcove where I’ve strategically “domed” this around it and so when my tray is nestled in there it feels very beautiful to me.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1WxBAdknpw

Steeped this one Gongfu during the work week, but I wasn’t overly into the session – I found that the tea was really quite intense and bitter no matter how long I steeped for, and I tried A LOT of variance over the course of the session. It was like drinking down crushed up Asprin in water. Some bitter pu’erhs, at least, eventually give way to more sweetness either in the aftertaste or if you push past enough infusions – that never happened.

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1eES39A-Pj/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSQQRdqraiA

made in a new-ish Jianshui Zitao pot dedicated to Huangpian. fruity, sweet, very smooth throughout the steeps. so far, my favorite of the new huangpian’s from bitterleaf this year.

Loved it the first time. Was prepared to purchase. Second session wasn’t as impressed. If I place another order I’ll get a sample. But still experimenting with other samples so will keep searching.
Did short steeps 5 sec < . Tried 185-205F.

Didn’t like. Reminded me of cardboard, but pretty good cardboard.
Did short steeps quit after. Wasn’t awful, just blea, meh.

5 sec steeps gradually increased up to 10 sec. Don’t push too hard.
Tea is light and refreshing.

One of the coolest parts about travelling to Winnipeg for a week was that it put me in the same city at TheWeekendSessions which was a really rare opportunity for me to connect with someone from the tea community in person. So, with some planning, we set aside time to meet up for tea and exchange some samples!

TheWeekendSessions was an absolutely amazing host, and I had such a nice time sitting down with him and just talking over some tea! This is what was selected for us to drink while we talked and measured out some tea samples – though we drank a maocha version of this tea and not the compressed version. I do actually own the compressed version, so it’ll be interesting to try that tea out in the future and see if I see any big differences between the maocha and compressed forms.

Sadly, I was coming off a cold when we met up and was still a little bit stuffy – so I know that my palate was 100% off, I could tell immediately when the tea was poured that I was only going to be getting a muted version of the teas actual flavours. That’s definitely disappointing, but also something that really was unavoidable. Still, I enjoyed the tea a lot! I found that it started off pretty mellow with just a hint of sweetness that I would maybe liken to sugar cane? And then, as we got a few steeps in, there was a more noticeable bitter top note (like crushed advil) that was really short and fleeting, that gave way into a much, much sweeter and fruity lingering note – like honey dripped on the tip of your tongue? The kind of sweetness that makes you salivate a whole lot.

Thanks again TheWeekendSessions for hosting me at your home! It was such a pleasure getting to put a face to the name – I really look forward to exploring the samples you gave me, after I’m no longer sick – of course.