As a learning experience, I wanted to compare Old Master Baozhong, a spring harvest, to a different company’s winter (November) harvest that I drank yesterday. Unfortunately, I screwed up with this tea and ended up overbrewing the sixth steep by about 5 minutes while I was rushing around getting ready to head out for a game of tennis. And while it was still a fine steep, I decided to end the session. I’m kind of bummed I didn’t get to play this session out in a respectable fashion.
That said. Gone gaiwan, 6g, 150mL, 185-195F, flash rinse/10/12/15/20/25s/:(
Dry leaf looks very much hand-processed and is a mix of shapes with shades of green and some yellowish leaf. The scent is intoxicating, heavy with sweet pea floral, vanilla custard and violet. The flavors were strongest in the first 2 steeps with golden delicious apple, bartlett pear, sweet lemon, mineral, floral sweet pea, cream, custard, white peach, was that pineapple?!?, lilac, vegetal sweet pea, raw green bean, spinach. The liquor was a light yellow-green, very smooth but drying and slightly numbing on my tastebuds. Aroma was lilac, custard, peach and spinach. Persistent floral and fruity aftertaste.
Third through fifth steeps lightened in aroma, taste and texture and the liquor darkened into a yellow-gold. In addition to the above flavors, the apple pushed forward, then moved into a strong peach/apricot/mango/nectarine and the fifth steep had an addition of wet green hay with a very strong white peach aftertaste. The mouthfeel almost became distractingly drying so I played around with temperatures in these steeps but that didn’t change anything. The sixth steep at 5+ minutes was not a wash but I decided to end the session there as I didn’t think there would be anything left to give. Spent leaf was lined with red along its serrated edges and had some more oxidation on the petioles.
For what this tea was missing in depth and richness in comparison to yesterday’s winter harvest, it produced a wonderful crispness, clearness in taste and a very pronounced peach aftertaste that could easily make this tea a daily-drinker. They’re different and respectable teas in their own rights. I have 4 grams left so I’ll try MST’s recommended brewing parameters for gong fu and rate it after that.
I think I’m falling for baozhong.
Baozhong is totally worth falling for. <3