Zheng He Bai Hao Yin Zhen

I haven't said anythign here in a bit. But I have some news! A lot of tea has arrived from Jing Tea Shop, Tao of Tea, and Imperial Tea Court. I'm looking forward to adding my thoughts on all of these, here. But for now, here's at least a picture.



From right to left: Jing's aged Bei Dou, the sample of Zheng He Bai Hao Yin Zhen they sent, he ITC Monkey Picked TGY on top of Tao of Tea's Wen Mountain Baozhong, then ITC's 'Fancy' TGY.

That's a lot of tea to drink, and I'm looking forward to all of it! I'm also expecting a tuocha sampler from YSllc, but I'll show that when it comes.

Tonight, I opened the Bai Hao Yin Zhen (a.k.a. Silver Needle) sample sent with my order of the aged Bei Dou. Jing Tea Shop has some interesting information about this tea, which is currently out of stock (which makes me more than grateful that I had the chance to try this last bit before next year's harvest).

On the white tea listing:

The production of white tea is different from other Chinese teas. The leaves come from the special varietal tea tree races such as Fu Ding Da Bai Hao tea tree. White tea from Fu Jian province is produced in two counties: Fu Ding and Zheng He. While Fu Ding white tea represent easily 80% or more of the white tea production, Zheng He white tea is very rare. It is impossible to find on the market and the only way to get it is by knowing one of the few producers in Zheng He County. Fuding white tea tends to look better than the Zheng He white tea while the latest is reputed to be a lot more tasty. An interesting point to know is that the Zheng He Bai Hao Yin Zhen is the ONLY white tea that has ever been a tribute tea to the emperor!

About the tea itself:

This particular Chinese white tea holds a very graceful form. The leaves are even, strong, straight, and full with fine white hairs. The Bai Hao Yin Zhen is only made with buds, which are harvested from the Fuding Da Bai Hao and the Zheng He Da Bai Hao trees. The liquor holds a light apricot color and the taste is fresh and delicate with a pleasent high fragrance. This tea is a very good daily tea. It is also recommended as an efficacious remedy for the hives.

I don't know about hives, but the color description is quite accurate, and the flavor is at a completely different level from the Silver Needle from Adagio. I'm not saying Adagio's isn't good. It is. but this is better. Then again, I also have more experience now than I had when I had Adagio's

I can't really say a whole world in description, really. I'm just not that verbose. The brew is sweeter, the flavor more full, but not overpowering. Several infusions later, there is just a hint of bitterness. Just a hint. And the liquor is beginning to take on the browner hues of having been brewed so many times. But I'll take this tea past its limits, just to see where it goes, and where it takes me.

Snowbud Revisit

I'll quote someone from the Tea chat uhm ... chat tonight when I asked if anyone had suggestions for better brewing. Emphasis mine.

# Eastree - I was wondering if someone had found better results
# Eastree - the snowbud is good. I won't dispute that. I just don't feel I'm taking it to its full potential somehow xD
# Andy - yeah
# Eastree - I don't know what it is I'm expecting though
# Andy - for most of my life as a green tea drinker, i never brewed tea to it's full potential
# Eastree - i think if anything, it's because Adagio calls this a white tea
# Andy - MarshalN says it's a green
# Andy - Rishi says it combines white tea and green tea processing
# Eastree - It seems more like a green than a white
# Andy - yeah
# Eastree - But Rishi seems correct. It's kind of at that crossover point
# Andy - yeah

As you see, I'm not the only one with that opinion. That's somewhat comforting. This time however, I approached thinking a little differently. I thought more 'green' tonight, than expecting what I had come to know from a white tea. Rishi has a brief yet thorough explanation:

Organic Snow Buds (Xue Ya) is considered a new type of white tea that was developed in the 1980’s using authentic Fujian white tea bushes according to a special process that involves nuances of white tea and green tea production. Its clear infusion offers a fresh green flavor and aroma of roasted chestnut.

I hate to admit it, but Adagio's explanation of the tea is a little misleading. Treating Snowbud like it is the epitome of white teas, while it has a touch of green processing, just seems a bit off. I think this is where my hopes for white tea flavor went awry. But I did learn a little today, especially after the help in chat led me to a little research.

I still had four infusions. all were a full pot, unlike number four last night. But this time, I heated the water just a little more, and infused for seven minutes. That seriously helped the tea. the first two infusions were 120ºF - 125ºF. Three and four were 185º and 190º, respectively. The grassiness backed off a good bit. The tea had more of a presence. There was still that underlying flavor that was still hard to pin down. Perhaps it was the 'chestnut' described by Rishi. Either way, it gives this tea a charm.

I did very much enjoy this tea more tonight than last night. I may not add it to a frequent repurchase list, but I will certainly revisit this tea every so often.

Snowbud

This is yet another of my purchases from Adagio. Its official name (given by Adagio) is 'Snowbud Finale.' The tea itself comes from the Fujian Province of China. The site gives no information of when this was picked, but I may have purchased an older batch considering I've heard people recently mention the 2007 teas are finally being released.

The leaves are quite whole. Long slender leaves and stems are a (typically) tangled mass inside the storage tin. They seem to lack the soft fibres of most white teas, and they're also a darker green. But the dry leaves seem young, from all appearances.

I've heard a lot recently about using extended infusions and somewhat cooler water for white teas, and I decided to try it out with Snowbud. It seems a lot of people are brewing this tea for seven minutes. I'll do that next time. Perhaps I should give this tea a second run tomorrow after work.

I used 2.5 grams of tea in my small ceramic pot (the puffer fish) for all infusions. Every infusion was timed at five minutes, and water temperature was increased as follows: 110ºF for the first, 120ºF second, 150º third, and for the last 165ºF. The final infusion was unusual. But I'll get to that at the end.

The coolest infusion had hardly rehydrated the leaves, but it gave some interesting results. the flavor was mostly light, as I've been led to expect. But it has a strong grassiness, more like a green. It's almost difficult for me to call this a white tea, in fact. but any way, the tea has a soft flavor beneath the grass, and a light sweetness that we all like to expect. But there is something underlying that I cannot describe.

The second infusion yielded a slightly darker liquor, but of course we're talking about a white tea. The grassiness was a bit less present, and the sweetness was still there. The flavor and aroma were better developed, but there was still that something beneath the surface I couldn't quite place.

Infusion three was my favorite by far. I know it was partially from so many infusions, but I can't help what I like. The grass flavor had diminished significantly, and a light lingering bitterness had developed. The uncertain essence in the cup was lightly diminished like the rest, but it was still as complimentary as ever.

The fourth infusion was quite unusual. I didn't have a full pot's worth of water. I heated the water more than before, poured it in, and waited the five minutes. If anything brought out that elusive taste, this would. The brewed tea took on a slight brownish tint, and an overall roundness that was not as fulfilling as an early infusion. Still, that one hint was difficult to pin down.

After all was said and done, of course I looked at the leaves. They were mostly the light green, curled at the sides, leaves I have come to expect, mostly. Some were a bit more open. Some were a little darker. and there were more broken leaves than I like to see in a delicate white tea.



Honestly, this tea would be more of a niche taste for me. It is a little too crossed between a green and a white tea for my tastes. I won't detract a recommendation for this tea. It definitely has its merits. It perhaps needs a longer steep time, and more of a green approach.

But for a white tea, I'll still prefer Adagio's White Peony or Silver Needle.

A Big Mistake!

Tea while tired is not always a good idea. Sure, the caffeine will wake you up, but being tired (especially for mistake-prone people like me) causes accidents before the caffeine. And apparently, the last time I was tired set me up for this time that I was tired! Apparently, when i had originally intended to rant about using the last of the Wuyi Oolong I had left the opened canister out with the spilled leaf crumbs, to take a picture. But I got caught up with other things. This led to opening another container, and getting the lids mixed up. And then that happened yet again. And since I labeled the tops of the lids (I have the tins stood up in the boxes on my kitchen counter), I assumed that I was getting what was labeled.

Tired Ernest pulled out a container with "Wuyi Oolong" written on the top. I thought it sounded like the one I had emptied, but there's no way, if it was in the boxes and it had tea in it! In my groggy state, I measured out the customary 1g/30ml for my gaiwan. When I had 3.6g, I noticed I didn't have that much tea left in the container. So I decided just to use the rest and see what happened. I just didn't care much that the leaves seemed a little different from the last time I had brewed this particular tea.

Needless to say, I was quite surprised with the differences in flavor and color from what i had expected! The aroma was unusually light -- not weak, just under pronounced. And the color was more golden than brown. I carefully noted all of this. As I progressed, though, the color never seemed to turn anywhere close to what should be expected to Oolong. It stayed golden, and gained just a hint of brown and a touch of green late into the infusions.

Afterwards, I noticed something odd. The name on a tin caught my attention. There was a mismatch. In short, the Wuyi's lid was on the White Peony. The White Peony's lid was on something else, and that lid was on the Wuyi Oolong tin.

I ruined perfectly good White Peony! I had been using near-boiling water for 12 infusions. The greater amount of leaf in the gaiwan made for less water in each infusion.

At least it gave me an experience. Now I know what scalded (some would say cooked) leaves do: not much except for a bit of color and bitterness later on.

Review and greetings!

It's an odd feeling to get from tea. I just finished drinking a second infusion of Song Yang. By the end, I feel pleasantly relaxed. My lower extremities have a warmth from more than wearing denim pants in the summer. The tea itself is light in flavor, and light on bitterness. Though the second infusion had notably more bitterness -- the slightly drying kind which does not detract from the flavor, but somehow enhances it if the tea hasn't been over brewed. I'm going back, to heat more water for two more infusions. What better way is there to know what's enough, but to go too far?

The leaves are crisp and rolled before they go into the pot. They're a soft green, cuddled in fine white fibres. But it's not nearly as much as the Silver Needle I had a few days ago.

The water is heated. I've decided on at least two more infusions, depending on the character of the last cup. I forgot to check the time with this one, so it may be a little off. It's currently 7:57pm, and already was immediately after pouring the water into the tea pot. In the time I needed to click to bring the seconds reading, time had advanced to 7:57:20. I'd guess maybe ten or fifteen seconds had passed. Eight on the dot, I'll say. Maybe I'll wait just a few seconds. Then I'll test this tea again.

The third infusion is poured. Its color is slightly less than the previous two. But the aroma is promising, though a touch darker than the previous cups. Two sips. The strength has not diminished much more, surprisingly. It's a touch more bitter, but not significantly more than the second infusion. The color? Light yellow, with just a hint of green. Photographs? Pictures are unnecessary here. During the pour, the tea takes a trip from the spout of the tea pot and the cup, cascading backlit by my computer's monitor. the site in the browser is white. The tea, by all accunts, on all pours, has appeared transparent. In the cup, a soft yellow appears. Lighter each time, until at the third it is nearly transparent as still water.

The fourth and final infusion. While pouring the water, I noticed some of the leaves have completely unfurled. Some are still curled, but they seem softened by the warm water. The water had cooled more than I expected. Color? Lighter still. Aroma? Almost nonexistant. This tea has now fully served its purpose. The overall flavor of the fourth cup is lighter, though somehow the bitterness is dominant. But it's so diluted that it makes little difference. I still find it pleasant.

The leaves, post use:
Some are stull curled, but most have fully unfurled. It's good to see so much nature in the pot!



It's a very relaxing tea. Sure, white teas have less caffeine than darker teas, but I wonder how much that has to do with anything. Before recently, everything I drank in life (save a nice glass of Scotch or snifter of Brandy) has been in haste and unappreciated for more than its surface qualities. Tea is a new appreciation for me. I have much to learn, and much more to love.

So I don't know much of the nuances of tea. I cannot yet explain, cannot describe, what I'm experiencing. I am, after all, a novice to tea.

Tea: Song Yang from Adagio 3 grams
Water: Bottles spring water, just to a boil then cooled.
Infusion times: 3, 4, 4+, 4+ minutes respectively.



This is the pot I used. It's a simple ceramic tea pot, imported from Japan. It was more of a for-run purchase, until i started with tea. It's a good all purpose pot.




OK, so this is my first and opening post here. Why tea novice? I'm very new to tea. I see a lot of blogs out there made for experienced tea drinkers. I thgout someone should show perspective from the beginning. So, in stead of waiting for one, I made one. I have a lot of teas to experience, and I'll post about many. Though I've already tried some, it was more experimental. I'm learning a lot about brewing right now. In fact, I have some tips:

1.) Pay very close attention to brewing time. Brewing too long the first time can ruin later infusions. Not steeping long enough later on will result in too weak a tea, and discarding still good leaves.

2.) Water temperature is very important. Though I don't use a thermometer, I don't use just-off-the-burner boiled water for teas that should use cooler water. In fact, many teas need to be steeped in water cooled enough to drink. Of course, every tea has its own requirements.

3.) Experiment! This is very important. Try many kinds of tea. See what kinds you like. See which ways of brewing each renders the best results.

4.) Slow down a bit. This isn't about throwing some foliage and water in a bowl, and spending the "waiting" time doing things that will make you forget the tea. Use a timer, or keep an eye on a clock with a seconds indicator. You'll want to be used to this if you ever delve into the world of gong fu brewing.

5.) Relax. Tea isn't something to get worked up over. In fact, tea's casual ritual (for lack of a better word) is about relaxation. Clear your mind of the day's worries. It's not about meditaion or forgetting. It's about a change of pace, setting aside the rest for later, even if later is at the end of your tea break.

6.) Find your brewing style. Don't feel obligated to brew western style, gong fu, or any particular way at all. Find what fits you best. And don't feel intimidated if you get the impression that tea is for women to make or enjoy, or whatever. IT's not. Tea is for everyone. I promise. And you'll find plenty of equipment out there without flowers and all that on it. I promise.

7.) Enjoy the tea. Find what you like. Experiment as you wish. As someone recently said, "At the best you'll have a great cup of tea. In the worst, you'll have tea-flavored water." Or somethign like that.