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Puerh by Nada

Bangwa, Bulang
Manma, Banpen, Mansai

I just received an order placed last spring. Patties David Collen of The Essence of Tea (aka Nada) last year had received a warm welcome, particularly from Hobbes Half-Dipper , a reference in the world of puerh English. They were, however, pressed in small numbers and those who did not pre-ordered had to be content of samples. Hence my choice this year to go about it in advance and pre-order.

In fact, all these cakes are on sale . Given their reasonable cost, I told myself it was worth it to invest in the optical store and hope they age well. A good opportunity to talk a little my current relationship with the young puerh.

Soaring prices on the puerh is a reality (go see for yourself the new price of the house puerh 3 teas for realizing it) and it did is not a party to stop, even for young sheng (good) based on a discussion with Oliver that I think is very well placed to speak (see his interview with Cheng Sheng He.)

Bulang

(£ 40/400g)

Then we could talk for ages and storage conditions in Europe. Personally, I find this rather sterile. What matters are the conditions of his home, differences in temperature and humidity can be especially great accommodation to another. And yet there is still the unknown.

I think the best advice is that given by jeancarmet in one of his videos : buy and not worry where to store more than that. Also, do not listen to those who will say that this cake will most certainly a great puerh in several years. Person knows nothing and saying otherwise is a priori a bet, if not a commercial approach. That said, it would seem logical that a good puerh has a better chance of aging well more than another mediocre.

In recent years we have probably a sufficient basis for speaking of domestic storage and how tea is preferred. In the meantime, I am personally counsel quoted above: I buy, I store.

Bangwa ,
remote village near Jingmai.

(£ 25/400g)

I buy cakes regularly, still in reasonable quantities, diversifying sources, sources like the purchase of production sites. I try to choose quality. I think we love the product base to want to store it. I say this, but I do not drink too many young puerh. He must have at least 4-5 years in general so I began to appreciate it. I have my puerh drink now and I hope that my puerh age well. Maybe take a risk, but who can afford puerh 5 or 10 years of age in some time? Still unknown more ...

Mansai ,
village in the area of Bulang.

(£ 25/400g)

I'm not writing this to inspire a kind of paranoid. This is not a person to encourage anyone to do the same. A bottle of wine purchased today, properly stored, will be worth X times in 5, 10. That's the rule. If you want to drink good wine, you must either pay the price, or store in advance. It's the same for puerh. Except that inflation is here unknown. That said, you can taste along the way to try to follow or even understand the evolution (Excluding purchase tong, of course.)

Manma

(£ 25/400g)

I will not venture to give you away my impressions of these young tasting cakes. It's still very young. And at that age, it moves a lot, especially at first. Having taken a little bit, I put my cookies in the cupboard (away from light, odors, heat shock.) They will spend some time before Regout and observe their evolution . I'll just say that according to my criteria is the quality without a doubt.

Banpen ,
Village within 4km of Lao Banzhang, often sold as such.

(£ 20/250g)

Sleep my little cakes, sleep well. With any luck, you will offer me hours of happiness in a few years ...

you soon!



PS: sorry, the quality of some Photos flawed when zooming ...

Meningitis Skin Rash Itchy?

Wulong Series (1): strong and porcelain roasting

This is a moment that I had written anything, or rather I reject the publication date. Each new brew is a little progress, gives good and bad ideas, all worthy of being considered, tested. Also, I'm always afraid that I'll write while I feel satisfied with myself, no one is contradicted or undermined by a new experience.

This is the way of tea: sinuous, sometimes making half a turn onto a dead end or at least that's what we believe, for a revisit may bring up new paths.

Everything changes. Tastes change, tastes change, the palace changed. And this perpetual motion, an idea, an opinion is a reflection of a position at a time "t". In ten years, with experience, maybe I should return exactly the same spot of my way: the same taste the same methods.

I also want to remember that these articles and this blog in no way intended to teach one way let alone the way. It is a set of tags on my way of tea, so you can revisit it and look in hindsight and the path traveled. And of course, is a shared space with feedback from each can shape its own choices.

I begin a series of posts on wulong. To begin, I'll dig for specimens and highly roasted brew zhong. This seems very sharp but not a chance.


took me awhile to appreciate these wulong lack of proper preparation. These worked very teas, 100% or close to those we will discuss today, made me do that before roasting notes diluted, that I do not really. Coffee Anglo-Saxon, very little for me!

I often read that it was best to use a purple clay, Zisha, flexible and porous, to round the corners of these teas. I bought this teapot and did tests. The result did not agreed. Effective to smooth some rough edges, this "filter" is not adjustable and it comes at the expense of details and some notes, what bothers me even that philosophically I am afraid to miss the full things. I do not pretend, however, that this land is bad. I did not tell her yet found a chosen field. I will return. Indeed, it is always interesting to try a new tea in this teapot.

Then I tried other methods of brewing, with nothing really suits me. What I found ultimately better: the zhong. Like what times do not look too far ... As usual, the benefits of this instrument are manifold: it can monitor the liquid, its color, odor. But I found that in addition, these highly roasted wulong responded particularly well to porcelain. These teas round already have nothing to fear from this instrument that accentuates both the angles of some teas too fiery. Perfumes are made very precisely and when you have on hand a roasting tea very well controlled, it is a true happiness.

Here are the details of the preparation I do for these type teas:

A general dosage, 4-5 grams for a zhong 10cl. I found it was better to be generous, to avoid a "coffee diluted" mentioned above. The assay is currently the focus of my thoughts. I will elaborate more in a future post.

I use my Chinese zhong Earth for these teas because it is the I own that has thicker walls and is therefore likely to retain heat better. It should be possible if it is still hot. In addition, support wulong poorly interruptions in my experience, so it's better not to cool the material, or it must repréchauffer. I only do it for the cons by Zhong and not for the pitcher or cups. I like to drink my tea at a temperature not too high, my palate is sensitive to heat, and I must confess that I even pour my tea cup to another to cool it faster . I lose maybe doing things, but my taste buds are more accurate at lower temperatures.

so be sure to preheat the zhong boiling water. One of the highlights of these teas will smell the dry leaves in a zhong burning, but I suggest you do the same regardless of the variety that you brew in zhong or teapot, whose shape will affect feeling. A quick rinse (with water used to preheat the zhong eg not spoil) and we left!

Small bracket on rinsing: both before I tended to flush all my teas (except green) as now I only do it on fermented teas (and therefore the puerh.)

I use a water temperature maximum. I'm just waiting it calmed down after boiling. I make the first verse with virulence, to turn the leaves so they open more. The others will be made carefully not to rush to open the leaves, especially at first.

For the duration of infusion, I no longer use only one principle with Zhong: I lift the lid and stop when I I feel like it. I think the cover is more accurate than a cup to feel and I think that this method should train my nose to be more specific. The color is also a good indication when we know well that the tea brews.

This is also part of my recent resolutions to try - eventually - for me from two of my equipment: stopwatch and balance. For the latter, I have fun trying to dose my tea held in a small cup and weigh the results to see if I'm far from the expected weight. With a little practice, I should be able to pass me soon! Remain on the thermometer. All in good time ...

basically about my brewing time, it really depends on taste. Even a very dense and strong liquor will have an interest in the persistence and evolution in the mouth. But it is interesting Playing with this parameter and make the correlation between what one feels under the cover and what is found in the mouth.

Finally, these teas lend themselves beautifully to long infusions. Several hours, one night, as there are material to extract, j'infuse!

must now that I broaden my range of this family of tea. I've seen a few in Essence of Tea should receive new next week. For now, I roasted Tie Guan Yin Stephanie, the one with which it all began: the sublime. At about the same price, the Tie Guan Yin 2, Taiwan 3 teas of the house does not distance. I like the Oolong Qizhong Stéphane (Baozhong roasted) but I do not know if it is roasted, the other I'm talking about here. Feel free to give me your thoughts on other products, I just start.

These roasted wulong are really special teas that should be well prepared. I'm not saying my method is best. I may change later, but for now it satisfies me.

The interest of these teas is their length in the mouth and changes that can last several minutes.

I still have a long way to go to understand many of these teas. I will come back safely. But I wanted to present them as it is easy to miss in my opinion.

That is the first component on wulong. The next will be devoted to Wuyi Yanchi (rock teas.)

you soon!