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“I don’t have to do anything. That’s not entirely true…there is a list of things I should do, but years ago someone said to me, “Don’t should on yourself”. LOL I have one thing that I know I’ll do...” Read full tasting note
“I decided some time ago that my one luxury in life would be tea. I don’t go out to the movies or restaurants (unless I have an occasion) and shopping for clothes is an old habit. (I have too much...” Read full tasting note
“sipdown! another tasty tea for this morning. I suspect the afternoon will be busy so i want to make sure i get a bunch of liquid in me before that happens. That way i can always toss some water...” Read full tasting note
“I have been craving this tea for the past few days, but didn’t feel like making it in a gaiwan today, so I tried 2 heaping tsps for 1 min in boiling water. The result was a very nice Yunnan...” Read full tasting note
“Black tea from one of the best artisan crafters in Yunnan with strong notes of grape, and a tingling spicy warmth. . . .”
Master Han is a remarkably talented crafter of wild picked pu’ers and black teas whose workshop and ancient plot of tea forest is an hour’s walk to the nearest gravel road in a national forest preserve. We were lucky enough to meet him at his first tea conference. Tucked away in a hidden corner behind slick modern displays with uniformed reps from Xiaguan and Menghai, Master Han and his young apprentice seemed apprehensive about the operation. We were on our way to a panel on gongfu brewing when the sheer beauty of a bag of his wild-picked black tea caught us in our tracks.
Smelling like the fields of terraced grapes in the Himalyan foothills of Yunnan, and like the wild fir tree forests near the Tibetan borderlands after a wet rain, this tea was calling out to us. When we asked Master Han if we could try it, he was surprised. We were the first people to stop and ask him any questions all day. He pulled out a shoebox full of polaroid pictures of his secret plot in the forest, pictures of him climbing trees and rolling leaves, explaining that he and a few apprentices crafted their tea for the local market in Mengsong village nearby, and had been inspired to share beyond Yunnan after a friend connected them with the tea conference organizers.
He packed an yixing clay teapot full to the top with leaves and poured us cups of the golden liquor. The taste was startlingly complex- more like a sheng pu’er in dimension than any black tea we had tried before. The thick linen-like mouthfeel distinct to Yunnan was strong, but the tip of the tongue was all wine-grapes and the bursting sweetness of biting into a honeycrisp apple. It was hard to even concentrate on the conversation with the intense warm aftertaste on the sides of the tongue.
The later steepings unfolded with a unique malty spiciness best compared to unfiltered Italian olive oil on crisp sourdough bread. The malty notes combine with the apple and grape to evoke specifically the rich dark concord grape. The aftertaste grows bright like a younger highland single malt scotch and lingers like coconut flesh. The tingling on the tongue and uniquely potent energy or chaqi we were left with was incredible.
While we drank tea with Master Han and discussed our mutual love of the wild flavor of Yunnan, an important-looking businessman approached and asked if he could wholesale the tea in Shandong. Master Han looked at him carefully and said that the tea wasn’t for sale. “He didn’t even want to try it. I’m not sending half my harvest to someone who isn’t interested in tea.” We were terrified to ask if we could share his tea after that, but as we were leaving he sent us off with bags of samples and his phone number to stay in touch. With a little logistical help from Weiwei to get this tea out of the forests and on an airplane for America, we are extremely excited to represent Master Han to some of the first outside of Mengsong Village to try his master work. Enjoy!
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Master Han's Wild-Picked 2013 Yabao
Verdant Tea (Special)Master Han's 2014 Wild Picked Sheng Puer
Verdant TeaQianjiazhai Wild Picked Yunnan Black
Verdant TeaMaster Han’s Qianjiazhai Yunnan Green
Verdant TeaMaster Han's Wild Silver Buds 2010 Sheng
Verdant Tea (Special)Qianjiazhai Wild Picked black
Verdant TeaRich powerful aromas fill the senses and hint at the powerful flavor the tea to come….
The leaf is large and loose, more green than black, and richly scented as mentioned earlier. A soft scent of the leaf lingers in the brewed tea, which a bright, clear orange red in the cup.
As expected (this is my second purchase of this tea) the flavor is full and big. Tastes of yeast and malt with a soft flowery finish. This is the black tea that definitely counts among the favorites in my tea cupboard.
if at any time it comes to be available, i recommend a purchase. You’ll become hooked as I am.
This is so much lighter than I expected. It has some tongue bite which is interesting. I get a light earthiness with what I agree is olive oil notes. In the aftertaste I get hints of malt. As the cup cooled this became far more flavorful to me. It developed more of the traditional Yunnan flavors I expected – honey, grain, and cocoa. An unexpected flavor is grape. It is more the leaf than the fruity berry but it is grape. It reminded me of the lovely Oriental Beauty oolong I drank yesterday mixed with a mild black from Nepal. Maybe this needed more leaf (I used 2 tsp) or a longer steep. I’ll try that with the second cup. Like not love this one – I normally go for subtle but not so much in my Yunnans.
Brewed this one gong fu style.
Except for its name and the appearance of the leaves, this tea doesn’t have what I consider a typical “Yunnan” flavor. It seems to be in a class all its own. The body of the tea is light. It reminds me of a really awesome second flush Darjeeling, but more complex. It has those characteristic grapey and flowery flavors. I also get a subtle olive oil flavor.
Compared with Zhu Rong and Golden Fleece this tea is lighter, with less of a malty/chocolatey flavor. It also has less of the maple and pepper flavors that I associate with Yunnan teas. Still, an awesome tea!
