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“Tea Tasting Note: 2020-11-16 - 3.8g in 75ml gaiwan [[Gongfu brewing]] - Dry leaf smells lovely tangy like sour plums - No Rinse - First infusion (90˚C, 0:10) - Rating: 90 - Second infusion (91˚C,...” Read full tasting note
“5am Trying Bowl Tea this time. 4 grams in white bowls. Today is my Birthday! First Bowl from pitcher off boil. B2 Tea is organizing in the bowl. W/ CBD. B3 left the leaves from B2 half wet and...” Read full tasting note
Suan Zao Shu village is one of the most remote villages in the Jinggu area, taking nearly 2 hours from Jinggu town to arrive there. The winding dirt roads stop about 5 kilometers before you arrive and the remaining distance must be traversed by foot. Suan Zao Shu village lies at an altitude of 1800 meters and is home to tea trees ranging in age from 50 years up to 400 years. Our Suan Zao Shu tea cake is made from tea leaves harvested 200-300 year old tea trees in the Li family tea garden.
Suan Zao Shu tea is very strong in flavor, aroma and cha qi. The flavor is that of fruit with a honey like sweetness and a touch of sour, as well as having a bitter and savory edge as well that adds to it’s depth. The aroma is hard to describe, brothy and mushroom-like. This tea has very strong mouth-feel, returning taste (hui gan) and the cha qi is a bit stupefying (in a good way). The brewed leaves are mostly dark olive in color, large (in scale), thick and stout stemmed.
Stone-pressed in the traditional manner.
April 2020 Harvest
Wrapper design by Anj Ferrara
250 grams per cake (7 cakes per bamboo tong)
30 kilograms in total
Company description not available.
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Yunnan SourcingTea Tasting Note: 2020-11-16
- 3.8g in 75ml gaiwan [[Gongfu brewing]]
- Dry leaf smells lovely tangy like sour plums
- No Rinse
- First infusion (90˚C, 0:10)
- Rating: 90
- Second infusion (91˚C, 0:15)
- Slight astringency but still refreshing, has that vegetal green raw pu-erh taste. Not sweet.
- Rating: 84
- Third infusion (91˚C, 0:16)
- Stands up to yoghurt and granola
- Rating: 84
- Fourth infusion (92˚C, 0:16)
- A bit of bitterness. Still really nice when cooled.
- Rating: 85
- Fifth infusion (92˚C, 0:18)
- Mellower, no bitterness. A bit of astringency (dry-mouth)
- Rating: 84
- Sixth infusion (93˚C, 0:20)
- Rating: 90
- Seventh infusion (93˚C, 0:25)
- Rating: 90
- Eighth infusion (94˚C, 0:32)
- Rating: 87
- Ninth infusion (95˚C, 0:35)
- Rating: 85
- Tenth infusion (95˚C, 0:40)
- Rating: 83
- Eleventh infusion (96˚C, 0:45)
- Rating: 84
- Twelfth infusion (97˚C, 0:40)
- Rating: 89
- Thirteenth infusion (97˚C, 0:45)
- Astringent again, pushed it too hard lol. Body is thin
- Rating:
- Fourteenth infusion (98˚C, 0:38)
- Lovely. Getting tea drunk.
- Rating: 90
- Fifteenth infusion (98˚C, 0:45)
- Rating: 87
- Sixteenth infusion (98˚C, 0:50)
- DNF.
- Rating: 83
- Seventeenth infusion (99˚C, 0:40)
- Rating: 84
- Eighteenth infusion (99˚C, 0:55)
- Rating: 86
- Nineteenth infusion (100˚C, 0:43)
- Rating: 84
- Twentieth infusion (100˚C, 0:50)
- Rating: 85
- Twenty-first infusion (100˚C, 1:05)
- Tastes straight up like a regular green tea now… 変なの．．．
- Rating: 85
- Twenty-second infusion (100˚C, 1:30)
- Rating: 84
- Twenty-third infusion (100˚C, 1:40)
- Rating: 84
- Twenty-fourth infusion (100˚C, 1:55)
- Rating:
- Twenty-fifth infusion (100˚C, 2:15)
- Rating:
- Twenty-sixth infusion (100˚C, 2:40)
- Rating: 83
- Twenty-seventh infusion (100˚C, 3:10)
- Rating: 83
- Twenty-eighth infusion (100˚C, 3:45)
- Honestly, it’s not letting up yet but I’m getting sick of tea for the day.
- Rating: 82
Flavors: Plum, Sour, Vegetal
5am
Trying Bowl Tea this time. 4 grams in white bowls.
Today is my Birthday!
First Bowl from pitcher off boil.
B2 Tea is organizing in the bowl. W/ CBD.
B3 left the leaves from B2 half wet and recharged bowl from the boil directly. Was expecting stronger tea, may aim for 5 gram bowls next time. Cashews.
B4 hit it harder with water. Halfway through bowl and starting to notice the tea.
B5
B6
Nothing too notable.
Well happy birthday to you and welcome to Steepster :) I enjoyed a previous iteration of this tea enough to buy a whole cake.
Thank you! I’m hoping that being more international about noting my thoughts that I’ll better realize my preferences. Thank you for the note!
Happy belated birthday! :)
I’m pretty new to tea, and I just recently learned about steeping multiple times. Your log is fascinating. I have a question: When you say the 28th infusion was 3:45, does that mean you steeped it for 3 minutes and 45 seconds, or do I subtract the length of the 27th steep (3:10) to get the length of the 28th steep, which would be 35 seconds? I’m guessing it’s the first one, but I’m really not sure :)
Oh, good question! Yes I actually steeped it for 3 mins 45 s!
Cool, good to know! I usually just drink bagged teas, so I haven’t really needed multiple steeps yet, but I’m considering subscribing to a monthly box or something that will help me broaden my horizons.
Ah yes, that’s probably a great idea! Also, many good tea shops offer somewhat affordable sampler sets of “representative teas” for beginners to gongfu tea:
https://verdanttea.com/five-teas-for-5
https://sevencups.com/shop/introduction-to-chinese-tea-sampler/
https://www.teavivre.com/featured-tea-sample-packs.html
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/assorted-tea-samplers/products/starter-pack
Happy steeping! :)