Re: Impressions of a few Dan Cong/Feng Huangs
Posted: Sep 4th, '11, 23:16
One of the ones I ordered and enjoyed recently was called "Ya Shi" which, if I recall correctly, meant "duck excrement". So they're not all named for flowers!
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Pleasant. That's a possible translation. "Ya" could mean duck if it's written as 鴨. "Shi" could be written hundreds of ways, and I'm not really sure which one means excrement...debunix wrote:One of the ones I ordered and enjoyed recently was called "Ya Shi" which, if I recall correctly, meant "duck excrement". So they're not all named for flowers!
It looks like it's '鸭屎香' (yā shǐ xiāng); duck s**t fragrance.Poohblah wrote: I would be surprised if it were called "ya shi xiang," which just sounds disgusting. It seems more likely that it's simply named "ya shi," referring to the appearance of the leaves or possibly to a story related to the origin of that varietal.
Haha! I enjoy these stories about the origins of names. I think they give some character to the tea.David R. wrote:About Ya Shi, it is a funny story in fact, Akira told it to me : once upon a time, a farmer found a very special flavor from one of his tea tree. Since it was so good, he got worried that people may steal his tea. So, he chose on purpose this terrible name to discourage thieves.
Regarding the Mi Lan Xiang, it seems to be a decent tea but not something I would order again. There is just not enough in it for my taste but I can tell it is better than many commercial Mi Lan Xiang's. I haven't gotten to the other dancongs yet. I've been preoccupied with Japanese teas.Tead Off wrote:It is 2011. To be fair, I need more time with it as I've only brewed it once as I just received it. It is a delicate tea that is easy to drink. Hojo classifies it as an entry level tea. This is rather expensive for an entry level tea and I'm not sure it justifies it's price. While it is pleasant, there is nothing really that memorable except for the refreshing finish that stays in the mouth for quite a long time as he says. The fruitiness he describes is subtle, not as pronounced as I've had. I also have the Song Zhong and Xin Ren which I haven't gotten to yet.David R. wrote:If it is the 2010 version, it is "light-fired" to use Akira's word. The Song Zhong is not fired at all and the Ba Xian medium fired.Tead Off wrote:the Mi Lan Xiang I am drinking right now from Hojo doesn't look roasted at all.
But the 2011 versions are supposed to be different, and I don't know them.
Akira told me that he had drasticly improved his logistic method since last year, as I explained earlier, so tea should be fresher, especially the non-roasted ones.
How do you fancy the Mi Lan Xiang so far ?
Actually, the deep fermented DD is kept vacuum sealed in a no-air environment for a period of several months, so that the tea is enabled to be fermented. It explains its name. No oxygen = no oxidation.Tead Off wrote:I also ordered both the Dong Ding deep fermented and DD deep fired teas. I prefer the deep fermented (actually oxidized is more correct)...
David, maybe I don't understand what you are saying but I'm not sure that you understand the difference between oxidation and fermentation if you say that under a vacuum seal, this tea undergoes fermentation. Fermentation occurs in humid environments with the introduction of bacteria that become very active due to the humid environment. Dong Ding is not a fermented tea. It can be oxidized more heavily than 'greener' gaoshan oolongs. But fermentation requires a supply of oxygen and a certain amount of heat to stimulate the bacterial production. No oxygen doesn't mean fermentation. Some people are still equating oxidation with fermentation. Hojo may be one of the guilty ones.David R. wrote:Actually, the deep fermented DD is kept vacuum sealed in a no-air environment for a period of several months, so that the tea is enabled to be fermented. It explains its name. No oxygen = no oxidation.Tead Off wrote:I also ordered both the Dong Ding deep fermented and DD deep fired teas. I prefer the deep fermented (actually oxidized is more correct)...
I kind of gathered info on the subject after we diuscussed dan cong oxidation. See an interesting article in The Leaf Mag.
One other point about this. As mentioned above, the oxidation step in oolong processing is one of the first steps -- it happens before kill-green and before the tea is dried and / or roasted. When we talk about oxidation in tea processing, we're not talking as much about any slight oxidation which might occur over a period of years as the intentional partial oxidation, which is one of the primary things which makes an oolong an oolong and not some other kind of tea.David R. wrote:Actually, the deep fermented DD is kept vacuum sealed in a no-air environment for a period of several months, so that the tea is enabled to be fermented. It explains its name. No oxygen = no oxidation.Tead Off wrote:I also ordered both the Dong Ding deep fermented and DD deep fired teas. I prefer the deep fermented (actually oxidized is more correct)...
I have been drinking Hojo's Song Zhong Dancong for the better part of today. This is a superb tea that warrants praise. It is exactly as described on his website both in aroma, flavor, and, longevity. It just doesn't quit. This is an easy tea to brew but many will find it expensive. But, this might be a tea to shell out the xtra money for. The last Song Zhong I had was from Jing Tea Shop in 2009. Hojo's is far beyond that one. Cannot go wrong with this tea.Tead Off wrote:Tead Off wrote:It is 2011. To be fair, I need more time with it as I've only brewed it once as I just received it. It is a delicate tea that is easy to drink. Hojo classifies it as an entry level tea. This is rather expensive for an entry level tea and I'm not sure it justifies it's price. While it is pleasant, there is nothing really that memorable except for the refreshing finish that stays in the mouth for quite a long time as he says. The fruitiness he describes is subtle, not as pronounced as I've had. I also have the Song Zhong and Xin Ren which I haven't gotten to yet.David R. wrote:If it is the 2010 version, it is "light-fired" to use Akira's word. The Song Zhong is not fired at all and the Ba Xian medium fired.Tead Off wrote:the Mi Lan Xiang I am drinking right now from Hojo doesn't look roasted at all.
If you are assuming that all zhu ni pots are the same, this is a big mistake. Once you have found a real zhu ni(you also must define what a real zhu ni is), shape, thickness, purity of clay and how it was prepared/fired will all play a part. You need to test out each pot to determine which one will suit a particular tea. In the meantime, consider using porcelain gaiwan.bagua7 wrote:Hey guys,
What's your experience with brewing dancongs using zhuni pots?