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7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 17th, '12, 19:17
by Acaelus
Anyone had it and can share their experiences? :lol:

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 17th, '12, 20:07
by intelligen_tea_a
I did try it once.

Unfortunately, it was during a tea tasting led by Greg, the owner of the Denver store, so we only got to try three steepings.

It is a good tea, but IMHO, it is not one of the best rock oolongs that Seven Cups has to offer. It is rather sour, and the character doesn't change much from steeping to steeping.

I much prefer their imperial Mei Zhan, their Tie Luo Han (Iron Arhat), Da Hong Pao (both medium and light roasts), and their Premium Rou Gui.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 17th, '12, 20:30
by wyardley
I've tried it a while back, though I don't remember too much detail about it. I know we compared it to some other shuijingui in a competition style tasting.

To me, most of their yancha is a little odd - to me, they seem a bit lacking in focus, for lack of a better way of putting it, even though I can't really pin down any specific flaws, other than, perhaps, less than ideal clarity. The varieties I've tried from them are all in a similar style and have a similar weirdness. To be fair, though, it's been a while (couple of years, at least) since I've tried one.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 17th, '12, 20:36
by Acaelus
Thanks for the replies so far! Would anyone also like to recommend any Yancha in the 20-30$ range that is decent? I don't mean authentic since I know that can cost upwards of 50$, but a fairly decent everyday or once a week yancha.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 17th, '12, 21:28
by wyardley
Acaelus wrote:Thanks for the replies so far! Would anyone also like to recommend any Yancha in the 20-30$ range that is decent?
Well, at least you are making a reasonable request, though I wish I had more suggestions to recommend, and it's a harder thing to suggest than you might think. What quantity do you want to get for that price? Are you looking for a heavier fire style tea or a more moderate / balanced tea?

I have had mixed results with Jing Tea Shop, but they do have a few which have been good in past years, and the ones I've had have generally been at least decent. You could try the Traditional Shuixian or the Qilan -- try some samples first to see if it's to your taste. I liked the gaocong (gao as in high -- not a typo of lao as in old) shuixian, but I don't think they have any yet this year.

http://www.jingteashop.com/cat-jing-tea ... yi-tea.cfm

Some of the eBay vendors that ship direct from China have some commercial grade stuff that is not horrible. I recommend trying out small amounts first and seeing if any of them have something you like. Medium size factories like Wuyi Star rarely have something exceptional, but they do have some teas that are decent. Many of these shops should carry that kind of stuff.

I'll try to think of some other suggestions. Tea Gallery and Best Tea House have some stuff that's pretty good for the price, but difficult to order online from either right now, and maybe a bit above your price limit.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 17th, '12, 22:16
by intelligen_tea_a
wyardley wrote:I've tried it a while back, though I don't remember too much detail about it. I know we compared it to some other shuijingui in a competition style tasting.

To me, most of their yancha is a little odd - to me, they seem a bit lacking in focus, for lack of a better way of putting it, even though I can't really pin down any specific flaws, other than, perhaps, less than ideal clarity. The varieties I've tried from them are all in a similar style and have a similar weirdness. To be fair, though, it's been a while (couple of years, at least) since I've tried one.
I think the thing is that the Seven Cups rock wulongs were not made for competition, but for traditional Chinese brewing. But maybe I'm way off. How did you brew the tea? Did you follow the Seven Cups guidelines, or did you follow some other competition guidelines?

As for the weirdness, I might attribute it to the roasting process. They continue to do it in the traditional way. Again, maybe I'm way off. I can say that I have tried better da hong pao's than the Seven Cups 2011 crop, but the 2010 and 2009 can stand up to the best.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 17th, '12, 22:18
by intelligen_tea_a
Acaelus wrote:Thanks for the replies so far! Would anyone also like to recommend any Yancha in the 20-30$ range that is decent? I don't mean authentic since I know that can cost upwards of 50$, but a fairly decent everyday or once a week yancha.
Try Seven Cups Premium Rou Gui or Eight Immortals. They are both fantastic.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 18th, '12, 01:52
by wyardley
intelligen_tea_a wrote: I think the thing is that the Seven Cups rock wulongs were not made for competition, but for traditional Chinese brewing. But maybe I'm way off. How did you brew the tea? Did you follow the Seven Cups guidelines, or did you follow some other competition guidelines?
I tried it both ways - brewed it competition style once (to compare it with 2 other shuijingui), and then brewed the way I normally brew yancha. If anything, the tea tasted better brewed competition style than brewed normally.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 19th, '12, 17:29
by teaisme
Acaelus wrote:Thanks for the replies so far! Would anyone also like to recommend any Yancha in the 20-30$ range that is decent? I don't mean authentic since I know that can cost upwards of 50$, but a fairly decent everyday or once a week yancha.
Im new to the yancha world but have enjoyed the selections from houde and jingteashop for the current season (houde I think lets sit for a bit). Nothing from either vendor was disappointing.

Huang Mei Gui was something unique I had never experienced before and thoroughly enjoyed it (out of stock though). Probably the highlight of the jing order (wuyi wise) though I have not opened the dhp AAA nor brewed any of them super packed yet.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 20th, '12, 00:46
by brlarson
I've had Seven Cup's 2009 and 2010 shui jin gui and they were both delicious. The light roasting really brings out the soft flavors and texture of this tea. I just ordered 250 grams of their 2011 SJG so I hope it is as successful as were the previous two years' offerings.

I recently tried their 2011 DHP and it was very different from what I was expecting and very different from their 2010 offering. The light roasting wasn't successful for me because it didn't seem to transform the tea very much. Do you know what I mean? Maybe I just don't understand the style that the roaster was shooting for.

Anyway, I am a fan of their SJG. I'll post after I receive their new offering.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Jan 27th, '12, 15:06
by wyardley
I've got to say, I ordered a couple of their 2011 yancha, since I don't like trash talking a vendor's tea based on old information, and the rou gui I'm drinking right now (their highest grade) is excellent, with none of the weirdness that plagued so many of the teas I've tried from them. I'll report back after I drink this tea a few more times, and try the LCSX I got.

While they call it a light roast, it's not the insipid light roast of some qingxiang yancha - it does seem to have a healthy amount of oxidation, and enough roast to bring out the sweetness without seeming over-fired. I guess time will tell whether this roast is strong enough for the tea to sit well for years to come.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Feb 1st, '12, 16:07
by wyardley
I have now tried the dahongpao, lao cong shui xian, and tieluohan as well. I have to say, the imperial rou gui is the best of the bunch that I've tried (as long as it's not brewed with a super heavy hand). While described as a "light roast", it seems like a moderate roast to me.

The highest grade dahongpao is decent, maybe a bit expensive for what it is; still a lot of roast taste, but really feels like there's something "missing" in the middle. The aftertaste is nice, though; I'm curious to see how it develops with some more time to rest. Despite having a medium-heavy roast, the tieluohan has a kind of grassy or hay flavor that's a bit odd (I haven't tasted it in other tieluohan, but I've gotten similar tastes from other teas from 7 Cups), and is a bit lacking in sweetness. There's an interesting sourness on the tongue that you don't usually see with brand new yancha. The aftertaste is cooling and fairly lasting.

Overall, I like this year's yancha better than the teas I've tried from them in the past, but there are still some teas which have an odd quality I haven't really experienced from other teas (could maybe have to do with their storage or packaging, I guess). Will try to post some more feedback after I'm able to try the other teas a couple more times.

Amusing side note... they mixed up the 'pao' and 'hong' in the Chinese characters on the front of the dahongpao package.

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Feb 1st, '12, 17:12
by teaisme
wyardley wrote:imperial rou gui
2010 or 2011?

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Feb 1st, '12, 17:15
by wyardley
teaisme wrote:
wyardley wrote:imperial rou gui
2010 or 2011?
I only tried the 2011

Re: 7cups Shui Jin Gui

Posted: Feb 1st, '12, 22:14
by Acaelus
wyardley wrote:I have now tried the dahongpao, lao cong shui xian, and tieluohan as well. I have to say, the imperial rou gui is the best of the bunch that I've tried (as long as it's not brewed with a super heavy hand). While described as a "light roast", it seems like a moderate roast to me.

The highest grade dahongpao is decent, maybe a bit expensive for what it is; still a lot of roast taste, but really feels like there's something "missing" in the middle. The aftertaste is nice, though; I'm curious to see how it develops with some more time to rest. Despite having a medium-heavy roast, the tieluohan has a kind of grassy or hay flavor that's a bit odd (I haven't tasted it in other tieluohan, but I've gotten similar tastes from other teas from 7 Cups), and is a bit lacking in sweetness. There's an interesting sourness on the tongue that you don't usually see with brand new yancha. The aftertaste is cooling and fairly lasting.

Overall, I like this year's yancha better than the teas I've tried from them in the past, but there are still some teas which have an odd quality I haven't really experienced from other teas (could maybe have to do with their storage or packaging, I guess). Will try to post some more feedback after I'm able to try the other teas a couple more times.

Amusing side note... they mixed up the 'pao' and 'hong' in the Chinese characters on the front of the dahongpao package.
Would you recommend the Rou Gui? Also, there's a 2011 Premium Rou Gui and a 2010 Imperial Rou Gui.