What to do with a Tea that Tastes Great...After 10 Infusions

[joydivisi0n]

I had a sample of a 2005 Single Estate Meng Hai that was tough to drink due to the overpowering smoky palate until I hit infusion #10 or so, when the smokiness would give way to sweetness. I am out of the sample or I would do some testing myself, but what do you do in a situation like this? Can I give it a "rinse" of several minutes to skip the unpleasantness? Almost seems like a waste of tea.

Also, I am not sure if a 9-year old tea has much hope if the smokiness is this overpowering after years in storage, but could it subside with a few more years of storage?

[shah82]

You'll have to wait another ten years or so, and really smoky stuff will not realistically decline after decades.

Also, smoke turns into camphor, eventually. This can be pleasant, or not so, if you don't like the kind of camphor smoke turns into.

It does sound like you have a problematically smoky tea. Anything that takes ten brews before it stops being unpleasantly smoky isn't that good. I can see smoke lingering, and that could be pleasant, but obnoxious smoke is a real defect.

I've sort of had the same problem with a sample of Tai Lian '04 Youle, and the only solution I used was to break it up and keep the bag open. It tones it down a bit, but doesn't stop being a problem, like what you've dealt with. Other items, like a Fuhai brick from 2000, just isn't very good. Dump.

[Tead Off]

I had a sample of a 2005 Single Estate Meng Hai that was tough to drink due to the overpowering smoky palate until I hit infusion #10 or so, when the smokiness would give way to sweetness. I am out of the sample or I would do some testing myself, but what do you do in a situation like this? Can I give it a "rinse" of several minutes to skip the unpleasantness? Almost seems like a waste of tea.

Also, I am not sure if a 9-year old tea has much hope if the smokiness is this overpowering after years in storage, but could it subside with a few more years of storage?

Teaism's method of pouring in boiling water for the first brew, then shaking the teapot continuously for 30 sec can work. Pour out. You can do this twice in a row and it has worked on some teas that were pretty smokey. There will still be some residue for some brews, but should clarify faster this way. If it doesn't, I don't think anything will help. Good luck.

[kyarazen]

You'll have to wait another ten years or so, and really smoky stuff will not realistically decline after decades.

Also, smoke turns into camphor, eventually. This can be pleasant, or not so, if you don't like the kind of camphor smoke turns into.

It does sound like you have a problematically smoky tea. Anything that takes ten brews before it stops being unpleasantly smoky isn't that good. I can see smoke lingering, and that could be pleasant, but obnoxious smoke is a real defect.

I've sort of had the same problem with a sample of Tai Lian '04 Youle, and the only solution I used was to break it up and keep the bag open. It tones it down a bit, but doesn't stop being a problem, like what you've dealt with. Other items, like a Fuhai brick from 2000, just isn't very good. Dump.

the camphor that you're referring to, is it the medicinal camphor or that of camphor wood?

the camphor that is in hk stored pu-erh is generally a trait of the hk warehouse notes..

[shah82]

Not sure, as you know, people use camphor for a lot of things that are pretty different from one another.

Camphor that is smoke converted can be thought of aromatic wood or a pleasant aromatic ash taste.