Hmmm...this is a bit strange...

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Oct 13th, '08, 16:04
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Hmmm...this is a bit strange...

by omegapd » Oct 13th, '08, 16:04

Okay guys, after being a shu head for all of my Pu-erh journey, I tried a young sheng today...real young by anyone's standards I guess. This one:

2007 Yiwu Yongpinhao Fall Harvest Pu-erh Tea

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... cts_id=388

I tried brewing it the first time western style (way too bitter) so am doing it gong-fu now. 3g of tea in a 3oz. pot. 20 second rinse, then 15s, 10, 15, 20 and so on. On the 5th infusion right now and all infusions so far have had this strange numbing effect on my tongue/mouth. I think I've read about this somewhere here before, but can't remember. Is this a common trait in young sheng? Maybe I'm describing it wrong...

I like the taste, etc.

Thanks for any help,

EW

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by shogun89 » Oct 13th, '08, 16:09

What you are experience is the teas Qi, or energy. This is completely normal. It is actually a trait I search for in a cake. Sometimes you can even get a light headed feeling and feel really good, some call it "tea high". Qi can make you sweaty, shake, make your hand swell and go numb and many other things. Give this a read, you might find it interesting.

http://teamasters.blogspot.com/2006/01/ ... ssion.html

Just sit back and enjoy your healthy form of "high"

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by puerhking » Oct 13th, '08, 16:58

The leaves look nice and big and pretty much intact for a brick. Is that the case?

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by t4texas » Oct 13th, '08, 17:21

shogun89 wrote:What you are experience is the teas Qi, or energy. This is completely normal. It is actually a trait I search for in a cake. Sometimes you can even get a light headed feeling and feel really good, some call it "tea high". Qi can make you sweaty, shake, make your hand swell and go numb and many other things. Give this a read, you might find it interesting.

http://teamasters.blogspot.com/2006/01/ ... ssion.html

Just sit back and enjoy your healthy form of "high"
Some of this sounds like neurological symptoms or effects. I bet any research on this is only in Chinese. Anyone know anything about it?

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by shogun89 » Oct 13th, '08, 17:52

The Art of Tea #2 has a very large article on Cha Qi, Its very interesting. Those magazines are simply wonderful!

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by Salsero » Oct 13th, '08, 18:56

I don't recall cha qi described as a "numbing effect on the tongue/mouth." I may have to dig out my AoT #2 and try to actually read through that whole article.

... and for sure I am brewing that tea tonight!

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by omegapd » Oct 13th, '08, 18:57

puerhking wrote:The leaves look nice and big and pretty much intact for a brick. Is that the case?
Pretty much. It's a bear to break apart, though. Just awful...

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by omegapd » Oct 13th, '08, 18:59

Salsero wrote:I don't recall cha qi described as a "numbing effect on the tongue/mouth." I may have to dig out my AoT #2 and try to actually read through that whole article.

... and for sure I am brewing that tea tonight!
I just finished another couple of cups and had my wife try it too. She loved it (hates shu) and noticed the same numbing mouthfeel. If you don't hear from me after this, it was probably pesticides we were enjoying.

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by shogun89 » Oct 13th, '08, 20:50

Salsero, they may never have directly stated that sensation but I dont know what else to call it. I have felt the same sensation many times as well. And as Qi is "energy" I am just assuming here. IDK.

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by Salsero » Oct 13th, '08, 20:54

shogun89 wrote: And as Qi is "energy" I am just assuming here.
Well I am hardly an expert on qi since I am at least a little skeptical about it. But I do have some of that brick. I have measured it out, and will be fiddling with it tonight. If you never hear from me or omegapd ... or his wife ... again, send lilies ... they are very appropriate.

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by hop_goblin » Oct 13th, '08, 23:48

I am afraid that it is not cha qi. Numbing is generally due to inferior mao cha. Some growths are not suited for pu'er however this does not stop manufactuers from using this type of Mao cha. For future reference, you will never find a brick, beeng tuo made of Yiwu mao cha for 5 bucks and change. Probably has a very minimal amount of Yiwu mao cha if any. What makes this even more shocking is that it is fall harvest. Fall harvest are generally less aggressive than you would find in a spring harvest. That said, even if it were spring Yiwu, I would be shocked if it numbed my entire mouth and I am using the term "aggressive" loosly. The Yiwu flavor profile generally is sweet with a nice huigan. How you described it is not what one would expect from Yiwu.

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2007 Yiwu Yongpinhao Fall Harvest

by Salsero » Oct 14th, '08, 00:05

OK, I am on infusion #7 after using the same leaf-to-water ratio as Omegapd, doing no rinse, and 15 s, 20 s, 25 s, 30 s, 45 s, 1 m, 90 s. Once again I am impressed with what a nice tea this is at 2¢ per gram! The things that stand out for me are
  • 1) sweet and a little viscous
    2) quite smooth for such a young pu
    3) a bit of nice aftertaste
    4) taste of mushroom, maybe nuts
    5) fifth infusion turning a bit fruity.
It isn't remarkably endowed with any of these characteristics, but it does have adequate amounts of most of the characteristics of good puerh. Because of this balance, I suspect it will age well in addition to being nice now. A great tea it is not, but it is a good solid average sheng. At 5¢ per gram I would not buy it.

I think I figured out what you are describing as a numbing effect, though this tea exhibits less of these negatives than much young puerh. There is a series of sensations that I generally refer to as rough, astringent, and drying (on various parts or all of the mouth and tongue). I suspect that one or a combination of these sensations--present to a modest degree--is what you are describing as numbing. It's akin to the numbing of eating Concord (or even more so, Beta) grapes. Were I not looking for it, I don't think I would have even noticed it, since I have experienced so much worse, but my buccal and lingual tissue does not feel 100% normal.

If the sensation bothers you, don't worry. Set it aside and in 3 to 5 years I predict the numbing sensation will be almost completely gone and the beginnings of a cherry pie or sweet plum taste will be setting in. The more exposure the brick has to the sanguine South Georgia humidity, the quicker that should happen.

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by Trioxin » Oct 14th, '08, 02:13

I had that same mouth numbing effect from drinking one of my cakes. Turned out that I had mold starting to grow in my Yixing.

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by omegapd » Oct 14th, '08, 04:28

Thanks for all the replies. Since this was my first young sheng, I don't have anything to compare it to (yet). I'll see if I experience the same type of sensation when I try some other stuff. As for the tea itself, it's interesting and I like it.

Thanks again,

EW

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by Salsero » Oct 14th, '08, 11:58

I finally wound up doing 11 infusions. Some of the spent leaves were surprisingly nice looking. I spread out some of the nicest.
Image
You can click on the photo to see a larger photo file.

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