How old is too old?

[tea fish]

Hi everybody--

I have a question about when an oolong is (probably) too old to be worth buying. My impression from past threads I've read here is that it's best to buy recently harvested tea--so, a 2009 oolong would be best, as long as the weather hasn't been too wonky. Generally I've been trying to buy 2008 and 2009 teas, tho I am finding myself tempted by discounted 2007 and even 2006 wuyi oolongs.

I'm considering buying a 2006 MeiZhan (wuyi) oolong because I was recently told by a tea house owner (who seemed knowledgeable and honest) that freshness is really more of an issue for greener oolongs that have been rolled. He explained that rolling crushes more of the surface area of the leaf and thus exposes it to more oxygen (this is after the earlier, controlled process of oxidation), which can degrade the leaf in time. I think this is what he said, anyway (in French, and mine is not so hot). In any case, what he said made intuitive sense to me, and made me think that a quality 2006 wuyi might be a tasty bargain.

Anybody out there have experiences with older (but not aged) quality wuyis? Wuyis that are 3-4 years old? Or a take on what the tea house guy told me?

Let me know...

[Salsero]

Freshness is a big deal with the very greenest oolongs ... like those light and ethereal high mountain productions from Taiwan.

But for the darker, more oxidized, and more roasted oolongs, like many from Wuyi, a little age doesn't hurt and can even improve them. If they have deteriorated, you can sometimes refresh them with a light drying out in the oven.

[Herb_Master]

If you take at look at (for instance)
Hou De
He specifically lists his aged Oolongs, and charges more for them.
http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php? ... ex&cPath=4

This includes some Taiwan and Anxi Oolongs, but generally as sal says greener oolongs as usually found from Anxi and Taiwan are supposedly best stored in the refrigerator on receipt and consumed within 6 months.

Several people on this forum have tasted aged Wuyi Yan Cha and like them so much (but without being able to find them or pay the going rate) that they have invested in teas and top of the range canisters to age them personally.

As for Dan Cong, Imen at Tea Habitat also has a special section for aged Dan Cong
http://www.teahabitat.com/store/index.p ... nj66lulin0

and on her blog when she posts tasting notes for new season DCs she will sometimes add comments of the type

This should be really good in 12 months time

So if the Oolongs you are looking at have been discounted because the vendor has stock they need to sell, and it is of the type, and has been stored very well - then you could have a bargain.

If it has been stored reasonably well then you could refresh it yourself by re-roasting, otherwise it may have faded.

If a vendor has not discounted older stock it may still be a good buy because often the price would be increased (the cost of carrying inventory)

Sadly unless you know, and trust your vendor you just have to take a chance -

[pb2q]

Related quote from The Tea Gallery site re: aging Wuyi teas:

How do you make a great WuYi Cliff tea taste even better? With proper storing, a little time and patience. Because of the heavy roasting process most cliff teas undergo, they benefit greatly from a rest period. With time, the roast become rich and mellow and delicate floral notes can develop.

For many of their current Wuyi teas, they offer a recent harvest and the same tea from 2006.

See, e.g. their Iron Warrior Monk http://www.theteagallery.com/Iron_Warri ... ow-iwm.htm

[tea fish]

Thanks for the views, all. Salsero and Herb Master, you suggested drying out or roasting (are these the same thing?). It hadn't occurred to me to do that, as I'm still pretty new to tea. It sounds like the kind of thing that tea masters do. But maybe I'm wrong about that. Is drying out/roasting easy to do? Or is it easy to botch a batch of tea?

The DIY aspect is appealing, but I guess I've always thought of myself as a consumer rather than a maker of tea. But maybe it's time to rethink that...

[Salsero]

you suggested drying out or roasting (are these the same thing?).

Yes, they are the same thing.

Check out Bubba_Tea's system:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=8090

and another current thread about roasting:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=10411

[leiche2]

Is really there such a thing as "too old" for roasted yancha? As long as it's not stale...

I highly recommend trying out Imen's rice cooker method to refresh/roast your tea. I tried it experimentally on some very cheap tea and was pleased with the results.

[xuancheng]

I just got a bunch of samples from a couple of Yancha farmers. Tea from the same bushes as I bought last year. But I bought the tea last year in October. This year's tea is still relatively new and has therefore only been roasted once. I like it more roasted, but not so much the roasted flavour as what the roasting does to the overall flavour profile of the tea. Usually it will become less astringent, and have a more full mouth feel. At times, some high notes will be diminished, but in general, older tea can be made stronger without becoming unpleasant to drink.

I will be back in Cambridge in less than a week if you want to test differences between this years and last years Wuyi Yancha from the exact same gardens.

[tea fish]

Thanks for the links, Salsero and Leiche. Looks like I should think about investing in a rice cooker!

As for your offer, xuancheng: thanks much! PM me and we can figure out a tea time...

[ABx]

Wuyi yancha is known for getting better with age; particularly the high fire stuff. As long as it's been stored well, then there really isn't a "too old" for Wuyi yancha.

Yancha also doesn't really age the same way that other wulong does. Other wulong will often change flavor in a way that's really only obtained by aging, but yancha mostly just gets a deeper flavor. I've had stuff that's 10+ years old that you wouldn't guess is aged if you're not familiar with yancha, and even then you might think that it's just particularly well made.

If it's poorly stored then it will start turning thin and papery, with an earthy taste similar to puerh (an uninspiring puerh). While it's not particularly bad, it loses all the richness in aroma and flavor that made it good. This generally happens when it gets too much air and/or humidity during storage, and you probably won't get that in yancha that's only a few years old unless someone stored it in a paper bag or something.

If what you get is a little musty then a refresh roast would fix it up, but I seriously doubt that you'll need to do that with yancha from 2006 or so from an even halfway decent vendor. When it comes down to it, 2006 is probably just now ready to drink for a high-fire yancha. Stuff with a lighter roast is ready to be drunk sooner, but heavily roasted yancha is often considered ready to drink only after a few years of aging, after the roast has mellowed down to let the layered taste come through. Until then the roast often overwhelms the depth of flavor. If you look at Jing's yancha you will sometimes see some that are a couple years old that are still labeled as short/medium term storage, while others from the current year are "ready to drink."

Aged wulong in general is another matter all together, IMO, and not really worth going into in the context of yancha because it really probably won't compare in any meaningful way. I also generally don't consider something to be aged until it's at least 10 years old, but that's just me

[tenuki]

Any good quality oolong older than say 10 years needs to be sent to the Global Tea Disposal Depot by law. A lot of people don't know it's address so here it is...

Global Tea Disposal Depot
c/o tenuki
seattle, wa

Thanks.

[Herb_Master]

Any good quality oolong older than say 10 years needs to be sent to the Global Tea Disposal Depot by law. A lot of people don't know it's address so here it is...

Global Tea Disposal Depot
c/o tenuki
seattle, wa

Thanks.

I have got some that is nearly 2 years old, shall I send it now in case you relocate in the next 8 years!

[tea fish]

Thanks, ABx, for the fuller explanation of yancha--really helpful. Now I know that there is also a tea disposal depot in Cambridge too--at my home address, in fact!