Sticky me please.
The packs have begun to arrive.
Each one should contain two small packs of Long Jing Huang Pao in some lurid orange packaging and a larger bag of Liu An from 1994, the Liu An should have a little bit of bamboo from the packaging in the bag.
Brewing:
Both teas should enjoy boiling water. The Liu An I have found may benefit from playing around with, lower temps and longer times can also give pleasing results, overbrewing can be a harsh experience. The little bit of bamboo is included as I have read from a few sources that you should brew a little bit of the bamboo packaging with the tea, I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference to the tea but I'm pretty certain it's addition does not detract from the brew.
I think due to the processing the long jing really does benefit from hottest temperatures possible, equipment well heated and so forth.
I have been brewing both mainly in a small gaiwan. The liu an lasts many infusions and the long jing less so but I still manage five or six infusions before it's done. I've had decent results by chucking a pack of the long jing into a ~200ml pot and leaving it for a few minutes, this tea is far less picky than the liu an.
I'll air my views once some others have chimed in.
Nov 2nd, '08, 05:42
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Nov 3rd, '08, 19:32
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ABx
I was surprisingly impressed with these!
I normally don't care for red teas, but this longjing is one that I like enough that I'm considering buying some. It is unusually thick, smooth, sweet, and floral for a black tea. I actually find this to be more floral than even most green longjing. It is identifiably red tea, but the red tea acidity/bite is understated - it's not overly sharp. I have also never encountered this kind of viscosity from a black tea. It's not like a gaoshan, but it is definitely noticeable. (I just jumped over to the other thread and see that the longjing is fermented, which is probably why I like it - I really like fermented/black teas as an alternative to shu.)
The liu an is also very nice. It's definitely young, so it's hard to brew it without it being overwhelmingly bitter, but it's still quite nice when brewed weak. I've only had 3 liu an's to date, but I've not encountered this kind of bright woody aroma before; it is really very nice, and not the kind of woody aroma I've found in anything else. It is also vaguely floral, which mixes in with the woodiness to give it a little extra dimension; It is vaguely familiar in some way that I can't quite recall; probably bamboo. It's a little present in the dry leaf as well as the taste. Later steeps seem to bring out the more typical earthy notes that are still very nice. I would love to see how this turns out in 10 years or so.
I know the longjing is from TeaSpring, but where is the liu an from? Is it from TeaSpring as well? (I think I remember you saying, but I can't recall.)
I normally don't care for red teas, but this longjing is one that I like enough that I'm considering buying some. It is unusually thick, smooth, sweet, and floral for a black tea. I actually find this to be more floral than even most green longjing. It is identifiably red tea, but the red tea acidity/bite is understated - it's not overly sharp. I have also never encountered this kind of viscosity from a black tea. It's not like a gaoshan, but it is definitely noticeable. (I just jumped over to the other thread and see that the longjing is fermented, which is probably why I like it - I really like fermented/black teas as an alternative to shu.)
The liu an is also very nice. It's definitely young, so it's hard to brew it without it being overwhelmingly bitter, but it's still quite nice when brewed weak. I've only had 3 liu an's to date, but I've not encountered this kind of bright woody aroma before; it is really very nice, and not the kind of woody aroma I've found in anything else. It is also vaguely floral, which mixes in with the woodiness to give it a little extra dimension; It is vaguely familiar in some way that I can't quite recall; probably bamboo. It's a little present in the dry leaf as well as the taste. Later steeps seem to bring out the more typical earthy notes that are still very nice. I would love to see how this turns out in 10 years or so.
I know the longjing is from TeaSpring, but where is the liu an from? Is it from TeaSpring as well? (I think I remember you saying, but I can't recall.)
Last edited by ABx on Nov 3rd, '08, 19:41, edited 1 time in total.
Nov 3rd, '08, 19:41
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As I mentioned, had the Lui An yesterday? I am not very experienced with Pu-erh, but seemed to do ok with the brewing, went a gram per ounce of water in a gaiwan.
The aroma to me was very reminiscent of cherry pipe tobacco, nice, brought back old childhood memories. This aroma faded after around 3 steeps. I can't say the infusions were bitter, a bit astringent, but not bitter. Maybe I will not be as fortunate the second time around.
ABx, the Long Jing sounds remarkable. I am looking forward to trying it.
The aroma to me was very reminiscent of cherry pipe tobacco, nice, brought back old childhood memories. This aroma faded after around 3 steeps. I can't say the infusions were bitter, a bit astringent, but not bitter. Maybe I will not be as fortunate the second time around.
ABx, the Long Jing sounds remarkable. I am looking forward to trying it.
Nov 3rd, '08, 20:09
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The Liu An is from Holy Mountain
The Long Jing isn't really classed as a red tea as far as I'm aware, it's more of a black tea in the sense of liu bao or maybe shupu but I figure you got that much from your impressions. To me it's much more aged oolong than either of those, I've never had enjoyable sourness from anything other than aged oolong and this stuff.
I'm not sure I'll ever get down a standard usage for red and black.
The Long Jing isn't really classed as a red tea as far as I'm aware, it's more of a black tea in the sense of liu bao or maybe shupu but I figure you got that much from your impressions. To me it's much more aged oolong than either of those, I've never had enjoyable sourness from anything other than aged oolong and this stuff.
I'm not sure I'll ever get down a standard usage for red and black.
Nov 3rd, '08, 22:51
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Nov 4th, '08, 02:08
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Aged oolong isn't really supposed to be sourProinsias wrote:The Liu An is from Holy Mountain
The Long Jing isn't really classed as a red tea as far as I'm aware, it's more of a black tea in the sense of liu bao or maybe shupu but I figure you got that much from your impressions. To me it's much more aged oolong than either of those, I've never had enjoyable sourness from anything other than aged oolong and this stuff.
I'm not sure I'll ever get down a standard usage for red and black.
I can see what you mean, but this actually does strike me as having some amount of pre-processing oxidation as well. Purely post-fermented black teas tend to taste a lot more like shu, or at least have a much more woody and malty character. Of course they say that the specifics are closely guarded secrets so we may never know, but this strikes me as being a cross between a red and a black tea.Regardless, it is very nice. I also love the little packets. I will definitely have to pick some up soon. It would be very interesting to see what some age does for this stuff
Nov 4th, '08, 19:46
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Trying the Long Jing Huang Pao right now. Very mellow and delicious... the perfect accompaniment to early election results
My Chinese-speaking (and -reading) coworkers have been enjoying the package, and poring over the old-style calligraphy on the front. Evidently the Huang Pao part means something like "king's robes". The emperor's new clothes? Hmm...
My Chinese-speaking (and -reading) coworkers have been enjoying the package, and poring over the old-style calligraphy on the front. Evidently the Huang Pao part means something like "king's robes". The emperor's new clothes? Hmm...
Nov 4th, '08, 20:00
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I have had tea called Liu An four times previously with my tasting notes ranging from "bland," "malty," "dirt alternating with cocoa," and "not unpleasant this time." In fact, it looks like I still have all four of these other offerings sitting around. I guess I should do some comparative brewing to see if I can find some common thread among them. Three of them I haven't tasted for almost 2 years.
I've never been too clear on whether Liu An is normally aged slowly like Sheng Puerh or speeded along via a short period of moist fermenting like Shu Puerh. If memory and notes serve me well, I've had some that brew up pretty dark and on the deep red side and some that brew more honey colored, like this one.
The present example, which Holy Mountain calls an “aged green” harvested in March 1994 is clearly the slow fermented type. In fact, I would never have guessed it to be 14 years old. MarshalN relates a wonderful event to which Aaron Fisher invited him where a really old Liu An was opened and tasted.
The dry leaf is composed of smallish twists that I have seen in other Liu An and is very different from loose puerh, which normally has much larger dry leaf. This Liu An is very consistent in size and looks much like an Indian orthodox tea. In fact, it looks smaller and more consistent in size than the one pictured in MarshalN's post.
I have had one session so far, brewing 6.00 grams in preheated 100 ml gaiwan, off boil (Zoji), 15 s, 20 s, 15 s, 25 s, 35 s, 1 m, 2 m, 3 m, 4 m, 5 m, 10 m. Right from the 1st infusion it exhibited a deep, but transparent honey color, very slightly sweet and slightly acidic taste with a fresh hay character. The first couple infusions really made me feel quite warm. As someone else observed, it seems to become more earthy in the later infusions.
Here's a reprint of my TeaDay photo this morning. Click for ultra closeup.
Leave it to Proinsias to come up with something so unique and so wonderful. Thanks for hosting this great event, Proinsias. I am eager to get to the Long Jing. Two black teas that share their names with more famous green teas ... I guess that might be the theme of this tasting ... or two dark teas that are a bit pleasantly sour.
*************
Addendum ...
Just had the Long Jing Huang Pao ... eeeeeeeww, I didn't like it! Flat and bland with slight bitterness. As it cooled it developed a kind of sweetness I don't care for. Actually, the later infusions were better. Maybe I just brewed it too strong to start: 3 gr in 6 oz 3 minutes.
I did get a nice photo from it though.
It has a pretty cherry color liquor.
I've never been too clear on whether Liu An is normally aged slowly like Sheng Puerh or speeded along via a short period of moist fermenting like Shu Puerh. If memory and notes serve me well, I've had some that brew up pretty dark and on the deep red side and some that brew more honey colored, like this one.
The present example, which Holy Mountain calls an “aged green” harvested in March 1994 is clearly the slow fermented type. In fact, I would never have guessed it to be 14 years old. MarshalN relates a wonderful event to which Aaron Fisher invited him where a really old Liu An was opened and tasted.
The dry leaf is composed of smallish twists that I have seen in other Liu An and is very different from loose puerh, which normally has much larger dry leaf. This Liu An is very consistent in size and looks much like an Indian orthodox tea. In fact, it looks smaller and more consistent in size than the one pictured in MarshalN's post.
I have had one session so far, brewing 6.00 grams in preheated 100 ml gaiwan, off boil (Zoji), 15 s, 20 s, 15 s, 25 s, 35 s, 1 m, 2 m, 3 m, 4 m, 5 m, 10 m. Right from the 1st infusion it exhibited a deep, but transparent honey color, very slightly sweet and slightly acidic taste with a fresh hay character. The first couple infusions really made me feel quite warm. As someone else observed, it seems to become more earthy in the later infusions.
Here's a reprint of my TeaDay photo this morning. Click for ultra closeup.
Leave it to Proinsias to come up with something so unique and so wonderful. Thanks for hosting this great event, Proinsias. I am eager to get to the Long Jing. Two black teas that share their names with more famous green teas ... I guess that might be the theme of this tasting ... or two dark teas that are a bit pleasantly sour.
*************
Addendum ...
Just had the Long Jing Huang Pao ... eeeeeeeww, I didn't like it! Flat and bland with slight bitterness. As it cooled it developed a kind of sweetness I don't care for. Actually, the later infusions were better. Maybe I just brewed it too strong to start: 3 gr in 6 oz 3 minutes.
I did get a nice photo from it though.
It has a pretty cherry color liquor.
I just had the Liu An.
I brewed it in my small gaiwan (70ml water) and used about 4.5 g of leaves.
I had 8 steeps out of it which I founded not very distinct in taste but as it was quite a new kind of tea for me I might have missed some of its subtleties.
First impressions with new teas give sometimes aroma associations so I need some more sessions to fix my opinion on this tea. Hopefully the sample size is big! Thanks again Proinsias!
I brewed it in my small gaiwan (70ml water) and used about 4.5 g of leaves.
I had 8 steeps out of it which I founded not very distinct in taste but as it was quite a new kind of tea for me I might have missed some of its subtleties.
First impressions with new teas give sometimes aroma associations so I need some more sessions to fix my opinion on this tea. Hopefully the sample size is big! Thanks again Proinsias!
A very generous sample for a relatively well-aged tea. Thanks!
Came out ok on my first brew, I used a heaping teaspoon in my 6oz yixing (was for shu, I mistakenly mixed up the sample with Liu Bao at first).
Woodiness is very apparent, making the obvious comparison to sheng of the same age - very astringent, like waking up with cottonmouth. Despite the pale yellow color, I recognize a flavor from my shu that I can't put words to -particularly in gong ting. The sweetness is certainly enough for my taste.
Came out ok on my first brew, I used a heaping teaspoon in my 6oz yixing (was for shu, I mistakenly mixed up the sample with Liu Bao at first).
Woodiness is very apparent, making the obvious comparison to sheng of the same age - very astringent, like waking up with cottonmouth. Despite the pale yellow color, I recognize a flavor from my shu that I can't put words to -particularly in gong ting. The sweetness is certainly enough for my taste.
Nov 20th, '08, 20:50
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Thanks for the samples Proinsias, sorry it took so long for me to write about them! I like the liu an, I found it pleasantly woody (like aged puerh) and sweet. I didn't seem to get too much astringency, but I may have been brewing a bit light. It was a bit weaker than the aged puerh I've tried, but it was still yummy.
The long jing hong cha was extremely sugary-sweet when I brewed it gong-fu style, but nutty when I brewed it in a more relaxed manner. I can't say it's my favorite, but it was new and unexpected so I thank you anyway.
The long jing hong cha was extremely sugary-sweet when I brewed it gong-fu style, but nutty when I brewed it in a more relaxed manner. I can't say it's my favorite, but it was new and unexpected so I thank you anyway.
Tea Nerd - www.teanerd.com
Thanks for the tea Proinsias!
I sat down with the Long Jing today, and brewed one packet in my gaiwan. All my kit was preheated and I was quite excited about it.
I really enjoyed the light woodsy aroma of the tea and its light amber liquor. I agree with scruff it has an almost puerh (shu) like quality to it.
15 sec- earthy taste. light chocolate/cocoa notes. almost shu like, but more gentle on the finish.
30 sec- more pronounced earthy taste cocoa notes less pronounced.
45- liquor is starting to lighten, woodsy smell predominates. Taste is getting slightly more shu like.
1 min- tea has given out. pale yellow liquor, and woodsy taste is all there is, as well as aroma.
I'll be cracking open the Liu An tomorrow!
Fencer
I sat down with the Long Jing today, and brewed one packet in my gaiwan. All my kit was preheated and I was quite excited about it.
I really enjoyed the light woodsy aroma of the tea and its light amber liquor. I agree with scruff it has an almost puerh (shu) like quality to it.
15 sec- earthy taste. light chocolate/cocoa notes. almost shu like, but more gentle on the finish.
30 sec- more pronounced earthy taste cocoa notes less pronounced.
45- liquor is starting to lighten, woodsy smell predominates. Taste is getting slightly more shu like.
1 min- tea has given out. pale yellow liquor, and woodsy taste is all there is, as well as aroma.
I'll be cracking open the Liu An tomorrow!
Fencer
I cracked open the Liu an finally, and I must say I was suprised. My word was it bitter. I went with boiling water, and went for a first 15 sec infusion in my 100ml gaiwan after a flash rinse. Had a real oaky woodsy taste with an aroma of malt and chocolate. The second 30sec brew was overpoweringly bitter.
Gonna have to play with this one a bit.
Still, I see it as a challenge.
Gonna have to play with this one a bit.
Still, I see it as a challenge.