Shi Feng Long Jing

[auhckw]

I am a bit shocked too
I thought Malaysia would have much better tea prices than America or Europe due to its large Chinese communities and location in Asia.

Checkout the Dragonwell thread and Tim's post on price structure of Shi Feng LJ. Then double it for the markup Hojo gives.

He explained why it is so expensive, cause from old tea tree and a different grade leaves. Even from the same farm there can be few grades.

Hojo's price is usually on the higher end at a premium location. To make it worth paying, it is a good place for tea 'education'. I spent like 4 hours+ in the shop tasting few other teas / learning how to brew / trying his clays/pots / 'interviewing' him. He is very willing to share his experience. One good thing I noticed, he really goes all the way to the farm / site to survey and find the best of the best. He spends like 1 to 3 weeks depending of what kind of tea he is hunting on site, which I am quite sure he has to add on his 'research' cost into this tea pricing.

Have to stop before too much promotional saying

Anyway, these kind of premium tea is quite costly. Can't drink it casually. I bought 50g (packed in vacuum sealed 10g)... have to slowly enjoy it till next year harvest

For casual drink / alternatives, I tasted his 'Yun Feng'. It has some 'similar' flavor but aftertaste is much lesser and from 3rd infusion it has already lost its flavor. I took some samples, will try it out later. Have to taste it in a different session, as when I tasted 'Yun Feng', it was after Longjing, which may have influence my taste.

[Tead Off]

I recommend anyone interested in Long Jing to read the interviews with Master Luo, the West Lake Long Jing Firing King. http://www.singleestatetea.com/

Not only are the tea leaves important, the processing is what raises the stature of a tea to greatness. Take the same leaves and give it to different processors and you will have different tasting teas. The name Shi Feng is more of a generic title. How it is processed will determine a lot.

[auhckw]

Brewing method: Boiling hot water poured into Shigaraki Kyusu. Left the water in it for 3 minutes to cool down. Then from Shigaraki Kyusu poured the water into a glass teapot for brewing.

Tea Drinkers: Only me


3g : 150ml


First infusion: 1 minute
Review: Colour of the tea is quite light. I somehow relate the aroma and flavor to Gyokuro but it doesn’t have the ‘soup’ and ‘seaweed’ taste of Gyokuro. Flavor is deeper and smoother compared to Gyokuro too. Upon drinking, I can immediately taste the sweetness on my tongue but only slight sweetness aftertaste in the throat.

Second infusion: 10 seconds
Review: Stronger flavor. Sweetness increased. Very obvious aftertaste in the tongue area but still not much in the throat area.

Third infusion: 20 seconds
Review: Flavor remains like the second infusion but started feeling strong aftertaste in my throat. The sweetness has gone to the throat. When I swallow my saliva, can feel sweetness too.


Fourth infusion: 30 seconds
Review: Colour of the tea has gone down. Flavor and sweetness didn’t drop. Still tasty and good aftertaste in throat.

Fifth infusion: 40 seconds
Review: Flavor has gone down, but sweetness remains. Felt a bit tea drunk already.

Sixth infusion: 50 seconds
Review: Flavor quite similar to fifth infusion and the sweetness aftertaste in throat didn’t drop. I think by now anything I drink also will be sweet.


Seventh infusion: 60 seconds
Review: Colour of the tea is quite similar to fourth infusion. Flavor drops quite a lot but sweetness didn’t drop a bit, but this may not be accurate. I tasted plain water, and it too tasted sweet.

I think I have to stop here, nearly full…

RAT problem!!! Took me 20 minutes hunting down the rat. Lucky managed to chase it out from the house.

Eighth infusion: 80 seconds
Review: Not much flavor. Light sweetness aftertaste in throat.

Ok, enough infusions. Didn’t want to waste the leaves, so brewed this:


2 minutes : 250ml per infusion till the bottle is full. Going to put it in the fridge and try out cold brew the next morning.


Remaining Leaves

Overall I’m very happy about this.Tasted plain water again, and it has sweetness. Not many teas can give me this kind of long lasting sweet aftertaste in the throat…

[TwoPynts]

Thanks for sharing that.
The leaves remind me of Yunnan Golden Curls only lighter and greener.
Glad you enjoyed it, even with the rat interruption.

[auhckw]

2 minutes : 250ml per infusion till the bottle is full. Going to put it in the fridge and try out cold brew the next morning.

Ok, feedback on the left over brew. No more Long Jing flavor. Very light flavor, which I can't relate to Long Jing. The aftertaste sweetness in throat reappears from drinking this. Drinking plain water after 30 minutes also gives some sweetness in throat.

[TaoTeaLeaf]

May i know which year is this SHIFENGLONGJING?

Crazy price......

[auhckw]

May i know which year is this SHIFENGLONGJING?

Crazy price......

2010

[auhckw]

This Shi Feng Long Jing I bought was packed in 10g per pack. I used 3g few days ago, and today tried another 3g.

Sad to say, it was not as good as I had before. I kept the pack in a metal container, then wrapped with plastic bag. I guess its freshness has gone down quite fast upon opening.

[TaoTeaLeaf]

How long have you store this tea?

Did you put the tea in cool place?

Honestly, the color is not like fresh tea.

[Chip]

How long have you store this tea?

Did you put the tea in cool place?

Honestly, the color is not like fresh tea.

Actually the color of the dry leaves does not look that great ... I don't think freshness has anything to do with it however.

[auhckw]

From the 1st and 2nd session, is only 2 days apart. I've left the leaves in the living room. My suspect is because of heat. Quite hot these few days. I think the next packet I open, I will try store the remaining in the refrigerator and hope the quality will not drop further.

[Tead Off]

From the 1st and 2nd session, is only 2 days apart. I've left the leaves in the living room. My suspect is because of heat. Quite hot these few days. I think the next packet I open, I will try store the remaining in the refrigerator and hope the quality will not drop further.

Don't put opened tea bags in the fridge. 2 days shouldn't make a difference. You are probably not brewing it correctly or not repeating what you got the 1st 2 times you had the tea. You didn't leave the bag opened for 2 days, did you? But, even then, you should be able to get good brews. Fill the vessel with enough leaf (about 1/3). Use lower temp water, 60C or so. 30-60sec. Keep trying.

[auhckw]

From the 1st and 2nd session, is only 2 days apart. I've left the leaves in the living room. My suspect is because of heat. Quite hot these few days. I think the next packet I open, I will try store the remaining in the refrigerator and hope the quality will not drop further.

Don't put opened tea bags in the fridge. 2 days shouldn't make a difference. You are probably not brewing it correctly or not repeating what you got the 1st 2 times you had the tea. You didn't leave the bag opened for 2 days, did you? But, even then, you should be able to get good brews. Fill the vessel with enough leaf (about 1/3). Use lower temp water, 60C or so. 30-60sec. Keep trying.

Ok, thanks will give it a try. I think it may be my water filter inconsistency too. Have to really try those suggestion options.

[electrickettle]

Why not your guys to have a try of Pu'er tea? I think it is better than Longjing. I'v just taste it and like it every much as well as for its beautiful legend.

[TwoPynts]

Why not your guys to have a try of Pu'er tea? I think it is better than Longjing. I'v just taste it and like it every much as well as for its beautiful legend.

I think most people here drink and enjoy a number of different teas. I don't think there is just one tea for all occasions and moods.