Yesterday and this evening, I tried Norbu's 2011 Tsou Ma Fei Ali Shan oolong tea, Greg's fanciest offering of Taiwanese oolong. I did that overly packed infusion of Jin Guan Yin (see a few posts above) so I could get to this one. It is just terrific: even the first 'bulk' brewing in my thermos (I really was impatient to start it ) drew a "wow" from my colleague: "This one is really high class, isn't it?" In the evening, I revisited the tea and took notes.
Tsou Ma Fei 2011 Spring Ali Shan Oolong Tea
5 grams of tea in a 100mL gaiwan, with about 75mL water per infusion, water heated to about 205 degrees. The leaves are quite large rolled up, and large and lovely unrolled, deep green with reddish margins.
20": elegant, floral, spicy, sweet--a wonderful starter infusion.
30": spicy sweet dominates the floral a bit in the first sip. There is a hint of astringency in the last few drops, so I will decrease the next infusion time.
20": rich, spicy-sweet, floral and deep. It reminds me very much of the 'white oolong' from Norbu, but they are not quite the same. I will need to do a head-to-head to figure out why there are not.
30": a little more astringency and spiciness, with the sweet lighter--more apparently if I slurp with a lot of inhalation. It's not the grassy astringency of a sencha, but some drying on the tongue, a woody/herby/spicy quality.
20": shortening again, as the unfurling leaf has filled the gaiwan with long, deep green leaves with red tinted edges, so full that I realize its a LOT of leaf, and the shorter infusion is, indeed, very unlike water: a little lighter than the first, but still spicy-sweet in that wonderful Ali Shan way, mmmmm.
25": such a fantastic spicy floral scent--sweet, but not cloying, hints of cinnamon and almonds, and I just want to sniff and sniff. Eventually, a sip proves just as lovely, but more of the spicy flavor is dominant.
40": (last infusion was a little thin) sweet, floral, spiciness receded a bit for mellower feel this time
45": (lost track of time) we're mostly at sweetwater here, but very delicious sweet water with hints of flower and spice.
10 minutes (lost track of time again): spice, warmth, some hay/caramel base but still light, floral notes mostly gone but a little sweetness remaining
about 5 minutes: warm, light, sweet with just a little warm depth to it, better than the last one, though thinner, because the sweetness was better balanced
about 5 min: warm, sweet, delicious but light.
Had at least another 3-4 infusions like this, long, slow, just mild and warmly sweet for the end of the evening
Round II: out of curiosity, and because I had an open pouch already of the 'White Oolong' (spring 2011 from Jenai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan), I compared them this evening. I used a little less tea so the leaves wouldn't be pushing up the lids of the gaiwans.
3.5 grams of tea on small gaiwans, about 75 mL per infusion, kettle set to maintain 205 degrees throughout
The Tsou Ma Fei has a richer, more floral scent; the White Oolong is sharper. TMF has larger leaves, and the dried leaf balls are a little paler sage color.
15": probably could have been a little longer, and the white oolong is distinctly lighter here too--even with only 15" infusion, the TMF is sweet and though not yet deeply flavored, it has more depth than the lightly sweet and grassy WO.
30": Very similar to the first infusion distinction: both sweet, spicy, but the TMF is definitely richer, deeper, sweeter--a stronger flavor at the base. The WO is delicious, but in a more delicate way, and it shines better when I sip it first, enjoy the lighter tea, then drink up the TMF.
30": Similar distinctions, both very similarly sweet and floral and spicy, but definitely a deeper richer oolong-ness in the TMF, and a grassier, more delicate white-tea-ishness in the WO. I understand better now why Greg calls the WO 'White' 'Oolong'.
30-45": delicious again, such a nice 'comparison', where the teas are each so nice, but so distinct.
Several minutes (forgot!): still delicious, and both forgave the long infusion
1 minutes: this time, a little light--although normally this would be a good infusion length at this point in the series, the long prior infusion took a lot out of each of the leaves.
Almost 3 minutes: more delicate, but still delicious, floral and sweet both, but distinct
5 minutes: still a difference between them, but both are now floral, sweet, and the astringency and spiciness are mostly gone
I think I missed at least two infusions towards the end here, long infusions where I just ignored the gaiwans for a while and then poured and drank. They were also good. A lot of people might have stopped before this point, but the leaves were still yielding an improvement over plain water, so I enjoyed them. And interestingly, the flavors of both lasted to this point about equally well, with the same consistent flavor profile difference maintained to the end.
even with more tea and hotter water.. I think its been exposed to way too much air pre-packaging I think.. Real pity, it's not cheap getting it shipped here to Aus!
cheers
