San Yin Shui Hsien from Hojo edit and Hou De Shui Xian

[Herb_Master]

Tonight I have just started drinking (at Midnight - what time will I sleep ) my first brew from a tin of

San Yin Shui Hsien

When at Hojo I declined to buy the Shigaraki that I fancied - due to shop prices - and orderd one online when I returned home.

After all the care and attention that Hui bestowed on us, I felt honour bound to make some purchases whilst there.

I bought some Glass faircups, some Lao Banzhang that we had sampled with Hui - and I can't remember why but I bought a tin of this Shui Hsien.
Hui told me something about it that prompted me to buy it.

Possibly the San Yin element had a nice story or fame about it that tempted me.

Anyway it is GOOD.

Very soothing, smooth and warm, autumnal with a hint of spice. Medium roasted flavours and no overpowering charcoal. Reminds me of what I think I am looking for in a good DHP.

The tin is nice (but suffered a dent in my suitcase on the flight.
There is a picture of - I think - San Yin mountain, there is a plastic seal inner lid and a loose leaf circle of paper on top of the leaves which are crammed to the rim and nice and long and wiry [don't know what I will find at the bottom - maybe I should follow Gingko's advice and decant it all into paper packages of equal sized 1 brew portions so that if there are bits and tea dust at the bottom I can share it out amongst all my brews.

Chip can't have the tin until it is e,pty

Time for further infusions and some research on san Yin.

[Herb_Master]

This is an entry from Made-In-China.com

San Yin Shui Hsien (XT826)

Product Description

Refined, with traditional techniques, from quality narcissus tealeaves produced in Wuyi Mountain in Fujian, with heavy fragrance and strong, mellow, pleasant taste as well as refreshing aftertaste. Even the thick tea soup doesn't taste astringent. It enjoys great fondness by consumers.


Trademark: Lyns Trade
Model NO.: XT826
Unit Price/Payment: USD29.9/bag
Company: Lyns Trade Co., Ltd

I can't disagree with any of their comments

I see Lyn's Trade have another same price Wuyi Shui Hsien called "Chen Chung" - I think both San Yin and Chen Chung may be notable tea mountains or peaks in wuyi.

Lyn's also do another wuyi and an Anxi.

But not sure what kind of brew you would get from Lyn's Jeans

Product List (Total 5 Products)
1. Jeans
Best quality products with most competitive price and best service.
Last Updated: 2007-08-07
2. "Anxi" Ti Kuan Yin (AT104)
It is one of our traditional high-grade tea products. Refined, with special curing techniques, from high-grade Ti Kuan Yin tealeaves, it is black bloom in color, with thick, ripe ...
Last Updated: 2007-07-23
3. Wu-I Chi-Chong (XT828)
It is refined from a mixture of several species of tea grown in Wuyi Mountain. With a strong and mellow flavor, it is a consumable for populace.
Last Updated: 2007-07-23
4. San Yin Shui Hsien (XT826)
Refined, with traditional techniques, from quality narcissus tealeaves produced in Wuyi Mountain in Fujian, with heavy fragrance and strong, mellow, pleasant taste as well as ...
Last Updated: 2007-07-23
5. Chen Chung Shuihsien (AT301)
It is refined from narcissus tealeaves produced in Wuyi Mountain in Fujian. The tea is of strong fragrance and thick, mellow savor. It can withstand several infusions. As a famous ...
Last Updated: 2007-07-23

http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/c ... o-Ltd.html

[Herb_Master]

How easy it is to get waylaid when browsing the web.

I found a dozen different trade opportunities to buy Lyn's San Yin Shui Hsien in the paper packet.

Then I found a site that sold San Yin shui hsien in tins, and was directly aimed at importers importing in bulk

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate ... prmd%3Divo

what a fantastic list

searching around the site - sometimes in English pages and sometimes with Google Translate

I found a translation of Shui Xian as "Asphodel tea" - I am familiar with Narcissus but not with 'Asphodel'

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... xyTqeQxcfw

and finally found a price list

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... pk9kKtWwvA

Page 7 for Shui Hsien

8 different grades of Shui Xian ranging from $31 a Kilo to $300 a kilo
anyone fancy a kilo of the top grade for Christmas?

Now if Chip bought a Kilo of 3 different teas and packaged it up nicely for us - as a mystery OTTI ?

[Chip]

My ears were ringing wildly tonight ... almost went to the emergency room til I read this topic.

Now if Chip bought a Kilo of 3 different teas and packaged it up nicely for us - as a mystery OTTI ?

... and all the most expensive ones?

Chip can't have the tin until it is empty

... get drinking! Maybe start in the mornings versus midnight so you can drink more.

[Herb_Master]

Now if Chip bought a Kilo of 3 different teas and packaged it up nicely for us - as a mystery OTTI ?

... and all the most expensive ones?

Well you would obviously have to take payment up front - maybe 2 or 3 months in front!

[Chip]

Well you would obviously have to take payment up front - maybe 2 or 3 months in front!

eh, maybe a week or two before a longggg, expensive vacation ...

[Herb_Master]

My Hojo tin is from Xiamen Tea Imp and Exp - but I cannot find any pics on the web - I will have to get my camera out!

Well at least I have remembered the magic words from Hui that prompted me

San Yin is a high mountain and the tea trees grow at a sublime high altitude.
Warm clear days, and cold nights, with a morning cloud and mist that the rising sun beats away. Providing the optimum growing conditions to provide tender leaves full of flavour and finesse.

or words to that effect on my memory

[Herb_Master]

30 Months ago, I bought 2 tins from Hou De

2005 Sring Wuyi yen Cha - Zheng yen "Lao cong Shui Xian"

I don't know what 'Sring' is - maybe a misprinted label for 'Spring'?

At the time I did not like it

It was bitter and charcoal intense!

But now I have opened the 2nd tin and 2+ years later it is markedly different

The bitterness has gone, and the charcoal has subside to a very soft bacground level.

The depth of colour was so deep in the 4 second wash, that I limited my first infusion to about 7 seconds, a lovely colour but a weak flavour profile riding on a soft charcoal background.

15 second 2nd infusion, the charcoal is hardly noticeable behind a variety of layered flavours.

Hard to put my finger on any particular flavour because they all seem to mingle, but not as warming and cheery as the San Yin, more a collection of cooler brown notes like tobacco and leather.

Not a comfort tea so much as a cerebral tea that needs examining during a quiet philosophical moment.

[shah82]

I've found that the tea works best if you start at wash, 15s 175, 20s 175, 20s 185, 20s 195, and go to boiling from there.

Excellent Chaqi.

[brandon]

I also had to age Hou De's "Zhen Yan" Yan Cha offerings in a tin for close to a year before they were drinkable.

[Tead Off]

I also had to age Hou De's "Zhen Yan" Yan Cha offerings in a tin for close to a year before they were drinkable.

For me, Shui Xian is always better when it is at least a couple of years old. The chocolate notes begin to come out and the roastiness begin to recede into the background.

[brandon]

To clarify a bit, most vendors I source Wuyi from do not sell tea that is undrinkable on arrival, from the most recent harvest or otherwise.

Hou De has sent undrinkable-on-arrival Yancha on more than one occasion, and it appears others have had a similar experience.

[Herb_Master]

To repeat myself a bit, most vendors I source Wuyi from do not sell tea that is undrinkable on arrival, from the most recent harvest or otherwise.

Hou De has sent undrinkable-on-arrival Yancha on more than one occasion, and it appears others have had a similar experience.

I know a thing or two about aged Shui Xian.

+1 The tins I received from Hou De in 2008 had 2004 and 2005 harvest teas in them. The Hou De blog boasts it's great skill in re-roasting, and the teas describe[d at the time] how they have been expertly re-roasted on a couple of occasions, to bring out the ultimate qualities of the tea, before selling. I suspect they may have been a little TOO enthusiastic in their re-roasting.

I had heard on many occasions on these boards how numerous TeaChatters rated Hou De very highly, which all the more saddened me with my reaction to the purchases that I had received. At the time being very new to Chinese tea I was informed my more experienced TeaChat drinkers that I must be brewing it wrong.

[Tead Off]

I've never bought tea from Hou de. Do you think the tins may have something to do with the 'undrinkableness'? I've only been given samples of teas from Hou de from another poster who was kind enough to send some. I thought their teas to be very good.

[TaoTeaLeaf]

Hi Herb_Master,

Sorry for reply late

For the San Yin Shui Xian (Hsien)

In Chinese is 三印水仙

The oldest information is in about 1930

A tea house in QuanZhou City(southern FuJian Province)

The tea house has a famous tea is San Yin Shui Xian

according i talked to many tea masters

for the "San Yin" has special meaning

For sure it is not mean a Mountain or Area

Probably is mean a special process, call "三道火精制"

it mean after Chu Zhi"粗制" (Basic Process)

the master need a special process for the tea

like pick up good standard and use charcoal baking

the "San Yin" may talking about the three charcoal baking during the special process

Generally, all the tea in the special process only do twice charcoal baking

This is is famous on Southern Fujian, and GuangDong province

also in Southern Asian like Malaysia

Now if you asked people they may know,

they will told you they have similar flavor tea

but only a few still call "San Yin Shui Xian"

This is an entry from Made-In-China.com

San Yin Shui Hsien (XT826)

Product Description

Refined, with traditional techniques, from quality narcissus tealeaves produced in Wuyi Mountain in Fujian, with heavy fragrance and strong, mellow, pleasant taste as well as refreshing aftertaste. Even the thick tea soup doesn't taste astringent. It enjoys great fondness by consumers.


Trademark: Lyns Trade
Model NO.: XT826
Unit Price/Payment: USD29.9/bag
Company: Lyns Trade Co., Ltd

I can't disagree with any of their comments

I see Lyn's Trade have another same price Wuyi Shui Hsien called "Chen Chung" - I think both San Yin and Chen Chung may be notable tea mountains or peaks in wuyi.

Lyn's also do another wuyi and an Anxi.

But not sure what kind of brew you would get from Lyn's Jeans

Product List (Total 5 Products)
1. Jeans
Best quality products with most competitive price and best service.
Last Updated: 2007-08-07
2. "Anxi" Ti Kuan Yin (AT104)
It is one of our traditional high-grade tea products. Refined, with special curing techniques, from high-grade Ti Kuan Yin tealeaves, it is black bloom in color, with thick, ripe ...
Last Updated: 2007-07-23
3. Wu-I Chi-Chong (XT828)
It is refined from a mixture of several species of tea grown in Wuyi Mountain. With a strong and mellow flavor, it is a consumable for populace.
Last Updated: 2007-07-23
4. San Yin Shui Hsien (XT826)
Refined, with traditional techniques, from quality narcissus tealeaves produced in Wuyi Mountain in Fujian, with heavy fragrance and strong, mellow, pleasant taste as well as ...
Last Updated: 2007-07-23
5. Chen Chung Shuihsien (AT301)
It is refined from narcissus tealeaves produced in Wuyi Mountain in Fujian. The tea is of strong fragrance and thick, mellow savor. It can withstand several infusions. As a famous ...
Last Updated: 2007-07-23

http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/c ... o-Ltd.html