The 2008 HuangZhi and the LionHead HuangZhi
First it was a great excuse to use a zen8tea Yixing that has been waiting for some HuangZhi to arrive, and then in a Gaiwan and then using one of Imen's special recommendations.
I started with 7gm in a 140 ml Yixing [that was the most favourable loading that I had arrived at when trying DanCongs from Teacuppa, Dragonhouse and Teance]
Flash rinse, 20s, 25s, 35s, 45s, 45s, 60s and the following morning 90s and 120s it would probably have gone further - but I was eager to try it in a Gaiwan.
Similar for both the LionHead and straight HuangZhi.
Both showed what my brain told me at the time was higher roasting than any other DanCongs I had tried.
The LionHead markedly so!
Nowhere near as fragrant as my other DanCongs, a flavour reminiscent of Black Tea [um! that should have been a giveaway!] A very strong texture/flavour on the tip of the tongue and a pleasant, strong dark flavour pervading the mouth. The darkness reminiscent of the bitterness and charcoal that I have found in aged Shui Xian [and did not like] but this was more vibrant and enjoyable and I liked it.
After swallowing a tingle remained most noticeably on the tip of my tongue and to a lesser extent round the sides of the mouth. The tip of the tongue also felt ? "calm and happy" ? and I kept wanting to lick my lips which then experienced a very silky feeling.
The straight HuangZhi was similar to the LionHead but the effects were less pronounced.
I asked Imen [on her blog] for information on the degree of roasting - and her instantaneous reply hit me with a loud thud. They were not heavily roasted but had greater oxidisation than many oolongs. That explained my likening it to Black tea probably. Ever since taking an interest in Oolongs I have been aware that oolongs bridge the not inconsiderable gap between Green and Black tea in terms of fermentation/oxidisation - yet there has been so much talk on these boards of roasting that it had slipped my mind
In the Gaiwan the teas showed [with my loading modified downward slightly from my normal DanCong loading - this time 4gm to a 150ml] there was more fragrance, though I would be hard pressed to have identified it as an Orange Blossom fragrance
The dark flavours and textures had nearly all gone but lingered still on the tip of the tongue and the silky lips bit worked as well.Imen also recommended that the best way to brew a new DanCong to help you get the feel of what it is capable of and how it might best be brewed is to put a scant 1gm in a 120ml Yixing and brew it for 2 minutes. Only finding 90, 100, 150 and 200ml Gaiwans at my disposal I settled for 1.25 gm in the 150 Gaiwan.
Incredible difference, the Fragrance came shining through, the liquor was weaker but still had plenty of life and was very enjoyable. The silky nature had gone, and the lingering happiness on the end of my tongue was barely noticeable after a few seconds [previously it had lasted up to a minute. This time however the haooiness had found it's way to my stomach and I kept sitting back contentedly like the Cheshire Cat.
I still did not notice 'Orange Blossom' until my 3rd brew, then a few bowls wafted something that seemed much more like that kind of fragrance up the back of my mouth. Having taken Imen's advice on a 2 minute steep, I was unsure how to proceed, I cautiously tried the 2nd steep at 4 minutes [too short I fear] the 3rd I gave 13 minutes and it was superb!
