I received a recent order from TeaCuppa, and thought it was mostly oolong, I wanted to try their sheng from 1997, so I got a sample.
First off, I'm not quite sure I understood their description. They say that it is by Zhong Cha, but I thought that was more of a type or something.
Second, it's got that rich smokiness to it. But on the downside, for a 12 year old tea, it's still pretty smoky. I can smell some of the camphorness in the brewed leaves, but in tasting so far, the smokiness drowns it out. It's certain got a very, very smooth, silky mouthfeel to it. Nothing astringent or wearing about it.
But... worth $250 for a bing? Eh, I don't think so...
Anybody had this? Thoughts?
May 17th, '09, 20:56
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Re: 1997 Yiwu Ye Sheng
Zhong Cha generally refers to puerh that was produced by a state factory under the auspices of the CNNP. Has a large Cha chung symbolDrax wrote:I received a recent order from TeaCuppa, and thought it was mostly oolong, I wanted to try their sheng from 1997, so I got a sample.
First off, I'm not quite sure I understood their description. They say that it is by Zhong Cha, but I thought that was more of a type or something.
Second, it's got that rich smokiness to it. But on the downside, for a 12 year old tea, it's still pretty smoky. I can smell some of the camphorness in the brewed leaves, but in tasting so far, the smokiness drowns it out. It's certain got a very, very smooth, silky mouthfeel to it. Nothing astringent or wearing about it.
But... worth $250 for a bing? Eh, I don't think so...
Anybody had this? Thoughts?
Thanks for the info on Zhong Cha, hop, that helps explain a lot.
I'll try to take some pics the next time I do a tasting of the tea.
As I went along with more infusions, the Yi Wu flavor dropped down a bit and more mellow woody flavors started to rise. I agree with Bears*3's statements of the smoothness of the drink (thanks for passing the link, Tom). It's almost silky, or the slickness of an alkaline quality.
But I unfortunately I can't say I experienced any level of tea drunkenness. Then again, I can't say that I've had a truly tea drunk experience for comparison. Now granted, I didn't drink the whole series of infusions in one sitting. My first session only went 5, then I did about 5 more today. Perhaps I have had a tea drunk experience, and I haven't realized it. Or perhaps, like alcohol, some people are qi lightweights, and some people are qi heavyweights? In conjunction w/ today's "TeaDay" question, I can certainly say I don't crave tea (or beer).
In any case, I have to say it's a smooth tea. Beyond that...
I'll try to take some pics the next time I do a tasting of the tea.
As I went along with more infusions, the Yi Wu flavor dropped down a bit and more mellow woody flavors started to rise. I agree with Bears*3's statements of the smoothness of the drink (thanks for passing the link, Tom). It's almost silky, or the slickness of an alkaline quality.
But I unfortunately I can't say I experienced any level of tea drunkenness. Then again, I can't say that I've had a truly tea drunk experience for comparison. Now granted, I didn't drink the whole series of infusions in one sitting. My first session only went 5, then I did about 5 more today. Perhaps I have had a tea drunk experience, and I haven't realized it. Or perhaps, like alcohol, some people are qi lightweights, and some people are qi heavyweights? In conjunction w/ today's "TeaDay" question, I can certainly say I don't crave tea (or beer).
In any case, I have to say it's a smooth tea. Beyond that...