I purchased this tea brick at Mr Khor's in Penang during the impromptu session with Oldmanteapot and Pgho last month. It's taken me until now to summon the courage to crack the brick and have a go at it.
The brick is firm, well compacted, and the leaves show a rich brown and mahogany colour. Intact and looking good from the outside. The rear of the brick shows the distinctive 7581 pressing patterns.
Upon prying out a precious wedge, oh, I don't know, say 12 grams worth, the flakes were firm and required slight effort to make them yield. They are dry. Meaning that the brick had been stored with care.
I chose a tried and tested pot for pu, one that brews both sheng and shu. Two quick washes using about half a pot of boiling water each, and bingo, the first cup...
Colour: deep red, clear, but dark.... rich looking
Aroma: bang on the nose, fragrant with the smell of dried Chinese herbs
Flavour: bang on again, upfront, assertive, herbs again, deep wood, no malt... and wait for it... FRESH.... with the woodiness returning as an ever so slight astringency, just a hint really
Mouthfeel: whole, full, velvety, lingering, chewy
Huigan: herbs, then sweet...
I'm on to the 6th brew now, and the tea is still strong... it's power unrelinquished... I'm brewing each round for 30 seconds, using boiling water, getting two large cups per round. It doesn't behave like a shu as might be commonly perceived. The leaves so far show some sheng or lightly ripened leaves, which I'm sure adds to the complexity.
Summary:
Powerful, complex.... tasty as all hell, pity I've only got the one brick....
Jun 26th, '09, 10:29
Posts: 196
Joined: May 1st, '09, 22:28
Location: Malaysia
Contact:
oldmanteapot
Yo to you too bro!!
The 7581 was superb.... until I got called over to a friend's place to pick up durians, and her father was brewing some unknown "jui-ren-cha", a extremely aged cha-beeng that has gotten tea people in China befuddled. I was almost drunk after 12 brews or so of this treasure.
Then I was sent packing home with a tin of White Needle Golden Lotus '90 loose leaf Pu Erh.... that will be for tomorrow evening's session I suspect!!!
Cheers man, talk soon!
The 7581 was superb.... until I got called over to a friend's place to pick up durians, and her father was brewing some unknown "jui-ren-cha", a extremely aged cha-beeng that has gotten tea people in China befuddled. I was almost drunk after 12 brews or so of this treasure.
Then I was sent packing home with a tin of White Needle Golden Lotus '90 loose leaf Pu Erh.... that will be for tomorrow evening's session I suspect!!!
Cheers man, talk soon!