2020 Spring Concubine Oolong from Hsin Chu county

In Taiwan, a Concubine Oolong is usually a summer Oolong from Central Taiwan that has been insect bitten and has a high oxidation level. Instead of being harvested early (buds and small leaves) and processed into a twisted shape, like Oriental Beauty, a Concubine Oolong is a harvest of rather mature leaves that are then rolled. Basically, these are the 2 main differences between an Oriental Beauty (OB) and a Concubine Oolong. An other difference is that OB usually comes, historically, from an area that stretches from Taoyuan to Miaoli, while Concubine Oolongs were invented in Dong Ding in Nantou, Central Taiwan.

So, this tea made in Hsin Chu, during the spring season, doesn't really fit the usual profile of a Concubine Oolong. It's not from the Central region and it's not from summer. But, in this case, these 2 discrepancies are actually improvements! 

First, because this Concubine comes from trees that produce OB in summer, fall and winter, the plantation is pesticide free all year long. The farmer relies on jassid bites to produce high quality OB and tries to welcome these insects as much as possible. And, in 2020, we have the case where the leaves have the typical honey scents due to these bites! (In previous years, this was much less the case). 

Second, spring is a season with lower temperatures than summer and this produces teas that have a lighter oxidation level and finer aromas. Besides, spring teas are also more potent and full of energy, because the trees had the longest rest since their previous harvest. The trend to make Concubine Oolong in summer appeared to help farmers achieve better prices for their leaves during that season. In summer, the strong sunshine and continuous heat even during the night explain why leaves mature quickly and tend to become bitter and more oxidized. In spring, the temperatures are still cool during the night and this helps to preserve more freshness and lighter aromas than in summer.  

These 2 reasons help explain why I have selected this spring 2020 Concubine Oolong from Hsin Chu. Let's also point out that this tea is traditionally roasted. It's already wonderful to taste now, but it is also suitable for aging. And if you wish to have an idea of how it will age, you can try the 2011 version of this tea from the same farmer! The sweet honey aromas become even more intense and smooth.

I have also selected the top version of this 2020 spring Hsin Chu Concubine. The scents and taste are very similar, just even more elegant! (Comparing the 2 versions can be a good exercise to understand what characteristics make a tea rise above its peers.)

 I love how this Oolong has so many complex notes of honey, chocolate, flowers, fruit, sweetness, wood, malt, lightness... and how it all blends so nicely into one refined fragrance and one yummy taste!

Cheers!

The ultimate Oriental Beauty Oolong

Fresh teas like green tea or most high mountain Oolongs are transformed and ready to be sold within 48 hours after their harvests. For more traditional Oolongs, though, the production process can take several weeks or months. Oriental Beauty Oolong from Beipu in HsinChu county provides a good example. In early April, the farmer had just finished roasting the 17 batches of his winter production (October/November 2020) . Thanks to my close partnership with him, he invited me to attend his final tasting and grading of his teas.

With so many teas to taste, he conducted his tasting in 2 rounds. First, 10 batches from plantations with high yield/high production. Then 7 small batches. You can see those below. The small batches are in front and the large ones behind.

The way this tasting is done is similar to what happens in a tea competition. The same amount of leaves is weighed for each cup (3 grams). Then they are all brewed for 6 minutes with boiling water and emptied in the large white cup. Since the tea is too hot right after it's poured, the farmer starts by simply smelling the leaves. After a couple of minutes, when the tea isn't too hot anymore, he uses a tea spoon to pour some tea in his own cup and quickly tastes one tea after another.

What comes next is quite interesting. Look at the table and notice the red line. After tasting each tea, the farmer changes the place of the brewing cup according to the quality of the tea. A cup close to the edge of the table means a low grade. A cup that reaches or exceeds the red line means that it's outstanding.

This visual grading of quality serves 2 purposes. First, it helps the farmer to price his teas fairly (top quality is priced higher than average quality tea). Second, it can also help him to blend batches of similar quality, so that he doesn't have 17 different teas, but just 4 or 5 levels.

Of course, if he gave me the privilege to taste all his winter Oriental Beauties, the farmer also hopes that I will purchase some. Especially since he knows that I prefer to purchase single batches instead of blended teas. For me, this was learning experience that you don't get every day. And, despite the tough brewing standards aimed at highlighting the teas' defects, I was blown away with the outstanding quality of some of his teas. These exceptional teas will cost a fortune in Taiwan tea houses and usually you don't get to try them! (For reference, the price for the winner of the Oriental Beauty Oolong competition in HsinChu has reached a new record of 1 million NTD, 35K USD, for 600 gr 2 years ago).

But let's go back to the teas. What struck me was how impossible it was to tell the quality from the appearance of the leaves. Even the size and the amount of buds wasn't such a good quality factor. And actually it makes sense. The number 1 driver of quality for Oriental Beauty is the concentration of these particular flavors that only develop with lots of jassid bites (xiao lu ye tsong). You can't see these bites on dry leaves! And you can barely smell them when the leaves have been recently roasted.

But boy, oh boy, it makes such a difference when the leaves have this scent compared when they barely have it! The tea is at another level, in another dimension. So, as you can see, I did purchase one of the small batches from that second group of OBs. This batch weighs only 3 kg. It was harvested on October 27th 2020 and I've called it the ultimate Oriental Beauty! Its concentration is even stronger than the 'perfect OB' I found in 2007!

Such a rare tea isn't for everyday. It's not meant to be brewed in a haste while doing something else. But it's one these dream teas that all tea lovers wishes to have had at least once in his life to know just how magical tea can be! I think it's the perfect tea for a wedding anniversary or to celebrate a feminine birthday.

It's a perfume of honey that tastes like liquid gold! 

A beauty!

En thé, fais ce qu'il te plait

Alishan, printemps 2021

C'est quoi la bonne méthode pour infuser son Oolong de haute montagne? Est-ce en set de compétition comme à gauche? en gaiwan? directement dans un bol? dans une grande théière en verre? dans un thermos? Ou bien dans une petite théière d'Yixing en Zhuni, comme ci-dessous? 

A mes débuts dans le thé à Taiwan, je ne savais pas. Puis, après des cours auprès de Teaparker, non seulement j'appris la théorie de ce genre de question, mais j'en faisais aussi l'expérience et arrivais à des certitudes. Il existe bien un matériau idéal pour chaque type de thé. Un peu comme un nouveau converti qui veut être plus catholique que le pape, peut-être ai-je été trop catégorique et inflexible dans certaines de mes affirmations passées. C'est une étape naturelle dans l'évolution de tout amateur de thé. C'est le moment le plus dangereux. C'est le moment où l'on pense savoir alors qu'on n'a encore qu'une connaissance partielle des choses. C'est un moment plus dangereux que lorsqu'on savait qu'on ne savait pas! 

Le Chaxi ci-dessus avec coupes fines en céladon et théière en Zhuni est-il vraiment meilleur que les autres méthodes? En théorie, je dirai encore oui, mais en pratique j'apporterais une série de bémols. D'abord, si le but de la dégustation est de sélectionner un thé, je recommanderais plutôt le set de porcelaine pour compétition de thé. Les arômes seront moins raffinés, mais il sera plus facile de reconnaitre les mauvais lots de thé (et donc de ne pas se tromper). 

Si l'on ne dispose que de 10 minutes et qu'on veut déguster son thé tout en travaillant à son ordinateur, la méthode directe dans le bol (ou la tasse), parfois appelée celle du grand-père, sera la plus pratique.

Et si l'on débute et qu'on ne sait pas encore bien manipuler les petites théières d'Yixing, il est possible qu'on trouve l'utilisation d'une grande théière plus simple et familière.  

De plus, comme tout outil, une théière n'est bonne que si on sait bien s'en servir. Ainsi, en classe, je continue de voir des amateurs avec d'excellentes théières qui ratent leur infusion, alors que Teaparker les réussit avec un simple gaiwan!

Bref, entre la théorie et la pratique, il y a quantité d'exceptions et de conditions. Einstein disait que tout est relatif! Ce n'est pas parce qu'un thé, qu'un accessoire ou qu'une technique marche pour nous que cela convient pour tout le monde. Avec l'expérience, on finit par mettre un peu d'eau dans son thé! (Attention, c'est une image!!) 

Je continue de vous montrer ce qui marche chez moi, mais je n'en fais plus un totem intouchable. Après tout, en thé, fais ce qu'il te plait!

Come fly with me to Shan Lin Xi

"Let's fly! Let's fly away!

If you can sip,

Drink tea, it's hip!

There's a Chaxi on the way.

Come fly with me!

Let's fly! Let's fly away!" 

I listened to this Sinatra song on my way to Shan Lin Xi. Pure serendipity! With these pictures of the Shan Lin Xi mountains in the clouds, it looks as if we have an eagle eye. It's as if we were flying in the air. Blue sky and white clouds mingle with the green mountain and produce ever changing landscapes!

Let me take you to the plantation now. It's twenty to noon and the team of tea pickers is still busy on the upper side of the plantation. 

With this bamboo shoot growing among the tea bushes, maybe you recognize this plantation. I've visited it last spring and that's where I've been sourcing both my spring 2020 and winter 2020 SLX Oolongs. 

This hike in the plantation is not just an opportunity to take nice pictures for promotional purposes. The goal of trips like this is to better understand the situation on the ground. This year, we want to know the impact of the dramatic drought in Central Taiwan on the high mountain plantations. So, I would also like to share the next 2 pictures to show how some parts of the plantation were impacted. Below, we can see that half the leaves turned yellow or even brown. "These bushes almost died", said the farmer. Luckily, there was some rain recently and they will survive. 

Below, on the right hand side, the dark green bushes have also suffered from the drought. The impact is that they didn't produce any leaves at all. And the leaves that were produced on the light green bushes were a little bit smaller than usual last week, during the first 2 harvest days (on May 1st and 2nd). That's why there's a third harvest on May 7th (the days of these pictures).

It's noon now! After feeling very warm under the direct sunshine, clouds are now invading the plantation and are bringing a much cooler air. It's as if the A/C had suddenly been turned on! This natural moisture is also what has helped contain the damage due to the drought in high mountain plantations. And while lower yields mean more concentration in aromas in general, the quality of the Oolong tea still varies a lot from one batch to another this spring.

The workers are eating their lunch box between the tea plantation and a bamboo forest. I'm also about to eat the same lunch box as them, a kind attention of the farmer who knew I was coming.

The clouds don't lift after lunch. I feel a little bit cold and thirsty. Can you guess what I did next? 

A Chaxi! 

And can you guess what tea I brewed?

Qingxin Oolong from this very plantation, from spring 2020! 

At that moment, I had not yet received the spring 2021 samples. But since this tea is from the same season and same plantation, the aromas felt in complete harmony!

Brewing tea outdoors is always exhilarating. Brewing tea in a tea plantation brings more challenges. Here I had to gather 3 wood planks to 'build' a table for my Chaxi. And it wasn't so easy to find a spot with such a close proximity to the bushes. I almost had to pinch myself! What a dream come true!

I'm brewing tea with style, with an Yixing zhuni teapot, celadon cups, cha tuo, a Chabu and a Jian Shui, a jar, Qing dynasty qinghua plates. This Chaxi is a celebration of this unique event and opportunity!

For me, this Chaxi is also a way to show my skills to the farmer and let him see that I'm committed to making tea in a very refined way. And it only makes sense to make such efforts with top quality leaves.

What also helps to find such leaves is to be present during the harvest time and taste the samples as soon as the harvested leaves are transformed. This year, I selected the May 2nd batch from the Shan Lin Xi plantation. It's the most similar to the wonderful 2 spring batches of last spring. 

I'm also glad to announce that it's again possible to ship Airmail and EMS to Canada. And while shipping costs to North America have increased recently, Airmail shipping is still FREE above 100 USD and EMS shipping is still FREE above 200 USD (and you receive a free sample starting at 60 USD, plus a FREE postcard...).

Come fly with to Shan Lin Xi

Thanks a lot for your company.

'Where the air is rarefied

We'll just glide

Starry-eyed

Once I get you up there

I'll be holding you so near

You may hear

Angels cheer

Let's fly! Let's fly away!'

Schopenhauer, Napoléon et le thé

En ce jour bicentenaire de la mort de Napoléon (NDLR: j'ai commencé à écrire hier), je crois qu'il est opportun que je vous parle un peu de ce livre d'introduction à Schopenhaueur. Rassurez-vous, même s'il s'agit de philosophie, je vais rester à un niveau concret et ne vais pas nous perdre dans des concepts trop théoriques. Je vous avoue, d'ailleurs, que j'ai du mal à suivre les discussions abstraites. Il me faut du concret pour que je suive!

Gràce au thé chinois, je sais qu'un grand nombre d'entre vous, mes lecteurs a des bonnes connaissances du Bouddhisme. Nombre d'entre vous êtes allés au village des Pruniers et quelques uns sont même devenus moines! Or, il se trouve que Schopenhauer est l'un des premiers philosophes Européens à être très proche du Bouddhisme. Pour lui, le Bouddhisme est la traduction religieuse de sa métaphysique!  

L'aspect le plus important de la philosophie de Schopenhauer, c'est l'importance de la volonté dans l'existence. Pour lui, c'est même plus important que l'intelligence. Cette dernière n'est que l'un des outils à notre disposition pour arriver à accomplir notre volonté! Et quand on voit beaucoup de jeunes (et moins jeunes) qui passent leur temps libre à surfer le web sur leur portable, je me dis que ce dont ils ont le plus besoin, c'est de volonté, de savoir ce qu'ils ont envie d'accomplir. Ainsi, ils deviendraient actifs au lieu de perdre leur temps avec des distractions interminables.

Et ce concept de volonté m'amène à Napoléon, car c'est l'un des personnages historiques qui a le plus voulu et le plus obtenu. Ce petit Corse venu des confins du royaume a réussi à devenir l'empereur des Français au moment le plus improbable de l'histoire de France, moins de 15 ans après la Révolution et la fin de la monarchie! Personnellement, sa biographie m'a inspiré à bien apprendre à l'école et de toujours viser l'excellence dans ce que je fais.

Napoléon est aussi un modèle de courage et quelqu'un qui arrive à motiver ses troupes pour mieux atteindre son but. C'était cela son génie: savoir transmettre sa volonté à ses soldats. Et il le faisait par l'exemple et par le verbe. Ci-dessous, une anecdote lors d'un de ses premiers faits d'armes, devant Toulon, permit de reprendre la ville aux Anglais. 

- Petite parenthèse. Dans mon Histoire de France en bandes dessinées, j'ai aussi remarqué cette case où Napoléon est à Dresde en 1812, cette ville allemande proche de Meissen, là où la première porcelaine Européenne fut réalisée. Et, justement, on voit Napoléon s'approchant d'une table dressée sur laquelle on trouve beaucoup de porcelaine. (J'en profite pour vous rappeler que mon dernier cours en vidéo eut justement la porcelaine de Meissen comme sujet!) -

Mais, si Schopenhauer nous dit que la volonté est la force fondamentale du monde, son idéal est un renoncement à la volonté. Un Bouddhiste dirait que c'est un renoncement aux désirs. Dans notre monde matérialiste, plein de tentations, renoncer aux désirs, à leur satisfaction, cela demande, paradoxalement, beaucoup de volonté! L'autre paradoxe de notre temps, c'est qu'en renonçant à certaines distractions, à des plaisirs superficiels, on peut se recentrer sur les choses essentielles et gagner en sens, en satisfaction profonde.

C'est un peu cela que j'ai appris avec ma pratique du thé. D'abord, ce n'est pas une recherche de quantité, mais de qualité. Il y plus de plaisir avec 5 grammes de bon thé qu'avec 500 grammes de mauvais thé! Et c'est autant un travail sur soi pour améliorer sa technique d'infusion, ses connaissances, son goût, que c'est un travail pour trouver de bonnes feuilles, de bons accessoires. Se concentrer pendant 30 à 60 minutes de pratique du thé dans le cadre d'un Chaxi, c'est un acte de volonté par rapport à un thé infusé vite fait sur le coin d'une table. Mais, c'est aussi un renoncement à la cadence du monde moderne. C'est transformer un acte quotidien, banal, boire, en quelque chose de profond, une célébration de la nature, de la vie.

Une vie de grandeur n'est pas forcément synonyme de conquêtes militaires, d'actes de bravoures sur le champ de bataille et de trésors dérobés. On peut aussi trouver la grandeur dans l'apprentissage, la maitrise et le renouvellement de l'art du thé! Aller toujours au plus raffiné, au plus précieux. Goûter à un puerh Song Pin des années 1920, aux meilleurs Yan Cha de Wuyi, au DYL 104K... Les infuser dans de une Yixing de la dynastie Qing et les déguster dans des coupes de porcelaine DeHua de la dynastie Ming... Ces moments d'éclat, de thés rares, inoubliables sont mes Austerlitz, mes Marengo. Et si j'ai entre-apperçu le paradis, je n'y ai envoyé personne de manière anticipée! 

Spring 2021 Alishan harvest

2021 is a year of record drought in Central Taiwan. If you are following me on YouTube, you will remember that the lack of rain was a concern I mentioned very early on. Some rain has finally arrived in late April, but it was too late to have a positive impact on the Oolongs in Alishan. On the contrary, this cloudy/rainy weather hit during parts of the harvests, at a time when it's better to have sunshine.

The consequence of the lack of water is that tea yields are below normal and the leaves are more concentrated with aromas. The positive consequence is that quality is generally better. However, since there's less supply and an increasing demand, the prices are going up a little. This reasonable when the quality is also improved, but not when the lot has been impacted by rain.

In this regard, I consider myself very fortunate. Being in Taiwan all year long, I can monitor when the harvests happen and I can be among the first to choose from different farmers and different harvest days. I always try my best to select Oolongs that come from a single day and are not a mix of several days or even different seasons. It's not that blending is a bad technique ; it has its uses and advantages. However, in a quest for excellence, purity and education, single batches are superior when it comes to high mountain Oolongs. Defects are more difficult to hide than in a blend, while qualities stand out more easily.

April 23rd, 2021 Qingxin Oolong

And this is what happened this year with this April 23rd batch of Qingxin Oolong from RuiFeng. It blew all other samples away! 

Boom!

What a scent! It's almost perfume! 

The taste is refined and sweet!

And it's still so affordable!

It's my 2021 flagship!

This first High Mountain Qingxin Oolong from spring 2021 is setting a high bar. I'm looking forward tasting the next harvests and bringing you top quality Oolongs from Taiwan's various peaks! This year should be great!