Winter 2012 Alishan Chang Shu Hu

Left: September 30

Alishan is one of the most popular tea mountain for a reason. Its Oolongs have a lot of Gao Shan energy and vitality. At the same time, their prices are very reasonable when compared to Lishan or Da Yu Ling.

This winter, I have selected 2 luanze Oolongs (qingxin Oolongs) from Chang Shu Hu in Ali Shan. Both were hand harvested from an elevation of 1500 m to 1600 m. Only 2 days separate them.

The first (left) was harvested on September 30, 2012.

 

Right: October 2nd

The second (right) was harvested on October 2nd, 2012.

Tasting both Oolongs provides a good example of how Oolongs from the same season and same location can vary. You just never get exactly the same tea. Each batch has its characteristics, and this makes selecting Oolong so interesting and important.

1. Scent.
Both dry leaves exude a dry lavender scent. It is stronger and darker on the left, lighter on the right.
The brews have a fruity scent reminding me of ripe, sweet and juicy oranges (the kind you peel, not press). The right has again a stronger scent.

2. Taste
Both Oolongs have a sugar cane sweetness that is characteristic of winter harvests. The right one is slightly astringent also, while the one on the left is smoother. Both leave a cooling sensation on the tongue.
The aftertaste is very long and full of pleasant stimulations in the mouth. The left tea has a more rough and darker note compared to the tea on the right.

3. Appearance
Both brews are very clear and bright. The brew on the left is darker. We can see that the leaves are more oxidized (red edges) than the tea on the right. There the open leaves have a darker greenish appearance. This is a tea that has seen more sunshine than the batch on the left. That's also why the right tea hasn't been dried as long as the left.

Conclusion: The Oolong from September 30 displays stronger 'fruity' notes. The October 2nd Oolong is lighter, but also finer. I will call them 'fruity' and 'fine' on my selection. Both are very pleasant and convey the warmth and fresh energy of Alishan Oolong!

La sagesse de Montaigne

 

"Quand je danse, je danse ; quand je dors, je dors." Et quand je bois du thé, je bois du thé! Aurait-il pu ajouter! Avec le téléphone mobile et la tablette connectée en permanence à Internet, partout, les distractions abondent. Je remarque que j'ai du mal à ne pas consulter mes mails, les dernières nouvelles... avec cette nouvelle technologie. Je suis bien plus accroc à Internet qu'au thé!

C'est en dégustant du thé que je remarque combien il est important de se concentrer sur une seule activité à la fois. Le plaisir diminue quand je fais moins attention aux détails, ou bien que je m'interromps. Boire plusieurs thés en même temps cause les mêmes problèmes. Je fais moins attention, et donc j'apprécie moins. De plus, les goûts et after tastes se mêlent et s'emmêlent. A la fin, j'ai du mal à bien les différencier. Je pensais gagner du temps avec ce multi tasking, mais finalement j'en perds, car ces dégustations sont trop superficielles et ne me donnent qu'une fraction du potentiel des feuilles. 

 Le mieux pour profiter pleinement du thé, c'est d'y consacrer un Cha Xi. Unique et personnalisé, le thé reçoit l'attention qu'il mérite, et nous le rend bien!

Winter Da Yu Ling 2012

Due to the cold climate of high mountains, Da Yu Ling is harvested last in spring, but first in winter. And this year, the cold season has arrived even earlier than usual!
2 weeks ago, I tested it with porcelain (article in French). Today, I'm enjoying it in a zhuni teapot!

Cultivar: Luanze (qingxin) Oolong.
Harvested by hand on September 14, 2012.
Origin: Da Yu Ling, Taiwan
Elevation: 2300 meters high.

Process: unroasted high mountain Oolong.

The fresh fragrances of the dry leaves have  sweet grass and flowers notes. Alpine air!

While the leaves are brewing, I empty the cups with both hands. One cup at a time. Slowly. Using two hands to hold one small cup may seem strange. One of the first things visitors to China and Taiwan learn is that it's polite to use both hands to give/receive a name card. Using only one hand is seen as too casual.

When you use both hands, you are showing respect. What you hold seems more fragile and precious, but at the same time it also looks well protected. This avoids the stress of seeing someone handle teaware with little care and wondering if or when an accident will happen.
As for your body, when you hold a cup with both hands, your reach is shortened, but you feel more balanced and centered. And the slow movements help the mind to calm down and focus on the tea experience.

The brew of Da Yu Ling is particularly light. It has a yellow color with hints of green and is perfectly transparent. It is like the winter sun, shining its freshness in the dark days.

This is the feeling I try to convey with this Cha Xi: a dark winter, a big white cypress tree (the brazier) like in the high mountains, and then the freshness of green nature that shines thanks to the tea we brew.

The taste of winter high mountain Oolong is particularly sweet. But Da Yu Ling's flowery fragrances also linger with intensity and finesse. What a joy!

The Da Yu Ling Oolongs are a class of their own. This batch is a very good example of the characteristics of this high tea mountain. Its taste is so light, pure and harmonious, but at the same time it has so much power! The belly feels warm and this heat reaches hands and feet! The finish is long and evanescent. The delicate sweetness coats the mouth with a minty feeling on the tongue.

High Mountain Perfection!

More brews follow... and more... and more...

The pleasure remains.

Cristal clear.
The brews just turns slightly more yellow and the taste slightly stronger. But it's amazing how pure it still tastes.

The open leaves open up very large and thick. It's hard to believe they could have been rolled so small in the first place!

The buds show signs of having been eaten by some insect. The leaves feel soft and strong.

The aftertaste lingers on. It's a little bit like light static electricity in the mouth and on the tongue. It keeps on vibrating at a high pace. Or, you could also say that it's like very fine Champagne bubbles!

Combine this delicate electricity with recurring sweet aftertastes and a fresh, flowery fragrance and you have the Da Yu Ling Oolong experience brought by a top grade Yixing zhuni teapot.

It feels like morning in Da Yu Ling:

Oriental Beauty Quest Finale (Part 4)

Oriental Beauty plantation in Hsin Chu county

After part 1, part 2 and part 3 of my quest, let's have an epic battle between two winning Oriental Beauties: the one that shone brightest among the 11 samples I tasted in this quest vs. the one that I selected this summer!

The top sample had been the Bai Lu cultivar (see part 1). It's a new cultivar (No 17), created by Taiwan's Tea Research and Extension Station. It beat all other cultivars, including the traditional Da Pang cultivar (which is often used by Oriental Beauty farmers). But the reason the Da Pang performed badly was probably a defect (burned) during the process.
The second OB is the one I selected this summer. And it's a Da Pang cultivar! So, this will be a kind of second chance or rematch for this cultivar. Who will perform better? The new scientifically developed cultivar, or the traditional leaves?  Wenshan area or Hsin Chu county?

Bai Lu Oriental Beauty

1. On my left, the Bai Lu cultivar from summer 2010 in Wenshan.

The dry aspect shows 'fat', thick leaves. Their colors are varied and quite red.

The scent is very elegant and perfume like. Inside the preheated cup, it is the most intense.

Da Pang Oriental Beauty

2. On my right, the Da Pang Oriental Beauty from Hsin Chu County.
Hand harvested on June 15, 2012.

The dry leaves appear thin and lighter in color overall. I also notice considerably more 'hao' (hair) on the plate after putting the leaves in the cup.

The dry fragrances are somewhat more muted and remind me of milk chocolate and red fruits.

For this duel, I'm (again) using competition parameters: 3 grams, boiling water and 6 minutes of brewing.

Both brews come out very clear and transparent. The Bai Lu is a little bit more red, while the Da Pang has a slight greenish note (see the big cups below for best comparison).

Bai Lu vs Da Pang

Fragrances: the Bai Lu confirms its more intense and higher pitched scents. The Da Pang smells more like primary smell: red fruits and the OB plantation in summer. I find the same scents as what I smelled when visiting the tea fields and tea farm. These are very natural and pleasant scents, but they are less astonishing as perfume.

Taste: compared one against the other, the Bai Lu OB has an astringent taste and it feels much less sweet than the Da Pang OB. The Da Pang OB absolutely shines with its pure, clean and mellow taste and long aftertaste. It's like the caress of fine silk!    

My personal preference is the long pleasure I get from the taste and aftertaste with a nice smell. A more intense scent mixed with an astringent taste creates an imbalance between both senses. You are frustrated that you can't taste what you smell! In that regard, the Da Pang Oriental Beauty is more refined and harmonious. And, if you age it long enough, I'm quite sure that the fragrances will continue to (slowly) evolve towards more secondary and tertiary scents. In the meantime, it feels like a stroll in a low elevation tea plantation in summer!

Oriental Beauty plantation in Hsin Chu county

Guei Fei Oolong d'automne 2011 de Lu Shan

Mon Cha Xi se met aux couleurs chaudes de l'automne de la Chine du sud. En harmonie avec la saison, mon choix se porte sur mon concubine Oolong d'automne 2011. Torréfié, c'est un Oolong qui se prête bien à une longue conservation. Ses feuilles sèches sombres ont une assez grande taille. C'est normal, car elles viennent d'une plantation de haute altitude, Lu shan, à 1600 mètres.

Les thés d'automne sont rarement vendus comme tels, car cette saison n'a pas le même prestige que le printemps. Et, c'est vrai que Lu Yu dans son Cha Jing remarqua dès la dynastie Tang que le printemps est la saison qui convient le mieux au thé. Cependant, à son époque (dynastie Tang), on ne faisait que du thé vert, en plaine ou en montagnes basses. Or, avec pour faire un bon Oolong, il convient de ne pas seulement récolter les bourgeons, mais aussi les jeunes feuilles bien développées. Celles-ci résisteront mieux à l'oxydation partielle et à la chaleur de la torréfaction. De plus, le climat des hautes montagnes en automne (chaleur en journée et fraicheur la nuit) n'est pas trop éloigné des conditions printanières.

Conservé quelques jours dans cette jarre pour l'affiner, les feuilles me donnent une infusion couleur or particulèrement transparente. Les odeurs sont mûres, boisées et chaleureuses. La persistance de l'arrière-goût est très longue. Au goût, il y a une petite note sèche, acidulée qui se transforme en moelleux. Elle est due au terroir rocailleux de Lu Shan. Cela intensifie le goût et lui donne un caractère pur, aérien. Pour Lu Yu, (encore lui!), un sol rocailleux est ce qu'il y a de meilleur pour cultiver le thé.

Ces 4 derniers jours, j'ai infusé ce thé avec mon gaiwan (deux fois) et 3 théières Yixing différentes. Lors de ma première infusion en gaiwan, j'ai obtenu des notes un peu amères, trop concentrées. En vidant le gaiwan, je m'apperçois que j'aurais pu prendre moins de feuilles (voir ci-dessous). Ces feuilles d'Oolong sont vraiment très bien roulées! Et puis, ce sont des feuilles épaisses mais tendres.

C'est avec ma théière en duanni que j'ai obtenu l'infusion la plus fine et suave. A la fois concentrée et légère! Cela peut sembler contradictoire, mais j'ai trouvé que c'est un idéal à atteindre. (Maximiser le bon et minimiser le mauvais). D'une part, le thé entre facilement en bouche et glisse dans la gorge à peine sans qu'on le remarque. Et il laisse une bouche propre, légère. Mais en même temps, les arômes qui restent sont intenses (dans la coupe vide aussi), et l'on ressent la force du thé par vagues successives. Les papilles frémissent de plaisir. On en salive!

Aussi, quand j'ai repris mon gaiwan, j'ai bien fait attention au préchauffage et à une eau juste bouillante. J'ai mis un peu moins de feuilles et j'ai versé l'eau plus doucement et lentement, avec un léger geste du bas vers le haut. Attente pour que les feuilles s'ouvrent bien. Cette fois, le résultat eut bien plus de finesse sans perdre d'ampleur.

La douce chaleur d'un bon Oolong d'automne 

berce mon corps d'une énergie qui étonne

Peaceful moments

Preparing and enjoying tea at sunset is a reward for the eye and the mind. The tea feels particularly soothing, at the end of a working day. The orange sun rays cover the city and my tea accessories with their radiant halo. The porcelain and pottery shine with great warmth. Each brush of blue paint on my big qinghua jar has its own energy and depth. The woodfired bowl seems to come alive with this sunlight.

These are peaceful moments that bring a quiet and sweet happiness to my tea experience.

Oolong Da Yu Ling d'hiver 2012

Cultivar: Qingxin (luanze) Oolong
Origine: Da Yu Ling (2300 mètres d'altitude)
Cueilli à la main le 14 septembre 2012
Process: Oolong roulé en boule et non torréfié.

Test de 3 grammes avec un set de compétition. Infusion de 6 minutes.

La date de la récolte est surprenante. Mi-septembre pour une récolte d'hiver! Il n'y a plus de saisons, on dirait! En fait, il faut considérer le climat des hautes montagnes. La récolte de mon Da Yu Ling de printemps se fit le 10 mai : le thé pousse tardivement au début de l'année, car les hauts sommets restent froids longtemps. Et pareillement, la saison froide revient en premier dans les hautes montagnes. Ainsi, la période active où les théiers poussent est très courte là haut. Derniers à être récoltés au printemps, ils sont les premiers à être récoltés en 'hiver'. Or, cette année, cette plantation est un peu plus précoce que d'habitude. 

Plantation de Da Yu Ling

L'odeur des feuilles sèches m'évoque la douce odeur des cyprès ensoleillés de la plantation. C'est un air vivifiant et pur qui se dégage!

 L'infusion a une couleur jaune/vert clair et très transparente. Cela donne envie d'y plonger ses lèvres... Les fragrances sont d'une grande finesse et délicatesse. Un léger parfun vétiver avec des touches de lavande. Elles sont un peu retrait, pas aussi exubérantes qu'au printemps.

Le thé fait une entrée en bouche tout en douceur. On le remarque à peine. Gouleyant, il glisse tout seul au fond de la gorge. Ce n'est qu'ensuite qu'on remarque sa force tranquille et le goût à la fois moelleux et frais qu'il laisse en bouche. Complet et harmonieux, je ressens une poussée de chaleur bienfaisante.

Bref, cet Oolong réalise un parcours sans fautes dans ce test sensé lui chercher des défauts! Comme ce printemps, voilà un Da Yu Ling à la hauteur de sa réputation. Il est un reflet fidèle de son terroir et de sa saison hivernale. Les feuilles, immenses, se sont magnifiquement ouvertes dans la tasse couverte du set en porcelaine. 

The quest for Oriental Beauty never ends (Part 3)

Today, I will review the last 3 cultivars from my Oriental Beauty quest. (See here for part 1 and part 2).

Left, Fo Shou

1. Left, Fo Shou - Buddha Hand

This is a cultivar I last selected in winter 2009. Its big leaf appearance and citrus taste is what makes it quite special in the Oolong world. Here, indeed, the dry leaves are big already and we see very few white buds.
The dry smells are woody and fruity, but not very concentrated. The leaves feel very dry and thin to the touch.

Middle, qingxin/luanze Oolong

2. Middle, qingxin Oolong (or luanze, soft stem Oolong)

This is my favorite Taiwanese cultivar for High Mountain, Baozhong and Hung Shui Oolong. (This cultivar's origin can be traced to Ai Jiao Oolong in Fujian).
The dry leaves are very small and we see many white buds, but almost no hair.
The dry fragrances are refined and perfume-like.

Right, qingxin Dapang

3. Right - Qingxin Da Pang

This cultivar is the most traditional one for Oriental Beauty in the Hsin Chu-Miaoli area, where farmers specialize in Oriental Beauty. (Note: I previously used Da Pa instead of Da Pang due to some misunderstanding. I apologize for the mistake.)
The appearance of the leaves is rather long. The buds are less numerous than with the luanze Oolong. The harvest was made at a later stage.
The first smell of the dry leaves is light and fruity. Unfortunately, the fragrances that come after are like plastic or even rubber gloves! There's something bad...   

From left to right: Fo Shou, Qingxin Oolong, Qingxin Da Pa

True to its nature, the Fo Shou OB tastes slightly astringent. Also the taste is quite light in terms of persistence. The fragrances lack strength and finesse.

The qingxin Oolong has the most intense, delicate aromas (thanks to its many buds). The taste is mellow and long. However, I also notice some dry notes in my mouth at the finish. It's not entirely comfortable. (It must be a problem of process, not cultivar).

The qingxin Da Pa's brew releases burned smells. An inspection of the open leaves shows lots of black spots on the leaves. The leaves must have been burned by excessive heat during the farmer's processing. It's an unfortunate and sad defect. I had kept this cultivar for the end to compare it with the others. But it doesn't really matter, since I already know that this cultivar can make some 'perfect' Oriental Beauty.  

Fo Shou, Qingxin oolong, Qingxin Da Pa

 The farmer who gave me these samples told me that he just missed 1 major cultivar: Tie Guan Yin! It is also used to make Oriental Beauty! But this doesn't surprise us anymore. What this study demonstrates foremost is that (when the demand is great) farmers can make Oriental Beauty with almost any cultivar. However, we have also learned that most cultivars aren't really suited for it. And that even if you have the right one, it's still no guarantee for success. This also shows how tasting/memorizing high quality standards is important to recognize what tastes right or wrong.

For me, the main discovery of this quest through 11 samples is the wonderful performance of the Bai Lu (No 17) cultivar. I'm looking forward measuring whatever I have left of it against my 2012 Oriental Beauty from Hsin Chu!