Monday, December 15, 2008

Wenshan Da Pa Baozhong, Winter 2008

Tea cultivar: Da Pa Oolong
Process: Hand harvested, low oxidized, light drying, Baozhong shape.
Origin: Wenshan, North Taiwan
Harvest date: November 30, 2008

Baozhong can be made with any kind of tea tree suitable for Oolong. Traditionally, farmers use Luanze (qingxin) Oolong for their top Baozhong. Or they use Si Ji Chun, Jin Xuan, Tsui Yu leaves for more common Baozhong (the yields are higher). Da Pa Oolong isn't often used to make Baozhong. Nowadays, it is mostly used to make Oriental Beauty Oolong. The question that arises is why is a particular cultivar better suited than an other to make a certain type of Oolong? When we drink Oriental Beauty, the taste of Da Pa Oolong is difficult to compare to other types of Oolongs, because the oxidation is much higher. However, with this 'Da Pa' Baozhong we can compare it to other leaves at a very similar oxidation level.

From the dry leaves, we can see many white tips. Good sign: tips are more concentrated and fragrant. The dry fragrance is fresh and intoxicating. I smell mostly lavender and even caramel when I inhale strongly.

There's a fragrance in the brew that I often find in Wenshan Baozhong: marshmallows! There are also more typical fresh vegetation scents. The taste is pure, light and silky. There are hints of acidity like in a sweet candy. A fresh feeling in the mouth and a dry feeling on the tongue show how young and fresh this winter Baozhong. (Winter is less fragrant than spring, but brings more 'dryness' and aftertaste).

What I find very pleasant in this Baozhong is the Da Pa cultivar personality: a very good balance between fragrance and taste. Luanze Oolong may have a longer aftertaste, but its fragrance is lighter. And for the very fragrant Si Ji Chun, Jin Xuan or Tsui Yu, they too often lack aftertaste. Here, the delicate fresh smells are matched by a smooth and silky mouth feel! No wonder this tea tree also makes such good Oriental Beauty!
For a change, I tested this tea using the traditional way Baozhong is tested here: using an uncovered bowl. Tea merchants simply use ceramic rice bowls. But I recommend to use the bowl that is included in the white porcelain competition tasting set, so that you use a standard bowl. I used 3 grams and boiling water. (Remember to preheat the bowl first.)
This method lets you see the leaves unfurl and with the tea spoon (a Chinese soup spoon), you can smell the fragrance several times. You also use the spoon to pour some tea in your cup. And you can lift the leaves with the spoon to smell them, too. The brew cools down fast without the cover, but it brews longer than 6 minutes (for the competition standard). So, this is actually a tougher test on the leaves.

Remark: This test method or the competition test method (3 grams for 6 minutes) are NOT the optimal parameters. They are just standard brewing methods used by professionals to evaluate a tea in a more objective manner. The optimal parameters exist, but so many factors influence them that it's best to use your senses and experience to find them.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Article fort interessant, merci Stephane.
J'ai hate de decouvrir ce the et j'espere donc qu'il fasse vivement partie de ta selection.
Les varietes de theiers (on devrait les nommer cultivars comme dans le monde du vin) sont un sujet presque totalement ignore. Il est tres difficile de trouver des renseignement. Pourrais-je donc suggerer que tu nous renseignes quelque peu Stephane? J'aimerais fort bien lire un petit post sur les cultivars pratique en Taiwan et leurs caracteristiques.
Merci encore!

Soïwatter said...

Un Baozhong d'hiver, et même pas un luanze oolong, tu cherches vraiment à nous intriguer (et à nous allécher) sur ce coup!

C'est rare que tu nous parles d'autres cultivars. Y aurait-il des petites merveilles à découvrir de ce côté-là?

Karen said...

So, Stéphane--what do you think are optimal brewing parameters for this one?

TeaMasters said...

Nerval,
Je crois que tu peux te référer aux différents thés que j'ai présenté dans mon blog. J'essaie de donner le plus de précision possible sur eux, et notamment le type de cultivar. Cette année, pour le thé vert, on avait du Qingxin Ganzhong et du Bailu (Taiwan No.17).
A Taiwan, en Oolong, c'est surtout le luanze Oolong (bonne longueur), de Da Pa Oolong (OB), le Tie Guan Yin. Il y a aussi le Tsui Yu, le Si Ji Chun au nez fleuri et le Jinxuan (odeur un peu lactée).
Dans les thés rouges, j'ai proposé du luanze Oolong (perle d'ambre), du rubis (Taiwan No.18) un dérivé de l'Assam, et le superbe Da Yeh Oolong.

Karen,
I'll show you in my next article!

Anonymous said...

très intéressamt ! de plus cette méthode très simple de dégustation dans 1 bol en porcelaine me ravit :je l'utilise personnellement souvent et j'en ai peu entendu parler et de plus ici tu rajoutes la cuiellère : j'ai hâte d'essayer ça m'a l'air très pratique pour sentir et retenir ou enlever les feuilles....
Ginkgo

TeaMasters said...

Ginkgo,
Cette méthode marche surtout avec les thés en vrac aux feuilles ouvertes, genre Baozhong ou thé vert. Pour les Oolongs roulés et le puerh, mieux vaut plus de chaleur pour ouvrir les feuilles. Pour ces thés cette méthode sans couvercle est moins recommandée.

Anonymous said...

Très jolies photos pour illustrer cette découverte que tu nous fait partager.
Ca donne envie toute cette verdure et ce coté sauvage.

Karen said...

I found a bag of this (courtesy of Amy!) while I was rummaging through my oolong drawer a few hours ago. So wonderful brewed in thin zhuni! It brightened up a dreary evening.