Autumn bliss

 This is my 2011 spring Hung Shui Oolong from Shan Lin Shi. After two years, the roasting has mellowed and the leaves seem to start to unfurl already.

Thanks to its high mountain origin (1500 meters), there's a very bright and shiny scent present in these dry leaves. There's also a natural sweetness that tingles my tastebuds!

I have decanted it for a week in this colorful and traditional Jingdezhen porcelain teajar.

 The phoenix flies gracefully amid the clouds on this jar.

What I find amazing are the qinghua drawings of fruit trees inside the jar! It must take a very skillful painter to paint through the opening of the jar!

This decoration is hidden from our view when the jar is closed. It's a luxury in the sense that they are inessential, unnecessary.
 

At the same time, these fruits are symbols for abundance. This feels like the right place to store good tea leaves!

I also like the simplicity of the qinghua drawing (blue on white) on the inside combined with the more extravagant multicolor decoration on the outside.

 A closer look at the surface of the jar shows us that the blue color was painted first, under the cover, and that the other colors are enamels that were painted on top, later on. You can even feel their added layer on top of the porcelain. This duocai (several colors) technique is traditional and made by hand.

While western decoration is done very precisely, with great detail and accuracy, the painting here is done much faster. This lack of perfection adds a unique personality to the jar.

 The fall remembers the spring as flowers turn red...

 The tea shines and tastes like a clear burst of lightly nutty ,sweet nectar. It leaves the mouth feeling clean and full of energy. The sweet aftertaste extends down the throat. I feel waves on my tongue, like a little massage. Very nice...

 Shan Lin Shi's very mellow and harmonious character is at display in this tea. Thanks to its charcoal Hungshui roasting, the tea has retained its freshness perfectly for over 2 years. Now the added power and flavors of this roasting melt more and more with the tea itself. This combination of different colors, characters (tea and fire) creates a unique, beautiful taste.

 The Yixing duanni teapot and the Dehua cup all combine their properties to extract the best flavors from this tea.

Such a tea makes you feel that even fall can be experienced like spring, a new beginning! Autumn bliss.