Sunday, May 24, 2009

1998 Raon Puerh


The production of this tea was supervised by a local shop owner and his Chinese tea master. His shop was near ones place of residence in Daegu. He offered up a generous sample of this tea when one purchased a tong of his 2008 offering.

One spent a good month drinking this tea off and on...
It's dry leaves are dark brown with touches of a woody raisin smell. The leaves exhibit signs of early spring growth.

This tea is quite aromatic and as soon as the leaves take in the hot water in the safety of a yixing the smell goes from aromatic to intoxicating. The rinse over ones ceramic tea table launches the odour across the tea room.

In the light water of the first quick infusion, a watery purity develops into a pleasant cool malty sweetness. This delicious caramel molassesy flavour shares the mouth with woody notes. It is immediately apparent that this tea has aged quite well.

Later infusions call on a spicy, dirty earthiness to stop by. It goes like this... first comes the pure, sweet, dirty caramel malt, then a slight spice, a spike of nice sweetness finishes with an earthy dirtiness that lingers on the breath.

The mouthfeel is soft but full as it covers all spaces of the mouth. This tea has a hardy spring energy to it- a gentle roughness. It's energy is euphoric- sobering ones body and mind. It imbues a sense of safety, comfort, and rough wisdom.

One drinks this tea over long stretches of time, sometimes over a few days. The cold brews come out a bit smokey. Something that is not even noticeable in the hot infusions. Strange. The cool sweetness and tough earthiness play out again and again, over and over, only waning a bit each time.

Peace

2 comments:

alexis said...

the "cool sweetness and tough earthy" aspect of the tea sounds fabulous! thanks for sharing!

Matt said...

Alexis,

Everyone likes cool and tough...

that's why Clint Eastwood remains so popular.

Peace