1980s Wang Zi Loose Leaf Sheng

This tea was briefly discussed in the comment section of the post on a 1997 7542 from Essence of Tea here on MattCha's Blog. So is it "old and simple" or "flat, without personality", or something of the contrary? Surely this tea, as any, deserves a bit better than these blanket statements, so lets have a look...

As the kettle kicks steam into the air one takes time to appreciate the dry leaf. They are straggly, very stemy, leaves that emit prune odours with a woody backdrop. They carry a faint dusty smell of old leaves.

The first infusion is prepared. Dirty-earthy, malty, muted prune-chocolate tastes are upfront with a sweetness that disappears. The earthy tastes are left to dry the throat. The mouthfeel is a bit sharp and gripping with a certain roughness in the throat and mouth. The aftertaste carries notes of hazelnut and wood, slowing vanishing into dryness until just faint whisperings are left on the breath. From the first pot the chaqi starts warming the face.

The second starts with much the same flavours but drops off fast leaving dry earthy wood in the mouth. The mouthfeel is a touch sharp and dry. When too many leaves are added you can even find it scratching slightly at the back of the throat. The face and head are filled with warmth and flush under such influence. The qi is sensed on the sides of the face and head- especially in the temples.

The third infusion barely sweet wood notes that have just very fleeting coco notes not nearly as present as in the preceding infusions. The taste evolves into a slightly sour fresher wood taste before turning dry. The more leaf is used, the drier the finish with less leaves resulting in quite a comfortable dryness. The mouthfeel is thin, dry, and travels deep into the throat. The chaqi warms the whole body but is especially apparent in the head.

One prepared a session a while ago which developed an even harsh or overwhelming qi sensation in the head where a fuzzy sensation on the forehead and tightness behind the eyes developed. Sometimes the mouthfeel was on the verge of being too rough. These negative qualities lead one to simply remove some of the leaves from the pot which resovled such problems. These leaves were reintroduced later in the session. One thing is for certain- these leaves pack a punch as far as chaqi goes.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth infusions are all pretty much the same with a light, sweet, wood start sometimes even with flashes of coco. These tastes evolve into a sour woody taste before turning quickly into dry wood. The aftertaste is short and dry faint wood which is still somewhat sharp but much less harsh. The qi sensation is of strong warmth even pushing one into a sweat as the whole body ignites in warmth. The sixth infusion starts to show signs of a lovely spiciness in the initial flavour as well as in the aftertaste but is on the whole very uncomplicated in the mouth.

These spicy wood initial flavours seem to crest in the seventh infusion. These tastes transition into a plain wood aftertaste here.

In the eighth and ninth infusions the mild sweet wood flavour presents upfront with now just a ghostly spice that disappears before you can catch it. The taste turns to a slightly sour raw wood before quickly fading to dry. There is very little change in this simple comforting tea. As the infusions go on things just weaken and so the leaves submit to an overnight infusion even before the tenth steeping.

The next morning very light flavours emerge such as an earthy-spicy-cherry taste that evolves into dry wood and makes the mouth feel sticky and dry.

Link to Wu Xing Cloud's notes

Link to Adam's (The Sip Tip) notes

Peace

1980s Menghai "7572" Puerh

One usually doesn't consume much shu puerh, indulging only occasionally during the hot summer or once in a while for meditation. Today one has a craving for some old shu.

This sample was gifted by Daniel at The Chinese Tea Shop in Vancouver, who stocks a nice variety of cakes. It is of the classic 7572 recipe. This recipe was one of the first to be pressed into a cake by Menghai in the 70s. Let's boil the water, take in the moisture kicked up by the kettle, and enjoy some classic shu...

The smell of the dry leaf is pretty generic- the dusty, stale, must of a long storage. Faint dry wood notes predominate. The tea is placed in yixing and a rinse pushes out more of the smell of storage.

The first infusion reveals an initial burst of sweetness under the strong heavy characters of this tea. A velvety mouthfeel is full of creamy but sharp coco notes. The aftertaste is slightly fruity with a nice grain character to it. Minutes afterward creamy chocolate is carried with the breath. The mouthfeel further evolves into a mild comforting dryness which coats the mouth.

With creamy chocolate echoing in ones mouth the second infusion is prepared. It starts off with a slight sour-sweet burst lying in the thick oily soup of coco and decomposing wood. There are very medicinal notes that hide under other flavours then fade away. The mouthfeel is malty, thick, oily, and finishes slightly dry. The chaqi moves downward warming the lower cavity and comforting the stomach.

The third and fourth infusion start once again with a sour-sweet kick. There are raisin-like and medicinal notes here but they are smooth and meld into creamy coco on the breath. The mouthfeel remains viscous with a slight dry finish. It really gloops over the mouth and paints it in a thick coat all the way to the throat. The chaqi is quite heavy and burrows deep and downward. Ones hands and arms feel almost cool in juxtaposed with the light, soft warming feeling down below.

The fifth and sixth infusions have much more woody notes up front along with thick creamy coco notes that dominate the creamy taste of this tea. Thin dry wood stretches into chocolate in the aftertaste as well. The mouthfeel is very full but slightly less oily. The chaqi is compounding and bringing elevated alertness. One quiets here in the present.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth infusions maintain the core creamy, smooth coco, velvety taste with a progression to more dry wood notes in the aftertaste. The woody flavour is a creamy, velvety wood much more than it is drying. One takes a break from this tea and goes for an evening walk before returning to the table.

The tenth infusion comes once again with more woody, dry notes within the creamy coco base which is becoming more and more ghostly as the session progresses. Slight plum now accompanies wood notes.

The eleventh and twelfth infusions are long and slightly dry. Milky wood notes and many sweet, fruity hints are in there as well. The mouthfeel has lost its oily core but applies a thin fuzzy coating over the mouth and throat.

This tea is taken for a few more long infusions late in to the night before being put to rest with an overnight steeping. In the morning, one is greeted with cinnamon, mainly musty storage, and deep medicinal tastes.
Peace

"1980s Sheng Fangcha" Nada Sample

This sample from Nada was stored in a buncheong style Kim Jeong Soo jar for a few years. A few months ago the body was in need of an oldish Shang this was one of a few older peurhs that were consumed at that time.

The dry leaves have a dusty wood smell. The odour is quite faint. They are added to hot yixing and the first session begins.

The first infusion displays fruity, cherry-plumb notes which came out under woody camphour notes that stretch into dryness. Even after a good long rinse the tea tastes dusty and dry. The contrast between fruity/ wood and dusty/ dry is nice. The aftertaste is dry, dusty with hints of fruit- a continuation of these initial tastes.

The second infusion begins to awaken. It carries a creaminess along with the dusty taste. There are faint suggestions of black cherry even dry coco that underlie the very drying wood notes. The mouthfeel is light and silky.

The third infusion is very woody- camphour in taste especially the initial burst of flavour. Flavours end slightly fruity and then turn dry. The dry dusty tastes have almost disappeared. The mouthfeel is a bit tougher and dry. A light heat is felt in the upper and middle cavities which includes a warm sensation in the arms. The qi is mild, light, warming.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth, infusions are dominated by very dry wood notes accompanied by a dry mouthfeel. This dry wood taste dominates the taste and feel of the session.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth infusions become slightly thinner. This space in the cup allows for a wheaty-straw taste to appear. Sweet notes are hidden deep under the cover of dry wood and rarely peep out. This tea really dries you out.

The tenth, eleventh, and twelfth infusions turn watery. Sweet juicy plum notes appear in the initial taste before moving slowly towards a drier, sharper taste and feel. It too melts away slowly in the mouth.

This tea is taken for a handful more longer infusions. It is here where the depth of fruity flavours are realized and appreciated. Only after the gripping dry wood feeling has relented do these tastes become apparent. And so one drinks on for a few days until it becomes too watery.

Peace