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Oolong Tea

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Anxi, a typical rural small city that serves the great Anxi…

Tea Adventures

Anxi, a typical rural small city that serves the great Anxi mountain range, home of many Oolongs, particularly, the legendary Tieguanyin. Arrived into a misty, very cold night. This year, as it happens every 30 years or so, is the phenomenon of the winter spring. Some winter days roared back into the middle of the spring, killing quite a few tea sprouts. This was reported so far in Fuding, Phoenix,Hangzhou, here in Anxi, and also in Yunnan. Well, it also happened in the Bay Area so it must have been global.

Arrived into a night of blinding white fog. Let’s see if I make it up the steep, blind turns up the tea mountain.

If I do, will be up all night tonight tasting through hundreds of teas since flight delays set me back almost a half day.

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西定章朗Xiding Zhanglang area old tree Maocha. Parsing down to…

Tea Adventures

西定章朗Xiding Zhanglang area old tree Maocha. Parsing down to specialized and micro terroir is super important to Yunnan Pu-Erh. After all, processing is not as skill involved as Oolongs, so terroir, tree stock, age….all make the big differences. I am getting to know the taste of Bulang Mountain, with its dance of intricate, complex tastes of BITTER. The bitter note is what is crucial for aging Pu-Erh!

That said, there is a lot of latitude in terms of blending raw materials from sub and micro terroir. Different areas will contribute nuances and qualities that the tea masters want to achieve. There is no end to the subtleties with even just this one mountain!

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Time for the Teabuyer tutorial of this blog. Procuring tea is…

Tea Adventures

Time for the Teabuyer tutorial of this blog. Procuring tea is different from curation but goes hand in hand. You see, many aspirants think it’s just showing up to the farm with cash. Other foreign teabuyers rely on some business middlemen to get the goods for them with the belief that 1. The prices are accurate 2. Really are from the mountain peak or wherever it is, that they say it is.
There is no such thing as honest dealings in Chinese culture, even in tea, UNLESS certain conditions apply: 1. Are you related to the farmer/producer? 2. Are you related to someone who is related to the farmer/producer? 3. Are you a good friend of someone related to the farmer/producer, and if so, do you then know how to do the following: 1. Show true appreciation for their craft? They’ll test you when you first show up, and the tests get more difficult each time you come, so you have to already have the following: 1. Do you have a discerning palate, particularly for their type of tea? If not then immediately they will save the good stuff for those who can tell. Makes sense? 2. Do you know what the right price is? If not, why should they give you the right price? Are you related to them? 3. Are you knowledgeable enough to provide some valuable insights and exchange for their quest for knowledge ? They respect other true professionals.
2. Do you know which is their favorite kid and show up with the right gifts?
3. Do you know who the mom is and take a flattering photo so she’s happy?

Aside from having palate, industry knowledge, understanding cultural nuance, speaking the language, having a local as a close friend, and knowing how it functions all around, you have to display an indepth knowledge of their region without the slightest arrogance or racism (if you are not Chinese). Then, you have to ask the indepth questions no one else cares enough to ask.
In short, being a good tea buyer just means being sensitive, knowledgeable, and humble, the age old Confucian values.

Otherwise you get crappy tea and overpaid for it, that’s all. Or you get mass produced tea and you don’t care.

But I digress with too much information….

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One more treat not to be missed: Mr. Wei has successfully…

Tea Adventures

One more treat not to be missed: Mr. Wei has successfully produced an amazing Gongfu Red tea, oxidized for 48 hours naturally, made with the very top of the line Phoenix Almond leaves. I will have just about 10 lbs of this and will make it available for pre- order soon. I am highly motivated to do these Gongfu Red teas justice- from now on, Black teas are black teas made by machine. Gongfu Hongcha or Red tea made by hand, will have its own category. You wouldn’t call a diamond glass, champagne a beverage, nor poetry the alphabet, right?

The name of this tea will be Phoenix Almond Gongfu Red. There is really, nothing black tea about it. Once you have all tried it, (should be online under Pre-order soon) hopefully you’ll know why it must be a different category!

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It’s all in the hands. Mr. Wei says that rough, large hands with…

Tea Adventures

It’s all in the hands. Mr. Wei says that rough, large hands with crude hand motions will not make nuanced, elegant tea. The secret to his superior quality lies in his ability to sensitively drive all the astringency out of the leaves in its initial withering and tumbling- fluffing, as he calls it. Takes 5-6 hours repeatedly to fluff the leaves, bring the aromas up to the surface, remove the bitter juices, all by touch. One taste of his tea in comparison to other artisans at the same village and you’ll be convinced.
This year’s Ya Sai, or Duck Poop Phoenix Oolong made by Mr. Wei, is an aficionado’s dream. Any oolong fan must put this on the bucket list.

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The name Ya Sai, or Duck Poop, has to be the best name in the…

Tea Adventures

The name Ya Sai, or Duck Poop, has to be the best name in the history of tea. Mr. Wei says their tree was constantly being clipped by fellow villagers once upon a time centuries ago, because the fragrance of its leaves was superior above all other Phoenix tea varietals. The family thought of a clever idea: they named their tree ‘Duck Poop ’ after the multitudes of ducks resting beneathe the tree. Other villagers, in hearing this gross out name, stopped coming around to steal the tea branches. It is the greatest reverse marketing idea ever thought of.
I think it’s a great name. The tea, with its deprecatingly down to earth name, was anything but- superbly elegant in its mango peel and ripe apple flower aroma, light yet memorable front notes on the palate of almonds and honey water, a salivating middle, and a long lingering finish. Not a trace of astringency. It is nothing short of heavenly levels, attributed to not only the trees themselves, but Mr. Wei’s expert handiwork. After all, a Rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, and Duck Poop oolong is one such example.

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