This is a Revisit, with the original able to be found here. I should note that there is quite a bit different between these two brews. The other one was in a Zini yixing pot which was roughly 100 ml in size, this one is in a 60ml zhuni pot. But probably the biggest difference is the fact that I am using the Lins Kettle for this one.
A 15 second steep and the tea is black like coffee, only more so than most coffees I typically see. While the aroma is quite nice, and I don't know how to describe it but saying the aroma seems much more complete then you usually get with a tea, like an umami of the nose. And its taste is so full and there is so much flavor that its almost overwhelming.
Several infusions in and I still don't know how to describe the taste of these pitch black infusions, its just powerful, not shy about anything, and in a sense flawless.
Granted I'm on longer infusions now, but the infusions are still powerful and only slightly less jet black. But the aroma is slightly fruity, while the taste is starting to fade.
Sadly this does not have the staying power of that mythical tea that Hobbes had lasting 60+ infusions. I'm sad to say that this tea is fading after probably about 8, though its color isn't letting up much at all.
In the cup a night,
the age shows in precious drops
time in its glory.
5 comments:
I haven't had the opportunity to try this yet, but I wonder if it's from the exact source as the 80s Wang Zi that I tried. He's adding a 70s loose leaf soon, IIRC, and I wonder if it'll also be a Wang Zi. Would be interesting to do a comparison across the board.
Even though these loose-leaf teas definitely don't taste the same as their cake counterparts, I think it's a more affordable pleasure and for times when you just want something simple and tasty.
Maitre_Tea
Basically this being a loose leaf tea is the only reason I got to try something this old, I splurged and got a small sample of this with an order I placed over the summer.
I do not know about the source, but I agree that loose leaf shengs are a great way to have an everyday aged puerh which does not break the bank.
I had a slight smirk on my face when I saw this post as just within reach I have the very same tea as my tipple for this morning. I managed to liberate the Wang Zi Nada sent me from the Royal Mail this week and I'm just giving it a go.
I'm quite fond of such dark tea, it always reminds me of drinking 'bo lei' in Cantonese Dim Sum restaurants in HK of my youth. I haven't brewed it seemingly quite as dark as you, I've used 5g of leaf in a 100ml pot, but the results are still pleasant.
It's a bloody cold and icy morning here and this thick, chunky, dark brew is really hitting the spot!
Happy steeping...
I actually just recently re-ordered this tea. It's definitely got a challenging flavor, and nice smoothness, although I do think if it was a bit sweeter I'd be able to get away with shorter infusions... Unami is a good call, especially on those cups that come out thicker than coffee. Recently I've been making pretty nice cups with 3-5 grams and much longer steepings... I do this especially if I don't have the time for a proper session and just want a dank dark mug of tea in front of the fire.
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