tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79015577685104993172024-03-13T05:32:12.734-07:00Maitre_TeaMaitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-1905832112533229402013-02-24T05:16:00.000-08:002013-02-24T05:16:13.747-08:00Paying for Tuition Tea<div style="text-align: justify;">
What constitutes a deceit? If you bought a tea that tasted good and paid a reasonable price for it, is it a deceit if the description surrounding the tea has been fudged a little bit? I stopped by a shop after I found a replacement lid for a pot, and was drawn in by the different maocha the shop had to offer. They source maocha directly from Yunnan, but haven't bought any in the last two years because the market is too hot. They also had (supposedly) aged maocha. Curious about how aged maocha tastes compared to a cake I tried some of their 1990 loose leaf tea. The first infusion was okay, but things picked up by the 2nd steeping. There was smoothness one would not find in most cakes this age, and there wasn't any funky super wet storage flavor yet there was slight sharpness. The tea also had powerful qi, and I was really feeling it by the third infusion. After a dozen or so infusions (pretty good durability) I asked to see the wet leaves. He grabbed some from the pot using some tongs, and they looked good. He gave a good discount and I bought a small amount of this tea.</div>
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I went home and brewed the tea for my grandparents. It performed just as well as it did in the tea shop, though the qi's effect was slighter this time (there is the concept of qi loading where an older tea with lots of qi may have less of an effect if drunk constantly). I pulled out the wet leaves to take a more comprehensive look.</div>
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Notice anything strange about these leaves? Because I did...</div>
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Wait, why are these leaves so leathery and wrinkly! Based on my shaky memory of pu-erh tea, this either indicates really wet storage or that part of these leaves are cooked. The leaves overall didn't disintegrate with rubbing, so readers please chime in with opinions. I watched the guy take tea from the same box he grabbed a sample to brew for me, so there isn't any funny vendor business going on here.</div>
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But assuming the worst, that there is some shu it it (about 15-20% I think), was I ripped off? I certainly enjoy the tea, and a part of me wish I didn't know this (ignorance is bliss). Also, compared to prices for aged pu-erh this was a pretty good deal, but I'm not familiar with Asian prices (it sold for 4000 NTD/135 USD for 600 grams). I honestly don't mind that there's a bit of shu it in. It probably explains why there was excessive smoothness in those initial brews. I think I'm more annoyed that the vendor didn't mention this to me. I really thought he was a nice guy.</div>
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Oh well, I've definitely had worse-tasting tuition tea.</div>
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Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-44493171731056897692013-02-21T17:25:00.000-08:002013-02-21T17:25:04.392-08:00I Just Want to Have Fun<div style="text-align: justify;">
Maybe it's the two years I've been away, but I have a more casual relationship with tea right now. I think interest in hobbies require some amount of leisure time. I had some tea ware with me and some tea in Azerbaijan, but I was so busy that I actually didn't finish the tea I brought with me. Looking at past emails and discussion forums I don't know if I even want to be that obsessed with tea any more. So much of my time had been spent nit picking minor details and endless trolling of web sites to find the best tea/tea ware and the best prices. Discussion over topics on forums are so heated now that I'm afraid to state my opinion otherwise I get blasted by collective Internetz rage, whereas before I would've gladly stepped into the fray and stand my ground. Before I left there were some newer members who, in the span of two years, have become full fledged experts (real or self-proclaimed), spouting off obscure knowledge about the exact composition of Zi Ni clay versus Zi Sha clay. It's scary how fast we tumble down the rabbit hole. Just imagine, I was like too at some point, one of those <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StopHavingFunGuys">"stop having fun" guys</a>. Now I don't care as much. I don't care if my pu-erh is going to age as well as it would in a more humid climate, I don't care if my Yixing pot is not as good as some older pot, I don't care that I'm "doing everything wrong." I just want to enjoy tea. Is that enough? </div>
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Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-75374734132190589082013-02-20T21:10:00.002-08:002013-02-20T21:10:42.094-08:00Aged Oolong from Taiwan<div style="text-align: justify;">
So in the course of a month I think I've tried enough different teas to make up for the two years I spent in Azerbaijan. All of them have been aged oolong, and although I'm no expert like <a href="http://www.marshaln.com/">MarshalN</a> I'd like to think I'm learning more and more about this genre of tea. Most of these teas have been at one store where I've developed a pretty rapport with. The shop keeper doesn't do the hard sell or push any particular tea so I feel more comfortable voicing my opinion. I recently bought some 30 year old Dong Ding, which hasn't been re-roasted since the initial roast.</div>
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When I first saw the dry leaves I was worried this would be one of those "aged" teas that had been re-roasted so many times and so frequently all I can taste in charcoal. The leaves smelled slightly musty so I decided to try some, and the resulting brew surprised me. The aroma of the tea and gaiwan lid reminded me of a slightly wet-stored aged pu-erh. There is acceptable sourness that goes away after a few infusions. </div>
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There is are notes of caramel which I really dig, and there's a pretty sweet finish. The mouth feel and aftertaste isn't as great as some of the other teas I have bought from her, but I can't complain too much for the price I paid. I haven't been offered (or asked for) any aged oolong that have had roasting of any kind, so maybe I should ask if she has any other teas like this one. </div>
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The wet leaves are slightly leathery, but still pliable. I apologize for the poor photo quality (especially on that last one), because I only have the camera on my phone available. Looking at prior tea notes I've made, the ones for this one are pretty sparse. I don't think it's because it's bad tea. I think it's because I haven't done this for so long. I know what I'm tasting and I know what I like, I just don't know how to express it. I need a break-in period before I get back to form.</div>
Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-47274379019844538522013-02-09T23:13:00.002-08:002013-02-09T23:13:35.906-08:00Shopping for Tea<div style="text-align: justify;">
I both love and hate buying tea in person. I love the experience of sampling different teas that a shop has to offer. I hate it when I go through all the stuff in a store to find nothing I like (or the stuff I like is too expensive) and have to buy a little bit to save face. Maybe it's just me, but I don't have the gumption to leave after trying a bunch of different teas. Buying tea isn't like buying clothes, where you can window shop and it's pretty obvious what's what. There's only so much that physical appearances can tell you, but that's mostly helpful for pu-erh. Buying tea is like buying cheese or cured meats.You sample some, and than you buy what you like. Maybe this explains why I have a love/hate relationship with buying from the cheesemonger.</div>
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I try my best to first assess a tea with all my eyes and nose. I also ask questions to figure out the tea's history. For example, I'm on the prowl for slightly re-roasted or un-roasted aged oolongs. So much "aged" oolong is stuff that's roasted to a cinder and all you can taste in charcoal...no thanks. A heavy charcoal/high fire smell is a deal breaker. For some, a sour smell in the dry leaf can also be a deal breaker. Not so much for me. I relish funky flavors and smells, and I asked for tea that "smells like it had been stored in a cabinet in an attic and forgotten about." I didn't know how to express that "flavor/smell" in Chinese so I used a small anecdote. Ask questions! Did you store this tea yourself? Do you re-roast it? If so, how often? How do you re-roast it? Etc. MarshalN has an entry on evaluating aged oolongs...I pored over it and every one of his entries on the subject. Very good stuff.</div>
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Okay, so you've decided on something to try. Now comes the tricky part, because there might be a bunch of second-guessing and confused palettes. I'm not as advanced as many people, so I can only handle at most four or five different teas before my tongue gets confused. Usually the first tea isn't up to par, but it usually gets better when you help the shop keeper hone in on your taste. Sometimes they'll sell some "bogus" information that goes along with the tea...don't buy it. Just rely on yourself to do the deciding.</div>
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So congratulations! You found a tea that you liked. Suddenly a tea tasting turns into a poker game, and if you reveal your hand you might be screwed. "How do you like this tea," says the shop keeper. "Eh, it's okay," I say. Unlike with other stuff I don't have much experience with the art of bargaining with tea. I think discounts start when you buy a kilo or more at a time. Also, it helps if you're a return ing customer. Right now I'm "working" this shop. I started off buying a kilo of okay but super cheap "aged" Dong Ding. The second time I went I got a small discount, and hopefully the next I go it'll be a little better. But for people in the know, how much of a discount is there and at what quantity? Is there a difference in discounting for different tea types? </div>
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PS: I don't know if this works or not, but I play the "poor student" card. Even if I had a successful job I'll keep talking about the crappy economy in the states. I was able to secure a small discount (on a pot though) with this strategy.</div>
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Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-33749280359430205642013-02-05T20:44:00.001-08:002013-02-06T07:01:59.234-08:00The Return<div style="text-align: justify;">
So I recently returned from Azerbaijan, and what was the first thing I did? Check my cakes...and nothing, no visible signs of aging of any sort. No mold though, which is the silver lining. Must move to an environment more conducive to agin pu-erh. Having been away from the tea world for two years, I immersed myself in old emails, written notes, exchanges, etc. and I noticed that I was <i>really </i>into tea. I also really knew my stuff back than, or at least I was able to fake it. I don't know if I'll be as enthusiastic about tea as I was before Peace Corps, but time will tell. Also, without a job to support a tea habit at the moment means that I am lusting after tea ware/tea without any real means of acquiring them. </div>
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I am, however, indulging myself happily in Taiwan. I have already acquired a lot of gaiwan, pots, tea, and other super important tea ware (which I tell myself so I don't feel any guilt). I've mostly been frequenting a store in Taipei that deals mostly in aged oolong. MarshalN is the expert in this field, and I scoured every mention on the subject to prepare myself. So much of the aged oolong people will first brew for you is usually super roasted to death, and when it's super roasted I find it harder to tell if it's been aged. I also suspect it has to do with the shop keeper's hesitance to brew anything too funky. I told the shop keeper I wanted something that "smells like it had been stored in a cabinet in an attic and forgotten about." She gleefully obliged and I scored some nice tea. </div>
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I don't know how much of this is true, but I was told that aged Taiwanese tea have certain characteristics: baozhong isn't sour, oolong a little, and TGY the sourest. When I inquired about the specific kind of oolong typically aged, whether it be dong ding, high mountain, jin xuan, etc. I didn't get a straight answer. I also couldn't get a straight answer when I asked if oxidation levels had anything to do with better aging capability. She wasn't witholding information, however, it was probably because of my American tinged Mandarin. Oh well, I'll ask again when I go back after Chinese New Year.</div>
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Quick question, is anyone still reading this blog? In a two year long absence I suspect I am considered "dead" in the tea world.</div>
Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-79027310537967714242011-03-31T10:22:00.000-07:002011-03-31T10:24:27.615-07:00Tea in Azerbaijan<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Being in a huge tea-drinking culture here in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Azerbaijan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, I figure it’s worth it to discuss my tea related adventures here. Black CTC tea is the norm here, over steeped throughout the day and diluted heavily with hot water. There are cayxanas (tea houses) everywhere, but it’s a men only space where they drink tea, smoke, and play backgammon. Drinking over steeped and diluted black tea abhors me as a Chinese tea drinker, but I’ve come to terms with it. I don’t see it as “tea,” but as a beverage. People here suck on sugar cubs to sweeten their tea, so it’s not surprisingly that anyone over the age of 25 probably has at least two gold teeth. I’m madly in love with my host mother’s home-made grape flavored sugar cubes, so I indulge in that every once in a while.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">The tea is drunk from handle-less glasses on to of saucers. Sometimes the tea is too ht, so it’s poured from the glass and into the saucer, and then it’s drunk. I usually drink dozens of cups of tea this way, especially if I’m visiting as a guest.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">A side-effect of my Peace Corps service is my isolation from the tea community. Although I can technically catch up on blogs, none of it is relative to my life here. My pots are at home, and I have no way of sampling tea. Just getting samples here would be such a pain. Also, life here is just too damn busy for a gong fu session of tea. I’ve been drinking medium roast Dong Ding, as well as a bunch of shu. I fear I’m losing my tea palette, and when I go to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> after Peace Corps I won’t be able to judge young sheng anymore. I still remember what is good sheng, but I’m afraid that I won’t be able to compare. Maybe I should get the samples of sheng I have at home sent over, just so I can keep in practice.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">But unfortunately the tea world is moving on without me, so I have no clue about the state of young puerh right now, and I’m afraid when I go back I’ll be out of the loop. So for any people who still read my blog…what’s going on with puerh these days? What new stuff has been good that I should look out for when I come back.</p>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-91216395903132124952010-06-19T00:56:00.000-07:002010-06-19T01:01:37.135-07:00Finally!As some of you may know, I've been in the Peace Corps application process for almost a year now, but I've finally been invited to serve in Azerbaijan, teaching English. I know this isn't tea-related but it's pretty big news. Also, this is an opportunity for people to send me tea! (just kidding, but not really). I'm planning on bringing some tea, but not a lot since I have to travel light. Probably just the basic balled-up oolong, since wiry type tea takes up more space and is more prone to breakage. This may also mean that I won't be updating this anymore after I leave, since it'd just be me drinking the same kind of tea over and over again.<br /><br />For those who wish, you can follow my adventures in Azerbaijan over at my other blog <a href="http://eastwestcrossroads.wordpress.com/">here</a>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-90466571590948965192010-05-10T21:59:00.000-07:002010-05-10T22:45:24.718-07:00A Tea PartyI recently had the opportunity to brew tea for some UCLA students on behalf of <a href="http://ncam.wordpress.com/activities/events/tea-party-on-the-hill/">UCLA Natural Complementary & Alternative Medicine student group</a>, as part of a tea presentation in which Imen of <a href="http://www.teahabitat.com/store/">Tea Habitat </a>was the speaker and presenter. Will had asked me earlier if I wanted to volunteer, knowing very well that I'm not too confident with my brewing skills. Eager for an opportunity to discipline myself in the nuances of <span style="font-style: italic;">gong fu cha</span>, I accepted. Luckily I had the chance to practice the weekend prior in a young sheng fest. The fact that my fellow tea heads, especially the pu-erh expert himself <a href="http://puerh.blogspot.com/">Jason Fasi</a>, approved of the tea I brewed boosted my confidence a bit.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I was so focused on the act of brewing tea that I totally forgot about the other aspect of a tea tasting: the conversation! Esoteric and random tea facts shot out of my mouth, as if my mind's filter on the mouth broke. A simple question such as "what is the best tea that you've tasted" lead to a very precise and detailed description of the aging process, which then led to the story of <span style="font-style: italic;">Da Hong Pao</span>'s name. I only hope that the participants didn't think I was a madman.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S-jqdUswdpI/AAAAAAAAATU/UGE1dAJeyPE/s1600/DSC07589.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 416px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S-jqdUswdpI/AAAAAAAAATU/UGE1dAJeyPE/s320/DSC07589.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469879536935007890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">At least I looked graceful brewing tea</span></span><br /></div><br />An important lesson I learned from this event though was the importance of pacing/timing in a tea tasting, especially when there's a time limit. Since I'm usually drinking alone I take many infusions with a tea, and I did the same that night, not realizing that I was working with a time limit and a number of teas to go through. How many infusions to go through a tea before moving on? Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I was the last person brewing, but I was relieved that a fair number of drinkers actually sat through the whole thing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S-jquVIbnrI/AAAAAAAAATc/Sh7iffeNmMM/s1600/DSC07620.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 255px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S-jquVIbnrI/AAAAAAAAATc/Sh7iffeNmMM/s320/DSC07620.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469879829108858546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">my pig cha chong was a huge hit with the ladies ... and a good conversation piece!</span></span><br /></div><br />Thinking back, and confirmed by the photos of the event ... my table seemed to be dominated by Asian girls! Especially in comparison to the other tables. I don't know if they gravitated towards me since I must brew better than the others since I'm Asian (definitely not true) or if thought my tea set-up cute. Unfortunately, I felt that I made some assumptions in what I talked about, since I assumed that they've had <span style="font-style: italic;">oolong </span>before. In some ways though my group being mostly female helped a bit, since I feel more "natural" talking to the opposite sex. I kept the conversation light and made a few jokes here or there, including some at the expense of a particular girl who always wanted seconds, pictured below to my left<br /><br />One person I thought was pretty interesting was a guy who was sitting directly across from me. He did the "finger tap" whenever I poured tea, and he picked up the differences in quality from tea to tea. All in all, I had fun brewing and would do it again if I had the opportunity.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S-jte2O18jI/AAAAAAAAATk/ON3HuShO-lw/s1600/DSC07599.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 408px; height: 306px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S-jte2O18jI/AAAAAAAAATk/ON3HuShO-lw/s320/DSC07599.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469882861651096114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">ack, a tea faux pax ... having the guests pour the tea.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></span></span>To be fair, I only had them pour amongst themselves just so I could use the time prepping the next tea.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-21291177995199280662010-04-30T08:41:00.001-07:002010-05-01T09:17:15.290-07:00Reader's Poll<div style="text-align: justify;">My parents have always regarded my tea habit with curiousness . After all, I'm sharing the same interests with my grandparents, who are more or less triple my age. The "tea" gene skipped my parent's generation and hit me hard. When I visited some tea shops in Asia the owners always asked me why a youngster like me wanted to buy tea (this was when I was a bit younger than I am now). And within my circle of local tea friends, I'm the baby of the group, in both age and experience. In most of the blogs I read the writers are "grown-up" with real jobs, a house or an apartment, and perhaps even kids! And here I am, working part-time, living with my parents, and basically waiting for my Peace Corps invitation to get here so I can get a move-on with my life.<br /><br />So I wonder if this is actually do, so if you would oblige, please participate in the poll in the top left-hand side. Don't be shy to answer truthfully. If you're much older than me I'll envy you for your wisdom, and if by chance you're younger, than I will envy the youth that's giving you an edge on collecting young sheng.<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-172982781845072452010-04-18T17:01:00.000-07:002010-04-18T20:48:09.012-07:00Self-Made BlendA line in MarshalN's blog about blending puerh (see <a href="http://marshaln.xanga.com/721117344/to-blend/">here</a>) struck me in particular:<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />"Instead, I think the answer might be for us to start blending our own tea -- an aged Bulang with a young Yiwu might make for a pretty interesting combination."<br />As I was thinking this morning, I dug through the numerous samples that I have, coming across an aged Bu Lang (my remaining sample of the <a href="http://www.essenceoftea.co.uk/1997-Bulang.html">1997 Hen Li Chang Bu Lang</a>) and a younger Yi Wu (the <a href="http://www.essenceoftea.co.uk/2001-Dingxin-Yiwu.html">2001 Ding Xin Cha Zhuang Yi Wu</a>). The Bu Lang had a nice and thick after taste that coated the tongue with a good kind of bitterness. The Yi Wu had some nice fruitiness going on in the flavor/aroma, working more "up front." I used 2.5 grams of each for a 100 ml gaiwan. A shot of the dry leaf:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S8vJRI5-WiI/AAAAAAAAASs/5DTBg0NIDoE/s1600/DSCF2295.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S8vJRI5-WiI/AAAAAAAAASs/5DTBg0NIDoE/s320/DSCF2295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461680269402462754" border="0" /></a><br />The Yi Wu seems to have more complete leaves, since the Yi Wu was pryed from a chunk whereas the Bu Lang pretty much arrived in a loose leaf format. Hopefully this won't affect how the tea blends.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S8vKLywgdqI/AAAAAAAAAS0/SbyWShwV6wg/s1600/DSCF2296.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S8vKLywgdqI/AAAAAAAAAS0/SbyWShwV6wg/s320/DSCF2296.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461681277069457058" border="0" /></a><br />Another difference between the two is that the Bu Lang is a bit "bud-heavy," but I'm not sure what bud-heaviness does to a tea...maybe make it sweeter?<br />The combined leaf:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S8vNEwJnn4I/AAAAAAAAAS8/a_3ufQDrGBM/s1600/DSCF2299.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S8vNEwJnn4I/AAAAAAAAAS8/a_3ufQDrGBM/s320/DSCF2299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461684454645276546" border="0" /></a><br />So how did it taste? Better than combined parts, surprisingly. I'll probably have to try this again in different proportions, but it seemed to taste more "complete" in the mouth, with a great more deal of complexity. The bitterness that the Bu Lang was teeming with was a bit toned down and there was a nice fruity youthfulness that came courtesy of the Yi Wu. As the infusions went on though, it became easier to distinguish the components, as the Yi Wu faded a bit earlier than the Bu Lang.<br /><br />The wet leaf:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S8vRaEEI5VI/AAAAAAAAATE/zFXxBqZB2jk/s1600/DSCF2307.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S8vRaEEI5VI/AAAAAAAAATE/zFXxBqZB2jk/s320/DSCF2307.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461689218814764370" border="0" /></a><br />The larger leaf, which is lighter in color, is more or less the Yi Wu, whereas the darker smaller bits are the Bu Lang. Looking into my gaiwan between infusions, it seemed more or less even distributed.<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-50425279135466876882010-04-09T13:50:00.000-07:002010-04-09T14:26:01.779-07:00Changes<div style="text-align: justify;">It's interesting to see how our tastes in tea change over time, even in a short interval of time. I remember last summer I was in a phase with Japanese greens, which is something that I haven't had in a long time. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that I bought <span style="font-style: italic;">so </span>much that drinking it became a chore. Well, I recently placed a pre-order for this year's <span style="font-style: italic;">shincha</span> from <a href="http://www.yuuki-cha.com/ORGANIC+SHINCHA+2010">Yuuki-Cha</a>, so I'm looking forward to that. Only ordered one thing, so hopefully I won't be forced to drink it all up ASAP. As I was thinking about tea to try, when my eyes glanced over my <span style="font-style: italic;">yancha </span>pot, and it just came to me: I haven't had a <span style="font-style: italic;">yancha </span>in almost two months. And it's probably my favorite kind of tea too! So what happened?<br /><br />Well, I've chanced upon some pretty amazing <span style="font-style: italic;">yancha</span>, that the ones I usually drink don't excite me anymore. <span style="font-style: italic;">Yancha </span>can get pretty pricey, and I brew it in a style that burns through ALOT of leaf (a normal session usually calls me for <span style="font-style: italic;">at least</span> 10 grams for a 100 ml pot). My attention has also been focused on another things, especially pu-erh, which I've been finding more exciting these days.<br /><br />Even though I was jonesing for some aged pu-erh, I decided to take <span style="font-style: italic;">yancha </span>pot out for a spin. I have some high-fired DHP stashed away to settle down and maybe age a bit. It's mellowed over this past six months and the charcoal taste isn't as strong. It's a decent tea, not great, but not terrible.<br /><br />Oh well<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-92223055082894220062010-03-31T20:50:00.000-07:002010-04-03T10:35:48.053-07:00Secrets<div style="text-align: justify;">A recent conversation with a tea friend has touched upon this, but I'm sure that this something that everyone thinks about in some way or another. If it doesn't, than maybe I'm being too paranoid so just ignore me.<br /><br />Secrets, tea secrets. Not so much trade secrets like processing technique or whatever (though I'm sure for farmers this is probably an issue). I'm talking about secrets regarding teas/tea-ware that you like. So why would this be a problem? Well, this is actually more of a problem with pots and pu-erh than it is with other stuff, since the former can be rarer and limited in quality. Especially when there are only one or two cakes left, it can get kind of tense because there's the fear that someone will buy it up. So if I, as a blogger, praise said tea highly...well, some random reader comes along, reads it, and decides to snatch it away from me.<br /><br />This is more of a problem with random readers than it is with the couple readers that I've corresponded with, who I can trust not to purposely screw me over. Of course, this is capitalism, so it's really every man for itself...but just to keep the odds in my favor, well, maybe I'll be a little less specific about the teas I like.<br /><br />Anyway, onto the tea of the day...which actually falls into this category of limited availability so until I decide to buy it I won't give it away: but if you're really curious, I <span style="font-style: italic;">might </span>let you know.<br /><br />This is a late 90s tea, that's seen some slight wet-storage, but luckily that doesn't really seem to affect the tea's quality, though I'm a partial to wet-storage. What's so surprising is that it's still go some bitterness on it, and not the bad kind. It's a good bitterness, one that melts away into a sweet aftertaste. It's like some sort of bitter tea that my parents drank growing up in Taiwan. I'm surprised that it still has that kind of edge on it, since the few teas I've tasted with similar maturity have been mellower. Good strength, excellent tenacity, and thick/luscious mouth feel, this is something that I could see really turning into something after more years or again. Of course, I need some sort of approval from the local tea-heads before actually buying it.<br /><br />Oh yes, there's also the fear that a vendor will see a good review and jack up the price because of that...though I seriously doubt that vendors are bored enough to base their pricing on the ramblings of a tea neophyte<br /><br />*EDIT*<br /><br />and it was the <a href="http://www.essenceoftea.co.uk/1997-Bulang.html">1997 Hen Li Chang Bu Lang</a> from <a href="http://www.essenceoftea.co.uk/news.html">Essence of Tea</a>. And although I said I would confer with my local tea heads, after tasting it again...even if they said it tasted like Satan's piss I would still buy it, because <span style="font-style: italic;">I </span>like it. Unfortunately, I grabbed the last one; however, he might be restocking it in the next few months. Wary of a price hike in the mean time (which just recently happened with a 2001 Yi Chang Hao Yiwu I was so enamored with) and the fact that it may never be restocked...I quickly snatched it up. Keeping my fingers crossed for an eventual restock, since I <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>want more of this one.<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-76108983078526859512010-03-23T20:52:00.000-07:002010-03-23T21:05:49.710-07:00Storage<div style="text-align: justify;">Even though it may seem from my absence of posting that I'm not thinking/drinking about tea, the truth is far from that. Tea is becoming a constant subject on my mind, whether I'm awake or asleep. This is truly becoming an obsession that is consuming my life, and I love it.<br /><br />I have two different spaces for my teapots, one for the teapots that I use most frequently (situated closest to my brewing station) and a second space farther away, where I keep unused pots, which are either too big or just unloved. On that second shelf sits a purion teapot, my first "real" teapot I bough almost two years ago in the quaint ceramic/stoneware town that is Yingge. I used it for a while, until I decided that: 1. it was a bit on the large size and 2. it doesn't season or develop a shine like yixing (at least to the extent of my understanding). So what prompted me to take a sudden re-interest in this particular pot?<br /><br />Zero over at <a href="http://smuggled-in.blogspot.com/2010/03/storage-experiment.html">Something Smuggled In</a> had something to do with it. He's experimenting with yixing storage, and I've had the same questions about storage in purion. I've seen purion jars pop up every once in a while, and I've wondered what this "magical" clay affects tea. I sure as heck didn't want to spring for a purion jar (which can be pretty darned pricey) so I decided to use my purion pot as a temporary storage container. I put some wet-stored loose leaf in there, just enough for a single session, for a few days. After two days the wet-storage all but disappeared, and the tea seemed to have a better flavor/aroma, with little storage taste. It tasted much better than if I had brewed it straight from its usual jar.<br /><br />Of course, this may have to do with airing out of the tea, so I'm doing the same experiment with my yixing pot and just airing out in the open for a few days.<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-32678794616058850772010-03-09T09:53:00.000-08:002010-03-09T10:31:23.312-08:00Moldy Tea, Part II<div style="text-align: justify;">Well, I didn't die from the moldy tea (at least not yet).<br /><br />I know this is a point that's been emphasized by others such as MarshalN, but one truly cannot underestimate the importance of airing out/awakening a tea, even if it's not a wet-stored mess. I aired out the broken up moldy cake, and let it chill out for a while in a partially opened paper bag. I tasted it last Saturday, and although you can still taste some of the wetness, it's relatively smooth with slight sharpness. Pretty tasty as a daily drinker kind of tea.<br /><br />Now, the importance of airing out tea isn't just limited to moldy teas, however. I bought some samples a while ago, and one of the samples was a 2001 Changtai Yi Chang Hao Yiwu. When I first tasted the tea, the tea tasted okay but a certain musty scent led to a negative impression of the tea. I wanted to get a second opinion from resident pu-erh expert BearsBearsBears before dismissing the tea completely. I left the sample bag open for a while (two weeks I believe), slightly curious to see if the mustiness was something that could be "aired out."<br /><br />It tasted <span style="font-style: italic;">very </span>differently than I remembered<br /><br />Granted, it could have been a difference in water (we actually used my pot for that tea), but even so...the mustiness was gone. It's difficult for me to assign words to the flavors/aroma that I taste, but it was good. It's mellowing out, but there's still some of that sharpness which you would expect from something this young. The tea body was good, and there was a nice aftertaste. It was also at a good level of maturity for its age. Definitely something I will order cakes of, assuming other samples don't impress me as much.<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-33339760193002897792010-02-27T14:06:00.000-08:002010-02-27T16:51:07.773-08:00UnexpectedWhenever I came across it on the tea forums I thought, "Nonsense! This will never happen to me! I live in the desert for goodness sake!"<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />This morning, when wrapping some cakes in tissue paper (I'm keeping the actual wrappers separate in case they rip) I discovered some mold on a recently acquired 1995 Grand Yellow Label! Blueish-white in color, it was scattered across the inner side. I quickly checked through the rest of my cakes and was assured. I'm thinking the mold might have been the result of the cake's already wetter-storage, combined with my fairly wet storage conditions. I've brushed off all the visible mold and I've set the cake aside in a "quarantine" area to be monitored for the next few weeks, even months. I wonder at what point would it be safe to put it back into storage/consume it<br /><br />Photos for those who may have comments. I've brushed off most of the visible mold, but some of it may be seen if you open the photos in a new window.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4moGaODB7I/AAAAAAAAASA/70zJHHCL_W0/s1600-h/DSCF2246.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4moGaODB7I/AAAAAAAAASA/70zJHHCL_W0/s320/DSCF2246.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443066452724877234" border="0" /></a>I tell myself that mold is not that big of a deal...and cakes from the 50s to 90s were probably stored very badly/casually, in far more humid conditions than my own.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4mpyuext7I/AAAAAAAAASI/8Gqk-lry2R0/s1600-h/DSCF2248.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4mpyuext7I/AAAAAAAAASI/8Gqk-lry2R0/s320/DSCF2248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443068313589626802" border="0" /></a><br />*Breathing* Yes...it's no big deal...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4mq-m8qMkI/AAAAAAAAASQ/z8LNE6NaPJk/s1600-h/DSCF2251.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4mq-m8qMkI/AAAAAAAAASQ/z8LNE6NaPJk/s320/DSCF2251.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443069617237537346" border="0" /></a>*Shudders*<br /><br /><br />*EDIT*<br /><br />I think what I might do at this point, or at least in a few days after some observation, is break up the cake and somehow that will alleviate the mold problem. Than treat it like cheap wet-stored loose leaf. I'm kind of afraid that although the surface mold may be gone, it still might be hiding out on the inner parts of the cake.<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-1423178448018100122010-02-22T13:45:00.000-08:002010-02-22T14:12:05.625-08:00NYC Show-OffThe long-awaited recap of my Boston/NYC trip:<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />I had the pleasure of visiting The Gallery in the comfort of Michael and Winnie's cozy home. It was like walking into my ideal tea room, surrounded by containers full of tea and tea ware galore. Michael, Winnie, and Dae were all gracious hosts, and although I felt out of place in terms of tea experience, I felt very welcomed. Michael was feeling a bit under the weather, so he was mostly in the background. I had gotten the impression from what few photos I've seen of him on their store's website and <a href="http://theteagallery.blogspot.com/">Dae's Journal</a> that he was a very serious/stoic person. I was surprised with how taken he was with the knock-off iPhone my mother got me in China.I tried three teas, their bi-annual Oriental Beauty, the Golden Buddha, and a Dong Ding. All were excellent, but what captured my attention most was the Oriental Beauty. It was unlike any other Oriental Beauty I have had before. What swill Oriental Beauty have I been drinking all my life! Whereas many Oriental Beauty I've had before are generally simple and straightforward, this one was supremely complex.<br /><br />It was like opening up an antique wooden drawer filled with Indian spices. Thick in the mouth feel, it lingered in my mouth for what seemed like an eternity. I had prepared to completely write off Oriental Beauty, but this was definitely a game changer. I'm not ready/qualified to say that it was the best; however, it was definitely very good.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4MAPdrkG3I/AAAAAAAAARw/lPp9rywOw7A/s1600-h/DSCF2204.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4MAPdrkG3I/AAAAAAAAARw/lPp9rywOw7A/s320/DSCF2204.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441193040459078514" border="0" /></a><br />I also bought an 80s 125 ml Zi Ni<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span>pot for juvenile/adolescent sheng. The "secondary" seal on the bottom was a bit amusing...it recommends this pot for puerh. Makes the process of dedicating this pot much easier. I also bought their smallest gaiwan, an acquisition that has been delayed for too long.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4MA-S9qHnI/AAAAAAAAAR4/YKDBZzBu62c/s1600-h/DSCF2207.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4MA-S9qHnI/AAAAAAAAAR4/YKDBZzBu62c/s320/DSCF2207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441193845036031602" border="0" /></a><br />I didn't visit any other tea shops in NYC, but I did visit some vintage/antique Japanese shops, Seasons International in SOHO and Things Japanese in the Upper East Side. Although they both carried mainly Japanese tea ware, there were plenty of vintage cups to satisfy a student of Chinese tea drinking. They both had an interesting selection of tetsubin, which I sadly had neither the space nor budget for.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4L-89DNUwI/AAAAAAAAARo/FEJHP_ojY0I/s1600-h/DSCF2203.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4L-89DNUwI/AAAAAAAAARo/FEJHP_ojY0I/s320/DSCF2203.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441191622950605570" border="0" /></a><br />I bought a few vintage Japanese plates for my gaiwan brewing set-up, and I also bought a 30s Japanese sake cup which I plan on using for puerh. I like rounder cups for pu-erh, and I think that an old(er) tea deserves an old cup. However, the most surprising discovery was an early 20th century gaiwan, hidden in the corner behind all the cups. It was even on sale, which made it even more irresistible. I don't really have a need for more gaiwan, but I was mostly interested in seeing how tea tastes differently in a vintage vs. contemporary piece.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4L-K1-S9lI/AAAAAAAAARg/WVVI9iIAeHU/s1600-h/DSCF2194.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S4L-K1-S9lI/AAAAAAAAARg/WVVI9iIAeHU/s320/DSCF2194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441190762057496146" border="0" /></a>It was nice to visit my friends back East, and it was even nicer to have the opportunity to score so much nice tea ware. It's unfortunate though, that because of these purchases my tea budget is shot to hell for the next month or so. Luckily I'm in a good place tea-wise. I have all my tea bases covered, I have enough pots for the teas I drink regularly, and I have a pretty nice tea set-up now. I'm playing around with a few samples from Sampan, and I'll be ordering some samples from Nada, to fill out my pu-erh collection for some slightly older stuff.<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-17367154826298829052010-02-13T22:02:00.000-08:002010-02-16T08:54:50.203-08:00An Unintended Hiatus<div style="text-align: justify;">I hate writing for the sake of keeping up appearances, but since I have misplaced my camera (probably at my friend's place in NYC), I can't show-off all the awesome tea pieces I got, as well as describing my journey to <a href="http://www.theteagallery.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y">The Tea Gallery</a>. Hopefully my friend will get back to me after her Valentine's Day trip, or I find my camera somewhere here. If not, I'm running my own tea storage teas, which may have some interesting results. Until next time, Happy Chinese New Years!<br /><br />*NOTE*<br /><br />Epic fail...my camera was in the backpack that I had checked countless times before. Only this time did I actually reach all the way down. Show-Off post will be coming shortly...<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-52320662751806500722010-01-26T23:13:00.001-08:002010-01-26T23:29:54.304-08:00A Brilliant (?) Idea<div style="text-align: justify;">I've been contemplating an idea, and I hope that I'm not being too ridiculous about it...but please bear with me dear readers<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Background<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>So I still have a good amount of young sheng samples just lying around. It's mostly stuff from my Yunnan Sourcing last year, and I've only tried these samples only once or twice, since it was pretty clear to me whether I liked them or not. Anyway, I have most of the samples (the ones I don't want to try again) mixed together in as a "house blend." It's sitting in a paper bag in my humidor, maybe aging, maybe not.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Plan<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>So I've seen videos of how puerh is compressed, and I'm thinking maybe I can consolidate my samples into a "house blend" cake, which might actually make it more likely to age properly. In these videos they basically steam the maocha until it's soft enough for compression. Maybe I can do the same thing. I think one of the things I have to be careful of is making sure that it dries completely and there's no excessive moisture hanging around inside the cake. I'm also thinking about how exactly to compress it. I don't think there are rocks large enough in my backyard to serve this purpose, but maybe compress it using two boxes, one smaller than the other, and compressing it that way, kind of like those <span style="font-style: italic;">onigiri </span>molds you see in the Japanese markets (see <a href="http://c0365611.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com//prod/moulds%20and%20cutters/moniCubePoohLD01.jpg">here</a>). I've seen wooden ones (see <a href="http://www.tasteofasia.co.za/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/S/0/S093_3-Piece_WoodenBox.jpg">here</a>) which is more along the lines of what I might try to do. I'll also need to sew together a cotton bag to hold the maocha in after it's been steamed. Maybe I can give this more thought after I come back from my trip back east.<br /><br />Comments? Has Maitre_Tea gone crazy, or is this the best way to "get rid" of bad samples.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-10782268013682665852010-01-23T20:48:00.000-08:002010-01-23T22:02:36.050-08:00Ripe and Raw<div style="text-align: justify;">I don't drink a lot of shu, but I recalled that my house has a fair amount of wet-stored shu from Guangzhou/Hong Kong. It's mostly a "daily drinker" type tea for my mom, who brews up a huge batch and takes it to work w/her, or puts it in the fridge to drink it chilled. My uncle, living in Guangzhou, is my mom's supplier, so he doesn't skimp on giving her better stuff. Anyway, I figure at the very least I should try it and see what the fuss is all about. I don't really think much about shu, since I normally drink it during dim sum, so it's more of a beverage than a "tea" to me. Most of the weird <span style="font-style: italic;">wo dui</span>/fishy off-flavors have mostly dissipated, and in some ways it tastes quite nice. I detect some woodiness and some "minty" notes.<br /><br />I've heard a bit about drinkers mixing ripe and raw, so I decided to give it a try. I went 75% raw and 25% ripe. The sheng in question was a 2008 Xiaguan FT "Instant Sensation" whereas the shu was a early 00s (?) no-name cake (The nei fei is weird...need to post a pic of it sometime). I don't know if this is the "standard" ratio but I've seen this ratio mentioned in some places, and IIRC it's the ratio for the ripe/raw mixed bricks/cakes out there.<br /><br />The taste is...interesting. It has the bite of a young sheng with some mellowness from the shu. It kinda makes the sheng taste older than it actually is in some ways. It's a bit weird and it'll probably take a few more sessions to see if this is something I could do. Maybe I should try experimenting with a 75% ripe to 25% raw ratio...<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-90043966688062365722010-01-15T21:30:00.000-08:002010-01-15T21:34:57.791-08:001999 Menghai 7542 (Sampan)<div style="text-align: justify;">Come to think of it, I've had more examples of aged 7542 than any other aged pu-erh (which isn't saying much, given my inexperience with much aged pu-erh). Thinking about it, also I've never had the experience of tasting new 7542. I've had three examples thus far, two from 1993 and one from 1999. Granted, these may not be exact dates, especially if there's funny business going on, but they all came from reliable vendors. Nevertheless, they were all remarkable in their own way, and I thank my tea friends for the opportunity to sample things I would otherwise ignore because of price constraints.<br /><br />So today I have on my plate the most unremarkable of these three, the 1999 7542. Of course, there are some redeeming factors but I'll get to that later. This particular sample was stored in Taiwan for most of its life, so it has all the classic signs of wet storage. I love the damp, wetness, and musty book of wet storage. I apologize for the lack of photos...the weather around these parts has been most uncooperative.<br /><br />Even though I've mentioned before that my experience with aged pu-erh is minimal, I've actually tasted a good number of it when studying abroad. The tea shop I entertained would brew up some of her reserve collection for me. I don't recall any particular details regarding vintage, recipe, storage, etc. Thinking back to those days, the pu-erh I sampled was definitely wet-stored. They weren't entirely complex but they were interesting, with notes of camphor, woodiness, and Chinese medicine. My friends all showed disgust but I didn't care and I eagerly drank up their share.<br /><br />Perhaps our tastes and tendencies in tea are reflected by our first impressions. This is true of me, as I am fond of that wet-storage flavor and aroma. I'm a bit torn on this sample, and I'm still debating if I like it or not. There's a bit too much wet-storage, and the tea itself is a bit monotone. There is a slight touch of sharpness coming from the tea's relative young age, which gives me hope that it can still develop. It's comforting to drink, and it leaves a pleasant sensation in my throat. The cha qi is calming, and it leaves my palms and upper back a bit sweaty, and a nice sensation develops in both my mind and chest.<br /><br />Would I buy this tea? Depends, though if the tea could develop a fuller body and maintain its cha qi...I might be more inclined. I'll taste other samples first before making a decision.<br /><br />On an unrelated note, the first signs of aging in my 7532! There's a slight bit of tea stains on the <span style="font-style: italic;">nei fei</span>. Okay, so maybe there's been some funny business going on: I accidentally got some parts of the tea wet. I dried it and checked on it every day or so. Should be okay now, and who knows...maybe I actually helped it by giving it some good old HK storage treatment.<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-5005358929668382362010-01-08T19:17:00.001-08:002010-01-08T19:21:09.065-08:002009 Fall Hong Shui (Tea Masters)<div style="text-align: justify;">From reading my choice of topic for the past month or so you would think that all I drink these days is pu-erh. Well, I would that you're ... partially right. I've been analyzing my Tao Bao purchase, and I've narrowed it down to two tuos that I might "invest" in for storage. I've actually been revisiting some neglected teas, including Dan Cong and various Taiwanese teas I have lying around. Now, I don't take my Taiwanese tea seriously ... since it's often readily available to me freely and in high quality, I've actually never had to buy it before. I don't really analyze or take good tea notes, because Taiwanese tea is something I drink when I want something comforting. It's my macaroni and cheese for all intensive purposes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S0f12_tS3jI/AAAAAAAAAQo/Qp0EvCJHsVY/s1600-h/DSCF1981.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 408px; height: 306px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/S0f12_tS3jI/AAAAAAAAAQo/Qp0EvCJHsVY/s320/DSCF1981.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424574601354206770" border="0" /></a><br />But I recently sat down to some tea from Stephane over at <a href="http://teamasters.blogspot.com/">Tea Masters</a>, and I've been very impressed with the one offering of his that I've tried so far: the 2009 Fall Hong Shui Oolong. I don't have much experience with Hong Shui Oolong, and the other one I've tried was F<a href="http://www.floatingleaves.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=34&zenid=c69e0fe31dec88547b1a528108b14083">loating Leave's Spring 2009</a><a href="http://www.floatingleaves.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=34&zenid=c69e0fe31dec88547b1a528108b14083"> version</a>. There were some general similarities, but I found Stephane's Hong Shui to be more to my liking. They both have higher oxidation, with a light roasting. The oxidation in Stephane's Hong Shui seemed more "in-your-face." It reminded me a lot of my 1996 Jin Xuan, which also has fairly high oxidation.<br /><br /><br />One of biggest criteria for any tea is good mouth feel and lasting aftertaste. This tea fulfills both requirements. Thick and lush in the mouth, the after taste lingered for almost forever even after my session was done. Durability was pretty good, and it extending upwards to 10 infusions before giving up completely. There was a ripe fruitiness in the brew, but it was more mellow and "tamed" compared to the one Floating Leaves offers. Whereas Floating Leave's Hong Shui seemed more refined and elegant, Stephane's version seemed a little more brash and masculine, richer in flavor, which is the kind of thing I like.</div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-91084001149655839592010-01-03T16:11:00.001-08:002010-01-03T17:02:52.230-08:00The Great Divergence*Title stolen from one my favorite books, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Divergence-Europe-Making-Economy/dp/0691090106/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262564038&sr=8-1">The Great Divergence by Kenneth Pomeranz</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">There are two different "camps" that I've noticed, with very different views on how pu-erh should be collected. There are those who buy young, waiting anxiously for the new releases from the major factories, collecting tongs upon tongs of classic recipes, confident in the fact that their tea will age well. They believe, somewhat naively, that the bitterness/astringency will make for a magnificent tea. For a few reason I will elaborate on below, these type of collectors are relatively new in the field.<br /><br />Than there are those who are more seasoned in their experience, who urge caution when buying anything from the boom years of 2004-2008. These are the kind of people who "would rather have one 90s cake rather than a tong of a 09 release." They also have "better" means of access to aged pu-erh, either living in Asia, having extensive experience traveling through Asia, knowing someone on the "inside," or just having the money to experiment wildly.<br /><br />There are probably many reasons why there are these two camps, but I think a lot of it has to do with access to pu-erh. There just isn't really available aged stuff being offered at reasonable prices. Of course, what's reasonably priced for one person might be different for some one else, but regardless, what aged stuff is offered via western-type vendors can be pretty darn expensive. I must note that my definition of a pu-erh's "age" isn't determined by numbers, it's determined by maturity. There may be a good number of pre-2004 cakes on <a href="http://www.puerhshop.com/">puerhshop</a>, but from what I've seen they're mostly in their first stage of aging. On <a href="http://houdeasianart.com/">Hou De</a> and <a href="http://www.nadacha.co.uk/">Nada</a> anything "aged" will set you back anywhere from $60 and upwards to a few hundred dollars. Now, $67.5 for a <a href="http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=31&products_id=304&zenid=a7ab9836aed82e7dd9f594abacb375f5">2002 CNNP 8582</a> may seem reasonable, but to me it's pretty pricey, especially since I have other teas and tea wares that need to be bought too. Of course, these aged cakes may definitely be worth every penny they cost...but I can't afford it.<br /><br />So perhaps the average beginner takes a look at a <a href="http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/product.php?id_product=901">'09 8582 </a>($8.01) and wonder why the heck anyone would spend $67.5 when you could buy the "same" thing for a little over $8? So they're really not the same thing, but they probably don't know how different they are.<br /><br />To many people whose only source of pu-erh is these western-catering sites would probably think that anything aged is too expensive for them. But that's really not the case, because older stuff can be found more readily in Asia, which may be why most of those in Camp B don't feel the need to buy new, because the older stuff can be bought so easily. I go on Tao Bao and I can find a pretty darn good <a href="http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_detail-0db2-69b059fce23c090f6cf6bde0db3e3180.htm">'02 Mengku Jing Pin</a> for 300 RMB ($44), which is a fraction of the cost of similarly aged cakes on <a href="http://www.houdeasianart.com/">Hou De</a>. I can even find 90s cakes for around $60, which is a joke compared to how much is charged for a 98/99 cake. Of course, it's not fair to compare a landmark cake to a no-name cake, but still, why would I drop $500 for BGT when I can pick up tongs of 90s cakes for the same price?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So this great divergence isn't one between two conflicting camps of collectors, but it's a divergence in the availability of pu-erh here in the West. You have a choice of either really inexpensive new cakes* or super-hyped and super-expensive older cakes. There's no middle ground when it comes to all this. I often wonder why a vendor isn't selling reasonably priced older cakes. The closest examples I can think of are Nada's <a href="http://www.nadacha.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=45&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1">90s tuo</a> and <a href="http://www.nadacha.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=140&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1">late 90s Grand Yellow Label</a><a href="http://www.nadacha.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=140&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1">.</a> I would like to see more reasonably priced older stuff, even if it's early 00s stuff, which is pretty much the oldest I can afford. So I leave my readers with the following "task": to point out any reasonably priced "aged" pu-erh which can be found from a western-catering vendor.<br /><br />*I am omitting the third type: the super-expensive and new cakes<br /></div></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-42487586905536054392010-01-02T12:08:00.001-08:002010-01-02T12:37:30.152-08:00Experiments in WaterWater is an important, if not most important, component of the tea-making process. In some ways it's even more important than the tea leaf itself! Another component, though a bit less important (IMO), is the tea ware of choice. In many cases, it's yixing, and there are endless debates about the merits of particular clays, shapes, year made, etc. and how it affects the tea made. I have a general idea of what I should look for in terms of my own needs, but I always encourage experimentation for others, because the fun is the journey, not the destination.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />We're always so focused on the interplay between yixing and tea, but what about the interplay between yixing and water? So I had a little experiment to see how my different pots affect water. I could have just brewed the same tea in all of them, which probably would be better in terms of detecting differences, but that seemed like too much of a hassle for me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/Sz-qP6D1SYI/AAAAAAAAAQY/YTvzfvALY6A/s1600-h/DSCF1969.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 385px; height: 288px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/Sz-qP6D1SYI/AAAAAAAAAQY/YTvzfvALY6A/s320/DSCF1969.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422239666637457794" border="0" /></a><br />I pre-heated all the pots with boiling water, taking into account the difference in wall thickness, with the added bonus of "cleaning" out tea leaf bits, tea juice, oils, etc. Granted, the tea/coffee stains on the cups should have been cleaned, but oh well. I'm not claiming this is super scientific or anything. After pre-heating I poured boiling water in, letting the water sit for a few seconds, before decanting into the cups.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/Sz-rbmBgXgI/AAAAAAAAAQg/SMitLWxi4OE/s1600-h/DSCF1970.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 385px; height: 288px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/Sz-rbmBgXgI/AAAAAAAAAQg/SMitLWxi4OE/s320/DSCF1970.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422240966929047042" border="0" /></a><br />So starting from the upper left, going in a clockwise direction. I must note that it was a bit difficult to discern differences between all of these. If this experiment was being done with tea it might have been easier. The pots on the top are darker clays, all some sort of Zi Ni. With all of them, the water was generally "rounded" out in flavor with a thicker mouth feel. The upper-middle one left a weird off-taste in the water that I didn't really like. The pots on the lower level are more of a mixed lot. The lower-left is a modern Zhuni, the lower-middle is a sand-blended 80s Zhuni, and the lower-right is a modern Chao Zhou clay. For the most part, the water seemed a little brighter and sweeter, with the Chao Zhou clay making the water taste the sweetest. I wish I could drink water from that Chao Zhou pot everyday.<br /><br />Of course, there are things that complicate the results. These pots have been used regularly, so maybe the change in water is the result of seasoning rather than the clay itself. Anyway, it was a fun experiment.<br /><br />Happy New Years to All!<br /></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-9056982271410399612009-12-25T13:45:00.000-08:002009-12-25T15:14:43.763-08:00A Tale of Two TuoSo this is what I've been doing for the past two weeks or so: tasting various '01/'02 Xiaguan Jia Ji Tuo Cha that I ordered via <a href="http://taobaonow.com/">Tao Bao Now</a>. The process was fairly easy, and the longest part of the whole process was waiting for the vendors to get their stuff to their office. Although I haven't tasted them all brewed normally, they all tasted pretty okay brewed competition style. Some are better than others, but the difference is a bit slight. Their similarity also makes it difficult to detect the subtle differences between them all.<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />I have a bit of help from some tea friends, who are helping separate the crap from the gold. One of them has been singing the praises of sample C, which I don't recall too specifically, only that it wasn't too bad. One of my favorites so far has been sample B, which is a'02 boxed version of the Jia Ji Tuo Cha. I don't know about the differences between the boxed and non-boxed versions, but the boxed versions are usually more expensive than their non-boxed counterparts.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dry Leaf</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/SzU7Td-tv0I/AAAAAAAAAQA/oNnKwy-V7qQ/s1600-h/DSCF1947.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 297px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/SzU7Td-tv0I/AAAAAAAAAQA/oNnKwy-V7qQ/s320/DSCF1947.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419302932261486402" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >On the left</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > is the 2001 Non-Boxed Xiaguan Jia Ji Tuo Cha, and on the right is the 2002 Boxed Xiaguan Jia Ji Tuo Cha<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Nothing remarkable about the dry leaf really</span>; they both smelled fairly similar, except the '02 Non-Boxed version has a weird cotton candy-like aroma. I tried to maintain the integrity of the leaves, while making sure it isn't in too large of chunks, because that way they can both evenly.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Tea Brew<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/SzU-F_DmFII/AAAAAAAAAQI/7pxGx__Gddg/s1600-h/DSCF1953.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/SzU-F_DmFII/AAAAAAAAAQI/7pxGx__Gddg/s320/DSCF1953.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419305999157040258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">So because of my idiocy, the one on the left is the boxed version, and the right is the non-boxed<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Once again, not too many differences in the brew, even in the color. Clarity was pretty good in both of them, and they both brewed up a similar amber-gold.</span> Although there is roughness of bitterness/astringency, it seems that it's been mellowed out by age. Although compression was tight, it was slightly looser with the boxed version, which makes me more inclined to buy that version. Sample B seemed a little rougher, but I found it charming because it seemed that the tea had more character, whereas its counterpart was a bit flatter. With both of them, but especially with sample B, the astringency translated into a lasting and decent <span style="font-style: italic;">hui gan</span>, something I value highly. Sample C seemed a little mellower, which may be the result of an additional year of aging, but it also seemed boring. Now, comparing competition style is only one facet of all of this...and I'll see if all of this translate when brewing it normally. So far so good with all of the samples, and at least to my palate it doesn't seem like any of them are fakes. They're good to drink now, with some exception, but if they aged well it could be something marvelous. I think they fall within my expectations, considering their price (roughly $10-$12 a pop).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Wet Leaf<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/SzVE_A5K56I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/zqzHbNcw8BY/s1600-h/DSCF1957.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nOXCFHsYHp0/SzVE_A5K56I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/zqzHbNcw8BY/s320/DSCF1957.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419313575972497314" border="0" /></a>Not much to see here, just your run of the mill factory chopped leaf. Surprisingly, there aren't too many differences in terms of aging, IMO. Of course, they're only one year apart so perhaps there wouldn't be any difference, but because the box would deter aging, I suspect that the boxed versions are stored box-less, and put back into the box for sale. Much chance for a switch-a-roo, but 2002 isn't really a big selling point, but who knows. Although not as nice as the 2002 Mengku cake I also ordered, but at a better price-point, I can buy more for storage.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div></div></div></div></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901557768510499317.post-55078551381434350552009-12-17T09:37:00.000-08:002009-12-17T10:49:15.980-08:00The Vast Sea of Pu-erh<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm beginning to understand why so many blogs dedicate most of their space to pu-erh, instead of say... sencha or matcha. More so than other teas (IMO), pu-erh is the one most "famous" but at the same time the most misunderstood. Compared to most other teas, which more or less have a shelf life, pu-erh is a collectible tea, which speaks to the collector-geek that secretly resides in us. And finally, despite all the misinformation about it, we still dive head-first into it all because the thrill of uncertainty, the gamble that might pay off. I'm still a neophyte in the world of pu-erh, but the more I read and the more I taste, the more questions I have. Things that I took for granted beforehand, like processing, are now closely scrutinized by my mind. So here are some of the biggest questions I have, and although I'm not naive enough to think there's a definitive answer or a singular truth, I hope that I can at least understand the subject a bit more.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Processing<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">From what I understand processing of the tea is fairly straightforward, and although I don't know the exact details, I do know that the temperature of kill-green and intentional oxidation are a big deal to some people. To former, at too high a temperature, creates green tea...which doesn't age well (though carefully done could work). The latter, when over-done, creates a delicious brew similar to Oolong, which is not desire either. For some reason pu-erh can manifest hong cha-esque qualities, but I'm not sure what causes that or if it's good/bad. I think maybe if it's overly oxidized it becomes hong cha. </span>Something I've heard from a tea friend of mine is how careful were processors back than in the 50s, when the legendary Marks came into being. Were people back than as careful about kill-green/oxidation as they are now? Was the entire process as mechanized back than as it is now? Will a slight bit of oxidation actually kill a pu-erh in the long run? And how much oxidation is too much?<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">One step in the processing of pu-erh has got me thinking the most: the steaming that takes place to soften maocha before compression. How does the steaming temperature affect the aging of pu-erh? I recently posed this question of the <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/puerh_tea/">pu-erh LJ</a>, and someone said that a slice of bread can be steamed but it will still grow moldy. So microbes and fungus and whatever can survive the steaming temperature or are introduced somehow after the steaming. If steaming shouldn't kill these microbes than how will pu-erh age if it's broken up? Will it even age at all? I've broken up the cake of my 2008 Xiaguan "Instant Sensation" and stored some of it in a clay jar. I didn't break it up into individual leafs, but little chunks here and there. We'll see how/if it ages.<br /><br />Related to this, if the bacteria/microbes that are helping a pu-erh age come the surrounding air...than will pu-erh aged in our homes ever be as good or be as aged as stuff from Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.? It will probably be 10 years or so before we start to see what parts of the world outside of China have the "best" conditions for aging. Even if we all have our humidors and water trays, if the air is different...will our home-aged stuff ever be "as good" as stuff from Asia? Perhaps specific fungus/molds/etc are introduced deliberately...and each factory has its own secret "blend" of this stuff.<br /><br />Or maybe the bulk of aging isn't done by fungus, microbes, etc. I think BBB pointed this out somewhere, but we know that these things are present, but we don't know if they're actually doing anything. So maybe the aging process is just the slow break-down/"rotting" of cell walls over time.<br /><br />So no real answers here...just endless speculation. Thoughts, anyone?<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></div></div></div>Maitre_Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949659223396025930noreply@blogger.com11