I've been on an unusual tea-drinking quest of late, finding myself unusually often in the SCR [Senior Common Room] of various colleges. Despite the surprising quality of the wine, coffee, and cheese that each provides, the tea is woefully sub-par. Or, rather, it's extremely normal (which is much the same). My quest is to find an SCR that serves good tea. There are 39 colleges here - the odds were initially on my side, but now I'm running out of options.
Back at the tea-table, it's time for some proper tea. At last.This one is from the imaginatively-named "Yiwu Zhengshan Tea Company" - what a name. It's a cake from Xiaomei, the tea vendor in Maliandao whose shop seemed to be an eternal tea-party (although admittedly consisting of the same guests each day).
Dry leaves
Ahh, tobacco. I recall the last time that I mentioned my preference for such a characteristic, an actual cigarette butt revealed itself in a dodgy block of shupu - I'll try not to tempt fate.
The leaves of the cake are singular and dark, and have the scent of fine, sweet... tobacco. Excellent.
The lid-scent is robust and expectedly green (being under a year old), with a certain fruitiness. The leathery-sweet wenxiangbei hints at more tobacco.The character of the tea is uniquely tangy: so very tangy, with dark fruits, and a very sweet, fruity nose - it's a cross between tangy shengpu and a dessert wine.
Plenty of ku, tasting very much like "tea", which other cakes seem to often only approach near the end of their sessions. The smooth texture is almost slippery, it's so thick.
Wet leaves
They're big, but they're chopped plentifully. Examining the few larger exemplars reveals a healthiness of leaf and strong stems - no overfarming here, apparently.
Overall
A bit fruity, and the tang really necessitates a good few years to mellow. Overall, it's pleasant, and rather inexpensive (but, then again, it was bought in China, which is a bit of an unrepresentative statement).
Addendum
January, 2011
Flatter than I remember, with more plantation, this tea has "gone quiet". I still enjoy its tobacco-like finish, but it is not as accomplished as I once estimated. Fun, but limited, in its sweet, straw-like way. A step above the mainstream, but not a huge step.
8 comments:
I've been curious for some time– how do you get your dry leaf from cake-form into such a loose state? My ham-fisted attempts to break up pieces of cake inevitably result in piles of broken leaves.
-Brent
Dear Brent,
This might reveal another aspect of my crackpot personality, but I actually find it quite a calming introduction to the tea session to sit down with a chunk of cake and slowly, carefully separate it into leaves.
I read that in ikebana, the Japanese of flower-arranging, a skilled practitioner will get themselves into a suitable state of mind by slowly separating the stalks of the bunches that they have for the session.
Obviously, I'm no tea master, but there is some corresponding effect (for me, at least) in gently separating the tea leaves. Prior to that, I'm thinking about research, dinner, the state of English football at the hands of Croatians, and so on. After the leaf-separation, I'm not thinking of anything at all, and I'm ready to enjoy a good session.
I don't use a knife - just approach the cake from the outside edges, and slowly move the leaves until they want to come apart. Minimising breakage to avoid the bitterness, and you're off to a good start.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
You know, that actually sounds like something I might try. I never would have thought of it myself, but it does sound oddly calming. I always seem to learn something new here... :)
Thanks again,
Brent
Hmmm, Xiaomei is branching out. She didn't sell this before.
I never actually tried this at the Douji store. Meant to... but never did. Maybe I should've.
Oh well
Hummm this looks like Keble's one doesn't it? I haven't seen them all.
Dear MarshalN,
This one could have been from one of her colleagues - she disappeared for a while. I think she took pity on me after my tale of woe trying to find the Douji shop.
Dear Iwii,
Keble indeed - extra points if you can get a couple of the college's infamous blue bricks on your way out...
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Hey, did you buy any other douji cakes?
I saw one today.... not sure if it's any good, and the place isn't conducive to try. Wondering if you got it.
If memory serves, I think this Douji was the only variety I came away with.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
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