2009 Longfeng "Green", 2010 Longfeng "Purple"

The summer passes by quickly, does it not? At the start of the summer, with last year's students all leaving for their homes / jobs / internships / wanderings, the summer months look infinite in potential.  They stretch on forever, on the calendar, pregnant with possibilities.  "This is going to be a good summer", I remember thinking.  I imagined the huge volume of Things That Would Get Done.

Now, at the other end of it, that thought seems rather amusing.  If anything, summer isn't more or less busy than the rest of the year - it's just different.  It is also fleeting.

Today is the first day of week 0, a.k.a. "Freshers' Week", and so the cycle begins again, with a new set of faces...

It is fitting, then, that I toast the final moments of summer with some very decent cakes most generously provided by TA.  While the sun is with us, I sneak out under the willow tree with my miscellany of equippage, and see how much drinking I can get in before the world catches up with me.

The world has a habit of catching up with me rather quickly.

The "Green" Longfeng is apparently a Jingmai cake.  If not obvious from its runt-like little leaves and tell-tale aroma, then it becomes evident from the solid, coarse, particulate sweetness of Jingmaishan soup.

Longfeng is an interesting outfit.  The web-page, as far as I remember, mentioned that there is only 2009 and 2010 cakes because "a business partner stole the 2011 leaves", or somesuch.  This seemingly unfortunate bit of luck takes on a new significance when we recall that the cakes were apparently selected and pressed by none other than Scott of Yunnan Sourcing, whose commitment to pu'ercha most of us admire greatly.

Suffice to say that this business is none of mine.  Human politics make it into every sphere, it seems - even what would seem to be something as benign and charming as making tea.  Wherever there are people, there are problems...

In the contents of the cup, Scott / Longfeng / et al. do not disappoint, for the leaves have been well-selected: they are cooling, they are a good representation of Jingmai, and they deliver a solid and enjoyable performance for a goodly number of brews.

Jingmai is an acquired taste, and I don't know that I have acquired it.  The leaves from this area tend to be among the most easily recognised, because there is little else that tastes quite like them - and this is both a blessing and a curse.  Their independence is a little beyond what I usually consider to be "thoroughly enjoyable pu'ercha", but this is just a personal preference.  I don't really get on with the thick-molasses-and-hazelnuts character, and have yet to find a Jingmai cake that provides evidence of reliable aging.  In this latter, I am looking forward to being proven wrong.

The Longfeng "Purple", on the other hand, is right up my street: it is a "Lincang gushu" cake. 

I must admit to being rather excited about this one...

My journal has little else but the words "wonderful Lincang", and perhaps this is all I really need to remind me of that rather delicious session in the garden.  I can easily recall the huge, fruity scent of this cake; in the mouth, it has a thick, chunky, undeniable excellence that squats in the throat for a long time.  In endurance, content, character, and even flavour, this Longfeng cake excels.

The photographs of tea come and go, must I must admit that I like this one in particular

If Scott of Yunnan Sourcing really did make these cakes, then perhaps I need to stop being lazy and get around to buying some samples of his 2012 productions.  The sheer variety and cost of the samples has put me off so far, but I can overcome such obstacles if the results are as good as this Longfeng example.

It lasted well, and has a decent, vibrant finish that makes me want to start up the next infusion without a pause.  Perhaps, ultimately, it thins out a little.  I appreciate its heaviness and its density - sure signs, to my mind, that these leaves have plenty of content.

As with all of these Longfeng cakes, they have long since stopped being available to buy.  If you, Gentle Reader, are sitting on some of these "Purple" cakes, then I can only imagine the happiness that they will bring to you as they deepen, smoothen, and develop with the years.  Enjoy them!

Thanks muchly to TA for the excellent session, which sets me up very nicely for the beginning of a new year.  It's time to blow the dust and traces of old dinners off my academic gown.  Dressing up like an Elizabethan is half the fun of college jobs.