A box of tea arrived yesterday from the doyenne of aged puerh - the ever gracious and generous Su of Malaysia. Gushu Chen Yuen Hao's, 70's Tuo, 1998 7532. It's all a bit dizzying. Can I really just return to buying teas on the internet after this? My two-month No Buy Pact is successfully completed and I'm almost cured. Almost. Don't you want to know what's in my e-shopping baskets!
Su also thoughtfully sent me roasted oolongs labeled as "Conference Tea" as well as empty tea bags for filling. Although she also labeled a Tielohan as a "Conference Tea", I think not! I'm gonna save this TLH for a special day this month when I need a lift.
I brewed up one of the paper bag roasted oolongs yesterday as drinking the other teas seemed too luxurious to do all by myself. I'm enjoying the same oolong right now which has rested overnight. Second day brew definitely is mellower with a vanilla profile. Roasted oolongs definitely are an easy companion.
Although aged oolong is what makes me lick my chops these days (and I'm happily waiting for some), I think if I drank aged oolongs regularly, I may be vaulted into a pickiness which is hard to climb out of. Pu-erh is a commitment of decades and in a lifetime, our tastes can shift and pivot multiple times. I think I may tuck in with oolongs for the winter and perhaps return to sheng in the spring.
What did I send in trade? In my humble collection, what is there to send to someone who has such ready access to interesting aged teas? Nay- I chose to send something which I was supremely confident of their deliciousness and quality that was not readily available in Malasia. Artisanal chocolates have yet to infiltrate most of Asia or the world for that matter so I was keen to have Su taste something of the complexity and depth of cacao. I've reached another level in tea trade- I don't have to trade tea at all!
Su also thoughtfully sent me roasted oolongs labeled as "Conference Tea" as well as empty tea bags for filling. Although she also labeled a Tielohan as a "Conference Tea", I think not! I'm gonna save this TLH for a special day this month when I need a lift.
I brewed up one of the paper bag roasted oolongs yesterday as drinking the other teas seemed too luxurious to do all by myself. I'm enjoying the same oolong right now which has rested overnight. Second day brew definitely is mellower with a vanilla profile. Roasted oolongs definitely are an easy companion.
Although aged oolong is what makes me lick my chops these days (and I'm happily waiting for some), I think if I drank aged oolongs regularly, I may be vaulted into a pickiness which is hard to climb out of. Pu-erh is a commitment of decades and in a lifetime, our tastes can shift and pivot multiple times. I think I may tuck in with oolongs for the winter and perhaps return to sheng in the spring.
What did I send in trade? In my humble collection, what is there to send to someone who has such ready access to interesting aged teas? Nay- I chose to send something which I was supremely confident of their deliciousness and quality that was not readily available in Malasia. Artisanal chocolates have yet to infiltrate most of Asia or the world for that matter so I was keen to have Su taste something of the complexity and depth of cacao. I've reached another level in tea trade- I don't have to trade tea at all!
/me shifts in his seat...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chocs Hster!! They are yummy ! Please don't do anymore overnight steeps of those relatively new oolongs.
ReplyDeleteSu