When I seek out new puerh, I'm constantly searching for a characteristic I call "lift". At it's most magical, it's a tea that will crack open the mundane weary human condition to give you a heady rush of mentally flying. But I'm happy to encounter even a thimbleful of lift which at it's most basic is just a small party in the mouth- not unlike a spoonful of brandy splashed into the jam I spread on my morning toast.
I was trying my durnedest to enjoy the white tuo last week but it was just stuck in the mud - no lift... the larger leaves having too much carbon tasted overwhelmingly of graphite lead. I immediately brew up the 06 7542 and even the humble lift on this lightly fermented shu is immediately obvious- high notes add an extra lively vibrancy that makes you want to sip more. I'm going to leave this tuo a few months more to rest and if it doesn't come alive by then, I might have to put it up for adoption.
So today I geared up for my weekend morning fix. Every Saturday morning I block out four hours for tea while my husband is away at class. I don't eat until I get tea satisfied. When I don't get a fix within the first two hours, I have to end with a tea that consistently provides some lift so I can eat breakfast and avoid a low blood sugar crash. A decent quality Yiwu easily provides enough lift and so I declare defeat for my five other teas and end with a 2001 Jin Chang Hao that Israel sent me. It's a lady tea that's pretty in the mouth- though not pretty enough to make grown men giggle like other younger Yiwus. But it's enough lift so I can now head to the post office and start my day.
So today I geared up for my weekend morning fix. Every Saturday morning I block out four hours for tea while my husband is away at class. I don't eat until I get tea satisfied. When I don't get a fix within the first two hours, I have to end with a tea that consistently provides some lift so I can eat breakfast and avoid a low blood sugar crash. A decent quality Yiwu easily provides enough lift and so I declare defeat for my five other teas and end with a 2001 Jin Chang Hao that Israel sent me. It's a lady tea that's pretty in the mouth- though not pretty enough to make grown men giggle like other younger Yiwus. But it's enough lift so I can now head to the post office and start my day.
Wow, two hours of tea drinking without breakfast (especially with shengpu involved) would be a recipe for digestive distress in my case. I'll bet it's good to have unsullied taste buds, though.
ReplyDeleteDear Israel,
DeleteI try to make most of my blank morning palate but being hungry can heighten your sense of smell. I normally drink aged teas/gushu/shu in the morning so I don't wreck my day. Also the effects of tea are quite immediate on an unbuffered empty stomach.
H