Overbrewing 06 CuiYuan Nannuo By the Sea

 It's winter in the Bay Area which thankfully this year means rain.  What better way to welcome the new tea year than to cozy up with cups of puerh in a rustic cabin by the sea. Instead of agonizing and carefully curating a tea selection for this trip, I just took a grab bag of puerh- whatever happened to be handy in sample bags.

On the second day, I randomly put a chunk of Nannuo in my thermos for a hike. Much to my surprise- after the second hour of heating in the thermos,  thicker more complex flavors emerged that I didn't get from gongfu for this tea- this brew became redolent of the orange blossom notes in orange blossom honey.  This batch is purported to be from century old trees of a 4000kg production ($24 in 2006 if you must know) is a delicate weak assed tea- just the way I like it. I concluded it's definitely more old tree than young plantation due to it's exceedingly gentle nature.  In thinking about it some more, it makes sense that quick successive gong fu infusions may not extract all the story of an aged leaf.

We normally avoid overbrewing to avoid the bitterness and astringency of tannins- but sheng has a bitter profile anyway and using less leaf reduces the astringency. It's not just grandpa style but a delayed grandpa style- i.e. drinking after more than 1 hour of brewing with some agitation (I'm not sure if sloshing from vigorous hiking was a factor).  I'm kind of excited to try more this way.  I've accidentally brewed oolongs this way with much success and I don't know why I haven't pushed this further.  For shu, I've noticed if I forget a brew in a pot, it develops more herbal flavors and even if I have to water it down with hot water to make it drinkable.

Beyond technique, I realize a more laid back approach to puerh drinking has rendered more enjoyment for me.  Drats. This all along this had been my husband's approach to drinking- never taxing his brain cells with tea analysis.  Well he doesn't read this blog so I don't have to put up with any spousal smug satisfaction. Connoisseurship and deep vertical appreciation for puerh is for the very few and I've given up climbing that mountain long ago. It doesn't mean one can't enjoy the views from the valley below.

 (These cabins are part of the California Park system unaffected by the dreadful federal government shutdown. They have no running water or electricity perfect for detoxing from your devices. See here for more details. )