I very much enjoy a variety of tea wares, but rarely talk about them in any depth. Time for that to change I recently received a set of Yixing cups from the nice people at the Canton Tea Company and have come up with a little photo montage of the cups in action. They are featured with the infusion of a wet/Banna stored 2003 raw puer cake. I hope that you all enjoy the photos.

The cups are heavy for their size and somewhat larger than my standard cup, but not unwieldy and just about the right volume for tea for two with the average gaiwan. The glaze is beautifully applied and since the colored glaze is only applied to the exterior body of the cup, the interior shows off the color of the liquor nicely. Perhaps this is due to their Yixing roots, but they seem to hold the temperature of the tea well (after the cup has been warmed), making for a long-lasting enjoyable cup of tea. The set came with 6 unique colors and each has its own character and flair. A fine set of cups.

Comments are welcome and appreciated. And again, a big thank you to Canton Tea

This was a pleasant surprise from a tea company that I knew little about before this experience.

Several weeks ago Verdant advertised a “Tea As Art” competition through their website. The premise was that a limited number of contestants would receive a small sample of their Hand-picked Tieguanyin Spring Oolong in return for producing some sort of art in reaction to their experience with the tea. I wasn’t expecting much, but when I hear ‘free tea’ I usually say “HOW HIGH, SIR!?” Before it arrived I started to get a little nervous about what I would end up sending back. Not that i would have any trouble with whipping something up, but I can be somewhat brutally honest. I pictured making a video of someone throwing up and just repeating it forwards and backwards for several minutes (I am not a big fan of Tie Guan Yin). Something like that would make me feel awful, but honesty is all that I am capable of. When the tea arrived, my sweetie brought the package in and I rolled my eyes. She already knew all about my woes, since the problem was really getting to me. We opened it up immediately and took a whiff. I was pleasantly surprised and now knew that I wouldn’t have to resort to drastic ends. Though relieved, the pressure was still on. I put the tea in the gaiwan and there it sat for about a week, myself unable to look it in the eye…

This morning I was up early and feeling like tea, and there was the gaiwan just staring at me. I took it onto the water table and stared at it as the water came to a boil. The aroma was strong, but not offensively heavy as I find some TGY productions. The first steep was good. Sweet on entry with a good wholesome mouth-feel and body. I hadn’t taken it but 10 seconds in for fear of unnatural disasters. The second steep was different. I trusted what I tasted and so I went for a full 60 seconds or so. Still no bitterness or astringency. Definitely more flavor and feeling, but nothing that made my mind scream inside my head. I can be very sensitive with the more aromatic oolongs. I did five more steeps, and though the leaf opened fully, I never felt like the tea was truly steeped out. The flavor was long-lasting and pleasant with no funky aftertaste or aroma. I like this tea (and I never say that about TGY).

After contemplating this experience for the rest of the morning I decided upon my medium. For a tea so true to its roots, I chose a medium that was also in that range. The good ol’ brush and ink. I thought that a simple comparison of the dry and steeped leaves and a few calming words would do this tea justice. Any more would be like making fun of this sublime leaf. I ground the ink and prepared my workspace for the project. After a few hours I felt that I could do no more. I am NOT and artist, but I think that my work speaks to my respect for this tea. My contribution is as follows:

Half of our potato crop from Spring has come in. Only moments ago I dug these beauties up in the backyard. All Blues, some Callies and others. YUM! Thank you summer.

This is a 375g brick of raw ancient arbor tea leaf puer from the Yiwu area. The leaf is somewhat broken with a fair amount of stem. It smells so sweet!

The first infusion has an already delightful amber color and a sweet, pungent aroma. After a very smooth entry I am pleased to report comforting dried fruits, a tingle on the sides of the tongue and a slippery, warming mouth-feel. The aroma quickly translates to aftertaste and is long-lasting and floral in nature. I was semi-impressed with this tea when I purchased it in 2006; now I am looking forward to enjoying its surprises for many years to come. All this after the first steep. I didn’t expect much, so it has surprised me.

The second steep brings with it a more forceful, yet still very pleasant entry. After a slippery passage onto the palate it shakes the sides of my tongue with a mighty tingle and then rest in the back of the throat with a pungent sweetness. Much more full-bodied than the first steep with a continued long-lasting aftertaste.

Haha, lost track of time staring at the characters on the package and way over-steeped the third infusion. It is a lovely color and QUITE a mouth-full. Though very strong (it is only 5yo) much of the character can still be distinguished. The tingling on the tongue is a bit overwhelming at this point, but I still like it. The aftertaste just keeps going with this much time behind the steep. It seems to like to linger in the upper-back area of the mouth, just above the throat. The throaty sweetness is immense and enjoyable.

3rd Steep

7th Steep

A little bitterness has reared its head in the fourth steep. I felt it creeping up earlier, but wasn’t sure if it was going to show. Luckily it has brought a company of flavor, fruits and camphor along for the ride, so ti is not unwelcome. The later steeps do have a lot to offer and might be overwhelming for the faint of heart. I am sure my 3rd steep didn’t help matters. It does reinforce my new-found belief that this tea will continue to develop complexity far down the road.

On the fifth steep the body is beginning to wane. The flavor is still at 95%, but small pieces of the complexity of just beginning to drop-off. The color is holding steady and it feels as if it will be fun to drink up until the 10th-12th steep. We shall see.

Steep 6 is slowly dwindling, yet still delicious and well flavored, though complexity is lacking.

Steeps 7-12 are worth-while for the subtle dwindling effect with retained flavor.

Steeped Out

This will be a “semi-wordless whatever day this is” post. I spent most of my time on the pictures and drinking the tea. Needless to say, this little precious is amazing. The aroma, the taste, the feeling: all spectacular. This leaf is so clean that even the wash was seemingly contaminant-free and tasty; no moldy or chemical flavors detectable.

Supposedly early 1970s

Supposedly early 1980s

Supposedly early 1990s

Supposedly late 2000s

All of these above are labelled ‘Supposedly’ because who can really be sure. Nobody cared until recent years. The wrapper on the tea being reviewed(?) is below. This tea is not for sale anywhere that I know of currently. I acquired it through private channels many years ago. You can see that it is slightly different than the early 80s wrapper in font (the ‘hao’ character is especially identifiable), but not much else. At the time I acquired it I was able to somewhat accurately identify, the wrapper at least, in a Chinese book representing a variety of puer productions from the 70s through the 80s.

I used a yixing pot that has magical properties. I have tasted this tea many times, so feel no remorse in tasting it via my preferred, if slightly altered, method. This pot can make the fishiest, most rotten tire shu/ripe puer taste about 10 times better, so one might imagine, or not, what it does to this tea.

Next is the leaf. I used about 1/5 of the amount shown. I have several of these, so I took pictures of an unopened tuo for the wrapper.

The following are all of the steeps picture in both my drinking cup and in the overturned lid of a white gaiwan. The tea in the cup shows the attitude of the steep, whereas the tea in the overturned lid shows the more subtle color of the meniscus in a more easily enjoyable format. There are 14 steeps pictured. I don’t time my steeps.

I actually steeped it several more times, but it was too late in the day to get any decent pictures with my little 3mp point and shoot. Here are a couple of additional shots of the teaware that I took for fun as I was riding the qi.

This is one of my favorites

My cute little cup and his friend.

Here I have added a few pictures of the pot and the steeped leaves, at the request of some friends and readers.

Thanks for looking (and commenting, if you are feeling up to it).

This was part of a schwag bag from An International Tea Moment (@teamoment). She said that these teas were her favorite new finds from this year, and it is obvious why she included this one.

The tea leaves, though slightly broken and from what seems to be a fairly slight varietal, have a strong presence and still smell like white tea! (it seems like that would be the norm, but white teas are often not properly stored and go ‘stale’ rather quickly) Nibbling on a small leaf I discover plenty of flavor and aroma without any unpleasant bite. I believe that I am steeping it a bit cooler and shorter than the package directs, not of my own accord, but because the tea is asking me to

The first steep is quite delicious and mouth-watering. It was perhaps a bit overcast on the day this tea was picked, thereby imparting a bit of oxidation in the (I assume) sun-dried leaf buds. This oxidation opens as a soft, floral bouquet with good body and presence. I detect no unnecessary astringency. Though I also enjoy the greener whites, this one is quite delicious for the condition it is in.

I am not sure how much this tea cost, but it does satisfy when that element is removed. The aroma dwindled after 3 steeps, but the sweet floral notes over the tongue lasted well into the 8th infusion. A tasty tea for those who enjoy delicate, floral steeps.

Woh! Just checked the price. Thank you Jen!

This 357g raw cake is not packaged in the Yunnan Sourcing wrapper, but was leaf sourced by YS in Jingu and pressed by the company on the wrapper. Scott’s name for the tea is stamped on the front in light red. The tea smells wonderful in the paper and definitely makes me want to drink it.

The cake is of medium compression with mostly whole immature leaves mixed with a good bit of bud and some stem.In the picture below you can see in the bottom left where I have already knocked some leaves off for this steeping. They come off quite easily and do not require any mangling of the cake.

The wash, very quick, brings out a rich and spicy chocolatey aroma that is a good indicator that I will enjoy this tea. Steep number one is already rich and full-bodied with just the right amount of dryness to not offend, but accentuate the aroma. I am a little surprised at the rich amber color of the liquor for such a young cake. I think that Scott might have some sort of method to his pressing that gives the leaf a bit of a push in the right direction.

Steep two brings out an even richer aroma with the spiciness sensed earlier also appearing on the palate. The color has darkened another shade, but the dryness remains where it is: just on the other side of too much. Some of the YS cakes focus a bit too much on the ethereal fragrances for my taste, but this is one of the cakes that represents a balance between the fragrance and the robust, ageable flavor, at least for me.

The aroma starts to fade over the next 3 steeps, but the color and flavor continue on until about the 9th or tenth steep. I look forward to aging with this cake and attending to its development.

Some of the stems are a bit chewy for a March plucking, but the leaves are as tender as can be. I gobbled down a few before cleaning up. I recommend this cake for aging; I will probably try to polish it all off before it is around 25yo or so.

Tea from Japan can be confusing with the funny names and the odd English translations they produce. In this publication we will give a quick overview of Japanese tea including the general types and grades of tea, growing/processing styles and varietals used. With this guide as a companion anyone should be able to navigate the Japanese tea rhetoric and determine exactly what it is being advertised.

Part One: What was that twig tea called???

There are 8 general kinds of green tea in Japan. They are Aracha, Konacha, Kukicha, Bancha, Hojicha, Sencha, Gyokuro and Tencha, the base of Maccha. You may have heard some or all of these names before, but hopefully this guide will convey a deeper meaning than you have previously understood.

Aracha (literally ‘rough tea’) is the unprocessed and unsorted raw tea product made in Japan. From Aracha the other teas named above are sorted. One batch of Sencha Aracha can produce varying quantities and grades of Konacha, Kukicha, Hojicha and Sencha. Aracha can come in many different grades, so if you find it online the most important distinction to know is whether it is Sencha or Gyokuro Aracha. Sencha being a lower grade and Gyokuro being the higher.

(Aracha pictured is Gyokuro Aracha from Wazuka City near Uji)

Konacha (lit. ‘particulate tea’) can be one of two things. Traditionally it is the dusty byproduct of tea production sorted from Aracha. More recently a market has opened for this style of tea and many Konachas are now produced by taking various grades of sencha and grinding them to a powder. These more modern varieties are often more flavorful than the traditional byproduct.

(Konacha pictured is from Sencha production in Kyoto)

Kukicha (lit. ‘stem tea’) is most often the more delicate stems of the green tea leaf that have been sorted from various Arachas. Any standard grade of Kukicha, sometimes referred to as twig tea, also includes some small amount of leaf which sticks to the stem when it is sorted out. Higher grades of Kukicha can be made from Gyokuro Aracha or even Tencha (the tea base for Maccha). These higher grades can be almost as delicious as the higher grade teas themselves, yet at a fraction of the price. Be wary of any Kukicha that is exclusively stem as it is not a natural Aracha byproduct and is over-processed.

(Kukicha pictured is from a Tencha base)

Bancha (lit. ‘interval tea’) is a tea that is picked out of the normal tea picking period. Bancha is usually picked after all of the tea picking for the spring is complete or just before winter as a method of maintaining the optimal harvesting shape of the tea bush. Bancha is normally very smooth and vegetal in flavor, with practically no bitterness.

(Bancha pictured is picked between First and Second Flush)

Hojicha (lit. ‘roast tea’) is as the name implies. The base tea is usually a coarser grade of Kukicha or Bancha. A good Hojicha is normally not over-roasted, appearing mostly green in the pot, and has at least a 1:1 leaf to stem ratio.

(Hojicha pictured is picked between First and Second Flush)

Sencha (lit. ‘steep tea’) is the main product of Sencha Aracha. It is the tender spring leaf that has been shaped into a pine-needle like form and is a dark-green color. The leaf should not be overly broken or dusty and under close inspection should appear highly glossy. Senchas can range in flavor and quality a great deal, but a good sencha should have a solid balance of bitter, sweet and savory flavor aspects.

(Sencha pictured is shade finished from Wazuka City near Uji)

Gyokuro (lit. ‘Jade Dew’) is the main product of Gyokuro Aracha. Gyokuro (gyoh-coo-roe) has been grown with extensive fertilization of the surrounding field and is shaded from the sun for the last 4-6 weeks before harvest. Gyokuro should also be highly glossy and pine-needle shaped. If you chew a bit of the dry leaf it should be sweet, savory and inoffensive. Though possibly very lightly bitter, Gyokuro’s flavor should focus on sweetness or umami.

(Gyokuro pictured is sorted from the Aracha pictured above)

Tencha (lit. Heaven Tea) is the base tea that is ground into Maccha. All drinkable Tenchas are hand-picked and carefully shade-finished before picking. After picking the leaf is steamed and dried immediately. The product looks like a simple withered leaf, but is a rich, deep green. All of the vein and stem matter is removed by crushing the leaf and using a variety of sorting methods, thus the broken look to the leaf matter. There are various grades, but all of the drinkable grades are essentially the same tea, but grown from different varietals with different fertilizers to enhance certain flavors.

(Tea pictured is a Tencha base for a ceremonial-grade thick-tea Maccha from Aichi Pref.)

Maccha (lit. Paint Tea) is the product of grinding the Tencha above in a traditional stone tea-mill. With none of the vein matter in the mix, the product can be sweet, savory and thick without being too bitter. Higher grade Macchas tend to use Tenchas that were produced with more fertilizers or from varietals that are more difficult or take longer to grow. Lower grades of Maccha are not hand-picked and can be quite bitter with additives like spirulina to enhance the green color. These lower grades are wonderful for cooking or baking as they can have quite pungent flavors that shine when combined with sugar or salt in a cookie or a biscuit.

One additional naming convention that I should mention is Shincha, as this term is often used in the US, as a buzz-word of sorts, to sell tea. Shincha is not a tea, but rather a first picking of a tea for the year. A more easily understood term would be “first-flush”, though it only applies to teas picked and sold during the current Spring. Like Aracha, Shincha comes in Sencha and Gyokuro forms and does not necessarily denote a superior tea, just one picked earlier than later.

This list is not entirely comprehensive, but should cover most teas available for sale in the US. Other teas that may be found are Kawayanagi, Karigane, Sayamacha, Tamaryokucha/Guricha, Kamairicha, etc. I will write the definitions for these and other Japanese teas soon, so please let us know if you find one that you would like to know more about! I have worked in the Japanese tea fields as well as in the steaming and shaping houses and would love to share the knowledge I have accumulated.

We at Wallingfarm indulge in a vast variety of teas from many countries. And we are SUPER interested in hearing what other people drink and why they have made those choices. There are no bad choices, after all, just different ones. I wanted to talk about some of our daily teas and share our choices, and hopefully hear about other tea-drinking preferences out there in the real world.

Our NUMBER ONE most drunk tea is Japanese Gyokuro and Sencha. This choice was less of a choice to drink something and more of a choice to share something. We import Japanese tea, straight from some farmers that we know, for friends and coworkers on this side of the ocean and therefore have oodles of it traditionally stored at our residence. We love this tea and share it often with others.

Our NUMBER TWO most drunk tea is Yunnan Black tea. Our friend in China knows the farmers well and can get the best black tea that you would never find outside of China. We have several varieties within this category, from fuzzy monkey-fur-ish teas to deep black/purple crinkly leaves, but tend to drink them all in fairly equal quantities as the different flavors tend to pair nicely with our moods or the food that we are enjoying at the moment.

Our NUMBER THREE most drunk tea is Yunnan Puer. We have been interested in puer for many years and thus have a fair collection of teas from age 0-35. We believe in puer as the one possibly-sustainable camellia sinensis beverage in existence. For that reason we mostly enjoy wild or ancient puer offerings with a healthy smattering of everything else, just for fun. Just like wine, but even more so, one can enjoy a puer acquisition over the course of an entire lifetime.

Our NUMBER FOUR most drunk tea is probably Fragrant Oolongs. We call them fragrant oolongs because they are no longer made exclusively in Taiwan, but also in other countries with appropriate climates such as Thailand, New Zealand and others. We break out all of the stops with the fragrance cups and special yixing for every mountain. Though the teas from Taiwan have been waning in flavor and character, we still enjoy the experience of drinking with our noses as a rare treat.

We have many more numbers, including some Chinese greens, Darjeeling oolongs, Japanese Hojicha and others, but that would make this post all together to wordy. And more to the point, we want to know what other people are drinking and why!? We are always looking for new teas and new experiences, so please share your home’s traditions with us. Thank you!

Laura & Aaron @ Wallingfarm

A small peek at our more used pots