2003 Wild Yi Wu Raw Puerh

At the risk of this blog becoming one long list of Jing products here is a review of their Wu Yi Raw Puerh. Puerh is a tea I first encountered in Yunnan, in 1997, where you can buy it in cakes known as tuocha. These are bowl-shaped blocks of compressed tea often impressed with Chinese characters. I was intrigued at the time and bought a couple to drink and to give as presents. While I enjoyed the tea I did not have the knowledge or experience to know what to make of it. Since then I had not seen it sold here in the UK and I mostly forgot all about it. Now, thanks to companies like Jing, it is relatively easy to get hold of so I decided to give it a try.

Puerh is special because it is supposed to be made with leaves from wild bushes which are then processed according to one of two different methods depending on whether it is being made into raw or cooked/fermented tea. After firing it is compressed into cakes and then left to age by properly storing it so that it will ripen and develop its distinctive flavours. There are different vintages and the older the tea the more expensive it becomes. This leads to trading and investment in puerh tea in a similar way that people invest in good quality wine. Interest in puerh, both in China and beyond, has grown massively as puerh teas are becoming increasingly well known and profitable although they must be stored properly. See Wikipedia article for a good overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu_erh.

Puerh tea has also been championed for various health benefits, such as aiding digestion and weight loss but I am not aware of any scientific study into this.

This tea was purchased as a 10g sample, which is about enough for two pots, although it should be pointed out that the tea can be infused 6 or 7 times. This provides a lot of tea but it should be drunk in a single sitting so it is best to be prepared and to have the time to sit back and properly enjoy this tea in order to get the most from it.

As the name implies this tea was picked in 2003 and has been ripened since as a raw, rather than a cooked, or fermented, puerh. The sample came of a selection taken from a larger block and carefully packed in the standard vacuum sealed Jing bag. 

The first brew produced a strong, smoky scent followed by sweet incense, like sandalwood. The flavour is very woody with a heavy, rich taste. Further sips revealed an underlying sweetness with a floral taste. Through it all is a heavy tobacco flavour, like a nice cigar, but not nearly as unpleasant as that sounds. By the fourth and fifth brewing the taste had mellowed but still full, becoming more like a very peaty whisky.

This is the first pu erh tea I have tried to review and so I have little frame of reference or preference to place it in. It is an interesting drink and brings out a complexity of flavours that the inexperienced would not expect from tea. It will certainly lead me on to try others as soon as I can.

2003 Wild Yi Wu Raw Puerh can be purchased from Jing Tea here:
http://jingtea.com/tea/puerh-tea/2003-wild-yi-wu-raw-puerh

Jing Master Tea Set Review

Welcome to my new blog focusing on tea. I have a number of articles planned for the next couple of months, including an exploration of pu-erh, reviews of the dreaded English tea, an attempt to find some good tea shops in Manchester and a look at different tea cultures so be sure to come back to see how the site develops.

Now on to the first review:

Jing Tea Master Gongfu Tea Set
This was bought for me as a present from my wife as I have had my eye on it for a while. I own a few pieces of Chinese teaware that I have picked up over the years but I have never owned a complete tea set like this before.

There are two versions of the set available, one is just the basic tea set while the more expensive Master set includes a bamboo water tray. It is the Master one that is being reviewed here.

The tea set includes a small glass teapot, two double-walled glass cups and a small jug. All these items can be used to make a perfect cup of tea with a degree of control that I was really looking for; brewing the tea in the teapot and then decanting it into the jug means that you do not have to worry about the tea becoming stewed and bitter, while the size of the tea pot is perfect for one or two people. The small cups provide a great way to taste the tea and the double wall design keeps your fingers protected from the heat. The fun thing about using this tea set is brewing Oolong teas in the gongfu chadao(工夫茶道) style. This roughly translates as The Way of Skillful Tea. See Wikipedia or Jing have a video on their site with the basics.

One thing that really surprised me about this teaset is how light and delicate it all feels. Being made of glass I expected the pieces to be heavy but instead they have hardly any weight at all and encourage the drinker to focus on a sensitivity to the tea. Unfortunately, the tea set is as fragile as it looks and, on arrival, the teapot lid was broken. Jing were very fast in replacing it and all credit to them for their customer service. Since then I have also lost one of the tea cups as it accidentally fell from the tray onto a kitchen surface and smashed. Buying a couple of spares is definitely recommended.

Despite this slight problem it is a great set and I love using it. The clarity of the glass allows an insight into enjoying the tea that a porcelain set can never really match. I am looking forward to trying out some of the speciality flowering teas with it soon.

The tea tray is a good size for the set and of a sturdy and modern design. It is great value for money when bought with the set and if you are interested in brewing in the gongfu style it is essential.

Overall I can see myself continuing to use the set for many years to come and would highly recommend it.

The glass gongfu set is available from Jing Tea at: http://jingtea.com/teaware/tea-sets/glass-gong-fu-set