There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.– Ralph Waldo Emerson
This is part of the Blog Carnival of Association of Tea Bloggers hosted this month by Cinnabar .
The following video says it all. Some prefer not to touch the tea, but I find that the liquor releases much sooner if I ‘loosen’ the tea prior brewing. Do give me your feedback .
What surprised me most about this tea was not the (excellent) taste, but the fact that I got very different results in my brewing sessions. First time I used a gaiwan, but second time a (gongfu ) teapot. I didn’t imagined the difference will be so great, because usually the difference is not that big. Or perhaps I had a lucky leaf/water ratio for the teapot brewing session.
This tea has a great taste and aftertaste. I decided it’s best to use quick infusions for this one. For the first three or four infusions I poured immediately after I filled the teapot with water. The tea felt very nice.
The name, Ba Xian , literally means Eight Immortals (based on my online findings). According to Canton Tea, this tea comes from the Guang Dong Province, Wu Dong mountain.
The reason why I try to translate tea names and find about the origin is to be able to learn more about Chinese naming and classification system. It helps a bit to know one or two terms in Chinese when you shop for your teas (especially online). Of course, that does not guarantee anything, but I consider it a plus. For example, when I will see a Yunnan Hong Cha Green Tea for sale , I will definitely run away from that shop.
Two years ago I was focusing on Yunnan non-puerh teas, especially green ones. This green tea was one of them. I always liked the quality/price ratio offered by these teas. In fact, in that year, i acquired several teas like this to have them as daily teas. It was not uncommon from me to buy 500g at once.
Yunnan teas have a characteristic taste, you know for sure they are from that region. Or at least, this was my impression. They are different from other green teas. I can’t explain exactly why, so probably you should try it yourself. Here is something I posted in 2009 on another Yunnan green tea. Brewing notes are similar.
I have learned a lot from Yunnan teas at that period. These pics were waiting as a draft for two years now. But I feel like it was yesterday. I still remember the tea, what I have learned from it and what peace I had brewing it.
