Tea Tasting: 2020 Jiu Jiu Shui Xian

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It's not often that I get to do TWO tea sessions in a row, much less from the same tea club!

I'm trying the second tea from Box #5 from Old Ways tea, this time, Jiu Jiu Shui Xian.

I love the shui xian cultivar, and I'm always curious on the different methods of roasting & preparation of it. It was made by her uncle, who had made a huang meu gui that was typical of what I expect of a rock oolong, and a good daily drinker.  So I am very hopeful of this particular tea, having a good roaster is like having a good mechanic that you can count on to produce good results.

Tea Information

  • Type: Wuyi Oolong
  • Vendor: Old Ways Tea
  • Recommendations: n/a
  • Cost per gram: Part of the Tea club
Description from Company:

I got this Shui Xian from my uncle, the source of the Huang Mei Gui A from December 2020. It is is from his garden in Lan Shang, which he has managed for a number of users now, using no pesticide or herbicide; lots of sticky traps and manual weeding. 

Tea Session

  • Teaware: 100ml Gaiwan
  • Water Amount: ~100
  • Tea Amount: 8 grams
  • Brewing Temperatures: 195-200F
  • Time (seconds):  starting at 15second, increase by 5-10
  • High notes of the aroma: Sweet, cooked veggies, mild fruit/floral notes
  • Low notes of the aroma: Sweetness, wet wood, floral/fuits
  • Broth: 
    • 1st Infusion: 200+ @ 15 seconds. I taste wood at first sip. The broth has a syrup like consistency. It borders slightly on the bitter side with afternotes of astringency at the back of throat. Did I brew this too long?
    • 2nd Infusion: 202 @ 20 seconds. There's still a tiny bit of bitterness, but I can taste florals. I still think I brewed this too hot or too long. I think the hot water is burning through the high notes of the florals. 
    • 3rd Infusion: 200 @ 20 seconds. There's still the taste of wood, but the bitterness is gone. The astringency at the back of the throat is still there
    • 4th Infusion: 195 @ 40 seconds -- This is a much milder and nicer version of infusion #2. This one is much better. Previous infusions weren't too long, but just too hot.
    • 5th + Infusions: This tea does much better at the cooler temperatures. I enjoyed this until about the 7th infusion, then changed brewing styles from gongfu cha to grandpa brewing. The tea lasted well into the evening.
Figure: Steeps 1-3


To try for the next time: 
This tea seems to prefer a slightly cooler water temperature with relatively short brewing times. I think 195 is a good temperature, and probably start @ 10seconds to see how it handles it.

Summary

I love learning a new tea. There's a moment of discovery when you're trying to figure out how best to brew a particular tea. Most of the time, roasted oolongs are easily brewed at hot-to-boiling temperatures, but some prefer a much lower temperature for either a short or long brewing time.

Each tea is unique. Paying attention to each steep to not just taste the flavors, feel the qi of the tea, and to determine how to make it better the next time. 


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