Multiple Infusions

Vendor: Jing Tea Shop
Tea: Anxi Tasting Set, Xiang Hua Tie Guan Yin
Origin: Anxi County, Fu Jian Province, China
Season: Autumn 2007
Price: $52.10/200 g ($13.03/50 g for each tea)

I ordered this tasting set back in April, and after thirty-seven days of unadulterated torment, it finally arrived. It isn’t available at the moment, and while I’m not sure whether it will ever return, you can still find similar teas from Jing’s regular Anxi selection.

Jing’s description:

A unique package that will be of interest to any Tie Guan Yin lover. During our trip in An Xi, we have collected several Tie Guan Yin from some of the most famous growing areas: Xi Ping, Gan De, Xiang Hua, and a new area which has been getting fame for the last 2 years Long Juan. This is a great opportunity to get an idea of the different production methods and tea characters between areas. Medium roasted for Xi Ping, very lightly roasted for Long Juan or Gan De.

I had intended this set to be my jumping-in point for tie guan yin, but I’ve sampled a number of TGYs since first placing the order, so I’m no longer quite so green, which should make this review a bit more interesting.

I started with the Xiang Hua, named for a tea factory by the same name, according to Lord Babelcarp, and meaning “auspicious fire,” if you trust the Wiki entry on a character from the Soulcalibur series, which I lazily do. Like the other teas in this set, it hails from Anxi County, Fu Jian Province, China.

To brew the Xiang Hua, I filled a 90 mL gaiwan about 1/3 full with dry leaf, which equaled 4 grams. After flash rinsing, the tea allowed me to guide it through nine infusions, beginning at 40s/180°F and gradually moving to 2m 20s/195°F. For those interested, it went something like this: 40s / 50s / 60s / 70s / 80s / 90s / 100s / 2m / 2m 20s. Fun, right?

Added to the heated gaiwan, the leaves have an intense aroma of honey and orchid. The first infusion makes a decent getting-to-know-you cup, quite light, yet buttery with what seems to be the beginnings of a nutty finish.

Still just waking up, the second acquires a vague floral-spice quality that follows the smooth-buttery-nutty start carried over from the first steep.

And with the third, the tea moves into compelling territory, its butteriness widening into a full, satisfying cup accompanied by an expansive constellation of floral notes. The flowery spice is still in full effect, manifesting itself in unison with a mildly astringent finish.

With number four, what was before a constellation is transformed into a single, lush floral note that lasts from just after the start to the finish, ending in a subtly sweet spice.

Beginning with the fifth steeping, the tea starts to show signs of slight decline and a rising acidity. At the sixth, the floral spice gives way to a fired, charcoal flavor reminiscent of a more standard oolong, but at the eighth a warm floral sweetness returns, making me glad I went back for more.

I was quite happy with this tie guan yin, and I finally realized that the intriguing spice of some teas, especially oolong, seems to be produced when floral qualities intermingle with astringency.

Next: Anxi Tasting Set Part II.