Growing tired of green tie guan yin? Me too. Come, let’s trudge on.
Today’s Jade Tie Guan Yin is from Tea Spring. Produced in Gan De during the Fall 2008 season, I was hoping it would be like the Gan De from last year’s Anxi tasting set at Jing. Unfortunately it’s been so long that I can’t really say for sure whether it is, but I suspect it isn’t. Similar, but not the same.
If the Jin Guan Yin was a mix of watery sweet vegetables, this TGY is just one. For the most part, it was a combination of lettuce, low-level florals, plus a little sweetness, and consistent right up through the end. I grew bored and jumped to longer infusions sooner, stopping after eight.
This wasn’t a bad tie guan yin. It wasn’t even vastly dissimilar to yesterday’s tea or Jing’s memorable Gan De, but with lighter oolong subtlety counts. I tried reproducing the brewing methods I was using a year ago (less heat, longer times), and the result was a little closer to what I remember, sweeter, more nectary, but still not quite there. It did show the same level of consistency, for whatever that’s worth.
I’ve been experimenting with roasting oolong in a rice cooker, and the results are promising if I pretend I didn’t almost burn the house down during my first attempt. I’m going to try to salvage my 13 bucks by turning this jade TGY over to the dark side.
