This winter I am storing my pu’er warmer than in the past and it shows. The aroma is definitely more pungent and I consistently find the flavours more lively as well.
Among the best teas as far as such comparisons go is this cake, which I’ve had for more than two years now. It shows clear signs of aging now, such as the liquor colour moving into the orange territory. It still has a smooth, oily texture and a nice calming cha qi just as before.
The taste is a bit more nutty and displays a nice honey sweetness. Overall, it is very comforting and retains a lot of the qualities that I remember – vegetal bite, well-integrated bitterness, apricot note (a bit like an unripe one), and towards the end of the session also a marine, yeasty character. Among the new flavours I picked up today are thistles and apple, the latter especially in the aftertaste.
Flavors: Apple, Apricot, Bitter, Coffee, Floral, Honey, Marine, Nutty, Smooth, Sweet, Thick, Vegetal, Yeasty
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What’s providing the increased warmth?
Nothing drastic :)
I’ve lived in a different house each winter over the course of the last few years and this year I have a room where I can keep tea at 23C as opposed to 20C or so. It makes a surprisingly large difference, even if the relative humidity is kept the same – around 65%. Of course the difference I am picking up on relates to the activity of the tea in the moment, it is hard to say how much would a couple degrees do in the long run, although Marco’s experiments suggest that quite a lot possibly.
What’s providing the increased warmth?
Nothing drastic :)
I’ve lived in a different house each winter over the course of the last few years and this year I have a room where I can keep tea at 23C as opposed to 20C or so. It makes a surprisingly large difference, even if the relative humidity is kept the same – around 65%. Of course the difference I am picking up on relates to the activity of the tea in the moment, it is hard to say how much would a couple degrees do in the long run, although Marco’s experiments suggest that quite a lot possibly.