Tie Guan Yin 1993

I appreciate the expereince of the age on this one. Something good happened and I broke out this box of tea to celebrate. Intense, woody, roasty, uniquely tasty. An experience I will not soon forget.

The dry leaf is dark green, verging on black, and twisty, but not rolled into balls. It smells woody and earthy, with hints of orchid that contrast in a very interesting way.

Steeped, the leaf smells intensely floral and woody. The tea soup is a pale amber colour and very clear. It smells very faintly of honey and wood.

On the first steep, the wood note is dominant, with honey and orchid in the background. I steeped 1g in 50ml of 90C water for 30 seconds, as per the steeping directions, but the flavour seems a bit light. I think this might have benefited from a quick rinse and a bit of a rest, to let the leaves open up a bit more, or just a slightly longer first steep.

The second steep is amazing. Everything about this steep is stronger and deeper, with well balanced notes of wood, roast and honey forefront, backed up by a lovely orchid. The finish is long, with a honeyed, tangy vegetal note that develops long after the sip. The texture is creamy and smooth.

The third steep intrigues me. The steeped leaf has taken on an almost acrid, charred wood note that I find unappealing. But the flavour of the tea is incredible. There is more roastiness and less honey than on the second steep, but toward the end of the sip there is a melted butter and brown sugar taste that contributes to the rich, creamy impression from the mouth feel.

The fourth steep once again seems lighter on flavour than it should be. While the flavours of the third steep are present, they are mild and a bit muddled.

For the fifth steep, I didn’t bother timing precisely and just let the tea sit until it seemed like it was ready. The butter, brown sugar and orchid are back to being more prominent, but at this point the leaves are staring to lose their flavour.

This is an amazing tea that shows its age through the fine and complex flavour. While three of my five steeps were not all that impressive, I was quite blown away by the second and third, and I think it is well worth drinking for those steeps alone (and I think with some tweaking of steeping technique and parameters, at least three incredible steeps could be had.)

I drank this and made my note without looking at anyone else’s impressions, and it’s so interesting to see the variety of different experiences people had with this tea. There’s a great deal of diversity in the flavours that people picked out.

While this may not be an every day kind of tea, it is one that is absolutely worth trying.

30s, 30s, 45s, 45s, 1min+

Sample provided by Nannuoshan.

I am a giant slacker, I should have written about this tea yesterday like I planned, but by the time I got home at 9 o’clock last night, I was so pooped that I just flopped on the bed and refused to move. Well, that and Ben has been a total computer hog with his play-testing work (and researching a new game he is interested in as well) but that is ok. Yesterday was a blast, I went out for lunch with Ben and his parents and then we went to Costco where I got several things, but most excitingly I got the most massive jar of Kalamata olives, it was epic! I cannot wait to cut loose on them, it will be like eating squishy, purple, sour, potato chips. Other than lunch and shopping I got to catch up with an old friend while painting at Tabletop, so life is good as usual.

Today is the last of the teas from Nannuoshan, my adventure comes to an end with an aged tea, a Tie Guan Yin from 1993, that was a long time ago! It was an awful year for me, if I can remember my timeline correctly (and I know my mom, who always reads my blogs, will correct me if I am wrong) 1993 was the year I almost died from pneumonia, oops. I am hoping that a Tie Guan Yin, THE Oolong that taught me that tea could be art and not just a drink, will change my opinion about this year. Unlike other aged Oolongs I have had, this one has only been baked the once, back in 1993, so it is not one of those teas that is relying on its roasted taste, rather it is relying on the tea itself to shine through. The dark leaves are quite lovely, like a mix between curly and balled, they almost look tumbled, the aroma is quite fascinating, and certainly not like any TGY I have ever sniffed. Blending notes of dried peaches, fruit wood, distant flowers, spices, and a rich woody wine cask aroma that adds a level of headiness to the leaves. At the very finish there is a sharp, nectar sweet, note of lychee that lingers a bit.

Into the pot it goes! The now soggy leaves blend notes of dried peaches and apricots, woodiness, and the distinct smell of a wine cask. It is woody and sweet, and I really like that wine note, I wish I knew more about wine so I could say exactly which one it reminds me of, I can say it is a slightly spicy red one. The brandy colored liquid (a very lovely color, reminds me of a sunrise) is woody and fruity, with distinct notes of peaches and spice.

The first steep is a think of beauty, do not go into this tea expecting it to be like any other teas, it is unlike anything else. For all that the aroma is super sweet, the tea itself is only subtly sweet, and most the sweetness is in the aftertaste. The tea itself is woody and a bit sour, like biting into an unripe fruit, this causes a great salivary effect. The midtaste is a bit spicy, like mulled wine, and delightfully woody, reminding me of a freshly broken apple wood branch.

The aroma of the second steep is rich, with a blend of freshly broken apple wood, dried peaches, spicebush, and a tiny bit of distant flowers at the finish. The taste is much like the first, but more so! The sweetness is throughout the entire sipping experience this time, the sweetness of dried peaches and the sourness of freshly broken green wood. It has a lingering aftertaste of spice and fruitiness, and a tiny hint of orchids once it cools.

For the third steep, the aroma is very peachy and sweet, in fact it is primarily peachy, with a hint of spice and a touch of woody resin, like myrrh. The mouth is much drier for this steep, and the taste is woodier, reminding me of red wine and a touch of resinous wood. This transitions to dried peaches and a slight sourness like unripe peaches. This tea is beautiful, I would love to buy a large pile of it to age, each year I would taste it to see how it changes, I have liked every aged Oolong I have tried, I crave more!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/03/nannuoshan-tie-guan-yin-1993-tea-review.html

this tea is a part of the samples for review . thank you so much NanNuoShan tea for the great opportunity to taste such wonderful tea.
i used the whole sample.
6g 100ml porcelain gaiwan 195 F
rinse/pause/10/7/5/5/7/10/15sec etc
I brewed this tea for 2 days,increasing temp to 200F and steeping time. Its very giving.
The roast done beautifully. its not stale, overly charcoal. Just right. Sometimes aged oolong leaves some scratchy aftertaste on my throat. this is not the case.

It is very smooth and fruity. So juicy, peachy, maybe even nectarines and some raw nuts. later steeps reveal some citrus notes.

i was very happy with this tea and would consider ordering it.

http://instagram.com/p/0DSSYxBwlC/

http://instagram.com/p/0DT20Rhwnk/

o Quantity: Half the sample packet/110 ml
o Water temperature: 90°C
o 5 infusions: 30, 30, 45, 45, 60 sec

Stream of consciousness notes (ie. Don’t think too much, don’t care about grammar, just write what you are experiencing as you experience it.)
o Dry leaf aroma: aroma is powerful, immediately, expansive, dark chocolate covered raisins, very sweet caramel, a faint amount of floral. when allowed to air out more, a chocolate flavored sugar candy arrives at the forefront
o Dry leaf aroma in heated gaiwan: dark chocolate covered raisins – so incredibly sweet, though almost single noted
o 3 sec wash
o Throat: semi-sweet chocolate, caramel, then fades into creamy milk chocolate – very sweet and a bit warm in its sweetness, a faint amount of pecan
o Wet leaf aroma: prunes mixed with milk chocolate, faint amount of wet bark
o Liquor color: light to medium brown, leaning more red than yellow, it has a bit of opaqueness to it
o Liquor aroma: intensely soft creamy milk chocolate, dried fruits, small amount of chocolate covered raisins, larger amount of caramel. the sweetness is not overwhelming
o Taste: creamy milk chocolate first, hint of floral in the middle, ends with dark chocolate covered raisins and a bit of cream. raisin and milk chocolate notes linger longest. oily and slightly creamy mouthfeel, expansive in the mouth, throat is refreshing and length is long, no astringency at all, no notes of typical roasting

o 2nd infusion liquor aroma: almost no noticeable degeneration in aroma, a sakura (cherry blossom) note is present now that mingles with the rest.
o 2nd infusion taste: first cream and milk chocolate and then a small amount of chocolate covered raisins, middle of sip has a note of creamy honey, mouthfeel is more creamy than oily, no astringency, long length, coats mouth in milk chocolate and faint amount of raisins, raisin note seems to get stronger towards the end of the sip

o 3rd infusion liquor aroma: very very slight degeneration. Otherwise the notes are the same as the previous infusion.
o 3rd infusion taste: addition of hot water aroma, notes of chocolate covered raisins are most prominent, mouthfeel is less creamy, first hit is milk chocolate, caramel, and raisins which moves to chocolate covered raisins that expand in the mouth, length is still long, no astringency

o 4th infusion liquor aroma: almost identical to steep three’s aroma
o 4th infusion taste: chocolate covered raisins and cream hit first, the candy note lingers longest and the addition of milk chocolate comes in the middle and fades into the candy note, not incredibly complex, mouthfeel is thinning out, no astringency, length is long

o 5th infusion liquor aroma: degeneration increases a bit but still just as sweet and soft
o 5th infusion taste: hot water note hits first and then chocolate covered raisins, cream and milk chocolate hits in the middle. the milk chocolate lingers longest. the throat is more refreshing, no astringency, mouthfeel is creamy, body is medium to thin

Though only five infusions are suggested, I went ahead and did two more infusions. The first was for two minutes the last was for three minutes and thirty seconds.
o 6th infusion liquor aroma: aroma has the addition of liqueur to it
o 6th infusion taste: notes very similar to the fifth infusion

o 7th infusion taste: all notes are the same as the sixth infusion, however, they are all muted, it could still be considered a steep, but an incredibly light one.

o Final thoughts: Incredibly unusual in a positive way, the chocolate covered raisin note mixed with the warmth of the sweetness is something that is not common

Oh my.

This is my third and final day testing my way through nannuoshan’s Tieguanyins. I am so glad that I save the best for last. This is the most interesting and complex tea I have drank in some time.
I used 3g of leaf in my 150ml gaiwan @ 90C. 30/30/45/45/60/60….
The dry leaf is so fragrant and rich. I was practically drooling on the loosely rolled, dark green leaves. They smelled like ripe summer fruits marinating in rum.
Steeping the leaves produces a happy medium between the roasted TGY and the lighter roast. It’s a honey colored liquor that is thick and soupy. There is a strong ripe peach flavor, as well as some graham cracker and blackberries and mineral notes. I am surprise at how boozy this tea tastes! I keep going, but the flavor does not stop.

The dry leaves are fairly short and twisted in the “loosely rolled” style. Dark brown to green with slightly reddish stems. Thick, sweet aroma of date, cocoa, and leather.

The first step brew up a nice yellow-orange color. Wow, this one has some serious flavor! Ginseng, vanilla, clean leather, fall leaves, dates, guava, floral hyacinth finish. Thick, spicy tropical fruit aroma in the cha hai.

The second steep gives stonger fruit flavors with notes of lychee, moscato, and grahm cracker. Slight green tartness. Viscous, syrupy mouthfeel.

Later infusion become dryer in taste, like fall leaves, white wine, and incense. A mild, steadying qi becomes apparent.

The spent leaves are uniformly dark green and are somewhat broken, accounting for the small size.

An excellent tea, complex and delicious.