2009 Jingmai

I have got a bit (about 20 grams) from Donatzsky from IRC r/tea. Thanks!

And why I picked this one today? Honestly, I just looked to my Steepster cupboard and this was first one without tasting note. So, I took it and smelled it. It is interesting smell of dry leaf, it is bit metallic, but with some other notes I could not describe much. Maybe honey and herbs (thanks to Char (Oolong owl) with descriptions)? Certainly nice aroma.

Well I rinsed it for quite long and first steep quite short (15 seconds)
It is indeed like honey in aroma, as well some citrus peels. Taste is okay, I expected maybe bit darker (as a shu pu-erh). I don’t know why, when this is another sheng. Otherwise it is same as aroma, bit honey like with citrus notes.

2nd, 20 seconds.
Turns to more bitter, herbal notes appear while honey is disappearing. Citrus notes still somehow same. Not bad steep.

3rd, 30 seconds.
Turns even more bitter. Honey is gone. Citrus are disappearing. Moves to shu pu-erh.

4th, 30 seconds
Okay… similar to 3rd.

5th, 45 seconds
Not so bitter, but it is only note I am able to taste. I am steeping it wrong? Bit like dirty water. But not so disgusting.

6th, 45 seconds
Last one; tea is gone and I have to do something else as well. It is really similar to 5th. Maybe just this tea does not have that longevity as I am used to. It is not bad tea, but overall I am bit dissapointed. Expected maybe bit more of nice notes, less bitterness? I do not know. But it is not such bad. Just not my style.

Before trying this, I wanted to try tea I bought two years ago on Aliexpress. I never found out what is it, now I have tried Google translate and it seems it was leaves of Morus plant. I opened the bag, carefuly, because of collection. And I smelled it. It was disgusting. I throw it away. Maybe it was old, maybe it was because morus, I do not know, I did not wanted to drink it.

Food pairing: open sandwiches from my granny, we call them chlebíčky here.
No song pairing.

I’m having the last of my sample, and probably savoring it more. Cool, woody, a little metallic, with a subdued fruity brightness. The storage taste is yummy and lasts about two steeps, creamy and waxy. Smell is quite pungent, like ground up medicine. The flaw, like others have said, is that it wants to be very dry and bitters out the last steeps. However, you can get quite a few steeps out if you approach it carefully. In the end the vegetal tastes develop more into green pepper and watermelon. Separating the leaves when you get to the middle stage helps. I think if it wasn’t packed so tight, it would be oversteeping in the beginning, but after a while it hampers the brew. Soothing and immediate heat in the back of the neck.

4.5g, 90ml and then transferred to 110 ml(I know….that’s diluted but that’s the smallest pot I’ve got.) for the later steeps for heat retention purposes. 100C.

Dry leaf smells extremely enticing, I have trouble expressing how or why but it just was.

The tea itself tastes like…licking bitter tree bark. Very strong woody flavors until very late steeps. There’s some astringency making itself present BUT it isn’t drying astringency. Its the kind of astringency that makes you salivate which was a good experience. Finally I see what people mean about that.

I’m doing some late power steeps in a pot instead of thin porcelain gaiwan, and it is more syrupy and like tree sap, with finally some sweetness. Just took some time to find it…

The qi on this was also very calming and nice. A pleasant tea.

Interesting floral/fruit notes and a pleasingly creamy mouthfeel. This is a nice tea definitely past the young sheng stage but with enough strength to go a while more in storage. Not particularly my style but certainly worth a sample or cake for something different every now and then.

This is a tightly compressed brick! Not impossible to break up, but it’s a tough cookie. Since It’s tight It took some time to open up in the gaiwan. After a rinse and couple of dry storage infusions it’s Releasing some really nice flavors. I’m on my 3rd and 4th infusion and I’m getting some really fun notes. Like, wonton, cola, floral, Antique shop, dust, dirt and an old sailors uniform.

I like it.

Nice clean dry storage on this middle aged Jingmai. It has notes of honey, herbs, and tobacco, all while smelling like an antique store. It does get bitter in the final infusions.

Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/march-2018-white2tea-club-feat-2009-jingmai/

Very nice storage on this brick; well matured for it’s aged without being dank or earthy. Tastes of dry herbs and honey with some tobacco, mineral, and citrus in the background. It’s unobjectionable, but not super “great.”