Saturday, June 26, 2010

Mu Zha Tie Guan Yin

This is a sample from Naivetea.
I have four more oolongs from Naive to taste after this.
Gracious Mr. Lai, thank you.

This is a traditional roasted Tie Guan Yin, of the original Tie Guan Yin cultivar.
It is difficult to find a roasted Tie Guan Yin these days. The greener style has taken over the market.

The dry leaf smells of barley, molasses and a deep, rich charcoal roast.

The tea had expected qualities; espresso like in body, light fruit tastes reminding me of a rasin, and a thicker mouth feel.

A few qualities I did not expect; a citrus like finish that gradually changed to charcoal, and a roasted plumb taste in the second infusion.

The cha qi of the tea was fairly light, as the roasting removed most of the caffeine content.
I felt the tea affecting the stomach, making me feel full inside.
The energy also went to the head. Lightheaded sensation.
For the most part though, this tea was calming.

The only negative quality found in this tea is an aftertaste resembling cherry cough syrup, and in the later infusions there was a slight sourness and astringency. *(I now know this to be the "ripe fruit acidity, which is a characteristic of this tea. I apologize for my ignorance.)

I debated whether to use porcelain or yixing for this tea, and in the end I chose porcelain.
This could have contributed to some of the negative qualities found.
The yixing I would have used is suited for roasted oolongs and the resulting brew might have not shown some of the aspects aforementioned.

Age and roasting could do this tea well and would help to mellow out the edge. I enjoy a roasted oolong that has a sweeter finish.
If I do happen upon this tea again, yixing will be my tool of choice.



~billy

6 comments:

  1. Nice photos, review and tea!
    I also prefer more roasted version of Tie Guan Yin, although I generally prefer lighter oolongs - Tie Guan Yin seems to be a departure from the rule. ;)

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  2. Michal,

    Thank you!
    Yes there are always teas that are void from rules =]

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  3. Great review William. Thanks for Posting.

    I also love Muzha (sometimes spelled Mucha) Tea Kuan Yin. Have you seen my 2-3-10 post "the flavor of Mucha" ? It describes the time I first learned how the locals brew it (basically "very hot and strong")... after I started brewing it this way I started loving in even more!

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  4. Brett,

    If I obtain this tea again I will brew it in that manner.
    I was also thinking of brewing this one chao zhou style.
    If I happen upon this tea again, I will definitely experiment a bit with it!
    Thank you for the advice!

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  5. As I know, the very slight sourness is also one of characters of this tea! That was great to know you like Mucha Tie Guan Yin. Nice post! :)

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  6. Muggle,

    Yes I have heard of it being described as a "ripe fruit acidity." I had just never experienced it before having this tea!
    Thank you for the compliment =]

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