2002 Nanjian Fenghuang tuocha 100g


The Fenghuang in the name (at least in this case) is just for show, referring to the Phoenix so emblematic of Chinese culture. Plus it's on the wrapper. This tea was fairly cheap, weighing in at 100g for $9 USD.
Wait, 100g of 7 year old tea for $9? What's the catch? After having about four sessions with this tea now, I can tell you that there really isn't a catch here. The tea is fairly accurately priced. The storage was wet at some point, but has been dry for at least a couple of years. It's straightforward and simple with a little spiciness. The tea seems to disagree with my normal infusion times, and ends up a dark bitter mess when I'm not paying attention. It's not the best tea I've ever had, but it's not all that bad either. A little thin in body, the color is turning slightly ruddy and the chaqi is quite strong. I think that in just a couple of years this tea will turn into a delightful treat. I'm not sure if I'd prefer it to be dry stored for the rest of it's life, or not seeing as how it's already lost some oomph from it's previous run of traditional storage. In a couple of years I'm willing to bet that this tea will become what Hobbes would refer to as a "chaqi delivery vehicle". Being made of mostly small spring leaves it has that aggressive plantation edge to it that is still very apparent after 7 years of storage, most likely thanks to it's tuocha form.
I do recommend this tea, especially when considering it's price. It's slightly hollow and tired, but give it a few years longer. It doesn't have much further to go.



Taken from http://teajournaling.blogspot.com/

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