Wuyi tea cake?

I have to admit this is a new one to me. I am also severely tempted to buy one. I really enjoy the super-highly roasted Shi Xians (like bits of charcoal) and I would imagine this would be less charcoal-y and more flavorful.

As for storing... My initial reaction from reading would be to continue the yearly slow/low refiring process but since that is ot of the question for most I would imagine that storing it like a Puerh but in a much drier environment or with dessicant.

I wish there was a way to try a sample before dropping $120 though. I'd buy a 1/4 to a 1/2 off of someone willing though.

- Dominic

Hmmm...I was thinking the same thing. I'd like to try a sample before commiting to a whole cake. Usually I drink Da Hong Pao or Rou Gui but am less familiar w/Wuyi Shui Xian (although have had Dan Cong Shui Xian to make things more confusing). Do you think the Wuyi Shui Xian is somewhat similar to the other 2 wuyi teas? Before doing anything I think I'll inquire at ITC and see what they suggest for aging. Also the folks at Seven Cups told me they just got in some Anxi and Wuyi teas. I have to be careful - buying faster than I can drink it! (which is ok since I like aged tea but space becoming an issue...)

I do have a small roaster like the one sold at HouDe which might be useful in reroasting but wouldn't want to ruin it.

It's sort of the new thing to try aged teas of all kind. I had someone tell me they enjoyed some excellent 5-year old Maojin to my chagrin. I got a chance to look at it, and it just seemed adulterated with oils and recooked. I've had some pretty excellent aged Da Hong Pao...but there again, it was recooked several times which shouldn't be too good for your health. I think it's a market strategy at this point. Most "aged" teas other than pu'er are the leftovers that couldn't be sold from seasons past.

Why would that be bad for your health? Because of the charcoal? I don't quite follow your logic here.

But anyway, I think typically, oolongs are roasted with either high or low fire early on, and later roastings are usually (but not always) light roastings to get the moisture out.

Depending on the climate and how well the tea is sealed, some aged oolongs aren't re-roasted frequently (or at all); the danger is just that they sour.

(I assume you mean most teas other than pu'er AND other post-fermented teas, like liu an and liu bao).

My understanding is that there's a long tradition of aging oolongs, at least for medicinal purposes (I assume mainly as a laxative, and to aid with digestion). In Wuyishan, they not only make the cakes like the ones we're discussing here, but stuff pomelo with the tea and age it that way. Granted, if you're aging it for medicinal purposes, it doesn't mean that people are going to use the best quality teas for aging, but either way, the taste is often still quite nice. Shops in Malaysia and Taiwan sell tons of the stuff -- and I don't think the only buyers are gullible white folks.

I've heard it said that there's "no intentionally aged oolongs", and while there may be some truth to that in a lot of cases (certainly it's generally to the benefit of producers to sell their highest grade teas immediately when there's demand for them), I think that people have probably always been intentionally aging them to at least some degree. And teas that are baked under high charcoal fire tend to have an overly charcoal flavor until they've mellowed out - often for 1-4 years. I think most people would prefer a high-fire Da Hong Pao after 3 years than 3 months after it was produced.

In any event, aged teas taste good to me, and also tend to be kinder to my stomach than younger / greener teas. You get a nice sweetness, but in a smoother way than with a tea that's been high-fired recently.

That's not to say that there's not some truth in what you say - I've certainly had a lot of sales pitches (at tea shops / factories) that culminate with the "17 year aged" tea or something. Often, what you're given is something that's not aged at all, or hasn't been aged for anywhere near as long as you're told -- just some crappy stale tea that's been heavily roasted.

One of the best ways to make sure you end up with well aged tea is to start with good quality tea, and then store (and re-roast, if necessary) the tea yourself.

One last comment... I think the *overall* trend in tea (at least Chinese / Taiwanese tea, and with the higher-end Darjeelings as well) is towards greener / less roasted teas. This is what seems to be most popular with consumers, and of course it has a lot to do with the fact that it's much easier to transport teas quickly, and to keep them refrigerated / sealed than it used to be. So many oolong teas now are made in a way that doesn't allow them to keep as well as traditional medium or high fire oolongs.