Tea Diary (Jing Mai Puerh 2015 PK Jing Mai Puerh 2016)

Location : Kunming, China Date: Nov 4, 2016 Weather: sunny Tea utensils:　kettle, ceramic cups with lid (150cc); weight machine, fairy mugs; tea taste-cups, etc. The Method Sensory Test: 30-60-30-second.

Finally it’s a sunny day after days of raining weather. Today we were going to taste Jing Mai tea both in 2015 and 2016.

1. check the color of cakes: 2015 cake more like green dark, while 2016 cake is more dark green.

We could see a few scale leaves （鳞片）and fish leaves（鱼叶）, which mean those cakes are spring tea.

2. Weight: weigh 8 g of tea from each cake at random.

3. The first cup: boiling water, 30 seconds.

4. The second cup: boiling water, 60 seconds

5. The third cup: boiling water, 30 seconds

6. The forth cup: boiling water, 3 mins ( to check the brew leaves)

Conclusion: 1, There was no big differences between 2015 cake and 2016 cakes regarding the aroma, color, taste and brewed leaves, which means the process is stable. While 2015 cake has smoother takes and a little bit less bitterness.

2, There was no odd flavor in either cakes, which means the cakes were made properly and stored in proper condition.

3, Brewed leaves were still flexible, slightly watery surface, which indicate good raw material and proper technics.

4, Tea ferments naturally but slowly in Kunming Refer to the Climate of Kunming [source: Wikipedia] Located at an elevation of 1,890 metres (6,200 ft) on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau with low latitude and high elevation, Kunming has one of the mildest climates in China, characterised by short, cool dry winters with mild days and crisp nights, and long, warm and humid summers, but much cooler than the lowlands. The weather never gets very hot in summer; the temperature has exceeded 30 °C (86 °F) only on a handful of occasions. However, freak snowfalls occur in occasional winters. Controlled by a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb), the monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 8.1 °C (46.6 °F) in January to 19.9 °C (67.8 °F) in June, with daily high temperatures reaching their lowest point and peak in December and May, respectively. With its perpetual spring-like weather which provides the ideal climate for plants and flowers, Kunming is known as the "City of Eternal Spring". The city is covered with blossoms and lush vegetation all-year round. The period from May to October is the rainy season and the rest of the year is dry. The city has an annual mean temperature of 14.91 °C (58.8 °F), rainfall of 1,011 millimetres (39.8 in) (nearly three-fifths occurring from June to August) and a frost-free period of 230 days. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 30% in July to 69 percent in February and March, the city receives 2,198 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extreme temperatures in the city have ranged from −7.8 to 32.3 °C (18 to 90 °F).

5, The subtlety of each cup is the most charming part , and you can brew over 10 times or even near 20 times for some puerh tea. However, the above method is just for reference, that’s is OK as long as the same method is adopted when you evaluate or test teas. Ceramic cups are necessary to tell the true flavor of tea.

6, Follow the link to learn more about Jing Mai tea mountain, or follow the link to buy 2016 Jing Mai puerh cake

(Mabol @ Kunming, China, Nov 5, 2016)