February is a time of celebration in China and Taiwan because of Chinese New Year. The tea “gift” included in my envelope was a trinket that is supposed to bring good fortune. I hope it works because I could sure use some of that. I put off drinking this one for a bit because I just have to be in the mood for shou in order to enjoy it properly. That being said, their description intrigued me. The mao cha was aged for five years prior to piling and it was fermented to a lesser degree than most modern shou tea.
This type of tea usually makes me sleepy but I felt an unexpected liveliness while drinking it. The mouth feel was thick with a lot of sweetness. A mild earthiness was accompanied by woody notes and even a hint of liquorice root-like sweetness. It stayed dark and strong over the course of many infusions. I absolutely abhor liquorice root when it is blended in tea but in this case it was a welcome aspect. The tea left interesting patterns of particles every time I finished my cup. The one that I have pictured at the end of this post reminds me a bit of a tiger. What do you think?
The magazine was full of valuable tea knowledge as always. There were several articles on yixing teapots that were very informative. There are so few English language resources on this topic that I really appreciate being able to get a bit of an “insider’s” perspective. I find myself recommending Global Tea Hut to fellow tea lovers whenever I see them lately. While it may not be for everyone I certainly feel that I have benefited. Once again I reminded to take the time to make tea, not for reviews or deadlines, but simply for the sake of having tea.