JCL 60429B Amber Oolong, Chinsing Oolong cultivar
Signature bake by Dr. Jerry Liu on May 15-21, 2018, at 14520 Arrow Hwy, Baldwin Park,
Califronia.
Thomas gave me this tea for my 2018 Summer Baking.
We believed that this 1999 Spring crop Jade Oolong, of Chinsing Oolong cultivar from Shan Lin Si, still
had some undiscovered qualities.
First, we started with a Mid-Fire bake
program, which resulted in a nice tea with elegant color and a slightly
revived taste. We thought that the flavor was not completely revealed,
thus we decided to continue with a partial High-Fire bake, without over
exceeding the high temperatures to burn the tea leaves. The result is
an Amber Oolong with a smooth round flavor, and a touch of sweetness in
the finish. This program was a good match to revive a
nearly 20 year old tea. Our baking regiment was a 12 hour Mid-Fire bake, with
an additional 8 hour High-Fire baking combination.
Net 2 oz. each packed in vacuum seal air-tight in a paper caddies.
Limited edition. Total 60 caddies.
a) Before Baking:
b) After initial removing the moisture...
3) After the first round Mid-Fire baking...
4) After Re-baking with partial High-Fire baking...
Backstory:
Rummaging through the warehouse, a couple of 5lb bags of this Spring
crop from 1999 ShanLinSi Jade Oolong (*Chinsing Oolong cultivar) was discovered.
It was the unused stock from a previous buyer who had purchased most of
the stock, until
he/she switched to something else... At the
time, it was purchased at $150/kg (kinda pricey back in 1999). Although
it was vacuumed packed, and stored properly, the tea tasted a bit stale
(everyone should Always Cup to check your teas).
Normally, with an
older stock, it can
be sold at a much lower value, or blended with other teas leaves (no
artificial or non-tea items...those "blends" are NOT tea), We said
"Nay"! The problem
with blending is that it would compromise the taste of the tea,
especially with flavor of other added tea leaves. Blending with non-tea
items are NOT blended teas, they are blended non-teas. Since both
options were not really valid in our view, we decided to bake the tea ,
just to bring back some of the original flavor/aroma. Initial steps
were to remove the moisture from the stale leaves. Another cupping
revealed that it lacked flavor, and potentially more baking was
required. Thus, we decided to continue with a
Mid-Fire baking regiment. Although a nice aroma had
emerged, it lacked flavor. We decided to continue with a short
High-Fire baking sequence. The result was an exquisite
sweet smooth slightly richer flavor Oolong. We are proud of how this
Vintage Oolong can be enjoyed now, and for many years to come. We will
have to use this recipe again.