[-] Some quick notes before I put this one off like the others.

'06 Haiwan mavin
I'm not sure if this one is a laotongzhi, or mavin. The english side says mavin, and the Chinese side has the same characters as the ones on the laotongzhi beeng.

7g in a 10cl pot. Rinse, 20s, 20s, 20s, 30s, 60s, untimed.
Dry leaf aroma: While breaking a piece off the brick, I thought it had a musty earthy smell, and a camphor smell. Is that possible? Once in the pot, it had a compost and malty smell (without the sweetness).
Wetleaf aroma: The malty became a little sweeter. Compost is still present, and now woody comes out.

1: Maybe I wasn't wrong to think it smelled like camphor. There actually is a somewhat strong camphor aroma. It's thick and smooth, but there isn't much flavor. Mostly compost and cream.
2: Ripe fruit, cream, spice, and is now more "earthy." It's very similar to Adagio's "puerh dante."
3: Sweeter and maltier. Creamy seems persistent, and compost gave up.
4: Even sweeter.
5: Same. Dying.
6: dead

I'm sure some of the descriptions I used will make anyone think this is a nasty tea. Actually, I really enjoyed it. No serious off-flavors, and is very smooth.

'06 Haiwan "mavin" shu - http://teawarden.blogspot.com/feeds/6452202286310388936/comments/default

[-] I still have a few unfinished posts that I need to finish before posting, but I have something I could post in the meantime.First, guess what kind of tea this is.And, a picture of my yixing collection.Top (left to right): Lapsang souchong, Retired lapsang pot, shu.bottom: High fire oolong, Tieguanyin, Sheng, Dancong (and light oolong). http://teawarden.blogspot.com/2007/06/pictures.html Pictures!

[-] I still have a few unfinished posts that I need to finish before posting, but I have something I could post in the meantime.

First, guess what kind of tea this is.




And, a picture of my yixing collection.
Top (left to right): Lapsang souchong, Retired lapsang pot, shu.
bottom: High fire oolong, Tieguanyin, Sheng, Dancong (and light oolong).



Pictures! - http://teawarden.blogspot.com/feeds/430962489747323909/comments/default

[-] I started to feel like I was reviewing too many of the higher grade teas, so today I'm going to do a high grade and a surprise I found at an Asian grocer.Joy Luck - High-Mountain OolongI was suspicious of this one at first, but decided to give it a try. I found this at the Fubonn shopping center, at the Fubonn supermarket that is just across from Serenity Art. They have a whole aisle of pre-packaged teas, some look better than others. They even have a few things I've seen sold on some of my favorite sites.This one is by a brand called "Joy Luck" (which I cannot, unfortunately, find anywhere on the internet), and is just labeled "High Mountain Oolong". It comes in a large dark brownish-red box with a line drawing of a dragon in the mountains, gold lettering and gold edges, and a yellow/gold string handle on the top. Inside is a large (approx 12"x 4") cardboard canister with tin ends. It's coated with plastic on the inside, and the top is difficult to get off. It's definitely airtight as it sucks in the tin ends, causing them to pop, every time you open the canister. Inside is a 10.5 oz vacuum sealed pack of high-mountain goodness. All this for a measly $15!I was still a little apprehensive after getting it, but it turned out to be surprisingly good. It isn't exactly an exceptional high-mountain oolong, but it is what I consider the base of a good high-mountain oolong. It has an aroma and taste that is slightly honey-like and somewhere in between the floral jade oolongs and a toasty amber oolong. Something like a lightly toasted honeysuckle. It's light, sweet, with a good mouth feel. It lacks a lot of the nuances and complexities of the better teas, but for a basic everyday tea, this is definitely a winner.So if you've got a good local Asian supermarket, you might check it out. This may not be the best, but it does a great job for everyday drinking, like, say, when you're working. This would also be a relatively low-risk way to try a Taiwan(?) high-mountain wulong if you want to get an idea of what they're like without shelling out more for less. It may also be a good one to give those friends that you want to impress, but know that a more expensive tea would be wasted on them ;)Next up..Organic BaoZhong from Mr Wang Yiu-Li (Spring harvest, 2007)From Hou De. Click each pic for hi-resThis came as a sample from Hou De with another order I made. I was considering it, but wasn't sure I was ready to pay the asking price for it. It turned out to be one that I like very very much, and have already placed an order for more.This is actually somewhat typical of pouchongs. To me it's like a jade wulong that is better defined than any of the actual jade wulongs. This one has a better balance of all aspects than what I've had before. The aroma is nice and sweet, mildly floral with nutty nuances and an almost woody character that is more of a texture than a defining character. The taste does not disappoint. It's sweet, but with a nicely rounded point and a woody texture. You can definitely taste the "green", but it's very smooth and melts quickly into a very nice mouth feel. The "green" is almost a bit sour, but it is more sweet and floral than anything, and has a nice warmth to it. It finishes off with a cleansing effect that I can't quite qualify as an astringency, it just dries the mouth a little. This lasts for some time, and actually started to make my tongue tingle after several minutes! This is not a quality that I've encountered before, but it is very pleasant.Overall this is a great tea with a lot of character. Hou De does not have very much of it, so I would grab some soon! http://abx-tea.blogspot.com/2007/06/wu-long-two-fer.html Wulong two-fer

[-]
I started to feel like I was reviewing too many of the higher grade teas, so today I'm going to do a high grade and a surprise I found at an Asian grocer.



Joy Luck - High-Mountain Oolong

I was suspicious of this one at first, but decided to give it a try. I found this at the Fubonn shopping center, at the Fubonn supermarket that is just across from Serenity Art. They have a whole aisle of pre-packaged teas, some look better than others. They even have a few things I've seen sold on some of my favorite sites.

This one is by a brand called "Joy Luck" (which I cannot, unfortunately, find anywhere on the internet), and is just labeled "High Mountain Oolong". It comes in a large dark brownish-red box with a line drawing of a dragon in the mountains, gold lettering and gold edges, and a yellow/gold string handle on the top. Inside is a large (approx 12"x 4") cardboard canister with tin ends. It's coated with plastic on the inside, and the top is difficult to get off. It's definitely airtight as it sucks in the tin ends, causing them to pop, every time you open the canister. Inside is a 10.5 oz vacuum sealed pack of high-mountain goodness. All this for a measly $15!

I was still a little apprehensive after getting it, but it turned out to be surprisingly good. It isn't exactly an exceptional high-mountain oolong, but it is what I consider the base of a good high-mountain oolong. It has an aroma and taste that is slightly honey-like and somewhere in between the floral jade oolongs and a toasty amber oolong. Something like a lightly toasted honeysuckle. It's light, sweet, with a good mouth feel. It lacks a lot of the nuances and complexities of the better teas, but for a basic everyday tea, this is definitely a winner.

So if you've got a good local Asian supermarket, you might check it out. This may not be the best, but it does a great job for everyday drinking, like, say, when you're working. This would also be a relatively low-risk way to try a Taiwan(?) high-mountain wulong if you want to get an idea of what they're like without shelling out more for less. It may also be a good one to give those friends that you want to impress, but know that a more expensive tea would be wasted on them ;)

Next up..

Organic BaoZhong from Mr Wang Yiu-Li (Spring harvest, 2007)
From Hou De.



Click each pic for hi-res


This came as a sample from Hou De with another order I made. I was considering it, but wasn't sure I was ready to pay the asking price for it. It turned out to be one that I like very very much, and have already placed an order for more.
This is actually somewhat typical of pouchongs. To me it's like a jade wulong that is better defined than any of the actual jade wulongs. This one has a better balance of all aspects than what I've had before. The aroma is nice and sweet, mildly floral with nutty nuances and an almost woody character that is more of a texture than a defining character. The taste does not disappoint. It's sweet, but with a nicely rounded point and a woody texture. You can definitely taste the "green", but it's very smooth and melts quickly into a very nice mouth feel. The "green" is almost a bit sour, but it is more sweet and floral than anything, and has a nice warmth to it. It finishes off with a cleansing effect that I can't quite qualify as an astringency, it just dries the mouth a little. This lasts for some time, and actually started to make my tongue tingle after several minutes! This is not a quality that I've encountered before, but it is very pleasant.

Overall this is a great tea with a lot of character. Hou De does not have very much of it, so I would grab some soon!

Wulong two-fer - http://abx-tea.blogspot.com/feeds/8566572529882539619/comments/default

[-] http://phyllsheng.blogspot.com/2007/06/what-day.html What a Day!

[-] DNA fractal sieger.net BIG BROTHER KEEPS ON ROLLING IN.....*****Staff and agenciesThursday June 14, 2007Guardian Unlimited The DNA fingerprints of more than 100 children aged under 10 are stored on a government database despite their being younger than the age of criminal responsibility, it emerged today. In addition to the 108 under-10s, there are 883,888 records of people aged between 10 and 17 and 46 records of people aged over 90. The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Nick Clegg, obtained the figures via a parliamentary question. The DNA database has repeatedly been the subject of criticism by children's campaigners. Last month, activists said DNA records were turning thousands of children into lifelong suspects. Mr Clegg said the figures showed the government saw no limits to its "invasion of privacy". "Worse still, by harvesting the data of many people who are not even charged with an offence, let alone convicted, the fundamental principle that we are innocent until proven guilty is further undermined," he added. "Why should anyone be on this database if they are entirely innocent of any wrongdoing?" The shadow home secretary, David Davis, demanded the government justified the collection of DNA from young children."This is the latest in a long line of sinister developments associated with this database," he said. "It is bad enough that DNA samples from a large number of innocent adults are being added by stealth. Now we find that children who, by law, cannot be held criminally responsible for a crime are on this database."Police can take a DNA sample without consent from anyone they arrest, and can keep the record whether that person is charged with a crime or not. The genetic "fingerprint" is then added to the database and can be cross-referenced with criminal records held on the police national computer. The Home Office has said the national DNA database is an "invaluable intelligence tool" which has revolutionised the way in which the police can protect the public. http://tales-from-the-tea-pot.blogspot.com/2007/06/dna-of-100-under-10s-on-government.html DNA of 100 under-10s on government database

[-]

BIG BROTHER KEEPS ON ROLLING IN.....

*****

Staff and agencies
Thursday June 14, 2007
Guardian Unlimited



DNA of 100 under-10s on government database - http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,2103433,00.html

[-] Polyphenols -> flavanoids -> chatechins -> (most of the specific "good" molecules).A flavanoid doesn't necessarily have to be a polyphenol, but if it is, it's most certainly an antioxidant. Here is a big scary image that may (or may not) help my point:This image shows the relation of the 3 major antioxidants (AOX, hereafter) present in green tea. As you can see, all are based on a flavanoid backbone molecule (actually called flavone) and differ only slightly from one another. These three catechins account for roughly 25-30% of the dry weight of tea leaves (that's a lot!). These are all technically flavan-3-ols (one of 3 types of flavanoids), but no one really cares about that. The only thing interesting enough to note is that anthocyanidins (remember from the purple-leaf post?) are similar enough to be in the same 'group' of flavanoids.So why do tea bushes need so much protection from oxidation? Well, as a partial answer, they are exposed to light for roughly 12 hours per day, spend much of their time at high altitudes where the atmosphere is thinner, and enjoy the company of many small insects who munch away at their leaves. In part 1 we learned that free radicals are formed by UV radiation. If you are a tea plant sitting atop a mountain basking in light that as been only ever so slightly obscured by the atmosphere, you better bet that there are some free radicals being formed. Thus, the tea plant will produce a significant amount of AOX to help combat this damage. This is exactly why high-altitude teas tend to be more bitter if overbrewed compared to their base-of-the-mountain counterparts (in my experience at least) - there are a higher percentage of polyphenols present, which also happen to be extremely bitter. A tea plant will also produce more AOX in response to environmental stress. - Oriental Beauty oolongs are a prime example. Whether it is only as a precaution or do directly combat whatever damage has been caused to the leaf, I do not know. I also don't know the reason why tea plants have a higher proportion of AOX in their leaves than say, a tree or shrub at the same altitude. Maybe they don't... I don't know. If anyone has any input I'd love to hear it.So the tea plants produce polyphenols - particularily catechins (EC, EGC, EGCG) - to help prevent oxidative damage to their cells, but how does it work? This image shows how your body uses vitamin E to neutralize the radical of hydrogen peroxide. This is one of the most important reactions in your body and just about any radical can be substituted for H peroxide. Also, any polyphenol will follow the same pattern almost exactly.The reaction begins when a free radical comes across a molecule of vitamin E. We learned that free radicals will react with just about anything, but it just so happens that they will preferentially react with an AOX (hence how they prevent the continued oxidation). The peroxide radical will yank off a hydrogen from the AOX, effectively 'donating' (this isn't really what happens, but it works for simplicity's sake) its single radical electron to the AOX (vitamin E). The peroxide radical then becomes hydrogen peroxide which is stable enough to behave on its own. The antioxidant is also stable enough to not react further - the radical just kind of hangs around until ANOTHER peroxide radical finds it. Then, the AOX radical will react with the other radical, tacking on a peroxide group to one of its rings. The AOX is then inert and in most cases will simply be expelled from the body or broken down in the liver.In effect, one molecule of Vitamin E will remove two free radical molecules - some AOX can remove even more. Pretty cool huh? Keep out the radicals and you can... keep out the... cancer? I'll leave that up to those in advertising.Again, this is certainly more information than you would ever need. I've tried to hit on the basics and keep it fairly tame, but if there's anything that just sounds too out there, please don't hesitate to let me know.tb. http://chemistea.blogspot.com/2007/06/tea-polyphenols-and-you-part-ii.html Tea, polyphenols, and you - PART II: POLYPHENOL PARTICULARS:

[-] In part 1 I explained what antioxidants are and why we need them. Here, I'll elaborate on the particular antioxidants present in our beloved C. Sinensis bush, why roughly 30% of their dry weight are polyphenols, and how polyphenols (and any antioxidant for that matter) keep us alive and kickin'.

First, I know a lot of people get tripped up by the naming involved in all of this. Believe me, chemical nomenclature is nothing to shake a stick at. Nonetheless, here's a little disambiguation than may help. A lot of the chemical terms that get thrown around relating to tea really mean the same thing, but at different levels of specificity - think of the biological naming system (kingdom, phylum, etc.) and you get the right idea. Following the same model, here's a list of terms from broadest to most specific that may help clear things up:

Antioxidants -> Polyphenols -> flavanoids -> chatechins -> (most of the specific "good" molecules).

A flavanoid doesn't necessarily have to be a polyphenol, but if it is, it's most certainly an antioxidant. Here is a big scary image that may (or may not) help my point:
This image shows the relation of the 3 major antioxidants (AOX, hereafter) present in green tea. As you can see, all are based on a flavanoid backbone molecule (actually called flavone) and differ only slightly from one another. These three catechins account for roughly 25-30% of the dry weight of tea leaves (that's a lot!). These are all technically flavan-3-ols (one of 3 types of flavanoids), but no one really cares about that. The only thing interesting enough to note is that anthocyanidins (remember from the purple-leaf post?) are similar enough to be in the same 'group' of flavanoids.

So why do tea bushes need so much protection from oxidation? Well, as a partial answer, they are exposed to light for roughly 12 hours per day, spend much of their time at high altitudes where the atmosphere is thinner, and enjoy the company of many small insects who munch away at their leaves. In part 1 we learned that free radicals are formed by UV radiation. If you are a tea plant sitting atop a mountain basking in light that as been only ever so slightly obscured by the atmosphere, you better bet that there are some free radicals being formed. Thus, the tea plant will produce a significant amount of AOX to help combat this damage. This is exactly why high-altitude teas tend to be more bitter if overbrewed compared to their base-of-the-mountain counterparts (in my experience at least) - there are a higher percentage of polyphenols present, which also happen to be extremely bitter. A tea plant will also produce more AOX in response to environmental stress. - Oriental Beauty oolongs are a prime example. Whether it is only as a precaution or do directly combat whatever damage has been caused to the leaf, I do not know. I also don't know the reason why tea plants have a higher proportion of AOX in their leaves than say, a tree or shrub at the same altitude. Maybe they don't... I don't know. If anyone has any input I'd love to hear it.

So the tea plants produce polyphenols - particularily catechins (EC, EGC, EGCG) - to help prevent oxidative damage to their cells, but how does it work? This image shows how your body uses vitamin E to neutralize the radical of hydrogen peroxide. This is one of the most important reactions in your body and just about any radical can be substituted for H peroxide. Also, any polyphenol will follow the same pattern almost exactly.

The reaction begins when a free radical comes across a molecule of vitamin E. We learned that free radicals will react with just about anything, but it just so happens that they will preferentially react with an AOX (hence how they prevent the continued oxidation). The peroxide radical will yank off a hydrogen from the AOX, effectively 'donating' (this isn't really what happens, but it works for simplicity's sake) its single radical electron to the AOX (vitamin E). The peroxide radical then becomes hydrogen peroxide which is stable enough to behave on its own. The antioxidant is also stable enough to not react further - the radical just kind of hangs around until ANOTHER peroxide radical finds it. Then, the AOX radical will react with the other radical, tacking on a peroxide group to one of its rings. The AOX is then inert and in most cases will simply be expelled from the body or broken down in the liver.

In effect, one molecule of Vitamin E will remove two free radical molecules - some AOX can remove even more. Pretty cool huh? Keep out the radicals and you can... keep out the... cancer? I'll leave that up to those in advertising.

Again, this is certainly more information than you would ever need. I've tried to hit on the basics and keep it fairly tame, but if there's anything that just sounds too out there, please don't hesitate to let me know.

tb.

Tea, polyphenols, and you - PART II: POLYPHENOL PARTICULARS: - http://chemistea.blogspot.com/feeds/4924449058229253189/comments/default