Useless comments, and some questions, interspersed below.
Michael



3/22/05


>
> TGY is the name of the tea tree race that is normally used to produce
> the tea that also carries the same name.
>
> There are 2 TGY tea tree race categories
>> From the original varietal (1 varietal):
> - Hong Xin (red heart) GY also called Hong Yang (red look) GY
>
>> From grafts (5 varietals in the Cha Jing and surely more):
> - Hong Ying (red spear's feather) GY
> - Bai Xin Wei (white heart tail) GY
> - Bai Yang (white look) GY
> - Qing Xin (green heart) GY
> - Bao Ye (thin leaves) GY

Very interesting, Jing. Could you explain where the grafts come from, what
their origin is?
>
> Level of fermentation (or oxidization) is between 35% and 50% (this is
> the most important step in the making of TGY tea)
>
> Nowadays, TGY is mainly classified into 3 categories:
> - Qing Xiang: Lightly roasted
> Lightly roasted is also called new techniques in mainland China. It was
> originally imported from Taiwan and got popular because of its success
> in the western countries and also because of the fresh taste fits the
> youngest tea drinkers.

It might be a new technique, but these teas appear to be winning the grand
prizes and pulling in big bucks, even on the mainland. Or so I've been told.
>
> - Zhong Shu Xiang: medium roasted
> The medium roasted is right between the lightly and the well roasted
> one. It mixed the two characters of each, so it is a golden mean, and
> it is the one that consume for the market.

This is where I'd expect that soft sweet fruited character, right? It's a
tricky area, I think, because it leads to some remarkably tastey and some
incredibly lousy teas.
>
> - Shu Xiang: well roasted
> Well (heavily) roasted is what called traditional techniques. It is the
> way how the TGY has been roasted at all times. Using charcoal fire is
> the main concept for this traditional version.

I have a quarter pound of such a one on hand. I enjoy it, but if I were to
spend my life on a desert island with but one kind of TGY, it would be a
lighter roasted one. I have suggested that this more highly roasted TGY has
less subtlety and nuance than its lighter roasted brothers. My tea master
and buddy calls to my attention that the complexity of this tea is surely
there, but in a different part of the spectrum.
>
> TGY has been proved that it contains the most variety of aromas. That
> explains the various fragrances in TGY, especially when it is brewed in
> low to medium temperature.

That's a strong recommendation for brewing these teas well below the boiling
point, a fact with which I would hardly disagree.
>

Jing, is this still you speaking below, or somebody else?

>> From what I have learned and what I have understood for now, to enjoy a
> good cup of TGY, this is what I need to have in my cup no matter it is
> the new technique or the traditional techniques:
> - Appearance: evenly rolled, heavy with fresh and shiny green color. It
> is perfect if it has a lightly, evenly frosted look on the surface.

But, as Jing said above, it could be quite dark, hardly green at all.

> - Smell of the dry leaves: a calm and unhurriedly fragrance with an
> acid hint.

Acid hint?

> - Liquor: golden to yellow, thick, rich but clear. It appears a pectic
> surface when the liquor gets cold.

Pectic, huh? Perhaps. I'll check out my cup. You mean a thick apperance,
right?

> - Taste: pure and mellow, sweet and fresh, with a silky and thick
> smooth feel to the tongue and the throat. It has a fruity or floral
> aroma, a honey hint at the end and it is long lasted.

That sounds like the medium roasted version Jing refers to above.

> - Aroma: high quality TGY doesn't show a superficial or swanky aroma
> but deep and graceful. Usually, it holds a subtle orchid fragrance and
> it sinks to the bottom of the cup, long lasted.

Hey, that's me! Superficial and swanky. No pride at all.

> - Aftertaste: this is what matters the most with TGY, and this
> aftertaste is what called "GY Yun (lingering charm of TGY)". A high
> quality TGY has an obvious "Yun" which is a pleasant acid touch, a
> bit like the megranate taste and also contains a dimly discernible
> flavor that brings saliva after drinking.

Perhaps this "acid" thing is astringency? I completely agree with your
statement here, by the way: aftertaste along with aroma are the sine qua non
of TGY.
>
> A Chinese saying goes: "Se Zhong pin qi xiang, Guan Yin pin qi
> yun", which means "the high fragrance is the thing to enjoy when
> you drink Se Zhong (another variety of Anxi Oolong, ex. Ben Shan, Mao
> Xie), and when you drink Tie Guan Yin, you should enjoy its
> aftertaste."

Oh, I thought it translates as, "Don't forget to take out the wash, and
please cook the rice before I get home." (Sorry.) On a more serious note,
would you pinpoint the year (approximately) when the *fisted* version of
Oolong first made its appearance in China? (I use "Oolong" as the general
catagory to which TGY belongs.)

Michael