Roy Fong at ITC is a stickler for how a tea feels in the mouth; he has
at times espoused a technique involving sipping the tea, holding it in
the front of the mouth and using the tongue to determine how thick or
silky the tea tastes before swallowing it. Since I became aware of this
I've really changed how I judge puerh teas. The really good ones
sometimes have a very subtle taste but great mouthfeel, although one
would hope they would have both.

I'm really digging YSLLCs '97 Xia Guan cooked cake right now, btw.

Michael Plant wrote:
> snip snip snip
>
> > I tend to become
> > inexplicably violent when I read other people using the word
> > "mouthfeel". Then again, I use more than my share of silly words, so
> > I'm sure it all evens out in the end.
>
> Guilty. The feel of the tea in the mouth
> is part of the tea's pleasure, and when it is
> too thin or too thick, it can ruin the overall
> experience. This is especially true for old
> Sheng Pu'erhs and for well roasted WuYi's.
> When the mouthfeel is right, there is an ever
> changing flavor coating in the mouth and on
> the tongue, especially perhaps at the back of
> the throat. This can move from sweet carmel
> to wood or bitter/sour notes. You can hardly
> speak of Bao Zhong without speaking of its
> feel in the mouth. These are solely my own
> opinions. I don't mean to imply that others
> should feel the same way.
>
> I know what you mean by silly words, though.
> Ultimately, all words are silly when it comes to
> tea drinking.
>
> How do I drink? I sniff dry leaf, wet leaf,
> lid, liquor, empty cup, gaiwan, or pot by
> turns and at the right moments as the mood
> strikes, and with others whenever these
> things are offered to me for inspection. I
> drink by slurp and gurgle and slosh in
> quiet concentration. Most amazing to me
> is how the tea unfolds when I'm focused
> on it, and how different the tea drinking
> experience is when I'm not. Breathing out
> to enjoy the tea's aroma has been mentioned
> to me before in other context. I have to
> remind myself to do it. It's worth the effort.
>
> I think by the way that that is one of the
> best questions that's gotten asked around
> here in quite awhile. Praise to the original
> poster.
>
> Michael