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Tea Notes, November 2021

by Lydia Kung

Good afternoon & Happy Autumn,

Above: Hokkaido (Sept. 2019)

As we face cooler temperatures, thoughts about teas to ward off the chill might well turn to Yunnan Blacks. In southern Yunnan winters are mild. The months from November to April are the region’s dry season, and for quite a few teas from that origin, the production cycle ended just recently. 

To highlight one such Black tea, our Organic Yunnan Gold Tip, (Special Grade) is from a garden that was established in the 1960s. The bushes were grown from seed, rather than propagated from cuttings. The seed method is believed to have a more complex genetic makeup that not only yields a richer tea taste but builds resistance to pests.

Above: Organic Old Yunnan tea bushes

Above: Yunnan’s larger leaf

Note the size of Yunnan’s large-leafed variety:

Leaves ready for oxidation:

Above:  Tea leaves ready for oxidation

Organic Yunnan Gold Tip The finished tea, Organic Yunnan Gold Tip:

There have been comments about Assams not being as malty as before; this is not the case with this Yunnan Black. Deeply colored, weighty in body, the cup remains smooth and hearty, with good mouthfeel and no pucker. The raisin-y, cocoa-like notes make this a bold breakfast brew and a mellow afternoon choice.

“Cardamom Bun” Fruit Blend tea  For a touch of spice, we are pleased to introduce a “Cardamom Bun” fruit blend. I am lucky to be within easy driving distance to a Swedish bakery for its cardamom buns, or kardemummabulle, a special treat at this time of year.

Softer than cinnamon, this is a scrumptious way to get acquainted with the green-podded S. Indian spice well loved in Scandinavia, sometimes described as yielding a “piney warmth.”  (Caffeine-free)

Our suppliers are well aware of the nearly 100 ships idling at the Los Angeles/Long Beach ports. For exporters and importers alike, record high freight costs are the most critical issue this year and have led some producers to reduce output.

At our receiving end, as congestion at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continues to worsen, port administrators announced two emergency port fees (a “Container Excess Dwell Fee” & a “Congestion Dwell Fee”) that took effect November 1st, 2021. These are in addition to earlier charges (such as General Rate Increases and Equipment Balance Surcharge).  Truckers bringing shipments to us have just increased the fuel surcharge from 10% to 20%.

We now have 14 shipments languishing at the ports here and in NY, with the earliest having “arrived” on October 2nd.  In retrospect, the lists of Arriving Teas I sent out the last two months were optimistic.

At the export end, teas going to Africa have slowed, and the impressive tonnage of Chunmee and Gunpowder to N. Africa has fallen dramatically.  The refining or secondary processing of these Green teas is done at this time of year, so workers are being displaced. Elsewhere, exports to Europe this year have been surprisingly strong, with demand for White tea and Puer rising. One Yunnan producer reports strong growth in demand for Puer from Greece and Lithuania (!).

In China’s tea gardens, this is a dormant period until March, as the bushes are pollarded and weeding continues. With the logjam at the ports, it sometimes feels like we are in a dormant period as well!  Many of the teas listed in earlier arrival notices are still literally “on the water,” immovably so. Gradually, and sometimes unexpectedly, we are seeing shipments come to our warehouse and we will update you accordingly, especially seasonal teas, most of them having left Germany on August 30th. Aside from the latter group, stock levels in our warehouse are generally good.  Except for pallet-quantity orders, we still strive to ship out orders the same day we receive them.

When the fall tea season began in earnest, the local tea markets in China got busy again. Conveniently for consumers, the shops are clustered together:

Shown is a street lined with tea shops in a Hunan city. The sign with gold characters on the right claims a specialization in Black tea from ancient trees and Fuding White tea. The pink characters on the extreme left in the photo announce Dark Tea from Anhua, a Hunan specialty.

Puer and White tea cakes are popular items:

A very informal polling of suppliers about which teas they would present as gifts turned up the following suggestions. These are not very surprising, and while I had first hoped to see something unexpected, these choices are well grounded. They are reminders that these are not just big-name teas but ones that actually do embody flavor, place, and craft:

·       White Peony — a hot category now in the domestic market; we have all grades in stock.

·       Keemun — in the Maofeng style, which provides a good teaching point about how intent — responding to consumer interest — created a style totally different from traditional Keemun congous.

·       Dragonwell

·       Tie Guan Yin

·       Puer cakes

·       Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) Oolong

If asked for the teas I would gift or welcome receiving from this year’s finds, here are my standouts:

Wuyi “Honey” Black

My initial enthusiasm was supported by the same response from respected palates, with excitement spreading to colleagues who dwell in the coffee side of their businesses. One tea educator remarked that this is a fantastic afternoon tea, as if “honey had been drizzled over the leaves.”

Organic Orchid Snow Bud Green

Not strictly new this year, imported for the 2nd time: a Green that sells out quickly in the growing vicinity in Zhejiang, near Mt. Tian Mu at the border with Anhui. Fine-leafed spiral shapes, aptly named “Eagle Claw” in the local origin site, present an unusual style among China Greens and yield a paradoxically delicate and succulent character.

 

Song Court Imperial Dancong

Also not a brand new find but as a couple of more batches came in, there is solid confirmation that this is a stellar cultivar among Single Trunk teas that are already exceptional as a category.  Layers of flavor and a long, lingering finish.

We are grateful for the opportunity to share teas with you and your customers, and thank you for being part of our continuing tea journey. Happy Thanksgiving!

Warm regards,

Lydia

November 17, 2021