Chen tea is an extremely niche existence in the world of rock tea, and this niche field also upholds the rich and varied characteristics of rock tea, and also adds the more uncertain variable of time.
What kind of fire skill can stabilize quality or bring higher quality during the aging process, light fire, medium fire, or sufficient fire? What kind of storage method can compete with time, and what are the completely different flavor differences brought by natural aging and re baking? How many years of aging can reach the optimal drinking cycle for one cup of aged rock tea?
These are the most discussed and almost unsolved problems in the field of rock tea and aged tea, and once we jump into a pit, a series of problems will follow.
For example, when switching back and forth between narcissus, cinnamon, Dahongpao, and many other famous and new varieties in daily life, we suddenly have another question about aged tea. Will there be a more suitable variety for storage? Can the distinctive characteristics of the variety be preserved and displayed during the aging process, or can the variety itself perform unexpectedly in the time domain?
As beginners in the field of rock tea aged tea, we would like to share our personal experiences and insights on the variety of aged tea with everyone, based on our limited knowledge. We also welcome discussions in the comment section. Who do you think is the most suitable variety for aged rock tea?
01 Rock tea aged tea circle, cinnamon C-position not guaranteed?
Cinnamon is as popular in the new tea circle as it is in the aged tea field.
Cinnamon has only been selected and promoted for 40 years, and in terms of seniority and aging volume, it is indeed inferior to narcissus. In addition, the business has been thriving for the past 40 years, and the vast majority of high-quality cinnamon has been treated in the present.
However, aside from these external factors, is the cinnamon variety itself really not suitable for aging? There is very little research on direct data in the field of rock tea aged tea, and for cinnamon, it is almost zero. Therefore, we have left these issues to players or mountain owners who have a habit of aged tea.
There are two opinions that are not suitable. One believes that cinnamon, as a fragrant variety, has its greatest advantage in aroma, while aged tea mainly wins with its water sensation. Cinnamon is likely to lose its aroma during aging, and its water sensation is not as prominent as narcissus and exotic varieties.
For cinnamon, drinking is like saying, ‘If there are flowers, they can be folded straight, but don’t wait for empty branches without flowers.’
Another view is that cinnamon varieties are inherently characterized by bitter substances, which is a disadvantage of the variety itself. For a variety, the process is to highlight the advantages of the variety and weaken the disadvantages. At present, Mount Wuyi cinnamon is perfect, but after storage, the “bitterness” and “astringency” of the cinnamon varieties will be enhanced.
We bought a 2009 cinnamon aged tea a few days ago, and it is said that it was difficult to identify it as cinnamon root at that time. It has a high degree of fermentation, and after being aged for fifteen years, its sweetness, stimulation, and concentration remain the same. There is also some honey flavor of old white tea, but we cannot ignore the numbing and astringent feeling of the tea soup.
Every time I enter, even though the scenery is beautiful in front of me, my mouth remains straight and tight after passing through. It takes several sips of plain water to disperse the granular sensation in my mouth.
Cinnamon aged dried tea from 2009
However, the reason why rock tea is fun is that there has never been an absolute consensus on it.
For example, the cinnamon in Xiaowen’s family tea from 1989, which has a strong fire power, the sandalwood and herbal fragrance that gives a sense of time after being aged for 35 years, the maple syrup like soup with a cooked fruit aroma, and then it turns to the bamboo leaf wood, which is warm and powerful.
Not only does it break the cognitive limitation that cinnamon is not suitable for aging, but it also breaks the cognitive limitation that rock tea has a low level of hierarchy and richness in aged tea. However, cinnamon of this grade is extremely rare.
Cinnamon from 1989 has only appeared in public five times so far, and it was forgotten in the warehouse when it was aged, which is a pleasant surprise.
02 What variety is suitable for aging?
Suitable, it can actually be divided into two aspects, one is being able to hold it, and the other is being placed well.
The most important factor for storage is the appropriate storage conditions, such as the dryness of the air and reducing the frequency of packaging opening. Of course, the moisture content of the raw materials also needs to be within a reasonable range to facilitate storage.
As far as the variety itself is concerned, we believe that rare varieties that have been aged for a certain period of time are more secure in terms of food safety, although we can completely trust rock tea and food safety now.
But it should be noted that in the mid-20th century, many agricultural papers directly recommended the use of pesticides such as dichlorvos and dichlorvos for the prevention and control of tea plant diseases and pests, which are now banned. For vegetables and tea that cannot be sold at a high price and grow wild, this problem was “luckily” avoided.
Native vegetable and tea community in the volcanic crater of Huanglongyan Nature Reserve
In addition, we have also come across a little-known theory that the content of organic acids has a certain degree of impact on the aging of tea leaves. For example, citric acid can slow down the oxidation rate and prolong storage time, while malic acid promotes the oxidation of polyphenolic substances and accelerates fermentation.
In the study, the organic acid content of Laocong Narcissus, Jinfo, and Dahongpao was compared between 5 and 10 years. Among the 5-year samples, Laocong Narcissus had the highest malic acid content, with a decrease of nearly half in 10 years.
As the aging time increases, the malic acid content of Jinfo and Dahongpao shows a significant increasing trend. From a storage perspective, Dahongpao has a greater storage advantage than Narcissus.
Of course, various substances in tea have a comprehensive effect, and it is difficult to fully apply the influence of a single substance to a single tea leaf.
And different varieties, as well as the age and tenderness of their fresh leaves, different processing techniques, and differences in raw materials, also bring about differences in the content of substances. Such a complex problem is usually chosen as the next question for those who only focus on drinking tea in the academic committee.
What kind of variety tastes better as it ages? Narcissus, a traditional name cluster and a group of vegetables and tea, are the three most revered objects in rock tea aged tea.
Traditional clusters and exotic varieties made from vegetable tea usually do not stand out in terms of aroma expression, but they have a strong sense of water, especially with the support of good mountain terrain, one can truly experience the soul stirring sensation in water.
Varieties with good water sensation also conform to the admiration of good aged tea for water sensation. With the combination of unique varieties and vintage configurations, we look forward to the taste of future years’ patina.
Ghost Cave Mountain Field
The same logic applies to the aging process of narcissus, which is known for its water sensitivity. Especially for aged narcissus, the thick and aged leaves will undergo post fermentation during the aging process. Not only will the sweet taste become more intense after storage, but many subtle changes can also occur on the basis of the “clump flavor”.
We have tasted an old bush from the 2017 Natural Chenxin Mountain Range, which is as fresh as shuttling through a green jungle filled with sweet tropical fruits, while the water sensation is steady, like the daytime warmth left on the beach in a summer evening, passionate and energetic, completely subverting my understanding of Chencha.
Under a large rock wall in Tianxin Mountain Field, old clusters of narcissus trees grow wild
During the aging process, the quality performance of tea follows a curve.
The concentration, mellowness, freshness and taste of tea soup will decline first and then rise at different stages of ten years of storage. Some studies show that the mellowness, freshness and taste of narcissus will be significantly improved after 12 years of storage compared with 6 years of storage, which is simply the first place in anti-aging.
From the current perspective, teas with rich internal qualities and good performance in the new tea stage, whether it is the narcissus variety or the unknown cinnamon in the aged tea field, have the potential for later development.
Moreover, for us, whether it’s new tea or aged tea, as long as we have good tea in front of us, enjoying it in the moment is our first choice.