In the tea industry, Laoyan tea is not as popular as Laopu erh and Laobai tea, and even rarely appears. As for the rock tea circle itself, Old Rock Tea is a unique and low-key existence.
Last year, I accidentally talked to Mr. Huang from the Fujian Tea Inspection Station about old tea. He told us that new and old rock tea are two different worlds, and old rock tea also needs to be immersed in it like new tea in order to have a deeper understanding. Moreover, “we must not use the standards of new tea to view old tea
This involves the differences in evaluation, aesthetics, and other aspects between new and old tea, which are derived from each step, and their brewing methods have their own advantages.
As an entry-level contestant of Old Rock Tea, I have recently experienced a sharp increase in the number of times I brew old tea due to sharing several sessions. Through continuous brewing and calibration, I have also summarized some small experiences to share with everyone.
01 Different wake-up methods
In fact, both new and old teas have a standard action of waking up, the difference being that one is in a state of just falling asleep or half awake, while the other is a professional who has experienced more than ten years of repeated deep sleep and lies flat.
The way to wake up for tea is relatively simple and rough. Once the lid is hot, the strings are poured out, and the brain matter is shaken evenly, it can be taken out of the pot. It is very similar to your mother’s household style wake-up method, which may result in a strong sense of waking up.
Especially for freshly roasted tea, this way of awakening the tea makes the fire energy rush straight to the forehead. At this time, it also provides us with a message that those who are afraid of getting angry should drink carefully
Old tea has a more “aged and aged” temperament, while waking up tea is to dispel the aging energy. After all, after sleeping in the warehouse for many years, it also takes some time to adapt, along with fresh air, oxygen, and sunlight.
When an old tea is rediscovered, we prepare a new home for it on the tea table: the “Tea Warehouse”. Put the old tea into the tea chamber and let it brew for two bubbles in advance. The material of the tea chamber can be selected from high-density ceramics, tin cans, etc., which are used for drying.
Last month at the San Cha Cha Tea Party in Beijing, 89 year old beef was awakened with ancient porcelain collected by the space owner Yao *. Tea friends familiar with this aged tea said that after waking up, the aroma and taste will become purer.
Wet awakening is a gentle brewing process, where the first layer of old tea is poured out and not consumed, allowing the tea to absorb some heat and humidity before formally brewing the first layer. First, dissipate the dust, aged flavor, and warehouse flavor attached to the tea strands, but be sure to wash the tea quickly and not sit in a cup.
This is because the soluble substances in the first layer of aged tea precipitate more, and it is necessary to avoid excessive loss of some internal essence, so as to provide continuous energy storage for the later tea soup.
02 Different brewing techniques
Awakening tea is the prelude, brewing is entering the main topic.
When brewing new tea, we take bold steps to raise the water line, even splashing water. If there is too much water poured, we gently lift the lid of the bowl. If the tea is bitter, we will release the soup early. Even if the tea is broken, there will still be fragrance and charm to save the scene, and there will always be something remarkable.
On the other hand, the elderly elders of Laoyan Tea cannot withstand this kind of turmoil. If they are not careful, they will really brew and smash it.
After the baptism of time, the vast majority of the aroma of old tea has been stripped away, and most of them are difficult to find traces of fragrance. The regularity of the content of various compounds increasing, decreasing, or being difficult to decipher with the appearance of storage time weakens the influence of rock tea aroma.
Although time may take away the fragrance, it can also impart new flavors. Old tea often transforms into aged, medicinal, cocoa, plum, woody, and other aromas. After being aged over time, rock tea sheds its youthful coat and becomes more mature.
Compared to new tea, old tea is known for its taste, stability, and restraint. The tea polyphenols, caffeine, freshness, and bitterness substances begin to fade away, and the thick and smooth texture gradually approaches the forefront.
In terms of brewing, old tea is also more difficult than new tea, and brewing good old tea requires more attention to our efforts and thoughts.
To express the stability and essence of aged tea, it is necessary to be gentle in brewing techniques. When pouring water, it should be fine and flowing continuously, and the tea should be slowly poured at a fixed point to avoid stirring the tea leaves. This not only gives the tea soup a “stable” state, but also increases the thickness of the tea soup by several levels.
In addition, brewing aged tea also requires a sense of rhythm, with the goal of being stable until the end. The Eight Character Formula for brewing it well is: slow with speed, fast with stability. As mentioned earlier, when brewing old rock tea, the water injection should be slow, but in the first few infusions, it cannot be done slowly and requires a lot of effort
Due to storage, transportation, and other factors, the finely crushed parts of old rock tea will account for a certain proportion. In the first few bubbles, the internal precipitation is particularly fast, slow, and the taste is strong, which can easily discourage tea customers.
After the concentration of the tea soup stabilizes, we can extend the sitting time in a timely manner to make the overall presentation of the tea soup more balanced and stable, avoiding a cliff like drop in the tea soup.
Chencha Tea Soup
At the end, you can do whatever you want without exceeding the norm, and take it slowly. If you feel unsatisfied, you can set up the stove and cook it while drinking. You will find that all the old teas eventually lead to the same destination, returning to their most authentic form. “Herbal flavor, woody flavor, leaf flavor” are all authentic flavors.
Of course, brewing old tea well is not just about manual labor, but also involves some external factors, such as choosing a purple clay teapot on the vessel, brewing with soft water, boiling water in a sand pot, and so on.
No matter what thoughts and means we put into it, it is all for a cup of delicious tea soup. Being able to brew difficult tea into a delicious taste is also a very accomplished and happy thing.