When I looked at my tea collection, there are odd and end cakes and stand alone teas among my tea stash. They may a single cake, tuo or brick or one tin or pack of oolong. These are teas that I had purchased through my 10 years of serious collection. I bought them as a 'sample' - to enjoy them at my own time and pace. Sometimes I would buy something from a shop after sampling a few teas there. There were also instances when a shop allowed me to sample some tea and even if the sample tea was not suitable, I would buy something to show my appreciation for trying out the tea. If the teas are interesting and nice, I would consider buying more in my next purchase. But for reasons unknown, some of these teas were not opened or drank by me.
This 2006 Changtai tuo is one of these teas. I was actually given this tuo by the Changtai dealer when I was in Guangzhou last year (or was it 2 years back). He told me that this tuo had 'turned'. This is the tea lingo used by my tea buddies to describe a tea that had aged nicely.
This tea had really 'turned'. The tea brews strong with a dark amber rusty colour. There is a strong woody and herbal aroma and taste In the tea. There is some mild bitterness and harshness and hardly any sweetness. I laughed when I tasted this tea. Mouthwatering. I like this tea. When I am pleasantly surprised with a food or drink, I will laugh. I cannot explain but I like this tea. I will look out for this tea in my next trip.
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