First of all, don’t break off an enormous piece of the bing like i did. just use a normal-sized chunk, say about the size of a quarter, less volume than a large marshmallow, for use in your gaiwan. HOWEVER if you do accidentally start with too much, you can always dilute with a touch more hot water; the flavor is not hurt by doing this.
SECOND OF ALL this was a wonderful investment! My friend Emma and I ventured across town to have a Tea Sit at the delightful West China Tea House, where the owner served us several fine teas and regaled us with stories of his own tea journey. Quite a lovely afternoon interrupted at last by the arrival of hazardous weather conditions that drove us all indoors.
For our second tea of the Sit, we were served round after round of this incredibly deep and textured pu’er directly from a tea farmer venturing into pressing their home-grown pu’er (most pu’er comes from government owned factories!), and every teacup was a journey unto its own. The flavors waxed and waned like cycles of the moon, and taking the time to savor each slurp was simply lovely, especially with friends. Emma and I split a bing to bring home, and this morning while lounging i am enjoying my over-leaf’d tea session immensely. Once i get the ratio of tea:water perfected, this will be a daily drinker for quite a while, and i. am. pleased.
Flavors: Earth, Green, Vegetal, Wet Rocks
