1990 Fuhai Wild Tuo

Posted on 26 March 2009

Just days after I reported on the first spring thunderstorm here in Warsaw, we’ve had a rather quirky twist of weather, with 20 cm of snow this morning. This really put me in the need for a warming, soothing tea.

I rarely drink shu (fermented) puer, being generally skeptical about the earthy, dirty aromas of wet storage. But I do keep a few samples of shu in the teabox for the sake of study. This 1990 Fuhai Wild Tuo is a Tea Masters offering, and you will find an extended description of the tea on their website. At 85€ per 250g tuo, it is moderately expensive in the context of its age.

Brewed in: gaiwan

Dosage: 4g / 100ml

Leaf: Very compact, and quite aged, with uniform dark brown leaves. Appears to be of good quality with some decent size, but whether truly ‘wild-tree’ is open to debate (as always).

Tasting notes:

30s: Colour is a very deep brown with a bit of plumy reddish perhaps. The aroma is typical, with dry wood and dry leaves impressions of autumn, followed by some more cavernous shu notes, but relatively clean and dry-stored (an apparent paradox, but typical of shu teas that have been dry-stored for years since production). Hardly very complex in taste, but admirably unaggressive and clean – this is quintessentially the mouthfeel many authors refer to as ‘smooth’ (I don’t like the word). Finish is a little vague though.

40s: Colour even deeper than infusion #1. Again attack and mid-palate are a little dirty-dusty, finish perhaps a little cleaner and juicier, with vegetal impressions and a bit of post-tannic kick. Some length but the whole is low key.

60s: Very dark colour. Little change, some length, the whole lacking however in texture (this brewing is everything but oily) and intensity – low dosage? In fact I preferred the later brewings where the fermented character was less evident, and the whole calm, low-key, mildly grainy, with some decent complexity and character. There is logical progression of decreasing extract and intensity through 10 brews.

Overall, a wholesome and solid tea that provided that much-needed reconciliation with the forces of the Earth, and a nice change of pace from the recent string of oolongs. While there are more expensive teas out there (though rarely shu), this tuo isn’t really cheap, and you’ll need to be fond of the style to enjoy it for the money.