DRUNK

Today, I reach a new height in tea drinking experience. I had been tea drunk before, the experiences were over dose of caffeine. 2005 Lao Ban Zhang left me jittery hours after just a few grams. 12, 20 teas a day left my brain restless, but not organizationally functional. Today, I got drunk 2.5 times in 6 hours, I think. The last drunk was very similar to an alcohol drunk. My body was warm, itchy on my back, my eyes were stoned, I slurred, and I felt like walking on clouds when I got up. I had to make a quick head turn, and I saw a trail of lights from one shoulder to another. It's been 2 hours, I still feel drunk. After returning home, I just want to pass out.


Jason and Mark stopped by today for tea. Ming was here as well. As a bunch of tea heads, we without doubts had a ton of tea, at some point, we don't even know how much tea we had or what we had. We all got drunk a few times. I got so drunk, I refused to drink more tea after I got home. One tea that particularly hit all 4 of us hard was the Chuan Du Lao Ming Cong Dan Cong. Jason stopped drinking it after 4 cups. We were so buzzed, we all stopped drinking after the 6th infusion. I worried if I could make it home safely. My perception of depth was all off.

Chuan Du Lao Ming Cong is 1 of the 10 best Single Bush trees on Wu Dong Mountain. Only a few pounds are produced each spring. I got my hands on 500g, the anticipation of its arrival left me sleepless for many nights. Finally it arrived on Friday afternoon when Will's visiting, just right before he planned to leave. We tried 1g in a gaiwan, it was good but not what we expected (highly). However I did have 2 hours of sweet after taste lingered in my mouth. It was quite nice, but not mind blowing at the time.

This afternoon, I brewed 3g in Jason's Duan Ni pot. First infusion was __, I have no words to describe it. It does not taste like anything I can put a name on. Strange, not mind blowing, but interesting. I was curious to open the lid, WOW!!!!! It smells beautiful! Not nice, not fragrant, not just a regular word of flower. Just beautiful!!! The aroma is amazing, it literally smells like a real orchid, somewhere between a large white Cattlaya and a white Dandrobium. It's pure, drifty, clean, clear, lung opening, with a hint of winter honey sweetness. We kept drinking the second and third infusions, taking very small sips of tea at a time, 3 drops maybe. The flavor of the tea was magnified with each little sip. I still don't have a word for it. Honey like sweetness increased with each brew. Jason took away his cup while I was still trying to think of a word to describe it. By that time, we were all drunk and talking gibberish. I remember I said something like laying on clouds drinking cloud. Jason got up to walk off the buzz. Over all, I still don't know how to describe this tea. It left me contemplating, chasing something illusive. Maybe this is why it cost so much. The drunken effect justifies the price perhaps?! It was a fun eventful drinking afternoon.

Here is a list of tea I (we) drank today, I am still drunk that I may skip a couple here and there.

Small bud gold tip Yunnan black
Imperial loose pu 2006
Wuyi Rou Gui
Huang Zi Xiang Dan Cong
Honey Orchid Dan Cong
Bor Tou (ginger flower) Dan Cong (Jason, Mark and Ming arrived)
07 pu-erh mao cha
ALi Shan high mountain oolong (My roasting batch)
Fo Cha Ji loose pu 2004
Wuyi Te Luo Han
Zi Lan Xiang Dan Cong
Honey Orchid Dan Cong
92 CNNP Red lable Meng Hai
* first time drunk*
92 CNNP red label Meng Hai (roasted)
76 Roasted Baozhong
2007 Oriental Beauty
70's pu
Chuan Du Lao Ming Cong Dan Cong 07
*completely drunk*