abcdefg Posted April 27, 2013 at 06:08 AM Report Share Posted April 27, 2013 at 06:08 AM I bought some delicious tea on a recent trip, but now that I'm back in Kunming, I can't read the label. Background: This is a Da Hong Pao 大红袍 oolong from Wuyi Mountain 武夷山 in Northwest Fujian. It's unusual in that it has been compressed into a cake 饼茶 similar to the way Pu'er is often done. Given proper storage conditions, this allows the tea to improve with time. This tea is about 15 years old. I can read the type-written part of the label, it's just the hand-written smaller label above it that has me stumped. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semantic nuance Posted April 27, 2013 at 06:46 AM Report Share Posted April 27, 2013 at 06:46 AM might be 十年陳茶大紅袍. Read this link. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcdefg Posted April 27, 2013 at 07:34 AM Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2013 at 07:34 AM Thanks, that seems to fit the story. Appreciate the link. The 陈 here, if that's indeed what it is, would be similar to its use in 老陈醋. (The famous aged/mature vinegar of 山西.) The tea merchant said the tea had been aged for several years before being pressed. I think the back label indicates it was pressed in 2006. This is an unusual process for an oolong. It was something of a special item, the pride of this particular firm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcdefg Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:00 AM Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:00 AM Bump. Would anyone else used to reading such things be willing to take a shot at telling me what the handwritten label says? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted April 28, 2013 at 07:11 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 07:11 AM I agree with semantic nuance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted April 28, 2013 at 07:27 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 07:27 AM I agree with semantic nuance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcdefg Posted April 28, 2013 at 08:27 AM Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 08:27 AM Thank you all very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted April 28, 2013 at 08:52 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 08:52 AM Just in case you were wondering about the specifics: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcdefg Posted April 28, 2013 at 09:20 AM Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 09:20 AM Wow! That clinches it beyond any doubt. Appreciate your going to the trouble to clarify it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted April 28, 2013 at 09:35 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 09:35 AM No problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneEye Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:29 PM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:29 PM OK, that settles it. Time to work on reading handwriting. Ouch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:39 PM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:39 PM shameless plug 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneEye Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:47 PM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:47 PM It's nice, but the 行書 font is very readable for me. Do you have a 潦草書 font? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:55 PM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:55 PM The 陈 here, if that's indeed what it is, would be similar to its use in 老陈醋. Also, just realised no-one had answered this question yet either. Yes, in this context 陈 means 'aged'/'matured', with 陈茶 being the opposite 新茶. The usage is also common for alcohol e.g. 陈酒. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:04 PM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:04 PM Do you have a 潦草書 font? No, but if you find a font you like and the website for the foundry that created it I can look at licensing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcdefg Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:26 PM Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:26 PM #14 -- Regarding 陈, that's what I had figured. Glad to have it confirmed. Thanks again. BTW, interesting Baidu article. That's the kind of long, educated-person sentences I wish I could write. 大多数茶类新茶口感和色泽都好于陈茶，大多数茶像绿茶、乌龙茶都是当年的新茶品质好，营养成分佳，隔年以后，因为光、热、水、气的作用，茶叶其中的一些酸 类、酯类、醇类物质以及氨基酸、维生素发生氧化或缩合，形成了其他不溶于水或易挥发的化合物，人们需要的茶叶有效成分却减少了，不仅口味受影响，营养也打 了折扣。但是像普洱茶、沱茶、六堡茶、黑茶等几种特别的茶叶例外，只要存放得当，反而是越陈品质越好。如绿茶那存放太久其营养成分也就受到了影响，保健作 用降低，只要能保证没发霉喝还是没问题。 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:34 PM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:34 PM This is a Da Hong Pao 大红袍 oolong Coincidentally, I was also given some 大红袍 recently. Not in cake form though, but in a tin. I agree that it's a very nice tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest realmayo Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:47 PM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:47 PM And here you may see the original bushes your 大红袍 (may have) descended from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdoztru-lBo#t=15m45s Internet says it cost RMB 208,000 for just 20 grammes in 2005. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcdefg Posted April 30, 2013 at 05:31 AM Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 05:31 AM #17 -- Coincidentally, I was also given some 大红袍 recently. Not in cake form though, but in a tin. I agree that it's a very nice tea. It is a very fine gift tea, not only because it tastes good, but because it's in limited supply and therefore kind of expensive. As you noted, it usually comes in tin as "loose leaf" tea. 散茶 This cake of aged 大红袍 is something I had not come across before. Brews up with a deep crimson color, and even when made strong it does not become bitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest realmayo Posted April 30, 2013 at 06:00 AM Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 06:00 AM Is it easy to prise the leaves out of the 饼 without breaking them? Or are they all chopped up already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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