Why do my lips and tongue feel numb after drinking Yancha?
The distinctiveness of Yancha lies in its Roasting, resulting in a heavier-bodied tea. After tasting Yancha, one can experience a notably thicker sensation on the tongue.
If you are drinking Rougui (Cinnamon), there is a characteristic feature: the intrinsic qualities of Rougui will also produce this feeling on your tongue.
This unique sensation with Yancha is often something that newcomers to the tea may find hard to accept. However, once you get used to it, you might grow to love Yancha.
If the astringency is present at first, with a taste reminiscent of green persimmons, the main reason for the numbing sensation is due to the roasting process of Yancha, where the ‘fire' has not yet dissipated. This is especially noticeable in Dahongpao.
How can one master the technique of savoring the flavors of Yancha?
When savoring the flavor, maintain the correct position of your tongue: draw the tea into your mouth, press the tip of your tongue against the upper teeth, slightly open your lips, and raise your tongue slightly so the tea rests on the middle part of your tongue. Then, using abdominal breathing, slowly inhale air through your mouth, allowing the tea to gently roll on your tongue. After inhaling twice, identify the flavors before closing your mouth, keeping your tongue in the same position, and exhaling through your nose while expelling the air from your lungs and the tea from your mouth.
If you initially sense a bitter taste in the tea, elevate your tongue and press the tea towards the back of your tongue to further evaluate the degree of bitterness.
If you suspect a smoky flavor in the tea, after introducing the tea into your mouth, keep your lips closed, press the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth, and inhale through your nostrils, expanding your mouth to allow air to fully contact the tea. Then, exhale through your nostrils.
Repeating this two to three times will provide a more accurate assessment of the smoky flavor.
The ideal temperature for tasting tea is between 40-50 degrees Celsius. If the temperature exceeds 70 degrees, the taste buds can be scalded, affecting the evaluation results. Below 40 degrees, the sensitivity of the taste buds decreases, and substances dissolved in the hot tea gradually precipitate out, making the tea unbalanced and losing the basis for proper evaluation.
The reason is that flavor-related compounds are more soluble and balanced in hotter tea, but as the temperature drops, these substances gradually precipitate out, causing the tea to become unbalanced.
The optimal amount of tea for tasting is 5 milliliters, as larger quantities make it difficult to swirl and discern flavors, while smaller amounts create an empty feeling in the mouth, hindering identification.
We talk about savoring tea, which means taking small sips – a 15-milliliter Cup should be taken in three sips, which is what we mean by “savoring.”
The timing of tasting is crucial; a 5-milliliter sip should be swirled around the tongue twice over four seconds, and three sips per cup suffice.
If you need to taste another tea for comparison, Rinse your mouth with warm water to wash away any high-concentration residue on your tongue before proceeding, ensuring your taste buds are not numbed and the evaluation remains precise.
When the tea enters your mouth, inhale naturally without haste. Sucking too forcefully increases the flow rate of the tea, allowing some to pass through the gaps between your teeth, mixing with food residues and introducing off-flavors, making it difficult to accurately assess the taste.
Evaluating the flavor of the tea includes assessing its concentration, strength, freshness, astringency, purity, stimulation, astringency, vitality, body, and aftertaste.
The soft Sweetness, smoothness, and aftertaste felt in the throat after swallowing the tea are also important aspects of tasting.
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