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Xingyang 1998 Golden Leaf Pu'er from Verdant Tea
100

Thank you David Duckler for this great Sample!

Attempting to review this Pu’er is like me auditioning for “So You Think You Can Dance”!

All the equipment I used was glass…pot, cup etc. I used spring water, made sure not to eat first, no perfumes or lipstick, just everything clean! Steeping time 2-3 minutes.
I recorded 3 infusions but this 1 tsp to 4oz water method can go 12 infusions (gulp)!

The Pu’er is so intense that I felt like I was in an old movie and this is how I am going to discribe the experience, in scenes.
The color of the Pu’er liquor remained a beautiful shimmering light gold.

Scene (steep) 1. If you picture an old movie set…a cloak and dagger type by Agatha Christy then I’m the old lady in the library and a gentleman (David Duckler) has handed me a glass with a golden liquid. He disappears.
Unaffraid (or stupid) I take a sip of the liquid…it reminds me of linen…and my grandmama’s attic long ago…when I would sneak vanilla wafers. I can smell the vanilla far off down in the kitchen. My tongue tingles. My tongue feels quite furry and I taste earthiness with the sensation that I’m about to be buried in a cave. I feel different. Is the golden statue in the corner of the room watching me?

Scene 2. The earthy flavor makes me feel like a Greek goddess…yes…like I have taken a big bite out of Corfu! Corfu tastes really good, not muddy whatever and salty! Wait now, put your nose in the cup and there’s coffee toffee latte! BREATHE DEEPLY! INHALE!
I need my fan! I need my lounge chair and a nap! My mouth is tingling and juicy and where is everyone? This is not natural! The room is askew!

Scene 3. Must have dozed off. My cup refilled itself…peculiar. A hand, leather gloved and looking like Geoffrey’s hand, has slipped some more golden liquor into my glass. It smells faintly like a fruit…pineapple? A flower perhaps? My tongue tingles like fire and then turns into a silky creaminess. NO! It almost tastes like coconut water and earth.
My desire to be or do anything else has disappeared like a vapor.
Have I been drugged? The elixer is too enjoyable to resist.
Where is David Duckler and Geoffrey to tell me what to do next. I must have more!

This was all in fun…I loved this Pu’er! I hope you don’t mind my playful attitude!

To Sum it up:
Sweet, Tingles, Salt, Linen, Earthy, Pineapple, Creamy/Silky, Vanilla Cookie, Coffee Toffee Latte, Coconut Water, Some Flower, Furry, Cave, Higher than a Kite!

I give this Pu’er…a standing ovation. It is fantastic and mystical. Thank you to David for the opportunity to drink this Pu’er!
http://youtu.be/21NCH2sPlhc You’ll never guess!

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Comments

Geoffrey
Geoffrey 2012-05-26 20:19:49 -0400

awesome.

Bonnie
Bonnie 2012-05-26 20:32:49 -0400

Glad you’re not mad!

Azzrian
Azzrian 2012-05-26 20:37:44 -0400

AWESOME review! Just amazing! :)

ashmanra
ashmanra 2012-05-26 21:12:30 -0400

Now I want to listen to “The Friends of Mr. Cairo” by Jon and Vangelis. Geat review!

Autumn Hearth
Autumn Hearth 2012-05-26 22:28:57 -0400

Wonderful! I need a second session with this tea before I review it. I had it after Two Elephants Tea Trail, which was a lot more intense. After the first three infusions I just didn’t feel like I could listen closely enough, though I could tell it was really lovely.

David Duckler
David Duckler 2012-05-27 09:55:13 -0400

Perfect review for a tea like this. I have never had this with friends without the conversation immediately moving towards the fantastic the surreal and the realm of memory. There is a realm of tea that is only accesible through those darker and more obscured channels, the realm of tea that can be profoundly moving. This one belongs squarely in that realm. (Also- I am happy to play the gentleman in this scene)

Your steeping is right in line with Xingyang Workshops recommendations. The tea is a totally different experience worth trying at some point done in a gaiwan or yixing with shorter 5-10 second infusions, limiting to 4-5 ounces of water. Not as rich and grounded, but more lunar and sparkling.

Bonnie
Bonnie 2012-05-27 10:54:42 -0400

Thank you! I almost trashed this review fearing that I would offend the purist tea lovers! Something about this Pu’er takes you over though. I will try the other method…maybe not by myself!

Bonnie
Bonnie 2012-11-29 22:42:44 -0500

Yes I fixed something here and I didn’t think it was going to put it up at the top, but it did. Crying out loud! I thought the boys in the think tank fixed this.

Claire
Claire 2012-11-29 23:12:40 -0500

My first time seeing this, I LOVE this review Bonnie!

Terri HarpLady
Terri HarpLady 2012-11-30 00:32:30 -0500

It really is an awesome tea, and now I wish I’d bought (even) more of it. This is a tea I want to drink for years!

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Profile

Bio

Colorado Grandma
http://www.teaandincense.com
Grandmother to 3 tea drinking teenaged girls and 3 young tea drinking boys. I began teatime as in the Summer over 30 years ago when my children were little. We took a break from play for tea and snacks and to chat every day. They loved tea time.
We have several tea houses close to my home and a Tea Festival in Boulder. Fort Collins is a bit of a foodie town. We brew lots of Beer (Fat Tire is one brand) and have several Spice Shops (Savory is the one featured on Food Network).
Colorado State University is a mile from my home and the Rocky Mountains climb higher at the end of my block. The climate here is semi-arid with LOTS OF SUN AT 5000 feet. (Heavy Winter snows start in the higher elevations). After living my whole life in Northern California (Silicon Valley) I have to admit that I LOVE IT HERE!!!
I attend a wonderful Greek Orthodox Church and enjoy cooking ethnic foods (all kinds). I am disabled with Migraines and Fibromyalgia!
My family is Bi-racial ( African-American, Scots) and Bi-cultural, (Peruvian, Cyprus, France, Mexico, Native American)
I’ve worked at a Winery, was a Special Ed. Major, Telecom and System Analyst, Won Cooking Contests, been an Athlete and Coach, Artist, Pianist, Vista Volunteer. I love to travel and have been to Italy, Greece, Peru, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, Malta, Canada, Croatia and Turkey! If you check the bio page below…the photo is one from my trip to Santorini, Greece. I took the photo. OPA!

Location

Fort Collins,Colorado

Website

http://www.teaandincense.com

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