pu-erh.sk

Drinking Sheng reminds me that I must eliminate prejudices and assumptions and bring my awareness to the tea at hand. I’m at work, listening to music and answering emails—it would be easy to mindlessly brew and drink and expect the usual “young sheng flavors.”

Luckily I paused to focus on this tea, which provided some singular tastes. The leaves looked very clean and loosely compressed so I decided not to rinse. I was rewarded with a slightly sweet, slippery mineral water taste, that reminded me of the delicious iron-rich well water we had at my childhood home. Subsequent steeps maintained the mineral water base and featured a pronounced hickory nut and peanut flavor with building sweetness that was most prominent on the tip of the tongue.

This tea definitely has its own personality that separates it from the apricot/stone fruit or floral flavors of many raw pu-erhs.

Thank you, pu-erh.sk for the sample!

Quite pleasant. It’s Yiwu, no doubt, and it’s clean, simple, floral and sweet. There’s only little astringency and the bitterness can be adjusted at will. Also, unlike many other similarly- and higher-priced Yiwu productions, this one manages not to be too inoffensive. It’s affordable and reliable.

I got 7g sample with my recent order.
I havent had many aged sheng due to it usually very expensive. So glad i got a chance to try.
Let me just say i enjoyed it a lot. Dark burgundy soup, no funky smell, tastes clean,almost like shou but not quite. still slight bitterness on a background showing true raw nature.
It is sweet, has notes of good quality leather and dried persimmons. some beet root but not overpowering.
i expect to brew it at least 3 days. this kind of tea usually is very durable. will see.
If i ever win a lottery ticket i know exactly what im going to buy after giving some portion to a charity of course ;D

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Day3. Still strong

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I had a very nice session with this Bada yesterday; last time the tea was mercurial, but this time I discovered a pretty stable flavor profile comprised of mint, nuts, and apricots, with a steady increase in sweetness throughout the session. The leaves were small, so even the early steeps were flavor-rich.

I’m having a tough time getting a handle on this tea. I’ve had it three times but it’s proving a bit mercurial.

It has a rye bread smell in the dry leaves, which are fairly small and olive green when infused. The first couple of steeps have hints of corn and almonds and caused my mouth to pleasantly pucker. It’s not a thick tea but it creates a kind of swelling in the tongue along with significant salivation.

Steep three witnessed the emergence of a sweeter, stone fruit profile, but also hints of gasoline and substantial bitterness, especially if you push the steep times. And while I wouldn’t characterize the qi as ass-kicking, it’s definitely noticeable—and long-lasting. It’s a good tea to drink at work because it focuses and animates rather than intoxicates.

A hard nut to crack, this one.

I’m really loving the oily mouth feel of these 2015 gu shu teas from pu-erh.sk. I think rustic is a good description of the LinChang. There’s no discernible floral or fruity flavors; instead, the broth is dominated by evergreen and smoke, reminiscent of a lapsang suchong. It leaves a little bit of brightness at the corners of the mouth but it’s mainly an earthy tea and, unlike the HuaZhu Liangzi, it calms and soothes.

So if you need a break from the ubiquitous sweet and fruity shengs and your predilection veers toward the more chthonic, give this one a try.

It has been a few months since I had this and I’m not dissuaded that the flavor profile of this tea really stands out from other shengs. I’m picking up a more floral perfume this time along with the same mouth-watering thickness. Like an excellent poem, there seems to be something new to discover each time I try this.

Whoa! Within seconds of tasting the first steep, my and my coworker’s heads were already buzzing and the tea was quickly blooming in our mouths with a heavy, lubricating, candy-corn sweetness. Flash steeps kept the bitterness at bay and allowed the sweet citrus taste to emerge. There was very little drop-off in flavor or body after 7 steeps, at which point I had to step away to eat before being fully possessed by this tea.

My first selection from pu-erh.sk is a strong and delicious winner!

I love being the first to review tea!

I really liked this, and it was somewhat different than most Shou. The leaves included large thin flaked leaves and some big sticks. These dried leaves carried a slight fermentation and earth scent. I placed a bunch in my warmed gaiwan and shook it up. The scent was really unusual. It was of sharp fruits (bitter tasting) and ash. There was also a strange iron cake sheng aroma in the background. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. I brewed this really heavy, so I knew I was in store for some powerful tones. The liquor was a thick blackened red. The aroma of the leaves became deeper and more prominent. The same bitter sheng scent came off the leaves. However, this sheng tone was not present in the flavor. The taste was really good. The initial sip wasn’t all that complex, but it was otherwise delicious. The taste begins dry and slightly earthy, and it ends with a dry cacao flavor. This cacao flavor becomes more intense and builds up in an almost huigan sense. There is a nice stimulating mouth-feel in the brew. The cacao scent becomes more rich, and its almost like eating a dry hot cocoa packet. The qi was not overly powerful, but it was a nice head buzz with some scalp prickling. This sensation builds a little bit, and it follows throughout the session. I recommend this brew. This is perfect if you like dry, rather than silky, chocolate tones in shou.

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Very good tea from pu-erh.sk. A nice golden amber colored broth, citrusy and bold. A good bitterness. Clean tasting and bright, moderate qi. A durable fine tasting find!

This is an organic plantation tea from pu-erh.sk. I found it to be very good. The first steep was like liquid beef jerky, smoky and sweet. As I got further into it, some fruitiness came through. The smoke lasted several steps, but it was well integrated into the flavor. It is a durable eye-opening drink, and I get the feeling it will age well. Kind of like a premium Dayi sheng, only organic.

This is an excellent tea with a high price tag from pu-erh.sk. I got a sample of ot with their 2015 sample pack (which I wish other vendors would offer!). The first couple of steps were slightly smoky and savory. Then it got buttery, a little floral, a little bitter, and somewhat fruity. Very powerful, thick, and hearty. It has some of that burnt bitterness similar to Slumbering Dragon, possibly because this tea also is made in part from giant old wild trees. The pictures on the website are cool.

Anyway, very good tea which I would buy in a heartbeat if it weren’t over the top in price. Currently this sells for 309 euros for a 250g cake.

I received a free sample of this tea in my last teaware order. They have wonderful teaware on this site and thanks to boychik for telling me about it and enabling me! ;)

I’m not usually into green tea, but I’ve heard there’s something unique and different about those from Korea, so it was worth a shot! The dry leaf smelled sugary and nutty. Once wet, the leaves are more vegetal in aroma, and there’s some saltiness there too! The tea tastes a lot like asparagus and spinach, nutty and vegetal. It’s a very beautiful tea, with little verdant green leaves and a vibrant greenish yellow liquor. I also felt very warm drinking it. Overall, I enjoyed my session with it.

Got a sample of this with a recent order, it is the oldest pu erh I think I’ve tried. I found it very similar to the 1997 CNNP I got from Streetshop88 that may well have been a fake. The tea was cola colored, with notes of medicine, mushroom, and a bit of earthiness. It had a long huigan. The soup was medium bodied and the leaves were not terribly long lived. In fact, I like the 1997 fake a little better.

I am finding it educational to taste teas of this age. This one was pretty good, and I was surprised how much it tasted like the other tea I mentioned. Though the 1997 was probably fake, it seems to me it was probably similarly aged. This 1990 was very likely not fake given the reliability of the seller. I have yet to try a real quality aged pu erh from gushu material, I wonder how that would taste.

This is an excellent little number from pu-re.sk. It is very similar to the famed 9016 from 1995, also from the same purveyor, only it costs about one tenth as much. It is stout, slightly musty in the best way, and tastes of burnt coffee. It is hearty, I got close to 10 steeps of dark coffee brew, and could have gotten a bunch more that were light but flavorful. I gave up before the tea did. There is a 2003 version which I will try next.

All in all, it lacks some of the depth and complexity of the 9016, but it is a nice little gem. I just checked the website and the 9016 is no longer there. Looks like I got one of the last ones. Lucky me! Anyway, these are well priced tuos that are interesting and good.

I received a free sample with my recent purchase.
Ive never had a chance to sample Korean green teas. They are not common.
I read on Cwyn’s blog she likes them. Since we share the same passion for pu i really wanted to try. Peter must be a mind reader. he chose 3 samples for me . Yay!
Needless to say i was nervous to try. i didnt know the right parameters. After consulting several teafiends and Peter here what i did.

I heated the kettle to 200F. Pour the water into shibo and pour out into 2 cups. placed 3g of tea into preheated 100ml shiboridashi and covered it for few secs. then i poured water from those 2 cups back into my shibo for 1 min.

1st steep @1min was delicate pale green in color and nutty
2nd steep @1min 15sec it becomes more grassy, no astringency, long sweet and grassy aftertaste
3rd @ 2min taste stronger,grassy,color intensifies and looks like honey dew melon
4th @3min i see resemblance with longjing. tastes like quality chinese green tea without bitterness or astringency. I wish all chinese greens were like this.
Also i begin to notice some slight saltiness and tingling on my lips.

I had 6 steeps in total. i could probably continue but it stopped evolving .

My next step was eating them with tiny bit of soy sauce. It was delicious. I was surprised that after so many steeps leaves didnt become soggy, didnt loose the color. they looked bright green and fresh , delicate and chewy.

It was a great experience, so glad i was able to try. I will definitely pick up some more with my next order from pu-erh.sk

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“One shu to rule them all!”

That’s what I was led to believe by reading a blog post on this shu from the prolific pu erh blogger, Hobbes. He said he thought this tea sets the standard by which good shu should be judged. Them is strong words.

This really is a super tea. The first 5 steeps were thick and dark. It has just enough to of that old bookcase flavor to make it interesting, yet not overpowering. This shu has huigan that you can really taste if you are looking out for it, minty and mentholy, but again, not overpowering. There are hints of chocolate and perfume. It is not sweet. Absolutely no fermentation flavor, it is quite smooth. Just a wonderful flavor.

I took this tea through perhaps a dozen steeps this morning, all for about 10 seconds or so. The first six were very thick, the second six were less so, but still had plenty of flavor. All of these steeps were dark as coffee. When my hand began to shake after reaching for the 12th steep, I called it quits for the time being. The stimulation, or qi, is very nice. I feel wide awake and aware, but it is also gentle.

I’m going to go after this some more later or tomorrow. I bet I’m less than halfway through. I bet I can get a lot more from this shu. This tea has power.

I wish I could afford a tong of this, but it is 139 euros for 250g. I’m really glad to have some of it, and they do have samples available. Keep in mind that this tea brews perhaps twice as much per gram as an average shu, so it is actually not as expensive as it seems. The proprietor was very generous, and threw in a free handmade teacup with my order! And not a cheap one, it was an expensive one that I absolutely love.

I wonder what this tasted like when it was young? I wonder if any of my shus will turn out like this when they are 20 years old?

Update
___________
So I went back for a second round, and it lost a lot of its punch. These later steeps were light, but still had some good flavor. So I wouldn’t say it yields twice as much tea, necessarily, though if you like those light steeps you could probably go on for quite a while.

68/100
6g Gaiwan
28/25g 
Summary: This tea has its best moment in the first 3 steeps, showing an interesting soft and dry texture, with a sweet raisin sweetness; however, it fades after this with bitterness.

Dry: Colourful, loose compression. Aroma is concentrated herby and fruity. Nice aroma.
Hot Gaiwan: Warm berries.
Wet leaf: Hot apples, then hot fruit, and when it cools, slight mushroomy.

5s – Cloudy yellow/light orange. My first sip has a very sweet raisin sweetness. It does not linger. The third sip does linger. Pleasant raisin sweetness. A succinct sweetness. Flavour is mild, with no strong bitterness. I’m not feeling any throat rhyme. It’s not too thin. 75/100
10s – Light yellow/orange. Not so cloudy. This does have bitterness, of course it is raw pu’erh, but it is so mild and met by an almost dry sweetness, which gives it a rather unusual texture of something soft and dry. 80/100
15s – Sunburst orange (light orange). Sweet raisin fruitiness with a very balanced sweetness. Becoming a little astringent. 70/100
20s – Light orange. This has a nice bite; the heat has really gone through the tea. I can almost taste base sheng in the lingering finish. 65/100
15s – Same light orange. The water may be too hot; the Gaiwan really heats up with consecutive brews. Raisin sweetness is getting some bitterness and astringency. There are some sour lemons in the finish.
20s – Raisin sweetness. The texture of soft and dry has gone.
30s – Water has cooled in kettle. This tea works better with cooler water temperature. This is less bitter and less astringent, and is pleasantly raisin-sweet.
35s – Lemons – both sweet and sour.
Reboil.
10s – Very light yellow/orange. Very light on flavour – mainly sweet/bitter lemons.
60s – Brighter orange. Base sheng taste – end of session.

I received this tea as a free sample with the purchase of teaware. Peter was so generous . he included 4 samples of shou and sheng. Thank you so much !

This tea is beautiful. the chunk consisted of intact leaves. Smelled so good.
it was roughly around 7g.
Went with my 95ml gaiwan. The tea opened up around 5-6 steep. it is smooth, creamy and incredibly clean taste. Some bitterness,not excessive and easily controlled with short steeps. it gave me so much positive energy. I felt relaxed and happy. A little sleepy too. Today is my 3rd day of drinking it. Still strong.

7g 95ml gaiwan 205F rinse/pause/3/5/3/3/5/7/sec etc

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Congratulations to Teadb.org for reaching their 100th episode. I enjoy watching your youtube videos and reading your articles very much :)

6g using tea strainer.

Dry: Dark, high compression. Mildly sweet.
Wet: Sweet and creamy, then smoky, then milky creamy, then just milky.

30s – Light brown. This was just a rinse as there wasn’t much flavour.

Mashed chunks with a spoon.

5s – Dark brown. Dark tasting; not creamy; smooth; quite intense. Thin.
10s – Thick dark brown. Thicker. Creamy and dark with some astringency. This is in contrast with White2Tea’s creamy and milky 2002 CNNP (Zhong Cha) 7572 Green Label Tiepai Ripe.
15s – Dark brown. Dark tasting and a little astringent. Some chicken shed has appeared.
30s – Dark. Intense flavour. Some sweetness, but mostly dark. Robust flavour.
25s – Dark brown. Loosing intensity, but still dark.
40s – Dark brown. Dark, strong and becoming woody. This is a solid, well made shu with no off flavours. No fishiness too.
50s – Dark lighter brown. Pale in comparison to previous brews. More woody; still dark and intense.
~60s. How does it pair with Camembert of Normandy? Quite well. The sourness of the cheese infuses with the rawness of the tea.

82/100
4g in Gaiwan.

Dry leaf: Dark brown. Med/high compression. No aroma. Square shaped.
Wet leaf: Bird cage/chicken hut old aroma; creamy.

Summary: An interesting aged tea that shows how the development of flavour can distinguish it from other teas that show that raw beetroot flavour.

5s – Light/medium. Lightly earthy. Not particularly flat; it has some roundness in the earthiness.
10s – Medium brown. No bitterness; no astringency. A buttery taste accompanies the still mild earth. Liquor has a grainy texture, which may be the specs of tea leaves.
15s – Med brown. More earthy/soiliness. Very mild with nothing standing out. Finish is subtly sweet; body is soft.
20s – Med brown. Ah that’s better. Raw beetroot has appeared in the finish, which is bright but subtle. A swill around the mouth reveals mild earthiness and mild raw beetroot. The finish at the last sip is spritely; it is slowly gaining pace.
25s – Darker med brown. Much brighter raw beetroot; mild earthy in background. The buttery base sits on the front of the tongue, while the raw beetroot shifts towards the back of the throat in a fashion likened to liquid man T-1000 on Terminator 2 passing smoothly through the bars. Raw beetroot is left in the mouth.
30s – Med brown. Buttery base on the front of the tongue; bird cage has joined the beetroot on the finish. This is interesting: the tone of the raw beetroot has dropped and merged with the bird cage.
35s – Med brown. Grainy thickness. Very smooth; raw beetroot shines again.
40s – Darker med brown. It has some thickness. It is very enjoyable. It is mature in it’s form: it is smooth and has not rough edges. More the bird cage; the raw beetroot has softened.
60s – Med brown. Streams of raw beetroot flavour rise to brightness, then sparkle in the finish. Bird cage can still be found.
3 minutes – Med brown. Soil; buttery; bird cage.

This was a free sample with my order from Pu-Erh.sk. Sample labelled 6 and containing 8g.

4g in Gaiwan.
Dry leaf:
Dark brown; high compression. At a guess, very light herbyness.
Rinsed Gaiwan: Dusty smoke; wood burning.
Wet leaf: Electric smoke; some fruit. The rinse was light brown suggesting some humid storage.

Summary: Tasty with it’s sharp bitterness and early smoothness.

5s – Light brown liquor. Must be humid storage. Liquor is thick; there is a little smoke in the background. There is a balance of honey and tobacco. Incredibly smooth with a delicate soft sweetness.
10s – Light brown liquor. More smoky, peppery smoke and bitterness. This has some Menghai flavour profile, but the smoke is a little heavy and a little thicker than what I expect.
15s – Bronze liquor. There are raisins. It has a slightly bitter, sour finish, and that is when the raisins really come in. The smoke is easy off. The finish is good: it has a good bite with the bitter/sour notes against the sweet raisin fruitiness.
20s – Light brown. It is sparkling on a woody base with a very tasty sour finish. I had a look at the leaves in the Gaiwan and they look like plantation stuff: small green leaves and stems, reminding me of my Menghai tuo. Menghai tuo with humid storage. I’m guessing cheaper leaves have been aged in an environment that has improved the tea greatly.
25s – Lighter brown. The bitterness/sour flavour stays with you and there is some tartness. This tea is juicy and makes the mouth water with its crisp, sharp bitterness.

Dry leaf: Slightly fishy; smoked fish.
Wet leaf: Burnt wood; not strong in aroma.

5s – Medium light brown liquor. No fishiness. Subdued, creamy milk and some background milk chocolate. Soft.
10s – Medium brown liquor. Multi-layers. Earthy floral sits on top of a creamy, wooden base.
15s – Darker medium brown liquor. Creamy sweet, burnt wood with something interesting in the background…
20s – Medium brown liquor. Solid, sweet and creamy Shu.
25s – Medium/dark brown liquor. Not so creamy now. It has some bitterness and an almost treacle like taste. That flavour in the background appeared briefly – chicken shed?
30s – Medium/dark brown liquor. It is milk creamy, but it also has some dark chocolaty notes.
35s – Medium brown liquor. Light on flavour.
Reboiled kettle.
2 minutes – Medium/dark brown liquor. Solid; some cardboard.
35 minutes – Medium/dark brown liquor. Wet wood; mild creamy.