Yunnan Sourcing

Hi everyone! Todays morning brew is an inexpensive offering from YS. I recently ordered from their China site in order to obtain some items that were only available there. Mainly to try the highly acclaimed 2010 Hai Lang Hao “Cha Wang”. For the price this Mang Fei is a bargain. I think its 30 dollars. The intial steepings were strong and smoky but as the session progressed the teas strength and potency revealed a beautiful flavor with a returning sweetness and a penetrating cha qi. This was a winner. I believe with aging this has the potential for greatness. For me, I really enjoy the intensity and raw energy of a young sheng.

5g / 90ml celadon gaiwan.
5s/5s/10s Kept at ca 10s as the tea seems to stay potent.

And to go with the tea, i watched some big bang theory :)

Wow. This tea is just super. It will be along with feng qing dragonpearls my staple yunnan black teas.

This time around i did westernstyle brewing in 220ml Zhuni yixingpot.
1: 1m @ 80C
2: 2m @ 85C
3: 2.5m @ 85C

First cup was devine, full of honey chocolate malty delight with very little astringency.
Second was a bit to strong. 1.30m would be better. But next time i will use 6g leaf.
Third i let the leaves cool down and forgot to remove lid. Kinda killed the taste. :/

A Beutiful tea!

I got a really cool new yixing in the mail today that I’ll be using for sheng :)

Currently pre-seasoning it with this tea. I gave it a boil for about 45 minutes, took it out and brushed it, and then made extra strong tea with it, which I poured into a pyrex bowl to “steep” the pot in.

I have a new roommate this summer, and I WAS trying to explain my tea obsession without coming off sounding too crazy, but that’s a hard act to keep up when you’re in the kitchen making teapot soup. I’m a fairly awkward person is it is, but so far my roommate seems like a pretty nice guy.

2 heaping tsps in 12 oz

Have had this a few more times since my last note. It is soooo good. I’ve decided that the texture reminds me of miso soup. It is so rich and comforting.

Wow, best Sheng ivé tried so far.
I did a comparisonbrewing in hopes of finding a suitable tea that works well with Zini yixingpot.
Shu seems to work well, and is the only type of tea that ive tried sofar that taste better in a Zinipot (brownish purple) then a neutral vessel. (darjeeling, yunnan, japanese, green, white, young sheng)
But however.
5g / 90ml celeadon gaiwan @ 100C
5g / 100ml Zini Yixingpot @ 100C

wash/5s/5s/10/10s/15s/20s added 5-10s per following steeping to about 12 :)
First steeping was bland, this tea obviously needs to be washed twice.

Second steeping surprised me. It was kind of intense, very little of the earthy tones i expected. More ripe fruit and a very noticable charred taste. Probably from the panfrying.
This subsided after a few infusions. But it kept it´s vigor to the end. 12 infusions is quite enough with dual brewing….

This older sheng worked somewhat better in the Zini but it didn´t improve the taste, more like it was equal to the gaiwan. Perhaps abit stronger aftertaste.

Will order a few samples from older sheng to try them out. I must say i miss that dry astringency from younger sheng, but the intensity was very nice! When i find that combination i will get a cake right away :)

Since im relatively new to pu-erh, i´d welcome some pointers.

Free sample from my last YS order.

Today I woke myself up at six in the morning, packed my gear into the car, and drove out about fourty five minutes northwest to Clermont, which is sort of the Mecca of longboarders and cyclists in Central/South Florida. While most of Florida south of Gainesville is pretty darn flat, Clermont and the surrounding areas have big, rolling hills a bit like Kentucky, but well… bigger. The fastest I’d ever gone before was about 30 mph, today I made it up to 45, and man that felt great.

I spent most of the day riding down said hills and then walking back up them, which is, as far as I’m concerned, what they do up in heaven (When they’re not drinking tea, of course.) By noon I was completely exhausted and pretty much swimming in my own sweat. So, I headed back towards Orlando and (after a nice cold shower) decided to wind down with a nice session of tea, and was especially craving some sheng :)

This is just the second “fairly old” sheng that I’ve tried, and I really enjoyed both. Even with two quick rinses, the taste started out pretty mulchy and musty, but by the third steep it was much cleaner and delicious. Raisin, clove, and walnut were the main flavors I picked up on. A bit of bitter, but not enough to be off-putting. Despite it’s flavors not really being “fresh” ones, it still has the refreshing qualities of younger sheng. I got lot’s of relaxing, stimulating feelings drinking this, and by the time the leaves puttered out I was about as tea drunk as I’ve ever been.

Between the endorphins from exercise and the qi from this tea I’m feeling pretty darn good right now. I’ll probably make something for dinner and then head to bed early. Today was a pretty great day (albeit slightly hermitic), and exactly what I needed in a weekend.

5g / 90ml celadon gaiwan.
wash/5s/10s/15s/20s kept ca 20s infusions
Typical Sheng taste with pleaseant astringency.

Tonight i was in the mood for raw pu-ehr and The big bang theory :)
I did a comparisonbrewing.
1: 90ml celadon gaiwan
2: 100ml ZiNi yixingpot.

5g / 100C
Quick wash/5s/10s/15s/10s….
15s infusion resulted in heavy astringency, enough to dry the tounge, so I went with 10sec infusions.

Both vessels produced good tea, however the yixing was more mellow with a slightly fuller flavour.

Astringency, slightly earthy with undertones of something.. cant really describe it but a tiny bit sweet and fresh. vegetable or ripe fruit perhaps..

Found it to be quite pleasant!

Tried this Gong fu style.

4g/90ml celadon gaiwan
wash/3/6s then i added ca 3s per infusion for atleast 10 infusions.

I do prefer the taste of a Zhuni pot. But still rather good.

7g / 220ml glaspot
Western style 3 infusions
1/2/3 @ 75C
Tried brewing it a few C colder with decent result.

Very fresh with the fruitiness one expects from a green bi lou chun.
Also a nutty tone with minimal astringency on the aftertaste.
Would be interesting to try this in a reductionfired claypot.

7g / 90ml Gaiwan
Gongfustyle
wash/25s added 10s per infusion.

Fresh with some astringency. Typical high mountain taste.
Beutiful leaves on stalks. Fills up gaiwan to the top.

2 heaping tsps in 12 oz

Wow, now I don’t know if I prefer this one or the Imperial Mojiang. The leaves are gorgeous. Perfectly straight needles. Not a single one broken. It has a very rich, heavy mouthfeel. And perhaps for the first time, I am finding a tea pleasantly astringent. Usually when I find a tea astringent, I consider it a negative, but this one has a very slight astringency which balances well with its “thickness”. Hope that makes some sense.

BTW, this note is for the Spring 2013 plucking.

Next up will have to be a side by side taste test of these two marvelous teas.

First time trying ripe Pu-erh.
Infuses very well, washed a few seconds and water was already brown.

I did aprox 15 infusions in 100ml Yixing Zini Pu-erhpot.
The 12th infusion started to get lighter in color. And im certain i could have gone on for quite awhile. However since i was drinking by myself… :)

The taste was earthy, thick. Since i dont have anything to compare to i really cant say much other than it had a very complex taste.
I do prefer raw pu-erh to this, by far.

Ziniclay went rather well with ripe Pu-erh.

sweet and fruity
Beautiful cake glistens with shiny silverish golden buds. Distinct, whole leaves are easy to pry apart, as expected from a stone pressed production.
Review is based on a few sessions using approx 6g/100-150ml water in 180ml duan ni pot.

Dry leaves in warmed pot exude a strong ripe fruit aroma. Certainly the most intensly fruity sheng I have come across. Sweet, golden infusions with a tangy apricot/orange character with a slight hint of tobacco and honey. It’s somehow more like a phoenix dan cong oolong than a pu er.

Clean and crisp with zero smokiness/storage smell. There is some astringency with longer steeps.

Seems to have a gentle qi and to be relatively low in caffeine. It does not appear to deliver as intense a shift in awareness and body sensations, and is not as not as thick/rich/complex as the better (older and pricier) shengs I have tried. All factors considered, In its age and price range I would say its solid choice.

In summary, this is a sweet, tasty, clean, very drinkable sheng. A great everyday tea and a sure bet for those used to sweet drinks and who are new to pu erh. I wonder if it will develop more qi, complexity and thickness as it ages.

6.5g 220ml zhuni yixing
3 infusions @ 85C
1/2/3 min.

A perfect blend between the usual yunnan sweetness and a very slight astringency.

Malty, sweet, creamy. :)

1 1/2 tsp for 8 oz

Fantastic, like I said before. This is stronger than I brewed it last time. It does gain a hint of astringency this way, but just a teeny bit. I think I’ll try 3:30 next time.

8g / 200ml glaspot @ 75C

Several infusions.
First 45s then add 15s per infusion.

Fruity fresh with a bit of nuttiness. Like green teas in general.
I rather enjoy it. However i do prefer Bi lou chun.

2 heaping tsp for 12 oz

The best Dian Hong I’ve ever had. Thanks to Doug F for turning me on to this. It has all the classic Dian Hong flavor that I’ve come to expect with zero astringency and a very smooth, rich mouthfeel. Love love love…

I might brew it a little stronger next time to see how that goes. It is so smooth, that I bet I could get even more flavor out of it without risking too much astringency or bitterness.

No notes yet.

7g /220ml yixing @ 90C
1/2/3 minutes

3 good infusions. A bit malty but without the usual sweetness that im used to in yunnan blacks. Instead there is some astringency.
To my taste this tea does not come near other yunnan blacks.

Id rather go for a moijang golden buds or feng qing dian hong anyday.
However it IS a quility tea that can hanle multiple infusions.

Thank you shakirah1984 for this sample.

I had to call in sick today due to a sore throat and cough and the general feeling of crapiness. My boss (my mother) is going down to Wales tomorrow for the weekend to see my grandad after he had his pace maker fitted. He had to have it done twice because one of the tubes came out apparently after it was fitted, so two operations in two days. I don’t want to give him a cold so thought it was best I stay away from them and ergo stay away from him.

I do have the task of house and dog sitting for them though this weekend, it means I will take copious amounts of tea with me to review. That’s my plan anyway.

The raw leaves are large and long with some sticks/stems present. When held up into the light I can notice small hairs that glow like cats eyes. I haven’t seen a tea so shiny as this one since drinking Golden Monkey – Tea Palace which is a golden tip Yunnan tea.

They have a distinct smoky scent with sweet and thick floral tones. Very leathery and robust.

With a 20 second rinse and a 1 minute steep using my Gongfu for 5g of Pu Erh my tea soup is light yellow in colour with a smoky and sweet woody aroma.

Flavours are darkly floral and woody with subtle sweetness and some astringency. The dark notes gradually lighten and eventually leave a fresh, light, floral after taste. Reminds me of mild Lapsang Souchong, the smokiness is definitely the strongest character.

There is something magical about drinking tea from 100-300 year old trees from a tiny village in the middle of no where. It gives me a warm glow. :)

The leaves were large to begin with but once steeped they have doubled in size and unravelled, also lightened in colour and looks very fresh. Some leaves are whole, unbroken.

The second steep – 2 minutes – Very light and fruity with double sweetness in comparison to the first steep. Now there is little smokiness but the wood tones remain. A very different tea than it’s first steep…I’m finding it hard to pick which steep is my favourite.

It’s also much more delicate and I don’t think there would be much left for me after this steep. Detecting more dryness in the after taste now too.

Overall it’s a pleasant enough Pu Erh and I can finish the rest of my sample with ease. It was however smokier than I thought it would be and needs to be the type of tea I’m in the mood for before I drink it again. Not bad for the price at all. :)

Another try yielded better results.

This time i used 10g/220ml yixing @95C
1: 2:00
2: 2:15
3: 2:45
first cup was strong. A bit of bitterness.
Other 2 was just right. some astringency. I think the flavour is a mix of yunnan black and darjeeling second flush?

Typical dian hong flavor.
Sweet with very little astringency.

7g / 220ml yixingpot 3 infusions @ 85-90C 1-2-3 min

Very nice quality.