pu-erh of the day. Sheng or Shou
This evening I’m enjoying 2008 Haichao Chenxiang Ripe.
This is for the mini-cake which was included in the January edition of the White2tea club.
7G + 4oz or so yixing (rinse) X 15/30/45/60 sec, etc…
Wood…that’s the first note here, deep woodwinds come to mind, & some low strings. This has a pleasing darkness to it, like a rich well aged compost, that you can’t help running your fingers through & smelling before you mix it into your garden. I’ve had a rough day, & it is immediately grounding & satisfying, welcoming me home. There’s a darkness & slight bitterness to it like a cup of coffee, or a square of unsweetened high quality dark chocolate.
This tea doesn’t have any unpleasant qualities, however there is a slight metallic taste, at least to my tastebuds. It’s in the background, with a silvery quality to it, as if a bright sounding flute tried to join the soothing ensemble that I have created in my mind, & I’m not sure how I feel about it’s presence.
Imagine yourself in the cool dark by a lake, surrounded by trees, feeling soothed & at peace. Then you notice a neon light, flashing through the trees. It’s not quite what you had in mind, but you do your best to ignore it. Anyway, that faded after a couple of steeps, and now my ensemble of mellow sounds is playing more softly, and includes a loaf of nutty whole grain bread, a hint of clay, & well oiled & aged leather.
And I’m getting a pleasant buzz, so my day is much improved. :)
Yeah, I tend to like the sounds of wood, some wind winds, plucked strings. Of course, I’m speaking of music, & this is about tea, but is there really a difference? :)
2011 Bulangshan Banpen Village Raw – ChaWangShop
Very good Bulang Sheng I’m sad that I missed this one, I was only able to grab a few sample sizes, but nothing more, the price was more than just right and the tea itself was pretty damn good; starts smooth sweet and develops bitterness that is pleasant and mouthwatering.
Time to revisit an earlier tasting note on White2Tea’s 2002 CNNP (Zhong Cha) 7572 Green Label Tiepai Ripe
I can now say that this has become one of my “frequent drinkers” when it comes to ripe. Simple, sweet and creamy with chocolate undertones and nice age. Rich dark red tea liquor which is clear and bright – some would say it is almost syrupy. Smooth and balanced (the more intense flavors are nicely balanced by some of the more subtle flavors) with a great mouthfeel. These are the attributes which have made it one of my daily drinkers and a tea I even serve to non-puerh drinking guests. A very tolerant and forgiving tea even when overbrewing and quite affordable at $49.50 for a 357g cake.
Wild Quarter Brick 1990 courtesy of pu-erh.sk. Clean and crisp, hints of sweetness, gentle aged taste, warm and comforting. A very pleasant and relaxing puerh for those cold nights.
This is for all you curious pu-heads like myself out there. :-) I just finished up a blog post discussing the effect grade of leaf has on puerh. We also introduced new educational tea tasting sets that let you experiment with the differences between each grade of leaf on your own. Enjoy!
– http://crimsonlotustea.com/blogs/puerh/16531957-puerh-education-grade-of-leaf
I am enjoying the current month tea from the Jalam Teas club, which is an Autumn 2013 harvest of Jinuo unfermented puerh. This is not a tea to relax with in my book, but one to wrestle. Puts me in mind of Jacob wrestling the angel biblical story. Some camphor elements to open the nose, a spicy, green, peppery, tannic taste to awaken the head, with a bit of bitterness in the mouth puckering finish. Yep, we are wrestling, but I kinda like it.
Seems that way to me too, Yang-chu. The Jalam teas tasting notes accompanying the tea states thusly: "A medium strength Puerh that is toned down by its age (over a year since harvest), that has reached what many call “the minimum amount of time for a tea to settle. Locals in southern Yunnan believe that Puerhs should be 12-18 months old before consuming. This Jinuo offering has been moderated and had its edge taken off by time, making it immediately drinkable. Tea in the Jinuo language is ‘la’ and the leaves of tea (both fresh and desiccated) are often blended with other elements to create both medicinal and ceremonial creations.”
I tried it just to test the 12-18 month theory, and to see how other people drink their tea. I think it has its purposes (awakening) now, but will let it mellow a bit more for my personal preference.
Tuo Cha 1990 (raw puerh) courtesy of pu-erh.sk. Clean, smooth, clear, precise. Robust aged flavours. Perfect balance of aged vs youth. Sweetness, mild tartness, thickness, numbness on the tongue and good vibrancy. In my opinion one of the best examples of dried storage I have had.
I’m drinking Master Han’s 2002 shou from Verdant. I think people are getting tired of hearing me talk about it, but I can’t stop. It’s just so good. Zero funk, smooth and gorgeous. I hope they stock more. The world needs this tea. <3
Today I had some lao cha tou shu nuggets with a pinch of yabao thrown in (both from yunnan sourcing), I originally added the yabao buds to boost the caffeine level of the brew because the shu nuggets were making me fall asleep, but the flavors actually worked pretty great together.
It is getting bad, people, I have too much tea. Been stashing tea samples in my gaiwans. I’ve been drinking the same one now for like 4 days, it just won’t quit and I have noo idea what the tea is! I can tell you it is aged, dark, slight hints of traditional storage. Surprising amount of caffeine in it, which is one reason the session is lasting so long, I only need a cup or two. Whatever this sheng is, it’s darn good.
HaHa :-) I understand the problem(s) mentioned. I’m usually working on 3-4 teas at one time so I sometimes resort to putting tiny post-it notes on the yixing or gaiwans so that I can remember what they are when I go back to them in a day or two. Although in this case, I’m really curious now as to what you were drinking and enjoyed so….
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