pu-erh of the day. Sheng or Shou

Having a 2013 Yunnan Sourcing “Ai Lao” mountain wild arbor sheng. This one brews up a light golden color with a nice floral/fruit aroma. It has a touch of bitter , very slight and some woody pine notes to it. It has an almost buttery coating throughout the mouth and some drying and the bit of bitter turns to some sweetness by the third infusion. Very nice leaf size in this one as also.

Sampling the 2013 Guafengzhai Puerh tea from EoT. To be completely honest, if it weren’t for the price of this cake, I’d definitely have a tong! The soup displays a light amber colour (perhaps this is due to my quick steeps of ~5-10 seconds). Its body is thick and smooth, a very pleasant mouthfeel that many puerhs lack. The soup has virtually no bitterness to it – instead a “grassy” sweetness to it, perhaps due to lack of words (I sometimes find it difficult to associate words to profiles found in puerhs). However, don’t let this mislead you. This “grassy” sweetness is heavenly. This tea also has a slight hui gan and a very noticeable hui tian that lingers for atleast five minutes.
In conclusion, this is a very special tea that I’d easily rate close to 90/100. At the moment, I’m a strong believer that EoT is producing some of the finest teas out there!

A patient brought by some Tong Ren Tang loose pu’er ripe that she purchased in London. It’s remarkably good. Pine, minty with a balancing “chun” and sweetness. Tong Ren Tang is one of the most famous herb companies in China, located in Beijing and tied up with the Qing, if I remember correctly. Didn’t know they did tea as well.
Have done about 6 infusions of varying lengths and the taste lasts. The huigan is also a winner, lingering pleasant, a not-quite-mint mintiness.

2009 Bu-Lang Mountain – Spring of Bin Dao. This is a nice Pu with some ‘thin’ molasses taste and lasting huigan that is very pleasant.

Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of this one. It is a very nice tasting Puerh, but I feel it lacks all that is advertised “Bulang” and “Spring”. Usually Bulang has apparent floral/fruity notes that resemble a nice ripe apricot, and spring versions tend to be delicate yet complex in taste and aftertaste. This to me tasted like very faint fruity notes with stronger tobacco notes (not smoky) and a lasting but flat huigan.

Having a nice Liu An 2000, technically speaking, not a pu erh, but still a member of the post-fermented family. A fine discovery!

Sampling a 2013 few single trees sheng from EoT. This tea is unique in the sense that it reminds me of fresh green tea.. paricularly, Long jing. This tea has a soft, gentle sweetness to it with a nice smooth, clean body. Pretty nice tea. I, personally, think a rating of 80/100 is a fair number.

Drinking a 2001 Yiwu Wild sheng today. It has sweet rice-like notes to it. This is a tea I really enjoy that is available at the phoenix collection.

having a 2011 Yunnan sourcing “Chen Yun Yuan Cha”. Looking over this tea when breaking it. The cake seems to have some “white” tips in it. the first brew was very pale considering the age of the maocha the tea was made with. It brews clean and bright with a pale yellow color. The notes I get right away are musky and floral with a touch of smoke and bitter. it causes a slight numbing on the tongue that stimulates the saliva glands. A little “piney” note also shows up. it is depp and complex with the darker “aged” color coming after the second steep. This is a really nice tea with a mix of heavy hitting and soft notes rolled into one. The dryer and fruity notes seem to come after the first infusion. I would suggest a “double” rinse to allow this one to show its true nature. a real deal for what I paid and i can’t wait to see how it matures down the road. Very hot gongfu method short steeps on this one.

Tonight will be a Menghai shou. The 2011 “Golden Branch Jade Leaf”. Wow 3 years in the cupboard and I haven’t reviewed this one yet. I must be slipping. Since this is a loose or ‘maocha’ shou I am going with a little less leaf and short steeps as I think it will yield quicker. Ten grams in the yixing with a 5 second rinse to it. It brew pretty light in color and an almost mix of apricots or white peaches. It has a slight buttery cocoa like finish to it. Hints of apple also. Apple! I think that is really the closest fruit to it. This one is a complex one. It is also one of the few loose puerhs I have tried. maybe I should explore more. It is really smooth with no “off’” notes and very nice drinking. Nice easy drinking. Nice complexity.

Drinking Misty Peaks 2012 Yiwu sheng. I am really enjoying this tea. It has a pleasant sweetness to it with slight citrus notes. There is some astringency, however, I find it complements the sweetness well. I give this tea a 85/100.

Regarding the physical appearance of the beeng, it is beautiful. The low compression allows one to pry off leaves (which are of a good size) intact. Nice beeng.