pu-erh of the day. Sheng or Shou

7959 Replies

Menghai 8592 – 2008

This one is smooth and SWEET. It is lightly earthy and has a dark fruity note floating around. I did a long-ish steep and I’m really enjoying the bold flavor :)

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Rich select said
2012 Langtingchun Yongde Ming Feng Shan by Chawangshop

Full steam ahead!!! This has got to be the most hopped up I’ve ever gotten from drinking a tea. I bought this on a whim, since the description implies it is similar to Mangfei teas. I love the Yunnan Sourcing Mangfei teas, which also get me quite hopped up, so I thought I’d give this one a try. It is pretty good. It holds up well, has a nice golden color. Some sweetness, astringency that you might expect in a young tea, and good all around flavor. It’s not stellar, but I like it quite a bit, especially for $22 a cake.

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Yang-chu said

I’m working on a 2013 Luo Shui Dong from Mountain Top Tea Company. Sweet, round, all around tasty. Even the dry cake smells sweet. Packed with medium tightness, I figure the leaves could be a bit fuller. Not sure on that score, as I can’t remember my first round and the time I took the shake from the packaging, seems to be the case however. Little astringency, light liquor but perhaps a B- in terms of clarity.

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mrmopar said

Yunnan Sourcings 2012 “Autumn Jia Bu” ancient arbor.
Another sample size I ordered from Yunnan sourcing. I broke out 10 grams to brew tonight. The dry lea has a cedar/pine aroma to it. I gave a quick rinse to open it up a bit and drank the first infusion as it was a bit light due to the quick steep I am starting on the second. It has a nice almost stone-fruit aroma to it. The brew has a bit darker brew than a younger tea. Nice aromatic a touch of bitter that quickly fades to a honey clover type sweet. A little bit of punch to this one probably due to the older tree leaf. Nice aromatic a little hit of the bitter that dances around for a second and then goes sweet. Being close to Jingmai but without the citrus aspect that they bring to the brew. Nice.

Flavors: Bitter, Honey, Stonefruits

Bonnie said

Hi mrmopar, I haven’t been able to comment or anything here on Steepster for ages. My account was messed up (all my info was gone). Glad to see your shining pu face!

mrmopar said

Nice to see you!!! I remember you were the one who inspired me to do notes and other stuff I would have never thought was within my reach.

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Javan said

My wife and I have been trying purple pu-erh’s for the last few weeks to take advantage of their blood pressure lowering properties. We have really liked the Yunnan Sourcing 2012 Autumn Yi Wu purple tea, so I ordered some other purple teas to try.
We received today the 2013 Ye sheng cha wild purple tea of DeHong. It is described on the yunnan sourcing website as: Ye Sheng "野生“ varietal aka “Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze var. assamica (J. Masters) Kitam.” is a primeval varietal that pre-dates Camellia Sinensis var. Assamica and is a naturally occuring non hybridized varietal. It’s potency in cha qi arises from it’s unadulterated nature. It is naturally bug repellent, and grows wild in the forests of Yunnan at an altitude of 1600-2200 meters.
This is the first tea from YS that I have not liked. It is bitter, smoky, and simply tastes strange to me and to my wife. My guess is that this tea needs time to come around. I’m burying it in my pu-erh sheng pile for at least a year to let it age and mellow. I guess my judgement is reserved on this tea because I think it needs much more time to integrate. Check back in a year or so for more info. If anyone else has had experience of this tea, I’d love to hear it.

Cwyn said

I would like to hear more about your experience with purple leaf, do you have any in particular to recommend?

Bonnie said

All quality puerh is good for blood pressure and cholesterol as well as having anti-anxiety, antioxidant properties. Easy on the stomach too. Very useful to my fibromyalgia and migraines.
I’ve used purple puerh but personally think that any good quality puerh will do. I’ve been drinking puerh for about 3 years.

Yang-chu said

Interesting thoughts. Ripe pu’er is easier on the stomach than the raw. The more bitter varieties possibly better for the heart. It’s really going to depend on your constitution. Individuals who run on the cold side are better off with the ripe varieties, as it is more warming, thus facilitating weak digestion. Purple varieties seem to be more cooling. I give the ripe to patients who have a range of digestive issues like nausea, gall bladder sensitivities (the fat emulsifying function), bloating, and weight loss.
For those with irritability and red faces, then the bitter ones, ban-zhang etc.

Javan said

I can see that there is a chinese herbalist/acupuncturist among us! Thanks for the clarification Yang-chu. I will pass the info on to my wife. We are experimenting (on ourselves) with the effects of various teas, herbs, and medications. Do you have any readily accessible books to recommend on teas and health?

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Javan said

What a difference a year makes! I decided to do a taste off between the 2012 and 2013 versions of the purple sheng pu-erh from Yunnan Sourcing labeled “Ye Sheng Cha” wild tree purple tea of Dehong. The 2013 was the subject of my previous note, and the 2012 is much more palatable at the moment. It is a ‘strong’ tea, smoky and what wine people might call ‘sauvage’. It tastes untamed in a certain way, with a certain particular violet fruitiness I associate with purple pu-erh. Predominantly smoky with an undertone of fruit, I think this tea still needs another year of integration, but I can see that it will integrate and become sweeter. Compression on the cake was quite tight, and it was hard not to break up the leaves even with my trusty pick.
If I were recommending a purple sheng pu-erh to try at this point, I would go with the 2012 autumn Yi Wu purple tea from YS which has a sweeter, gentler profile at the moment.

I agree with you on the ye sheng cha of DeHong purple tea. I’ve notice the 2012 change in a crazy way, even within a 6-8month span. Definitely starts to mellow a tad of its smokiness as it ages. The best cups come with short steepings. You definitely don’t want to give up on it! :) also, if you like the YIWu purple teas, you should try the YS 2013 Wuliang Ye Sheng. Unbelievable is all I can say! http://yunnansourcing.com/en/2013-yunnan-sourcing-teas/2483-2013-yunnan-sourcing-wu-liang-ye-sheng-raw-pu-erh-tea-cake.html

mrmopar said

+1 on the “Wu Liang Ye Sheng”.

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Rich select said

2013 MGH 1310 Xigui Big Tree by PuerhShop.com
Trying my first Puerhshop tea this morning. This is one of their house cakes. It is pretty good, I’d say. The leaves seem of good quality. It produces a thick yellow soup. Just a little astringency. Nice flavor, good body, and holds up well for many infusions. Currently sells for $47 for a full size cake. That seems a fair price for a tea of this quality. I’m getting the impression it may not age that well, but I have little experience to base this on. Worth a sample if you are placing an order.

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DigniTea said

2007 Taochaju Yiwu (white 2 Tea)
I have just recently become a big fan of Paul’s selections at White 2 Tea and today I am enjoying another Yiwu sheng. A fine example of good YiWu tea leaves and another winning selection from White 2 Tea. Nice whole leaf; clear pale yellow tea liquor; very mellow and easy to drink. This is a gentle tea – nothing flashy or bold; no bitterness; no astringency. I think I prefer the 2011 Taochaju Yiwu Guyun (also offered by Paul at White 2 Tea) but this one is a bit cheaper and definitely a tea to purchase and enjoy.

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Rich select said

2013 Zenpuer 1307 Menghai Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick by PuerhShop.com

This reminds me of a good quality Dayi ripe. A similar flavor. It is medium fermented, tasty, no off flavors, just a hint of bitterness. Easy to drink. Good stuff, my wife said it is one of her favorite ripes.

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Garret said

just wanna say… for you ripe tea lovers, we at Mandala Tea are doing a 50% off all loose ripe pu’er teas. We need the cash and space for more teas that are on their way and you need super-cleanly grown, expertly processed ripe tea for less than a song and a dance! Here is the sale link: http://shopmandalatea.com/sale-items.html Hope you are all rockin’ in the tea world!

Extending my gratitude to each of you,
Garret

MzPriss said

Clearly my lower dan tien is need of warming. You will see my order shortly

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