pu-erh of the day. Sheng or Shou
Drinking a 2004 Private Order from EoT. This brick is composed of old tree material. The tea was stored in Malaysia and, as a result, has aged a great deal in 10 years. I normally don’t care for teas with this sort of age due to the funky aroma that is so common at this age but this tea is quite interesting. I get creamy notes in the nose – something unique I find. I want to say there are some fruity notes… but the first thing that comes to mind for me is “creaminess”. Interesting nose. The soup is silky smooth with subtle woody notes with a slight funkiness to it (not enough funkiness for me to dislike it). As David comments on his website, the tea does seem to start off rather thin. However, after a few steepings the liquor is thick and robust. Nice tea, although, I don’t see myself drinking this tea everyday. I personally prefer young shengs (say between 2 and 6 years old) and fully aged shengs (without the funk). 83/100
Aw shucks, 15% off at yunnan sourcing for 48 hours! Code 15percent.
What’s on your list? I’ve been waiting to get this:
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/teapots/1228-dragonkilnniugaiburntduanniclayyixingteapot.html
I’ve been thinking about one of those, Rich. They are really nice. But first I have to sell that kidney I mentioned in a previous discussion. :(
I think it’s just the US site. But I got a 2010 Big Snow mountain cake, a 2012 Wu Liang wild arbor, a 2012 Wu Jia Zhai, a 2013 Feng Chun and a 2013 San He Zhai and some samples. I have tried the ones I bought full cakes of and liked them. Now how do I sneak them in the house……
Oh, it is only the USA site. Guess my teapot will have to wait for a different sale.
I think you are right, Rich.
mrmopar, why not have them sent to me so you can claim they were a gift from me, and I could, umm, forward them to you. Yes, I would forward them to you and hope they did not get lost in the post. I’m sure they would reach you in good time and good order …
Just picked up 2 of those delicious purple cakes, 2013 wu liang ye sheng. Very sweet and fruity sheng, just awesome.
mrmopar – do you know anything about this one?
That one is supposed to be very good from what I have read. It should be a pretty stout one for sure. Now you make me wish I had ordered it!
Send Scott an email, he will adjust it for you. I’ve had some problems with codes in the past and he replied right away. Awesome customer service
The 15% sale is only for the us website (not Scott’s main site in China). You selected the 2012 and only the 2013 Arbor King is available on the US site. I am a big fan of the Mengku teas but I think the older ones are a better choice because the leaf quality is higher (and of course they have aged more). This is a good one and it is available on the US site:
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=46&controller=product
I just used the sale to pick up this one which I’ve been wanting for some time but it is much more expensive than the newer Arbor King or the more mature Mu Ye Chun.
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=152&controller=product
Oh well, I was willing to pay what I paid for the things I got, so that’s OK. I’m going to go look at those two – THANKS!
You won’t regret purchasing the 2012 Arbor King for it is one of Mengku’s premium products and it should become better and better with age.
I’ve always enjoyed Mengku teas for their affordability (except Bingdaos, of course) and super aromas. It also seems impossible to get unpleasant ku in them. I may just order a sample of this to try.
I was already feeling really good about my order, now I’m EXCITED. I got some of that Big Snow Mountain too
Only 2 cakes and some samples. But now I think I need a cake of the Big Snow Mountain instead of just a sample. I’m not sure of the difference between the China site and the US site to get the discount though. My tea is definietly coming from China because the shipping thingie said it would take a while. Can someone give me the correct link to the China site please?
I got very confused by which site was which – but Scott is awesome! The pot I got was this wee cute purple one:
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/teapots/2962-purple-clay-yixing-teapot-serenity-120ml.html
Yay I got exact same couple days ago. We are Yixing twins now. What are you planning it for? I got it for sheng. I love that its tiny.
I love that it’s tiny too! LOL – I like being xing twins! I think I’m going to use it for my vanilla teas as I have a nice one that I want for sheng.
I really liked this one too:
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/teapots/2967-purple-clay-yixing-teapot-cloudy-smooth-180ml.html
I am still chasing a 75 or 80 ml pot. Most of the pots I have are serviceable but are in the 100-200 ml range, fine for when my son is sharing my tea but too big for just my self.
I was looking for 100 ml affordable for too long. I really like some pots from
http://store.thechineseteashop.com/mobile/category.aspx?id=23&404;http://store.thechineseteashop.com:80/Yixing_Teapots_s/23.htm=
Yang-chu, I keep checking website, if something small, good quality and affordable will show up. I keep dreaming;)
The problem is, small pots sell out so quick, you’d think somebody would make more of those than all of the 200-400 ml honkers the sites are full of.
I’m going to chunk down on a few yi-xings in a month or two and I’ll give a full report to see if they weather the trip across the ocean. The sizes are all about 150ml. I hope my dude on the China side will take care to wrap well. Including freight costs, I’m hoping they’ll all come in at less than $30.
Always welcome. Just ask. We are a very good community and I think we all have contributed and the different aspects and knowledge from each of us make this a great learning experience.
I would get one or maybe even for my friend. I really want small pot. Like100 or 120ml. The smaller the better. And no designs pls. Do I ask too much? !
I just placed the order. One is a plain type yi-xing of 110. I think it’ll do the trick. It’s called fan, as it is shaped like an eggplant… or should I say aubergine? Email me if you want to see a pic. I’d hate for you to be dissatisfied. Let’s keep our fingers crossed regarding the shipping: from the factory to my buyer and then across the sea. I’ll let you know or hit me up in the first week of Aug, when it should arrive.
Personally, I love the cracked glaze teaware.
I sooo love cracked glaze, but they sell out. Ordered a Hagi travel set but not entirely satisfied with it, it is gloppy rather than piecey. Can’t find any other cracked to buy at the moment.
Hit me on PM with pics of what you ordered, Cwyn. I’ve selected a couple providers whose stuff looks top notch. One makes efforts to impress buyers about its quality, something about some of the cracks not allowing tea to seep into the ceramic. They sold me, though I haven’t chunked down yet. I settled on a cracked glaze raw clay blend, similar to a couple cups we have. The handles are intricate and unglazed. It’s a 10-piece set that I should at least set me apart in terms of teaware.
Yesterday I spent the day with a 2006 Boyou 0508. It was pleasant, woody, rounded and slightly sweet but not stellar. I think I may have been spoilt by drinking so many great teas lately.
Drinking a 2008 American Hao from the Mansa area in the Yiwu area. The wet leaves produce a wonderful berry-like aroma that I’ve come across in a handful of teas. The tea is thick with a silky smooth texture in the mouth. Very nice hui gan and apparent qi. This is nice tea I’d vouch for… the only issue I have with it is its tight compression! Its almost as tight as a Xiaguan! LOL
Yesterday I opened a sample of the 2010 Yunnan Sourcing “Big Snow Mountain” Raw. Scott sent it to me sometime ago and I love teas from Big Snow Mtn. but for some reason I never bothered to open the sample. I love this tea so much that I woke up this morning excited about enjoying it again this afternoon. The mouth-feel is strong; fills and stimulates the mouth long after it has been drunk. The taste is very welcoming – smooth, a little green tea like, only the lightest touch of bitterness, just on the edge of sweetness. Bottom line: the tea offers a very nice fragrance with a smooth sip and solid Qi. This one is a keeper for sure and I’ve just ordered a cake since YS has that 15% off sale.
Am on the third day of the same 5 grams of 1998 Dry Stored Yiwu from white2tea. This tea just doesn’t quit! Why can’t all the guys go this long?? ;)
I’ve just spent the afternoon with a Shuang Yu Spring 2012 sheng. It was perfect for the hot weather we are having here with a flavour that changed slightly with each steeping, developing from slight astringent smokiness through floral and camphor notes to a solid grape hit at the end. I’ve really enjoyed trying this one, although I would probably not have bought a whole beeng of it, because I am not convinced it would age that well here.
That sounds nice and calming from your description. Aging is a big factor for me too, I have limited space so any new cakes I need to pick with a grain of salt :(
Yes, I don’t have a pumidor and my tea budget is limited so I have to pick carefully when buying cakes. I tend to try to buy teas that are good to drink now, rather than buying with a view to aging them.
Wan Gong 2013 Spring by Tea Urchin
This is one of the more expensive teas at Tea Urchin. The good: the quality of the leaf is amazing. The color is a crystal clear amber that holds up to seemingly endless infusions. The tea is very thick and hearty. There is almost no bitterness. But it is lacking in character. I find the flavor is kind of dull, with no punch and little huigan. I wonder how a tea like this will age. It is clearly very high quality, but little flavor for my tastes.
I feel like that with most TU I got. But I have to admit that the price tags make me biased :P
I think this is the characteristic of Wan Gong and many Yi-wu teas. As such, I think these are probably best for drinking now. Aging is mostly in order to let the tannins oxidize out. Since there aren’t many tannins, can’t see much reason for letting it age. Maybe someone can tell me something different.
JC have you tried the Bulang Beauty from TU? I haven’t just wonder if it has the same characteristics.
Hey Yang, I bought a whole cake. Honestly, I haven’t done a proper review because I’m torn by it lol. I love the first three/four steeps, but I feel like it then goes nowhere. But as I mentioned before, I might be biased by the price tags. I don’t want to be unfair to the Tea or Tea Urchin just because my pocket hurt a bit.
But if I were to simplify how I feel about it… Id say: It is a very pleasant and thick tea with young notes at first. It has very pleasant sweet notes under the Ku wei, but it falls flat into Ku wei, thinness and astringency after the 4th steep(5th if you are lucky). That with a $80 price tag(that now is $90).
I hear you bro. I have a Meng Song ‘10 tribute that I’d like your views on. We should do a trade, if you’re open to it.
Sounds good. I do have a limited selection (I’m in clean up mode to re-stock so teas), but I can send you a list of some that I have to Share and you can let me know which you’d like to try, you know, besides the Bulang Beauty.
JC whatever’s clever. The bu-lang is just fine. I just want to know what you think of this tea, which is almost gone but which has aged nicely.
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