I’ve had this sheng puerh that I’ve been fighting with for a couple weeks. It’s made by a company called Hunting Tiger Old Tea Company. It’s a 2007 sheng from Bangwei. It just hasn’t been brewing the way I think it should. Last night I finally unlocked the mystery and had a very good session that lasted a long time. It was really nice.
again – i stole the joke, so don’t laugh as I would feel bad
Monthly I hold a pu’er Meet-up here in LA. This last Sunday an amigo brought by the Bamboo Fragrance offering from the Phoenix Collection, the ripe variety from ’03. It is very tasty and remarkably beautiful, clear and sparkly. Full-on funk factor, umame, and quite warming. Good cha-qi.
I need to try this next time I order. Though I will hold back for quite a bit.
I think someone else is down for trying the 2012. If I get a decent sized order, it would be good. There’s a couple available from ‘03 that seem interesting. One is a Langhe. PM me if you’re interested and not too pressed for time.
That is so cool. I wish I lived somewhere bigger with other puerh lovers nearby!
Wish we had one of those in my neck of the woods.
Yeah, me too. That sounds like a lot of fun!
It’s quite a commitment for just one or two to show up. Interestingly, the quarterly occasions for which there is a charge is better attended. Anyway, each occasion has quality people and great conversation.
Having a 2012 XiKong from the TeaUrchin tonight.
Glad Steepster is acting a bit better tonight.
Breaking this out as the "Chairman’ has picked and ordered for destiny in my cup. This tea is loosely compressed out of the sample bag. A nice hay and clover aroma to it. I got out 10 grams for the Yixing to start with. Dry leaf very nice looking. gave it a 5 second wash to open it up. Wet lea has a nice floral aroma to it. Brew is a light yellow color. I did 2 quick steeps for the cup. It is a “mixed” bag. Some sweet some bitter but not overpowering in either category. It is more of a “soft” tea with a little tongue buzz but not punchy like a spring tea. I would guess this would be a very nice “starter” sheng to bring someone into puerh. As mentioned in earlier notes I think a Spring version would have a bit more strength and punch to it. A nice really easy drinking Sheng with none of the notes of a Spring tea. Aroma on this is really good and I quote another “Spring tea for the strength and Autumn for the aroma”.
A nice easy to drink Sheng that shouldn’t keep me awake too long after drinking. Relaxing and very mild one to have. Slight honey aftertaste.
Flavors: Bitter, Hay, Honey, Sweet
TeaUrchin’s stuff seems to lean toward the mellow side, it seems.
Yeah not too strong , good floral aroma and softness without being overpowering.
Oh good, let’s focus on Tea Urchin tonight! ;-)
I spent much of the day with Tea Urchin’s 2011 Gao Shan Zhai Autumn. I enjoy the Tea Urchin offerings and a kind tea chum gave me a sample of this tea to try. I have mixed feelings about fall harvests for I have had some very enjoyable and some not so enjoyable Autumn shengs. I am sorry to say that for me, this particular tea is in the latter category for I think it falls short. The dry leaf is beautiful – nice large whole leaves with good color. The smell is not very strong for the dry leaf and the wet leaf has what I would describe as a dull smell. The taste is equally dull for my senses. The tea soup is a lovely yellow color and it is very clear (as mentioned earlier, this is very nice leaf). I must say that I am very glad to have had the opportunity to try this one for I might have been tempted to purchase the whole cake. For now, I am going to conclude that I should stay with spring pickings when it comes to Gao Shan Zhai tea cakes.
Finished off the 2001 Red Mark Pasted 25 g from white2tea that I bought. Two months of airing, still really humid storage. The plus side is I’ve been steeping this for two days and it is still going past 10 steeps. Don’t think I’ll buy a cake of this, because it just seems all plantation tea, kind of one dimensional compared to the wonderful 2005 Naka.
it’s also about a third of the price.
(meaning that you can’t compare it to Naka)
True, it is a good tea for the price and because I don’t always need to be lying around with my tongue hanging out.
Today, 2006 LCGC “003” Jing Mai Mountain Raw from YS. Very good and mellow Sheng. It has the floral notes you’d expect from Jing Mai, but I feel that the higher quality material makes it more mellow, yet complex. The initial taste is not overly strong and the bitterness is gentle, the real price is the Huigan which is gentle, yet it builds over time and lingers.
Good Sheng for a hard day.
It is! Is is on the mellow side of things, but today I needed mellow :P
Tonight I am drinking the 2008 Yunnan Imperial Court Loose Ripe Puerh from Berylleb King Tea. It is a very tasty tea with notes of dark chocolate and very little fermentation flavor. Pretty damn good stuff.
I’m seasoning my new shou teapot and then I am gonna drink some of the 2008 Song of Chi Tse that I also got from Berylleb! :)
Today I ordered the Raw Sampler from Mandala Tea.
You guys won’t be disappointed! They are some of my fave Mandala teas!!!! :)
It’s been doggone hot here in EL Ei, so I’ve been making cold brew now for about three weeks from mostly cashed leaves. Here’s some pics… http://universotea.com/content/coldbrew-featuring-spent-leaves-both-raw-and-ripe-puer-along-hibiscus-flower-and-longgan%C2%A0
I bought a tin of loose shou pu at the Asian Market over the weekend for $4. It’s not very good, LOL. But for $4, it satisfied my curiosity and gave me a greater appreciation for the cakes I’ve been able to try lately.
I brewed using my normal hybrid method, but I think it was weak tasting with short steeps. This one may actually just be better with a Western style long steep. I’ll give that a try next time. :)
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