pu-erh of the day. Sheng or Shou

Drinking EoT’s Bangwei 33. This is definitely one of my favourite teas. The wet leaves radiate a beautiful, heavenly honey-like aroma which, I’d say atleast, is apparent in the liquor as well. The liquor is thick in the mouth with a soft, delicate sweetness to it – very pleasant. Definitely a noticeable qi in this one. Its really unfortunate I’m down to one 200g bing of this product.

Wild mountain green 2011 (mandala)

6.4 grams used to my 6 ounce gaiwan.
Did an initial quick rinse to open up the tea leaf.

Used 210 F water & the first steeping was 10 seconds. Pale colored tea.

Found it to be uniquely light for a 2011 sheng not assertive in the flavor at all, sweet, vegetal notes are prevalent. Refreshing first taste.

With the second steeping I tried it for 30 second infusion. I found there still to be a very light hay/grassy taste. Sweet tasting.

The third steeping I kinda just let steep didn’t pay too much attention to the time.

Turned a darker amber color.
Stronger taste with a long lingering numbness but still not too bitter.
Almost a countryside floral taste to it.
Stronger qi the longer I sip this one.

The fourth infusion followed suit with the third and just pulled it when I felt it would be good. 2-3 mins perhaps.

Strong sweet aroma noticed in my little kitchen. With an assertive flavor. Not bitter but certainly bold. Very clean aftertaste of spice.

Very nice sample. Thank you again. :-)

I found this to be a pleasant intro to what mandala tea has to offer.
I can’t wait for my order to be delivered.

Yong Pin Hao 2008 Shou from Mandala Tea. So delicious, gives its flavor pretty quick but tastes perfectly bittersweet while it does.

I’m still gathering my wits from 2006 Tian Di Ren Bulang Shan. I can’t say that I find it tasty at all, but if you’re looking for a fall-on-your-face buzz, then this is for you. There’s an interesting write-up here… http://half-dipper.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/2006-tiandiren-bulangshan.html. I don’t taste much of the sweetness that Hobbes mentions. This was brought by a Meetup amigo, as this was the convening of the monthly Bamboo and Loquat group here in LA. He got it from Verdant Tea. We had to round out the harshness of that Bulang with some Moonlight White from Jinggu Hongxuan company, some stuff I brought back from Yunnan.

1990s CNNP #8972 from Life in a Teacup— Orange peel, sandalwood, must, must, must, bitter, dry, orange peel.
Wet-stored treasure that is dry through and through. Very potent cha-qi, all head and not heat. Astringency, after all these years. Paul Simon would be please.
Characteristically gorgeous brew colour: limpid, inviting, brassy red. Lingering taste of orange peel’s bitterness.
Tastes like a grown-up’s tea. Thanks for the sample JC.

2010 Yiwu from Misty Peak Teas for me this evening. Using it to christen my new tea pet :)

http://instagram.com/p/uZX7h1R-jg/?modal=true

I ordered a sample of 2008 Wild Tree Raw Pu-erh tea brick of Dehong by Yunnan Sourcing last week during the sale, & this is an interesting tea!
The dry aroma is a little ‘well aged barn’- like, & when I warmed the leaf up & breathed in its essence, I picked up soft notes of tobacco, purple plum, & smoke….well, not really smoke…maybe charcoal?

I steeped in matching rounds of 2, pouring from my yixing into a mug.
The first mug featured a very mild cup with hints of charcoal & slight bitterness, & instant 3rd eye opening vibes. While I was steeping the next 2 rounds, all of my chakras started to open, from root to crown, like the blooming of flowers, in a psychadelic kind of way.
The 2nd cup sent qi rushing throughout my body, making my extremeties giddy, almost as if every cell in my body was laughing. My injured hand was especially lit up, really buzzing with unsummoned reiki, so I went with it, opening to the healing that I feel was being offered. I’ve been doing a lot of Reiki on myself lately, & this evening especially I feel like the nerves in my finger are waking up.

I often wonder if these experiences are as outlandish to others as they seem while I’m experiencing them, or maybe I’m just having flashbacks to my old hallucinogen days, LOL.
Either way, this was a very dynamic session, possibly my most potent tea experience to date.

Flavorwise, this was hard for me to nail down. The best word I can think of is smooth. I used 5 G in a 125ml yixing, & although there was a very slight initial bitterness, the rest of the cups were mellow, with kind of an old fashion white bread & creamy nut butter taste…or maybe sunflower seed butter. Later steepings started getting a sweet aftertaste, but I can’t really identify it with anything, at least not at this moment. I have enough to sample this a few more times.
Nice clear energy & headspace in the afterglow.

Drinking a 2011 Autumn from The Teaurchin (courtesy of MrMopar). Excellent tea with a nice body and aroma. I will definitely be steeping this all night.

Having a Yunnan Sourcing 2010 Bang Dong Village sheng.
I actually bought this cake after reading Rich’s description of it.
I brewed it in the Gaiwan , 10 grams , 10 oz and a 5 second rinse. This is spot on. Fruity , floral and stonefruit. The taste of apricot as noted before is right there in the forefront. A little bit of bitter but definitely apricot. I love apricots and always will so I see this as one I don’t intend to run out of.

Flavors: Apricot, Bitter, Floral, Stonefruits

This afternoon I drank Noble Mark Ripe Pu’er Blend 2011 by Mandala Tea
I went with 9G in a 125ml yixing this afternoon, and as before, the dry aroma was salty, shroomy, with a sweet molasses undertone.
The brewed tea was wonderfully warm & nourishing, & reminded me of a cup of ovaltine.
Anybody remember ovaltine?