Your Three Favorite Pu'erh Teas

Mandala Wild Monk sheng
Mandala Noble Mark shu

for the 3rd, hmmm. The new Misty Peak sheng is really good, however I had a couple raw pu’er from White 2 Tea that have blown my mind, but on they are on the pricey side.

This thread makes me drool.

The “Miles” Sheng Cake from Tea Urchin is pretty exceptional.

1. Teavivre – Fengqing Zhuan Cha Ripened Puerh Brick 2006
2. Teavivre – Menghai Golden Buds Tribute Ripened Pu-erh Cake 2009
3. Puerhshop.com – 2011 Xiaguan Canger Tuocha

To my tastes anyway! Not many mentions for Teavivre yet? I love Mandala, though I haven’t been able to try many of theirs and only one steeping session for the few I’ve tried. Also not much of a raw pu-erh fan but I’ve only tried a couple.

My favourites usually change on a whim. I’m all over the place. At the moment,

Favourite Shou: Laos Xiao Ye (2006)
Favourite Sheng: Yue Guan Bai (2011)

Overall, my favourite puerh is an unknown chunk of a bingcha that was gifted from a friend that used to be in my gaming group. He described it vaguely as a 30 year old puerh. That’s all I know about it.

My two very very favorites are Mandala:

Special Dark – shou
Wild Mountain green – sheng

After those I love MANY Mandalas: Wild Monk, Noble Mark, etc etc etc

I know it’s silly because I’ve tried so few, but I’m just going to leave this little note here for now, and keep chugging away on my lovely pu’erh adventure, then come back and compare my choices somewhere down the road.

1. Heart of the Old Tree -Mandala Sheng
2. Wild Monk 2012 – Mandala Sheng
3. Autumn Song 2014 -Mandala Sheng

I think I like shengs. LOL. I hope to find some shous that I love just as much. I think maybe I’m just not ready for the dark side yet. :p

Just curious to see if anyone has anything to add to this old post. I was surprised at how many people chose what I think is a ye sheng (Wild Monk by Mandala). I am finally starting to get a handle on what I go to most frequently for pu’erh, and I am curious as to what others have been drawn to. Note that nearly all of my pu’erh experience has come from YS, due to their enormous selection and consistent low prices and high quality.

I don’t know if I can narrow down top three specific pu’erhs, but I have certain styles that are my go-to:

1. Bang Dong anything for young raw. Love the sweetness and cooling sensation in the mouth. Currently drinking YS 2016 Autumn Bang Dong village. Gylxtea has a nice Bang Dong as well.

2. Semi-aged raw that tends toward tobacco and black walnut notes. It reminds me of my first pu’erh that I had in China. Also, this is fairly easy to find and is generally pretty cheap. Most Xiaguan products fill the bill in this category, although I really enjoyed the Bo Nan Shan 2007 offered by YS.

3. For ripe pu’erh, I look for complexity and creaminess. Bonus points if there are hints of bourbon cask in there. YS premium blends (especially Yang Luo Han) are hard to beat. I haven’t been impressed by any big factory stuff, including Menghai, although I am still exploring. Gylxtea also had a wonderful ripe that had great camphor and cooling notes in it.

So, that’s it. I hardly have the breadth and depth of experience as others here do, but these so far are my favorites. I keep wanting to explore other tea vendors’ private label pu’erh, but I just keep having a hard time getting around to it. I’ll have to jump in on the Sheng Olympiad by LP to expand my horizons.

My favorites (at the moment) are:

Young sheng: 2016 YS Shan Hou. Complex, powerful (but not overly bitter) with honey, mineral, and medicinal notes. Strong lingering sensation in the mouth and throat This one just hits all the right spots for me. I’ve found my preference for young sheng leans towards the more robust end of Jinggu area.

Aged(ish) sheng: 2007 W2T Repave: Nice semi-aged goodness. Slight camphor, tobacco, and pine flavors. Nicely aged, but no “wet” or funky notes which I have a low tolerance for. My first tong! While I would still purchase it, the price has gone up since I bought my tong and it’s no longer as much of a steal.

Shou: 2007 Yong De ripe from Mandala Tea. My favorite attributes in shou are the camphor, incense, and mineral notes which this exemplifies. Very little fermentation flavor. I savor this tea and only brew it on occasion as it is no longer available. My favorite currently available shou would be a tie between YS’s 2011 Hui Run and 2015 Green Miracle.

Yunnan, earl grey, and golden bud are my favorites at the local tea house.