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1272 Tasting Notes
Sadly, I am drinking the last of this. Or making the last of it as I prepare to leave and step into the wild coastal winter. I used all the rest of the leaves that I had and steeped them in a big pot so that I could fill a travel mug, a travel thermos, and a mug for drinking before I leave.
It has been a good time, Alishan. I am truly sorry to see you go.
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The rest of the pot from earlier, cold. Better than before.
Two tea bags this time. Better flavour. Still nothing entirely special.
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Tasty. Mmm. Pu’erh…
Over the multiple steepings I tasted a lot of cinnamon and molasses, but not much chocolate. I even added a bit of sugar halfway through the multiple steepings to see if that would bring out the chocolate flavours, but alas, it did not. Mediocre, at best.
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Not really impressed. The leaves looked terrible, and the flavour put off was not really that great.
Gaiwan tasting.
First steeping smells incredibly fruity and sweet. A bit like lychee and a bit like ginseng. This by far one of the sweetest teas I have ever had and certainly sweeter even than a ginseng coated oolong I own.
The taste is certainly a surprise and not what I was expecting.
Pretty delicious, seriously, for never having heard of the company.
The concept of this tea really weirded me out at first. I tend toward the purer, non-flavoured teas, so to try something this extremely abnormal is definitely new.
I steeped it exactly as the directions on the site directed.
The smell is reminiscent of burned raisins…not a good sign as I do not like my toast crisped. Then I pick up hints of cinnamon.
The taste was hard to describe. I guess it kind of tastes like buttered cinnamon raisin toast…kind of…
It is not bad by any means, but I was a bit disappointed. The aftertaste hits the mark better than when one is drinking the tea.
The peach taste is perfumey and fake, but it has a decent after taste.
Based on the lack of information I have about this pu’erh (I convinced the shopkeeper to try and get more information from the distributor), I really have very little idea where to begin. Gaiwan brewing, starting with a rinse and then 30 second steeps. The wet leaves are dark, with almost a reddish tinge to the leaves. They had the same earthy scent that reminded me of good pu’erh, but with a darkness to it, almost a mustiness.
The first cup looks a bit murky, which worries me, as good pu’erh is supposed to be bright. However, it does have a nice redness to the liquor, which is a good sign. The first sip and the second and the rest of the first cup all taste dry and sour. This is not a good sign for this tea.
I steep the tea again. The colour and aroma have not much changed. The flavour is better, not as sour, still a bit dry. But now it seems that I’m losing a lot of the good parts of the flavour.
I finish off the second steeping and decide I’m going to stop for now and try this tea again later. Maybe it would be better gong fu.
I could not get much if any information about this tea. Based on the look of the leaves and the flavour, it appears to be a Formosa oolong.
This tea does not stand up well. It took far longer than it should have to actually steep to an acceptable strength level. Each successive steep got weaker and weaker, and far too fast for my liking. For the cost of this tea (something like $5 an ounce), this tea was not worth buying again.
EDIT: Fail for me, I must have been totally out of it when I wrote this review. It’s obviously not a Formosa oolong, but a Se Chung oolong from China.
I steeped this hot first and was not very impressed by the “tropical flavours.” They were almost non-existent. However, when I let it cool and drank it cooled, I tasted them a lot more. It was quite tasty indeed.
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This pu’erh has become quite the disappointment, I’m afraid. It simply won’t stand up to gaiwan brewing.
Just for fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGJp9TQoUMs
Does this tea smell like dirt? Yes, this tea smells like dirt. But such is a quality beloved of pu’erh. This sheng, or raw, or uncooked (whichever term you wish to use, each variety of pu’erh is a many-named tea) has a clean and clear aroma.
For this tasting, I use a small seasoned yixing pot, filled approximately a third with leaf. The leaves are rinsed and the first steeping is prepared, letting the leaves steep for about 30 seconds. The first taste conveys the earthy flavour well, along with a few vegetal notes. The liquor is light and smells “wet” with a bit of spiciness to it. The aftertaste seems cool and sits lightly in the mouth.
The second steep, of about 20 seconds, is darker in colour. The flavour is not as intense but is far more robust, flowing strongly through the mouth, giving one the full flavour experience. It almost seems as though there is a hint of minty-ness in the aftertaste for this tea. A bit like peppermint, it seems, like a touch of cool spice. One notices that this steeping remains a bit rough around the edges
30 seconds after again immersing the leaves in water, the third steep appears, as dark in colour as the second, and much the same flavour and aroma profile.
Another 30 seconds. The fourth steep maintains the same deep brown, but not quite dark brown, colouration. The flavours, though, are lighter. I cannot escape the strange cool mint-like aftertaste, which is something that barely comes through in the aroma.
Over the next few steepings, various flavours show themselves more dominantly than others. Vegetal flavours, spicy notes, and the complete earthiness all put their best foot forward as the tea continues to evolve.
The seven-years aging has been kind to this tea. If you are looking for a decent pu’erh for regular drinking, this 2003 Qing Yun Hao will surely fit the bill. I rate it a 75/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.
