2010 Xing Hai Raw Beeng Cha

Thank you Roughage for thie big Sample!

Intro:
There’s something really fine about a Gent from the U.K. with the
handle of Roughage on Steepster, sending me a Pu-erh don’t you think so? (Roughage-Pu-erh…get it?)
Especially when the Pu-erh smells like I stepped straight from the garden with a basket of fragrant flowers on my arm into the poo musty barn where the horses are being horsy and curious about what I’m there for.

Big Story Turn:
There was a year and a half before coming to Colorado where I was pretty penniless and transient. I had no real home. My marriage had become abusive, I was sick and I had to leave abruptly with what would fit in my car.
I stayed here and there mostly on charity until I had enough money to move away on my own. This is a humbling way to live.
One place I stayed was in the hills above Cupertino,CA in a converted garage (no heat/air/stove) on my friends property. (I am thankful)
All the houses around me were multi-million dollar mansions on large properties. Right next to the the house was a horse path that everyone used to access open space trails.
My favorite horse buddy was a miniature stallion who lived next door. He was proud. That little guy would come into the yard and kick a ball around and huff and puff at any other big horse that came too close. http://flic.kr/p/cxLJSY (When you read my notes about food, I lived with a microwave and a crockpot for over a year and ate very healthy and organic without a stove!)

Drinking this tea today reminded me of the horses and hay. The smell of flowers growing in a rough English garden outside my front door. The mist coming over the hill from the Pacific in the evening. The smell of roses growing next door in the neighbors vineyard. Keah the husky/wolf dog barked at the deer and coyotes to get away, get away from the house you critters. Keah would wisely allow all the wild turkeys access without a bark though. The property had a gate. I felt safer there.

Taste:
The Pu-erh was smoky flavored and salty. My cup never got bittersweet. I am under-educated about this type of Pu-erh. I wish I knew more. It looks like a Shu Nugget that would be dark and thick when steeped. Instead what happened was a clear light honey broth, sweet, smoky and not earthy in the way I’ve experienced very dark Pu-erhs. The earthiness is like a light clear chicken broth in texture and weight, a little salty and earthy like a shitake (faintly). (HELP!)

Loose Ends:
I’ve gone so many places in my mind with this tea. All over the place. From barns and flowers, escaping from harm and back to the present.
Why?
Not to forget where I’ve come from I suppose. It’s good to enjoy the distance from sorrow, and enjoy the place I am in now.
I am happy with the gift of this Pu-erh from the U.K. and all my new friends on Steepster! What a miracle you all are!

This Pu-erh is young but tastes Ancient.

I somehow feel like I could become wise if I drank enough of it.

Oh my. Wait until it ages I would be able to write a book!

(P.S. that’s me before I lost almost 60 pounds!) BRAG!

A very nice raw Pu-erh, very sweet – almost like molasses, with softer earth notes than I typically experience from a Pu-erh, and more of a floral tone. very pleasant, soothing. Smooth and mellow.

Quick Note Thanks to Bonnie, again for sharing with me :)
Dry – Sweet, fruity.
Wet – Honey, fruity, apricot, citrusy/tart and just a hint of smoke.
Liquor – Bright Golden

Gong fu with Yixing Gaiwan 5g/6oz

1st – 15secs – Sweet, a muted honey taste and clean up front. As it washes down, it has more ‘fruity’ notes that feel smooth and pleasant but slowly gives a hint of bitterness. The aftertaste is sweet and clean.

2nd 30secs – Sweet honey but not muted, floral-fruity notes and hints of smoke up front. As it washes down, it has an apparent fruity taste with a raising bitterness that lingers for a bit before turning sweet in the aftertaste.

3rd 45secs – Floral-bitterness with slight honey sweetness up front. As it washes down, it is slightly vegetal but quickly turns bitter-sweet that lingers. The aftertaste is sweet with some lingering bittersweet floral notes.

4th 50secs – Floral bitterness, slight smokiness and some sweetness up front. As it washes down, it has fruity sweet note that turns bitter to bitter-sweet and lingers in the mouth. The aftertaste is sweet with bittersweet floral hints.

Final Notes I did six successful steeps with this one and I found it is really good. It sort of reminded me of Menghai Factory raws but with subtler nature. Made me wonder how an aged version of this tea would taste like. Really nice, specially for the age.

I got this tea a few days ago. The first thing I did was stick my nose right into it and the smell knocked my socks off; it was a gorgeous stableyard smell comprising warm, sweet comforting hay and mellow horse manure smells. The aroma was just perfect and had me so excited that I wanted to just dive straight into it then and there. Yes, ok, I’m weird. The horsey smell reminds me of good times and is one I love, and that is what this reminded me of. So, excited as I was, I still took time to carve up the beeng and store it for a few days so that it could sort itself out. When I picked it apart, I found that the leaves came away fairly easily and were quite large. They ranged from dark chocolatey brown to a very pale beige colour, giving the whole beeng a most pleasing visual aesthetic.

I have a cold at the moment so I needed some comfort today. Time to try my new tea. Unfortunately, the state of my nose will probably have affected how I view this tea, and you will need to allow for this in reading the following. I sat down with my trusty 140ml gaiwan, a cup and measured out 4g of tea. The Canton Tea Co website suggests 3-4g in a small teapot, brewed at 95 degrees for 20 seconds. I did what they suggested to get a feel for the tea. The liquor was yellow with a hint of green to it on the first infusion. It became darker with the third and fourth infusions and then became a little paler from infusions eight onwards. I kept the brewing time to 20 seconds for the first half dozen brews and then increased it to 30 seconds for the next few, and so on, increasing it a little every so often.

The brew was sweet with every infusion, ending with a note of astringency and a bittersweet aftertaste. It exuded an aroma of flower meadows in every cup and has turned out to be a fantastic comfort brew. This is one of the few teas where the tasting notes have largely conformed to my own experience of the tea. I shall certainly buy more of this with a view to aging some and drinking the rest.