2017 Yunnan Sourcing "Mengku Huang Shan" Wild Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

I am testing this from a 25g sample. The method I am using is 5g:100mL. The dry leaf is shiny and has a subtle fruit smell, maybe plum. When wet, the leaves smell much stronger, like dates and forest moss. The brew is a soft golden color and smells like green tea.

I’ve brewed this a few times this week, here’s my impression so far. This is a tea to be flash steeped. If overbrewed, the astringency is overwhelming. But when I’ve got it right, it tastes simple and clean. There is a refreshing juiciness to it like biting into a white flesh fruit, maybe a pear. Other tasting notes include wood, hay/straw, and something that reminds me of the freshness after rain. It gives a calming and waking energy.

I think I want to try this tea a few more times before I decide if I like it or not. I’ve tried too many simple & clean teas in a row. The fact that I’m craving something with more depth of flavor is affecting my opinion.

Dry leaves smell somewhat fruity, but it’s not a really memorable smell. However, the wet leaf srome is more enticing. There are notes of compost, conifer forest and roasted nuts. In the empty cup I get mosly sugarcane and floral/pollen notes.

The smell is not where the tea wins me over though. It pales a bit in comparison with both the taste and mouthfeel. The taste is a balanced mix of tart, fruity, vegetal and bitter. The main flavours I get are menthol, citrus fruits and papaya, and bread crust. There is definitely quite a bit of astringency around, but I didn’t find it to be stealing the show. The mouthfeel is really lovely – thick, creamy and cooling. The aftertaste is fairly long and transformative. It starts off quite dry and floral, but over time gets really sweet and a little spicy.

Later steeps become very potent as the bitterness hits-in-your-face. They retain the full body still, it’s just a bit harder to pick up nuances of the tea as a result of how strong it is. The tea definitely has something going on in the cha qi department. However, I started this session in a fairly non-standard state of mind so it’s hard to compare to other teas. At first it made me really dreamy, but later I felt like it helped clear my mind from clutter and focus, still inducing a calming state though. I also got a tingling sensation down the back of my neck.

This is my favourite sheng I have tried so far in the ~0.1$/g category and it is comparable to the best ones from the 0.2$/g category I got from YS. Highly recommended, given the price/quality ratio. Personally, I will be aiming to get a cake in my next YS order.

Very green and dominated by a bitter-astringent taste, but which at least gives the tea a nice texture.

Images and more at https://puerh.blog/teanotes/2017-mengku-huang-shan-ys

You can read my full review here…

https://www.theoolongdrunk.com/single-post/2017/12/06/2017-Yunnan-Sourcing-Mengku-Huang-Shan-Wild-Arbor-Raw-Puer

This is a nice, mellow, easy drinking young sheng. Thick, oily/brothy texture, low-moderate bitterness and astringency. It has a particularly strong mineral note to it. Moderate sugarcane sweetness balanced by a savory mushroom flavor. All of this with a nice floral orchid aroma. Later steeps develop some musk, citrus, and incense notes.

Already within its steaming presence this fresh raw wanders through such a beautiful and deliciously alteration from one steep to the next. First its bouquet really hits the sweet aspects with all its juiciness and mouth watering effects starting with pickled peaches and a fine subtle hint of mango and pineapple as a following fruity construct. Be

side that a fine nutty layer hint-wise noticeable within subtle pumpkinseed nuances but also a bit of almond. After the second steeping this whole fella transforms immediately into a Japanese for some periods dark shaded mate called Kabusecha. This exhales a very deep dark green bouquet of steamed green tea, with Umami and a hint of nutty notes and oceanic accents!

Jumping onto the taste wagon the actual profile again is a bit different. Right from the start till the end of the echo an overall corn syrup silky sweetness is omnipresent but mostly as a short guest within the first infusion after that only slightly noticeable. Beside that this raw Sheng is one of the first with a bit more power on the bitter side as some of the others tended to be. A good sign for aging it well over time! This bitterness comes with a quite new tasting profile of clove very distinct! Especially within the second infusion it builds up a quite thick fury feel especially at the sides of your tongue, teeth and lower parts of the cheeks (inside). Another aspect which is quite fascinating is its constant mouth watering process even after the last sip is long taken! The echo of all those fading and new transforming nuances are always in constant movement and there seems to be no early end to “My mouth is watering” :D – oh and by the way this young lad is quite a warming buddy!

But this young Sheng more shines because of its unique developments and impact on your body as for its strong flavors. There are some good and already mentioned highlights when it comes to its actual taste but they turn out to be a bit weaker as some others did within the Lincang sampler! So it depends – if you are a worshiper of deep dense tasting profiles then this might not be your cup of tea but if you enjoy unique experiences and something quite different then you hit the right Pu!

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