261 Tasting Notes

86

Chinese translation of Qi Zi Zhi Ge: “Song of the Seven Sons”

Smells bitter, earthy, medicinal, like musty old-people’s furniture. I can see how people get a hint of fishiness from it too. Not a fan of the smell.

Tastes bitter like herbal guilinggao (tortoise jelly). Bitterness is neutralised when you add milk, it’s very good with milk.

Probably wouldn’t buy the full-size tea cake of this.

Rating: 70

Flavors: Bitter, Medicinal, Musty, Wet Earth

Preparation
Boiling

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78
drank Jardin Sauvage by Lupicia
261 tasting notes

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Flavors: Citrus, Mango

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85

Absolutely love the rich aroma of this Pu Er.

1st infusion: 212˚F, 20s
Now that I’ve brewed it properly, it tastes sweet like malted barley, coffee, and caramel on top of the peaty earthiness. My favourite of the “Menghai Classic” sampler pack.

Tastes fine with milk, slightly salty/savoury but quite similar flavour to the milk tea you buy at bubble tea shops.

Flavors: Caramel, Coffee, Malt, Peat, Wet Earth

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84

Great for a darker, more serious, slightly bitter-root tasting Pu Er. This one is best on its own, not with milk.

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87

I have a sample of the 2004 batch.

Rinsed once.

First infusion:
Pleasant sweet aroma, like fermenting rice. Goes superbly with milk.

Second infusion:
This smells so “fresh” and “bright” compared to a lot of the classic Menghai Pu Ers i’ve been sampling. Truly lovely.

Unfortunately, sold out on Yunnan Sourcing’s website.

Flavors: Rice, Wet Earth

Preparation
Boiling
TeaEarleGreyHot

Sirentian, I don’t know if you’re still active on Steepster, but YS does have this in stock, both as a 25g sample and as whole cake(s). It’s been 4 yr since you reviewed this tea, so maybe worth another shot!

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98

The rinse alone smells so divine––fragrant charcoal-roast, intensely fruity, and a nice blend of floral notes in there. This is like a Tieguanyin crossed with a Dancong oolong.

First infusion, 195˚F:
Beautiful sweet fruity flavour grounded in the minerally flavour that’s unique to Tieguanyins. The liquor is a similar colour to my Mi Lan Xiang Dancong oolong, a pale gold-fawn.

Second infusion, 198˚F:
Tastes stronger, and the richer, cacao and coffee roasted flavour is coming out now amid the fruitiness. The liquor has turned darker, like raw umber.

Third infusion, 203˚F:
Now there is a rich, sweet, malty “pie crust” aroma like something delicious baking in an oven. This tea is amazing. Reminds me of the “Buddha’s Hand” from Song Tea & Ceramics.

This was the standout best of the six wonderful teas I tried at the Zhang Xie Xing store in Taipei, and probably one of the top 3 teas in my collection. Please, more Steepsterites go hunt down this store in Taipei so I’m not the only one reviewing them!

Flavors: Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Floral, Mineral, Pastries, Stonefruit

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C

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93

(2017 Batch)
I’ve finally identified that familiar smell of the dry leaves! It’s rice flour––if you’ve ever tried making your own mochi or any other sticky Asian dessert that requires it, you’ll recognise the delicate, sweet smell of the flour.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C

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85

Rinsed once.

1st infusion at 211˚F:
Very strong peaty, mossy, lush dank forest aroma, but also a smoky burnt undertone. I really like the way this tea smells. Flavour is mellow, usual blunt rounded Pu Er with a tiny sharp edge.

2nd infusion, 212˚F:
Stronger flavour now. Really pleasant. Goes okay with milk.

Flavors: Peat Moss, Smoke

Preparation
Boiling

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82

Brewed in my Yixing teapot. I have the 2016 Spring batch and have actually drunk this tea multiple times since I’ve owned it but this is the first time I remembered to review.

First steep at 196˚F was more like a rinse.
Has the rich dark-roast aroma (not flavour yet) that allows it to stand up to food pairings, the typical Yancha wet-rocks note, but also a delicate peachy beautiful fruit aroma (like the Mi Lan Xiang Dan cong Oolong).

Second steep at 201˚F
Liquor is an umber colour, sort of medium yellowish-brown. The fruity fragrance has intensified, now is something like juicy apricot or nectarine.

Third steep at 206˚F
I might have used too little leaf here, the flavour has been pretty light throughout for an Wuyi oolong. Will try with more tea to water ratio next time.

Rating: 84

Flavors: Apricot, Peach, Wet Rocks

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C

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59

Smells slightly orange-y with a hint of fermentation, but quite a dull aroma. Liquor didn’t taste as fruity as I would’ve liked. I think it’s overbrewed.

Brewed at 203˚F as recommended on the packet, but that’s probably too hot. Will try 190˚F next time in my glass gaiwan since it’s a white tea.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C

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Profile

Bio

Amateur tea enthusiast here. I told myself I would start with studying Chinese teas when I first encountered good tea at Song Tea in San Francisco in 2016, and it’s now 2023 and I feel like I’m still just beginning to scratch the surface of Chinese teas.

Maybe someday I will move on to Indian, Japanese, Korean, etc. teas…

For my day job I work in tech as well as write some fiction on the side.

The next step in my tea journey is to start training my nose with an aroma kit to get a more precise handle on floral notes.

My Tea Rating Scale: (adapted from @benmw)
100 : Unforgettable, life-changing tea experience.
95–99: Extraordinary – Beyond impressive.
90–94: Impressive – Deep complexity, extreme clarity, or unexpected discovery of wonderful flavor. Made me reconsider the category. Would always want to drink this if I had the chance.
80–89: Delicious – Nuanced, balanced, clear, and complex layering of flavors. Would probably buy this tea again.
70–79: Very Good – Nuanced flavors, perhaps not as balanced or complex as the next step up, but clear and very enjoyable. Would consider buying again if the price was right.
60–69: Good – Clear flavors, representative of the category, but doesn’t set a standard. Good as an everyday tea. Would not buy unless desperate (e.g. when travelling without access to better tea).
50–59: Average. Would not pay money for this, but would drink if it was provided FOC.
30–49: Below Average. Would not drink this again even if it were free.
0–29: Undrinkable. Could not even finish the cup.

Location

Singapore

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