pu-erh of the day. Sheng or Shou

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mrmopar said

Having a Menghai 2007 “Secret Fragrance” in the cup. Got this in a sample pack to try. Using a gaiwan to keep this one pure. It is called “Secret fragrance” I wish i had an aroma cup for this but I lack one. Goes on shopping list. The first infusion brewed a light pale green color and gave a small hit of tobacco. Second infusion give a deeper golden color and brings out some citrus notes to go with the hit of astringency and tobacco. Interesting on the palate, makes the tongue tingle a bit.It has a small bit of astringency but seems to coat the mouth with an aftertaste of the citrus that lingers for a while. It almost seems to have some floral between the layers of tobacco and citrus. A very interesting sheng. I brewed 13 grams of it in the pot. Hope this one will age into something wonderful.

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graceatblb said

I’m currently drinking Coffee Pu’er from Davids Tea. It’s the only one of Davids pu’ers that I really like. Has a bit of molasses sweetness going for it.

Dexter said

LOL I thought I was the only one who likes this. I love it, was my #1 fav tea until you introduced me to Mandala…..

graceatblb said

Yay! Someone else likes it. It was my first pu’er and it has a special place in my pu’er loving heart. Special Dark has kicked it out of the #1 spot but it’s still a good one.

Dexter said

4 out of my top 6 highest rated teas are Mandala pu’erhs, and I STILL haven’t tried Special Dark yet, or Phatty Cake… there is just something special about them

graceatblb said

Special Dark, Phatty Cakes 1 and 2 are the only teas I have to convince myself to brew. Not because I don’t like them but because I don’t want them to leave me. My first Phatty Cake is a sad little hockey puck and I am going to miss him when he’s gone. There is definitely something special about Mandala and Verdant. I have to admit to not really exploring other sellers yet but I will.

Dexter said

I’m a fan of Verdant as well, but I haven’t tried any of their pu’erh (hanging my head in shame). I’ve had a few pu’erhs from other companies, and while I’ve quite enjoyed several of them – Mandala still holds that special place in my heart.

Garret said

so glad I stumbled upon this discussion! Don’t worry, Grace, there are still a few of the original Phatty Cakes left :) Thank you both for the kind words about our teas and our company. It really is gratifying to hear these nice things. I will be going to China again in March/April and look forward to more finds while I am there. For now, though, we have some great things to look forward to, including the 2013 crop of the Wild Monk mao cha, some new autumn greens and wulongs, too! In regard to ripe teas, I’ve just acquired the leaves to make the Noble Mark equivalent from this year and also some tea nuggets from that same producer from this years ripening! I swear, if we didn’t need to sleep, I just use that extra time for doing nothing but gong fu cha!

Wishing you both great joy and perfect health,
G

graceatblb said

I already get the feeling that my next Mandala order is going to be fun :) My tea cupboard is already ridiculous but all of that sounds so good.

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graceatblb said

I’m currently sipping on Purple Rhyme from Mandala. Tea randomizer selected it so that’s what I drink. It’s lovely. Very woodsy vanilla with a bit of a date flavor to it.

Garret said

wait.. what is tea randomizer???

graceatblb said

It’s my own system. It involves post-its and an online randomizer. It’s the only way I could convince myself to break open a cake. I posted pictures of my tea shelf in the Show Your Cupboard thread. It’s a mix of beautiful and completely crazy.

There is also this http://www.jaydeee.net/pickatea.php from http://steepster.com/discuss/223-need-help-picking-a-tea-introducing-the-tea-randomizer?page=1
That you punch in your Steepster username and it generates a random tea from your own collection, though it looked a bit bugged right now and only shows the pic.

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Sammerz314 said

Currently sipping on a looseleaf 1970s Da Ye Sheng puerh. Excellent notes of earthiness. Not too overwhelming as with many shou’s. Furthmore, this tea seems to be the smoothest tea I’ve ever had.

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mrmopar said

Here is a link to Dayi"s latest anti counterfeit measure. Interesting. http://www.hkteaforum.com/forum.php?mod=redirect&tid=11560&goto=lastpost#lastpost. You will need a translation feature on your browser for this.

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mrmopar said

Having the 2007 version of the Menghai “secret aroma” tonight. Brewing the “ripe” version tonight. 15 grams in the easy gaiwan. Gave a 10 second rinse and let the tea set a few minutes to open up. Brews a nice color in the cup not sure about the “secret fragrance” part of this as it has the aroma of any normal shou. First infusion almost lychee like (an oriental fruit similar to a cross between a peach and strawberry). Second steep opens up much more with hints of oak and and apple with some dryness to it. Rich and dark but not overly strong with a single taste that stands out. Pleasant without being overpowering.

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Peter said

Liao Fu San Cha 1970, a very nice sheng, with a bit of history.

Javan said

As I sit here sipping Master Han’s 2002 shu, I’d love to hear what you know of the Liao Fu San Cha 1970’s history.

Peter said

Yunnan’s pu-erh production had been severed by WWII and later civil war and political turmoils during 40′s and 50′s. The transportation routes for shipping pu-erhs to satisfy the south-east Asia and Hong Kong market were largely halted. To overcome the problem, some small private producers moved to the north of Vietnam, Laos or Thailand to use locally harvested mao chao to make “pu-erhs”.
http://houdeblog.com/?p=98

I love this tea! It isn’t as complex or as high quality as true, aged chinese puerh but this vietnamese knockoff has a similar flavor and texture for a much lower price.

Peter said

And there’s also the magic feel, I get from tea that’s older than I am. It’s a bit like stealing time :-)

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sansnipple said

Yunnan Sourcing Pasha mountain 2012 autumn sheng. It’s on the mellow and grassy end of the spectrum, maybe a faint floral note, but I’m not sure, clean but not much really going on, a bit thin feeling and super pale clear brew, if anything a hint of green color, clearly very very young.

Peter said

You feel like a Pasha on the mountain? :)

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Peter said

Delicious Ye Sheng Cha from Dehong, 2012, after a small Tuo Cha shu (no logo). Is it a general trend, the more you drink pu’er, the more interested you get in sheng? For me, sheng is more adventurous than shu, harmonically speaking, shu is like home-coming or the key and sheng is like a major fifth, outside in the green, sometimes it’s even a perfect pitch.

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Sammerz314 said

I’ve decided to go with a 2001 Full Leaf Aged sheng from The Phoenix Collection this morning. Wonderful tea with a pleasant mahogany colour. Great deal at only $15 for 1/4 pound!

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