pu-erh of the day. Sheng or Shou
Late posting about a day behind. Menghai 2008 “8562” shou.
Brew of the mid day here.
Broke this one out an in between on fermentation. It is said to be an only slightly ripened/cooked/shou that doesn’t have as much shou kick to it.
Got 12 grams off the cake , it is pretty tightly compressed cake and it took a bit to pry off a chunk. Brewed up it has the “metallic” aroma of some shou. Taste of the brew gives a bit of stone fruit ansd plum notes with enough of the raw material blended in to give a hint of sheng to it. A deep and full textured tea that sits and drinks nice in the cup.Some hints of molasses and sweet chocolate mixed in.
Puerh shou 2010 mini tuo 5 g Hong Jing Tian 100 yrs old tea trees, by Camellia Sinensis. Now the description doesn’t say whether there is really Rhodelia rosea in this tea, or if it is just marketing. I think it is really in there, am treating it like it is, got heavy stomach and heart heat. Or this tea is a darn good imitation of Rhodelia. I am really yang anyway and this tea is as yang as you can get. Oof, had to chase the 10 steeps I drank with a half glass of milk and am still feeling the heat an hour after finishing the last cup. Wrote a full review of this based on my peculiar interests in tea. I am gonna have to go back to spring greens tomorrow to balance this one out.
I’m stunned folks. I’m on my first cup of Legend 2010, a 200g cake produced by what appears to be a value-conscious brand called Scholar (caizhe). The minute I pulled it from the box, I could smell the smoky goodness. The rinse was darkish, the leaves are on the brown side. This raw is ready for drinking now! Zero astringency, smooth, gentle smoky, sweet, water temp at about 190, 10s steeping. Only downside, the color and murkiness. At least on the first infusion, it’s not anything I’d write home about but the rest is most definitely. The huigan is slickery and sweet, gives, what we called in high school, that “potato-chop” sensation in the throat instantly. I’m really surprised.
I’m into the fourth infusion and it’s striking me as being quite similar to lapsang souchong. The smokiness seems to be building,still quite sweet. Steeping at 195 now at 30s. Liquor is like orange pekoe with a spash of orange juice to keep it opaque.
I’m back on the 2005 Tibetan Flame. After what appeared to be a bad brick that I unfortunately shared with Peter, the current brick is much better. The only problem is that it is having a totally soporific effect on me … and I wanted it to perk me up!
Drinking a 2006 Yiwu spring sheng from the tea urchin (again, courtesy of MrMopar). I am really enjoying this tea. The soup has a very nice redish brown tint and is exhibiting a pleasant aged taste. I will be considering a full bing of this tea. 84/100
Definitely taste the accelerated aging mentioned in the description… tastes older than 2006.
I’m wondering if something similar wasn’t executed with the cake I’m drinking today. The liquor and is too dark to be 2010 without any fiddling.
Got any theories? Maybe they fement it for a few days opposed to weeks? The 2006 Yiwu I am drinking does not taste like wet storage but seems older than 2006.
Probably stored it in loose form before pressing. The loose maocha ages much faster than a pressed cake for sure.
Ye, that is what I am thinking. My EoT’s Wuliang is similiar in that it was pressed as aged maocha.
Are there any black leaves in the cake? They may have added some cooked leaves to the mix. This is becoming more common as people are buying sheng to drink now. Companies don’t want people to get a really astringent flavor, even though that is perfectly fine from an aging standpoint. If it tastes older than it should, I would suspect cooked leaves.
I think I’ll call this one the coffee experience. Or perhaps the Guinness experience. This is my first tea from the Bo You factory. It is now my current favorite. I am steeping it quite strong, and get a brew that is like coffee – slightly bitter, though smooth underneath, strong, and with chocolate undertones. It is a real keeper, and a bargain at just $20 from Yunnan Sourcing, though it is only available at their China site. I’m going to try the 2011 version as well to see how it stacks up. As mrmopar noted in a review of another Bo You tea, this coffee type flavor may be typical of this factory.
I’ve got this one and it sells for much more in China and is difficult to find.
I went to Mr Huang Gang’s blog and envied his life.
I definitely like this cake, also goes to show the wild disparities in pricing for tea. For some reason, I have it in my mind that Bo You sets a certain standard for ripe pu’er, against which other teas are gauged. The Lang He Tribute, on TeaUrchin, definitely compares favorably.
Puerh sheng 2010 Bada Shan Wild Tea from Camellia Sinensis. Good bud to leaf ratio. Arrived really dry. I taste the citrusy which to me is sour floral, but it seems just very mild and green tea still, not much transformation yet. Dunno why I ordered this, the wild part maybe, but didn’t order a whole cake. This one needs to sit another year or two, and I just can’t find anything to put it in. Back into the bag for now.
Yunnan sourcing 12% off for next 15 hours or so! Use code 12OFF. I had a cart full of stuff ready to go so I am most pleased. See their Facebook page.
2005 Langhe Gong Ting Round Cake Ripe by Lang He tea Factory of Menghai (from Yunnan Sourcing)
A very nice tea. Similar to the Boyou I tried recently, a coffee type drink. Slight bitterness and deep coffee/Guinness flavor. It didn’t give up too many infusions, but is was hearty nonetheless. I tasted a touch of fishiness in the later steepings. A keeper. I really like this style of shu. It’s about $40 at Yunnan Sourcing.
Having a 2004 Hai Lang Hao “Big Snow Mountain Sheng”.
Got this as a sample on my Yunnan Sourcing order. I brought out 10 grams into the Gaiwan to brew. Gave it a quick rinse to open up. Aroma of slight floral on this one. Not in your face but a light aroma.
This one has no smokiness to it at all. No astringency and a very good mouthfeel to it. It has hints of a slight woodiness and honey with some flower to it. It is very smooth and easy to drink compared to some of the other Hai Lang Hao teas. It is not punchy or in your face but nice and easy to drink. It gives a nice feeling of relaxation after drinking and the sweetness continues after the cup is empty. Actually day 2 on this one and it has progressed very well. A nice evening sheng that is great to unwind with.
How many infusions do you usually get with one brew? I haven’t been having sheng quite as much lately because I’m always on the go. I like to get a few infusions in at least.
Roughage your review was the basis of getting this one.
Ubacat I have had some tea steep at least a cup up to 5 days depending on the strength.
I’m glad it worked out alright then, else you would have come to blame Roughage, not to praise him. :)
I don’t think that would have happened. I think our taste and like profiles are very similar.
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