2021 Gaba Puerh

Got a big chunk in an LP Hookup when ordering some of the bourbon barrel shu.

1st thoughts: Not puer. It feels like a heavily browned roasted yellow tea that has that gaba sourness. Not really sure what the processing here is, but it is very far from what you find in yunnan. I get peanuts, roasted corn, cheap cocoa powder, hong cha. Some bitterness and astringency right from the start and the slightly sour aftertaste people talk about with gaba teas.

Drinking it down: The leaves are fully brown a la black tea, but not quite as dark. The liquid itself is the color of a middle aged (5-7 year) old sheng. On the golden side of orange. The peanut note is really the primary flavor going on here with that slight acrid bitter/astringent coming second. I’ve got the burps by the 4th cup. 5th steep I’ve got some tomato umami coming in. Some huigan kicking up on the 6th. As it steeps out it becomes more and more like a black tea.

I’m not usually sensitive to “qi”. It may just be that I’m on day 2 of a fast, but this thing hit me pretty hard around the 4th/5th cup. Warmth in my stomach, slightly floaty sensation, a strong desire to nap.

This tea is not puer. It is interesting. I’m not big into the sour notes in my tea. I’ve certainly had nothing like this before. Don’t anticipate having anything like this in the future either.