2017 Yunnan Sourcing Impression Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

It’s a relief to move away from bagged teas finally and back into the puerh realm. I have a sample of 2017 Impression from the benevolent Togo. Thanks, Togo :)

The dry leaf on this is very impressive, shimmering and velvety in the light. It reminds me of a rock covered in lichen, twigs and dirt. It smells like mineral soil and stonefruit. Warming the leaf brings out a date sweetness with the stonefruit and soil. After the rinse, I can smell artichoke, dates, baked apricot and soil.

The first pour is a clear gold with a soft and fruity aroma. It’s dominated by a clean vegetal tone and finishes with peach and apricot. The aftertaste is of apricot and faint pine. Moving along, some bitterness comes in but it is smooth and not penetrating, complementary to the tastes. The texture remains light in the mouth but never lacking. The liquor transitions into tastes of a pleasant leafy and dry grass brassiness, which to me is evidence of autumn material, and the stonefruit finish turns into faint florals. Astringency picks up in the seventh steep and I ended at the ninth, feeling the tea had not much more to offer. The energy is light and calming.

2017 Impression is drinkable now and caused no stomach discomfort. Based on the initial review by Oolong Owl, the bitterness is already taming, or maybe I’m less sensitive to bitter. It seems to be suitable for daily drinking given its smoothness, longevity and energy.

Edit: Am I crazy for thinking this is drinkable now? HA!

The steamy hot leaves smell like artichoke! Strongest note I taste is vegetal. Maybe next time I brew It will be better

This is a pleasant surprise! I wasn’t expecting anything more than a daily drinker but I think this exceeds that category. The tea is clean (I drank the rinse) and right on point for a young sheng, with predominantly apricot flavors and a pleasant astringency. The second through fourth steeps were noticeably thicker and sweeter with some nutty and grassy notes emerging. It also produces a nice tea buzz. A great value!

I finally joined the covid club, while I didn’t lose taste and smell, my current tea perception is surely affected by it.

In any case, it is fun to check up on this tea’s progression. It seems to have a more rustic character now. The aroma reminds me of forest floor and beeswax, while the taste is a mix of green wood, citrus fruits, honey, root vegetables (beetroot, celery), with some further hints of chickpeas, vanilla, camphor, cumin and apricot in final few infusions.

The tea is somewhat astringent and numbing, but it can be easily pushed to extend the session to about 14 infusions.

I am drinking 2017 Impression very young, with it being released just a few months ago. It is balanced, yet bitter, pungent, and astringent with a nice kick of tea energy. There are notes of stone fruit but mostly bitter bitter bitter. It does taste great in silver, bringing out the fruity floral and numbing the bitter. Overall a great price and a tea you should stash to age or drinking in silver.

Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/2017-impression-sheng-puer-from-yunnan-sourcing/