What Pu'er Are You Drinking

Puerh and other heicha
oolongfan
Posts: 156
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:40 am
Location: Indiana, USA

Sat Apr 06, 2019 8:41 pm

Debunix - I would love to have tried Norbu's 2007 white bud sheng,...I did missed that, not having discovered Norbu yet...and when I did, I was mostly drinking oloong. I am intrigued by your tasting notes, especially as the 2007 ages. I have not got any smokiness in the 2014 so I am curious if that was unique to the 2007 pressing. I have ebeen struggling with levated cortisol over 6 months..and have kidney disease, so I tend to not stock up too much tea because I am limited to drining 2 times a week for now. Having said that, the 2014 is an absolute steal and quite unique...so I probably should buy a few more cakes.

The 2004 Ye Sheng Wild Tea Log citrus note becomes more mild during sucessive steeps...but it is still strong to me. I have a love hate relationship with herbal teas, so I am probably more ambivelant about the cirtus note in the first place. My favorite teapot to brew it in is a lovely med-high fired Duan Ni pot....the clay mellows the citrus not enough for me to taste the other flavors...but again that is just me :)

Thank you for sharing your impressions on two unique teas. They are not on everyone's radar so it is great to hear from someone who has tasted them over the years :)
User avatar
debunix
Posts: 1814
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:27 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Sat Apr 06, 2019 8:53 pm

Not ready for the Ye Sheng tea yet, because I'm now enjoying some 2015 Gao Jia Shan "Cha Duo Tang" Wild Harvested Hunan Fu Brick Tea/Shou Puerh from Yunnan Sourcing. It just arrived this week after a lengthy trip from China. I was intrigued by the description of the flavor as 'malty', and it sounded like something that would be terrific for the bulk-infusing in the thermos. And it is delicious.

It is full of coarse stems, as advertised--not a pretty tea at all--but after a quick rinse, it proved mellow, with indeed sweet malty notes, not the least harsh or bitter. I am very pleased, as a 2 kg brick is a lot of tea. I think it would be interesting to do a tasting vs the Menghai Golden Needle White Lotus, which has similar notes but a more woodsy/earthy base.
User avatar
teasecret
Posts: 86
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:52 pm
Location: Massachusetts
Contact:

Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:08 am

https://crimsonlotustea.com/products/20 ... -100-grams
I always thought this was the Xiao Fa Tuo, but it doesn't have the huge bird on it. Can anyone identify?
It's got a nice dry straightforward ripe taste.
EDIT: it's a xiao fa tuo. https://teadb.org/puproject/teas/xiao-fa-tuo/1793 thank you teadb.
User avatar
iGo
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:22 pm
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Thu Apr 18, 2019 10:40 am

Mandarin’s tearoom shuiping in action
Mandarin’s tearoom shuiping in action
2DAEF3C8-CA18-4FD7-986C-F0057E37FFAC.jpeg (184.57 KiB) Viewed 7615 times
Origin Tea’s 1980’s Wild Arbor Loose Puerh brewed in 45ml shuiping from Mandarin’s Tea Room. Cup by Mukuhara Kashun.

Scent of damp forest floor. Taste something like old and vegetal. Body feel relaxing.

@oolongfan I have considerably more of this than the OT oolong, so when you’re in Bkln.......
oolongfan
Posts: 156
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:40 am
Location: Indiana, USA

Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:20 pm

@iGo - THANK YOU!!!! I loved seeing (and coveting) your beautiful Mandarin's Tea Room shui ping - thank you for such a beautiful photo. Is the tray from Essence of Tea? I have been thinking about getting one of those, so feel free to share your experience. The cup is also lovely...I am inspired to upgrade my paltry tea cups.

Thank for the lovely notes on Origin Tea’s 1980’s Wild Arbor Loose Puerh ..it sounds right up my alley. Beyond words in gratitude for the offer to share some of this lovely and rare tea. Thank you.
braden87
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2019 10:51 pm
Location: Bay Area, CA

Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:14 pm

My TWL shipment arrived very quickly from Taiwan. I was eager to taste what I ordered, so these haven't been given much time to acclimate (they made it into my pumidor last night and had ~30-40gs removed a couple of hours later).

2003 Hong Kong Henry Co Conscientious Prescription - Now I understand that name, the leaflet included with each cake uses this phrase - it's an interesting read. This stuff is DELICIOUS, I should have ordered a few. Aged taste is front and centre even though it's only ~15 years old. Second and third infusions had deliciously strong puer earthy taste, a bit medicinal. I did notice a (relatively, for puer) quick drop off of aroma and flavor after 5 infusions (not to say the tea was spent, just a sharp drop off). I'm terrible at tasting notes, but I really recommend this tea. Nice relaxing cha qi.

2015 Biyun Hao Lishan Gongcha - Yum. I've read this tea was produced/formulated with quality after aging being the primary objective. If that's the case this thing will be a rockstar in 10 or 15 years, because it's tasty now. There's definitely a solid bitterness on the tongue for ~5 seconds after a sip but it transitions to the sweet hui gan in the throat to the same degree as the bitterness. The cha qi on this one seems a little more in your face and speedy than the HKH I had earlier (or perhaps I've just had a solid amount of tea today, who knows). I purchased these to age, but it'll be hard to leave them alone.


2008 8582 801 - TBD if this BYH runs out of steam while it's still tea drinking hours I'll sample today :)

Based on this experience (my first) I'm quite disappointed most of the other offerings from TWL are sold out :( Many thanks to the curators over there - a great first experience.


Side note: One of the teas I tore into last night (leaning towards the 8582, can't remember) recommends 1:50 tea to water ratio, and 3-5 mins infusion time on the insert. This sounds like western or grandpa style. What's up with them recommending that over a gong fu-esque method (1:15 for seconds not minutes) ?
User avatar
iGo
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:22 pm
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Fri Apr 19, 2019 6:46 pm

@oolongfan

Both the pot and cup were purchased through Tea Swap on teachat. Glad you like them.

The EOT pewter tea tray is very good for a small pot and a small cup or two.
sqt
Posts: 42
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 4:14 pm
Location: Paris / Oslo
Contact:

Sun Apr 21, 2019 8:04 am

CYH 2011 Jincha - not the most complex but a pleasant smooth tea.
gregcss
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 8:43 pm
Location: Virginia, US

Sun Apr 21, 2019 4:56 pm

braden87 wrote:
Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:14 pm
2008 8582 801 - TBD if this BYH runs out of steam while it's still tea drinking hours I'll sample today :)

Side note: One of the teas I tore into last night (leaning towards the 8582, can't remember) recommends 1:50 tea to water ratio, and 3-5 mins infusion time on the insert. This sounds like western or grandpa style. What's up with them recommending that over a gong fu-esque method (1:15 for seconds not minutes) ?
I'm thinking of adding the 2008 8582 801 to my next order. How do you like it?
oolongfan
Posts: 156
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:40 am
Location: Indiana, USA

Tue Apr 23, 2019 8:43 pm

@iGo - I think I remember when that teapot was for sale on Tea Chat. I think is was up for only a day or so and then it was gone. Glad it went to a great home :) The EOT tray sounds perfect for me..since I am a solo drinker in my house ;)

I had two very special teas from Norbu

1990's Loose Sheng Pu-Erh Tea - Greg kindly provided this lovely tea as a sample. Beautiful peat, forest floor, damp leaves, brown sugar, red plums. There is a wonderful sweet core that balances all the forest floor peat flavors beautifully. Beautiful clean storage. A really special treat, an example of beautifully aged sheng.

1970's Loose Sheng Pu-Erh - Another sample kindly provided by Greg..not lfor sale on Norbu's site but you might try asking, begging, groveling ..Greg might have a little to share. Damp leaves, plums, simple sugar, forest floor. This tea has an incredible simple sugar type sweetness that seems to grow with each brew. A stunnng tea, perfect (for me) storage and amazing sweetness and refinement. I am honored that Greg shared this special tea with me.

It was was interesting to drink these two teas, one after the other. The 1990's sheng had more peat, brown sugar notes and a little more subtle drying tannins. The 1970's had more plums, simple sugar sweetness and a little more delicate refinement due to its age. Both shared a beautiful damp leaves-forest floor type notes as well as beautiful clean storage. A very tasty and educational treat for me.
User avatar
tingjunkie
Posts: 100
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2018 7:39 pm

Sat Apr 27, 2019 2:01 am

Finishing up a sample of the 2006 Changtai Tian Xia Tong An from YS. It's not earth-shattering, but it's very good at hitting all the areas I care about in an aged sheng. Clean humid storage, good aromas, flavors, mouthfeel, stamina, price, and most importantly it's a clean tea with calming energy. I had $20 worth of points to cash in and negate shipping costs, so I ordered 2 cakes to serve as a daily drinker and see how it ages further. There are better teas out there, but finding one of this quality for a very affordable price is always nice. I like the 2003 Changtai Yiwu better, but not enough to justify the 2.5X cost/g.
User avatar
d.manuk
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:13 pm
Location: Dallas

Sat May 04, 2019 10:58 am

Has anyone tried the 2004 YQH Dinji Yesheng? I want to buy it but don't have an opportunity to taste it first. It's $600/500g :lol:
oolongfan
Posts: 156
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:40 am
Location: Indiana, USA

Sat May 04, 2019 2:29 pm

@Shine Magical - Emmett kindly provided a sample of the 2004 YQH Dinji Yesheng along with my teapot order :)

My experience was similar to Jame's at TeaDB....here is the link to Jame's review..it is an excellent review and reflect my experience with this lovely tea. https://teadb.org/2004-yqh-dingji/

I found flavors to be more in the low register and incredibly refined. It is not a noisy prima donna of a tea..much more subtle requiring the drinker's full attention. There are beautiful shifts in flavor prominance and emphasis. This is hands down the most enduring tea, I was able to get 2-3 times the number of steeps compared to my average session, the brews retaining profound depth and character.

Since I am new in my pu'erh journey, I hope some more experienced members chime in.
User avatar
d.manuk
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:13 pm
Location: Dallas

Sat May 04, 2019 2:34 pm

oolongfan wrote:
Sat May 04, 2019 2:29 pm
@Shine Magical - Emmett kindly provided a sample of the 2004 YQH Dinji Yesheng along with my teapot order :)

My experience was similar to Jame's at TeaDB....here is the link to Jame's review..it is an excellent review and reflect my experience with this lovely tea. https://teadb.org/2004-yqh-dingji/

I found flavors to be more in the low register and incredibly refined. It is not a noisy prima donna of a tea..much more subtle requiring the drinker's full attention. There are beautiful shifts in flavor prominance and emphasis. This is hands down the most enduring tea, I was able to get 2-3 times the number of steeps compared to my average session, the brews retaining profound depth and character.

Since I am new in my pu'erh journey, I hope some more experienced members chime in.
Have you had the 2006 Wushang Miaopin? I've had that and liked it but wanted it to be a bit more aged.
oolongfan
Posts: 156
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:40 am
Location: Indiana, USA

Sat May 04, 2019 2:52 pm

@Shine Magical - No I have not. The only YQH teas I have had are the 2004 Dinji Yesheng and the 2005 pure old tree quafengzhai huangpian (Emmett has this on his site). I would love to hear your impressions though :)
Post Reply