Ripe/Cooked Puerh of the Night

[Scotto]

This is one of the better shu I tried. It has the least fishy smell and taste among the 07-08 ripe offerings. Thick and chunky yet not so fishy or pondy. It has yet developed creaminess but maybe couple of years will do it. Funny that I can't drink my shu cakes right away. I think shu pu takes just as long.

It has a slight medicinal feel to the tea.

This is the only shu in my collection, since I generally despise them, and this one is no different. I'll agree it is a very creamy example, and the best I can say for it is that it doesn't make me want to hurl when drinking it.

If anyone wants a chunk, drop me a note.

 

[thanks]

2004 Sun Yi Shun liu an basket. This is odd. It smells like an aged oolong, it looks like an aged oolong, and it tastes like an aged oolong only bitter. I am fascinated to see what some years does to this.

 

[netsurfr]

2000 Zhong Cha Simao Gu Pu-er Ripe Pu-erh tea cake. I have not experimented with this one at all for some reason. While I am certainly no expert in shu, this is very nice for me. It has a very creamy texture, nice deep broth, and overall just very smooth. Taste of plums but not too sweet, no bitterness, and nice cha qi. This is a case where I was not expecting too much and was pleasantly surprised.

 

[arghblech]

2000 Langhe Shu from netsurfr.

I have only tried this twice and the sessions were very far apart. I had a pretty negative response to the first session. I won't quote my post but something about dirty mushrooms strained through a used gym sock

Anyway, I don't learn from my mistakes very often. Second session was much more pleasant. I even enjoyed the tea! I'll have to continue trying to understand this shu thing.

 

[joyfulwoogie]

2000 Langhe Shu from netsurfr.

I have only tried this twice and the sessions were very far apart. I had a pretty negative response to the first session. I won't quote my post but something about dirty mushrooms strained through a used gym sock

Anyway, I don't learn from my mistakes very often. Second session was much more pleasant. I even enjoyed the tea! I'll have to continue trying to understand this shu thing.

It may even be the effect of the sample portion having aired out. Couple weeks of airing makes a huge difference on shu cakes.

 

[arghblech]

It may even be the effect of the sample portion having aired out. Couple weeks of airing makes a huge difference on shu cakes.

That's a possibility but I'm far more comfortable blaming myself than the tea

I had no clue what to expect when I first tried it. What I got was more odd than I had expected. Now that I'm working on my tea palate I can "peek" behind a stronger flavor and see what else is there.

 

[netsurfr]

2004 Sun Yi Shun liu an basket. This is odd. It smells like an aged oolong, it looks like an aged oolong, and it tastes like an aged oolong only bitter. I am fascinated to see what some years does to this.

Is this the tea that is often sold to uninformed westerners as aged pu-erh?

Today I tried some 1998 Xiaguan ripe. Drank it on and off all day long. Very nice. Enjoyed the full body and the slightly sweet aftertaste.

 

[arghblech]

Is this where we post about Liu Bao as well?

 

[Salsero]

I hope so! I am curious to hear your thoughts as I have just ordered some of the 2002 from Yunnan Sourcing. I am hoping it is as good as the 2000 3 Cranes Tuo that I have.

 

[ouch]

Is this where we post about Liu Bao as well?

I guess so. Liu Bao and Liu An are pretty specialized teas, but this would be the closest category into which they'd fit.

I need to get a basket of Liu An and some cakes of Liu Bao.

 

[netsurfr]

If there is enough interest in the Liu Bao, I could pick up some in the next Group Buy. I did not have it on the list because I did not think there would be much interest. There is some 2002 and 2005 available.

 

[arghblech]

I bagged 2 oz as part of an order for Hou De. I've not tried it yet but, from what I gather from my nose and a few teachat posts, it appears to more closely resemble shu than sheng.

I'm drinking this tomorrow.

 

[Salsero]

I look forward to hearing about this very tempting tea.

 

[ouch]

If there is enough interest in the Liu Bao, I could pick up some in the next Group Buy. I did not have it on the list because I did not think there would be much interest. There is some 2002 and 2005 available.

I'm only one guy, but I'd be interested in both Liu Bao (cakes) and Liu An (basket).

 

[arghblech]

I still don't really have a clue what I'm doing regarding tea. I am trying as much stuff as I can lay hands on (while not ending up in the poor house or divorce court).

I'd be interested in Liu Bao and Liu An although I have no idea what Liu An is

 

[joyfulwoogie]

One of the treasures found while puerh hunting, this is by far the best shu puerh I have found. Too bad that the owner would not sell me more than 3 pound. It was $30 per lb back in 06 but beats any shu puerh I have ever tasted. Some were $60-100 per cake.

Menghai wetstored shu has earthy, woody, creamy, sweet taste and texture. There is absolutely no fermentation taste. I don't know how the shu smell and taste went away.

I hope they still carry the tea.

 

[Erik]

Today at work I tried a 2008 Mini Dianhong Black Tea Candy. The Puerh Shop had sent it to me as a sample in my last order from them. The term ‘Candy’ is misleading, it’s just a small compressed disk of tea. I weighed the tea disk and it came in at 3.5 grams.

I brewed the tea in about 12 ounces (360ml) of water in a porcelain teapot. I would rather have used two disks for that amount of water but I only was given one to sample. The hot water a work is out of a coffee machine and it’s normally between 180 and 190 degrees. Not ideal, but close enough.

I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know what Dianhong was and the tea itself didn’t look black. The tea had the reddish color of a cooked puerh. I did a brief wash of the tea, but I didn’t wait long enough before I filled the teapot. The first seep was not ideal, as most of the tea hadn’t reconstituted itself.

The taste of tea was familiar it tasted like Yunnan Gold. The second seep was better it was smooth and sweet. The taste was not complex but it was fresh and clean. I over seeped the third cup, and the taste was very bitter and the tea was quite dark, I was surprised at how bitter it was. I have never had a Yunnan Gold go bitter like that.

The flavor of the fourth cup was back to smooth and tasty, but the leaves were close to being spent. The fifth cup was too weak to drink. The tealeaves were broken and on average were about three quarters of an inch in length. The leaves were light chestnut color.

Out of curiosity at lunch I went to Wikipedia and searched on Dianhong. After reading a short article the pieces all seemed to fit. Dian Hong means Yunnan Red and it is a lower grade of Yunnan Gold. This explained the similarity in taste, the darker brew and the bitterness.

The term lower grade is relative. Despite the tea being of a lower grade compared to Yunnan Gold, it still better than any tea you can buy at Mega-Lo Mart.

Relative Cake Price $15.81

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=26&products_id=724

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dian_Hong

 

[Salsero]

Very sensitive comments. Thank you. I have a couple of these also but have not tried them yet.

You may find Lew Perin's great Babelcarp a more reliable source for translations of a lot of Chinese tea terms, like dian hong. I find most people tend to call any black tea from Yunnan Dian hong, Dian being an alternate name for Yunnan, as I understand it.

 

[thanks]

Please please please give Dianhong another shot. The leaf quality of that example is most likely subpar. Scott at Yunnansourcing has excellent Dianhong's for cheap. Yunnan gold is a marketing term for a high bud grade Dianhong, which doesn't necessarily mean better unless your tastes align with such things. Also Dianhong is best after waiting a year to three years after production.

 

[arghblech]

This is the Liu Bao I got from Hou De. I had my first session with it this morning.

I was surprised by the dusty flavor that persisted throughout the session. I've never had this last very long in another tea (Yes I've tasted my rinse water! If you don't you won't know why you rinse ). Underneath the strong dustiness was a very nice sweetness and a bit of cooked fruits. It's hard to get past the dust.

The soup is ruby to mahogany colored and seems a bit clearer than the shu I've had (not much). The leaves look dusty and have a beautiful deep deep green color that almost looks black.

I'm not sure what to think about the dustiness. As I write this, I'm on my 8th infusion and it is still present although it seems to be fading just a bit. Is the dustiness common with this type of tea?