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SOTD- sheng of the day

tea goober

tea goober

Hobbesoxon said:
I wish I knew - I'd buy them myself :)


Toodlepip,

Hobbes
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Ive since found them at www.tuochatea.com Yubang is a registered trademark name for Guyi Kunming Factory. They have the 2005 version of this cake for $28.00 as well as a handfull of other cakes to choose from. The prices are really quite reasonable. The few Kunming Cakes Ive had in the past were very much to my liking, maybe I,ll give these a try.
 
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Hobbesoxon

Hobbesoxon

tea goober said:
Ive since found them at www.tuochatea.com Yubang is a registered trademark name for Guyi Kunming Factory. They have the 2005 version of this cake for $28.00 as well as a handfull of other cakes to choose from. The prices are really quite reasonable. The few Kunming Cakes Ive had in the past were very much to my liking, maybe I,ll give these a try.
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That's a very nice price, I am tempted! Thanks for the link.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes
 
tea goober

tea goober

I know, I know! Why bother posting about a tea if you don't even know what it is? Well, I recieved this tea as a gift from an online tea bud. He got this from a friend that owns a tea shop in the Chech Republic. He hasn't a clue about the tea's origins other than his friend had it specially made for his shop. Now, the reason I,m even posting about it because for one, it's probably the richest, most buttery sheng Ive ever had. Slightly woodsy, a little fruity, very full and rich mouth feel. What's not falling in line is that there is no bitterness what so ever. There is a slight astringency in the aftertaste. I,m wondering if this is puerh. The dry leaf smells delicious, the brewing tea also smells very nice, almost too rich for a sheng. Hmmm......what could this be? I,m not expecting anyone to answer this question, just wondering, Well, it may not be puerh but whatever it is it's delicious. Anybody else ever have a tea like this?

Note: Well, Ive found out what this tea is. A 2009 Ai Lao Shan Sheng made from trees that ranged between 100-140 years old. No kidding, this is the most buttery sheng Ive ever had before. I wish it were available for sale.

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tea goober

tea goober

Toki had sent me a sample of this sheng some time ago and thought I,d throw it in the pot this morning. Beautiful leaf, smells great both dry and wet, slightly smokey with honey like aroma's wafting from the cup. A little sweet and slightly dry mouth feel. A tad fruity, leathery and woodsy. Nothing about this tea is calling for my credit card. It's nice, but not $180.00 a cake nice.
 
Hobbesoxon

Hobbesoxon

SotYesterday: 2002 6FTM "Camphor-Scent". Good ol' 6FTM used to be really good, as is this truly delicious cake. Thanks to Keng for this sharp, potent, woody treat.

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SotD: 2009 Zhimingdu "Bada". This is a private pressing from the popular Zhimingdu seller on Taobao, and his series of xiaobing (100g) are excellent. $14 at China Chadao. This is thick, chunky, and possibly the nicest Bada I've had in a long time. The Nadacha version is more elegant and refined, a better-quality leaf, but lacks the beefy complexity of this little cake.

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Toodlepip,

Hobbes
 
T

Tofu Miso

I decided to treat myself to a sample of this about six months ago . Since it was the most expensive sample I have ever purchased , I decided to hang onto it until I had the time to give it my undivided attention . My wife and kid's were out and there were no other distractions looming , so today it became my sheng of the day . This sheng is BIG , positively cathedral like ! It has the most wonderful texture of thick dense velvet to it's aroma and mouth feel , that is present from the beginning to the end . The aroma and flavour profile consisted of deep dark sweet earth and wood , dark chocolate , red berry fruits , camphor and a butter like flavour / aroma - all of these were BIG , PURE and EXTREMELY CLEAN and SMOOTH !!! The chaqi was just sublime ! This sheng is a real class act !!! It is expensive , but I can see why . Money well spent in my opinion . ---------- Oh to be rich so that I could afford to be able to drink it regularly !
 
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ambrose

I was off sheng for a while or it was leaving me disappointed recently. So I was drinking greens like no tomorrow. It must be a phase or like Monsieur goober told me perhaps adapting to the season. Today I went for a young light sheng and oh boy it hit the spot perfectly. :thumbup: 09 Menghai "Ba Da Gao Shan. So simple, young, clean, light, crisp, a touch of astringency, yet with some nice subtle nuances that I cant put my finger on, and that sweeeet oh so good floral nectar sweetness that only sheng has. :001_wub: sigh...oh shengy pu
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arghblech

arghblech

2001 Meng Ku "Yuan Yieh Xian" Meng Sa Mountain Iron Cake (thick paper) HouDe 1oz sample.

1st Sweet and thick. Wood and earth with a bit of dust. Strong mahogany color. Extremely relaxing, like a warmwater hug. Needs music. Add in some Eimog, Balmorhea, Caspian, and Hammock for some sweet and easy post-rock to ease things along. I don't think the music is necessary except that I'm at work and it drowns out the background noise a bit.

2nd Not as openly sweet but thicker and much darker. Almost shu dark. Still very earthy and woody though the wood seems to ebb a bit. The dust is a bit distracting but relatively minor. Here comes the sweat.

3rd A bit lighter color than 2 but still more than 1. Sweet again... stewed fruit. I'm as tea happy as a boy can be.

4th Still pretty sweet. Woodiness returning. Some cooling showing up. A bit of mineraliness peeks through. Strong huigan

5th Sweet, woody, still a bit earth but in a mineral sense. Camphor. Library is developing some. Dustiness is still present. Strong huigan

6th Still sweet. Earthiness fading. Soup lightening so I should start stretching the steep times some. Still has huge huigan.

7th Still sweet and woody. Pushing the times to keep it going. Huigan is still big.

8th Still sweet but the dust is starting to become more prominent as the tea flavors start to subside. Infusions are well over minute now. Huigan is still trucking along

9th Still sweet. Soup is getting pretty light. Still plenty drinkable.

10th Still going.

11th Still going.

I'm going to keep at this one tomorrow. I have to figured out a way to bag a cake of this. My favorite puerh so far. Tea drunk all afternoon at work as a great way to go through life.
 
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S

shah8

One person have said that the Yuan Yieh Xian didn't age well in his care. Not really *that* expensive for the quality and it's one you'd measure vs getting super-premium new sheng.

I'm having some Huan Shan lin XZH today--needed it after the dentist extracted all my cash. It's good enough to help my psyche, which is why it was worth spending money on a couple of cakes of this. This tea needs a bit of care with timings. You can overbrew and underbrew this tea pretty easily.

Yesterday, I had Da Xue Shan 2009 XZH. It was pretty faded compared to the first two time, with evident lucha bite (not bad, though)--which makes me wonder whether the samples are an honest portrayal of what the tea will really be like after you open it for awhile (it makes me understand Hobbes review a bit more if that was the case).

Yeah, I drink too much XZH, but I ran out of cash before I could really start climbing down from the mountain to try out more humble cakes (and older cakes).
 
Maitre_Tea

Maitre_Tea

IMO, the thin-papered version of the YYX is over-priced for what it is, accounting for the "hype" and collector's value it has in the Asian market. That being said, it's pretty good tea and I've found it some Hong Kong shops going for about $100 (if you buy a tong) upwards to $140.
 
arghblech

arghblech

Maitre_Tea said:
IMO, the thin-papered version of the YYX is over-priced for what it is, accounting for the "hype" and collector's value it has in the Asian market. That being said, it's pretty good tea and I've found it some Hong Kong shops going for about $100 (if you buy a tong) upwards to $140.
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I'd love to try it but I have no clue where to find it.
 
Maitre_Tea

Maitre_Tea

arghblech said:
I'd love to try it but I have no clue where to find it.
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I know that Hou De used to carry it...maybe they still have sampler cakes lying around? You might want to try contacting Sp1ky (he's a member of B&B), since he's based in Hong Kong and might be able to get you samples if you're uneasy about buying cakes blind (know I am). My friend picked it up from Best Tea House when he was visiting.
 
B

Born2bwire

Maitre_Tea said:
I know that Hou De used to carry it...maybe they still have sampler cakes lying around? You might want to try contacting Sp1ky (he's a member of B&B), since he's based in Hong Kong and might be able to get you samples if you're uneasy about buying cakes blind (know I am). My friend picked it up from Best Tea House when he was visiting.
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I've been meaning to check that place out. Most of the shengs that I have been buying lately are bought and packaged by the shops themselves. So it's hard for me to compare or even give an adequate name to the teas.
 
Sp1key

Sp1key

Maitre_Tea said:
IMO, the thin-papered version of the YYX is over-priced for what it is, accounting for the "hype" and collector's value it has in the Asian market. That being said, it's pretty good tea and I've found it some Hong Kong shops going for about $100 (if you buy a tong) upwards to $140.
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I've recently just got some for about $120/cake which is the current rate here nowadays, 120-140 roughly.
 
Hobbesoxon

Hobbesoxon

SotD: 2003 Shuangxiong "Gold-Tips Tribute Tea". The brand means "Double Hero", and this was apparently the winner of a PRC pu'ercha competition in 2003. Whatever its credentials, it's seriously delicious tea: woody, energetic, complex, yet with tons of sharp power in the finish that indicate it should improve further through time. Thanks to Keng for this mighty fine cake.

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Toodlepip,

Hobbes

P.s. My test order with Taobao Focus is going well - everything is prompt and professional, and the web-site even shows you a photograph of your order assembled at the Taobao Focus warehouse prior to it being shipped out of China.
 
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