that 7532 was quite long lived. i got 15+ out of it wasent counting but i used a whole kettle on it
now on to 8582 805
now on to 8582 805
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SOTD- sheng of the day
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SotYesterday: I retried the 2012 Bulang from Essence of Tea. As always, well made and clean. I am afraid that I will have to stand by my previous assessment, though: it is much less potent than previous years, presumably due to the fact that it has been deliberately mixed with a more "flavoursome" leaf from nearby. The addition didn't really appeal to me, though, and I am left returning to cakes from yesteryear. Given that the price has also increased by so much over that of last year, I can't imagine that any additional cakes of the 2012 will be squeezed onto our shelves. Different strokes for different folks, of course.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
and today i move on to the 69th anv cake god i hope i dont over do it.
SotD: 2011 Essence of Tea "Mannuo". Tasty, complex, cooling, vibrant.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
2010 XZH - Lao Wu Shan Gu Cha -
Musk, leather, mushroom and hay. I really enjoy this tea for 5-6 infusions where it consistently drops off a cliff into an abyss of mushroomish water.
Musk, leather, mushroom and hay. I really enjoy this tea for 5-6 infusions where it consistently drops off a cliff into an abyss of mushroomish water.
Today I am drinking some of my sheng from the Tianpin Tea Company using my new find which is
a glass Teaposy steeping set that I found for a quarter at the local thrift.
The tea is OK tasting at first but gets dry (astringent?) after the fourth pour. Not bad, but not as good as the first cups either.
The Teaposy probably had a lid at one time but did that part not make it to the thrift store shelf. I do like the filter though.
The filter insert is made from glass with 12 slits cut into the bottom - 3 each at 12, 3, 6, & 9 o'clock.
Looks like the Hario V60 will sit on this carafe as well so actually it's a double score!
a glass Teaposy steeping set that I found for a quarter at the local thrift.
The tea is OK tasting at first but gets dry (astringent?) after the fourth pour. Not bad, but not as good as the first cups either.
The Teaposy probably had a lid at one time but did that part not make it to the thrift store shelf. I do like the filter though.
The filter insert is made from glass with 12 slits cut into the bottom - 3 each at 12, 3, 6, & 9 o'clock.
Looks like the Hario V60 will sit on this carafe as well so actually it's a double score!
Purple-bud (紫芽) Pu-erh tea is from Wenshan village (文山) in Jinggu (景谷) county in Yunnan province, where the mountain altitude is over 2000 meters.
Sampling some of my 2011 purple-bud this morning. This is some really good stuff given that it is only a 2011 vintage. There is a bit of early astringency that quickly fades to a smooth full mouthfeel and a slight sweetness. I love this tea. I think I could drink this tea all of the time. But then, I would miss out on all of the variety of teas out there.
Purple-bud Pu-erh tea is made from the tender single bud of the wild, purple-bud Pu-erh tea trees maocha. This tea is called three-color tea; this means the fresh buds on the tea trees are purple, the dried tea is shiny dark, and the infused tea leaves are green for the first one or two years. The purple-bud Pu-erh tea tree is actually a rare tea tree variety in the Yunnan large-leaf tea trees and is famous for its high health benefits, high percentage of anthocyanidins, and amino acids, particularly tea polyphenols.
Sampling some of my 2011 purple-bud this morning. This is some really good stuff given that it is only a 2011 vintage. There is a bit of early astringency that quickly fades to a smooth full mouthfeel and a slight sweetness. I love this tea. I think I could drink this tea all of the time. But then, I would miss out on all of the variety of teas out there.
Purple-bud Pu-erh tea is made from the tender single bud of the wild, purple-bud Pu-erh tea trees maocha. This tea is called three-color tea; this means the fresh buds on the tea trees are purple, the dried tea is shiny dark, and the infused tea leaves are green for the first one or two years. The purple-bud Pu-erh tea tree is actually a rare tea tree variety in the Yunnan large-leaf tea trees and is famous for its high health benefits, high percentage of anthocyanidins, and amino acids, particularly tea polyphenols.
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The venerable Jim was at my office yesterday, and he had some 2008 Nannuo maocha. We made do with the limited tools available to us, and the result was a fairly impressive session- a floral, apricot base with hints of wood and resin, accompanied by a terrific throat feel. What a nice surprise.
At four years of age it should normally be considered a baby, but the uncompressed leaves showed much better than their age would indicate.
At four years of age it should normally be considered a baby, but the uncompressed leaves showed much better than their age would indicate.
Dear Hobbes,
Glad to read you've had a chance to try this year's teas. A friend pointed out to me yesterday that you'd posted some thoughts & I thought I'd offer some aspects that may be of interest.
This year we adjusted some parameters with our selection of the maocha and the drying of the pressed cakes. In previous years, I'd tended to favour a strong qi along with very clean processing. The more I've drunk the cakes we've pressed in previous years, the more I find them lacking a little in thickness and smoothness. I'm of the opinion that in general some are missing a little elegance in the finish. It's an interesting process, finding and selecting maocha and then drinking the cakes and watching them evolve. As the (few) years progress, I find our standards being raised and I think there's room for improvement with the cakes we produce.
This year, we especially emphasized trying to find tea which produced full, thick and smooth sensations in the mouth. Punchyness came in a second. We also dried the cakes naturally this year. In previous years we'd dried the cakes in a heated room in the factory - this produces much more fragrant and fresh tea soon after pressing. We spent some time this Spring comparing and contrasting cakes that had been dried naturally and aged with some that had been dried in a heated room and aged. The naturally dried ones seemed to be evolving better than the ones dried in a heated room. We opted this year to naturally dry the cakes, sacrificing a little of the initial fragrance for the hope that they'll age better. This is a bit of an experiment & I can't say 100% this is the better option, but my feeling is that the cakes will evolve more over the coming months. For this we'll have to wait and see. I can say though that the cakes this year in general all have better body and richness than most of the cakes of previous years. You might find it interesting to compare some side-by-side, paying attention to these aspects.
With the Bulang in particular - the leaves this year were from a different village than previous years. It would have been easy for us to go back and select similar maocha as previous years, but we wanted to try something different. The leaves were blended, not to make it more 'flavoursome' but because we felt the body was improved and the finished tea was more balanced that either single batch of maocha alone.
The price of course is a matter for each of us alone. We have to buy the maocha each year and ship it back before selling. Our margins haven't changed from the last few years, but the price of the raw materials has changed greatly. Unfortunately I don't think this rate of increase will slow soon - the demand is high, the supply is limited and the fat wallets of China seem to know no bounds.
In the end, each of us has to drink the tea we enjoy. I hope you enjoy the teas from time to time and join us in watching their progress.
best wishes,
David.
over the last 4 days i'v really been giving this yixing a workout today its 7532 802 again. you should see my castoffs dish i managed to fill a 3lb margerin dish.
Today I tried a tea purchased from Hou De - Guang ships fast!
View attachment 253267
Hou De 2005 Ming-Yuan Hao Yieh Sheng Chiao Mu - smells and tastes nice.
View attachment 253267
Hou De 2005 Ming-Yuan Hao Yieh Sheng Chiao Mu - smells and tastes nice.
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EricBNC, I should have said they are cheap for the age. There are some young '10s and '11s from YS that aren't too bad for the low price, but they are harder to drink. Not saying anything about your judgement, just an edit to an earlier comment.
Now, yesterday, I had tea with BBB and the gang. We didn't actually drink anything too fancy, or had too many teas, actually... The conversation, however, was quite sparkling, and I still had a lot of fun!
There was a Moonlight Yangta that was okay as a white tea, basically like an Indian white, but throatier, tropical fruiter, and fuller. The last pour was overbrewed intentionally, and it just about bit our heads off!
Then there was was a S. Mengku (Whenever BBB is involved, there is Mengku in the story, somewheres) from 2000-2002 (organic label or grade tea, nothing fancy) and was wet-stored. This had the usual Lincang bark-wood taste. Not soo different from the 2001 YYX wet-stored, actually. Just not as good, fewer notes, no fruit. I got a bit more and will try it again tomorrow.
Then I pulled out my TaiLian, and managed not to hurt anybody (I used a scale this time!). It performed very differently at the teashop than it does at home. Much more smoke and wood dominated in the flavor, a bit of sweetness, and I felt it go down the throat as usual. It was still a tough crowd, though...everyone wanted somadat dark, heavy, woodiness, and my tea is so young tasting! Dammit, BBB, why don't you love young, tender, virgins?!
Everyone got what they wanted when the BTH blend of dry and wet-stored pu was taken for that spin. Very earthy in the beginning, but resolved to woodiness. Had great qi and gentle sweetness. I could drink that tea for a long while.
A bing made from some barely sane guy who sleeps in a leather car-seat at his place. As you might guess, we went on about the story rather than drinking the tea--who knows what that crazy guy might have done to it!
We also went over The Green Poet's new yancha pot he got from EoT, and I learned, a bit more hands on, how to judge the quality of yixings. Makes me feel more confident that, if I ever see money again, I'll have a good idea what pot I'll be wanting.
Today, I had some of TGP's Dingxing Yiwu from 2001. This is your standard camphor tea, with some nice notes that surrounds it, like the pear notes TeaGoober mentioned. It's also thoroughly plantation, with maybe a dollop of the good stuff (but it doesn't feel very blended). The main fault is that it's dry in the mouth, and can be unpleasant in the throat, a bit. It does not have qi worth mentioning, and the flavor is relatively underpowered. While I was drinking it, I had more appreciation of the quality of the 2003 6FTM Youle (not as refined and good tasting wood, but not so hard to drink and more fuller and durable). I also appreciate more the SE Memorial, tho' that is still not woody or earthy.
Now, yesterday, I had tea with BBB and the gang. We didn't actually drink anything too fancy, or had too many teas, actually... The conversation, however, was quite sparkling, and I still had a lot of fun!
There was a Moonlight Yangta that was okay as a white tea, basically like an Indian white, but throatier, tropical fruiter, and fuller. The last pour was overbrewed intentionally, and it just about bit our heads off!
Then there was was a S. Mengku (Whenever BBB is involved, there is Mengku in the story, somewheres) from 2000-2002 (organic label or grade tea, nothing fancy) and was wet-stored. This had the usual Lincang bark-wood taste. Not soo different from the 2001 YYX wet-stored, actually. Just not as good, fewer notes, no fruit. I got a bit more and will try it again tomorrow.
Then I pulled out my TaiLian, and managed not to hurt anybody (I used a scale this time!). It performed very differently at the teashop than it does at home. Much more smoke and wood dominated in the flavor, a bit of sweetness, and I felt it go down the throat as usual. It was still a tough crowd, though...everyone wanted somadat dark, heavy, woodiness, and my tea is so young tasting! Dammit, BBB, why don't you love young, tender, virgins?!
Everyone got what they wanted when the BTH blend of dry and wet-stored pu was taken for that spin. Very earthy in the beginning, but resolved to woodiness. Had great qi and gentle sweetness. I could drink that tea for a long while.
A bing made from some barely sane guy who sleeps in a leather car-seat at his place. As you might guess, we went on about the story rather than drinking the tea--who knows what that crazy guy might have done to it!
We also went over The Green Poet's new yancha pot he got from EoT, and I learned, a bit more hands on, how to judge the quality of yixings. Makes me feel more confident that, if I ever see money again, I'll have a good idea what pot I'll be wanting.
Today, I had some of TGP's Dingxing Yiwu from 2001. This is your standard camphor tea, with some nice notes that surrounds it, like the pear notes TeaGoober mentioned. It's also thoroughly plantation, with maybe a dollop of the good stuff (but it doesn't feel very blended). The main fault is that it's dry in the mouth, and can be unpleasant in the throat, a bit. It does not have qi worth mentioning, and the flavor is relatively underpowered. While I was drinking it, I had more appreciation of the quality of the 2003 6FTM Youle (not as refined and good tasting wood, but not so hard to drink and more fuller and durable). I also appreciate more the SE Memorial, tho' that is still not woody or earthy.
No need to qualify - this is a nice tea and thanks a lot for the heads up. I was interested in it before your post but did not realize that a volume discount was applicable till you pointed it out - again, thanks for the heads up.
Sounds like you had some fun with your friends too!
SotD: 2011 "Bada" from Pu-erh.sk. This is a great cake: potent, long-lasting, and stuffed full of character in every manner that counts. It keeps the interest for many infusions, and has the trousers to age well, I suspect. It is priced very realistically, at the equivalent of around $45/357g (33 euro per 250g xiaobing). Appealing in every way. Peter has made some excellent cakes in his 2011 selection, and I look forward to more of the same in 2012. I rather missed the boat last year, as I have just discovered this vendor...
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
09 Mengku Ancient leaf cake -
Always reliable with grain and mushroom notes and nice huigan.
Always reliable with grain and mushroom notes and nice huigan.
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- #5,816
SotD: 2011 "Bada" from Pu-erh.sk. This is a great cake: potent, long-lasting, and stuffed full of character in every manner that counts. It keeps the interest for many infusions, and has the trousers to age well, I suspect. It is priced very realistically, at the equivalent of around $45/357g (33 euro per 250g xiaobing). Appealing in every way. Peter has made some excellent cakes in his 2011 selection, and I look forward to more of the same in 2012. I rather missed the boat last year, as I have just discovered this vendor...
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Thanks for the link.
Today I tried a tea purchased from Hou De - Guang ships fast!
View attachment 253267
Hou De 2005 Ming-Yuan Hao Yieh Sheng Chiao Mu - smells and tastes nice.
I don't know why, but that basketball coaster made me laugh
Yesterday, I retried the early 2k Mengku. This tea had frost over every leaf, it was that wet-stored. However, it's very dried out, and the resulting cup is very smooth, round, and reasonably thick. I actually did a wash for the first brew, instead of drinking it, and the early brews after that had a kind of rotten mushroom taste that wasn't as bad as it sounds. Plenty of earth and all that. Disappointed in the lack of qi, though. This is more or less about 50-70% of the hedons in a YYX wet, and roughly parallel with the 90's CNNP Little Yellow Label Nada sells. I definitely liked it better than the Dingxing, but I'm pretty sure I'd rather have a very good shu, instead. Might not get the strength of taste of even wet sheng, but it's just plain nicer, and the good ones are interesting without notes that one might think to be offended by. Moreover, the good ones, like Secret Fragrance, for me at least, offers qi, and that makes all the difference in the world.
2003 Wu Chi Dao -
Leaves are nice sized with medium compression. Mushroom, loam and a bit of spicy wood. Nicely stored with no off flavors...and chaqi is decent. Liking this one.
Leaves are nice sized with medium compression. Mushroom, loam and a bit of spicy wood. Nicely stored with no off flavors...and chaqi is decent. Liking this one.
