SOTD- sheng of the day

[P_K]

09 Long Yuan Hao - Jingmai Shan

Pretty good for an inexpensive factory sheng. Some oxidation is showing up in the brew. Seems like its at an in between stage. This has some of the best chaqi I've experienced though.

 

[TwoDog2]

TwoDog2, many Nannuo start out pretty quiet and eventually gets louder in flavor as they age, so I was wondering, could you describe what is meant about "friendly"? Interesting remark about the qi--never had a Nannuo with especially strong qi. The XZH loose maocha from '06 had some ill-thought out oolong processing, so it was always iffy whether one would get a good or bad session, but I never got much in the way of qi. The Yakou and Douyizhai Nannuo I've had also didn't have tremendous qi. I have tried very few Nannuo, though. Feeling better about Green Bay? Cutler provides!

First, let me just say that fake FG on 4th & 26 was a thing of beauty. Also, I should send Cutler a gift basket for all those picks.

What I meant about the friendly bit - I have had some Nannuo teas, that are very strong, fragrant and inviting in their youth (like 1-4 years), but they age poorly and lose their character later, usually plantation type stuff. This tea has a couple of things going for it - it is actually pure spring gushu nanuo material, which is not entirely common. Second, its astringency was coming to me on a curve. It ebbed and flowed, going away for a few steeps and then returning later on. The tea still needs time, it is still not very friendly (meaning....most people probably would not like it), but I think that it is going to mature into a really top notch nannuo. The qi was strong for me

Almost finished with this 07 Xiaguan tuo - tossing it and brewing 2012 TCJ Mengsong Guyun because I want something lighter after the Xiaguan cleanse.

 

[P_K]

07 Menghai Chen Yun -

One of my earlier purchases....over-processed nightmare that it is. Pours solid copper and if someone would have handed it to me without telling me what it was....I would have sworn that it was a Xiaguan....with its smoke obscuring the flavor of the leaves. Poured out.

07 Changtai 7538 -

Not superb by any means but after that...a definite improvement. No smoke. You can tastes the leaves and has decent huigan. Good enough.

 

[TwoDog2]

07 Changtai 7538 -

Not superb by any means but after that...a definite improvement. No smoke. You can tastes the leaves and has decent huigan. Good enough.

I had a 2007 Changtai the other day and was also pleasantly surprised. I never had that tea in its younger form, but it was above what I had expected.

 

[GN?]

YEsterday I foolishly sampled in Moacha form T urchins 12 Gfz. I say foolishly because I have/had a cold. So my opinion of the tea was lacking probably more due to my congestion than the tea itself. What I did notice is that tea urchins teas all have a similar taste.
Sotd 406 7532 this stuff is like rockett fuel. Very strong still but on the verge of mellowing but still very rough so this tea is at an awkward age. Plus it still has a good deal of storage taste. But there are also allot of activity in the mouth , a strong huigan, and aftertaste. I don't plan on trying this tea again anytime soon or even finishing this pot. Though I may grab a tong of because it will probably be decent in five years.

 

[P_K]

I had a 2007 Changtai the other day and was also pleasantly surprised. I never had that tea in its younger form, but it was above what I had expected.

Was it the 7538 or another?

 

[grasshopper]

Sheng of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: 60's GYG from Hou De. Bought some grams with friends in April of 2006. 6g in a 120ml gaiwan. I am enjoying it. It's delightful and rare, but in my mouth, aged Yunnan sheng is likely better.

Additional SOTD: A new sample from YS, LLC: 1999 Gu Pu Er "Yi Sheng Lao Cha Shu" Half Ripened Puerh Tea Cake. One would not wish the name any longer. Has that slight burnt hair and saddle blanket flavor/taste I associate for some reason with storage issues--but maybe it's in the production. Some people must like flavor--otherwise it would not be as common as it is.

Best to all--
~grasshopper

 

[TwoDog2]

Was it the 7538 or another?

It was a 2007 Chang tai group Jingmai - similar to what you noted, "good enough", and inexpensive

 

[shah8]

had the XZH '07 7542. Same super thin top taste. Decent, if slightly odd aroma. Decent qi. Best part of the tea is that it pretty much does everything you ask for from a pu in the mouth. Transforms into sweet flavors, does yun, does huigans, makes the throat feel, etc. A very nice change of pace--even if I shouldn't have been buying C grade XZH, should have bought either more XZH '06 bricks or XZH '07 Xue Shan Chuen Lu cakes. Kind of odd feeling, actually. They were definitly worth the $30 or $37.50 at launch, and would be excellent affordable tong candidates at the time, but I'm so ambivalent about paying very much for them at all. Today, not such a big deal, since good tea has gotten so rare and pricey, but back when one could buy these, one could buy some really, really, nice tea for not that much. Problem was, looking at the internet history of those days, people barely knew what a good tea was, back then, and plenty of teas were touted as being better (but really? They were just better known, easily accessible, and simpler tasting) only to see, 5 years later, largely no increases in prices after humongous tea inflation.

 

[TwoDog2]

2005 Kong que ____ Xiang (I can't remember the middle part of the name.... Something like...Peacock township) - This was a sample from a cake that has been Beijing stored. It tasted less like 2005 and more like 2009. The change has been quite slow and it was ultimately a fairly boring tea. Highlights included the kuwei in the first few steeps and a small (really small) huigan. It was dry and harsh in the throat, which is something i really hate. Turned me off to the tea almost immediately. It is inexpensive tea, so I can't judge it too harshly, but the throat feeling really got on my nerves.

 

[Hobbesoxon]

Something odd happened recently: I tried my old 2007 Shuangjiang Mengku "Muyechun 002" and found it to be ab-so-lutely amazing. It really rocked my tiny world, even moreso when I discovered that I had paid about $12 for it at the time. I promptly ordered a single cake from an eBay vendor (Western Yunnan Tea), who were selling it for more-or-less the same price, five years later. That trial cake just arrived, which I tried this morning. While the eBay cake is sweet, solid, and does nothing wrong, it somehow doesn't live up to the cakes that I've been storing here in England. This could be the first recorded time that I've actually preferred a cake that I have stored to one that has been stored in China, weird as that may sound. My version is more humid in flavour, with (dare I say it) a bit of a deeper taste profile. The thrill of retasting my 002 was entirely absent when trying the eBay cake this morning, sadly.

I was ready to buy a tong or so, but instead look wistfully at the trio of cakes that I bought back then. I wonder how long they will last?


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[TwoDog2]

Speaking of storage differences...I bought a Taipai Tea Changtai Expo 2006 Mushroom from a vendor in Kunming and would love to compare it with someone who has had a shroom that is stored in a more humid environment. I quite enjoyed this tea, the only thing it lacked was a deep flavor profile. All of the feelings, mouth, throat, and body, were excellent. The kuwei was dense early in the session, but drifted in and out later on. As far as a distinctive flavor, i could not put my finger on anything throughout the session...there just wasn't a distinct flavor. The leaves and gaiwan were very fragrant throughout, so maybe I was not tuning in to the flavors in my mouth. Has anyone else experienced this tea?

It was my first session with the shroom, I will have another over the weekend and see if I experience anything different.

 

[shah8]

Hobbes, I think it's a matter of them wanting to keep a stable warehousing climate, and not deliberately aging any tea meant to be retailed today. Houde's storage, for instance, seems to be drier than my own. Same with YS. However, Atlanta isn't *that* humid, and Houston, logically speaking is much more humid than where I am.

After a failed brew of Tai Lian (that tea really has to have its wakening period of about two weeks), I got a package from Hster, with a generous amount of Bada and Youle in it. Sniffed out the smoke from the Youle, and did 7g of the Douji '06 Bada. Short story: This tea does not have the trademark Douji taste, being rather purely a quality plantation Bada of the type found in the Sunsing bing, being rather herby and with subtle hints of raspberries. I don't think the bing has been injured too much by the dry storage, but it is very, very young tasting, barely beyond grassy-tasting. My Nadacha '10 Manmai currently tastes about the same in agedness, if not more! The quality of the plantation is about the same as Menghai Dayi non-premium single mountain stuff of that era (which doesn't have old tree). The flavor is pretty characteristically plantation, thin tasting--single estate plantation leaves is much more problematic than single estate gushu, the thin-ness emphasizes the unbalanced feeling. The thickness of the soup isn't high, and I feel the harshness in my stomach (not helped by the previous tea session, of course). The aroma isn't that strong, either. There are some mouth aromas and some cooling early on. The qi is slight, but real, with plenty of caffeine feeling as well. The taste is reasonably complex, and for all of it's weaknesses, it's a rather pleasant, if dry, tea. The durability is also excellent, and it eventually becomes Menghai sweet flavors in the finishing brews. I think this is a rather good prospect for aging. With some care and plenty of humidity, it'd be about where the Sunsing '03 is, eventually. Unfortunately, this is a very expensive tea, and the only seller on Taobao wants ~$240 for it. It's not better than the Sunsing '03, or the High Mountain eco tea '03 from sampletea, and it's a zillion miles from the Shennong '05/'03 Yeshieng from Imen (which, despite the heavy sour, is >most XZH)--but it costs more than any of them, and probably always had. I'm going to break the rest of this sample up and try it again in a couple of weeks, should I be able to keep my hands off.

Houde has samples of the XZH Black Wrapper LBZ, for $20 an oz, which is cheaper than what it's worth, retailwise, by about half.

With some way to get postage, I will send you some that's been in the ATL for 1 year. Seriously--it is one of the true best tea to store! If you want blended tea for that 20 year journey, you will have to work very hard to beat this tea! I experienced the same when I first got this tea TwoDog2. I was like, hmmm, strong basic taste, bitterness, strong aroma, but it's like...boring...does the same thing over and over as the brews go deep into the session. Humidity is a requirement, but a simple awakening should give a shallow idea of how much better and more interesting it will get with age. Red Lantern has an iron cake, with a different blend. Consider that one, too! It's probably better than Fujin, Hopewell Chang, ChenShenHao, and all the other blenders that try to get you to pay through the nose for their brand, and not their blends.

 

[TwoDog2]

With some way to get postage, I will send you some that's been in the ATL for 1 year. Seriously--it is one of the true best tea to store! If you want blended tea for that 20 year journey, you will have to work very hard to beat this tea! I experienced the same when I first got this tea TwoDog2. I was like, hmmm, strong basic taste, bitterness, strong aroma, but it's like...boring...does the same thing over and over as the brews go deep into the session. Humidity is a requirement, but a simple awakening should give a shallow idea of how much better and more interesting it will get with age. Red Lantern has an iron cake, with a different blend. Consider that one, too! It's probably better than Fujin, Hopewell Chang, ChenShenHao, and all the other blenders that try to get you to pay through the nose for their brand, and not their blends.

I agree with you, it is truly good puer. It has quite impressive strength left in it, none of which (or very little, aside from some mouth astringency - that should go away with some storage) is harsh. I did not really find it boring, even though its flavors were monotonous. The feelings from the tea were not at all boring. It was very solid tea, and felt very traditional in its composition. I agree with your assessment that it is a good tea to long ball. 20 years from now, it should be really special

Do you mean the "hong tie heng jiu"? I have a 100g mini-cake of that, but have yet to drink it.

 

[P_K]

09 Nan Mu Chun Wuliang Shan -

Grain and an almost plummy flavor. A little flat...but decent none the less.

 

[shah8]

'04 Tai Lian Youle from hster. Unbelievably smoky taste and smell. The tea is thick, has good texture, gives throat feeling, and warms the body a bit, so one wonders what it would have been like had it not been so barbequed and stored dry since. I actually enjoyed it, a little. About even with the Bada.

 

[GN?]

Tea urchin's Wan gong I can't give any sort of accurate read on this tea as my wife started this tea last nite. I tried it and thought it was good but didn't give it much thought. Well this morning( same pot) the tea is phenomenal (considering it sat over nite). There is unripe apricot flavor good mouthfeel, a gentle warming qi and a ripe peach and uncooked edamame aftertaste . Im gonna have to brew the rest of my sample to find out what effect sitting overnite had on this tea. There is an interesting description about the tea on the site. But I am sort of bothered by the fact that he doesn't tell you the region. Does anyone know where wan gong is or used to be as it is supposably an abandoned village.

 

[ouch]

Something odd happened recently: I tried my old 2007 Shuangjiang Mengku "Muyechun 002" and found it to be ab-so-lutely amazing. It really rocked my tiny world, even moreso when I discovered that I had paid about $12 for it at the time. I promptly ordered a single cake from an eBay vendor (Western Yunnan Tea), who were selling it for more-or-less the same price, five years later. That trial cake just arrived, which I tried this morning. While the eBay cake is sweet, solid, and does nothing wrong, it somehow doesn't live up to the cakes that I've been storing here in England. This could be the first recorded time that I've actually preferred a cake that I have stored to one that has been stored in China, weird as that may sound. My version is more humid in flavour, with (dare I say it) a bit of a deeper taste profile. The thrill of retasting my 002 was entirely absent when trying the eBay cake this morning, sadly.

I was ready to buy a tong or so, but instead look wistfully at the trio of cakes that I bought back then. I wonder how long they will last?


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

I thought I was alone in my assessment that the 002 was better than the 001. I've enjoyed that delightful blend for several years, and it keeps getting better.

 

[shah8]

GN?, Wangonzhai's location can be seen in the map at the bottom of the page: http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/product.php?id_product=24

Tea rested over some hours often come back with an extra fruity flavor, and your description sounds classic of that kind of effect, especially the edamame aftertaste thing. This doesn't happen all the time, even for the same tea. Thus, I suspect your original opinion will turn out more correct when you try it again. Wangongzhai, like GFZ, is more a collection point for old and previously abandoned plantations of the area. It's also a very hot area, but collecting maocha from trees in the forest is ridiculously hard when to making very many cakes. A *long* hike in an even more godforsaken area than GFZ. Don't realistically expect proper WGZ to cost less than proper GFZ, and that's about $180-$200 a bing.

had '05 yieh-sheng this morning.

 

[TwoDog2]

SOTD 2006 Mengku - a Beijing stored special, quite sour through several steeps, and a bit thin. The cakes were under ~200 RMB, so not much can be demanded, but even for under 100 RMB, I would still say it is a no go.