it seems to be one of the better ones out there ergo wise. its short and wide easy to hold
SOTD- sheng of the day
- Thread starter ouch
- Start date
[Ouch] I still have a few bings of the 7532 <801> and it's one of my favorites.
[~grasshopper] Concur completely. 7532 is easy to love. I wish I'd bought more. It tends to age well.
[~grasshopper] Concur completely. 7532 is easy to love. I wish I'd bought more. It tends to age well.
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Background brewing of the late 80s 7532 "yi wu spring buds cake" from yesterday. It took a few infusions to warm up yeaterday, but it's still going strong today. I should have given this tea a little time to wake up out side of the sample bag. I think that's why the first couple infusions where a lil flat. But when it woke up it was packing a nice long lasting cooling hui gan.
Another great session with the golden brick today. It is really hard to get lef off of the brick with out breaking it. but when I do I it really pays off with a lot less bitterness and better mouthfeel. When every thing lines up just right this is tea is really good.
Another great session with the golden brick today. It is really hard to get lef off of the brick with out breaking it. but when I do I it really pays off with a lot less bitterness and better mouthfeel. When every thing lines up just right this is tea is really good.
Nada's 2009 Bulang. Pretty huge on the palate.
SOTD yesterday was the XZH '09 Golden Brick again. The soup is really rather orange; this is not a "green" sheng. This actually makes it rather easy on the stomach. The tea was the same as before - all low notes, no huigans but an enjoyable tea nonetheless. This time I experienced a very pleasant and noticeable qi. The leaves are rather large (old leaves????) and the stems are quite long.
i had some more menghai 69th anv with a friend no pics dident write anything down but she seemed to enjoy it i'd love to see what this cake tastes like when its 5 years old.
German vendor """early". 90s. """menghai""""7542"".the only thing I believe to be true about this cake is that it could be from the 90s. Pretty wet stored definitively the most frosty cake I own. I gave the tea three weeks to rest from the trip then i let the tea broken up air out for a week. This is similar say EOTs grand yellow mark. I feel like it has more potential to turn around as I feel it has very recently come out of storage.
2011 Yiwu Purple tea from YS -
The unmistakable flavor of purple leaf pu. It may not be quite as complex as a green leaf pu...but is a nice change of pace.
The unmistakable flavor of purple leaf pu. It may not be quite as complex as a green leaf pu...but is a nice change of pace.
SOTD: 2011 Autumn Tea Urchin GaoShanZhai - the dry leaf had little to no aroma, which is not unusual for an autumn tea. I found the first few steepings to be rather subtle. I then inadvertently brewed the next steeping for longer than usual. This actually helped to bring put some underlying fruitiness and a bit of hui gan. Qi was light. This was rather durable.
I got my order from Jas-E-Tea today!!! Very nice stuff indeed, and excellent packing!! Thank you Stephen, will definetely be ordering again! 
2008 Xiaguan FT Baoyan "Mushroom Tuo" Raw Pu-erh tea -25g sample
2008 Xiaguan FT "Happy Tuo" Raw Puerh Tea in box -100g
2008 Menghai V93 Premium Ripe Puerh Tuo -100g
2009 Menghai Day Yi Gong Tuo Ripe Puerh Tea -100g
Raw Puerh Sampler:
2008 Menghai 8582 25g
2008 Menghai 7542 25g
2008 Menghai 7532 25g
2008 Xiaguan Exquisite Elegance 25g
2008 Xiaguan Yun Mei 25g
Day Yi 125ml Gaiwan and 6 Day Yi 40ml cups
Sharing Pitcher and Strainer
Medium Bamboo Table
Tuo Pick
Tonight I am brewing up some "Happy Tuo".
Very cool packaging, and densely packed tuo. Upon breaking some up , i did find something that kind of looked like a ladybug deep inside the tuo, but was easily removed. Leaves had a nice dark green color, and a few crystals insides the cake!
Double rinsed the leaves. 10grams in a 400ml porcelain pot, 3/4 full of water per infusion.
Followed by a 5s first infusion:
-Color: Dark Amber
-Aroma: Hard to describe, but deep, rich, and slightly caramlized
-Taste: Slightly smokey, slightly bitter, slight hui gan, hints of floral, nice mouthfeel, and lasting. Very tasty
10s second infusion:
-Color: Dark butterscotch
-Aroma: Slightly smokey, but with more floral notes
Taste: Smoother than first infusion, fruity/floral hui gan
20s third infusion:
-Color: transparent butterscotch
-Aroma: woods and pine
-Taste: Slight bitterness peeking through, floral/piney hui gan
40s fourth infusion:
-Color: getting a little lighter, but still definetely butterscotch
-Aroma: best described as smooth, slightly lighter than before
-Taste: a little sweet, with a floral hui gan
60s fifth infusion:
-Color: transparent, light butterscotch
-Aroma: wood, almost leathery
-Taste: smooth, sweet, retains floral hui gan
90s sixth infusion:
-Color: getting lighter, leaves show signs of slowing down. Light, transparent butterscotch
-Aroma: getting an old bookstore on a summer day with the door/windows open
-Taste: slightly floral/piney
120s seventh infusion:
-Color: apricot
-Aroma: moss
-Taste: snails
The seventh infusion was the culmination of my 1.7 liter electric kettle. I probably used way too many leaves, way too much water and vastly innapropriate stteping times, but the session was absolutely enjoyable. I am in the process of moving, so the nice Dayi gaiwan, cups and bamboo table that I got from Stephen had to be immediatley packed. So I used my porcelain teapot and made due.
Cha qi was slight and uplifting up until probably infusion #3, then nicely started to taper off. I drank the entire 1.7 liters in about an hour and a half, so I am obviously pretty full, but not bouncing off the walls, which is a good thing.
I think that the "Happy Tuo" is a solid performer, definetely worth a regular session. This is one to keep on hand. Tomorrow will brew up the 2008 V93.
2008 Xiaguan FT Baoyan "Mushroom Tuo" Raw Pu-erh tea -25g sample
2008 Xiaguan FT "Happy Tuo" Raw Puerh Tea in box -100g
2008 Menghai V93 Premium Ripe Puerh Tuo -100g
2009 Menghai Day Yi Gong Tuo Ripe Puerh Tea -100g
Raw Puerh Sampler:
2008 Menghai 8582 25g
2008 Menghai 7542 25g
2008 Menghai 7532 25g
2008 Xiaguan Exquisite Elegance 25g
2008 Xiaguan Yun Mei 25g
Day Yi 125ml Gaiwan and 6 Day Yi 40ml cups
Sharing Pitcher and Strainer
Medium Bamboo Table
Tuo Pick
Tonight I am brewing up some "Happy Tuo".
Very cool packaging, and densely packed tuo. Upon breaking some up , i did find something that kind of looked like a ladybug deep inside the tuo, but was easily removed. Leaves had a nice dark green color, and a few crystals insides the cake!
Double rinsed the leaves. 10grams in a 400ml porcelain pot, 3/4 full of water per infusion.
Followed by a 5s first infusion:
-Color: Dark Amber
-Aroma: Hard to describe, but deep, rich, and slightly caramlized
-Taste: Slightly smokey, slightly bitter, slight hui gan, hints of floral, nice mouthfeel, and lasting. Very tasty
10s second infusion:
-Color: Dark butterscotch
-Aroma: Slightly smokey, but with more floral notes
Taste: Smoother than first infusion, fruity/floral hui gan
20s third infusion:
-Color: transparent butterscotch
-Aroma: woods and pine
-Taste: Slight bitterness peeking through, floral/piney hui gan
40s fourth infusion:
-Color: getting a little lighter, but still definetely butterscotch
-Aroma: best described as smooth, slightly lighter than before
-Taste: a little sweet, with a floral hui gan
60s fifth infusion:
-Color: transparent, light butterscotch
-Aroma: wood, almost leathery
-Taste: smooth, sweet, retains floral hui gan
90s sixth infusion:
-Color: getting lighter, leaves show signs of slowing down. Light, transparent butterscotch
-Aroma: getting an old bookstore on a summer day with the door/windows open
-Taste: slightly floral/piney
120s seventh infusion:
-Color: apricot
-Aroma: moss
-Taste: snails
The seventh infusion was the culmination of my 1.7 liter electric kettle. I probably used way too many leaves, way too much water and vastly innapropriate stteping times, but the session was absolutely enjoyable. I am in the process of moving, so the nice Dayi gaiwan, cups and bamboo table that I got from Stephen had to be immediatley packed. So I used my porcelain teapot and made due.
Cha qi was slight and uplifting up until probably infusion #3, then nicely started to taper off. I drank the entire 1.7 liters in about an hour and a half, so I am obviously pretty full, but not bouncing off the walls, which is a good thing.
I think that the "Happy Tuo" is a solid performer, definetely worth a regular session. This is one to keep on hand. Tomorrow will brew up the 2008 V93.
no sheng today but a question. what do you put your beengs in when the wrapper gets in rough shape that still allows the tea to breathe and age?
When I bought a few bings from Sunsing they included several paper bags for this purpose. I was just thinking the other day that I should try to find a source of bing-sized paper bags for my other open bings. The bags are just thin brown paper. They are ideal for this purpose I think. HouDe sometimes includes tissue paper with bings. I use this also but it is not as neat as a paper bag.
guess i gota go get some tishue papper tomorow
After some '05 Yieh Sheng, which was marred by lots of broken leaf used, I took out and treated to myself 4 grams of XZH '09 gift set sheng, which is understood to be Da Shi Si Jing Gu. It was very good. Fragrance in the cup was rather lighter than it usually is, but the pour aroma was tremendous, one time, like the world's best coconut flan, with spices and herbs, and the hint of fruit--enough to make a Puerto Rican or Filipino faint dead away... The taste reflected an intense, sweet, butteryness, with only a hint of the yang florals that used to be so strong. The soup was complex, while not thick, thick enough, energetic in mouth, and mostly went for cooling and yun in the throat, like Yangta or Bingdao (that I understood). The qi was pretty strong, stronger than that Man'E I had some weeks ago. Brewed as long as I wanted it, and I brewed at least 20 times. A good Jing Gu that's not boring, is a true treasure.
04 Tong Chang Huang Ji Yiwu Chun Jian
Second day on this session. Grain and heavy mushroom flavors dominate. The mushroom is magnified by the wetter storage. The more subtle Yiwu character is slightly overshadowed by the storage, but is still an enjoyable session when one wants mature flavors.
Another good point on this tea is that it doesn't dry the throat like some wetter storage puerhs.
Second day on this session. Grain and heavy mushroom flavors dominate. The mushroom is magnified by the wetter storage. The more subtle Yiwu character is slightly overshadowed by the storage, but is still an enjoyable session when one wants mature flavors.
Another good point on this tea is that it doesn't dry the throat like some wetter storage puerhs.
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After having some SE Memorial, I took out 4g of Nadacha NanNuo '11 for a spin, see what qualities GN? and EdoB might be finding in it.
It started off pretty slow. After the first 2-3 brews it stopped being quite so much like a Hekai and became much more Nan Nuo. Much fewer nice huigans than I remember. More fruit and more masculine florals, but not Hekai cigarette florals. Still is not a very "loud" tea, but is easier to enjoy the flavors than it used to be. Looking back on brewing history, I would say that it is more consistently good than the Puersom Hekai from '10 or '11 (and those teas were generally MUCH louder, but simpler in taste). Not as thick as I remember it, but the texture is still good. Qi is pleasant at a moderate level. Aroma, while not strong, could be interesting. The cooling, and throatiness of this tea was actually very good, and reflective of the height from which these leaves are from. All in all, this tea session isn't really close to as pleasing to me as the better Man Nuo sessions I've had, or that Jing Gu I had last night, so while it's good, and I'm glad to have a good Nan Nuo, I'm also glad I didn't pay more than $75 for it. The quiet sophistication of this tea drew me into a reminiscence about the '10 Bangwei, since it generally delivers a similar performance with its own flavor palette. The Bangwei was...V.F.M., I think. Still think Man Mai is best, especially over the long haul.
It started off pretty slow. After the first 2-3 brews it stopped being quite so much like a Hekai and became much more Nan Nuo. Much fewer nice huigans than I remember. More fruit and more masculine florals, but not Hekai cigarette florals. Still is not a very "loud" tea, but is easier to enjoy the flavors than it used to be. Looking back on brewing history, I would say that it is more consistently good than the Puersom Hekai from '10 or '11 (and those teas were generally MUCH louder, but simpler in taste). Not as thick as I remember it, but the texture is still good. Qi is pleasant at a moderate level. Aroma, while not strong, could be interesting. The cooling, and throatiness of this tea was actually very good, and reflective of the height from which these leaves are from. All in all, this tea session isn't really close to as pleasing to me as the better Man Nuo sessions I've had, or that Jing Gu I had last night, so while it's good, and I'm glad to have a good Nan Nuo, I'm also glad I didn't pay more than $75 for it. The quiet sophistication of this tea drew me into a reminiscence about the '10 Bangwei, since it generally delivers a similar performance with its own flavor palette. The Bangwei was...V.F.M., I think. Still think Man Mai is best, especially over the long haul.
This is a loose pu-erh tea. The dry leaves have a nice appearance with the typical smell of hay, leather and maybe a little wood. After a rinse, the tea infuses quickly to a beautiful, clear, dark amber. The leather smell is a bit more enhanced in the infused tea. The mouthfeel is full and very pleasing. Due to the lack of any ripe fruit notes, I would guess that this is an aged raw pu-erh vice a ripe pu-erh. There is no astringency in this tea since it is 16 years old as you would expect.
This is a keeper! Going in the inventory.
This is a keeper! Going in the inventory.
So, after I had a bit of 2010 Bangwei, I took 4g of 2011 Nadacha Man Nuo to see what's up... The big change seems to be a decrease in top flavor complexity. No grassiness anymore, and no early wood/bamboo flavors. Just a very Menghai taste, sorta like the Puersom Yibang, with the fruitiness curtailed somewhat. The liquor has gained some texture, and it feels a bit like raw egg whites in the mouth. The aroma has decreased by a good measure. The bitterness is way down to almost nothing. There are many more huigans than I seem to remember, despite that, and they are reasonably fast. Excellent qi. Coats mouths and throat with flavors that lasts. Also is very energetic, dancing on the tongue, and moving cool as well. This tea, while it does not taste like Lao Banzhang, it really behaves like one in the mouth, much more so than Lao Man'Er or Banpen or any of the other neighbors of LBZ (tho' most do taste a little like LBZ at least). Therefore, it retains that super-engaging appeal that makes LBZ so expensive, at least for me.
No way would I choose the Nan Nuo over this, even if the Nan Nuo has more floral and fruit tastes. Even so, the Man Nuo has some sneaky, but *very* nice peach notes in the top flavor at around brew 7 or so, and it sometimes shows up in the huigans. I also think that these test brews are giving me the sense that the YS Xikong is really, really top stuff. Ticks off the checksheet in a broad number of categories, at a high enough quotient.
Having said all that...I'm looking at Hobbe's list of upcoming reviews, and I am just amazed at his lifest--er--productivity! Doesn't seem like he'll be tired of good puerh anytime soon.
No way would I choose the Nan Nuo over this, even if the Nan Nuo has more floral and fruit tastes. Even so, the Man Nuo has some sneaky, but *very* nice peach notes in the top flavor at around brew 7 or so, and it sometimes shows up in the huigans. I also think that these test brews are giving me the sense that the YS Xikong is really, really top stuff. Ticks off the checksheet in a broad number of categories, at a high enough quotient.
Having said all that...I'm looking at Hobbe's list of upcoming reviews, and I am just amazed at his lifest--er--productivity! Doesn't seem like he'll be tired of good puerh anytime soon.
