SOTD- sheng of the day

Tried the 2010 XZH Risk One's Life to Pursue--the one with burnt orange special wrapper. Where the Chen's Thousand Year tea is like listening to an acoustic guitar being strummed, this is more like listening to a trumpet solo. It's a little empty, with a kind of note/tone within. A delicate kind of taste. A nice, but not too strong aroma. Qi is about the same or a bit less. This has way better huigans. It doesn't go down the throat or warms it as much, but it does cool the mouth strongly. The body is thicker and sticky/robust, compared to the 2007 tea from BTH. I think I liked yesterday's premium tea better on account of the louder, broader flavor that's still complex too. I'm not sure this would compare all that favorably with the 2009 XZH teas either, and this gives a bit more evidence of a strong dropoff in XZH's quality after 2009. The Sanhetang shop wanted to sell this for a bit less than the 2007@ NT$13k. I strongly encourage those with an interest in boutique name area teas to aquire 2003-2007 (2009 at the very latest, and that's kinda far) with some effort and urgency. I have one more try with this tea left.

I also tried the 2010 fall Mangfei from YS. Decent aroma, good body, a ku, but there is little that goes on with the flavor profile. You get the broad taste and all, but it tastes dead on top, like the '04 Zhaizipo. Doesn't have redeeming aspects underneath either. Not a bad tea, but there are so many better teas out there, even other Manfei at YS (2012 spring), for the price, that peeps probably should forget about this one.

86 Yi wu spring tips. This is a tea that takes you places. I know it is really cliche but the taste aroma and qi really makes me feel as though I'm in a,Himalayan Lamasery. The strong qi helps too.

Holy ****!

2004 101 Plantation Jingmai: Not particularly good. Fairly energetic in mouth, has a nice floral retro-olfacation. Unremarkable body, some astringency that makes teeth squeak when you rub your tongue along, a very little bit of qi. Durability was notably poor. While it might be better than the Puersom '08 Jingmai, most likely not to be worth the money at all. Definitely inferior to the HeShihua '01 and '03. The HeShihua '01 was a *very* good deal at Sampletea for $160. It's probably not that price anymore.

2006 XZH Nu'er Zhuan: Brothers and Sisters, I come before you today, as a penitent and a believer. In all of China, there are few teas that can match the experience a decent Banzhang can offer. Qi? Yup, most since that last encounter with Nadacha Mannuo. Huigans? Deep past the 20th brew. Body? Decent enough and very nicely textured and juicy. Taste? Base taste is honey, wood, herbs. Very nice, not as broad in tasting as, say, the Taichi LBZ or the CGHT Banzhang Chawang. Complex and every changing from brew to brew well past 20 brews--something that can only be matched by a good session with the Black Wrapper. Aftertastes? This sucka *shimmers* along the tongue and mouth cavity, with a kaleidescope of different flavors showing up for an instance, only to be replaced by others, as the sip rolls to the throat. Cooling? Plenty of it. Throat feel? Plenty of that, too. Aroma wasn't that strong, and wasn't that nice, was complex and penetrating with the right sniff. '03 Bulang will still beat this, in aroma, at least. Late infusions were sweet. Teeth lickin' good, Colonel Sanders style. Last long infusion was like drinking warm, honeyed water. Brehs, dey don' make teas like dis no mo'. Not fo' us po' geeks.

2012 YS Shang Chun. Cheap stuff. Fairly sweet tea. Unlike Hobbes' opinion of the 2011 version, I don't find enough meat to balance that sweetness. Relatively thin, and pretty green tea, in the sense that there isn't anything there that offers a puer sensibility. Immediate check on saying, "oh, the 2010 fall Mangfei's so trashy..." Well, it's better than this. Pretty gentle and non-plantation-like, so there is some value as a cheap drink-it-now if you like the actual flavor. I don't like the hints of vegetal Wuliang characteristics that popped up on occasion.

2011 YS Mu Shu Cha. I liked it. It's better than my first try at this tea last year, most of the eggy taste being gone, and some floral building in. Less bitter, more durable. Has decent qi. Does taste like what I think a Bingdao ought to taste like in it's calm, sweet profile. While YS does say that it's from 100-300 year old trees, I find that claim dubious, because old tree Lincangs aren't really especially cheap anymore. Anything that could conceivably be related to Bingdao would cost well more than $68 a bing. It has qi, but my guess is that this is from a plantation grown from cuttings of the old Bingdao trees. It has that plantation edgyness--if it's old tree, it's definitly over-exploited, or from lowlands, or both. This doesn't do as well as it should for mouth/throatfeel, and the taste does not last in the mouth or throat. Slight issue with raspy throat and irritated tummy. I do think that, for the money, it's a good value, and will get better with floral buildup over the next couple of years (the longer storage project being purely about extra sweet sensation with honey or fruit flavors). Opportunity cost-wise, it's a far better idea to buy '02 Tailian as that's a similar product even if it's a blended tea. Had no business ever being $49, and is still cheap for what it is at $74, for my money.

P_K said:

2012 YS Zhu Peng Zhai -

Starts grassy and herbal.....very herbal.....and this persists until about the eighth infusion when a bit of grain shows up. I'm not in love with this, yet I am a bit intrigued by it. Would be interesting to see how it fairs after a little time.

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I just had a session with this tea. I've never had anything like it. It looked like pu'er, brewed a solid yellow, smelled like a pungent earthy floral pu'er, was almost impossibly astringent, and tasted absolutely nothing like any sheng I've had before. The tea had a definite effect on me, mostly warmth in my chest, and the back of my neck flushed. I don't like it, but I don't hate it. I just wished this tea were pressed in xiaobings so that I could risk a cake or two just to see what happens with this crazy tea in the future.

thanks said:

I just had a session with this tea. I've never had anything like it. It looked like pu'er, brewed a solid yellow, smelled like a pungent earthy floral pu'er, was almost impossibly astringent, and tasted absolutely nothing like any sheng I've had before. The tea had a definite effect on me, mostly warmth in my chest, and the back of my neck flushed. I don't like it, but I don't hate it. I just wished this tea were pressed in xiaobings so that I could risk a cake or two just to see what happens with this crazy tea in the future.

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Given its reasonable price I might just get one on my next order and see what happens.

SOTD - 08 Fu Cha Wuliang Qing Bing

Fruity with plum and even strawberry notes....yet finishes in a mushroom/wood profile. This doesn't change much up to the tenth infusion. Becomes very astringent/tannic to the point of me surrendering. I think I'll use less leaf next time.

Had some XZH 2011 ZJW brick. Broke off mostly crumbs from the extraordinary compression. A different again experience, with some general mild sourness, some huigans, but featuring very nice yuns on occasion.

Big Yunnan thinks that there are three poles in puerh demand: The first pole is Banna (and Jingmai, implicitly), dominated by Southern Chinese preferences and flows to the merchants there. Everybody knows about it, long established relationships, and small profit margins for the tea makers. The second pole is Lincang, dominated by Northern Chinese preferences, who have gone there, having been locked out of Banna, and who prefers the green tea aspects of such teas. Lincang is cheaper, with more possibility of mere money getting you access to good tea, and more of a chance to earn good margins. He thinks that JingGu teas will be the next big thing, and becomes the third pole. He thinks that JingGu has been neglected up to now because it's hard to get to most of the plantation--just take a look at the map--Yangta, on Yunwushan, is way down southwest, look east to Xiao JingGu proper with Wenshan, Kuzhushan, and Dashisi, and further east with Huangcaoba and Wushan. All with limited road access. The plantations themselves are pretty scattered, making it hard to collect much maocha from a place. Doesn't say who will get it or why. I think he's mostly talking his book since he regularly does a Kuzhushan. My impression is also JingGu is better than most Mengku of the same caliber, and that most dedicated teaheads are quite well aware of it. There just isn't a great deal of ancient plantation trees like there are in Banna or Lincang.

Elsewheres in the jft4u.com puerh forums, there is an interesting thread about whether the bok choy banzhangs, particularly the '03, is hongchapu or not. I thought there was a good chance it was, since I know the bada high mountain certainly is, and Hobbes has talked about how the Yiwu from '01 and '03 reflects some excessive oxidation. There's also a guy who doing some pushback on the notion that the JinDayi '03 is so great. Don't see too many people agreeing with him.

I know almost nothing about Jinggu (any sample advice?), but i think that lots of puers of the wuliang shan area are really underrated.. maybe i'm wrong but i'm loving more and more this region, from nanjian area to kunlu.
Talking about this, i think the xiaguan golden mark '11 (which is a bargain imo) is one of them, but it can be from anywhere else too. It tastes like a tulin's wuliang i have.

cheap and nice wuliang samples can be found there: http://miupuer.taobao.com/

just take a look at the map

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may i ask you which map? i put a simao map on TC few days ago, as you probably noticed, but i'm not shure of some places. Thanks.

Basically google maps. Not totally sure of where Wu shan is, with Osanzhai.

Wuliang doesn't age that well, and I don't like some of them in the first place. Zhaizipo is decent. As for samples, I think Bannacha and Houde has the best samples. There are some really expensive JingGu from Summit Tea, and there are tons of bad plantation Jinggu around. Real gushu is definitely not that common.

Also, the borders are very fuzzy. Osanzhai, technically, is a xiao-jinggu area. If you try the XZH, it tastes more like Wuliang/Big Snow Mountain rather than quite the JingGu. Huangcaoba is right on Ai Lao's western slopes, a hop and a skip away from Quanjiazhai. Kunlushan, Quanjiazhai, Jingdong, etc, etc, are considered seperate lancang areas from either JingGu or Wuliang.

It looks like i'm using "wuliang" for too many things. I'll try houde's Kuzhushan, thanks.

Just be mindful that the first four brews are what makes that tea, fdrx. Brew a bit stronger (after you've had your standard) than you might otherwise would. When it blands out, I suggest resting the tea for a number of hours. Tends to bring back a little complexity for a few more brews.

I tried the 2003 S. Mengku Bainian again today. Theres is a bit of that cooling, but this tea is just not very good. Thin texture, not especially appealing aroma and tastes (there just isn't much of that nice honey sweetness or camphor), little qi. It's not bad, but zillions of better lincangs out there for less.

For New Years Eve bidness, I popped open my sample of EoT's dry stored 80's 8653. This has had a teensy quick warehousing. Obviously the best old tea I've ever had in terms of all around performance. 1996 Purple Dayi and 80's loose shupu has a better top taste, and the latter has a higher quality qi, for as long as that qi lasts. This tea has an absolutely glorious aroma in early brews. Top taste isn't representative of that aroma. Good body, not the best, but I've never had an older tea with as good body. There is some light astringency on occasion, and no bitterness. There are some really outstanding aftertastes on tap, and these segue into the mouth from the back and the throat seamlessly for a nice, long taste. The effect is more marked deep into the lengthy session. I was tea'd out before this tea was remotely done, so it goes in the fridge for later.

While drinking this, I thought alot along the tracks that older teas can't be enjoyed properly just going by some random sample to sample. They have a lot to say (when it's good), and that conversation is rather subtle. In a way, thinking about the older banzhangs I've had--the 2003 Bulang, the 2005 LBZ from finepuer, and the XZH brick, and how the contrast between the relative flatness of the first two teas helps me see the dynamicism of the last, that clued me in to thinking about how I can not see absent things clearly. When it comes to these old teas, I'm forever comparing it with nice shu, and that just doesn't work well, compared with the idea of having had many sessions of at least one old tea, and some drinking of others. A sample of tea like this, brewed in a gaiwan, just like I would with any other tea, is almost just wasted on me, compared with what I *could* see with a trusty yixing. All that being said, It's hard for me to not think that old teas costs way more than they really could be worth, unless one has disposable income. Then again, had I just started on buying puerh tea today, boutique single mountain tea generally would barely be worth it, and many classic areas would be beyond what I could afford. Puerh tea has gotten quite expensive, for the good stuff.

Today, 2002 Yiwu Old Tree from BTH. A very sweet tea. Excellent aroma. Good body, but there is a serious issue with harsh feel in the throat, and some astringency+citric feel. Has an odd edge to the taste, one review said "weedy", which seems apt for a woody-herbal sensibility, like something you just pulled up from your yard. Little qi. Seems, in my judgement, to be mostly a JingGu with a handful of Yiwu. The used leaves are very large and fleshy, but plenty of red leaves, and leaves with red veins. Maybe the issue is related to processing? A smooth drinking version of this tea would be quite acceptable.

This is the third day of brewing the 8653. Still going strong, so back in the fridge for tomorrow.

Yesterday was some tai lian, which was good as usual, after a bit of early tartness.

shah: That 8653 is a great one indeed. I was positively surprised how good it would be. And just as you say - the tea keeps on going forever and is good, even though the liquor is already light.

Have you got the trad. stored one too?

Another few more brews of the 8653. Nope, no traditional stored version.

Had the Fengquing Sunning tea today. My opinion is generally unchanged. Did note that it was very tippy, which is why it's so sweet with nice floral edges. Much like the Shangchun I didn't like that much, it doesn't have real meat to balance, but I like what flavor there is much more. Highly caffeinated and very durable. I think this tea has a place as a puerh you can drink and store as something quite green-tea-like.

Just one two-three hour brew of the 8653 today--on its last legs at around brew 40.

XZH '09 Jingmai. Strange session, it was very buttery and creamy like either a proper Naka or that finepuer 2008 DingJiaZhai. Not fruity like before, delicate flavors of florals and nutskins fringe on the outskirts of all that butter, cream, grains, sweetness. Strong cooling and throatfeel, but no pungent huigans today. Full aroma with little cloth-florals I had come to expect. The qi was great, wasn't quite the strongest, about the same as the Risk One's Life To Pursue or Evening Fragrant Jade, but like the latter, a very nice high quality calming qi. Durable, lasted about 20 brews with pretty full flavor before dropping off. Texture and mouthfeel was very nice, with only just enough astringency to give the liqueur character and to store flavor inside the cheeks. Body was good.

'04 Everlasting Manzhaung. The problematic metalic acidity happened a bit earlier, but it was milder and went away. However, the tea is not very good in any affirmative sense. A good bit of yun, but the flavor is weak, and the session wasn't very durable. Some decent aroma but no qi or anything else.

12 YS Wu Jia Zhai -

Third time I've tried this one, and I like it more as it adjusts to its new home. More herbal in general with grain and chestnut. By the 9th infusion some astringency shows up, but not in a bad way. Its flavor profile is unique enough to differentiate it from others in my collection.

01 or 02 Nanjian tuo. Bought this from Stephane for next to nothing (with todays prices in mind) a few years back. When I first tried it, it had a very simple flavor, was very astringent and carried a little bit of its bitterness of youth. The tea had signs of some traditional storage when I first tried it as well. Now, the flavor seems a little rounder, sweeter, and slightly more aged in general. The tea has a remarkable cooling effect in the first 5 infusions which then disappears completely. I stuffed the pot with leaf so it was pushed for a few infusions to be stronger than I probably would have liked which led to a bit of bitterness and some unpleasant astringency. This went away completely by infusion eight, at which point it started fading in strength and flavor. I pushed this tea for as long as I could, until it was basically sweet water which took two days. Qi is present, but not strong at all like I remember it. Nothing remarkable, but very drinkable. I have another few of these tuos laying around, but I'll probably leave them for a few years longer.

I am keen to try that 8653