SOTD- sheng of the day

[P_K]

2011 Chawangpu Yiwu Gao Shan Zhai-

Started brewing this yesterday. Made four brews and it was very quiet...subdued. So I went on to other things. Today I pulled out the leaves and they smelled so floral and fantastic that I couldn't remember what it was for a couple of minutes. Started brewing them again today and wow what a difference! Floral, grain and low sage like herbal notes emerged. Chaqi was the best I've had in a while....keeps on brewing too...I'm on the 12th and plan on more.

[netsurfr]

Having some excellent Purple-bud pu-erh this morning. Purple-bud can be a bit medicinal but this tea is excellent even at a very young age.

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.

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.

Currently, there is still no road that a car can navigate to this Wenshan village. The JK Tea team must walk about 3 hours to reach this remote village. The spring yield of purple-bud is tea is extremely low, around 100kgs, so the team must buy partial kilos from various farmers to collect enough fine tea for a reasonable final production. Given this, collecting the maocha from the farmers is quite an adventure. After gathering a sufficient quantity of purple-bud maocha, the tea is pressed using traditional stones of the appropriate weight; this is good for the future storage and quickens the process of aging compared to a cake that is tightly compressed by machine.

In the current Pu-erh tea market, there are many fake purple-bud Pu-erh teas. Many tea merchants use the Zijuan (紫娟) or Zicha (紫茶 purple tea) Maocha and market them as pure, purple-bud Pu-erh tea to increase their profit margins at the expense of the consumer. The difference between purple-bud, Zijuan and Zicha lies in the shape, fragrance, and taste. But the easiest way to tell the difference is by the particular tea leaf shape. Purple-bud tea has no tea hair and does not have a tea saw at both sides; the Zijuan and Zicha do not share these characteristics.
This tea is an outstanding candidate for long-term storage.

[mosomoso]

Jingmai '04 of the 6FTM company. It's big, sweet, rounded - and tarry, more than smokey. I suspect it's a processing thing, as another '04 of the same company had the same mineral reek. Those who know more about manufacture may have a clue. Not complaining: this is one of those 6FTMs that really hit the mark. Many big, brash infusions.

Good sipping all.
Rob.

[GN?]

Eot.? " qi sheng gu " the leaves are fairly small. The taste is dominated by lemon grass and is not very complex. The mouthfeel is decent if slightly drying after a bit. The qi of this tea is very balanced for a cake so fresh. I just recieved the cake in the mail yesterday so the tea is most likely not giving its performance.
I had to try out the new mannuo cake i received in the mail which confirmed. My suspicion th at something is amiss. With the mannuo. that i recieved in the review giveaway. That tea is not even similar to the tea im drinking today.I am really happy to have gotten a cake of the genuine article.this stuff is great. Mouthfeel aftertaste huigan qi its this tea has it all.

[GN?]

2012. Eot boatang the aroma of the dry leaf is very smokey. Yet none of the smoke seems to appear in the cup. The flavor is not really that interesting but I like the overal feel of the tea better than the qsg. Yet not in even in the same league as the single tree dong ban shan that I was fortunate enough to try. That tea has some intense qi. I had to take a break after the second cup. It was my first single tree pu-erh and it definitely didn't disappoint. The flavor was a nice herbal taste that was hard to pinpoint and it got a wierd metalic taste in late infusions. But the flavor really was just a side note compared to the mouthfeel and qi.

Tonite great session with the 97 7582 very similar storage to the98 dong 7542. Humid but notI at allI wet.The 7582 a bit more complex flavor. wise and easierI to enjoy the right now with a nice sweetness that pops up in later infusions. But the 7542 is over a hundred dollars for less with more power and killer hui gan.

[shah8]

Sheng of the day is Taipei '06. Notwithstanding the similarities to iron cakes in terms of needing time, there is a good tea there...

Now, GN?, I was definitely curious about the Dong Ban Shan. Thanks for making a report on it. What are the similarities and differences between the Baotang and the Man Nuo?

[Tofu Miso]

Eot.? " qi sheng gu " the leaves are fairly small. The taste is dominated by lemon grass and is not very complex. The mouthfeel is decent if slightly drying after a bit. The qi of this tea is very balanced for a cake so fresh. I just recieved the cake in the mail yesterday so the tea is most likely not giving its performance.
I had to try out the new mannuo cake i received in the mail which confirmed. My suspicion th at something is amiss. With the mannuo. that i recieved in the review giveaway. That tea is not even similar to the tea im drinking today.I am really happy to have gotten a cake of the genuine article.this stuff is great. Mouthfeel aftertaste huigan qi its this tea has it all.

GN - Where did your " New " mannuo cake come from ?

[Hobbesoxon]

2012. Eot boatang the aroma of the dry leaf is very smokey....

I must confess that the 2012 cakes from Essence of Tea are perhaps not best aligned to my particular tastes, either. I appreciate the production ethos and the aesthetics, but prefer their productions from earlier years. I'm sure it's an idiosyncrasy, subject to my whims and subjectivity.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

[GN?]

I must confess that the 2012 cakes from Essence of Tea are perhaps not best aligned to my particular tastes, either. I appreciate the production ethos and the aesthetics, but prefer their productions from earlier years. I'm sure it's an idiosyncrasy, subject to my whims and subjectivity.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Have you tried the Bulang? My Sotd yesterday I thought it was better than last years . I haven't tried the bangwei or the Gfz yet but as far as the boatang and qsg go I would have to agree. Could be the lack of rain this year. I also noticed some of the cakes looked a little rugged. I don't know how I feel about that yet. Easier to get off whole leaf but will it age as well with the low compression?

Sotd 80s 8653 traditional characters. Yum

Oh shah I dont know if I could really compare the boatang with the Mannuo. It wouldn't be fair. Although I should state that I have not really given this tea a proper test run yet as it was brewed at a friends house with lower quality water and less leaf than normal.

Tofu not a new Mannuo just new to me.

[Hobbesoxon]

Have you tried the Bulang? My Sotd yesterday I thought it was better than last years . I haven't tried the bangwei or the Gfz yet but as far as the boatang and qsg go I would have to agree. Could be the lack of rain this year. I also noticed some of the cakes looked a little rugged. I don't know how I feel about that yet. Easier to get off whole leaf but will it age as well with the low compression?

When it comes to Bulang, I like it brutal and inexcusable, as with the 2010 and 2011 versions. The 2012 was a different genre, and not really to my particular tastes. The price is a secondary concern, but a concern.

I had the Bangwei just now, with my son, and it is excellent. By far the best of the crop, although the price would prevent me buying any more than the single trial cake I have. The cost is a separate consideration for each of us to make in communion with his wallet, of course...


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

[Hobbesoxon]

SotD: 2006 Simao Gupu'er, with thanks to Keng. Woody, spicy, smooth, dense. An excellent Monday drink, in the rare English sunshine.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

[nff]

whats a good "every day" sheng? something cheap you can buy in bulk but has a decent flavor. i'd like to drink more puerh but cant bring myself to daily the stuff i have

[shah8]

The most drinkable "daily-ish" teas are about $40/400g. If you buy three Ming Yuan Hao Yieh Sheng from Houde (which I had today), it totals about $90, and that's about the cheapest you can get anything remotely drinkable. Otherwise, sample YS 2011 blends to see which you can take drinking on a regular basis. I also recommend the 2006 SE Memorial, a very pleasant tea without too much punch but good aroma and flavor. RoyalPuerh has some teas like Boyou Mengsong 2007, or Yibang Chamasi Gedebaihao (or whatever, stuff like that, and it isn't too much. Perhaps a Haiwan Pasha? The selection of not young tea that's easier to drink and is around $40 or less is pretty small, if you want something good. If you sample, and find something you really like for the price, you really should try to buy a tong of it, even if it's painful. A daily tea should be something you just pull out without worrying about running out.

[nff]

i wish i could of bought a Tong of that 69th anv menghai when it was $11 a beng. now all i cant find it for less than $70


edit mmm i think i could enjoy this 805 8582 its not nearly as astringant as the 7532 of the same year. so the 85 is drinkable now 75 is ok but needs to mellow out.

[GN?]

Nff I would try some samples of the lower end yunnan sourcing cakes and find out what suites your tastes. I'm sure you'll find one you'll like enough to get a tong of. Or there is always the 08 ft boa yan Jin cha. I believe Steve ( jas-etea) has some in stock.
sotyd 06 Taipei expo xiao bing I grabbed a few of these from Gaung. These I think have been in Taiwan most of there days. As they look much darker than other pics of these I see.
This morning I capped off the traditional character,s session with an overnite brew.
Sotd 80 s 8582 7 grams in 75 ml . The first infusion has a dark sugary smell in the cup. The tea hasn't opened up yet I feel a strongvcool menthol sensation rising up from my stomach. I have never felt this sensation this low before. This tea leaves your mouth coated after each sip. It has a nice subtle mellow flavor that evolves over the session and lacks the the strong nuanced flavor of an 80s 7542. But it has everything else you look for in an aged tea strong qi,aftertaste, huigan , excellent mouthfeel. In a way it is nice that it frees up your mind to focus on these things rather than concentrating mostly on the initial taste. This tea does have some nice surprises though. Fifth infusion is virtually camphor free. Sixth infusion is loaded with camphor.

[P_K]

2011 YS Yiwu Purple leaf cake -

tasty.

[silvertip beard]

There has been some grumbling about this cake. It took long enough, but I now believe what you all knew from the beginning. It is fuggin' fugazi! Avoid this cake. See recent expose on http://teacloset.blogspot.com.
The Dingxing he gets from a shady vendor was good, but I question dealing with Jim in general due to his questionable practices and judgement.

After airing this 1998 CNNP 7542 out for a week, it has improved significantly. I get dark flowers, lilac and violet, along with the mineral and granny face powder. Lots of mushrooms, hay, and grains.

Definitely a legit cake. Seems to be as would be expected, a medium blend of decent plantation material maybe even a bit of better material also. Definitely more robust than the leaves of a modern menghai blend. I'm glad I have a cake of this to try from time to time as I expect/hope this is what my dry-stored tea will mimic some day.

Cheers!

[P_K]

2012 YS Man Zhuan -

Mixed herbs/freshly mown field and tropical fruit on the finish. Later infusions are slightly floral with a dominate base of fruit. I like.

[nff]

mmm 7532 802

[Hobbesoxon]

SotD: the 2003 Xiaguan "Jiaji Tuocha", with thanks to The Jakub. Clean, strong, woody - an excellent remedy for a rather persistent hangover.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes