SOTD- sheng of the day

[shah8]

YiheChaZhuang Manzhuan '12. This was pretty good as a normal tea, though very much overshadowed by good sessions with the Tai Lian and YQH Gushuchawang yesterday and the day before. Best thing about it is the throatfeel.

[shah8]

XZH Zhangjiawan '11 brick. Like the golden brick, this is clearly the leavings from better cakes. As such, the body isn't impressive, the taste isn't ordered, and sour besides, and it has more of a bitterness more characteristic of manzhuang teas. Not to mention the impracticality of tiny iron-pressed bricks (two handed ice-pick technique needed). On the other hand, in terms of power in the mouth and throat, qi, length of taste, and potentially really interesting tastes and aftertastes, this blows away any other young Yiwu in its price class (if you buy five). Think of it more like comparing the bootleg of Cream Live in Detroit '67 (XZH) vs the studio pressing of Derek and the Dominos Layla (PuDi).

I really wish this tea would do that crazy strong myrrh taste/aroma again in another session. Only happened that one time!

[GN?]

. Think of it more like comparing the bootleg of Cream Live in Detroit '67 (XZH) vs the studio pressing of Derek and the Dominos Layla (PuDi).

Wow Xzh must blow the PuDi out of the water.

[TwoDog2]

A single tree spring tea from 2013 Mengsong. Worth every stupidly expensive penny. Very interested to see how this ages

[shah8]

So, I was having a conversation with TwoDog2 about the recent Hobbes post, and about the SongPinHao session at Zhang's. TD2 told me that the best thing about that SongPinHao was that it was very floral like a young tea, but had the depth of an old tea, and was a nonpareil example of good storage. He thought that it had Guafengzhai material in it because GFZ has mountain forest, floral, and jungle element to the tea grown in the area, according to him. I was like, "huh? GFZ isn't that floral." And after that Zhangjiawan, yesterday, I decided to take out 4g out of the Nadacha '11 GFZ xiaobing. Two issues with it, it has a relatively light taste, and there is some real astringency. Otherwise, it displayed the reasons why I like GFZ more than any other Yiwu. It had a very nicely layered taste, with a floral top--a little, not much Yiwu leather in this one, cooked grains, and a kind Menghai mushroom lower register with strong suggestions of fruit, more like the ambiguous syrup fruit that Xikong has. Not much in the way of herb taste that GFZ can have. So basically, you can call it a Youle and Xikong combination. Or Douyizhai/Yakouzhai Xikong combination. The floralness is less defined and Jingmai-like than Xikong, and the deeper Menghai flavors has Yiwu aspects. There is a little sweetness to it, but not as much as Xikong or Mannuo can be. The body and texture can be really good, and late infusions are very nice to drink. Aftertastes are reasonably long. Not many huigans, but some *serious* yuns. It has the strongest qi of any young Yiwu I've had, young being defined as 2008 and younger. The qi isn't too enduring, and doesn't last into the second day of brewing today, though it might have made me more hungry than usual.

This morning, I had the Bamboo wrapped Youle from '06. Virtually no woodiness or much of any other sign of age that I know and love from older Youle. Just straight mellowing. This Youle actually is pretty floral, still. The nastier plantation aspects have died down some, but it's still not a truly pleasant tea to drink, and I think I copped a little qi feel.

In the afternoon, after finishing some late infusions of the GFZ, I tried out that PuDi, given my little comment earlier. I also wanted to think of ManXiu as a proxy for Gaoshanzhai, since that area is noted for some floralness. It pretty much is what it is. The best thing about it is that the taste/aroma is loud, the soup is smooth and there's enough body. There isn't much complexity or dynamicism. This is really more the Steve Miller Band rather than Derek and the Dominoes. Pleasant, but totally just tea. A better stand in for Derek and the Dominos is something like the YiHe ChaZhuang Manzhuan--absolutely nothing wrong with it, and has some pleasant throat feel and other slight urges to be good.

I'm still looking for (more of) the Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsies Live at the Fillmore East New Year's Day 1970 sorta tea.