Puerh Notes'

The posts below reflect some tasting notes and observations. Many of the posts were originally in the "Sheng of the day Thread" in the Café.

2000 Long Yuan Hao- last few infusions left over from yesterday

2002 Hai Lang Hao Mengku Wild Arbor
Sample from B&B buy
Flavor – Excellent
Mouth feel – very full
Hui gan – moderate and variable
Astringency –enough to balance
Smoke - strong
Dryness- moderate
Chaqi- very relaxed.
Purchase again - Yes

8 gr. in 100ml. Gaiwan
15s 12s 15s 12s 30s 90s

As I dumped my first rinse, a pronounced smokey scent filled the room, as if I opened a can of latakia tobacco.

1st Infusion 15s Liquor is an orange yellow, a tad cloudy, smoke and very sweet, very low astringency. Very thick mouth feel.

2nd Infusion 12s Liquor has a slight red tinge to it; the photo is from this infusion.
Smoke is more pronounced, almost like charcoal, sweetness has dropped away to the background, a pleasant astringency has arrived. Mouth feel remains the same.

3rd Infusion 15s Liquor is a reddish orange. Astringency has increased again and smoke has dropped further back. Mouth feel is still full, a woody dryness has developed.
Tea leaves are fully opened after this infusion.

4th Infusion 12s pulled it back a bit, really enjoying this.

5th Infusion 30s the sweetness has returned but at the loss of the woodiness and charcoal.

6th Infusion 90s done, but still nice hints of smoke and sweet.


This is one of the nicest and most interesting Pu-erh teas I have sampled in my limited experience.

2000 Long Yuan Hao Yi Wu Mountain

B&B group buy 3.50 per 25 gr.

Flavor - Good
Mouthfeel - Medium
Hui gan - Subtle
Astringency - Moderate
Smoke – Very Subtle
Dryness-Some
Chaqi- Buzzy,floaty
Overall value - Good
Purchase again – Meh

The liquor is very orange. The scent of the first rinse was smokey, but did not travel to the cup very much. The tea is very consistent from beginning to end, I pushed it harder and it rewarded me with more of the same.


While this tea is well balanced and has all the right moves, I find it a little boring.

2006 Shuangjiang Mengku Mu Shu Cha

Sample from YSLLC 4.00

6g in 80 ml Gaiwan

15s rinse, rest 60s 20s 25s 30s 40s 40s 45s


Flavor – very good
Mouthfeel – medium +
Hui gan - subtle
Astringency – moderate-
Smoke - none
Dryness- some+
Chaqi- strong, buzzing
Overall value - good
Purchase again- will revisit

This is the third visit with this tea, the first two times were much earlier in my tea journey and I had very little to compare them with, I am appreciating this tea much more on this visit.
Wet leaves impress me as alfalfa with a hint of citrus. The liquor is a nice yellow/orange, very clear. Hui gan increases after the 3rd infusion. Astringency is pleasant and grew with the later infusions as well. Solid cedar woodiness binds this tea together; there is just a hint of citrus acidity in the background. This Tea has great legs and was still producing after the sixth infusion.
I enjoyed this tea.

This is what Scott has posted on Ebay-

Pure Lincang raw material of the highest quality was used to make this cake. The tea is all from one are of the BigSnowMountain and represents centuries old trees. An excellent cake for aging or investment. Last years cake has already doubled in price!

Producer: Shuangjiang Mengku
Vintage: 2006
Production area: Big SnowMountain of Lincang.

2007 Haiwan Lao Cha Tou Brick

7 g in 100ml Yixing pot

Flavor - good
Mouthfeel – full, cooling sensation
Hui gan – light
Astringency - none
Smoke - none
Dryness- slight
Chaqi- relaxed alert
Overall value – good
Purchase again - perhaps

Smooth and soothing. A surprisingly clear deep red liquor, notes of yeast and dried fruits pop in and out. A very filling and relaxing tea.

I have not had many shu, but this tea would be an awesome if it only had some acidity and astringency left in it.

I have a lot of samples to go through, so today I decided to pull one out and no matter what it was I would drink it, glad this one came out after all.

2003 Jing Mai Round Cake * Tai Lian Tea Factory

Sample from YSLLC via Steve's buy

Acidic, in a refreshing way, nuts and hay, very active. Mouth feel is heavy. My tongue is tingling. Hints of chickory ? Interesting indeed.
Last few infusions of yesterdays tea-

2003 Jing Mai Round Cake * Tai Lian Tea Factory
Revisiting this tea with a Yixing rather than the Gaiwan.
I pulled the amount of leaves back a g and increased the steep time a few seconds with some good results. I think I will buck the trend on this and say its a keeper.

2002 JingmaiMountain Wild Arbor Raw Pu-erh Brick

B&B group buy from YSLLC 3.25/25 g



Flavor – Strong and heady almost scotch like
Aroma- Smoke, old wood and marigold flowers
Mouthfeel – strong/thick
Hui gan – light but lasting
Astringency - perfect
Smoke – powerful tapering off
Dryness- medium
Chaqi- Like wrestling with an alligator
Overall value – very good
Purchase again – I would think so.

I used quite a bit of tea and made very fast infusions in the Gaiwan.

This was the most active and exciting tea I have sampled to date.
The caffeine and Chiqi affected me immediately. I began to sweat, get anxious and restless. The top of my head tingled and my jaw ached. What’s in this stuff anyway?
Later infusions became more domesticated and pleasant, alas, not as exciting.

Can't buy this in a teabag!

2008 Nannuo Arbor Maocha


Huge whole tea leaves-



Perfect for a cold and wet day, sweet, warming, gentle- very relaxing.

Xiaguan Happy Toucha, this thing is like a moon rock. Steamed it for a couple of minutes and she loosened up pretty good.
Relaxing and interesting.

2002 Hai Lang Hao * Mengku Wild Arbor cake

On my third visit with this tea, Review here and shockingly the smoky component in the aroma is very muted, this is for the same 50g sample as my prior tastings.

2004 Jinuo Shan * You Le Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea cake
Sample from YSLLC

8g(6) 100ml Gaiwan
15s rinse, 2 minute rest, 15s, 12s, 18s, 25s, 25s, 30s

Flavor – Very Nice, full and robust.
Aroma- Warm fruit compote and alfalfa, later a honey aroma.
Mouthfeel – Moderate/thick
Hui gan – Developed over session.
Astringency – Nice backbone/high
Smoke - none
Dryness- slight/moderate
Chaqi- very warming and flushed, energizing.
Overall value – Good
Purchase again – Next order




Sweetness with an acidic background sets the tone with this tea; the big leaves release the liquor slowly and infuse the water with a golden hue.
Astringency was a little high so I pulled some leaves out on the 2nd infusion with good result. The tannin present in this tea is offset by the sweetness.

A light cooling/camphor sensation on my tongue and later my entire mouth began to evolve around the 3rd infusion, later infusions were even more pronounced.

The photo is from the third infusion.

I struggled to identify specific flavors with this tea and always came back to, just tea. Perhaps the festivities yesterday are affecting my taste buds, or it is just the way this Pu erh is?

It would be very interesting in comparing this recipe from the spring production.

This is what Scott W. has written on Ebay-

This is produced by the JinuoMountain tea factory of Xi Shuang Banna and is composed entirely of Fall 2006 You Le Mountain tea from 100+ year old trees near Longpa village. Jinuo Shan is the name given to "You Le Mountain" by local Jinuo minority group that lives in the area.
The JinuoMountain tea factory was started in 2003 by a development grant given by the Xishuangbanna Prefectural government to develop You Le Mountain tea production with the aim to increase the standard of living of the local Jinuo inhabitants.
About the Jinuo minority group (translated from 2004 Guoyan Jinuo Minority cake nei piao by Aaron Davis):
The Jinuo ethnic group, also known as Youle, is unique to Yunnan. They primarily inhabit Jinghong municipality's Jinuo mountain. The meaning of "Jinuo" in the Jinuo language is "descendants of the maternal uncle," reflecting the fact that Jinuo society was once matriarchal. Jinuo people tend to live in open space cleared from virgin forest. Their grass houses are built to resemble Kong Ming's hat [note: Kong Ming is another name for 3rd century Chinese hero Zhuge Liang]. They have a long history of tea growing, believing tea was given to them by Kong Ming. Consequently, they revere him as "father of tea." Their primary cash crops are tea and rubber.

The tea itself is smooth and already suprisingly aged by its 2 years in the relatively warm and humid climate in Banna (Xishuangbanna). The tea is Fall picking and thick and stout in appearance, while the tea leaves are dark in color and heavy. Though stone compressed the compression is fairly tight.. The tea liquor is a deep golden color and with a fast sweet after-taste, but also has a bitter edge to it and countered by a smooth and fragrant qi.
* Single-Estate You Le Mountain
* Fall Harvest
* Banna aged (one of the best storage conditions I have seen for a Banna stored tea)
* Stone-Compressed
* Traditional "primitive" processed mao cha
* From hundreds of year old trees

Click to expand...

2005 Hai Lang Hao Lincang Impression
Sample from YSLLC

130ml Yixing ¾ filled with leaves

Flavor – very nice
Aroma- candied fruit and carnations, very perfume-y on rinse
Mouthfeel – Medium/full
Hui gan – moderate
Astringency – medium firm
Smoke - faint
Dryness- Yes quite a bit
Chaqi- Very strong, warming, dizzy, buzzed
Purchase again – Yes, next order


Brew is a warm orange yellow; it oxidizes darker a few moments after decanting.
The leaves opened fully on the 4th infusion, the tea has some strong flavors, leather, flowers and something I cannot place, but is familiar. Balanced by a perfect acidity, a tingling on the outside of my tongue and back of the throat, mint-y camphor on the exhale.

My Yixing pours somewhat slowly when full of leaves; steep times were on the long side.


I am getting quite spoiled tasting all these nice teas lately.



Scott wrote


Quote:
2005 Hai Lang Hao "Lincang Impression" Raw Pu-erh tea
Yong De county of Lincang first flush of spring! 357 grams
A 2005 Hai Lang Hao production produced under the "Ming Xiang Ya Yuan" brand. "Lincang Impression" is made entirely from Yong De area early spring tea. A small production with a special heavy pungent cha qi! Rolled more tightly than many other Mengku area teas this tea has plenty of textured flavors to reveal to the drinker. Aged almost 4 years has given this tea a thick liquor liquor with a sweet after-taste, while still retaining some bitterness. An amazing tea sure to please hard-core drinkers of sheng!

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2008 Premium Bingdao Arbor Pu-erh Tea Brick~




2008 Premium Bingdao Arbor Pu-erh Tea Brick
冰岛乔木青砖sample from Puershop
Link

7 g 110ml Gaiwan

Flavor – Very good
Aroma- Sweet grass and roasted almonds, later a sweet citrus note
Mouthfeel – Medium
Hui gan – light/ moderate
Astringency – subtle/pleasant
Smoke - None
Dryness- Some
Chaqi- Very strong- Warming and lifting
Purchase again – Perhaps, I think I shall get another, larger, sample first.

This tea was a gift sample from Jim at the Puershop. The leaves are very green and the piece in my sample was compressed as hard as a walnut, the leaves did not open fully until the 4th infusion.

For a 2008 tea, this is quite mild and flavorful, I can see the attraction that Jim has for it.
The liquor is a golden yellow and the tea has Methuselah like longevity.




Jims comments, on the Puershop website

Quote:
Code Name: A bar of gold
This Pu-erh brick of tea is made from the best Bingdao arbor material; you will be pleased by its amazingly rich taste. The taste is very aromatic, a flavor you cannot forget. Perfect for drinking by yourself, or for sharing with the best of company.
The best and the most expensive tea we got in our 2008 tea trip on a dollar per gram basis, no big name, no fancy package, it is a great tea brick for your own enjoyment. You can be sure it got a high aging potential.
This brick is tightly compressed, like a rock.
This is the brick the tea vendor would not sell it to me unless I bought his $ 18 fancy packing box with it, as he got very limited quantity available since the raw material was sought after - many tea makers used just a small amount of this material as the key ingredient in blending a great tea. I was hooked when I had it, and I carried it with me like 'a bar of gold' during my trip.
· Brick Pu-erh Tea 250g/8.82 ounces
· Green or Raw
· Vintage 2008
· Premium class
· Loose tea leaves
· Caffeine: Moderate


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Mystery Sheng, unlabled sample.

Nuts, Shiitake mushrooms, green peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, a ginger note? Lots going on here, almost no acidity so its a little flat on the tongue. A strong Hui gan. Caffeine is low.
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