TeaChat

I normally enjoy the light bitterness of the 2000 Fu-Hai brick but tonight it was too intense. I think i used far too much broken leaf since i used all loose leaf. I just hope my new pot isn't rejecting this type of pu. I'll have to brew another dry tea and see if i get better result. I haven't had much luck using my other pots for Kunmingish tea. They work fine in my gaiwan though. Maybe it has to do with the yixing retaining more heat than porcelain or my poor brewing skills.

07 Menghai Chen Yun -

Just barely drinkable. Over processed. I remember paying $23 for this back in 07 and thinking that it was a bit more expensive...lol. Of course, I would not pay that for it now....or $10 for that matter.

Spent part of the day with Nada's 2009 Bulang. I had kept the sample in a packet just sitting out in room temp and humidity. It was still quite potent!

Enjoying a few infusions from a sample packet of 2004 Shen Shan Lao Shu, a Sheng pu from Jing Tea Shop. I don't remember which order this came in, but it's been sitting in my cabinet for a long time. On infusion 2, the sweet anise taste is strong as licorice. Quite distinctive--I'm used to that degree of powerful anise being associated with a strongly bitter edge, but this one seems to be missing that. Cool. (Too bad I didn't buy more of it at the time, back in 2010 or thereabouts....).

Having a 2012 Menghai "Bada" brick. Trying this for the first time since I obtained it. I will probably never drink all of this in my lifetime since it is a 1000 gram brick meant to age. It is a very tightly compacted brick and pretty tough to break into. It has a “dryness” on the tongue and an almost apricot taste with a light coffee taste. difficult to accurately describe but pretty good overall. you all know I am kind of a "shou puerh’ head. It is nice. Not one of the best but a good affordable tea per cup considering the size of the brick. Apricot, light roast coffee and a hint of woodiness. I will retry this on a second steep tomorrow and may adjust the notes a little.

2013 Nahan cake from Tea Urchin. A very enjoyable, smooth, flavorful tea. Very clean tasting giving a wet and active mouthfeel and some huigan. Delicious now and no reason to think it won't age well.

I finally got around to trying the 2005? Yan-Ching Hao "Gu Shu Cha Wang" that gasninja sent me a sample of last year. I never drink sheng this young but i've heard nice positive things about this one so in the gaiwan it goes. I brewed it rather light at 3.5g/120ml and found it to be rather nice. A pleasant mild fruity straw sorta flavor. This ones semi thick with a long lingering aftertaste. This is not something i'd want to drink often at this stage but i see good potential. I'd consider buying a cake or 2 at the price gasninja was selling it at recently but probably not at retail since i wouldn't be want to drink it for another 5-10yrs. I'd consider buying a very mildly wet version of this if it was same price though. Anyone know of one such cake?

I found a stockpile of pu samples that I'd forgotten about (back when I was first exploring pu-erh). Tonight I had some 2009 Guan Zi Zai Xiao Man Shu, pretty bland and wound up dumping it. Also had some 2009 Bu Lang Shu, also boring and again wound up dumping it.

Guess that's part of the learning process.

2009 Bingdao Refined Tea Factory, spring cake. A fairly loosely compressed cake with an aroma of sweet tobacco and plum. Light apricot colored soup with sandalwood aroma in the dry cup. Long huigan with wet and slightly thick mouthfeel. Very clean and pure tasting. Relaxing and felt through the whole upper body. This tea gets better and better after several brews. Was even better the 2nd day! This tea is different and should not be compared to Lao Ban Zhang and other expensive teas as its properties are really nothing like LBZ. It is more of a refined experience, not in your face like LBZ can be. I do like LBZ, though, but not subtle like the Bingdao.

Tead Off wrote:2009 Bingdao Refined Tea Factory, spring cake. A fairly loosely compressed cake with an aroma of sweet tobacco and plum. Light apricot colored soup with sandalwood aroma in the dry cup. Long huigan with wet and slightly thick mouthfeel. Very clean and pure tasting. Relaxing and felt through the whole upper body. This tea gets better and better after several brews. Was even better the 2nd day! This tea is different and should not be compared to Lao Ban Zhang and other expensive teas as its properties are really nothing like LBZ. It is more of a refined experience, not in your face like LBZ can be. I do like LBZ, though, but not subtle like the Bingdao.

That actually sounds really nice! Your descriptors are some of my favorite aromas!

This tea really boggles my mind. It is a different tea after about 7-8 brews. At first, you wonder what the big deal is. Then, it hits you. I wonder if others have had this experience where the tea opens after a protracted period of brewing, not just a few brews to open the leaves.

The one real Bing dao that I have had was a very similar experience. It took quite a while to get going but had excellent durability. I think I may go put half of the little piece I have left in a pot.

Tead Off wrote:It is a different tea after about 7-8 brews. At first, you wonder what the big deal is. Then, it hits you. I wonder if others have had this experience where the tea opens after a protracted period of brewing, not just a few brews to open the leaves.

Sometimes I think that stronger flavors may be extracted first, and milder ones have to wait for the stronger ones to dissipate before they can truly shine.

2007 LBZ and 2006 Ziyah.
Both good through over 20 brews.
Yumm!

This tea really boggles my mind

you can also drink it this way



(in the glass ZhiZheng Xin Yu Qiu Lan '11... good, refreshing, and epic shengjin...)