Right now i am making the rounds through my Pu Erh stash, sampling different cakes i have bought over the years, to see how they develop. My biggest surprise was my Haiwan 8808, which, was quite cheap at the time when it came out, and i bought a few cakes. The last time i tested it two years ago it was almost undrinkable - harsh, bitter, and very unpleasant. I wrote it off as a failure that didn't cost me much money.
When i tried it now, the harshness was suddenly transformed into a very pleasant sweetness. Of course it is not a rare Gushu, it still lacks depth and hasn't got much Qi to speak of. But it is turning into a very pleasant every day Pu Erh.
Another tea that i am quite positively surprised with is the 2008 version of this tea: https://yunnansourcing.com/en/index.php ... roduct=709 . I don't know if it is "real" Lao Banzhang, but it definitely, now in its semi-aged stage, is very powerful, and brews way beyond 20 times. I am very glad that i bought 4 cakes back then.
Aug 23rd, '15, 04:56
Posts: 760
Joined: Aug 1st, '12, 08:20
Location: not anymore Bangkok, not really arrived in Germany