That's the same warming sensation you get when drinking gasoline, raw pesticides, liquid mercury, etc....Victoria wrote:70's Vietnamese mao cha
I also noted a warming sensation (no jokes please!)
Apr 14th, '08, 20:56
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Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )
Apr 18th, '08, 16:31
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First off, thanks very much brandon and all teas arrived in tip top condition.
Menghai cake:
The dry leaf looks very nice. The compression seems fairly light and, although a little broken, the leaf seemed to have survived its few years of aging and trips around the world rather well.
The tea itself was nice to drink and tastes rather well rounded. The brews were not outstanding in in any particular respect but more than adequate in most areas. There was a reasonable qi element to the tea which makes me think that this is definitely something worth aging. Hints of smokiness abound but more of the pipe/cigar variety than the occasionally encountered pub ashtray memories.
I found this far more enjoyable to drink than the other '05 sheng I have, a Haiwan cake and a smaller Mengku cake. The other cakes I have from this year are far more intrusive and abrasive than this Menghai cake. I suspect the relatively lighter compression may have contributed to the mellower character of the tea.
Filthy, old wet stored tea from Vietnam
I'm surprised by how good the leaves look in this sample. There some meaty looking leaves and stems.
If I was given this without knowing what it was I would hazard my first guess at some partially cooked pu. After observing the endurance of the tea and appreciating the evolution of successive brews, half of the sample & 15+ in a pretty small gaiwan, I think I may arrive closer to the truth.
It's an incredibly smooth tea, it feels a little thin but I'm not sure that is bad thing in this case as it helps to concentrate one on the subtleties of the, wonderful but fleeting, taste.
If the tea started off like an outstanding shu pu then it ended up as a light, complex and almost never ending dry sheng.
I'm about to try the remainder of the sample in my yixing with different water to see if there is much of a difference.
Maiden Pu-erh
As far as shu pu goes, aside from a few samples, all I have been drinking lately is the '05 Golden Needle Menghai cake which I gather is a fairly well liked shu. My experience with loose shu so far has been minimal and largely unpleasant, this is a nice change.
The brew is much thicker than the 70's offering from 'nam, although the tea vanishes around the point the 70's sample becomes far more interesting. It's not as dark as other fairly new loose shu I've had and consequently, I think, far more enjoyable. The Menghai cake and the Vietnamese tea are teas I would consider buying, I would put this in the category of very happy to have received a sample of but probably not one I would pursue atm.
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Thank you so much for the wonderfully thought out tea selection brandon.
Apologies for the time it has taken me to get this post in. I must confess the driving factor in making the post before having 2 rounds of all the samples was not to get my opinion to other tea chatters fast but more that I couldn't stand holding off on reading the reviews of others much longer.
Anyway, I'm off to read this thread from the beginning.
Menghai cake:
The dry leaf looks very nice. The compression seems fairly light and, although a little broken, the leaf seemed to have survived its few years of aging and trips around the world rather well.
The tea itself was nice to drink and tastes rather well rounded. The brews were not outstanding in in any particular respect but more than adequate in most areas. There was a reasonable qi element to the tea which makes me think that this is definitely something worth aging. Hints of smokiness abound but more of the pipe/cigar variety than the occasionally encountered pub ashtray memories.
I found this far more enjoyable to drink than the other '05 sheng I have, a Haiwan cake and a smaller Mengku cake. The other cakes I have from this year are far more intrusive and abrasive than this Menghai cake. I suspect the relatively lighter compression may have contributed to the mellower character of the tea.
Filthy, old wet stored tea from Vietnam
I'm surprised by how good the leaves look in this sample. There some meaty looking leaves and stems.
If I was given this without knowing what it was I would hazard my first guess at some partially cooked pu. After observing the endurance of the tea and appreciating the evolution of successive brews, half of the sample & 15+ in a pretty small gaiwan, I think I may arrive closer to the truth.
It's an incredibly smooth tea, it feels a little thin but I'm not sure that is bad thing in this case as it helps to concentrate one on the subtleties of the, wonderful but fleeting, taste.
If the tea started off like an outstanding shu pu then it ended up as a light, complex and almost never ending dry sheng.
I'm about to try the remainder of the sample in my yixing with different water to see if there is much of a difference.
Maiden Pu-erh
As far as shu pu goes, aside from a few samples, all I have been drinking lately is the '05 Golden Needle Menghai cake which I gather is a fairly well liked shu. My experience with loose shu so far has been minimal and largely unpleasant, this is a nice change.
The brew is much thicker than the 70's offering from 'nam, although the tea vanishes around the point the 70's sample becomes far more interesting. It's not as dark as other fairly new loose shu I've had and consequently, I think, far more enjoyable. The Menghai cake and the Vietnamese tea are teas I would consider buying, I would put this in the category of very happy to have received a sample of but probably not one I would pursue atm.
------------------------------------
Thank you so much for the wonderfully thought out tea selection brandon.
Apologies for the time it has taken me to get this post in. I must confess the driving factor in making the post before having 2 rounds of all the samples was not to get my opinion to other tea chatters fast but more that I couldn't stand holding off on reading the reviews of others much longer.
Anyway, I'm off to read this thread from the beginning.
Apr 18th, '08, 16:50
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Proinsias
Maybe, but the internet is full of too many young people donating their unneeded opinions. It would be nice if some of the more mature crowd stood up more often as opposed to sitting it out, especially when I read your review and link to a post by Geraldo.Salsero wrote:The world is full of sententious old men donating their unneeded opinion. I'm sitting it out. :lol:
(Oh, but thanks, Wes. Old men are also very vain and love praise. "Pull down thy vanity, it is not man Made courage, or made order, or made grace, Pull down thy vanity, I say pull down.")
And I wouldn't worry about the vanity thing, I'm sure there are a few around these parts who would have no trouble in knocking you down a peg or two if we suspected things were getting out of control.
Apr 18th, '08, 17:12
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tenuki
Thanks Brandon! I've just tasted the Rishi so far and it was about what I expected. Pretty decent Shu. Thanks for the opportunity to taste it, i had been curious, but not curious enough to buy it. Hoping to hit the 70s V tonight if this 90s ZhungCha Yellow Stamp 7571 ever decides to stop slapping me.
fun reading everyone's posts. what a bunch of freaks.
[edit]
Finished the 70s V, that was an experience. Will do the last tomorrow.
fun reading everyone's posts. what a bunch of freaks.
[edit]
Finished the 70s V, that was an experience. Will do the last tomorrow.
Apr 19th, '08, 03:27
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Rishi Puerh Maiden, loose shu, Xishuangbanna, Dai minority group, no factory given, no date given, organic fair trade
I had a taste for coffee today, strong Latin espresso coffee, something I haven’t had for a long time. I never had my pozillito, but coincidentally this shu reminded me so much of that thick black brew that I think its flavor is best described starting by saying it tastes like coffee, but …
I drink my coffee without sugar, a fact which freaks out Latins who universally drink it as sweet as hot chocolate. So compared to my bitter espresso, this is viscous and sweet, but also seems dry due to modest, but insistent, astringency. The biggest difference between this shu and a cup of coffee is that Puerh Maiden presents a slowly revolving kaleidoscope of additional flavors: Mississippi mud in the first infusion (no rinse since the tippy leaves looked so clean), hints coming and going of amaretto, fresh figs, mango, a little nice acidity starting about the 4th infusion. The second infusion was the lip-smacking richest, but the subsequent infusions brought all the subtleties.
I am so used to Shu with a name like 1996 Kun Ming Tea Factory, CNNP #7581 or 2005 Haiwan "Lao Tong Zhi" Te Ji Ripe Puerh, that I was skeptical of something “hand harvested by young women.” Give me a break. If you want to see a photo of the virgins that pick your tea, click on the link in this Hou De blog from March of last year: http://houdeblog.com/?p=27 It is also the most crazy expensive shu I have ever had at 25¢ a gram, but I have to say it is a very pleasant and satisfying tea. It lifted my spirits after a difficult day and made me feel good, and it never exhibited any of the funkier smells that force me to rinse much shu.
Off Topic: while I drank this pu, I watched Interview, a very intense Steve Buscemi movie about an older journalist and young soap actress locking horns in an “exploration of conflicting worldviews and the battle of the sexes.” I found it intense as any action adventure flick: the two stars strip away layers of the obvious and reveal their souls to us. I liked it a lot, despite not really caring for Buscemi normally. It has many nice plot and charater twists that keep it interesting and - alas - the old guy sort of loses in the end, but hey it's Buscemi so who cares! The dark intensity of the tea well matched the dark intensity of the film, and by the end of each they suddenly turned much more playful.
I’m not terribly confident in my brewing parameters here, but it worked out for me today, though I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a better way. Rishi says : Leaves: 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces / Infusion Time: 5–6 minutes, and this may come out quite nicely too. I would be curious if someone can report on that technique. I usually find that a brew time that long doesn't work for me in shu, but this tea is rather unique.
Brewing: 3.45 g in 80 ml gaiwan, off boil: no rinse, infusions: 20 s, 13 s, 20 s, 25 s, 45 s, 60 s, 4 m, very long.
I had a taste for coffee today, strong Latin espresso coffee, something I haven’t had for a long time. I never had my pozillito, but coincidentally this shu reminded me so much of that thick black brew that I think its flavor is best described starting by saying it tastes like coffee, but …
I drink my coffee without sugar, a fact which freaks out Latins who universally drink it as sweet as hot chocolate. So compared to my bitter espresso, this is viscous and sweet, but also seems dry due to modest, but insistent, astringency. The biggest difference between this shu and a cup of coffee is that Puerh Maiden presents a slowly revolving kaleidoscope of additional flavors: Mississippi mud in the first infusion (no rinse since the tippy leaves looked so clean), hints coming and going of amaretto, fresh figs, mango, a little nice acidity starting about the 4th infusion. The second infusion was the lip-smacking richest, but the subsequent infusions brought all the subtleties.
I am so used to Shu with a name like 1996 Kun Ming Tea Factory, CNNP #7581 or 2005 Haiwan "Lao Tong Zhi" Te Ji Ripe Puerh, that I was skeptical of something “hand harvested by young women.” Give me a break. If you want to see a photo of the virgins that pick your tea, click on the link in this Hou De blog from March of last year: http://houdeblog.com/?p=27 It is also the most crazy expensive shu I have ever had at 25¢ a gram, but I have to say it is a very pleasant and satisfying tea. It lifted my spirits after a difficult day and made me feel good, and it never exhibited any of the funkier smells that force me to rinse much shu.
Off Topic: while I drank this pu, I watched Interview, a very intense Steve Buscemi movie about an older journalist and young soap actress locking horns in an “exploration of conflicting worldviews and the battle of the sexes.” I found it intense as any action adventure flick: the two stars strip away layers of the obvious and reveal their souls to us. I liked it a lot, despite not really caring for Buscemi normally. It has many nice plot and charater twists that keep it interesting and - alas - the old guy sort of loses in the end, but hey it's Buscemi so who cares! The dark intensity of the tea well matched the dark intensity of the film, and by the end of each they suddenly turned much more playful.
I’m not terribly confident in my brewing parameters here, but it worked out for me today, though I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a better way. Rishi says : Leaves: 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces / Infusion Time: 5–6 minutes, and this may come out quite nicely too. I would be curious if someone can report on that technique. I usually find that a brew time that long doesn't work for me in shu, but this tea is rather unique.
Brewing: 3.45 g in 80 ml gaiwan, off boil: no rinse, infusions: 20 s, 13 s, 20 s, 25 s, 45 s, 60 s, 4 m, very long.
Apr 19th, '08, 03:56
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Apr 19th, '08, 15:47
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tenuki
Salsero wrote: If you want to see a photo of the virgins that pick your tea, click on the link in this Hou De blog from March of last year: http://houdeblog.com/?p=27 .
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )
Apr 20th, '08, 19:50
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'05 Menghai -2005 Meng Hai sheng Xishuangbanna
5.00 g in 120 ml pot, off boil: no rinse, infusions: 15 s, 20 s, 30 s, 40 s, 50 s, 4 m (oops! I forgot)
I noted hay, grains, maybe a momentary whiff of caramel at one point, at another maybe an aroma of sand, and some mid-tone smell that is very attractive. 4 m infusion not astringent. I have to agree with the general assessment. This is a nice young sheng puerh, good to drink now, perfect for this Beginner's Journey because typical of its genre. Thanks again, Brandon, for this stunning collection.
5.00 g in 120 ml pot, off boil: no rinse, infusions: 15 s, 20 s, 30 s, 40 s, 50 s, 4 m (oops! I forgot)
I noted hay, grains, maybe a momentary whiff of caramel at one point, at another maybe an aroma of sand, and some mid-tone smell that is very attractive. 4 m infusion not astringent. I have to agree with the general assessment. This is a nice young sheng puerh, good to drink now, perfect for this Beginner's Journey because typical of its genre. Thanks again, Brandon, for this stunning collection.
Apr 20th, '08, 20:15
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Apr 22nd, '08, 13:37
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I dunno, the one on the right is looking a little bow-legged.tenuki wrote:Salsero wrote: If you want to see a photo of the virgins that pick your tea, click on the link in this Hou De blog from March of last year: http://houdeblog.com/?p=27 .
I know, I know. I'm awful.
Tea Nerd - www.teanerd.com
