Official Pu of the day

[ethan]

hey gasninja, I had not seen you posting in a while. Hope all is well.
Glad to see you post. Cheers

[debunix]

This past week I finished my 2009 Lao Ban Zhang from Norbu, milking it out to a 2 day infusion at the end. Still tasty, but the leaves let me know they were done at that. I also had a concurrent session with the last of the Tea Urchin sample of 2012 Luo Shui Dong, another fine young pu. Sad to see those go...

[kyarazen]

anyone having a mansong right now?

dark horse of 2015... price said to have surged past lbz this year

Does that mean that previous years will also increase in price....?

if this spike stays.. then it could be a possibility for the quick appreciation of recent mansongs.. if well made.

[Drax]

anyone having a mansong right now?

dark horse of 2015... price said to have surged past lbz this year

Does that mean that previous years will also increase in price....?

[kyarazen]

anyone having a mansong right now?

dark horse of 2015... price said to have surged past lbz this year

[gasninja]

I am brewing my last chunk of a 94 Menghai 8582. This tea was perfectly stored ( a little more humid than 88 qing bing). Should be drinking younger sheng right now an celebrating spring. Unfortunately there is still snow on the ground so I need something older to help me cope.

[gasninja]

1992 Xiaguan shu fu lu xi brick. Even though it is snowing in right now in April. I don't seem to mind

[debunix]

Drinking a 2006 Yi Wu sheng tuo from my local tea shop: it does remind me of the 2008 bamboo-aged Yi Wu from Norbu that I've enjoyed so much--the more bitter/herbal/astringent aspects especially--but too casually brewed this AM (tossed a flake into a thermos, added hot water, and ran out the door) to say if there are some of the same carmelicious notes that dominate some of the sessions with the 2008.

Nice enough, regardless.

[rickardg]

nice yellow gaiwan!....

Yep, it always cheers me up! Good taste only makes you depressed…

[kyarazen]

80's Bamboo Wrapped Tuocha from EoT

I'm just a pu'er noob, and haven't quite acquired the taste for the earthy pu flavors yet (I do like the (over)ripe fruit flavors though). Infusions 2-5 had an interesting thick mouthfeel, some saliva-stimulation and hints of a nice bitterness. The soup was almost coffee-dark with about 20 sec infusions (~7gr in a ~90 ml taiwan).

nice yellow gaiwan!....

[rickardg]

80's Bamboo Wrapped Tuocha from EoT

I'm just a pu'er noob, and haven't quite acquired the taste for the earthy pu flavors yet (I do like the (over)ripe fruit flavors though). Infusions 2-5 had an interesting thick mouthfeel, some saliva-stimulation and hints of a nice bitterness. The soup was almost coffee-dark with about 20 sec infusions (~7gr in a ~90 ml taiwan).

[mr mopu]

Having a 2009 Douji “Fragrant Brick” tonight.
Breaking this out after about a year and a half in the “pumidor”. I remember this smelled nice and had a very light color to it.
I am back sometime later for a proper review.
First noticeable thing is this has become a bit more loose and easier to chip off. The color hasn’t seemed to vary that much on the dry leaf from what I remember.
I got about 10 grams off the brick to brew in the easy steeper that I have. I gave about a 10 second rinse due to the fact that bricks are more tightly pressed and take a bit longer for the water to get in there.
The rinse water actually looked a bit more amber than the green I recall. It is a 5 year old so it is still “teething and growing”.
I gave two 5 second steeps with about 5 ounces each. The brew is giving a scent of warm wet hay and a whisper of smoke. The tastes are of pine and some bitter that fades into a caramel touch of sweetness very quickly. A bit of astringency that leaves quickly. Swirling the tea in the mouth gives you that thick feel across the tongue.
A very nice brick from them and I think it is progressing along nicely.

Flavors: Bitter, Caramel, Pine, Smoke, Sweet

[Puerlife]

For fresh seafood, you should try out the Japanese restaurant "REN" at Dhara Dhevi hotel in Chieng Mai.

I'll keep that in mind in case I win the lottery
I went there a few times when it was still the Oriental or Orchid or something. They had what they called dim sum and the food was very good but you ordered from the table and they brought it to you, no other customers in sight so it lacked the earthy, boisterous dim sum atmosphere I love, but the colonial era architecture is fantastic.
BTW, I had that 7542 again that I mentioned a few posts above with more normal results--the drinking ashes in water character was back in full force and the broth seemed lighter, and the floral, fruity aspect was just a memory, although the light mushroomy aftertaste was tasty. At about #6 it got smooth and starting leaving that slippery tongue/mouth coating I love but never let me forget I was drinking out of an ashtray. Maybe mixing so many infusions together the other day made it greater than the sum of its infusions? I still wish I had a tong, though, because I've only had it for a year and it's already showing decent signs of progress.

[Rui]

This morning I am tasting 2014 Jingmai Shengtai raw pu'er from Bannacha. Although it is from Jingmai's natural tea gardens and not from the ancient tea gardens the tea is a nice daily drinker for me.

[bankung]

Yes, Chiang Mai's air late in the cool season and then through the hot season is dangerously bad. I know three guys who developed throat cancer after moving here, and several more who developed some kind of respiratory problem, including me with asthma, although qigong is really helping. I was bunkered down in my study with the air con, negative ionizer with UV cleaner and wearing a 3M N95 mask when riding the scooter and walking the dog, but last week it rained three nights in a row, very unseasonably, and now the air is fine. Usually we don't get a drop until at least Songkran.
So Bangkok is actually pretty convenient for a quick getaway. I didn't realize that. And the beach, oh I miss the beach...And fresh seafood.

For fresh seafood, you should try out the Japanese restaurant "REN" at Dhara Dhevi hotel in Chieng Mai.