I haven't been drinking good Pu-erh for very long, so I've just got a few cakes. Today I'm drinking my favorite of them, the 2006 Mengku "Old Tree Ripen" from puerhshop.com.
The color is a beautiful persimmon-red. There is no astringency in this tea. The first couple brews have a hint of smokiness, but it fades. The aroma is a mix of hay and barnyard (or "animal cage" as my wife put it.) The flavor is much more complex though with a touch of sweetness and some fruitiness. There is some hay in the flavor as well, but the biggest impression I get is like the earthiness that gets kicked up if you take a walk through prairie grass in the Autumn. The mouthfeel is medium-full.
Astringency - none
Smoke - a hint
Dryness-(mouth) - a bit, several seconds after swallowing, once the sweetness fades
Mouthfeel - medium-full
Hui gan - some
Flavor - excellent
Overall value - excellent
Purchase again - absolutely
I may not have been drinking pu long, but I've been an active National-ranked beer judge for many years, so I'm familiar with filling out tasting notes, and I know when I like something. I like this and will definitely be buying more. In the meantime, there is a lot of other tea out there to explore!
The ripe Mengku teas I've tried so far are some of my favorites.
Re: Official Pu of the day
I am trying to round out my puerh collection by purchasing cakes from tea areas that are not yet represented in my tea cabinet (e.g., naka, ge deng, mangzhi, manzhuan, etc.). As a result of this emphasis, I have recently acquired the 2014 Manzhuan from White2tea. Manzhuan + Spring + gushu. What’s not to like? This tea is even better than I expected (since it is a new 2014 tea, I figured I would try it just for fun and then wait a few years to enjoy it). The dry leaf looks very nice; the aroma of the brew is pleasantly fresh and sweet; the liquor is a clear yellow; the flavor of the sip is smooth, sweet, and slightly fruity. This tea is lovely and very easy to drink. What a great sheng to own (even though it is rather pricey)!! I doubt this particular cake ages too long in my cabinet since I am likely to pull it out frequently to pick off more leaf. Thanks for finding this one, Paul!
Re: Official Pu of the day
Mandala tea's is doing a great sheng sampler.
Thought I would pass this on, $5.00 for the batch ,4 different shengs.
From a different site but a good deal I think.
http://steepster.com/discuss/9295-manda ... pack-is-up
Thought I would pass this on, $5.00 for the batch ,4 different shengs.
From a different site but a good deal I think.
http://steepster.com/discuss/9295-manda ... pack-is-up
Re: Official Pu of the day
Enjoying Yunnan Sourcing 2013 Autumn Ye Xin today. Prominent grain and hay flavors...pretty straight forward yet quite tasty. Heady aroma left in the cup. Chaqi is good....overall I like it a lot.
Re: Official Pu of the day
I had that yesterday (Little Yellow Mark) and really enjoyed it. Surprisingly smooth.JakubT wrote:While I'm still failing to squeeze anything really good from 2001 Changtai's Red cake, TwoDog's 2002 Little Yellow Mark was a very pleasant surprise today - very nice storage and lovely character.
Re: Official Pu of the day
While I'm still failing to squeeze anything really good from 2001 Changtai's Red cake, TwoDog's 2002 Little Yellow Mark was a very pleasant surprise today - very nice storage and lovely character.
Re: Official Pu of the day
Interesting, a tea I'd like to try. Hobbes suggests it's a plantation tea, whereas Puerhshop claims "trees which provide the leaves for this cake are 500 years old and grow at an altitude of 2000 meters." I'm guessing that's not entirely true if it used to sell for £15 at YS back in 2008. Not that such things should count for more than how the tea actually tastes, and the tasting notes from this one intrigues me.mam2431 wrote:Enjoying a 2005 Green City Peak Arbor purchased from Puerhshop.com. The taste is vibrant and fresh with a definite mushroom flavor. This one has a nice yet subtle complexity. An older tasting note from Hobbes led me to this one and I am happy to have added it to my puerh collection.
Re: Official Pu of the day
Yep! Hung around for about a year before joining a few weeks ago.mr mopu wrote:I know you!mam2431 wrote:Enjoying a 2005 Green City Peak Arbor purchased from Puerhshop.com. The taste is vibrant and fresh with a definite mushroom flavor. This one has a nice yet subtle complexity. An older tasting note from Hobbes led me to this one and I am happy to have added it to my puerh collection.Good to see you on here as well.
Re: Official Pu of the day
A cnnp zhong cha, not sure what the recipe.
7542, I reckoned. Experts have any idea?
Tea soup isn't quite as dark as its age, it is fairly pleasant to drink but just OK...
7542, I reckoned. Experts have any idea?
Tea soup isn't quite as dark as its age, it is fairly pleasant to drink but just OK...
Re: Official Pu of the day
I know you!mam2431 wrote:Enjoying a 2005 Green City Peak Arbor purchased from Puerhshop.com. The taste is vibrant and fresh with a definite mushroom flavor. This one has a nice yet subtle complexity. An older tasting note from Hobbes led me to this one and I am happy to have added it to my puerh collection.
Good to see you on here as well.Re: Official Pu of the day
Enjoying a 2005 Green City Peak Arbor purchased from Puerhshop.com. The taste is vibrant and fresh with a definite mushroom flavor. This one has a nice yet subtle complexity. An older tasting note from Hobbes led me to this one and I am happy to have added it to my puerh collection.
Re: Official Pu of the day
White2tea's 2001 Changtai Red. I got this as a sample with my order and it is really nice. I'm a bit blown away by the excellent teas and service that white2tea offer.
Re: Official Pu of the day
1998 dry storage Yiwu from White2Tea. My best reference is my 2002 Red Yiwu and after one session I am pretty sure Paul's is much easier to brew and understand and I think that's because it simply has more power. Very special cha qi that allows you to do anything - be serious, have fun, be contemplative, anything except frown. I didn't take notes. I used 7.6 grams. My five-gram phase is officially over.
Yesterday I tried his newly listed white sleeve tuo cha, also from 1998, and wow, what a deal. I'll definitely be ordering more of this. And I still have a box full of samples. Can't wait for tomorrow morning. I like that Paul labels his products dry or wet and gives whatever info he can. I feel that this box of samples is going to do much to further my puer education.
Yesterday I tried his newly listed white sleeve tuo cha, also from 1998, and wow, what a deal. I'll definitely be ordering more of this. And I still have a box full of samples. Can't wait for tomorrow morning. I like that Paul labels his products dry or wet and gives whatever info he can. I feel that this box of samples is going to do much to further my puer education.
Re: Official Pu of the day
Most of my teas are bought from tea houses after tasting it. Perhaps if you search online and if you can find some decent Mengku DXS, you can consider the tea. They are mid range and the quality is quite good. If you can find an old Mengku, it is a treasure.drinking_teas wrote:Interesting observation. Haven't had DXS yet, so I'll try and get one that's older than 2005 and one that's younger. Any recommendations in particular?Teaism wrote:Enjoying a nice 2005 DXS today. Most of my DXS are before 2005. I found that after 2005 the quality somehow went south. Those earlier ones are very full bodied and extremely sweet and complex.
Yummy!
Cheers!
Cheers and have a great day!
Re: Official Pu of the day
Interesting observation. Haven't had DXS yet, so I'll try and get one that's older than 2005 and one that's younger. Any recommendations in particular?Teaism wrote:Enjoying a nice 2005 DXS today. Most of my DXS are before 2005. I found that after 2005 the quality somehow went south. Those earlier ones are very full bodied and extremely sweet and complex.
Yummy!
Cheers!