Where to start?

[hop_goblin]

Thanks Bhale for the nice reviews! They are certainly informative and I always like comparing my tasting notes with others to see if I am "on track"

Thanks!!

[brandon]

2005 Xi-Zhi Hao "Lao Ban Zhan", Uncooked

This is a blend of three teas:
Lao Ban Zhan
You Le Remote Moutain
Nan Nuo "Purple Tips"

This results in a dry product that is very inconsistent in appearance. Leaves range from broad leaves of a dull green to brown strips. After a wash the leaves opened up and became a more uniform greenish color.

The infused liquid is yellow, and smells of camphor. Taste and smell is very similar to 2005 Ming-Yuan Hao Yi-Wu.

Since these two samples consist of a number of sources of leaf, I am going to say this is fairly representative of very young sheng from any source. I can see why someone might be interested in this, and it is certainly not the turnoff a bad shu can be. I can't say that I love the 2005 samples, however.

One more tea to go in this set, the loose Mao Cha!

[Salsero]

These are literally three teas mixed together? You blended them together or the vendor did it? I haven't heard of blending puerh, but heh it's been good for Scotch Whiskey!

In today's mail, I got one of those 2003 Keyixing Yiwu that BBB suggested. I'm curious to try it, but I find it emotionally difficult to start breaking up a pretty cake! Wish I had MarshalN's gift for rewrapping the cake. Who else... was it Wes that also got one? When I overcome my childish reluctance to break the cake, I'll post a little note if I can think of something to say.

Strange to order Puerh and have it delivered in less than a week! Seems a bit inauthentic.

[hop_goblin]

These are literally three teas mixed together? You blended them together or the vendor did it? I haven't heard of blending puerh, but heh it's been good for Scotch Whiskey!

In today's mail, I got one of those 2003 Keyixing Yiwu that BBB suggested. I'm curious to try it, but I find it emotionally difficult to start breaking up a pretty cake! Wish I had MarshalN's gift for rewrapping the cake. Who else... was it Wes that also got one? When I overcome my childish reluctance to break the cake, I'll post a little note if I can think of something to say.

Strange to order Puerh and have it delivered in less than a week! Seems a bit inauthentic.

I am curious as well about the blend. If it is Xi-Zhi Lao BanZhang, the claim is that is it a single estate. I acutally own the tea myself.

Sal, I think you will enjoy the Keyixng Yiwu. (2003 with a ox on the front of the wrapper) Little bit of info for you. If memory serves me correctly, the original Keyixing producer went out of business ater WWII. However, being that it was a famous factory, many producers have "borrowed" the name. As a consquence, there are many Keyixing puerhs on the market, each made by different producers.

[Wesli]

Wow Hop, that is very informative, I had no idea.

So there is no longer an official Keyixing, and, in fact, every Keyixing cake is made by a random factory?

I do really like it. I got a cake for christmas, and hop is sending me a sample because he's cool.

[spring_teas]

In today's mail, I got one of those 2003 Keyixing Yiwu that BBB suggested. I'm curious to try it, but I find it emotionally difficult to start breaking up a pretty cake!

You break it when you have to, lol.

[spring_teas]

Wow Hop, that is very informative, I had no idea.

So there is no longer an official Keyixing, and, in fact, every Keyixing cake is made by a random factory?

Yeah, there are some small tea factories produce Keyixing in Yunnan.

[Wesli]

Better use of the quote feature, please, Spring_Teas.

I'm going to hop on this one and order all the samples from Hou De that were suggested. Is this what you did Bhale? Mind letting me know how much it ran you for the whole deal?

[brandon]

Mind letting me know how much it ran you for the whole deal?

The teas I listed from Hou De including 2oz Shui Xian came to $60.

[brandon]

As for the topic of the blended tea, it is entirely possible that I did not order the sample you intended. However, what I did receive was this.





Unfortunately in this picture you can no longer see an example of the broad, green leaf constituent. I drank him up!

[brandon]

It may be that I misunderstood and the underline indicates a single estate tea, and not the primary tea used in a blend.

[hop_goblin]

Bhale, you are correct, it is a sample of Lao BanZhang. The label shows the xi-zhi hao series and underlined which sample you have.

[Wesli]

Double Hapiness!


But mommy! I want triple happiness!

[brandon]

I've finished out this set with the sun-dried Mao Cha 2006.

In taste and smell this was the mildest of all the teas. Very faint scent of camphor when pouring out, I could not smell a thing from my little tasting cups. The flavor was also very mellow. I don't think it was vegetal like a Chinese tea prepared as "green", it was like the 2005 versions but toned down a good bit.

I might try these samples a few more times before moving on.

[hop_goblin]

Bhale, are you talking about the Autumn Harvest Mao cha? "Gu Hwa"? If you are then you would expect it to be more delicate than the spring.