Had a free vendor sample of Pu Shop's 2008 Premium Bingdao Arbor naked brick a couple nights ago. I was in the throes of serious head congestion so I'm not sure of my judgment, but it seemed to be the smokiest thing I have ever tasted. I liked it quite a bit: nothing else could have fought its way through the congestion, but I'm wondering now if it offers just one fabulously intense note or if there is something I missed. It is on my list to revisit when I am completely recovered. Has anyone else here tried it?
I'm telling you, this seemed much more smokey than the Changtai 339.
Dec 23rd, '08, 20:44
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<Trundles off to try out his free puerhshop sample of the 2008 bingdao arbor.>
edit:
Man, that is one tightly compressed brick. The word 'rock' comes to mind, geese. I almost injured myself several times trying to break up the sample a bit more.
I brewed it in a gaiwan, boiling water, 10 second rinse and then let the hot leaves sit with the lid on for 3 minutes or so to try to get the compression to relax, which was sucessful.
1st infusion: It's a green puerh, that's for sure. Decent mouth feel, thick and smooth with no drying, which is not common for green puerh and me. Almost no huiguan
, maybe just a echo, but the echo is very persistent which is a good thing. hardly any smoke, not much bitterness. no off tastes at all. Not much flavor on the sides or back of the tounge, mostly center and front. Almost nothing in the throat and very little in the nose. Not sure about the complexity or richness. this reminds me of a gentler version of my 2005 dayi 250g toucha (which I absolutely love). Qi for me is a warm flush not unlike a good brandy. color of the soup is a strong yellow/green for something so young.
2nd: very quick infusion. some of the thick/smooth mouth feel has been replaced by a slight metallic/hot stone taste (not unpleasant) and a touch of drying. I'm less impressed by this infusion
3rd: 10s infusion. lid of the gaiwan has no fragrance at all. leaves have the typical green and smoke smell. The leaves have fully decompressed and are swirling in the cup, looks like fresh tea leave clippings. A little bitterness. the metallic note is gone replaced by a touch of sour that balances the bittter and sweet pretty well. ok mouth feel, same _almost_ lack of huigan. I have a feeling this is how the tea will taste the rest of the infusions. There is a lingering slippery smooth sweet coating on the center and tip of the tongue that is quite pleasant.
4th: 10s infusion. some very faint aroma has found it's way onto the lid.. bleh. About what I had expected otherwise. pleasant but unremarkable. I do really like that lingering slippery smooth sweet coating though, wish it was everywhere instead of the center/tip of tongue.
tails out about the 8th infusion, but is pretty much as the 4th just weaker.
I wouldn't buy this tea, my standards for green puerh are unfortunately spoiled by a few accidental finds locally and a couple of key samples from my tea teachers that have set me straight on what a green puerh can be. I don't know about the aging potential but the tea quality is there, although I suspect the rock like compression can't be good for quick aging. I suspect the price/quality ratio is at least in the ballpark, I usually just don't like most green puerh, I would drink this without complaining, the tea base was decent. I wish it had more complexity and more huigan, but like I said, I'm spoiled. The 2005 DaYi toucha from DHT I mentioned is a better tea IMO and about the same price/g.
edit:
Man, that is one tightly compressed brick. The word 'rock' comes to mind, geese. I almost injured myself several times trying to break up the sample a bit more.
I brewed it in a gaiwan, boiling water, 10 second rinse and then let the hot leaves sit with the lid on for 3 minutes or so to try to get the compression to relax, which was sucessful.
1st infusion: It's a green puerh, that's for sure. Decent mouth feel, thick and smooth with no drying, which is not common for green puerh and me. Almost no huiguan
, maybe just a echo, but the echo is very persistent which is a good thing. hardly any smoke, not much bitterness. no off tastes at all. Not much flavor on the sides or back of the tounge, mostly center and front. Almost nothing in the throat and very little in the nose. Not sure about the complexity or richness. this reminds me of a gentler version of my 2005 dayi 250g toucha (which I absolutely love). Qi for me is a warm flush not unlike a good brandy. color of the soup is a strong yellow/green for something so young.2nd: very quick infusion. some of the thick/smooth mouth feel has been replaced by a slight metallic/hot stone taste (not unpleasant) and a touch of drying. I'm less impressed by this infusion
3rd: 10s infusion. lid of the gaiwan has no fragrance at all. leaves have the typical green and smoke smell. The leaves have fully decompressed and are swirling in the cup, looks like fresh tea leave clippings. A little bitterness. the metallic note is gone replaced by a touch of sour that balances the bittter and sweet pretty well. ok mouth feel, same _almost_ lack of huigan. I have a feeling this is how the tea will taste the rest of the infusions. There is a lingering slippery smooth sweet coating on the center and tip of the tongue that is quite pleasant.
4th: 10s infusion. some very faint aroma has found it's way onto the lid.. bleh. About what I had expected otherwise. pleasant but unremarkable. I do really like that lingering slippery smooth sweet coating though, wish it was everywhere instead of the center/tip of tongue.
tails out about the 8th infusion, but is pretty much as the 4th just weaker.
I wouldn't buy this tea, my standards for green puerh are unfortunately spoiled by a few accidental finds locally and a couple of key samples from my tea teachers that have set me straight on what a green puerh can be. I don't know about the aging potential but the tea quality is there, although I suspect the rock like compression can't be good for quick aging. I suspect the price/quality ratio is at least in the ballpark, I usually just don't like most green puerh, I would drink this without complaining, the tea base was decent. I wish it had more complexity and more huigan, but like I said, I'm spoiled. The 2005 DaYi toucha from DHT I mentioned is a better tea IMO and about the same price/g.
Last edited by tenuki on Dec 23rd, '08, 22:29, edited 7 times in total.
Dec 23rd, '08, 20:54
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I'm eager to hear what you think, Tenuki. I suspect you will not like it, but the details of your impressions should be exceptionally informative as usual.tenuki wrote: <Trundles off to try out his free puerhshop sample of the 2008 bingdao arbor.>
For those who may have missed them, Silverneedles just posted a couple Puerhshop reviews of
1) 2005 Golden Sail loose shu
2) 2006 339 Changtai sheng
Dec 23rd, '08, 22:23
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Well, I did like it ok, and didn't find any of the smoke you talked about. Weird how different people experience tea so differently eh?Salsero wrote: I'm eager to hear what you think, Tenuki. I suspect you will not like it, but the details of your impressions should be exceptionally informative as usual.
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )
Dec 23rd, '08, 22:39
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Well, that's the shortest review you ever did! The intense smoke may have more to do with the cold in my nose than with the tea. In light of your assessment, I'd have to say that thesis is appearing incontrovertible.tenuki wrote: Well, I did like it ok, and didn't find any of the smoke you talked about. Weird how different people experience tea so differently eh?
Now, I am desperate to get healthy again and give this stuff another go!
Dec 23rd, '08, 22:50
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You obvously didn't see that I put my full reveiw in my edited original post eh?Salsero wrote:Well, that's the shortest review you ever did!
Dec 23rd, '08, 23:08
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Oops, I guess my myopia is acting up!tenuki wrote: You obvously didn't see that I put my full reveiw in my edited original post eh?
Excellent review as always. I will copy it to the front page.
That is the Menghai Dayi Early Spring Tuo Cha Pu Er 2005 250g Raw you refer to? I haven't ordered from Gordon in a while. Sounds like the time is ripe to place an order!
Dec 24th, '08, 00:01
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Yup. I lika it, but this is the puershop thread. heh.Salsero wrote:That is the Menghai Dayi Early Spring Tuo Cha Pu Er 2005 250g Raw you refer to?
On the smoke thing. ABx and I have been talking about how we've been noticing how much the weather, specifically atmospheric pressure changes the aroma profiles of tea day to day. If you notice my notes stated that there was almost no aroma on the lid of the gaiwan. The smell of the leaves in the gaiwan are often not what aromas are present in the tea, it's the lid that indicates that usually. It's very possible that there are smokey aromas in this tea that just didn't come out today. I was enjoying Baozhong earlier though and it's aroma was fine, albeit a bit weak over other days.
I still have enough of the tea to sample it again, so will try it again on a day aroma is really popping for me and if it's different I'll post here. However I just checked the barometric pressure here and it's relatively low. (RH ~90 and BP ~1012)
Dec 27th, '08, 01:27
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Added to front page.
2005 Jingmai Ancient Arbor Pu-erh Tea Cake
Despite being elaborated in 2008, the 2005 Jingmai Ancient Arbor Pu-erh Tea Cake at Puerhshop is purportedly composed of mao cha harvested in 2005, thus qualifying for the 2005 designation. Manufactured by Jia Mu Tong, it is a slender 250-gram cake that could be fairly easily disassembled with fingers alone, though I found it easier to attack with the puerh knife in order to loosen just enough for a single session.
(Click photo for longer shot)
The basic masculine pu flavors: saddles, old smoking jackets, and back rooms. Quite pleasant, a bit of oil on the lips, some weight in the mouth, no chaqi to speak of, I didn't notice great hui gan this session (but I still have some sinusitis), just a little rough on the mouth occasionally, but mostly I found the tea soothing and rewarding. It was running out of steam by about the 7th infusion, so I might use a bit more leaf next time.
At $21 per 250-gram cake or 8¢ a gram, it is not inexpensive. At this point I think I would go first for Jim’s Jingmai Mountain Spring Puerh Tea Cake at about half the per gram price.
I've been drinking a run of these darker flavored sheng lately and they make me happy. For a while I was beginning to worry that all sheng had turned light with mushroom and straw flavors.
A Grumbling Addendum
I had some 2007 Xi-Zhi Hao Da Xue Shan recently … what’s the point? Light, bland, thoroughly uninteresting. It seems unthinkable that age will do anything but erase what little character this tea has. I am hoping the Xi-Zhi Hao 8582 and the Dragon Phoenix will prove more interesting.
2005 Jingmai Ancient Arbor Pu-erh Tea Cake
Despite being elaborated in 2008, the 2005 Jingmai Ancient Arbor Pu-erh Tea Cake at Puerhshop is purportedly composed of mao cha harvested in 2005, thus qualifying for the 2005 designation. Manufactured by Jia Mu Tong, it is a slender 250-gram cake that could be fairly easily disassembled with fingers alone, though I found it easier to attack with the puerh knife in order to loosen just enough for a single session.
(Click photo for longer shot)
The basic masculine pu flavors: saddles, old smoking jackets, and back rooms. Quite pleasant, a bit of oil on the lips, some weight in the mouth, no chaqi to speak of, I didn't notice great hui gan this session (but I still have some sinusitis), just a little rough on the mouth occasionally, but mostly I found the tea soothing and rewarding. It was running out of steam by about the 7th infusion, so I might use a bit more leaf next time.
At $21 per 250-gram cake or 8¢ a gram, it is not inexpensive. At this point I think I would go first for Jim’s Jingmai Mountain Spring Puerh Tea Cake at about half the per gram price.
I've been drinking a run of these darker flavored sheng lately and they make me happy. For a while I was beginning to worry that all sheng had turned light with mushroom and straw flavors.
A Grumbling Addendum
I had some 2007 Xi-Zhi Hao Da Xue Shan recently … what’s the point? Light, bland, thoroughly uninteresting. It seems unthinkable that age will do anything but erase what little character this tea has. I am hoping the Xi-Zhi Hao 8582 and the Dragon Phoenix will prove more interesting.
I personally think the 8582 was and is overhyped, but the Dragon Pheonix was slightly underrated. Sure the 8582 is good, but 33 dollars good? Hmmm. I own a bing, and I'm glad I do, I'm just saying looking back I'd have rather purchased 3 Menghai 8582's from 07 or 08 instead. It is made with higher quality leaf though. To each his own.
Also I enjoyed the Da Xue Shan maocha as a simple and easygoing cup. I would never ever purchase a bing, however.
Also I enjoyed the Da Xue Shan maocha as a simple and easygoing cup. I would never ever purchase a bing, however.
Dec 27th, '08, 08:21
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The XZH long feng was a pretty bing, and decent enough, but take away the name and in no way is it worth 30+. I preferred their 8582, but perhaps that's a result of my enjoying that particular blend a lot.thanks wrote:I personally think the 8582 was and is overhyped, but the Dragon Pheonix was slightly underrated. Sure the 8582 is good, but 33 dollars good? Hmmm. I own a bing, and I'm glad I do, I'm just saying looking back I'd have rather purchased 3 Menghai 8582's from 07 or 08 instead. It is made with higher quality leaf though. To each his own.
Also I enjoyed the Da Xue Shan maocha as a simple and easygoing cup. I would never ever purchase a bing, however.
Price/performance ratio vs. the Menghai? No comparison.
I've been having this dilemma myself. Recently I haven't been very impressed or interested with a lot of the young sheng I've been tasting. Perhaps it is that I'm getting used to sheng or the more recent harvests (of the teas i've been trying) have been less then good quality.Salsero wrote:
A Grumbling Addendum
I had some 2007 Xi-Zhi Hao Da Xue Shan recently … what’s the point? Light, bland, thoroughly uninteresting. It seems unthinkable that age will do anything but erase what little character this tea has. I am hoping the Xi-Zhi Hao 8582 and the Dragon Phoenix will prove more interesting.
Ageing is really a concern for me because with these really mellow flavors that are almost non-existant in many recent tastings I can't imagine that age would bring out good stronger enjoyable flavors. I'll have to start getting into some good aged stuff to get an idea of that whole thing.
Dec 30th, '08, 10:17
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2008 Premium Bingdao Arbor Pu-erh Tea Brick by Mengku Banmu
reviewed by BearsBearsBears
http://puerh.blogspot.com/2008/12/2008- ... brick.html
reviewed by BearsBearsBears
http://puerh.blogspot.com/2008/12/2008- ... brick.html
Jan 1st, '09, 19:11
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Just posted an old review of 2004 CNNP Old Tree Cake on the front page. I only found the review because I was searching Google before trying this cake tonight for the first time. Xerarch says essentially the same thing that SilverNeedles said HERE. After trying it myself I will post a review if I have anything different to say or anything to add.
xerarch wrote:I didn't buy the Year of Green Puerh tasting kit, because my encounters with young sheng haven't been happy ones. However, I have sampled the 2004 CNNP Old Tree, so I dug out my notes:
6g in 6 oz gaiwan, 1 rinse.
In/out, then 20s, 30s. Golden amber, noticeably drying. Mild. A subtle sweetness, almost fruity? Continued with 20s, 30s, 1m.
On the one hand, no bitterness or astringency -- on the other hand: boring.