Help identifying a few cakes

[Nighttrain]

Thanks! Not inexpensive is right... I'll keep an eye out for Lao ban'e samples for now, but seems like generally bulang-area and Lincang might be my sweet spots?

[Nighttrain]

Also: when would the earliest spring 2016 pu start showing up online? Would those be the most bitter?

[mr mopu]

Also: when would the earliest spring 2016 pu start showing up online? Would those be the most bitter?

Pre-ming tea would probably be picked in march or April. The tea harvested may be available in April or thereafter.

[PurplePotato]

Perhaps you'd like kuding cha? Not a puer, or even a camellia for that matter, but I've herd it's intensely bitter. You might also find YS's Xin Ban Zhang to your liking. I really enjoyed a sample of it, but not quite enough to plop down for a cake.

[stevorama]

Perhaps you'd like kuding cha? Not a puer, or even a camellia for that matter, but I've herd it's intensely bitter.

Intensely bitter indeed! A pure bitter. With sweet after. I have a couple kinds (in spike and ball form) that I got out of curiosity. Not my cup of tea so to speak, but interesting.

[bellmont]

Also: when would the earliest spring 2016 pu start showing up online? Would those be the most bitter?

Pre-ming tea would probably be picked in march or April. The tea harvested may be available in April or thereafter.

Well if your misty peaks then any week now

anyway,

I have had pretty decent experiences sampling Tea Urchin's own pressings from 2011-2014, if you can front the cash earlier in your puerh education then I'd grab a few Tea Urchin samples to compare to chawang and YS.

[Nighttrain]

thanks! Tea Urchin, White 2 Tea and Crimson Lotus are next on my to try list. I want a better idea of what I like before I order from Tea Urchin because their shipping is so expensive.

[Exempt]

no - what is Luo Man'e?

It's a different are that tea is produced from. Some say it is akin to turpentine.
Here is one I sampled a while back. Not an inexpensive tea for sure.
http://teaurchin.com/shop-for-tea/puer/ ... pring.html

I love strong, bitter teas and the Teaurchin Lao man' e used to be to die for. I purchased their 2012 Lao man' e cake, as well as a half kilo of the 2012 lao man' e ku cha moacha. Half the kilo has been airtight and half has been open in my pumidor. Haven't tried their more recent lao man'e but if it's anything like the old stuff it's worth buying.

Their lao ban zhang also used to be very good, if you like strong bulangs. I'm not sure if they still offer any, but I picked up a 100g of 2011 lao ban zhang maocha from them that's the best LBZ I've tasted. Still have 80 grams or so

[Nighttrain]

thanks! Lao Man'e seems right down my alley - will be grabbing a sample when I give Tea Urchin a try - or if any of the other shops snag some soon.

[Nighttrain]

Is there such a thing as a tea with Lao Man'e "character" without the associated price tag?

[shah82]

All you have to do is get a cheap factory tea and overbrew it. Voila, bitterness.

If you want the better sort of bitterness, you have to pay for it.

[Nighttrain]

Ya ya ya - I'm thinking more are there regions nearby, not as well know, that might also have that turpentine taste but without the price tag associated with the Lao Man'e name - I'm not talking cheap, just less than $150

[mr mopu]

Ya ya ya - I'm thinking more are there regions nearby, not as well know, that might also have that turpentine taste but without the price tag associated with the Lao Man'e name - I'm not talking cheap, just less than $150

You could always split a cake with someone. Shah is right , the good stuff does cost. The New Amerykah from White2Tea has some bitterness but nowhere like the Lao Man E.

[shah82]

$150 is fine. You just have to find someone willing to press very bitter teas.

Go for the YunnanSourcing Jie Liang cakes as substitutes. Grab a sample and see if that sort of bitterness works for you.

$150 is also plenty enough to get sophisticated light bitterness found in better Mengku teas like Mushucha at YS, again.

[Nighttrain]

Pretty sure I'm going to pony up for the Tea Urchin Lao Man'e 2015 - unless someone else comes out with one in the meantime