John Grebe Send Message

Another free sample from Puerhshop. I am not really sure how to evaluate a semi aged puerh as it did not start out like this and under proper storage a cake of this will not remain like this long term. This tea does not have any of the harshness or smoke that is common in young puerh and is in an state now that it could likely easily be mistaken for a sweeter green oolong that is not floral.

I brewed a heaping teaspoon of leaf in a mug infuser. The brew is light overall but has more depth than most light greens as it has a somewhat light smooth sweetness to that I am not sure how to describe beyond mellow.

As always with mini-bricks I split it down the middle to half its thickness to increase the brewing surface area. As one that generally does not like mini brick puerh, even premium quality ones I have to admit that this is clearly the best one yet. It is a soft edges and a very distinct mellow Menghai scent which has sadly been becoming more rare even among Menghai area shu productions in my experience. I was also impressed by the fact that I could get a good five brews out of the leaves and the sixth brew was weak but still drinkable, which is saying a lot considering that I like my ripe puerh very strong. Too bad I just placed a large puerh order otherwise I would seriously consider ordering some of these.

Before brewing I split the mini brick in half down the middle to decrease the thickness to avoid having problems of it not wanting to open up enough to brew properly. Overall a decent ripe puerh that holds true to the vendor claims but without a doubt the 2011 MGH 1108 brick is a bit better so unless you really want the mini brick style I would say go with that one instead.

This tea as part of a one brew sized sample does not come off as too impressive at the moment. It is not bitter or harsh to say but it comes off as tasting a bit flat. I’m do not know enough about sheng puerh to know if this is the normal awkward stage between young sheng and aged sheng where it needs to be set aside to age more or if it is just a bad tea that sat around for 6 years.

This tea delivers what it promises of a sweet and easy drinking cheap everyday puerh. Smooth but not silky as while it has a pleasant lack of rough edges it does not come close to entering into silky (creamy) territory. I also like how it is the first Puerh Shop private label ripe puerh that is just a simple brick and not the mini bricks that never work out as planned.

This is my first Dancong oolong and the first that I found within the price range that I am willing to pay for oolong. This tea likely needs a second rinse as the first infusion was not that good but the second one was a lot better with a softer and mostly sweeter brew with a slight edge of bitterness that sortof resembles a Wuyi but a bit more floral and sweeter, and while I would not call it honey like myself I can understand why many will describe Dancong as being like honey. The infusions afterword stay the same before they slowly fade away in a way that continues to be enjoyable. So to its credit this tea does a good job at dying well although for the most part it is not one that I am overly impressed with.

The first thing that surprised me about this sample was the lack of bitterness despite the vendor description of it being bitter and strong. Maybe it has mellowed out that much if it was written in 2009 or it may be that my sample came from the hardest bottom center of the cake which is not opening up that much despite repeated brewing. Regardless the end result is a more mild sheng puerh that was nice drinking as a free sample but not one that I have any plans on buying after getting to try it.

Overall I find this a fairly sweet and rounded edged ripe puerh that is overall light in its feel and taste. Overall a good light puerh but I do not think it is worth a few cents short of $30 for a 450g brick, so I am very glad that this is a free sample that I’m drinking.

I only had a small sample of this tea which is less than I normally use for brewing ripe puerh so my review might be a little off. Even with longer brews than normal in a partially filled gaiwan I was not able to experience the thickness described by the vendor but I can say it has a slight hint of silkiness. Although I can say that it is a mellow and sweet as described, but it does have a clean richness to it overall.