Bana Tea Company

I’ve been neglecting my pu-erh a bit lately but I had a big meal in Chinatown and a nice shu just seems like the perfect thing to have afterwards. This is the last of this sample, sadly. Earthy and smoky, see my previous tasting notes. I hope this one does not keep me awake too long tonight. I may have to stop after 2 or 3 steeps.

Time for some shu this morning…. :)

I gave these leaves a quick rinse and am using about 1 tsp. of leaf in the gaiwan. I tossed out the first infusion, a lot of times I don’t drink those.

2nd infusion: This tea has a very intense woodsy aroma, almost smoky like. Very assertive, a bit too strong. Steeped for 30 seconds.

3rd infusion: steeped for 10 seconds. This tea is a beautiful dark orange/brown. Color is like burnt sienna. I am picking up on so many complex flavors. Woodsy, smoky, but also with a tiny hint of plum. Smelling a bit of the camphor here.

4th infusion: 20 seconds – getting a bit more mellow. Smoke is leaning into mustiness. Some chestnut and caramel notes are starting to surface here and the camphor is retreating. This may be my favorite infusion so far. This tea is very meditative, almost spiritual.

5th infusion: 30 seconds. Here I am starting to pick up on the lychee flavor. This is turning into a delicate mouthfeel.

Wow, this really is a great tea! I think I would have rated it a little bit higher if not for all the camphor but it is really an intense and wonderful tasting experience. I do recommend checking it out! It is quite fun!

I am so excited – I ordered a raw pu-erh sampler and a cooked pu-erh sampler from the Bana Tea Company and picked them up at the post office today!

These are really very nicely packaged. Each tea comes in a glassine envelope with a label and then they are stored together in a sheer organza bag. Also included are little brochures about the company and the tea. You know I will have fun drinking these! :)

I first picked this one to try. For a sheng of this age I was very surprised at how mellow it was. Steeped in the gaiwian – first infusion for two minutes and subsequent infusions for 30 seconds.

First infusion is very intense – leaves have a honey like aroma after being brewed. It is a sweet, mellow taste with hints of peach and a bit of maltiness. You get that pu-erh aged flavor on the back of your tongue.

Second and third infusions – the leaves are smelling a bit like a clean mountain lake. Fruitiness is giving way to a mineral like quality which tingles on the back of my tongue.

Fourth infusion – I believe I am picking up on the flavor that others have described as adzuki bean. A bit sweet and caramely.

Overall this has been a really great raw pu-erh experience with lots of flavors and tastes. I am getting a relaxing buzz from this. It is very sweet and soulful. I wonder how it will get different with age? Might have to consider picking up the entire cake but will wait until I try the others! Very yummmy.

First steep: very green with a sweetness

Secod steep: a muddiness is coming out now. It tales like a muddy grass yard smells.

Third: it’s become lighter. A barely-there “generic tea” taste as the finish and sthe muddiness has turned to gravel dust.

So far I’d say this is a good tea but not a favorite in pu-erhs, for me.

First pouring had a nice light but rich earthy tone with only the tiniest bit of the fishy taste. As in, I usually have a hard time with that aspect of pu’erhs but it made a nice touch in this.

Second, basically the same but a little stronger.

I won’t go on. I’ll just say this is one I like.

First infusion: pretty muddy tasting. Really, it tasted like muddy creeks smell like. It wasn’t horrible, though -just weird to taste that so strong in a tea. It smelled and lightly tasted of fish. Got no sweetness from it.

Second infusion: Still smells and tastes a bit fishy/muddy. But this steep is much milder, with a bit of a pleasant but not quite sweet finish. I’m liking this more, we’ll see how the other steepings go.

This is light for a pu-erh, though still flavorful. Smooth and pleasantly complex… apricot and smoke, with just a touch of astringency on the finish. It has a faint undertone of the typical earthiness, but even with that and the smokiness, it’s not at all dark. Because of its natural sweetness, this is also nice chilled.

Loved this tea. Inhaling the first steam from the rinse elicited a rare, spontaneous “wow” that pretty much held through to the final sip. The brew doesn’t have the dark intensity of other puerhs I’ve tried — it’s more silky than velvety yet somehow equally satisfying in its subtlety. A little smoky but very clean. I’d agree with the company’s “malty” description, but in an understated, well-balanced way; it’s a great full-mouth flavor that’s reminiscent of the gentle, rich scent of leaves walking through the woods in autumn. There is mild astringency after a long brew, but that wouldn’t deter me from drinking it frequently, because it is delicious.

I’m pretty useless at describing tastes but I love this puerh – it has a really full mouth feel and very balanced taste.

This tea gave a very unexpected experience, as far as puerhs go.

The leaves are a nice teal-green with white flakes throughout. I detected a sweet malty peach aroma from the leaves and expected a typical sheng pu: peachy and a little harsh but pleasant; however there was none of that. Instead, after the first rinse, the aroma was malty and creamy like that of milk tea. I was totally blown away by how different this puerh tasted. The flavor was very complex from the first infusion: tastes of grains, honey, anise, beans, and licorice. A very savory tea with a lot for the tongue to ponder. The mouth-feel was very smooth and creamy, full-bodied and not a hint of dryness.

Even though the tea had some very good qualities, I have to say in the end I did not enjoy it very much. The red-tea, ceylon taste was just a bit too weird for me. Just not my ‘cup of tea,’ if you will. However, definitely worth a try.

So been going pretty strong with this pu-erh kick, and here is another one. After reading Ricky a few weeks ago, I decided to order this sampler (7 different pu-erh teas) to give it a shot. The presentation is fantastic, individual sealed wax paper bags all housed in a silky drawstring bag, along with some pu-erh newsletters ad information sheets, lovely.

The tea itself looked actually purple, I am not sure if that is why this is named or there is another reason, but they were dark, very dark, practically purple. I used less tea than normal as I have been trying to get a few brews out of this, but a quick rinse (5 seconds) then two quick brews (1 for 20 seconds, 1 for 30 seconds).

The liquor is light in color, has a slightly earthy note to it, but barely any aroma at all. The aroma and then taste and mouthfeel is very light and pleasant, not what I have come to expect from pu-erh, at all. This one was definitely sweeter than others I have tried, did not have the overpowering natural smell, in fact I feel like either I could have used more tea or a longer infuse time.

Honestly, if this was my first pu-erh (Numi Chocolate aside) I would have never had any trepidations as this was sweet and light and gentle, with a slightly pu-erh-esqueness that I am familiar with but does not scream “pu-erh”.

Will brew up the rest and see if I can add more.

This was another of the teas I tried in the 7-tea sampler set from Bana Tea Co. The three things that struck me about this tea were:

1) The name was lovely, and so poetic.
2) The leaves were similarly lovely and poetic. Very big, fluffy leaves with lots of silver buds laced throughout, like moonlight dancing through the trees.
3) The flavor of this tea tasted to me like a high mountain Ceylon tea, but smoother and sweeter..!!

I suppose the varietal of tea plant from which Ceylons come is related to the teas used in Yunnan for puerh, but this was a complete surprise to me. The flavor was sweet and malty. Reading over the description of how this tea was made, perhaps the oxidation of the raw tea explains the ceylon-esque qualities.

But for whatever reason, the tea was fruity, smooth, malty, and very unique! It highlights the way that puerhs can taste completely different.

The sampler would be great for someone who would like to taste the wide array of flavors and characteristics that are possible in the world of puerh teas.

I got this tea in Bana Tea Co.’s sampler set of seven teas.

This is just a sidenote, but I love the presentation of the teas at Bana.. many tea companies randomly toss the tea in whatever boxes or containers may be at hand, with no explanation.

Bana’s tea sampler was a mere $10, and yet it came in a cute little silken drawstring bag, with each tea carefully labeled in a vellum envelope, and sealed with a Bana Tea sticker. The order also came with printouts of the past 2 company newsletters, a pamphlet explaining each tea in the sampler, and a printout of common puerh FAQs. The entire package just oozed care and love for the teas enclosed. Before even trying the teas, the packaging reflected the care with which the teas were probably sought and selected. Many tea companies would do good to take note in my opinion!

Sorry, tangent over. Onto the tea!

The leaves of this tea were small and unassuming. Tightly compressed, olive in color. After a quick rinse they had a musky, earthy aroma. Spinach, old library books, and a touch of sourness. A sweet finish followed the sour, but from the aroma, I could tell I was in for a pretty strong brew!

The cup itself was a dark orangey-red—quite dark for a 2008 puerh! Then again, it probably was not stored in rainy, cold, dry climates where I tend to live. :) There’s something to be said for proper storage..

At first sip, the tea was a strong, dark chocolate mousse flavor. Following was a homemade applesauce note lingering in my throat. I like the description that says that this tea has a lot more chi/qi than most cakes its age.. it definitely has a lot of strength and maturity to it.

It’s still a bit strong for my usual tastes, but I could see how it would age really well. It was the perfect tea to energize me on a day where my energy was lagging!

This is a really lovely tea. Unfortunately I didn’t take notes like I usually do when I try a new tea, so I can’t remember my exact impressions.

However, I do remember being pleasantly surprised by how smooth and sweet it was. It was very flavorful and rich, like with a strong walnut and maple syrup notes. There was just a tad bit of earthy mushroom flavor that complemented the sweetness as well. Another complex, rich treat from Bana Tea Co.

I purchased the puerh tasting sampler from Bana Tea Co. They were all so delicious, but this one is definitely my favorite!

I tend to lean toward sweeter, smoother puerhs with a lot of complexity and just a tad bit of a bite at the end. This Xiaguan fit the bill perfectly.

It’s an ’05 harvest and at first I was surprised at how oxidized the leaves were already.. they were kind of small and broken up with twiggy bits, not particularly exciting to look at. However, the proof is in the teacup!

The rinsed leaves gave off an enticing sweet, apricot jam and maple syrup aroma. I also picked up a camphor and pine. There was also this savory seaweed quality to it—but also a sugary raisin note at the finish. If the aroma alone was so complex, I was excited to try out the tea itself.

It didn’t disappoint, for me. I relished the sweetness with just a tad astringency, like a dry white wine. It was smoky, earthy, sweet, and ethereal all at the same time. A tea of contradictions and balance. I’m one happy tea drinker right now!

Started the day with this one today. Wrote a proper review on my blog, but thought I’d just mention briefly what I thought here.

It’s a delicious tea, and changes quite remarkably from one infusion to the next. The first infusion was very smooth, with a nice nutty sweetness. As it cooled I noticed that the tea was showing some tartiness in the mouth. With the next few infusions, the liquor was much darker, but it strikes a good balance between that earthiness that you typically find with pu-erh, and citrus and almond flavours. Very delicious.

Got a buzz after drinking; don’t plan on going anywhere.

Bana suggests brewing time for infusions from 10 seconds (1st infusion) to 8 minutes (10th infusion). However, I brew for approx 3-5 mins so I only use two infusions. Drank after eating and it settled my stomach but there wasn’t much of a camphor taste, which I didn’t mind. Very smooth.