pu-erh of the day. Sheng or Shou

2005 Rocket Yiwu… good but kinda meh. I think I’m still not ready to transition from young to aged sheng…

Today a 2010 xiaguan jia ji (no boxed). I have uploaded a review.

A good everyday for those who like strong shengs.

2003 Xinghai “Wild Elephant Valley” Aged Ripe
Trying my second Xinghai ripe today after sampling the 2008 Bulang yesterday. This tea tastes very similar to me. You know how you can tell a factory’s distinctive shu flavor? Dayi and Langhe come to mind. Xinghai seems to have its own. Burnt coffee and slight perfume come to mind here. This tea was not so different from the Bulang, just a little smoother, probably due to age, and a hint of fruit in the first steep or two. This tea doesn’t justify the $60 price tag to me, I’d just as soon buy something like the 2008 which is just as good and much cheaper.

I am enjoying 2015 Last Thoughts for the first time. I will probably not review it this time but I would just like to say that if I ever won the lottery, on the shortlist of “Stuff I’d Do/Buy if I Won the Lottery,” somewhere in between “quit my job” and “pay off student loans” is “buy a tong of Last Thoughts.”

1990’s Blue Mark from White2tea. Sweet wood and a bit fruity. Really durable tea, over 20 infusion and still some strength left. Won’t get you tea drunk but it’ll make you feel uplifted and generally happy. Having a bad day? Drink this. Nice example of an older tea with good storage and good base material.

Working on the 2014 Bulang Beauty.
A friend of mine, Pug sent me a sample of some TeaUrchin stuff that made me purchase this cake. Had to pass the blame on to someone.
Nice thick wrapper on this one. I broke off about 11 grams to brew in the Gaiwan.
I gave a rinse and a little sit time before starting out. This carries a nice sweetness to it.
First brew are 5 seconds. The tea carries the sharpness and bitterness of a Bulang tea without being as intense as some. Still strong and still punchy. The tea is almost thick and viscous that coats the mouth and tongue in a good way.
Kuwei is nice and it causes some salivation between sips. There is just a hint of floral in there somewhere. Aftertaste lingers with this one.

Flavors: Bitter, Floral, Sweet, warm grass

2009 Hai Lang Hao “Jin Hao Gong Bing” Ripe by Yunnan Sourcing
Not to be confused with the 2012 version of this tea with the same name, that some of you apparently own (but have yet to review! Come on, people!). This is very good tea. It has that signature Hai Lang Hao ripe profile – tangy chocolate, very coffee like. These flavors dissipate, though, after just a few steeps, when the tea becomes a bit bland.

Last of my 15 Huang Shan Gushu sample… at 80 dollars for 400g, I will absolutely be buying the cake.

Today I went back to my Puerhshop order and tried another ripe tea, the 2015 Zenpuer 1501 Year of the Goat Ripe Puerh Tea Cake 357g. This tea was good but this tea was not spectacular. For the price it was good I guess you could say. It was only $16.99. There was quite a lot of fermentation flavor to it. It was dark and rich in the first few infusions. I am not sure If I’d say notes of chocolate but that is not out of bounds. It was fairly sweet as ripe puerhs go. I did develop a fruity taste in the latter steeps. I gave it eight steeps and I think it would have gone at least five or six more judging by the color of the tea in the eighth steep. Overall this was an enjoyable tea. I did not notice any qi so to speak but it may hit me as I finish my last steeps.

15 Zao Qiao Di from my box of YS samples:
I like it. It’s already got something of an aged-funk to it, so I feel that this one would benefit from aging more than a very clean vibrant tea like the Huang Shan Gushu (which is perfect as it is). It tastes earthy, like wet hay, and also has a sweet minty quality.