41 Tasting Notes

85

This is an excellent example of an “earthy” pu erh. The flavor is that of deep woods, moss, birch, but with a surprising smooth character that lends to easy drinking. This is probably one of those polarizing teas, either love it or hate it but for those that enjoy the earthy flavor of ripe pu erh tea, this one is excellent. I don’t quite like it as much as the 2010 yongede golden buds loose leaf, but the golden buds appears to be sold out at JK and only this available last I checked. This is part of my daily drinking rotation of ripe pu erh teas. I also find it does well to sooth the stomach after a heavy meal.

Flavors: Dark Wood, Earth, Moss

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 6 OZ / 185 ML

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93

I took this tea on vacation with me after scoring it during Mandala’s 50% off sale! After a couple sessions, the verdict is in. This tea is delicious! Even my wife loved it, and she really doesn’t like many pu erh’s but this one was a hit! Dark and rich with creamy overtones of smooth cocoa with undertones of spice and subtle (very subtle) earthiness. This tea has really nice cha qi too, invigorating and uplifting energy. I went through about 9 steepings in a small gaiwan and could have gone a couple more… this tea gives and gives! Another gem from Mandala tea!

Flavors: Cocoa, Smooth, Spices

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 4 OZ / 130 ML

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91

When I saw Mandala added this loose leaf pu erh to it’s site, I knew I’d be buying some sooner or later. Thanks to a 50% off sale it was sooner! My first impression was that this tea is young, I feel like it has not reached it’s full flavor profile… like there were some flavors in this tea lurking beneath the surface that time has not allowed to fully develop. I can tell this tea has great potential! The liquor was dark, much darker than I expected and I was pleased. The flavor was two toned with spice and and a smooth earthy sweetness. As I got into the 3rd and 4th steepings it hit me… this tea has some AMAZING cha qi!!! In fact I’d say this tea has the cha qi of an aged sheng. I’m probably going to go the delayed gratification route and keep this one for storage to allow it to develop it’s full flavor profile, sampling a couple times a year. I’m a big fan!

Flavors: Earth, Spices, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 6 g 6 OZ / 185 ML

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99

AMAZING!!! This aged sheng pu erh is full of complexity. Sweet, earthy, very very mild bitterness (less than most sheng), spice, straw, air this tea keeps me present during sessions to appreciate all the subtleties of it’s flavor and character. The BEST cha qi I’ve ever experienced in a tea. Available at thechineseteashop.com When I first sampled this tea in their store I was on lunch break from a seminar I was attending, I was transported into tea heaven and completely lost track of time and was 2 hours late back to the seminar. I did not care, as I had just had one of the best tea experineces of my life. I bought a cake at the then price of $150 and it’s good enough that I’m considering getting another for long term storage. This tea would get a 100, except I’m the type of person that believes in the possiblity of something better that I just haven’t tried yet. This tea will be hard to beat though, I just love it! Truly a gift and a pleasure to taste this tea.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 6 OZ / 185 ML
Cwyn

Wait, what? Tea that results in forgetting work? Sold, in for one.

awilsondc

Hahaha, it was probably a combination of teas… the culmination of the tea journey I was on. I entered the shop and they were in the middle of a session of aged 80’s liu an which they offered me to sit in on, we then sampled an aged 80’s sheng which was phenomenal. After a tea lesson from Daniel at The Chinese Tea Shop I was ready to buy this tea, but he said NO! You have to try it first! :) So we sampled this one along with a 90’s sheng/shou combo which I also ended up buying. The culmination of the whole experience was a feeling I will not forget. And hey, who cares about work anyhow… :)

Cwyn

Ok doc I just got this cake in the mail today. It does look rather aged, has a wet storage smell but not real intense, and was in a plastic bag too. It seems like it was well taken care of. I will let it air out a couple days and try and repeat the experience you had, also because a follow up with a bit of shou like you had is prudent on the system. I’ve learned that from our other doc on here Yang-chu.

Cwyn

Btw, found it on Taobao for about $30, or a bit less if you want to accept a more bug bitten wrapper.

mrmopar

Cwyn please share the link….Please…. :)

awilsondc

Did you get it from taobao then? I’m also curious about that link! Let us know how you like it!

Cwyn

It is jiujiucha.taobao.com. There are two cakes on the page, the bug bitten one at the top is a “Storm Deal,” the one further down the shop page is the same, I think. Mrmopar, you might recall Hobbes reviewed this cake awhile back. I think it is a 2001 myself, but what do I know.

mrmopar

Woo Hooo Thanks! I will check it out and Hobbes notes on it.

mrmopar

Who is your broker for Taobao?

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45

I’m a fan of lao cha tou teas for the most part, but not this one. It has a very unique taste of rose buds and red wine that I wasn’t all that into. Not to say you won’t like it, but it was not for me. This tea was still relatively young so I’ll keep it for a few years and see if it improves but I wasn’t all that impressed.

Flavors: Red Wine, Rose

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 7 g 6 OZ / 185 ML

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93

I first tried this tea as a sample on the summit of a mountain after a nice hike with a friend. I was very impressed! Soft earthy flavor, but not overpowering, with a similar scent that fills the nose as you drink, hints of chocolate with smooth finish and delightful cooling sensation left behind in the aftertaste. I liked it enough I bought a cake from a private dealer when I got home and have been enjoying it every week or two since.

Flavors: Camphor, Earth, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 6 OZ / 185 ML

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95

One of my favorite Dayi teas! Smooth and mellow with big body, not too earthy. This is a well balanced shou pu er, perfect to introduce someone to pu er for the first time. I’ve read that at one time this was the highest quality tea they would export over seas. Back in the day, if the was the best you could get, you were still savoring some delicious tea! Good cha qi too, this is one of my favorites!

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 6 OZ / 185 ML

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93

I bought this tea several years ago and was not impressed. Not realizing that I had already tried it, I bought another tuocha and was thoroughly impressed the second time around! Prepared in a gaiwan, the first 3 steepings were rich and creamy, dark with notes of coca and molasses. The following few steepings opened up with the sweetness spreading out and hints of floral earthiness coming out. The tea leaves to not steep very many times, but this is a great tea.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 4 OZ / 130 ML

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92

This variety is often touted as one of the best ripe pu-erh’s out there, but I must say it did not live up to the hype. That’s not to say this tea is not good, in fact it is very good, but not the best. I have had 5-10 variteies that I enjoy more, but the Golden Needle White Lotus is indeed an excellent tea. For me it’s lacking in complexity. The tea liquor is smooth and sweet and goes down with almost no effort or resistence. The taste is slightly malty, sweet, with very little earthy taste. Again, there is very little complexity which was disappointing, but this is still a top notch Dayi tea. At the price though… I’m not sure I’ll be buying another cake. I’ll just ration out the one I have now. :)

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 6 OZ / 185 ML

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97

This is one of my favorite ripe pu-erh’s! WOW! Extremely complex for a shou, and well balanced. There are initial overtones of earth and spice, with smoothness coming on the sides of the tongue and some sweetness as you finish the drink. The spice characteristic is unique to this tea, which I have not tasted in very many other pu-erh’s, and I enjoy it very much. I have retired this tea for now, storing one cake whole and another broken up to speed up aging. This tea should get even better with a couple more years of aging. I can’t wait to see what this tea brings as the years go by! I plan to sample every 4-6 months until I feel it’s fully ready. In the mean time, I bought some of the loose leaf variety for consumption now which I am eagerly awaiting from Mandala Tea. :) I really should buy a couple more cakes before it’s gone forever! Excellent, excellent tea!

Flavors: Cocoa, Earth, Molasses, Spices

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 185 OZ / 5471 ML

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Chiropractor, mountain climber, husband, father… chinese tea lover.

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