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4g in Gaiwan.

Dry leaf: Colourful; smells of straw/hay.
Wet leaf: Med/high compression. Bright, hot strawberry jam; concentrated herbyness.

Summary: I rate this highly because of the hardcore bitterness and energy. This tea produces the thickest liquor I have come across so far.

Note: I have previously given one of the White2Tea teas a low score for being singularly green – 2012 Ruiyuan NanNuo Old Arbor. That may have been due to my lack of tea experience at that time. This Naka tea is not singularly green and that is why I score it highly. If I ever buy some more of that same White2Tea tea, I will re-review it and possibly score it higher.

5s – Light yellow liquor. Very thick and soft in the mouth – interesting. Complex. There is a light lemon flavour, which suggests an easy drinker, but underneath there is a whirlwind current beginning.
I’m beginning to feel energised: my head feels lighter; my ears have almost popped. Is that the tea or the gin (Hendricks) I had earlier?
10s – Pale yellow liquor. Bit cloudy. Thick and lemony. It is quite bitter on the swallow. It is sweet until the swallow.
15s – Pale yellow liquor. Cloudiness gone. Interesting mix of sweet and sourness; the sourness is the dominant one. I’m getting energised from this tea. It is smooth, lemony, thick and goes down nicely. On each swallow it seems to add more energy.
20s – My head is beginning to race. I was slightly dazed watching this one being poured into my cup. The Streets – ‘Lights Are Blinding My Eyes’ has appeared in my head. That tune is taking over the more mellow -Manu Chao ‘Bongo Bong’. This is one powerful tea. I feel heat in my chest and face. On the swallow it was astringent and bitter; the tea is reminding me that it is strong.
25s – It’s easy drinking now. Lemony with bitterness. Mouth is left dry and bitter.
30s – Lighter yellow liquor. Astringent and bitter, with lemons. The bitterness goes under the tongue; the sweetness hits the roof of the mouth. On the swallow the whole mouth becomes dry and bitter before becoming dry and sweet with sugary sweetness.
Re-boil kettle.
35s – Some bitter raisins have appeared. Lots of bitterness. What started as a gentle, sweet, drink is now hardcore sheng. Peter (the seller) said this is hardcore and he is correct.
~40s – Bitterness on the sip, some sweetness, then heavy on the bitterness.
40s – I can taste some base sheng material, so the end is close.
1 minute – Colour is fading. Mainly bitter, which fades slowly into some sweetness.
2 minutes – Bitter with steady sweetness.

Wow this is good. Full review coming soon.

I recently made my first order to Pu-erh.sk, a pu erh vendor based in Slovakia. I first heard about this vendor from TeaDB (thanks James) and read some reviews by Hobbes. Anyway, after some excellent communication with the seller (Peter) I put in my order. The order was received in less than one week and the packaging was impressive: the box was double cardboard and the contents were padded with foam bits. This is the first tea I have reviewed; there are others on the way…

4g in Gaiwan.

Dry leaf: Loose compression. Nectar/pollen sweetness. A flower on a summer’s day.
Wet leaf: Strong concentrated syrupy sweetness, that is emitted as a constant aroma, rather than one that fades away.

Summary: Soft, sweet and floral/perfumy.
Notes: This session was accompanied by some cheese (Old Amsterdam) in later steeps.

5s – Light, pale yellow liquor. Soft, floral sweetness. Sweet raisins. The flavour swells; the finish fades slowly leaving a sweet raisin finish.
10s – Light, pales yellow liquor. The raisins are brighter. It leaves the mouth dry, but it is not astringent. It makes the mouth water. It is developing a syrupy thickness. It is pleasantly sweet. Not complex. I’m feeling warm. The effects of this tea appear slowly.
15s – Light, pale yellow liquor. A bunch of raisins now. Bitterness cuts through the sweetness to provide friction, which make it interesting. There are no obvious lemons.
20s – Light, pale yellow liquor. Becoming astringent. Lemons have appeared. Raisins in the finish. Dry mouth.

Reboiled kettle.
25s – Darker, pale yellow liquor. Raisins on the front of the tongue; this lingers. Astringent at the end of the cup.
30s – (Eating Old Amsterdam cheese) The raising sweetness softens the strong mature flavour of the cheese.
35s – There are some similarities between tea and cheese, mainly the rounded, sweet flavour.
40s – Has a syrupy consistency that can be felt in the throat on the swallow. Flavour is very much light floral.
1 minute – Dark pale yellow. Base sheng taste of stewed leaves and plums. That means the end of the session.

I fancied a slap in the face tonight and this delivers on that. Sharp and bitter screaming in my face, this gives that bite that only this tea can guarantee everytime.

It may not be the best tea, but it comes in handy when I want something a bit stronger.

Jan-2014
7 grams in a Gaiwan this time.

Consistancy is thick; flavour is well rounded prunes. There is a sweeter flavour that goes under the tongue. The finish lingers with prunes on the back of the throat. This tea is good.

15/12/2014
7g used.
Note#1: The chlorine in later observed in later steeps may have been due to my tap water.
Note#2: This is a subtle tea; it does not have the concentrated herbyness. However; it has a good delivery and form, and I will score it highly for that. The cha qi also contributes to the score.

Dry leaf is colourful with medium compression.
Wet leaf is subdued fruit, complex herbyness and slightly mysterious with some cloudy smoke. This sounds promising.
5s – Interesting. Makes me feel a bit light headed. It’s mild, lightly plummy with no astringency. Super smooth.
10s – Liquor is dark yellow. It has raisins / apricot and they really stand out. Thick fruit with raisins, especially on the swallow. Contrasting bitterness on the swallow. The flavour arrives smoothly, lingers, then fades away; it does not drop off early. This tea is strangely commanding in a subtle way.
15s – Liquor is darkish orange. It is well balanced: the arrival to the finish and the flavour profile are very pleasing throughout. If it were music I’d say it was in the high range and sounding very good.
20s – Apricot, bright plums and raisins in one explosion, then after swallowing the flavour remains before fading away.
25s – Some chlorine, some astringency. I think this would taste better after it cools.
25s – I will have to let this one cool, as it tastes like water from a swimming pool… Still fruity, raisins, getting more astringent.

25g: $17.50 / £11.41
Score considering price = 75

This is a special tea for me because it is the first raw pu erh that I tried. I was in Edinburgh in February 2013 (just last year at the time of writing) and found there were a few tea shops selling what I would regard as not your average teas. I found a tea shop called ‘PekoeTea’ to be a considerable walk, but judging by the list of teas on their website, I had to go there. This tea was recommended to me by a regular of the shop and I was intrigued by how different this tea was from any other I had tried. I recall there being a pungent flavour about it that didn’t appear to fit. Anyway, I recently bought some of it and here is my review.
It’s been one year since I found raw pu erh tea (I actually found cooked pu erh sometime earlier). I’ll raise a cup to all you pu erh fans. I’m currently drinking 2002 YONG PIN HAO “RED YI WU ZHENG SHAN” by Yunnan Sourcing, which has gone up in price for 25grams from $17.50 to $24…

Dry leaf: Loose leaves; colourful, ranging from white to dark green. The aroma is dry, fruity and dusty.
Wet leaf: Fruit; floral.

Summary: Sharp bitterness dominates sweetness to provide a stimulating, mouth-watering experience.

5s – Very well balanced. The bitterness is contrasted by sweetness.
10s – This has a nice bite, not just of bitterness, but of tarty, citrus fruit bitterness that makes the mouth water. Underneath this is a pleasant sweet fruitiness that balances out, but never quite does; the bitterness provides a more bitter than sweet finish. Stimulating stuff.
15s – Sharp, citrus bitterness with some sourness against some plummy sweetness. Great stuff. Resfreshing; stimulating; a joy to drink.
20s – Lemony bitterness.
~60s – This steep worked quite well as a palette cleanser to ease the ammonia taste after having some Camembert.

8 grams in a gaiwan this time and bang! The liquor is very thick in the mouth; the lemons are much fuller, more bitter and the base is thicker and more woody.

4g in Gaiwan.

Dry leaf: Very dark. Loose compression.
Wet leaf: Bird cage, pigeon loft, chicken hut, subdued wet-dog, church (old, dusty, bird cage).
The rinse was dark brown.

Summary: An interesting tea with a church-like flavour that is long lasting, in the number of brews and the after taste.

5s – Liquor is medium brown. It tastes old like a church; subdued raw beetroot skin. It has a good body and a good bite for a tea as old as this. Nice, interesting, complex finish.

I rest the leaves for about 20 minutes.

10s – Liquor is darker brown. Syrupy sweetness on the front of the tongue, bird cage / chicken hut in the body, which intensifies; on the swallow there is a lingering syrupy sweetness and more of the bird cage / chicken hut. It has a good action in the mouth, with the sweetness and body intensifying and thick’ish syrupy liquor. It makes me feel calm.
15s – Dark brown liquor. There is a sweet / bitter friction in the mouth action. It is very smooth and well rounded. It raises you up. No astringency.
20s – Lesser dark brown. It has a good bite. It is lively in the mouth, with the syrupy sweetness. This tea is the Jazz tune that is cool, has a good deep beat and the solo infuses with the rest of the music, giving a muddy, laid back combination. For example: ‘Samba De Uma Mota So’ on the album Jazz Samba by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd.
25 – This tea has had some humid storage. Raw beetroot has arrived. It’s possibly that the syrupy sweetness has opened up and transformed. This tea is now showing signs of 90s Hong Kong storage by White2Tea. If you like that tea, I recommend you give this a try.
30s – A strong, old bookshelf, mustiness is showing. Swirling this tea around the mouth shows a variety of old flavours. Interesting; and it is interesting what I paid my money to find.
40s – Dark brown liquor. More of before.
1 minute – More of before; good stuff. Slightly astringent.
14 minutes – Stronger.

4g in Gaiwan.
Dry leaf: Dark.
Wet leaf: Dark chocolate; electric smoke.
Summary: The darkest cooked pu erh I have had. It has a surprising amount of complexity.

20s – This was a rinse.
20s – Browny liquor. Very mild with an unusual sharp/bitter note, that doesn’t seem to fit.
3 minutes – Dark brown liquor. Dark, sludgy, tarry and bitter. This is a very interesting, heavy going cooked pu erh. Thick mouth feel. It leaves a dry, dark chocolaty flavour, but not a dry mouth. This is the darkest chocolate in the box.
5 minutes – There appears to be a dark version of White2Tea’s 90’s Hong Kong in here. Raw beetroot still in the background. There is some soil and earth. No milky creaminess here. This is Darth Vader.
7 minutes – There is a vegetal, earthy sweetness. The darkness has mainly gone and left the skin of raw beetroot.
15 minutes – Has a raw beetroot / turnip (swede) sweet taste. It would be interesting to do a side by side comparison with White2Tea 90’s Hong Kong with this brew.

I think a bit of background to this tea is useful. This is one of 5 reproductions of 5 ‘master piece’ teas. Jakub gives a less an average review of this tea with, ‘The taste reminded me of bland, sweet wood, with below-average amount of smoke and some camphor. Not too interesting, in my opinion.’ I will give my account of this tea below.
If you like your tea dark then you may like this. I received it as one of two free samples with my order from SampleTea.com.
Dry leaf: Dark; no aroma.
Wet leaf: Bacon profile; dust, toasted fruit, dry smoke from smouldering wood. An old book shelf. Peat smoke.
Summary: Rust nail with smoke.

5s – It is subdued, slight smoke, faint herbyness. It has a matured flavour; that is, it has no sharpness, but it has some complexity.
10s – It is wrapped in the Lapsang Souchong (toasted pines) smoke. Mainly wood, smouldering wood.
25s – Liquor is dark orange. I brewed it longer because I think it needed it. It has astringency. It is more punchy; the smoke is stronger. There is a flavour I cannot describe yet – possibly stewed tea or rust. My empty cup has a strong dry smoky aroma.
25s – Liquor is dark orange again. Dry smoke; tingling sweetness. The profile is not linear, but it is a bit flat.
30s – Smoke. I feel like I’m engulfed in smoke from all angles. Kipper smoke; rusty smoke. Astringent. Good one if you like smoke. It is not a thick smoke like 2013 Yunnan Sourcing “San He Zhai”, but it is constant, a range of smokes and heavy on the smoke.
30s – Didn’t reboil hoping to improve it. The smoke has an element of fishiness in cooked pu erh that has not been aired off.
40s – Less smoke; still flat; woody.
50s – There is a spicy element, which is rusty sweet.

I think this tea has had some humid storage as the liquor colour being bronze suggests this and it has a lack of complexity and clarity, which I find in most dry stored teas.