2014 Laos Ban Komaen (Black) Gu Shu Raw – Chawangshop
Price: £33.68 ($48.00) 200g cake = £0.17 ($0.24) /g.
8g in gaiwan.
80/100
Summary: A pleasant tea which exhibits a fresh delivery of medium bitter lemon notes and a lingering honey sweet finish. Endurance lacks, but what shines here is the good form, good slightly oily body, and slight complexity in the early steeps.
Dry: Med bright, concentrated herbal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAaNlvxIDmlh1ssocQFIkpCIoED9O2ANlKq8o00
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAaOPFtIDn1CyayVrkAxrRuXmw9HP2epKaJ5FM0
Wet: Straw, med bright concentrated herbal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAfuRFTIDlYiOIQYvhmvnNveuOSFeuF9UNzhFY0
Rinse: Light yellow
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAfpCs2IDrVDMscZdCZXaG3y8hRljxEdvLfwFo0
5s – Light yellow. Juicy raisin sweetness with brighter sweetness returning after the swallow. Good body. 82/100
10s – Light yellow. There is a fresh fruitiness that is in most young shengs. However, this one is a little restrained and carries a little astringency – very pleasant though. Has a decent thickness to the flavour. 83/100
15s – Light yellow/orange. Well rounded flavour. Bitterness is not as sharp as a Naka, and it is met with a honey-like sweetness. I detect a light oiliness in here which is a plus. 84/100
20s – Light yellow/orange. The sip has a concentrated bitter lemon and sweet note, reminding me of honey and lemon flavoured drink for cold and flu. Flavours are a bit cloudy. For example the base becomes a bit clay like and astringent, spoiling that pleasant sweetness. 80/100
25s – Light/med yellow/orange. Flavour is thin, mainly a deep straw note. The bitterness has faded and the sweetness is cloudy. 76/100
30s – Light/med yellow/orange. Getting astringent; losing flavour. 75/100
35s – Light yellow/orange. Flat. Still a little bitterness with a quick sweetness, but the juicyness and vibrancy have gone. 72/100
Flavors: Honey, Lemon
Preparation
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Comments
Have you had the HeKai from them?
I did. I suspect chawangpu’s teas need more than a month to acclimate to the cold dry northeastern winters since both the He Kai and Meng Song are somewhat stale and flat tasting at the moment.
I agree. I rarely drink them fresh out of the box myself. I am just now getting to the Pin from the W2T November club tea.
I have a cake of the 2015 Hekai. I reviewed that here: http://steepster.com/tea123/posts/321995
I agree with mrmopar and tanluwils, you may want to air cakes from them a bit longer and any cakes in the drier/cold seasons. I received YS’s order today after a long voyage and I’m going to hold up until probably end of feb or mid march to give them a try.
Thank you for the advice. If it makes the tea taste better then I will give it a try.
Have you had the HeKai from them?
I did. I suspect chawangpu’s teas need more than a month to acclimate to the cold dry northeastern winters since both the He Kai and Meng Song are somewhat stale and flat tasting at the moment.
I agree. I rarely drink them fresh out of the box myself. I am just now getting to the Pin from the W2T November club tea.
I have a cake of the 2015 Hekai. I reviewed that here: http://steepster.com/tea123/posts/321995
I agree with mrmopar and tanluwils, you may want to air cakes from them a bit longer and any cakes in the drier/cold seasons. I received YS’s order today after a long voyage and I’m going to hold up until probably end of feb or mid march to give them a try.
Thank you for the advice. If it makes the tea taste better then I will give it a try.