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“ordered a cake from TWL and had it sit with a Boveda for a few weeks, but I don’t think it actually rehydrated… the dry leaf aroma is usually stronger (more noticeable with young sheng though) when...” Read full tasting note
This tea is produced by a small Hong Kong teahouse that has been in the business for more than a hundred years. The maker of this tea, Ms. Connie Ngai, spends around 6 weeks every spring in northern Yiwu to press one line of cakes per year from the same area, a high altitude old forest “yesheng” gushu on land which is now part of the state-protected “guoyoulin” forest. As a result, this tea is a single-origin but internally blended tea. Ms. Ngai has several decades of experience producing puerh tea, but also drinking and studying aged puerh, oolong and white tea.
We feel it is important to carry this tea, not only to demonstrate a different part of Yiwu than one usually finds from most Taiwanese makers, and not only because of the powerfully good base material, but also to show an excellent blending and processing style, aimed at showing this tea at its best for the long term.
For those who have tried the 2006 DTH Yiwu, this tea is similar, but with stronger compression and with slightly more smoke. A powerful tea, with excellent material, processing, and storage.
Single cake of approximately 400 grams, in a white wrapper.
Company description not available.
ordered a cake from TWL and had it sit with a Boveda for a few weeks, but I don’t think it actually rehydrated… the dry leaf aroma is usually stronger (more noticeable with young sheng though) when it’s properly hydrated and the cake weight measured only around 370g, so 30g less than expected. Today’s session seemed sleepy and was consistent w/ when teas have dried out. It’s been very cold in my apartment despite keeping the thermostat 68-70 constantly. It’s not explicitly drafty, but my parents’ house the thermostat at 65 keeps the place downright toasty, whereas I’ve been wearing a shirt and sweater around here and still feel cold. I’m not sure if i should consider a hotbox-lite set up just to keep my teas at a more friendly and consistent holding temp.
anyway. 5.2/90/212, one rinse. fruit, smoke, and wood on wet leaf.
1: a restrained vegetal, almost minty taste. good texture. heady, slowing and settling. extends into throat.
2: darker and an engaging bitterness, in a juicy, gripping way.
3: not much change from here on out and lightens from here. texture is lighter, and slight floral aroma presence in throat remains for the rest of the steeps. something about the aftertaste reminds me of the end feeling on the tongue from biting into raw olives.
It’s clear that it’s good, but I think the session today came up a bit short of expectation and reinforces why I don’t like to brew puer for guests. Too many variables at play. So much easier to easily impress with a random green tea.
