2012 EoT Bulang

Second TTB review. I admittedly started this session not expecting much as most Bulangs I’ve tried have been harshly bitter and overall disappointing. Glad to say this tea was anything but that. This was rich, thick and oily. Bitterness was fairly strong but not at all harsh, in fact it was of the most enjoyable parts of the session. The kind of bitterness you would get from both high quality espresso and semi sweet chocolate. Those flavors were the most dominate in the flavor as well along with caramel, brown sugar. Some dark dried fruits and mushrooms were also present but in the background and didn’t make their way to the forefront till the end of the session. Coated the mouth and throat well which led to a strong and long lasting aftertaste. Big floral bloom in the mouth upon breathing out which was a bit surprising since it didn’t show up in the taste. Maybe it was there when younger but has been aged out by the excellent Malaysian storage. Qi came on fairly quickly, by the second cup or so and lasted throughout the session. Not overly strong but persistent and of good quality, best way I can describe it is I felt pretty damn awesome lol.

Glad to have finally had a great session with a Bulang tea and any MengHai county tea in general. Finding good high quality west banna sheng (without paying through the nose) seems to be very difficult as compared to tea from Mengla county.

A little surprised that this was not on Steepster, so thought I would have a tasting session with this. I still have roughly half a cake left from the cake that I bought last year. I was pretty impressed with it last year, but was curious to see how it would develop over a year. Here are my notes…

How many leaves you choose to brew really depends on how much bitterness you want. I personally love the bitterness found in Bulang puerh so I used 9 grams in my 130ml yixing. Dry leaves smell pleasantly sweet. Boil the kettle and let the water cool down for 2-3 minutes. A quick 3 second rinse and I smell the wet leaves…“biscuit” Bulang aroma that smells potently rich.

My first proper steep at 7 seconds. Nice golden texture. Sipping the brew I am slightly taken aback by how mellow this tastes. Smooth, buttery mouthfeel, honey sweet notes, no bitterness in the background. “Very elegant” I think to myself.

Second steep slightly longer at 10 seconds. Texture is now darker golden. I take a sip and there it is…liquid has become pretty thick now, lovely, complex bitterness with sweetness in the aftertaste, mild astringency. Already starting to feel some good energy from this.

Third steep at 15 seconds. Colour is even darker, and mouthfeel at its thickest. I decide to sip this once it has cooled down a bit. Rich, robust, heavy, bitterness still pushing through like a champ, good sweetness, still the mild astringency which is really rounding off everything nicely on the tongue and at the back of the throat. The initial energy I felt has now been replaced by a relaxed mind and body, making me feel just about ready for bed. This is a seriously solid Bulang.

Later steeps and the “biscuit” Bulang aroma from the wet leaves is nearly gone…I can now sense a more “flowery” aroma. The bitterness is starting to fade in the taste, and I think this is a good point to end my session. I lasted 10 steeps over 3 hours.

So, overall I think this is an excellent Bulang. In my opinion it is probably more elegant in its taste compared to the New Amerykah powerhouse. Which puerh I drink entirely depends on my mood. I prefer the brute strength of the New Amerykah overall, however this Bulang is the perfect end to a lovely meal. New Amerykah I have first thing in the morning when I need to wake up, this Bulang is great for quieter, more relaxed sessions. Variety is the spice of life. From a price point I feel this is not “inexpensive”. The price is now £103 ($165) which is essentially double the price of the New Amerykah when it was available…these days I would choose something with a bit more age for the same price, but that comes down to tastes evolving. One cannot deny that this Bulang is of an excellent quality, and deserves at least a sample to try. Many thanks to EOT for a really decent Bulang!