2014 Gu Ming Xiang "Bu Lang Tribute Cake" Ripe Pu-erh Tea

Tea type
Pu'erh Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Bread, Drying, Earth, Malt, Mineral, Smooth, Tart, Wet Rocks, Berries, Fruity, Sweet, Umami
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Togo
Average preparation
Boiling 0 min, 45 sec 7 g 5 oz / 145 ml

Currently unavailable

We don't know when or if this item will be available.

From Our Community

4 Images

0 Want it Want it

2 Own it Own it

2 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Sipping on this sample from Togo as a digestive. Tonight’s menu was mapo tofu. It was my first time using shelf-stable silken tofu and it was actually great! This is a pretty light and very clean...” Read full tasting note
  • “This is the lightest shou I have encountered to date. It is surprisingly delicate with no strong flavours or aromas, medium body and I didn’t really feel any cha qi either, despite what Scott...” Read full tasting note
    65

From Yunnan Sourcing

Another high quality ripe pu-erh tea from Gu Ming Xiang! This is entirely Spring 2011 fermented wild arbor tea from Bu Lang area of Menghai. The tea was fermented in Menghai under the supervision of Xinghai tea factory in summer of 2011. The tea was then stored in Menghai until late 2014 when it was pressed by Gu Ming Xiang. This is from the same wet pile batch as Hai Lang Hao’s 2014 “Bu Lang Tribute Brick”, but the blend is more tippy and gives a distinctly different

The brewed tea has some bitterness in the beginning but quickly gives way to a rich and malty taste that quickly becomes sweet in the mouth. The tea is lubricating to the mouth and throat and there is a subtle but noticeable cha qi. Tea soup is burgundy and clear, thick and viscous.

This is a ripe pu-erh that is very unique both in feeling and taste. It’s a light fermentation ripe pu-erh and the brewed leaf is a medium-light brown with a little olive green hue creeping in. The flavor has some chocolate and coffee bitter notes, with some dried fruit sweetness and some earthiness that remains from it’s wet piling (mostly faded). The cha qi is quite noticeable (strong) for a ripe pu-erh.

An excellent Bu Lang single-estate ripe pu-erh tea which will age with grace and complexity.

357 Grams per cake (7 cakes per bamboo leaf tong)

2014 pressing, 2011 wet piling.

About Yunnan Sourcing View company

Company description not available.

2 Tasting Notes

1557 tasting notes

Sipping on this sample from Togo as a digestive. Tonight’s menu was mapo tofu. It was my first time using shelf-stable silken tofu and it was actually great!

This is a pretty light and very clean shou flavor-wise despite brewing up very dark. I’m not getting much beyond alkaline earth, clean wet basement cement, a bit of malt-stale bread and minerals. There is a hint of a fruit I can’t place that seems almost like prickly pear. Tingly mouthfeel after the swallow. Like Togo, I did not experience cha qi. More of a caffeinating than a relaxing shou.

The oily body is the saving grace of this tea. It makes the ensuing dryness and sour aftertaste almost worth it. It’s an ok tea but not something I’d purchase. I like more depth to my shou.

Flavors: Bread, Drying, Earth, Malt, Mineral, Smooth, Tart, Wet Rocks

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 8 g 6 OZ / 190 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

65
943 tasting notes

This is the lightest shou I have encountered to date. It is surprisingly delicate with no strong flavours or aromas, medium body and I didn’t really feel any cha qi either, despite what Scott writes in the description. I even forgot about the fourth infusion (which is usually one of the strongest) for several minutes. Still, there was almost no bitterness. Instead I got some umami coming out. The mouthfeel was smoother and bubbly, rather than numbing and watery with shorter steeps. As for particular notes, I picked up berries and other fruits in the smell and aftertaste, as well as some malt. The taste is mostly sweet, but nothing overpowering, as you could probably guess.

All in all, this is a tea that is strangely memorable for its lack of any memorable aspects. Nothing really stands out. Nevertheless, it is tasty and has some nuances to be explored, mostly in the mouthfeel. I am curious how it will perform with a simmer, which I plan to do at the end of this session.

Flavors: Berries, Fruity, Malt, Smooth, Sweet, Umami

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 0 sec 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.