26 Tasting Notes

I’m drinking this tea for the first time since my last review and I am enjoying it quite a bit more… Some nice wood details and texture, lingering sensation on the tongue. Again, this is the magic of puerh… Time changes the tea as well as our perception and experience of the tea.

Original review: Loved the 2010 Gong Ting and so wanted to like this one… but I don’t. Not saying it’s bad but not my cup of tea. The predominant flavor is mushroomy

Preparation
8 g 10 OZ / 295 ML

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78

Not even a hint of pickle … not that I would have expected that except for a reviewer’s comments. This is the largest 250gm cake I’ve ever seen. Very thick cake. Just brewed up 7gm in small yixing gaiwan… about 100gm of water or less, 15 seconds. It’s dark red in color, very smooth but much more savory than sweet. A bit of spice around the edges. I then brewed the next steep in about 10-12 oz of water for about 30 seconds. Very dark, opaque, smooth and soothing but without any particular distinctive flavor sticking out. My experience with shou of this age is that it takes time for the cake to air out and sometimes the flavors open up a bit in subsequent sessions as more of the cake is picked apart. I wouldn’t recommend or not recommend this one. I’ll enjoy this cake but won’t replace it. Would like to try it after a heavy meal. I can picture it as a soothing end to a fine meal.

- what I left out yesterday, this tea has a lot of staying power. I was right – perfect after a heavy meal, also fine right before bed, did not keep me awake… and still going strong the next morning and even better than yesterday’s brews – more distinct spice, a bit of vanilla and even a little “oily”
Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 7 g 10 OZ / 295 ML

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Just got my order from YS US after some USPS shenanigans. This cake came with a slightly crushed edge and the loose leaf that fell off was in the wrapper. It amounted to 4.5gm so I put it in a small yixing gaiwan and used the broken cake as an opportunity to taste it right away. I have a lot of shu in my collection of varying ages from 2007 – 2015. This one is definitely different. Thick, sweet, date-like flavor with a very long finish and lots of interesting texture. It’s soft and round, no particular flavor sticking out but an amalgamation of sophisticated aromas and sensory experience. I’m kind of glad I had an excuse to break into this cake as it’s the most expensive ripe I’ve ever shelled out for and I might have waited for a special occasion to try it.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 4 g 3 OZ / 90 ML
mrmopar

I like this one as well.

Arster

I appreciate the confirmation from an experience shou pu-head like yourself ;)

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40
drank Tippy Yunnan by Harney & Sons
26 tasting notes

Drinking this at work right now. I’m not at all impressed. The leaves are small and broken, whereas other yunnan blacks, even the chinatown bulk variety were whole larger leaves with lots of golden tips. I’ve tried it western style and gong fu and everything in between and it comes up sorely lacking.

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 0 sec 8 g 8 OZ / 250 ML
boychik

i would give it 20 maybe. its not drinkable ;(

Arster

Absolutely! Just gave the tin to one of my less discerning co-workers ;). Was being way too kind with my numerical rating. Think I’ll edit that.

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80

Just got around to spending a couple of steeps with this tea. Ripe wasn’t cutting it so I decided to whip this one out. Brews up thick and smooth. It is quite smokey but I don’t mind it.. purple tea often is.. not sure if it’s the way it’s processed or innate to the tea or both. None-the-less, it brews up a deep amber color, lots of viscosity and very smooth. Don’t find it astringent at all with short steeps. I do remember having tried it about 2 months ago and found it bitter. This time, not at all. Can’t imagine 2 months made the difference, it is probably that the first time I drank it, there were a lot of broken leaves and tea dust that had fallen off the edge of the cake. This time, I picked some carefully off the back.

7/30/16: revisiting this tea after quite some time and the wait has done it considerable good. This time in a gaiwan with about 4 oz of water. Only a faint hint of smoke, slightly bitter but becoming much more rounded and the flavors more integrated. This is not a tea one might describe as “sweet.” I have high hopes for it’s evolution. Remarkably crystal clear soup and a very interesting lingering mouthfeel. It definitely woke me up!

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 7 OZ / 200 ML

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78

Drinking this tonight while cooking up a storm. Bought 2 tuo chas a few weeks ago but never broke into it. V93 seems to be exactly right up my shou alley. I loved the 2011 250 gm tuo cha. This one has a similar sweet taste profile but the flavor is not quite as complex and concentrated. Still, an absolutely wonderful daily drinker

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 8 OZ / 250 ML

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Again a revision – drank this yesterday and used 5.4 gm in about 8 – 10oz of water. The tea has really changed. It was deeper, richer, darker and held up nicely under multiple steeps. Putting the rest away again and will try it over the summer to taste how time has worked its magic.

OK; time to revise my impressions of this brick. Tried it again tonight. Used a little over 6gm and about 100ml of water. I can see some potential in this tea. The little bricks are about 11gm each and you probably need to use a whole one for a session. There is still some fermentation flavor but I don’t mind it. I like the direction it’s going in and it might eventually get there. Still reluctant to give it a numerical rating but also not committed enough to “recommend” it; but I want to be fair to the tea ;). I had to push the steep to a whole minute so I think this tea might work as a western brew with half a little brick; although not ruling out gong fu with lots of tea to water ratio.

Just received 2 100gm bricks of this today. I was very excited to brew up a square and experience a rich, sweet, wonderful Dayi shou experience… unfortunately, that’s not what happened. I found it disappointingly flat, cloudy and devoid of flavor. I’ve loved Red Rhyme and V93. Of course those had some years on them (2010 & 2011) but can’t imagine time will rescue these from their blahness. Maybe I’m wrong and time will bring these bricks to their full potential… so back in the cupboard they go. Plenty of other teas to try in the meant time; I’ll refrain from giving this tea a numerical rating for the time being.

Ok… and we’re back. I let this sit over night and then steeped. What a difference. now it’s clearer, deeper in color and thickness and tasting in the right direction, while still not brimming over with flavor. I now have hope this tea will eventually be worthwhile.

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

Age this one. I have a 2010 that is nice.

Arster

Thanks for the hope :). I’ll definitely not try this again for a while.

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80

infusable inshmusible… I’m on my 4th infusion of this powerful, deep, dark, delicious shou and just to prove a point I steeped my 5th on just 5 gms while writing this review.. still a sweet opaque brew. Can’t get into the flavor details since I’m recovering from sinus surgery but suffice it say that this brew is cutting right through the barriers to my tastebuds

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 8 OZ / 250 ML

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80

Drinking this as I write. Impressed by the incredibly dark opaque brew and not just when brewing in the gaiwan with a large tea to water ratio but even in 10-12 oz of water. The flavor is deep, sweet, nicely tingly on the tongue with a great, sweet, long finish. Will have to report back when I have the time to see how it holds up and changes (or not) over multiple steeps. My only regret? I didn’t buy it at YS.us when it was only around 16 bucks. Now $22 but with last weeks 10% discount, well worth it … at it’s former price – a ridiculously great deal.

Flavors: Bark, Caramel, Cedar, Cherry, Jam, Pecan, Tobacco, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 8 OZ / 250 ML

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74

Just broke this cake out again to take it for a spin. Picked off just under 7gm and placed it in a small yi xing gaiwan. The tea is definitely evolving. The soup was clearer and had a lot of tingle on the tongue Still, a subtle brew but I’m beginning to appreciate the sophistication of this blend. I’m kicking up my rating and will try it again in a few months and report back.

Below the original review:
Bought this a couple of months ago and just got around to tasting it. It’s my first full-sized Dayi cake but, unfortunately, I am not impressed. I’ve drunk a lot of shou over the last 2 or 3 years and there’s something sorely lacking in this cake. It’s kind of dull tasting, nothing objectionable but not at all sweet and steeps out after about 6 times. I expected a treat and found it very disappointing. Planning to let it sit a while and see what happens but I don’t have high hopes for any improvement.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 5 OZ / 150 ML
mrmopar

The 2008 from the same production is very nice. I have 2 of this same year aging away. I think they are still too young to sample.

Arster

I’ve tasted it since I rated it and it’s either getting better or I’m over my sinus infection :). Still rather thin and lacking in certain flavor centers I’ve come to expect from ripe puerh. None-the-less, keeping an open mind and a closed cupboard and will see what happens up the road.

mrmopar

I can envelope you a sample of the 2008 if you want. Just PM me.

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