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This is another very interesting aged puerh, courtesy of Peter from pu-erh.sk. I found it to be a challenging tea session as there are several changes the puerh goes through, meaning it is somewhat more complex than your standard puerh. Here are my notes…

This tea is VERY tightly compressed and is tube-like in appearance. Breaking apart the puerh requires a bit more work and “elbow grease”. Using my puerh pick I managed to carefully break off a nice 8 gram nugget of this. After 2 quick rinses I smell the nugget…I am not detecting any bitterness at all but rather a lovely sweet aroma with just a very mild hint of smoke. The nugget is still completely intact…the 2 quick rinses could not penetrate it and break apart the leaves.

As the puerh is still in the compressed stage for my first proper steep I decide to let this sit for a full minute. The end result: A lovely thick, golden liquid. I take my first sip and am not left disappointed…very clean, very pure, very sweet and a very slight hint of smoke. I check on the nugget in the yixing…it is still very much intact.

Steep 2 and 3 both yield very similar results…I am beginning to question where is the bitterness that Lao Ban Zhang is renowned for? I check the nugget again…it is still intact, the leaves resisting and refusing to let go.

The 4th steep is when things really start to develop. This time I decide to steep for another full minute and the result it a much darker, almost amber brew which for me looks more like an aged texture. I smell the wet leaves and indeed I am starting to get a nicely aged aroma…still the sweetness in the background with the slight hint of smoke. I slowly sip the 4th steep and this is where the magic begins…there is the bitterness but it has been tamed and matured. It feels thick in the mouth, rich and robust. A lovely aged taste is beginning to develop rather nicely. I am still getting the lovely sweetness, however not as prominent as in my in first couple of steeps. The QI is beginning to develop…not the raw energy you get from young Lao Ban Zhang, but a far more sophisticated, relaxed approach. I look into my yixing and this nugget is still intact. “will it ever let go?” I ask myself.

Steeps 5-6 and I am still getting a clean aged taste, with mildy bitter overtones and lovely returning sweetness. By now my body is fully relaxed and I need to take a break and contemplate. This really is an exceptional puerh.

I actually lost count on how many steeps it took for the leaves to eventually give up and break. This puerh just goes and goes and goes. If you decide to get some of this set some time aside…it will keep you charmed and guessing for several hours before it reveals its full beauty and elegance. The leaves are so strong and potent that you will probably have a few tea sessions that may last several days. You may give up before it gives up on you.

So, the bottom line is that this is an excellent example of nicely stored Lao Ban Zhang. It is very clean and pure, extremely complex in its taste and character, and nicely aged. It will take you on a “rollercoaster ride” with its complexity and reveal itself to you over time.

From a price point this is exceptional value for money. 50 grams is only just slightly over 18 euros, however take into account how many steeps you will get, and when will you be able to try Lao Ban Zhang with age at this price? It is a beast of a tea that has been tamed, but do not underestimate it. A big thanks to Peter at pu-erh.sk for giving us a chance to try this complex puerh.

Tonight I want to get myself positively tea drunk, and what better way to do this than to brew a big, fat 12 gram chunk of this amazing tea, courtesy of Paul from white2tea.

Unfortunately this is now long out of stock, but I was very fortunate to get a full cake of this last year. This was actually my first purchase from Paul, and ended up being the best young sheng puerhs I have had the pleasure of drinking. I really should have bought another cake…last year this cost just over $300 which sounds like a lot, however look at some of the prices of young, raw sheng today. Lao Ban Zhang has become ridiculously expensive. Anyway, enough talk, let’s get onto the tea.

If I had to describe this tea in two words this would be it: RAW POWER

I used my 130 ml yixing with this and as I mentioned earlier decided to use a big 12 gram chunk, which nearly ends up filling my whole yixing. The leaves are simply beautiful to look at, long and elegant. The dry leaves smell sweet, but there is something lurking there in the background that you can smell and sense: RAW POWER

After one very quick rinse I smell the wet leaves…already my mouth begins to salivate at the potent aroma the leaves eject. My first proper steep is literally 5 seconds. I can already see that the liquid is starting to become nice and thick. I draw a deep breath and take my first sip. Already the energy begins to enter my system. On first steep I get a a lovely sweet/savoury taste, and can sense that Lao Ban Zhang bitterness lurking there in the background like a fallen angel. It lurks but not for long. Vibrancy on my tongue begins to develop…not a tingling sensation but a numbing sensation. The RAW POWER is starting to take over.

Second steep at 10 seconds. The brew is starting to get even thicker and I can see by the change of the liquid that this is going to be a strong steep. I take another sip…my god…there is that powerful bitterness that I love so much. The QI is starting to become very pronounced, I can feel my heart starting to beat faster, sweat is beginning to develop on my forehead, and my whole body feels uplifted and positive.

Third steep, there is that powerful bitterness again, followed by some floral? notes hidden away behind the bitter textures. This stuff is simply amazing. My mouth starts to feel dry which accentuates the variety of different tastes and textures. On my fourth steep the bitterness is still there but now I am getting more sweetness in the mouth and at the back of the throat. By now my body is becoming really relaxed, and I begin to melt into my sofa. I take a break…wow what an experience.

This young puerh is quite simply the very best that I have ever had the good fortune of tasting. Not only is it the best, it is by far the most powerful from a QI perspective. It’s RAW POWER may be too much for some people, but if this is the sort of experience you enjoy from your sheng puerh I cannot think of a better example. It is robust, heavy, rich, thick, powerful and cannot be tamed.

Many thanks to Paul from white2tea for introducing me to this beast, and also for your honest, no frills service.

The only reason I ended up tasting this cooked puerh from Canton was because I ordered the recently reviewed 2013 Menghai Dayi brick from them, and for an extra £5 why not just try out a 50 gram bag of their own blend? After all they look really cute as well…each 5 gram Tuo is individually wrapped…so yeah curiosity got the better of me. However the burning question is will this cute little Tuo deliver on taste? Here are my notes…

The first thing I decided to do would be to air out these Tuo’s for a few days, to release some of that light fermentation aroma. The next thing to decide is how much to use, considering that these are 5 gram Tuo’s. Personally I prefer my brew a little stronger so I went with using 2 Tuo’s (10 grams) in my 140 ml gaiwan. After 2 rinses the Tuo breaks apart rather nicely, revealing the chopped leaves.

Now this is when I get a rather nice surprise…the wet leaves to me smell really good. Very earthy, woody, rich and bold. With my first proper steep I decided to push the shu a little at 30 seconds. The liquid comes out very dark, almost black, with a thick sticky appearance. I like what I see. I was even more surprised with the taste…it’s rich and bold, I am getting the earthy, woody flavours that I could smell in the aroma, yet overall it has a nice sweet, smooth finish. “This tastes pretty decent” I think to myself. Perhaps a little better than the Menghai Dayi Brick on initial tasting. I steep it two more times and I get mixed results; the richness and boldness is still there but is nowhere near what it was on my first proper steep. Unfortunately this is where the buck stops…

For me this shu simply does not have the power or aggression to last more than a few steeps which is a real shame. Canton recommends up to 8 steeps, however I think this is wishful thinking especially if you have tasted a really good quality, aged shu that lasts “forever”.

My next issue is price. Although this only cost me £5 for the 50 gram bag, and appears relatively inexpensive for a tasting teaser, for a 250 gram bag you are looking at £22.50 which I think is very overpriced. You could almost get two 2013 Menghai Dayi 250 gram bricks for the same price, or treat yourself and get one 2002 7581 250 gram brick from pu-erh.sk (review on the way at some point) for £20.

So, overall my feelings are very mixed. On the one hand I loved the first initial two steepings, and if the rest of the tea session had lived up to the initial taste I would probably rate this higher than the Menghai Dayi brick. It is by no means a bad shu, but when you take into consideration the price and the fact that you can get nicely aged shu for less it is somewhat of a raw deal.

Would I recommend it as a tasting sample to see its potential? Yes. Would I recommend that you buy a full bag of it? No. Lesson learned; it is not how you start but how you finish…

I remember when I first tried this aged sheng puerh well over a year ago, courtesy of Peter at pu-erh.sk. Back then it was one of the better puerh samples I had ever tasted, and although there was still a hint of mild astringency I decided to purchase 2 400gram cakes. This seemed to be a wise decision as the price at the time was 140 euros. Today the price has doubled to over 280 euros per cake which is now out of my price range unfortunately. Both cakes have been sitting for over a year now, so I decided to see how things are coming along. Here are my tasting notes.

In my opinion this quality tea deserves to be brewed in a decent quality yixing…I did not get the same satisfaction brewing this in a porcelain gaiwan. I would also recommend not using boiling water…let the water sit for 5 minutes after boiling before steeping. After 2 mandatory rinses I smell the wet leaves. Beautiful camphor notes fill my nostrils with a nicely aged aroma and sweetish overtones. In short, it smells lovely and inviting.

The first proper 15 second steep reveals a very pure, clean, amber liquid. I slowly sip the warm pure liquid and I begin to smile. The taste has that lovely Yiwu warmth, thickness and sweetness. The astringency that was present a year ago is now gone. Vibrancy on the mouth is very interesting, with a tingling sensation that develops on the tip of the tongue and slowly creeps its way to the back of the throat. This is elegance personified.

Subsequent steepings yield the same results. Camphor notes, sweetness, warmth, comfort etc. I ended up steeping this many, many times it goes on and on and for me never gets boring or one dimensional. I found the QI in this one to be pretty strong, starting with a positive lift in my mood, then giving me a very deep sense of calm and tranquility. The session lasts well over 2 hrs. This is a tea not to be rushed…when and if you decide to get this tea set a few hours aside to fully absorb all its character and beauty.

So, overall you can see that I love this tea. It has such an elegant, pure, clean character that is simply irresistible. If this is what the tea tastes like now, I would love to see what it will be like in the next 5-10 years. I just hope that I will be able to save some as I could easily drink this everyday.

The big question now is “Is it worth 287 euros”. Well that is up to you to decide. If I could afford it now I would buy this again in an instant, so yes I would say it is worth the price. A 7 gram sample only costs 6.50 euros so there is no excuse not to try it out. I would be very surprised if you were disappointed. Beware; its elegance and beauty may just charm you into making a full cake purchase :)

I decided to get this mainly based on what I read on the description, which advises this puerh has slightly less fermentation than other cooked puerhs. At the end of the day this only cost me £12 for a 250gram brick…if I don’t like it I have not spent a lot of money, if I do like it then that is a bonus. Here are my notes…

Fresh out of the packaging you can definitely smell the typical fermentation aroma, however definitely not as pronounced as other cooked puerh I have tried. I would probably suggest you let this brick sit for a while to give it time to “air out”.

I used 7 grams in my 140ml gaiwan. I then rinsed the leaves with boiling water twice, which I would suggest is mandatory. Wet leaves, surprisingly, actually smell very pleasant, a rich balmy aroma with some nutty undertones lurking in the background. A good start.

I did my first proper steep for about 15 seconds which resulted in a a very dark amber liquid. The texture is a little “thin” for my liking, as I tend to prefer my shu pu thick and sticky. The taste, well again it surprised, this is actually quite pleasant. The balmy aroma I smelt in the wet leaves is there in the taste. It is smooth, mellow and sweet, with only a small hint of bitternes. I am also getting the nutty undertones as well, which again is very pleasant.

I decided to push this shu pu further with my second steeping, brewing it for about a minute. This time the texture of the liquid was darker (almost black), thicker and more sticky. Tasting it again there was more boldness and character, however it remains pretty smooth and mellow. I begin to sweat a little on my forehead and the nape of my neck…the caffeine starts to kick in. One thing that I really like is the rather long sweet finish I am getting…it stays at the back of the throat for some time and is still here while I am typing.

I did end up steeping this about 10 times and unfortunately the leaves start to “run out of steam” and the brew begins to get a little one dimensional. However, as bargain priced shu goes this one is actually very decent and well worth your time and money. I have had more expensive shu that has tasted terrible, so for me this one is a bit of a no brainer.

I will definitely get another brick to sit down and age for a few years…it would be very interesting to see how this tea will transform over the next 2-3 years. I can only hope it will taste even better with a bit of age.

So, overall this 2013 brick really did surprise me. It is still very drinkable at the moment which is good, and although it is not very complex and a bit one dimensional it does hit a lot of high notes. With Winter fast approaching I could quite easily see myself drinking this daily in the morning to warm myself up before work. For me it was £12 well spent.

I have been on the hunt for a superior quality shu for quite some time, when I recently stumbled upon this one at puerh.sk. I have bought from Peter a few times in the past, and I have not once been disappointed. For me every time I have drunk shu I have ended up being bitterly disappointed. With good faith and trust I ordered a full 250gram Tuo and discussed with Peter my reservations regarding my previous experiences with Shu. Amazingly Peter said he would give me a sample to try with my order, and if I did not enjoy it I could send him back the full Tuo for a refund, no questions asked. Now, how is that for service and full confidence in his product.

There was much anticipation when my order arrived. Inside my package was the generous sample which I quickly began brewing in my 140ml gaiwan. Here are my notes.

After a quick rinse I smelt the wet leaves. A rich, nicely aged aroma filled my nostrils with anticipation of good things to come. After the rinse I then steeped for 2 minutes, as per Peter’s instructions. The end result: A thick, dense, dark liquid that to me almost looked like melted dark chocolate. The taste, well simply sublime. Not a hint of bitterness, no horrible “fishy” taste. I am not the best person at describing specific flavours, all I can say is that the taste is thick, bold, rich, aged, with a lovely returning sweetness at the back of the throat that lasts ages. It is simply “yummy”.

Further steepings yield the same results. This tea has immense power and flavour that last many, many steepings. To put things into perspective I must have filled up my 250ml cup at least 5-6 times. The liquid goes from the dark chocolate to amber with multiple steepings, however the taste and returning sweetness is still there. The more you push this tea, the more it delivers. No problem leaving the leaves overnight…just rinse and carry on steeping the next day.

As a test I wanted to see the differences between brewing this in a gaiwan and a yixing. I found that when brewing in a gaiwan the flavour was more bold, aggressive and “in your face” so to speak. With a yixing I found that the boldness was tamed, and the overall flavour was more soft, mellow and balanced. In my opinion both are equally as good.

At 99 euros for 250grams this is also a very good deal, considering how many steeps you can get per 7-8 grams. Shu of this quality is a rarity and I am so glad that Peter has made this available for those looking for excellent quality shu.

So overall this is a fantastic tea, probably the best puerh I have drunk this year. For those that are sceptical about shu at least give this one a try. If you are disappointed I will buy it from you :)

I have not bothered to put in steeping times as you will very quickly work out what works best for you.