Rich select Send Message

So I found a sample of this that I traded for with mrmopar maybe two years ago. It was stored in my pumidor in a Mylar zip lock sample bag. Interestingly, I suspect this created a mini micro climate that sped up the aging process. The brew was very dark, basically shu dark. Very strong qi.

It tastes of mushroom, hints of fruit, and other agey type flavors. I think this is a good example of a humid stored tea done on the dry side. I’m not sure how much I like it. I don’t care for the mushroom flavor that these types of aged teas have. I wonder if I can age that out of it? I suspect not. But it is a very reasonably priced semi aged semi humid stored factory tea. Good to have on your bucket list for education sake.

I also ordered a new sample of this from YS. I will see if it is any different than my sample aged at home. That should prove interesting…

This is an interesting tea. It is a border tea, produced in Myanmar, and is very cheap at $12 for a 200g cake. It is definitely good, but certainly rougher than typical young sheng we’ve all probably been tasting in recent years. It’s kind of tart, somewhat bitter throughout, and very green. It is also very strong, both in body and in qi, and was very long lived. I think those who like strong and bitter would find this tea interesting and appealing and well worth a try at this price. Chawangshop says that this kind of border tea is often used as a mixer in high end blends, like Lao Banzhang. I can see how that would work…

Tried the 2016 Yibang Mao Cha from chawangshop today. This tea was in very limited supply and is now sold out. It was quite expensive at $1 per gram. I got a 12g sample. It was an outstanding tea. Very complex; fruity, bitter, wild tasting. It gave me hot flashes, which is very unusual. Took me by surprise. Does that happen for anyone else?

Still plowing through Chawangshop’s 2016 pu erh lineup from the recent group buy. Today’s tea was the Bada, and it was very good. Possibly the best of the bunch I’ve tried so far. It’s got some good huigan, a slight bite of bitterness, a bit of fruit, and energizing qi. So after I tried this, I looked it up on the website, and despite it being one of my favorites so far, it is only $20 for a 200g cake. That’s a steal!

Yum, another great tea! I forgot to take notes, but it was very good. Nice big leaves, nice color. Not much bite.

I liked this one a lot. The leaves are very nice, and the aroma is fruity and sweet. The brews are a bit on the light and crisp side, with deep yellow-gold broth, though the tea is viscous. One thing I really like about this tea is the huigan, or menthol cooling effect. It is one of my favorite qualities in a pu erh, and this one has a lot of it, though it is a bit subtle. Some bitterness emerges in later steeps, as one would hope and expect, though not too much. Another great tea from Chawangshop!

Another solid 2016 production from Chawangshop. I have been impressed with the 2016 teas I have tried so far. This one is thick, with a mix of savory and sweet, with a subtle but noticeable huigan. The tea brews a pale yellow-gold. Buttery in early steeps, just slightly bitter in later ones.

Another solid 2016 production from Chawangshop. I have been impressed with the 2016 teas I have tried so far. This one is thick, with a mix of savory and sweet, with a subtle but noticeable huigan. The tea brews a pale yellow-gold. Buttery in early steeps, just slightly bitter in later ones.

This is a solid menghai raw pu erh from chawangshop. Typical menghai flavor profile, done very well, though none too complex. Strong in character, and powerful qi. It’s a nice tea, but expensive at $90 for a 400g cake.

This is a nice quality young sheng from Chawangshop. I would put this into the category of light and crisp, with some bitterness throughout. Aroma is sweet and floral. The brews start off buttery, then turn bitter. A little grapey here and there. Overall a fine tea.