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Sirentian drank 2007 CNNP "8891 Red Label" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake by Yunnan Sourcing

261 tasting notes

Well, I feel silly now. Decided to try this gongfu-style because I’m considering purchasing the full cake during the Black Friday sale.

Unfortunately I am really rusty at brewing Pu ers gong fu style and over-brewed 10 grams of my sample (first infusion after rinse steeped for 20s or so). It tasted bitter, astringent, and much less complex than the Western-style. Next few steeps were pretty horrible too.

Had to start over with the last 4-5g of my sample. Let it steep for 5 seconds the first time.
First infusion very light, but with that mineral, slightly bitter-Chinese-herb scent that is so invigorating.

Second infusion light but great body, wonderful.
Third infusion again unobjectionable, paired well with my breakfast.

Fifth infusion I noticed a delightful herbal / medicinal flavour like Chinese dates or jujubes. Wow this is new. This tea is surprising.
Sixth: Hot mineral water

I guess I could buy this to brew Western-style as a daily drinker since it’s $56 for 500g, but truth is I don’t need a daily drinker since I don’t drink tea daily anymore. Also I’m not sure the “light refreshing mineral taste” is worth committing to a full cake. Would like to sample more complex shengs.

Rating: Back down to 84

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Amateur tea enthusiast here. I told myself I would start with studying Chinese teas when I first encountered good tea at Song Tea in San Francisco in 2016, and it’s now 2023 and I feel like I’m still just beginning to scratch the surface of Chinese teas.

Maybe someday I will move on to Indian, Japanese, Korean, etc. teas…

For my day job I work in tech as well as write some fiction on the side.

The next step in my tea journey is to start training my nose with an aroma kit to get a more precise handle on floral notes.

My Tea Rating Scale: (adapted from @benmw)
100 : Unforgettable, life-changing tea experience.
95–99: Extraordinary – Beyond impressive.
90–94: Impressive – Deep complexity, extreme clarity, or unexpected discovery of wonderful flavor. Made me reconsider the category. Would always want to drink this if I had the chance.
80–89: Delicious – Nuanced, balanced, clear, and complex layering of flavors. Would probably buy this tea again.
70–79: Very Good – Nuanced flavors, perhaps not as balanced or complex as the next step up, but clear and very enjoyable. Would consider buying again if the price was right.
60–69: Good – Clear flavors, representative of the category, but doesn’t set a standard. Good as an everyday tea. Would not buy unless desperate (e.g. when travelling without access to better tea).
50–59: Average. Would not pay money for this, but would drink if it was provided FOC.
30–49: Below Average. Would not drink this again even if it were free.
0–29: Undrinkable. Could not even finish the cup.

Location

Singapore

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