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Sirentian drank 2018 Yunnan Sourcing "Guardian" Blended Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake by Yunnan Sourcing

261 tasting notes

5g in 140ml Yixing pot.
Dry leaf doesn’t smell ike much, but leaves in warm pot smell incredibly spicy and warm: I get distinctive Cayenne/chili and black pepper.

1st infusion: 91˚C, 0:25
– Aroma of wet leaves is intoxicating: sweet, stone fruit, with a hint of smoke.
– Liquor is a medium peachy amber colour. Flavour is mild, unremarkable. No astringency but no sweetness either. Not picking out any distinctive notes here. This is probably just the “rinse” haha.

2nd infusion: 92˚C, 0:30
– I’m really not getting much flavour here. Will hit it harder next round.

3rd infusion: 97˚C, 0:30
– Quite a bit of astringency and slight bitterness now. Not my favourite.

I’m not experienced in how ageing affects a tea, so maybe this might be good if kept, but I don’t like this enough as it is to purchase.

Rating: 60

Flavors: Black Pepper, Chili, Stonefruit

Preparation

195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 30 sec 5 g 5 OZ / 140 ML

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Bio

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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