Bana Tea Company Limited Edition (2008 vintage - first spring harvest)

Sipdown no. 13 of April 2019 (no. 62 of 2019 total, no. 550 grand total). A sample.

Another single serving Bana pu erh sample. I rinsed with boiling water and let it sit for 15 minutes (actually more) and then steeped in the gaiwan at boiling for 5/5/7/7/10/10/20/30/40/60

It is similar to the Purple Tip of yesterday, in that it has a sort of a smoky/dusky aspect to the aroma and flavor. I didn’t find the mouthfeel as oily, and the color is a bit different — pale yellow with particulate matter in it for the first couple of infusions turning to a darker gold-apricot.

I kept going back and forth between the Purple Tip and this one as to which I like better. The do have similar aromas and flavors. Just when I’d convince myself that the Purple Tip was richer, though, I’d have a steep that made me think this one was — and just when thought that this one was a lot more smoky than the Purple Tip, a steep would reverse that impression.

It has a lot of the same character, at least to me. I consistently taste butter/white chocolate/cocoa in sheng. This one also had a coffee note in the third steep that I think came from the combination of smoke and cocoa.

But it also has a sort of a cool, menthol aspect to the aftertaste which I didn’t get with the Purple Tip. It leaves a very soft feel in the mouth.

I had this while trying to binge watch the original Dr. Who through a trial with Britbox. I’ve watched some Dr. Who from time to time, never religiously, though I watched all of Torchwood and quite liked it.

But now I’m going to say something certain to provoke strong reactions. I am not enjoying the original first season much at all.

First of all, I know it was 1963-64 but the production values are pretty awful. The acting is like strong amateur acting, not really professional. The writing is ponderous. It goes on and on and on about a very simple plot point and then some woman screams, and then it goes on and on again. Not much substance.

I’m also not liking the directing — the cave men speak perfect 20th century English! So do the other folks from other planets.

Indeed, I found the first series with the cavemen borderline unwatchable. The second, with the Daleks is sort of campy and has fun moments, but for the most part, also ponderous.

I feel kind of sad that I feel this way. I had such high hopes.

Maybe it will get better. I hope so.

Another goodie from work.

Honestly, guys, I feel super spoiled at work with all the free tea and food that I’ve been getting. I mean, definitely don’t get me wrong – I am LOVING it. I just feel like at this point I haven’t done a whole lot to earn it!?

This was some damn good Sheng though! I chipped a piece of it off the cake in the office this morning and drank it Grandpa pretty much from 8:30AM all the way up until like 3PM. It was the sheng that just kept giving. I had set aside so many other teas that I was intending to drink throughout the day too, but couldn’t put this one down. It was just wickedly smooth and sweet, with very thick and jammy fruit notes. Sort of like sipping on the tea version of an apricot/peach/nectarine preserve? Some of that more “green” grassy and vegetal/peppery taste to the undertone and finishing notes but mostly just the best fruity body/profile. Mouthfeel was lush, and thick – really coating in the mouth. It simply would not get bitter, and though there was some astringency throughout drinking this one (in top notes) it was at a very reasonable and enjoyable level that seemed to better the experience of the sweet stonefruit notes – it kept it in check/from being too sweet or syrupy.

Honestly, this was AMAZING. As a not terribly heavy Sheng drinker, I think I could very easily have this quite often and not grow sick of it. Yummmmm!!

Opens up with the start of some aged flavor to it, but quickly turns youthfully punchy and bitter in a light-ish fashion as it opens up (more noticeable with some mild pushing in the mid game). Pleasant, but not particularly unusual in any way. I think more age will bring out some different flavor due to the punchiness, but not something that stands out as of now.

Brief review, first session. 6g in 100cc, boil. Will expand but I wanted to pay attention and take brief notes for now.

Mostly woody and green pepper flavor. Thick mouthfeel, pleasant cheeks and throat. Very salivating. Energy makes me feel like my vision can puncture cloudcover. I don’t have much to add beyond the other reviewers for now, I feel this is more spicy and less sweet than reading would make it seem. Sweetness is bold and kinda near the end for me.

irked by the packaging, those cute little baggies nearly crushed the tea, and most of my samples are nearly powdered and crushed. There was a one chunk and a few partial leaves I saved, using mostly the crushed fannings, so I brewed this quickly to avoid bitterness. Fortunately, this tea was forgiving and not bitter even when brewed strong.

slight cooling huigan
oily mouthfeel
semi-sweet, grassy, hay
smooth, inviting, chuggable, highly drinkable and approachable
mellow
lasted about 10 steeps
flavor seemed weak, so I’ll use more leaves next session

will purchase a cake to explore this tea further

Another oily Bana sheng that connects with my tongue the same way concentrated flavours in gummy sweets do. Vibrant feel on the tongue, yummy aroma from the leaf, slightly bitter taste.

Generally the session tasted to me inbetween the Red Label & the Mensung. I found the barky sharp tastes of the Red Label present, they do dominate the middle steeps.

I must admit following their steeping instructions for the last two spu’erh essions has produced really strong tea, & while I have been enjoying them I do feel i preferred the slightly-less-severe method of 5/10/10/20/30/40/1/2/…. rather than flying in with 10 or 15 seconds & ending up on 40 seconds by the 4th steep is probably more up my alley.

I’m still not quite 10th level sheng master even though im hanging with them here, it seems :)

so I have been taking it back a bit & not doing hefty steeps & finding this is where my tongue gets the right amount of stimulus.. then I find the slight brown sugar vibrancy comes back on the tongue rather than dominated by bitterness.

Its a little sugary, a little grassy & leafy, a little fruity, a little vibrant, a little woody, a little bittersweet, a little menthol huigan, medium thickness. I definitely think it could do with a bit more ageing as maybe its in the ‘limbo period’ where it doesnt know quite where its at – i’m no means an expert on this though. It has a bit of some kind of storage flavour but nothing overpowering.

I love this sheng, it is a puer texture junkie’s dream. The tea is super oily thick! The notes are fruity, char, browned butter, peppery, amber, and hay. It gets more savory with each steeping. I got 16 infusions. The dryness is minimal and it is complex, yet easy to drink.

Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/2008-bana-tea-company-limited-edition-sheng-tea-review/

Opened with a familiar grassy/earthy character. Soon developed some sweetness. Astringency was mild and pleasant. Tea flavor lasted after swallowing for a good little while.

Perhaps a bit of nuttiness and woody notes, too. An impression of fruitiness but I can’t identify it.

Another sample that came with my Bana order (thank you Linda!), the dry aroma of these leaves in a prewarmed gaiwan is of freshly cut wood, muddy forest floor, and flowers. Wet, they smell like trees, flowers, and surf, a summer storm in a cup.

The first infusion is really light. It’s vegetal with wildflowers and a woody, slightly peppery finish.

Moving right along, the second infusion is round with flavors of grass, wood, and a nectar-like sweetness. Orange flowers come to mind, which has become a rather common mental association for me with many raw Puer teas.

On the third infusion, there’s a good amount of sweetness and the flavor is more rich. I can definitely taste this tea’s age, starting to develop some very nice rounded, sweet aged notes, but still with a good amount of the peppery spice and woodiness of its youth. Subtle flavors of goji or wolfberry emerge.

Fourth infusion, I’m starting to sweat. Is that the tea or just me? Woo! The flavor is quite strong, and a pretty even blend of the sharp woody taste and the sweet nectar-like mildly floral taste.

Fifth infusion brings out more sweetness. The flavor is quite full and rich. Overall, I think round is the best word to describe this Puer. It has a good balance of contrasting elements. I personally find it to have a bit of a punch, but some more hardcore Puer drinkers may find it on the easy side. The description from Bana is accurate that it has a good huigan and yun.

WOW. Just WOW.
This tea is comparable to the two shengs I’ve tried from Global Tea Hut.
I think my order for Bana just got larger now that I tried this. Honestly, this is some beautiful leaf that brews easily with a STRONG aroma but a taste that isn’t overwhelming. Best of all, the astringency is on hold. This is the kind of tea that makes me feel like it was hand picked and gently care for over the years so others could sip away at it in future years.