2010 Top Yunnan LinCang Golden Buds Ripe Pu'er

One of Martin’s notes reminded me of the stash of puerh from Michelle that I should be trying!  Thanks again, Michelle! Looking through the samples, I was looking for “golden buds” specifically, as I recently realized that might be the trick to my favorite shou.  Put a big chonk in the infuser.  To be fair, the leaves don’t LOOK golden at all.  It’s all quite uniformly dark.  The flavor is lovely!  Sweet, so sweet.  No negative qualities here.  I almost want to call it the most breakfast shou?  But that is odd, since I would consider most shou for breakfast… and it could be lingering cinnamon from the last tea in the infuser.  The second steep is the same, quite deep, quite sweet.  Coffee, bittersweet chocolate, rich.  Everything I like about a shou.  Four solid steeps, a very slow unraveler.  I love it.  I actually tried a FIFTH steep, for 20+ minutes, but the brew was relatively weaker, so I don’t think I would bother with a fifth steep again.  This cake really does support my theory that it’s all about the “golden buds”.  Sadly, I can’t find a cake of this anywhere (I suppose streetshop88 doesn’t exist anymore either.)  Interestingly, Rich’s original note from 2015 says he paid only $20 for it!!! Rich also originally noticed a lot of golden buds in the cake which must have changed color by the time it arrived to my infuser! 
Steep #1  // 23 minutes after boiling // rinse // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 10-11 min
Steep #5 // just boiled // 20+ min

Album: Gaz Coombes – Turn the Car Around
Song: Not the Only Things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl2NQ8lK0k0

Another ripe puerh from Michelle (thank you!) and it seems I never had it before? In the pouch there was lots of leaf and there is no note from me.

Anyway, tried it and did several steeps in average 30 seconds long for 6 grams / 125 ml. But somehow, I couldn’t notice anything but shu puerh; like many others. That woody note and somehow smooth taste. I feel that all those puerhs are the same, nevertheless the origin and I wonder why it is this way.

Hmm.

I’ve been enjoying shopping for treasures at Streetshop88. I went hunting for ripes recently, looking for cakes under $20. To me, that’s my risk appetite for a cake that I haven’t sampled. This one was $20. It’s quite good. Fairly smooth, medium body, dark, with bittersweet chocolate notes. I caught some fruit in a couple of early steeps. The cake looks nice, you can see the golden buds. A good quality cake and I’m glad to have it!