Fengqing Wild Tree Yesheng Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake 2014

Method: gongfu-style with gaiwan. 5 second rinse. Steeping times: 5, 5, 10, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, 60

Dry leaf aroma has notes of cooked mushrooms and various spices (I could make out cumin, paprika, cloves, and coriander). Wet leaf smells like green beans. First infusion is light, tastes of sweet grass with a peppercorn finish. Second infusion is similar, though the aroma of the wet leaf at this point has changed to peppersteak. Third infusion is sweeter and grassier, very sheng-like.

I can’t discern any change in taste in the fourth and later infusions. I do know for certain that I like this one more than the other shengs I’ve had from Teavivre.

I actually have no idea how I got a sample.

cavocorax provide me with this sample which i’m willing to bed was the second package from samples she would have picked up from Angel heh. teavivre really is generous when it comes to their samples. I’d be happy with ONE package as a sample and they nearly always send at least 2!

This reminds me of Wild Monk from Mandala but without the smoke that i adore. this is more of a green sort of puerh than an earthy one – leaning towards coming across as vegetal. It reminds me a little of some of the green teas that i’ve had recently from teavivre but without the juiciness. Instead this is more subdued..bordering on almost nut like versus snap peas or something similar. Over all, quite lovely through a few steepings!

Backlog:

A very faint dry leaf aroma, almost to the point of being non-existent. Normally I smell something with a pu-erh, but this is very, very faint. The wet leaves, on the other hand, have a very strong vegetal note, like peas.

This very young Pu-erh is more vegetal than earthy, so those who tend to shy away from Pu-erh because it’s overly earthy … this would be one for you to try. It’s much more like a green tea than a Shu Pu-erh.

Sweet, vegetal, buttery, notes of mushroom and steamed veggies with hints of nut. The analogy that I made on my full-length review (see it here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/04/06/fengqing-wild-tree-yesheng-raw-pu-erh-tea-cake-2013-teavivre/ ) is a plate of extra-mild, freshly steamed, sweet spinach topped with lightly sauteed mushrooms (sauteed in butter, of course!) and then topped with thinly sliced almonds – raw almonds.

Quite a lovely pu-erh experience!

The Leaf: Multicolored, with black, brown, light-brown, tan, and red leaves throughout. Very nice but light scent much like a black tea; not too earthy like some pu-erh. It is a mix of malty and earthy tones. Most of the mass is leaf, but there are some stems present.

The Brew: The liquor is very lightly colored; a greenish brown tinge. The aroma is very unlike the dry leaf; fruity and grassy. The taste is an amplified version of the aroma with an added slightly sweet note. The flavor is much stronger on the back of the tongue, and it reminds me of standing in a greenhouse. The mouthfeel is soft while drinking, but leaves a bit of a dryness in the mouth. There is also a very long, and very light, aftertaste that has more of a nutty or roasted overtone to it. The brewed leaf scent has an even stronger impression of a greenhouse atmosphere.

I drink all of my teas cold.

It was only a couple years ago that I had my first taste of puerh. A lot of people seem a little freaked by the experience but I found it instantly accessible. At first I could only tell by taste if it was raw or ripe. Slowly I am beginning to grasp the wide range of flavor of each. This one gets my award as the best aroma ever from the dry leaf. It is hay, green tea, and citrus. Really nice. The steeped leaf is minty, anise, citrus, and deep green steamed vegetal. Again, really nice. The sip reveals the youth of this cake. It is not the bright metallic taste I usually expect. This is dusty and musty. The taste is very earthy like fresh clean damp soil. It reminds me of digging potatoes as a kid with my dad. So mega-points for memory association. I very much enjoyed this cup and look forward to seeing how it changes with age.

Thanks again to Angel and Teavivre for providing me with these samples for review!

I am still fairly new to puerh, and sheng/raw style in particular. I have only tasted a handful. Luckily they have all been very high quality GOOD teas. However, I already very much feel like I know what I personally am looking for in a raw puerh and this one delivers! It has SO much energy! It is sweet but also has a bright fruity TANGY zing that I just love. I would say this is a close 2nd to my very top favorite sheng of all time, the Mandala Wild Monk cake. If you are a fan of that, you may like this one very much. This one has less of a smokey taste for sure. Almost no smoke element in this tea.

I am going to savor the rest of my sample and put more of this on my shopping list ASAP! :)