Master Han’s Looseleaf 2004 Shu Pu’er

I’m FINALLY starting to feel slightly better from my cold, YAY! And I’ve been craving puerh like crazy lately. This one is particularly clean tasting, though I haven’t quite got my sense of taste back yet…I’m still enjoying it :)

I am a fan of Master Han’s artisan teas, & this one is no exception. I’m not going to go into any great detail because I’m exhausted from practicing all day, & also because I went with a western style steeping, just to get an initial taste. Sticking my nose in the bag, I smelled cake! The tea itself has a very smooth & creamy vanilla quality to it, & it’s a nice sweet cup without any of the barnyard odors or tastes that you get with some teas. I’ll most likely have to order more of this, to have & to hold…sigh…

I brought this one to dialysis clinic with us today cuz i get so bored up here with no tea lol. This one is really good to me, i like it alot, one of the better of Master Han’s teas that I’ve had from Verdant. It goes for many steeps also. To me it has many different flavor notes throughout many steepings, little earth, little sweet, little vanilla? little woody? and more, Not really sure what to think about this one except that it is really good… really damn good :)
a 100 for sure from me!

Nice smooth shu, no earth taste. Clear dark amber color, very pleasant .

A very nice cleansing tea. However when I opened the bag it smelled sooo much like fish that I was hesitant to try it. I did give the kitten a sniff from the bag and he took to the smell like it was honeysuckle or catnip. He was very disappointed when I took the bag away from him. The pup couldn’t care less unless it was actual fish in which case she would eat it right up if the kitten didn’t beat her to it!

Master Han is someone whose teas I have conflicting feelings about. I respect the craftsmanship and appreciate the complexity of his teas, but often find that I don’t actually enjoy the flavor of them. So it was on a huge whim (with coaxing from Verdant’s tasting notes) that I decided to grab a full 4 oz of this tea during their Pu’er sale.

I am so thankful for that whim! This tea is a joy.

The aroma of the dry leaves is mild — a nice woody smell with no mustiness. Once the water hits them it’s like a refreshing clean rain in a wood.

The flavor of the first two infusions is sweeter than I expected and has an apple/pear flavor to it. However it’s not so singularly fruity like some Pu’er tea I’ve had, there’s a light woody and earthy flavor lurking in the background, almost like when the apples were pressed there were a few leaves and a small branch that snuck in.

As the infusions continue the flavor slowly shifts toward spice and bread. Some sips bring to mind my family’s lightly spiced cardamom bread and others a subtle poundcake flavor. And at just the right temperature there’s a hint of clove in there.

Throughout the brewing session this tea has been incredibly creamy and smooth.

This tea is a great all-arounder. There’s a decent level of complexity to it for when you really want to experience your tea, but it’s also eminently drinkable when you just want a good cuppa. In addition a strong brew is a great warming winter brew, but if you went a little lighter this would make a GREAT iced tea.

When drinking this tea I highly recommend gong fu brewing. My first experiences with it were western brewing and I was left really disappointed by the muddled flavor, but the gong fu sessions have been an absolute treat. In the week I’ve had this tea I’ve already had 3 sessions with it!

Aroma: Caramel and earth, sweet.

1: Earth, sweet, heavy mouthfeel, thick, clean, strong, caramel, tobacco, coffee (cools more earthy and thick) – Dark redish brown

2: Smooth, Earth, less on the sweet, clean, more mellowed, possible vanilla, dash of coffee and caramel. Similar mouthfeel, slightly astringent. Long finish. Very dark redish brown

3. Even smoother. Similar. Colour as before.

Aroma: Earth, tobacco

4. Mellowed earth, duller flavour, sweet undertone, lighter mouthfeel, caramel/tobacco.

5. Longer brew. Very dark colour. Heavy mouthfeel again, slight spiced tone.

6. Weaker, mellow, earth, sweet, vanilla. Juicy.

7. Weak.

Strong but soft qi, alert but no jitters. Very good for a pre desk work drink during lunch. Nice daily drinker that is cheap.

in my contiuning effort to sipdown the mass of puerh i have at my place, i pulled this one out. Trying to start with the puerh that i have smaller amounts of, so i can start to knock them out of the park. I’m close to having more puerh in my cupboard than anything else haha. still enjoy this one, though it’s not something i desperately need in my cupboard. it’s a sort of every day puerh for me – tasty both western or gongfu.

Apparently I finished this off today. I’m blaming the terrible jet lag for not remember anything about it besides being comforting and providing much needed caffeine. It also paired well with takeout yesterday, which was possibly Shezuan food. Eating was a foggy ordeal too.

Anyways, I’m disappointed with myself. Fingers crossed that I don’t wake up at 12am and stay up for the rest of the night. Why has traveling back west been so difficult lately? :/

Not bad at all, but I am kicking myself for not drinking the 2002 last. Sadly, nothing seems as good as that one. But this is quite lovely. No complaints! I can taste a hint of fermentyness. No astringency or bitterness. Definitely full of yums!