2005 CNNP "Nan Nuo Zheng Shan" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

Bitter and astringent with nothing very interesting to compensate. Leaves appear entirely unaged and green despite the 13 years on this now. Not really objectionable but there are plenty of better dry aged teas out there for the price Interesting scent of Kaffir lime when grandpa brewing the leftover leaves.

13 years in to this tea now. Smokiness that had been mentioned in reviews a few years back did not present itself to me in this tea. I also did not find this tea at all astringent. The sample I received was mostly form the binghole (I can’t even write that with a straight face). The wet leaf smelled reminiscent of pine forest. Smelling the lid of the gaiwan, I picked up pine and slight lemon/citrus. This tea was very fragrant and smooth. Bitterness quickly left after a few steeps. I would best describe the tea as mellow, and rich, with decent sweetness left over after swallowing. I found the tea to be quite nutty from the 4th steep on, reminding me of pine nuts. Might be worth trying again for those who had it a few years back. It could be that somehow this tea is right up my alley. I do very much enjoy Kunming storage, and being a desert dweller myself, dryer storage never phases me. Overall, I would say that this tea is a success, and I would eagerly await the flavor it may present in another five to ten years.

This poor sample has been languishing in my stash for many months, being part of the first sheng sample order I ever made. I don’t know why I didn’t get to it sooner, it just didn’t happen. Unfortunately, its reward for such a long wait was sorry indeed. The dry leaf smelled moderately promising, not having any smoke or real weirdness. Unfortunately, after a rinse, the leaf had a barnyard aroma which reminded me far too much of manure. I was only able to drink two or three steeps partially before I gave up. It was just making me a little bit queasy. The flavors weren’t too bad – some bitterness, a bit of an earthy sweetness, and a slight metallic feel.

It might have gotten better for me if I had kept going and tried a little bit longer, but I really had no desire to do so. Barnyard notes aren’t always bad to me, but this one was just way too far to the ehm…rear end…of that scale.

5.5g in 120ml yixing 5sec infusions. Gifted by fellow Steepstarian. By about the fourth infusion, my heart was going pitter patter. The smoke seems to be at its height, whereas earlier infusions just that “solid goodness” was the prevailing impression, reminiscent of the ‘13 LaomanE Bulang Special. This one gets much more bitter, with a greater tingle and attack on the tongue, both in the liquor and huigan. Didn’t pick up any metalic. Sweet fades to bitter in this one, with smoke playing the most prominent role. Great for cloudy, cooler days.

I’ve had this one sitting in my pu-erh cupboard for awhile. I don’t know if I’ve ever had it before. So I chipped off 5 g and brewed it up.

At first this tea tasted great. A bit smokey, smooth, no bitterness & a light apricot taste to it. With further infusions , it lost the smokey flavor really quick. Bitterness started creeping in and a metallic taste that kept getting more pronounced each infusion. I just don’t like that metallic taste at all.

On the good side it does have a strong cha qi.

Received sample from a friend. The dry storage on this is excellent, the tea has lost none of its original scent and flavor. Highly floral, still rather green. Brewed up about 7 grams.

Very sweet honey aftertaste, bitter edge but not terribly astringent.

I’m drinking this 10 years into the life of the leaf and it is in the process of changing from a young tea to a teenage tea. The tea is a dark yellow. In fact the tea is slightly cloudy and I smell and taste a malty ferment. The smoky char is also changing. This tea is in flux, which a good sign. I’d be pulling out this cake come summer and let it get full-on humidity.

Breaking out a sample of this I got a while back. I read over the site to give a bit of “feel” to this one.
I got out about 9 grams of this to be brewed in the small Yixing yellow pot I was gifted with.
Leaf on this seems to be medium sized with a good bit of green color to it. I had expected
much darker with the age. Read a bit more on the site and Kunming storage. lots drier
than Malaysia or Hong Kong. A good point as I seem to like dry aged better.
I gave a quick rinse and went to steeping.
This tea is punchy in the first sip. A nice tingle with a touch of astringency to it.
The body of this is nice. Not overpowering but it has a strong presence.
Bitterness, a bit of ashiness are players in this but the almost metallic creeps up and turns very nice into sweetness. Floral notes are also in this one as well.
I think this is a tea to wrap around and set back and relax with.
A nice and engaging cup.
Gongfu in the Clay Pot.

This was a sample from my dearest MzPriss! Thanks, pookie pie!

I like this one. It’s putting some pep in my morning. It’s pretty smooth, though it does have a little bite at the end.

I think it’s a pretty decent price for the quality and the age, too!