2008 Nan Jian 912 Certified Organic Raw Pu-erh Tea Iron Cake

Bought this a while ago from Yunnan Sourcing. Just getting around to trying it. I suppose some people would really like this tea. Those who like the aged flavors generally described as leather and tobacco would really like this one. However what it is doing for me is reminding me that I almost never like a semi aged sheng. I have never had an authentic aged sheng meaning something over 25 years old so I don’t know if I would like that. Started brewing this at boiling. Then four steeps in I switched to 190 degrees hoping the negative flavors would dissipate. They did not. I am finding that I like young sheng, not semi aged sheng. I keep buying ten year old sheng hoping to come across one I really like but I haven’t found one yet that I liked for the taste. The Yang QIng Hao teas I did like but more for their strong cha qi than their taste.

I brewed this ten times in a 150ml gaiwan with 10g leaf and starting with boiling water, then switching to 190 degree water. I gave it a 10 second rinse. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, and 1 minute.

This tea is rich and smokey. Sweet for a second then pleasantly bitter, with an astringency that coats the mouth without feeling to dry. It tasted earthy, damp and woody. Very smooth. It is a lovely autumn orange color when brewed. Brewed gong fu style, 5 grams in a 60ml gaiwan. Ten second wash, 1st infusion 20 seconds, 2nd infusion 35-30 seconds, etc. Lost track of how many infusions I did because the flavor continued to intrigue me after many steepings!