289 Tasting Notes
This is one delicious oolong! It was included as a free sample with my last order. It is very smooth and sweet, it almost seems aged, I was surprised that it is a 2015 vintage. Dark leaves and a fairly dark brew. It is one of those ‘bug bitten’ teas that supposedly imparts a honey flavor. This tea does indeed have a very pronounced honey sweet fruit flavor, almost orangey. I’m really impressed with the oolongs I have been trying from Chawangshop.
I really enjoyed this one, it is among the best shengs I’ve tried from YS. I think it is almost like Lao ManE light. It has a classic flavor, and an underlying bitterness that is very apparent, but not too strong. Thick, strong flavored, and big cha qi. It is clearly a young one, very acidic and none too easy on the stomach. I consider it very well priced at $77 currently for a 400g cake. It crosses the threshold of a 90 score in my book, which I do not dole out readily. I hope it ages well, as I’m in for a cake on my next order!
I decided to give this one a try from the Bana tea sale. I’ve been digging dhp bricks lately. This one is high quality and much less roasty than others I’ve tried. Just a nice subtle lightly floral and sweet brew. Good quality leaves in this brick.
Happy Christmas fellow steepers! Enjoying a nice pu this holiday afternoon. This is a wonderful tea from Jalam’s December tea club. It is from a region described as being “off the grid” in the Menghai area. It brews a copper color, with no bitterness at all in early steeps. It is acidic like young pu erhs are. Bitterness starts to come through in later steepings. It is buttery and delicate, full flavored if not simple. Very high quality as all Jalam teas are in my experience.
From the Group Oolong buy… I really enjoyed this tea. It is similar to the tiny brick in a recent White2tea club offering. I think it helps to know what you’re getting yourself into with these aged dhp bricks. They are like whiskey in a lot of ways. This one tastes like dark oolong was aged in an oak barrel – a very strong vanilla note coupled with roasty oak undertones. It is really fun to drink, in my opinion. A tiny chunk goes a long way, kind of like shu pu erh. I think it helps to use a gaiwan and do short steeps.
This is not a typical Dayi ripe. I would have guessed it was Xiaguan. It was somewhat smoky in early steeps, with a hint of tart fruit. Medium bodied. The smoke cleared, and it got a bit bland. Not bad.
AllanK John at King Tea has it.
http://es.aliexpress.com/item/2013-TAE-TEA-DaYi-RunPin-Beeng-Cake-357g-YunNan-MengHai-Pu-er-Ripe-Tea-Cooked-Matured/32286209211.html
And for the non-spanish site: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2013-TAE-TEA-DaYi-RunPin-Beeng-Cake-357g-YunNan-MengHai-Pu-er-Ripe-Tea-Cooked-Matured/32286209211.html?spm=2114.01020208.3.1.qPB9y9&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_6_79_78_77_80,searchweb201644_5,searchweb201560_9
Sometimes you just got to get your funk on. This is one of those teas that I find has good tasting fermentation funk, I really enjoyed it. It is a burly one, kind of in your face. It is very strong and simple, quite dark and thick and just a little sweet. As Alan said, it is strong with fermentation flavor being so new, but I think this is going to be a very good tea after it settles down. There is no bitterness at all, and a real smoothness underneath that is undeniable. I think the strong smooth character might very well take over after a time.
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Update 2 years later: this is turning out just like I had hoped. The funk is going, though not yet completely gone. It is a burly highly fermented dark chewy brew. Very thick, bittersweet, and espresso like. This is a hidden gem of a shu.
I agree with @boychik, this is a good tea. Nice looking plantation material with lots of golden buds. It was quite smooth. I found it less complex than the other Xinghai ripes I’ve tried from YS, but still good. A fine everyday drink.
Scott over at Yunnan Sourcing seems to have ‘ripened’ some skills this season! I really enjoyed this tea, and I love that it is wild arbor. It is very chocolatey. I found it to be deep and bold, very smooth, somewhat sweet, and quite durable. I bet if this was sold as a premium Dayi product, it would fetch at least double the price. Another winner, and one of the reasons I find that it is better to discover gems from small independent labels you can trust, than to simply buy factory teas (no knock to good factory teas, though!).
i absolutely love it and want to get more. One time i tried it reminded me Baileys chocolate-y creamy goodness. Agree with durability.
My other half got this one as a Christmas present for me. Sorry I saw it so I have to wait. I am very intrigued by this one and I have to wait…
I found this to be a very tasty tea, one of the best house ripes I have tried from Yunnan Sourcing. It is a blend of gushu and plantation material. Despite their saying that this tea is ‘lightly’ fermented, I found it to be quite dark and deep, with just a touch of fermentation funk. It is quite delicious – notes of earthy cocoa, some sweetness, bread dough in later steeps, and only a touch of bitterness. The best flavors did dissipate after the first couple of steeps, but it was still quite good after that. I think this is a great tea and a good candidate for aging.
Well said. I have to say I agree that the first 3 or 4 steeps are the best for this one..yet I’m still considering getting a tong of it!
When are you drinking the bug pooh tea ?
Hopefully tomorrow! But sometime in the next week for sure.
Me and my grampa are waiting to see how you like it.