2013 Puerist Ma Li Shu: East vs West Yibang

Where is Ma Li Shu?  I’ve heard of the place before… but where?  I think Yiwu?  But where in Yiwu…  Not sure… I will do a bit of research after sampling so this one is kind of blind sampling as far as the region goes.  This puerh is also no longer offered on the Puerist site…

Dry leaves smell of paper, woody, maple syrup and brown sugar… Smells delicious with some Xishuangbanna storage being likely here.

The first infusion has a woody maple syrup with a soft low pungency over a fuzzy full tingling mouthcoating.  There is a nice low laying and low cool pungent breath.  There is a nice fullness to the woody and sweet maple syrup tastes.  Part of this is an immediate deeper throat opening.

The second infusion has a more distinct and richer creamy woody sweetness.  There is a rich fullness to it and is accentuated by a long developing pungency and long sweet brown sugar finish that shares room with a distinct long candy finish.  The Qi in the body is really nice and smooth and has a penetrating euphoric effect on the mind.  This is a really nice puerh.

The third infusion has a slight sour astringent woody creamy brown surgar and maple syrup onset.  A cool pungency develops and pushes out candy and brown sugar and autumn woods tastes.  There is a sweet candy like finish that skirts through the long aftertaste.  The mouthfeel is really full soft and chalky tight and the throat pungency is mid-deep.  The overall package of this puerh is really full and satisfying and deeply penetrating.  The Qi and purity of this puerh is notable.  It feels so light and airy in the body and euphoric, soft and happy in the mind.

The fourth infusion has a rich maple syrup brown sugar sweetness with a certain autumn woodiness.  The coating in the mouth and throat is really full cottony thick almost silky oil.  There is a low deep pungency to the puerh that pushes a candy sweet taste long in the aftertaste.  The flavours are really thick and the profile nice and long.  Woody maple syrup.

The fifth is more sugar and candy with woody autumnal leaves.  There is that cool pungent underneath a full feeling taste and feel where a thicker cottony fullness is.  Long finish with sweet tastes.

The 6^th has a creamy fruity sweetness at the onset now with layers of woods and mainly brown sugar sweetness.  The mouthfeel and throatfeeling is cottony full.  The long sweet taste is notable.  Long candy layered with brown sugar sweetness.  The Qi is deep penetrating and is becoming quite powerful in the mind pushing me into a high talkative euphoria.

7^th is a woody brown sugar taste with just a touch of sour and emerging pungency that pushes a long candy with brown sugar on the breath.  The aftertaste is developing some spicy almost cinnamon notes in the brown sugar.  Very tasty.  Qi is very deep.  A full cottony mouthfeeling.

8^th infusion has an almost ghostly fruity taste and almost vegetal taste within brown sugar and wood tastes.  The cooling pushes out layered sweetness deeper in the throat.  The Qi is active strong and euphoric but quite warming in the Chest.

9^th infusion has a woody almost fruity sweetness and an almost vegetal taste.  There is an almost brown sugar cinnamon pungency in the long aftertaste.  The mouthfeeling has a tingle to it.  Alerting and euphoric Qi sensation.

10^th infusion has an almost fruity taste over a woody and almost vegetal almost sugar base taste.  The mouthfeel is flattening out a bit. 

11^th is a 10 second added to flash steeping… and gives off a vegetal almost fruity flat kind of sugar sweetness with a vegetal woody base.  The cool pungency is diminished now.

12^th is a cool cup and give off some creamy almost fruity vegetal sweetness with a longer cooling slow moving sweetness that is more creamy candy sweet but mild.  Qi is more relaxing focused euphoria.

13^th has a fruity vegetal onset with a flat sugar taste over a sandy flat tongue coating.  There is still a mild but longer pungent coolness with faint long creamy fruity finish.

14^th has a candy vegetal mild onset with a low long pungency and a sticker mouthcoating.  Nice tingling tongue coating.

I mug steep out the rest…. And it gives off bitter vegetal woody bark tastes with a tight mouthfeeling.  There is a bitter sweet long slight pungent dominating and aftertaste.  Very nice stong Qi still here.

Okay… so I google to see where exactly Ma Li Shu is… ahhh… Yibang… I can see that now.  Especially the Qi is classic euphoric Yibang powerhouse and small leaf.  This puerh has a wonderful feature of a long candy maple syrup aftertaste that lingers deep in the throat as well.  This is very good Gushu puerh.  In some ways this is more woody and layered sweet but with less astringency that typically comes with Yibang puerh.

To be more specific, Ma Li Shu is actually from West Yibang.  Mark Turner had mentioned to me that many believe that the quality of tea in general from West Yibang is better than East Yibang these days.  Although, he says, places with the best quality in East Yibang command astronomical prices.  Interesting thoughts from someone who really knows his puerh!

Peace