Sunday, June 27, 2021

2014 Spring Tea Urchin Xi Kong: Tobacco-ey and Delicious




(The following notes are from back in 2019 when I blind purchased a cake)

This 2014 Tea Urchin Xikong goes for $107.00 for 200g cake or $0.54/g.

Dry leaves smell of tobacco, distant wildflower sweetness, and dry wood and plum fruits.  The odour is very layered and complex.  I would have thought this to be a blend, but, I’ve never tried Xi Kong village before… well I have tried lots of Yi Bang… this one smells of the old production of Douji… very comforting indeed…

The first infusion starts off with dense popping fruity berries, followed a pop of dark coco and a wave to coolness.  Woody tastes, plum, and tobacco make up the complex undercurrent of this puerh.  There is almost a Concord grape jelly aftertaste.  The depth of high, medium, and low notes make this puerh terribly complex even in the first flash infusion.

The second infusion is dense thick blueberries, wood, tobacco, the flavours barrage me and I have a hard time sorting them out.  The liquor is dense and mouth and throat feeling strong slightly drying but very full.  There is a bitter edge of dark coco tobacco, wood, long juicy blueberry or grape jelly finish with many layers.  The Qi is very strong, mind racing, frenzied, and also very hypnotic feeling.

The third infusion has an intensely fruity onset.  It’s layered with woods, berries, cherries, blackcurrents, grape, plum- darker fruit tastes.  Tobacco, coco, the almost smokey tobacco, slight bitterness, moderate throat and mouth dryness that is not off putting.  This tea is pretty good… how can Xi kong be any better?



The fourth infusion starts with heavy dark fruit taste, layers of wood and tobacco.  There is a bitter coco pop and then long layered dark fruity sweetness.  The mouthfeel is tight almost drying and the throat feeling is very deep.

The fifth has more vibrant mid-to high fruit berries layered into dark fruits.  This infusion is especially layed with complex fruits. Long dark bitter coco and tobacco some wood.  The Qi is very strong in this puerh- it gives the mind and Heart a very significant bump.  Strong intense, racing euphoria, stoner Qi.

The sixth infusion has lots of fruits to start, slight sour peel, slight tart.  There are the tastes of sweet, tart, bitter, that barrage you at the same time really.  Even a subtle savory note can be found in here.  The pungent cooling is mild and mainly on the inhale.  The chokecherry tartness is more obvious as well as the coco bitterness.  The qi is really enjoyable.

The seventh infusion has more of a syrupy chokecherry syrup onset the mouthfeel is very simulating and astringent.  There is lots of puckering, the aftertaste is fainter but an obvious creamy fruit note linger long on the breath even minutes later.

The eighth infusion has a powerful bitter wildflower entry layered with dark dry wood.  The astringency and mouth and throat simulation is something to note.  The power of this tea likely means you can use much less leaf and probably get a lot from it.

The ninth infusion starts with a fruity light fruit and bitter coco onset.  The bitter coco trails off in the profile leaving fruits behind.  I love this energy in the puerh.

The tenth infusion delivers berries, dark honey, woods in a distinct coco base,

The eleventh has lots of berries in there as well as coco a velvety mouthfeeling and throat feeling is developing around coco, wood, subtle tobacco, lots of deep fruits.  Qi is hypnotic.

The 12th and 13th infusions start with an apricot fruit sweetness now which dominates with coco, wood, wildflowers, tart, this puerh is very nicely flavoured.  Slight almost coco/ coffee bitterness. Great mouth/ throatfeel and amazing qi.  Despite this it is not harsh on the body

14th, 15th , are slight apricot fruit, wood, coco, tart finish.. yummy… A nice movement through the whole session as well.



This tea somewhat reminds me of the now unaffordable early house taste of Douji blends- tobacco and woods and sweet.  I’m fond of this, very, very fond of this display in a puerh.  But yet it’s a single estate thingy not a factory production.  I like this one.

Steepster Tasting Notes

TeaDB’s Tasting Notes

Peace

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