This 2017 Chen Sheng Hao Banzhang Ancient Tree 200g brick is now for sale at Puerh.uk for approx. $257.00for 200g brick or $1.29/g… I got this sample free with purchase/ for review… Chen Sheng Hao is famous for adding a bit of Lao Ban Zhang into these things…
Dry leaves have a woody, papery faintly sweet odour.
First infusion has a watery woody pondy but bright clear
candy taste with seaweed aftertaste mixed with hard to grasp candy. There is a lingering but super faint
bitterness underneath. The mouthfeeling
is very faint sand. You can feel some
faint chest sensations right off the bat…
Long faint lingering bitter sweet candy taste minutes later with slow
release saliva.
The second infusion is left to cool and gives off a pond
marshland onset that expands into bitter and candy sweetness with the marshland
storage taste of drier natural Taiwanese storage taste trailing into the
aftertaste of mild but building bitterness and candy sweetness. Chest heart beats. Mind is energetic.
The third infusion has a pond marshland faintly pungent
onset that slowly changes into a woody bitter which then slowly gives way to
sweetness in the aftertaste. The
sweetness is subtle and long. The
profile is really clear, stretched out and slow moving with the pond-marshland,
likely storage taste spanning the profile and providing some depth. The mouthfeelng is a faint soft velvety
coating. There is a faint cooling and
saliva producing after the bitterness subsides to make room for sweetness. All the flavours are not too strong but
slowly reveal themselves. Nice chest
heart beats with some chest expansion and energetic focused mind.
The fourth infusion has a more condensed creamy sweet with
pond onset the bitterness is getting stronger and starts to beat the crap out
of my now empty stomach… there is also more saliva producing and more sweetness
but this is more bitter than any LaoManE I have sampled recently… super strong
unhinged power that races the heart, excites the mind into a euphoria… and
pains the stomach from its raw bitter power… oh baby! The cooled down cup is much sweeter with a
long candy finish….
The fifth infusion has a bitter pond-marshland then some
slower to emerge sweetness, a bit of faint cooling and a faint saliva
release. The sweetness almost reminds me
of a box of cereal I’ve tied… granola?
Long faint slow emerging sweetness that strengthens in the mouth minutes
later. Softer faint velvety coating. Humongous waves of intense alerting energy
push me into a dysfunctional giddy mess…
Strong heart beats and shoulder heaveiness with cheek numbness.
6th sweet bursts of candy sweet under a moderate
flat bitterness some heart beats and forehead sweeting. More lubricating texture and sweetness with drier
tugging mouthfeeling. Powerful Qi.
7th a bitter pond-marshland onset with an almost
but not really fruity and floral sweetness that expands into a candy like
finish.
8th has a quick bitterness with a pondy-marshland
finish a cooling throat and returning saliva to the throat. There is a slow sauntering sweetness underneath
that slowly reveals a candy sweetness that is transposed over some lesser
bitterness and marshland taste. The Qi
is felt in the strong heart beats, open chest energy movement down shoulders
and limbs.
9th infusion has a bitter then pond then woody then
a slow sweetness. The cold cup gives off
a woody menthol caramel sweet that turns candy slowly and slightly minutes
later. Strong alerting Qi, I break a
sweat as my heart pounds. Slight dry
gripping mouthfeeling.
10th infusion has a flat bitter and fruity
presentation with pond and woody tastes in there and a cooling pungent on the
breath. The pond marshland taste lingers
throughout… this is a drier Taiwanese storage thingy…
11th has a malty caramel fruity sweetness that
pops with the bitterness then pond tastes then throat cooling… ahhhh… then
candy faint sweetness under bitter and pond…. Strong heart beats, sweat, limbs…
12th has a sweet pop then bitter with woody and
pondy then sweet and cooling. Stong Qi!
13th has a sweet onset then a bitter, pondy then
sweet then cooling then candy. Strong Qi!
I goes like this for a handful more infusions….
I return to the pot the next day… still at flash infusions
and its giving off some pond watery onset with some lesser sweetness, more
woody pond marshland than yesterday faint sweetness…
The mug overnight infusion is marshland pond with a faint
ashy incense bitterness and not really much sweetness just hints of returning
sweetness.
It feels like single estate profile or maybe just delicately blended? and obvious Laobanzhang taste that is a bit more LaoManE than Lao Ban Zhang. Dryier natural storage. Super power Qi. Super enjoyable! I would rate this one pretty high compared to some of the other more obvious Lao Ban Zhang samples I have recently had.
I drank all these past Ban Zhang samples in about an 8 day span and it
made my life super enjoyable! Thanks
Paolo for this opportunity!
Peace
4 comments:
You're very welcome Sir, thanks for all your kind, thoughtful reviews
Peace
Interesting you pick up pond notes. I didn’t get that at all on my sample, so maybe there’s some variation? I was blown away by how complex and intense this was and bought a cake.
Nick Martin,
I also loved the complexity and intensity but couldn’t bring myself to pick up a cake. One of my favourite younger cakes I’ve sampled recently. Good choice!
Peace
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