I got this sample of 2005 Xi Zi Hao Lao Ban Zhang from Liquid Proust a few years ago but just trying it for the first time now. It was back on my radar recently and I was going to sample it when I did those Bulang Gushu samples from TeasWeLike but my mind was too blown away from those sessions! So I decided to sample it back-to-back with another earlier Xi Zi Hao the 2006 Xi Zi Hao Ban Po Lao Zhai last post but these two are really not much alike at all…
Dry leaves have a dry creamy woody sweet odour. Seems like nice dry storage here…
Rinsed leaves have a woody very sweet creamy almost almond aroma.
First infusion has a woody very creamy sweet onset. Very nice dry storage brings out the uninterrupted creamy cottony sweetness. Salivating producing with a soft mouthfeel. Body and neck tingles. Subtle floating spaciness.
Second infusion has a creamy sweet woody onset with some lips sticking and creamy almost candy cottony sweet finish. Very clear dry storage tastes. Embody and face tingles and subtle relaxed floating. Deep throst stimulating with strong soft candy creamy sweet return. Chalky sticky mouthfeel. Slow pounding chest beats.
Third infusion has a creamy sweet onset that pops into a slight mild bitter wood then transforms into a longer sweet creamy woody almost candy sweetness. There is a faint menthol edge to it. A peaceful out of body stillness takes hold.
Fourth infusion has a watery woody sweet onset with mild sweet returning taste a creamy sweet almost candy. Still a peaceful out of body stillness feeling with slow heartbeats.
Fifth has a woody sweet faint menthol onset with some salivating mid and faint deep throat with sweet creamy cottony finish. Nice stillness of mind. The cooled down cup has a sweet creamy almost candy woody that is a touch sour wood in the middle profile but has a long sweet creamy almost candy finish. Spacy stillness feeling with subtle face tingling.
6th infusion has a creamy sweet candy like sweetness with an almost sour woody mid profile. Long creamy sweet finish with mind slowing stillness. Cooled down it has a creamy almost candy sweetness with some throat stimulation and soft mouthfeel.
7th has a soft cottony sweetness slight candy over a soft fluffy mouthfeel almost faint menthol wood then long creamy sweet with throat stimulation and still mind feeling subtly tingling feeling in body with slow chest beats.
8th has a creamy sweet onset very clear flavours. There is a bit of a burst of sweet creamy almost cherry then some woody almost bitter mid that moves quickly to sweetness again. Big slow chest beats justaposed with subtle body tingling.
9th watery sweet creamy sweet with subtle woody menthol and long sweet finish. Not as sweet or flavourful more watery but clear flavours in this dry storage. Big chest beats.
10th has a watery sweet onset with a woody mid profile and sweet finish. Slight sandy soft mouthfeel. Big slow chest beats and subtle tingles.
11th has a bland watery creamy woody sweetness. A sweetness throughout but still big slow chest beats is stronger than ever!
A steep out the spent leaves for a few days and it is a sweet melon taste oily and sort of ashy but long sweet taste. Thick juicy melon sweetness with vibrant pop and oily coco sweet melon finish. Slight cooling but mainly thick sweetness.
This is a very nicely dry stored more Etherial in taste and feel than strong. Its has that characteristic LaoBanZhang with that burst of sweet flavour and quick bitterness at times not as powerful as the 2006 Xi Zi Hao Black Wrapper nor as rich as the Old Tree Early Bulang Single Origin which I both prefer. However, a really nice early example of a pure and ethereal LaoBanZhang stored the right way for such a thing which was a real treat for me!
Hobbes’ (The Half-Dipper) Tasting Notes
Shah8’s (Sheng of the Day) Tasting Notes
Peace
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