2025 Puerh.uk TianMenShan Extra Tall Ancient

 

This 2025 Puerh.uk Tianmenshan Extra Tall Ancient is not listed on the site…. 

Dry leaves have a sweet peach and penetrating candy odour…

First infusion has sweet sugar and candy watery taste with a soft chalky mouthfeel. Cooled down it has a spice pungent onset with a stronger sugar icing sugar sweet return that stays for quite a while.

Second infusion has a sweet and spice pungent onset very delicious and pure.  Sweet layers that finish in a strong sweet icing sugar with layered pungent and forest taste and sticky mouthfeel.

Third infusion has a floral sweet pungent buttery sugary sweet taste.  Oily sticky texture.  Soft feeling in the body and mind.

Fourth infusion has a slight bittersweetness pungent forest woody fruity icing sugars. Sticky mouthfeel.  More present mouthfeel with sticky roof tongue and sides.  Mild peaceful feeling.

5th is left to cool and is a bitter sweet fruity pungent forest onset that evolves into very sweet icing sugary with banana and fruity layers.  Mild Spacy mind relaxing.  Mild heavy jaw feeling and face heavy feeling.  Chest slight heavy as well.

6th has a bitter sweet onset with pungent forest but mainly layered sweet tastes and even some woody.  Qi builds up and biggest in the chest with stronger beats now and stronger deeper sighs of relaxing and more face Qi is evident.

7th is left to cool and is a bitter mainly sweet fruity that transforms to icing sugary layers woody.  Qi in chest and face and jaw deeper relaxing mild and deep.

8th is an overnight mug infusion and it is a sweet ashy oily with long sweet fruity almost papaya and sugar.  Oily viscus sweet smooth thick and sweet with deeper relaxing feeling and some face sensations.

Peace

2025 Puerh.uk BoHeTang Laos Exrta Tall Ancient Trees

 

This 2025 Puerh.uk BoHetang Laos Extra Tall Ancient Trees goes for $380.00 for 200g cake or $1.90/g.  ( edit to correct pice Sept 26/2025).  It was my favorite of the sampling with its cozy feeling Qi and delicious taste…

Dry leaves have a sweet floral slight barnyard gamey creamy candy purfume.  Smells very delicious to me…

First infusion has a watery sweet and slight barnyard forestry taste with very wet mouthfeel and saliva producing effects.  Candy faint breath.

Second infusion is a forestry faint barnyard sweet taste forest with very wet mouthfeel and slight sticky sandy on the roof of mouth. Face sweating and warming feeling.  Spacy feeling.

Third infusion has a spice barnyard sweet taste with stronger warming face and body. Cooled down it is a sweet banana creamy sweet tropical soft slippery feeling.  Warming and deeply relaxing almost slightly or mildly hypnotic.

Fourth has a creamy tropical sweet slippery creamy almost banana with warming face and body qi very chill feeling sort of forest bland taste left in the mouth.  Warming coming feeling and relaxing chill out vibes.

5th infusion is a forestry blandly sweet with a cozy warming relaxing by the fire feeling.  Chest warming face warming.  Spaced out feeling.

6th has a slight sweet creamy banana almost tropical bland with Space out cozy warming feeling.

7th is cooled down and is a wet not that sweet forestry with warming cozy spacy feeling.

8th is an overnight mug infusion… and has nuances of barnyard and deeper forestry pungent layers.  Smooth Austere and mysterious in its depth.  A strong bring sweetness emerges which pops a while later and stays long in the mouth.  Candy peachy fruity sugar.  It stays in the oily saliva for minutes later… so yummy!

Peace

2025 Puerh.uk ManZhuan WaLong

This was the first sample of Puerh.uk 2025 puerh I tried and it was maybe my favourite or second favorite of the lot.  This 2025 Puerh.uk ManZhuan WaLong Pure Ancient Trees goes for approx $300.00 for 200g cake or $1.50/g.

This is the first sample I tried in Puerh.uk 2025 productions.

Dry leaves smell of pure ethereal candy … very sweet….

Rinsed leaves are a sweet fresh tropical candy sweet forest!

First infusion has a watery smooth sweet subtle candy wash and fade out on the breath.   chest swelling peaceful high with mild energy rising… visual acuity improved… mood uplift… cooled down is more forestry almost barnyard pungent.

Second infusion is left to cool it is a smooth pungent barnyard with a wet tongue coating and uplifting energy chest swelling and happy uplifting with mind sharp and visual acuity laser.  There is a wonderful conflicting feeling of there being strong energy boost and chesty expansion with a sharp focusing peace with no astringency nor bitterness.

Third infusion has a wet mouth onset with soft flavours slight woody slight pungent slight sweet with a mouthwatering effect and powerful Qi mind and bodyfeeling! Big deep energy boost with laser focused eyes and mind chest expanding face tingling. Wow this is really really good ManZhuan WaLong!

Fourth is left to cool and is a pungent barnyard sweet taste with a wet and slight sticky chalky mouthfeel.  Big chest swelling and energy boosting and eyes mind sharpening with face tingles! So good.  Big energy expansion feeling but yet the mind remains razor- laser sharp.

5th is left to cool and is a wet mouth with pungent cooling forest woody lesser sweet taste but chalky sticky feeling and big deep energy boost. Big chesty feeling and energy uplifting.

6th has a woody bland forest taste.  Still some uplifting but less bland woody mouthfinish and sticky mild mouthfeel.  

7th is an overnight mug infusion… it is mild sweet oily with a bit on the edges of sticky mild bitter woody forest pucker.  Mild lingering sweet fruity taste. Chest expanding and energetic uplift with mild almost apricot sugar that lingers on the saliva minutes later.

Peace

2025 Puerh.uk Line Up Release!

 Okay last year Puerh.uk started to release their very own fresh puerh!  It really offered me a very nuanced Gushu puerh experience with each production really offering a very high quality product… I enjoyed some of the free samples sent for review more than others as a matter of preference but taken together they took me through quite a journey… the Puerh.uk 2024 puerh is all really comfortable in the body and mind and most of it is more on the, dare I say, ethereal end of the spectrum instead of having very grounded in the classic tastes and feels of a particular production area.  I loved the journey last year.

This year Puerh.uk sent me another batch of free samples for review of their recently released 2025 line up.  I’ve just tried two so far but they seem ever better than last years.  It’s always awesome when Puerh vendors I frequent strive for better year after year and it seems like that’s happening with Puerh.uk.

Join me in the next posts as I engulf the ethereal and beyond!

Peace

Hoshino White Tea Powdered “Matcha Platinum”

This is a unique production from Hoshino in Yame it goes for $45 for 20g tin at Cultivate Tea they call it “Matcha Platinum”.  It’s one I’ve heard about before yet never tried so I was really excited about this matcha made from a white tea varietal.

Powder has a roasted sweet almonds and slight floral background overall sweet smell. 

Sweet with nut shell bitterness that moves fast to a chalky sweet finish.  More chalky sweet tastes.

Nice focus high Qi mind.

Peace

Yame Matcha in the Springtime: Harmonizing Tea Drinking to Season

The last few years I have been doing better at drinking teas that harmonize my energy to the seasonal changes.  I have been drinking Yame matcha in the springtime…. These are the two that I enjoyed this year…

Hoshino Tea Yame “Hoshi No Tsuyu” Matcha

Sweet vegital,almost creamy, sweet broccoli sweetness onset.  Creamy dreamy vegital sweetness finish.

Fluffy light mouthfeel with a creamy sweet onset that develops and sweet green tea vegital slight roasted with sweet broccoli green tea long finish. 

https://cultivatetea.com/collections/matcha/products/matcha-hoshi-no-tsuyu

Hoshino Yame “Houju”

This is the absolute highest grade from Yame.upon opening the lid the fresh odour of flowers, green tea and a sweet high notes roasted smell fills the air…

Sweet fluffy with a very light sweet vegetal sticky mouthfeel onset.  Light lingering sweet almost floral and milky aftertaste almost berries sweet finish.  Spacy and relaxing body Qi feeling.

Peace

https://cultivatetea.com/collections/matcha/products/matcha-houju

2025 Zhong Si Long Xiang Chun Lin

I got a Zheng Si Long cake of Xiang Chun Lin from a few years back and really like this yearly production from them… this 2025 Zheng Si Long Xiang Chun Lin goes for $120.00 for 200g cake or $0.60/g.

Dry leaves smell very delicious of a very sweet and very pungent floral honey odour.

Rinsed leaves are a strong piercing cooling pungent minty floral honey sweet melon….

First infusion is left to cool and is a sweet but not too sweet and floral but not to floral honey.  Mouthwatering delicious honey coating return with creamy sweet and fresh cut flowers mild taste.

Second infusion is a pungent spice with flat woody and wildflower floral tastes there is sweetness but less so- Most of the sweet taste is in the return and on the breath.  The texture is an oily but has a sharpness like a powder ly chalky mouthfeel to it.  Long faint candy minutes later on the breath.  Some chest bubbling feeling.

Third infusion has a vegetal mild bitter onset with a floral breath finish and hard to grasp return of sweet taste. The mouthfeel is a sandy sticky feeling with. Spaced out mind feeling.  Face tingling.  Mild heavy head feeling. Most of the body feel in face and skull.

4th has a pungent wildflower onset with a creamy buttercup flower sweet returning on the breath.  Cooled down is sweet buttery with vegetal mild bitterness and pungent wildflowers. Chest fluttering head and face mild heavy sensations.

5th infusion has a mild sweetness wildflower chalky dry roof of mouth feeling chest and head heavy sensations. Mild relaxing lazy. Not much sweet taste.

6th has a watery wildflower taste bland woody mild bitter not that sweet mild cool breath.  Dry roof mouthfeel.  Mild heart flutters, lazy feeling relax, 

7th is left to cool and is a watery bitter woody with mild creamy return. Dry roof of mouthfeeling.  Spacy uselessness. Heavy face and head.

8th is a long mug steeping and it is mildly bitter woody stone taste. Not really any sweet taste. Lazy feeling qi with mild bodyfeel of heavy head and face.  

Peace

2025 Zheng Si Long Zhang Jia Wan

Again Zhang Jia Wan cakes from Zheng Si Long are high on the enjoyment scale for me … this 2025 Zhen Si Long Zhang Jai Wan goes for $59.00 for 200g cake or $0.30/g…

Dry leaves smell creamy sweet candy like with faint pungent wildflowers… yummy!

Rinsed leaves

First infusion has a pure watery creamy sweet taste with faint lingering creamy sweet. Soft mouthfeel.  Happy feeling. 

Second infusion has a sweet watery pure creamy almost melon with soft mouthfeel and happy spacy qi.  No bitterness no astringency just pure sweet long taste just what I suspected here… mouthwatering saliva producing with deep sighs of relaxing Spacy happy highs.  Cooled down it is a refreshing watery sweet melon with a soft oily feeling.

Third has a watery creamy sweet oily melon taste. Long sweet taste.  Watery almost woody pure long sweet taste. With soft sticky mouthfeel and light almost body floating feeling.

Fourth infusion has a pure sweet onset with creamy almost melon woody chest beats floating body and happy hi feeling. Long creamy melon taste.  Happy qi is stronger than average in this one with moderate limb and face lightness and body floating.

Sixth infusion has a wokdy long sweet sugar and moon taste with sticky soft mouthfeel and deep throat coolness. Strong happy highs develops now! Light mind and body with limbs and face light and numb!

7th has a pure sweet onset with long sweet almost melon taste.  Big happy feelings and floating bodyfeeling. Wet mouthwatering feeling with soft sticky mouthfeel. Big Qi build up with stronger floating body and mind and happy high floating feeling!

8th infusion has a sweet onset with a pure long sweet taste big chest feelings.  Still very full and vibrant taste very good stamina here with long sweet almost melon uninterrupted in a soft sticky mouthfeel. 

9th I get back to the leaves left in the pot overnight and they are a creamy long sweet slight melon sweet with mid cooling throat and breath. Wet mouthfeeling some mild saliva producing. Happy high feeling this morning.  

10th is a creamy oily wet sweet long sweet taste of mild melon sweet with cool breath and mid throat opening.  Happy fluttering chest with light limbs and bodyfeeling and happy mind. Soft sticky mouthfeel.

11th is a sweet long sweet melon woody oily taste with a soft sticky mouthfeel that is a bit sandy and a returning melon apricot sweetness.

12th is a long mug infusion …it comes out deliciously oily very sweet melon long sweet taste still very mild bitterness butter sweet mid profile.

This is a really nice Yiwu ZhengJiaWan puerh… great value to drink now or to age out!  I like!

Peace

2025 Zheng Si Long Mang Zhi

The Mangzhi area puerh that Zheng Si Long produces is always some of my most enjoyable from them… so I was excited to sample it after a few years… this 2025 Zheng Si Long Mangzhi goes for $67.00 for 200g or $0.34/g.

Dry leaves have an extremely pungent cooling faintly sweet odour.

Rinsed leaves have a sweet pungent almost faint candy odour

First infusion has a sweet pop of sweet sugar almost fruit then almost a metalic woody flat taste.  Long cool breath.  Chest expanding energy.  Slight very mild grainy woody base with sweet pungent overtop. Face is warming. Chest expand. Cooled down it is very sweet juicy fruity with a bit of wood spice. Smooth mouthfeel. Mid throat opening with hard to grasp nuances of candy on the breath.

Second infusion has a watery pungent sort of metallic woody flat taste.  Cooling breath goes into mid throat with an almost soapy candy finish. Chesty flutters and opening chest. Bodyfeeling is concentrated here. Slightly anxious feeling of uplifting energies.

Third infusion is a bit bitter sweet apricot flat almost metallic woody.  Sticky louthfeeel with sqeeky roof and comes with return of fruity peach taste and mid throat cooling opening.  Spacy but slight jittery anxious power buildup. Eyes feel soft lots of chest qi with flutters and expanding feelings.

Fourth infusion has a moderate bitter sweet pop of juicy peachy woody metalic taste with bigger chest feelings and flutters and a long candy peach finish big sighs and face flushing qi. Cooled down it is a sweet pop of woody metalic apricot underneath. Big chest energy with fluttering and expanding feelings.  

5th infusion is a sweet candy with moderate/mild bitter. Squeaky mouthfeeling. Sticky mild grip.  Return of apricot woody metalic with mid/ deep throat opening Dave qi with flushing and chest flutters and opening with a slight anxious spacy upitty feeling.

6th has a bitter moderate taste with sweetness flat wood almost like a metallic taste.  Sticky mouthfeel. Bigger chest opening with energy boost and some anxious energy. Cooled down it is sweet apricot woody metic sort of flat with a slight sticky mouthfeel big chesty feelings and energy boosting while a bit relaxing. 

7th has a sweet oily peachy expanding chest feeling.  Bitter can be felt in the Stomach now.  Cooled down it is a sweet bitter flat sort of metallic wood with a sweet return pop of apricot woody. Sticky mouthfeel. Mid deep thrust opening and cooling.  Chesty qi and eyes heavy relaxing but a bit energy boosting fluttering anxious.

I stop due to the bitter punch and put the rest into a mug for a long steeping….it comes out a flat woody vegetal sort of metallic with a moderate strong bitterness.  Big chest feeling Qi is quite strong.  Long lingering bitterness.

I like the power in here… not crazy power but just right.

Peace

2025 Tea Encounter Yi Shan Mo

 

The 2023 Tea Encounter Yi Shan Mo is one of my favourite Tea Encounters productions if you are considering value and I feel that this 2025 Tea Encounter Yi Shan Mo ($116.00 for 200g or $0.58/g) comes from the same garden… so good… 

Dry leaves have a sweet buttery creamy floral very vibrant…

First infusion has a watery clear buttery taste with sweet pop and long buttery floral sweet sugar taste.  Mouthwatering effect with happy uplifting energy boost.  

Second infusion has a buttery vegetal vibrant slight pungent floral sweet taste.  Sort of like buttery melon sweetness over a mouthwatering wet mouthfeel.  Happy high uplifting feeling with chest flutters and light shoulders feeling.  Revitalizing feelings.

Third infusion is a vibrant buttery oily sweet taste with mouthwatering effect.  Happy strong uplifting high feeling with shoulders heavy and face flushing.  Strong uplifting high feeling with heavy shoulders and chest rising feeling.

Fourth infusion has an oily concentrated sweet butter oil melon sugar sweet taste with mouthwatering wet mouthfeel effect.  Stronger happy high feeling. Long sweet dense melon buttery finish with chest glittering heavy shoulders and face flushing and happy high uplifting energy!

Fifth infusion has an oily very sweet very wet mouthwatering juicy sweet taste.  Chest up movement with heavy shoulders chalky soft mouthfeel mid- deep trust opening.  Dense sweet butter floral sweet taste and energy boost uplifting happy! Left to cool overnight in a cup it’s a buttery deep forest floral.

The next day the 6th infusion has a creamy buttery oily wet mouth sugary melon forest taste.  Big uplifting qi feeling. Flush face happy feeling. Chalky soft mouthfeel. Chest opening feeling. 

7th infusion has a wet sugar fruity pungent forest taste upfront.  there is Sticky mouthfeeling. And uplifting energy high m. Chest qi with face flushing.

8th is a sweet buttery creamy melon sugar sweet taste.  Nice concentrated sweet taste with oily chalky mouthfeel. Wet mouth salivating. Happy high qi with chest opening and sweating.

9th was a long thermos steeping it comes out with a sweet melon almost floral sweet taste with a bland stone mineral taste almost bitter at the finish but still melon sweet. Chalky mouthfeel and high feeling.

Peace

2025 Tea Encounter Laos Gushu - Tianmenshan

Every year I look forward to trying this Laos Gushu blend… this 2025 Tea Encounter Laos Gushu goes for $109.00 for 357g proper cake or $0.31/g.  Always an easy ride..

Dry leaves have a creamy almost faint tropical fruity taste with a pungent almost barnyard gamey faint odour.  Delicious…

Rinsed leaves bring out those tropical sweet notes but also deeper odours as well faint barnyard deep forest.

First infusion has a sharp woody slippery sweetness with an oily mouthfeel banana tropical flavours onset. Then comes a lubricating and saliva producing with tropical faint banana finish over a sticky slippery mouthfeel minutes later. Mild chest flutters.

Second infusion has a sweet quick bitter almost metallic onset with a creamy slippery banana tropical sweet taste distant forest barnyard.  Chest fluttering.  Chest expanding feeling with mild consciousness expanding feeling. Mild bitterness throughout. Cooled down liquid is a zesty spicy cooling pungent with orange peel and marmalade jam sweet tastes. 

Third infusion is a candy sweet tropical chalky mild bitterness.  Complex layered taste with banana tropical and faintly bitter barnyard long aftertaste.  Chest expanding feeling. Long tropical chalky banana taste.

Fourth infusion is left to cool and is a sweet metallic bitter orange peel there are forest, barnyard, tropical fruit and bitter citrus peel tastes over a sticky mouthfeel.  

5th is a sweet banana faint barnyard/ forest left to cool it has a more creamy sugary moderate sweet taste.  With a mild bitterness and sticky mouthfeel. A chalky almost barnyard sweet taste lingers minutes later.   Some chest expanding and relaxing a bit high feeling.

6th infusion has a pungent sweet taste cooled down it is a sweet almost floral melon honey taste with mild bitterness and returns as a creamy chalky sweet taste. Slippery mouthfeel and long sweet almost barnyard forest bitterness.

7th is left to cool and is a sweet mild banana chalky mild bitterness with a forest almost gamey taste. A bland sort of forest gamey taste left in the mouth.  A mild relaxing high with chest expanding feeling. 

8th is a watery mildly bitter with banana and tropical fruits emerging and fading out in the aftertaste where bitter bland and woody barnyard remains.  Relaxing.

9th is a long thermos steeping and is a pungent fairly bitter with sweetness and barnyard taste underneath.  Mild relaxing focus with chest Qi.

Peace

2025 vs 2024 Tea Encounter Walong

This 2025 Tea Encounter WaLong goes for $115.00 for 200g cake or $0.58/g.  This one had a more classic WaLong presentation which, for me, is always a good thing…

Dry leaves have a very creamy very smooth very sweet odour.

Rinsed leaves have a creamy sweet odour with subtle roast and almost fruit odour.

first infusion is a watery pure creamy vegetal sweet taste. Chalky creamy watery. Soft sticky mouthfeel. Mild creamy sugar returning sweet taste long on the breath.

Second infusion has a sweet sort of sugar and pumpkin roasted creamy sweet taste with a mild bitterness developing.  There is a heavy expanding downward moving chest feeling here with a return sugar and bitterness.  Sticky with roof of mouth dry feeling.  Mild bubbling chest feeling.

Third infusion has a strong bitter roasted sweet onset with strong chesty beats now. Expanding chest and energy increase.  Sticky dry roof of mouthfeel.

Fourth infusion has a bitter sweet melon creamy sweet taste with a sticky chalky mouthfeel. Cooled down is really sugary sweet expanding taste.  Chest expanding feeling relaxing mild uplift.

Fifth has an oily almost fruit sweet bitter taste with a returning sugar and creamy sweet mild return. Sticky chalky mouthfeel. Chest bubbling feeling mild relaxing uplift. Mild Sweet chalky taste left in the mouth.

6th is left to cool and is a bitter sweet sugar chalky taste with an almost melon sweet onet and more of a sugar chalky creamy return. Relaxing uplift is mild and chest flutters and Qi is mild to moderate.

7th is left to cool and is a sweet sugary chalky onset with only faint bitterness now returning sugar sweet taste.  Lingering sweet breath melon and almost candy minutes later. Relaxing uplift with mild chest qi now.

8th is left to cool and is a watery faint chalky sweet bitter.  Chest opening and beating with relaxing uplifting. 

9th has a chalky sweet melon sugars onset with some sticky mouthfeel and dry roof of mouth. Relaxing uplift.

10th is a woody dry bark dry roof of mouth with cool breath melon chalky sweet taste with return and breath.  Good stamina here.

11th is an overnight mug infusion… and is a moderate bitterness oily with very mild sweet sugar vegetal taste under the bitter.  Stick dry roof of mouth with rising chest feeling and mild uplifting.

Vs 2024 Tea Encounter Walong

Dry leaves are a very pure sweet candy melon.

Rinsed leaves have a roasted sweet smell.

First infusion has a sweet sugar almost candy taste with roasty notes long candy expanding chalky taste. Chest beats with strong chest qi. Bigger chest expansion and very sweet taste.

Second infusion has a roasted vegital but very sweet sugar onset.  Sweet candy like sweet taste with chalky full sticky mouthfeel.  Long candy breath big chest beats with strong sensation in the chest. Energy boost with strong uplifting and Spacy high.

Third infusion has a sugar sweet chalky creamy almost candy onset with sticky mouthfeel.  Cooling breath. Chest qi big beats and expanding feeling.

Fourth infusion is a bitter wood bark with stage sweet kore on the breath in the aftertaste but the bitterness is long. Face flash and chest expand a bit. Fruity melon in the aftertaste.  

6th has a sugar sweet onset with a dry woody bark mid profile a sugar fruity wood back aftertaste. Sticky mouthfeel. 

7th has a sweet sugar melon woody onset creamy as well but not overly sweet now. Cereal bland tastes more than sweet tastes this late in the session. 

8th has a watery cereal sweet taste… mild uplifting relaxing feeling…

9th is an overnight mug steeping and is sweet with a candy edge to it but also pretty bitter. Chalky mouthfeel uplifting feeling.

Peace 

2025 Tea Encounter ManZhuan

Tea Encounter always has great ManZhuan/ WaLong area teas for the price …  this 2025 Tea Encounter ManZhuan goes for $105.00 for 200g or $0.53/g… it’s one of my favourite from the 2025 line up for the price as it has a very thick/ even stronger mouthfeel the hallmark of Man Zhuan and it will only get thicker with age… 

Dry leaves have a piecing cooling pungent with sugar strong sweet taste slight fruity sweet layers.

Rinsed leaves have a vibrant creamy minty pungent but very sweet odour to them.

First infusion has a watery pure creamy sweet taste with a fine sandy powdery mouthfeel and cooling sweet breath.

Second infusion is a pure clear sweet creamy sugar.  There is a vegetal creamy sweet very vibrant pungent taste.  The mouthfeel is a powdery chalky feeling. Spacy relaxing sighs. Melon sweet chalky taste is le get on the breath.

Third infusion has a very sweet grapes persimmon fruit  taste deeper relaxing and spaced out sigh. Cooled down it is a vibrant chalky creamy slight melon fruity onset with powder chalky mouthfeel and long breath of sweet sugars and creamy sweet.  Deep sighs and relaxing. 

Fourth has a sweet oily watery mouthwatering.  Fruity sweet taste with thick powdery mouthfeeling vibrant juicy moutjwztering fruit…. I really like the thick chalky mouthfeel a lot.  Spacy relaxing sighs deep sigh and chest opening feeling. Tropical fruity finish on breath.

5th has a tangy juicy sweet fruity sugar with a sugar sweet mid profile and more of a fruity finish on the breath. Powdery mouthfeeling.  Deep sigh relaxing with mild uplifting feeling . Chest light feeling. 

6th has a juicy fruity onset sugar sweet mid profile and fruity sweet ending in a thick powdery mouthfeeling. Really like this classic stronger ManZhuan mouthfeel.  Apricot fruit finish on breath. Deep chill out vibe with sighing and mild uplifting feeling. 

7th infusion has a sticky powdery sandy mouthfeel with a woody dry wood sort of mineral taste with sweetness being overtaken by the strong mouthfeel but no young pulling or gagging and not astringent nor that bitter. Chest opening and flutters and energy spikes up! Faint sweet fruit breath.

8th has a sweet bitterness with gripping thick mouthfeel. Sweet undertones but strong mouthfeel overtakes the taste. Relaxing chill going on.

9th is an overnight mug steeping… and it is an oily mild/moderate bitterness with a minty pungent taste sweet sugar creamy taste under the bitter. Chest expanding feeling.

Peace

2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai Chaping

This 2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai Chaping ($230.00 for 200g or $1.15/g) is the most honest straightforward GuaFengZhi character of the three Guafengzhai I sampled from Tea Encounter and it’s a really good one…. I value the classic character of this one quite a bit… which usually would elevate a classic and delicious GuaFengZhi to a favourite of mine but I was in a different mood this year….

Dry leaves have that delicious very sweet fruity cloying pungent savory odour that makes your mouthwater.

Rinsed leaves have a very sweet pungent fruity almost potato and wildflowers odour.

First infusion has a watery pure clear sugar cooling pungent onset with some cereals taste and evolves into a sugary floral taste with a wet mild chalky feeling in the mouth with saliva producing and deep throat cooling and sweetness lingering there.  A strong euphoria and body floating and limbs tingling bodyfeel.

Second infusion has a full chalky mouthfeel with evolving strong sweetnesses long chalky fruity pungent potato sweet taste nuances and depth- initial sweetness, sweet return, deep throat sweetness and breath lingering sweetness! It’s got it!  Mouthwatering mouthfeel deep throat opens with sweet fruity lingering there is a cereals/ potato taste as well but a strong dominant elbowing sweet taste.  Spacey euphoria high is strong with floating and tingling limbs also strong… 

Third infusion has a sweet sugar creamy fruity taste with long sweet finish. Chalky full mouthfeel with face sweating arms tingling and floating feeling with euphoria high with is pretty strong.

Fourth infusion has cereals and potato under notes with flushing face chest release and tingling arms happy rush of euphoria. 

5th has a very sweet creamy candy pungent evolving sweet taste in thicker chalky mouthfeel deep sweet lingering on breath. Euphoria highs and light flaring body. 

6th fruity thick juicy initial taste with a cereal.  Cooled down it is very sweet creamy fruity pungent dense sweet taste with cooleimg sweet breath and deeper throat.  Yummy. Euphoria. Chest and face floating and flushed. Bigger qi feelings.

7th is left to cool and is a watery sweet fruity chalky full chalky evolving into a creamy sweet with oily juicy onset creamy chalky mid sweet with full chalky mouth deep cooling throat with lingering sweet breath aftertaste and cereal distant tastes. Big chest rising and face flush wirh euphoric feeling.

8th is sweet fruity juicy creamy sweet taste full dense sweet taste. Cereal base long breath sweetness still euphoric feeling but less flaring.

9th is left to cool and is woody sweet water with cooling pungent breath and fruity creamy sugar finish dense tastes and euphoria qi. Big chest rising up feeling euphoria highs. Soft chalky full feeling in mouth.

10th is a long overnight mug steeping… it is a very sweet sugar chalky sweet taste with melon pops and long mild bitterness throughout.  Big chest opening and bitter sweet chalky taste lingering on the tongue and breath.  

Out of the three 2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai offerings this one has the most classic Guafengzhai taste to it…. I like Chaping very much for this reason… I’ve purchased cakes of this one in the past from Tea Encounter in the past for exactly this reason! But this year I find the other two GuaFengZhi just a bit more interesting especially in their Qi!

Peace

2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai Tiger Hunting Mountain Liehushan

2025 Tea Encounter Tiger Hunting Mountain LieHuShan goes for $323.00isg for 200g or $1.61/g…. This was a great session…

Dry leaves are a very sweet clear icing sugar fruity sweet odour.

Rinsed leaves have a very cooling pungent piercing odour to them.

First infusion is a watery pungent sweet spice with sugar long wet taste and oily and soft chalky mouthfeel with a nice return and aftertaste of sweet chalky fruity taste. Cooled down it is very soft sweet evolution of creamy sugars and at the end more sugar and almost fruity sweet taste.

Second infusion has a watery long pure pungent taste with sugar sweet onset the evolves into an apricot long fruit taste. The mouthful is soft wet with saliva producing and deep throat saliva gobs which hold the very sweet pure apricot for minutes after swallowing.  Very nice!  Wispy spacy floating relaxing feel.  

Third infusion has a watery sweet sugar and fruity real elegant evolving sweet taste with fruity- sugar- creamy- then fruity lingering aftertaste with saliva producing mildly and deeply in the throat where long sweetness dwells.  Spacy high relaxing waves feeling.  Cooled down it is an oily wet mouth layered evolving sweet taste.  Long creamy sweet finish.

Fourth infusion has a spicy cooling pungent onset with a juicy oily sweet taste that is more sugar then turns fruity.  Spacy high in clouds deeper travelling outside the body.  Long sweet pure evolution of  taste.  Cooled down highlight the sweet tastes even more- long evolving sweet tastes.

5th infusion is very sweet oily fruity long pure juicy fruity sweet tastes. Saliva gobs deep in the throat with soft chalky mouthfeel and deep throat salivating.  Long evolving strong sweet tastes. Spaced out stoned happy feeling is strong. 

6th infusion is a sweet wood creamy pungent taste.  Starts to be a touch less sweet.  Has a mild woody almost bitter.  Deeply spacy out of body relaxing.  

7th has a watery sweet onset with hints of faint melon.  Watery smooth pure onset of juicy almost faint jam notes then sugars then melon. Soft chalky feel less saliva producing now 

8th has a watery almost fruity but more sugary wet mouthwatery woody sweet taste with faint evolution of lesser sweetness still very long in the profile and evolving but less so. Happy high deep floating away in the mind feeling is of very high quality and very nice.

9th is a long overnight mug steeping and is a deeper sweet bitter oily taste.  Oily sweet bitter sort of melon taste.  Floating body sensation and mind relaxation is deeper.  

This is my favourite of the 2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai offerings. I like its bitter base that comes out later and mainly its strong high quality floating away in a drifting mind feeling and floating bodyfeeling.  The 2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai LengShuiHe is a close second place especially considering its price.

Peace

Recommend: 2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai LengShuiHe

This 2025 Tea Encounter GuaFengZhai LengshuiHe goes for $74.00ish or $0.37/g.  Such great value..,

Dry leaves have an insanely sweet high note that is rare amongst puerh candy and almost marshmallow and fruity like some sort of candy…wow!

Rinsed leaves have a deep candy rich and deep sweet as candy.

First infusion has a watery faint hard to grasp sweet hay oily wet mouth pure taste.  Wet sweet sort of melon long sweet fade out. Stimulates the deep throat to swallow.

Second is a watery wet sweet sugar that sort of fades out into the distance.  Delicate and more narrow sweetness than the other GuaFengZhi with faint cereal notes and a sticky mouthfeeling. Not as deep in the throat. Light airy feeling.

Third infusion is by left to cool and is a very oily smooth sweet sugar and melon note.  Juicy sugar and melon almost candy like long narrower taste makes me salivate with a sticky almost pasty mouthfeel. Spacy airy feeling. 

Fourth infusion has a wet faint hay cereal with a watery wet mouthfeel a juicy pop of candy melon sweet and sugar melon finish.  Sticky mouthfeel and space out deep transcending mindfeel.  Fade out sweetness.  Chest beats stronger and slower with transcending mind floating away

5th has a juicy sweet moderate melon sugar woody cereal taste.  The sweet taste isn’t super strong but. Ice and story of fades away on the sticky mouthfeel and breath.big slow chest beats and mind escaping feeling.

6th infusion is a watery pure sweet juicy melon-sugar with a lovely ng sweet fade out it gets a bit creamy and a melon pop. Mind escape with big slowing heart beats. High escapism.

7th has a wet watery sweet cereal woody but mainly long fade out sweet taste sticky mouthfeel. Space out to the starts strong deep escape feeling is so nice!

8th has a woody hay sweet taste long fade out flat woody cereal sweetness. Big space out to the universe. Big slow chest beats. 

9th is a long overnight Mug steeping and it is a very sweet elegant creamy sugar melon taste.  Sticky mouthfeel and long lingering sweet taste.  Still very sweet in this long steeping. Even minutes later there is a long sweet taste and Spacy out of mind and body escaping.

I like this the second most out of the three 2025 Tea Encounter GuafengZhi offerings it has this crazy sweetness in there but also just take you to another planet Qi feeling!  You can’t beat it for the price.  Probably the best cheapest puerh I have had in a few years.

Peace

Ordering: Yang Qing Hao 2025 Sampling Discussion

 Ok that was fun sampling nearly all of Yang Qing Hao productions in order from 1999-2019 consecutively! I have never attempted nor completed a sampling so enormous and I absolutely loved it…. It was a great Winter/ Spring 2025!  One thing that I can say is that you really get a different perspective doing a large complete consecutive sampling like this… it gives the supreme big picture… like I have never really experienced before… the full picture… or nearly full picture…

When I say nearly, I believe I only missed 6 productions that they have ever produced.  6 productions were missed some because Emmitt was transitioning to the new site- these omissions include- 

2005 Yang Qing Hao WuShangMiaoPin… I got that confused with the 2006 of the same name and accidentally omitted it… I most looking forward to this one.

Other were productions that I was unaware of…

2019 Yang Qing Hao Gu Ning and Wang Chen this was due to my unfamiliarity with the 2019 productions.

2011 Yang Qing Hao Wild Big Ancient Tree and 2013 Yang Qing Hao Big Single Tree also due to being unfamiliar with these two limited productions.

The last one that nobody has ever tried ever is the 2005 Yang Qing Hao Lao Ban Zhang which I have officially placed on my bucket list before I die ( no time soon).

Other than just for sampling and learning I was looking for cakes to potentially purchase.

These are some that I’m considering re-ordering:

2006 Yang Qing Hao Chawangshu…. I know I criticized this one pretty hard a few years back but the Qi in this cake is truly unreal and the speed test indicates it’s a winner for me mainly because I actually enjoy Yangs storage or at least it doesn’t put me off… considering the flaws of this cake you can’t really beat the price for early Chawangshu.

2007 Yang Qing Hao Huangshan Toucha- this is the very best of the Toucha/ Jincha of Yang Qing Hao and its Yibang character is of my liking.  The speed test also dictates that this is a reorder for me.

New purchases- these are items I have not caked yet that I am considering-

2005 Yang Qing Hao YuanShi SenLin HuangShan Cha (long name)- a herby less sweet but interestingly complex puerh that is all about the Qi! I would like to see it in the speed test.

Splurges I’m less likely to commit to because I’m Not in the 3 Gram Gang and 1000$ cakes are really pushing it…

2007 Yang Qing Hao XiShi ShenPin- just a phenomenal strong cake with yangs storage and loads of coco butter sweetnesses 

2009 Yang Qing Hao 888 Gong Pin- the Qi takes you out of your body something special!  

2012 Yang Qing Hao Tian Shan Yi Jen- really delicious tastes for me and nails the bittersweetness the 666 is also a contender from the 2012 line up but more bitter.. the 2012 line up is the one to watch if you ask me…

Now if I can only get those missing samples…

Peace

Tea Encounter 2025 Line Up

 

As he has been doing since the beginning of time… Tiago of Tea Encounter has sent me his best freshest 2025 puerh teas… and I am happy to try such fresh things every year!

This year I was extra excited about his 2025 lineup and the free samples he sent… Firstly, he surprised me and sent some 2025 samples of my favourite Zheng Si Long production areas. I could not wait to sample these.

But honestly, I had the best time sampling fresh samples in years when he sent me three different GuaFengZhai areas to sample and compare…. 2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai Leihushan , 2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai Chaping and 2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai Langshuihe.  Comparing these was a rare treat for me and I can highly recommend it to get to know the area with these different characteristics!

Then to top it off there was the YiShanMo which I believe came from the same garden as the 2023 and it is very classic Yi Shan Mo and then the ManZhuan area puerh which include WaLong area! 

Anyways this was my favorite batch of fresh puerh he has sent so far…. Posts will follow..

Peace

2019 Yang Qing Hao Tai Ji

2019 Yang Qing Hao Tai Ji goes for $125.00 for 400g cake or $0.31/g… this was the last of my large sampling of Yang Qing Hao puerh….

Dry leaves are a deep strong plum and prune odour.

Rinsed leaves have a fruity plum and prune odour.

First infusion is a very oily fruity plum taste.  Tastes of Menghai plumpness!  Long lingering clear fruity plum….

Second infusion has a bitter sour plum onset with a juicy viscus texture.  Thick mouthfeel with lots of saliva producing.  Bitter and sour here… pot was slightly clogged….

Third infusion has a woody sour bitter very plum/ prune taste.  Texture oily viscus with mouthwatering.  Some mild pucker astringency cool breath. Qi is mildly uplifting.

Fourth has a fruity plum and sorta Menghai dirt taste.  Simple plumb ling fruity bitter sweet taste very faint astringency with mouthwatering uplifting qi. Some strawberries and mild bitterness in the aftertaste minutes later. Cooled down it is much fruitier with peach tastes with an almost soapy peachy plum finish.  Chest beats with uplifting energy. Some face numbness.

Fifth infusion has a woody bitter, fruity plum and sort of almost peach tastes. Slight sandy grainy sticky texture. Chest beats and uplifting energy.  Face mild tingling.

Sixth is a bitter dirt almost coco syrup peach plum.  Bitter is at least as strong as sweet fruits.  Big chest beats and energy boost up. Slight anxiety energy overflow.  Cooled down is more coco bitterness initially and smoother peachy fruitiness in the return.  Big chesty beats and energy overflow jitters!  Long bitter chocolatey breath.

Seventh has a fruity almost spoilt peachy plum dirt oily texture with bitter coco.  Big jittery chest beats. Chalky stick grainy mouthfeel. 

8th is a bitter slight gripping with almost medicinal woody cooling throat tugging bitter coco.  Puckering here. Big chesty smithing energy anxieties.  Strong surge! The cooled down infusion left for hours in the cup is very sweet very orange fresh fruity juice and long candy aftertaste with an orange chocolate like one of those Terry’s Chocolate Oranges.

9th is a flash steep the next day… left to cool it’s a very sweet fruity orange and passion fruit taste with long candy finish and chalky mouthfeel.  Mild uplifting energy.

10th is left to cool and has a juicy orange and passion fruits taste that turns into a long candy finish. 

11th is a sweet creamy orange and candy silty finish.  Mild uplifting.

12th is a long thermos steeping and it comes out bitter woody dirt with a floral almost orange taste.  Flat bitter tongue feeling.  Big chest feeling and energy surge. Very bitter when warm…. Very bitter…

This is an outlier Yang Qing Hao production that is a bitter classic Menghai tasting and has that is very strong chesty jittery Qi…. Turns out the site says it’s from Hua Zhu Liang Zi… I like that producing area…

Peace