2021 Tea Encounter Yiwu Guoyoulin: Big Qi, Big Size!

The website was late to put up any sort of description of this 2021 Tea Encounter Yiwu Gouyoulin that goes for $141.42 or $0.35/g so I basically tired this free sample only knowing the price and general location as there is lots of Yiwu Guoyoulin with lots of different Yiwu Guoyoulin character.  One thing that I noted was that Tiago pressed this into both 250g and 400g sizes- I applaud the initiative to offer both a small more accessible size and a big ass old school size!  This way everybody is happy… hahahhah…

Okay let’s get into it here…

Dry leaves are a thick obvious layered sweetness with some forest gamey odours in the distance.  The look of the long leaves with the smell of the dry leaf is decidedly Yiwu Gushu.

The first infusion has a gamey foresty taste.  This tastes a lot like boarder tea to me with its very gamey barnyard tastes.  It’s a faint tasting thing with primarily a long barnyard taste with just a slight suggestion of grassy almost melon creamy sweetness.  The sweetness only really hints in the aftertaste.  A barnyard finish is in order here.  I can feel some faint body sensations in the face right off the bat as well as a subtle floating sensation.

The second infusion has a gamey barnyard with a sweet straw-mushroom like grassy taste initially.  The sweetness stretches its legs in the aftertaste amid barnyard and grassy tastes.  The mouthfeeling is watery.  A cup of cooled liquor has an oily and viscus creamy grassy sweetness with long barnyard base taste.

The third infusion has a pungent forest grassy and hay onset with an oily texture over a watery faint mouthfeeling and mid-deep faint throat opening.  There is some faint coolness there and an expanding faint creamy sweetness over the barnyard and forest tasting base layer.  The cool menthol forest taste lingers in the mouth over a faint watery sort of faint sandy mouthfeeling.

The fourth infusion has a straw barnyard onset with a slow underlying emerging sweetness that expands in the mouth and returns alongside menthol cooling notes and the steady barnyard notes.  There is a melon creamy sweet barnyard woody finish minutes later.  The tastes are really clear and pure.  The Qi has lots of little bodyfeeling things going on especially releasing and tingling the neck. 

The 5^th is a spicy slightly bitter and astringent woody barnyard condensed onset with an emerging sweet taste that pairs with a strong menthol taste and expands in the mouth.  My empty stomach can feel some astringency here.  There are some spacy Qi feelings which are quite strong now and some neck releasing.  There is a long and strong menthol barnyard sort of faint underlying creamy melon sweetness.  The Qi here is really powerful and pushes my mind into a Spacy floating state!

The 6^th infusion has a dense spicy pungent woody barnyard note initially with a lesser sweetness that grows out of this, pairs with the menthol tastes and is a faint creamy under menthol, barnyard, and woody taste.  This Qi is really big here, beating the heart slowly with a Spacy feeling and neck sensations here.  Some face tingling as well.  A stickier mouthfeeling is emerging with some throat mild stimulation happening.

7^th is left to cool down and tastes of dense barnyard woody taste with some emerging lesser creamy sweetness that comes with a menthol barnyard coolness.  The aftertaste is a strong menthol barnyard faintly sweet and mainly.  Nice strong spaced out Qi with neck and face bodyfeelings.

The 8^th is a watery spicy woody pungent foresty that turns menthol and a bit sweet.  There is a mainly woody barnyard bland taste in the aftertaste with not that much sweetness at all here.  Nice spacy Qi with face numbness.  The mouthfeeling is a faint kind of watery empty with dry edges, teeth, and upper throat.

9^th has a almost bitter woody barnyard taste with just edges of faint corn like sweetness.  The aftertaste is a menthol barnyard faint corn sweetness.  Big spacy Qi with facefeelings.

10^th infusion has a dense woody barnyard slightly bitter onset with a pear edge of sweetness that comes along with the cooling menthol finish.  There is a pungent cool menthol taste that even trails into the aftertaste with barnyard and dry wood and only harder to grasp edges of pear sweetness now.  The Qi is big and I sigh and feel a useless relaxation wash over me.  The mouthfeel is sort of empty with these dry edges to it.

The 11^th infusion has a mainly woody bitter onset with a bit of brackish dirt barnyard underneath that develops a kind of coolness in the mouth.  There is a bland barnyard forest woody aftertaste to it with a menthol edge.  Qi is spacy still.

12^th is a bitter woody barnyard menthol experience still.  The flavours are stable throughout the infusions and still give a lot here but the sweetness has completely dropped off now.  Big Qi pushes me into a sweat.  Spacy.

13^th is becoming more bitter and woody with still some faint edges of barely sweetness and barnyard with menthol finish.

I mug steep the rest of this out…

The taste is a nice forest deep menthol foresty gushu taste more smooth in the mug and deeper more complex tasting here.  Edges of creamy sweetness are found here over the chalky mouthfeeling.  This mug steeping is pretty nice with a strong relaxing and spacy feeling still.

The overnight steeping is a thin oily with edges of sweet creamy faint tastes with pungent foresty barnyard nuances.  There is a pop of melon fruity sweetness in the retuning taste with a subtle floral nuance here.  The profile is still deep and long here.  The stamina of these leaves is notable.

I like this one…

This is one of those obvious Yiwu Gushu’s probably the clearest and purist Gushu example in the Tea Encounter’s 2021 catalogue.  It is also one of those Yiwu gushu puerh that isn’t very sweet which is the reason why it isn’t a few hundred dollars more in price.  However, it does have a deep foresty gamey barnyard profile that is common among some gushu in Yiwu and its taste and profile is reasonably dense and long but just not very sweet.  Its Qi, on the other hand, the bodyfeels in the neck and deep spacey almost feel good spacey qi that doesn’t bother to slow or sedate- it is something you can find in a premium gushu offering… its really good… but it’s just not that sweet.  In some ways it’s like the 2020 Tea Encounter Walong Guoyoulin which had a very deep profile and deep qi but not as overtly tasty but much more Gushu than the other 2020 Tea Encounter offerings… its just not that sweet.

This one actually reminds me a bit of 2013 Tea Urchin’sSnake blend in the fact it’s not overly sweet.  It also reminds me of the blended 2019 Tea Encounter Laos Gushu.

….But oh man that Qi…

Peace

2021 Tea Encounter Yi Shan Mo Gushu: Top Shelf Yi Shan Mo!

I was recently informed that much of what was previously Yi Shan Mo is now, considered a state protected forest area or as they say “GuoYouLin”.  This 2021 Tea Encounter Yishanmo Gushu($175.10 for 250g cake or $0.70/g) is Tea Encounter’s first pressing of the Yi Shan Mo area and it really impressed me..

The dry leaf has a deep gamey distinct wild floral sweet odour.  The smell is mysterious and deep but very inviting with that floral.  Pretty compressed and looks like the Bing hole…. Mmmm….

The first infusion has a clear wildflower watery profile almost like a tisane with a faint long cooling breath and woody wildflower finish.  There is not that much sweetness here but some edges in the aftertaste.  The mouthfeeling is a very mild lubricating with an open mid-throat.  The profile is a clear watery pure image.  Minutes later there is a kind of rubbery brackish taste in the mouth.

The second infusion has a woody spicy almost mild bitter and wildflower-like not that sweetness.  The initial taste is condensed and has a chalky cottony mouthfeeling and faint open mid-throat.  The aftertaste has a woody wildflower with a slight creamy sweet edge.  There is a subtle upper throat stimulation that makes it feel like a blob of saliva is caught there.  Nice calm and reflective feeling to the Qi.

The third infusion has a spicy pungent onset with a woody not really bitter nor that sweet distinct wildflower taste.  There is a nice oily and lubricating mouthfeeling and a slow release of strong wildflower finish.  The floral is not that sweet but very floral and expands into the aftertaste with edges of more candy and creamy sweet tastes over a faint cooling throat.  Not much for bodyfeelings but a nice calm reflective energy here.

The fourth infusion has a peachy woody spicy taste with the sweet peach taste coming through here over a thick oily mouthfeeling and open mid-throat.  There is a bit of a saliva gob at the back throat and a faint cooling where peachy woody and wildflower tastes seem to expand and grow in the viscus mouth.  The Qi is a really nice chill vibe with relaxing and easygoing feeling to it.

The fifth infusion has a peachy woody a bit spicy condensed taste onset which pop in the mouth and with a cooling mid-throat and saliva gob in the upper throat produces a full expanding peachy woody wildflower finish in the mouth.  Nice expansive relaxing.  Nice full oily lubricating mouthfeeling.  Clear, simple, condensed taste and oily rich feeling puts me at ease and seems to relax me deeper.

The sixth infusion is a pop of dense peachy woody with wildflower distinct finish over a lubricating mouthfeel and some faint cooling that has a bit of pungency to it and seems to expand the sweet peach but especially the wildflower taste in the mouth.  Nice relaxing chill vibes here. Subtle tingling in the face.

The 7^th is a bit creamy sweet buttercup like floral sweetness there is a very mild spice initially then a cool throat with a dominating wild flower finish with some sweeter and woodier touches.  The mouthfeel is still quite oily and a bit chalky.  The aftertaste just sticks in there.  Nice happy chill feeling to this tea that I’m totally into today as the leaves start to change around me.

8^th has a dense woody buttercup floral faintly peach not that sweet and not really bitter wildflower onset.  There is some throat cooling and a thick oily mouthfeeling then a returning stronger wildflower in the aftertaste.  Strong happy vibes to this puerh as well as this engaging relaxing that is deeply energizing like lying in the sun.

9^th has a peachy woody floral onset with the spice note gone the last few infusions.  The initial condensed woody sweet floral rests on a lubricating mouthfeeling that is subtly mouthwatering but mainly just oily. The aftertaste shows some more clear sweetness but mainly more wildflower taste.  Nice Happy uplifting but not overtly or excessively energizing- a really happy smooth ride here.  There is some Abdominal opening body sensations which are really subtle.

10^th has a condensed woody wildfloral and sort of not that sweet peachy taste.  There is some throat cooling and more of a dry sticky mouthfeeling.  Wildflower notes stick out in the aftertaste with a bit of woody and less sweet.  Nice strong deep happy feel good Qi with some Abdomen and rib spaciousness.

11^th has a woody wildfloral onset there is some cooling throat then an expanding peachy wildflower woody sweetness in the aftertaste.  The thick somewhat lubricating mouthfeeling holds and so does the feel good Qi.

12^th has a woody oily wildflower and almost faint mushroom taste.  The mouthfeeling is still somewhat oily and there is still some saliva producing effect.  The Qi is just really satisfying for me- deeply feel good Qi with some faint bodyfeeling opening lower ribs and abdomen.  Happy.

13^th opens up with a floral almost peachy that ends in a woody taste.  The floral and peach is still quite satisfying to me still.  The mouthfeeeling is chalky.  Qi is feel good with stronger bodyfeelings as the session progresses.

14^th has a similarly strong condensed onset… its weird that this tea seems to get better and better this late into the session.  The taste is almost but not really bitter and has a bit of a mushroom touch to it now.   Feelin’ Good.

15^th has an almost sour fruitiness with woody and floral onset there is some faint mushroom… interesting things are coming out of this one.  The mouthfeel is still quite lube and strong cooling.  Feel good Qi… I’d hate to stop this session.

16^th the next day has a more distinct but sweeter and clear pure floral onset with a melon edge of sweetness.  A brighter and fruitier floral today.  The mouthfeel is softy oily now with an expanding slow fade sweet melon floral.

17^th was left to cool and gives off a woody floral with a more distinct melon sweetness over a chalky sticky mouthfeeling with some oily texture still.  The melon floral taste stretches in the aftertaste becoming the dominant note and devlopling a melon-creamy-sweet taste with floral, for the first time being secondary.  Nice feel good Qi in there today as well.

18^th has a woody almost bitter wildflower onset there is not much coolness here but a retuning creamier sweetness with not much melon taste.  The mouthfeeling starts to become more gripping now.  Nice easy going Qi.

19^th is left to cool but still pounds out very thick viscus and very flavourful taste.  Nice low sweet floral finish.  There are lots of puerh out there that won’t even taste this full, vibrant, and delicious in the first handful of infusions than this 19^th! Infusion.  The stamina is very good and tastes very consistent but slowly and gently evolves throughout the session.

With how much I packed the pot with these leaves I’m convinced they could go on a lot longer at flash infusions… but I decided to mug steep out the rest of the leaves…

Very thick dense forest taste with a thick chalky mouthfeeling, still quite oily, with a distinct strong wildflower finish.  Not a bright sweet floral but more of an almost weedy floral wild flower taste to it. There are glimpses of melon, pear, and creamy sweet nuances as well as subtle mushroom- all notes that appeared in the session underneath.  Mild saliva returning here.  Nice almost euphoric feel good happy feeling.  Very dense and thick and powerful tastes and mouthfeeling and Qi in these longer infusions.  There are also abdomen opening and lower rib opening feelings in the body with some Heart and Chest expansion in these longer stronger infusions.  Super tasty and satisfying to me.

This is the nicest Yishanmo that I have sampled and for those who like this region, I can’t think of a better treat!  It is very condensed and clear in its taste, of note is the distinct wildflower note which usually shares a bit of space with some woody and some lesser fruity/creamy sweetness.  The taste expands nicely in the aftertaste as there is a bit of saliva returning but overall a very sturdy oily lubricating mouthfeeling for the flavours to hang out in.  The Qi is really wonderful here it has this strong happy feel good vibe to it that is a powerful mood enhancer.  There are some bodyfeelings that come out later in the session such as abdomen, lower ribs, and even Heart/Chest feelings.  The slow and steady evolution of narrow but engaging and dense tastes coupled with the buillding Qi and the powerful stamina of these leaves as well as the signature lubricating mouthfeeling make this the best Yishanmo I have yet to try.

Alex’s (Teanotes) Tasting Notes

Peace

Marco’s 2021 Blind Tasting Epsilon & Zeta

I sampled these both on the same day and came to the conclusion that they are actually the same puerh!

Epsilon is first…

Dry leaves smell of very sweet forest very freshly picked 2021 sheng odours.  Smells like a nice Yiwu here… very light.

The first infusion is a watery very clear airy sweet slightly floral with a foresty almost gamey forest taste that slides into a long slightly vegetal creamy sweet aftertaste.  Yummy…

The second infusion has a clear pure fresh sheng almost melon and floral pure note to it which gathers a bit of faint foresty-gamey base, but only every so faintly.  Pretty green processed fresh sheng.  With a faint coolness in the throat and subtle melon long sweet finish.  The mouthfeel is faint oily softness with some deeper throat opening.  You can feel a light upbeat qi feeling from this puerh.  Also you can feel the green processing in the empty stomach, just faintly enough.

The third infusion has an oily floral buttery onset over a thin soft mouthcoating.  There is a faint suggestion of forest and faint long sweet melon floral green finish.  Faint cooling deep throat can be felt on the exhale.  Nice subtle soothing/ refreshing bodyfeeling.  A faint astringency from the freshness of this puerh can be felt in the empty stomach.

The fourth infusion has a creamy sweet buttercup melon floral onset.  There is not much forest base left but more of a faint green astringent floral vegetal before cool throat and sweet melon finish.  This is pretty nice standard pure green processed Yiwu gushu-ish stuff.  The oily texture over a very soft mouthfeeling is a nice feature of this one as is the very light airy upbeat/ feel good Qi.

The fifth infusion has a watery pure clean fresh butter cup and subtle floral melon sweetness that fades into a faint mid-deep cool throat and faint soft mouthfeeling.  There is a faint astringency to the young leaves.  Soft bodyfeeling of mild uplifting.  The aftertaste is a faint sweet melon.

The sixth infusion has a mild watery vegetal almost woody but more melon onset with a faint cooling.  The mouthfeeling is becoming more substantial with a thicker dryer puckering.  There is also less aftertaste a faint mid-throat coolness and more of a vegetal than sweet finish.  Nice happy subtle floating feel good feeling.

The seventh has a watery melon floral watery pure onset with a very faint cool throat and vegetal melon finish.  The Qi is becoming more relaxing than feel good.  Soft thin mouthfeeling.

The eighth infusion has a very watery faint melon and floral onset that kind of fades out.  There is a bit of cooling in the mid-throat.  This puerh is Yiwu and has a greener production not from super old trees but old enough but definitely not plantation either.

The ninth infusion I add 20 seconds to the flash infusion and it comes off with more orchid onset and with a thin dryer mouthfeeling but still some upper-mid throat coolness and floral melon vegetal finish.

10^th has a 30 second steeping and is much the same…

Overall, this is a nice clean pure green processed Yiwu single estate production.  It has a classic melon and floral onset with very faint coolness and faint sweet aftertaste.  Simple but pure and enjoyable for what it is.  The Qi is a mild feel good and relaxing experience.

Guess: Epslion is a more green processed 2021 Yiwu from a single estate production like Gushu but not overly gushu.

Zeta

Dry leaves smell of very sweet fresh forest odours freshly picked sheng odours. Smells like a nice Yiwu here… slightly deeper and darker than Epsilon. More pungent forest odours here.  Not the sharp cut through the young leaf material- we can expect a bit of bitterness from that… Wet leaves after the rinse have a roasted nutty kind of odour.  You can see that the leaves are darker and more rolled than the Epsilon.

First infusion has a roasted veggie with a bit of floral and melon undernieth roasted taste there is a bit of coolness in the throat and some melon but also creamy coolness melon.  There is more saliva producing effect in the upper throat.  Nice smooth feel good feeling.

The second infusion has a spinach watery sweet melon floral onset with a bit of subtle roasted nutty taste and more lubricating mouthfeel over a thin soft mouthcoating.  The subtle coolness is in the mid-deeper throat and pushes out a creamy cool and melon floral.  There is a bit of saliva returning.

The third infusion is cooled but has a melon, roast floral nuance to it a long melon finish with a bit of creamy sweet and cool throat.  Nice feel good Qi sensation.  Qi is the same as the Epsilon, flavours are almost the same with the Zeta with more spinach and roast and the Epsilon with more vegetal.  The mouthfeeling is better with the Zeta as there is significant saliva returning.

The fourth has a green roast vegetal onset with orchid and melon sweetness as the saliva returns over the soft thin mouthfeeling it brings a wave of creamy sweetness that trails into the aftertaste.  Nice feel good Qi a bit alerting too now.  Minutes later there is a lingering green sweet roasty note.  Nice upbeat/ feel good Qi.

The fifth infusion has a watery, roasty sweet, orchid, and melon onset with a faint cool mid-throat with a returning melon floral sweetness.  There is a long creamy breath minutes later over the faintly drying soft thin mouthfeeling.  The Qi is a feel good but is starting to compound into a stronger energetic giddiness.

The sixth infusion has a watery melon and orchid onset there is a bit of brackish like bitterness like roasty bitterness from a nut shell which comes and fades over a cool mid-throat causing a creamy sweetness to return with melon and some floral.  It happens over a soft thin subtly drying aftertaste.

The 7^th has a watery melon and orchid with a faint roasted bitter nut shell taste the mouthfeeling is thin and a bit dry with a subtle coolness and faint returning melon aftertaste.  A nice relaxing Qi is taking hold now.  There is a rubbery vegetal taste left on the breath minutes later.

The 8^th infusion has a woody vegetal bland onset with very faint melon and floral some faint cooling throat and some very faint lingering sweetness.  Overall, relaxing Qi experience now.

The 9^th I add 20 seconds to the flash infusion and it pushes out bland sweetness with a subtle orchid sweetness and some cooling in the mid-upper throat over a tighter dryer thin mouthfeeling.  There is some sweet woodier melon in the aftertaste as well as some bitter finish with gripping mouthfeeling.  Very faint candy sweet finish on the breath minutes later.

The 10^th I do a 30second steeping and get much the same…

I mug steep out the spent leaves with Epsilon on the Left/top and Zeta on the Right/bottom they both have a nice sweet melon and floral taste with Epsilon being more tart and astringent and Zeta being more bitter.  Zeta is also more course in its mouthfeeling with a deeper cool throat and longer aftertaste.  Epsilon has a more vegetal and more aromatic floral presence throughout with a chalkier mouthfeeling.  They have identical Qi… and Qi can’t lie…

Guess: These are the same puerh with different processing.  This must be the 2021 Longdui Guoyoulin Half-Cake Set with Epsilon being the normal rolling and the Zeta being the stronger rolling.  At $0.60/g this cake is priced right and the option for learning is an excellent bonus.  I think the spent leaves mug steeping says it all… there is great learning to be had with this one.

Peace

10 Years to Sharpen A Sword: 2018 Spring EoT 10 Year Anniversary Yiwu

For ten long years, a sword I whetted,  

Its frosty blade, as yet, untried.

Today, I hold it unsheathed before you;

Of you, to whom was justice denied?

Jia Dao (779-843)

It has been quite a ride David and Yingxi … 10 years.  Over these last 10 years, much has changed in the puerh world and we have learned many things.  As I shared previously on this blog, David and I go way back to when it first started.  I had a feeling, and it is so fitting, that this 2018 Spring EoT 10 Year Anniversary Yiwu ($560.00 for 400g cake or $1.40/g) comprised of GuoYuLin or protected state forest material would magically make it to my tea table.  On the wrapper is commissioned calligraphy of the above Tang Dynasty poem by Jiadao.

The first line in the poem above suggests that David and Yingxi have spent 10 years learning.  There is humility in these lines, patience, meticulousness, carefulness, responsibility.  They, like us, are students of tea- this great mystery of puerh.  They are also our teachers and have taken us on this beautiful 10 year journey with them.  It has taken us to the most pristine puerh trees, to the tea markets of Malaysia, to the Warehouses of Kunming, and beyond. This first line not only refers to them as students but also as business people, and probably, about each other as a couple.

The totality of David and Yingxi’s acquired experience, hard work, patience, learning from past successes and failures and knowledge of what makes puerh so wonderful is presented to us right now.  In this very cake “Today, I hold it unsheathed before you”!

That is a LOT of hype to live up to…

Dry leaves smell of fresh foresty, deep wood odours as well as lingering but not overly sweet distant cherries and plumbs.

First infusion has a sweet onset followed by a deep forest taste then sweet fruity then a sweet icing surgar pungent finish.  Wood tastes appear under the sweet and a slight almost rubbery feeling in the mouth and throat.  It is immediately apparent that this puerh has interesting depth to it.  The mouthfeel is mild and sticky in the tongue but nice and opening in the deeper throat.  The liquour is a golden brown hue to it, unique among puerh this young.

The second infusion starts off with a burst of sweetness that is part fruity and part icing sugar- there is a deeper sweet taste in here as well- like edges of dried apricot mix with mainly freshness.  The wood base appears throughout giving another dimension of depth in this puerh.  The mouthfeel is somewhere between astringent and sticky.

The third infusion is surprisingly strong it has edges of slight bitterness and astringency but is nuanced by layers of sweetness and forest/woodiness.  The aftertastes is pungent and the throatfeeling is deep.  There is strength and power in this Yiwu.  The falvours are both vibrant and deep.  The taste of the skin of a prune plum is interesting.

The fourth infusion is a powerful astringent and sweet wood affair.  The mouthfeel becomes almost puckery with an astringent plum and, in some ways, slightly candy-like with a sweet edge.  Wood tastes are still there but the astringency even hits the corners of the mouth.  It is not at all that choking astringency at all but a full, healthy, bringing out the flovours type of ordeal.  I consider removing leaf but the intense mouthfeeling and throatfeeling bode very well for this tea.

The fifth infusion has much more of a round taste in a powerful full mouthfeeling.  The fruity taste stands out and is long and round throughout the profile.  I love this mouthfeel- this will be an amazing tea for aging.  The sweetness almost has 3 layers to it.  The aftertaste feels almost spicy and warming with a pungency mixed with astringency.  The Qi is really starting to kick in an pushes me into a mild sweat, my head and thoughs feel stalled.  My mind is crisp but my thoughs are slow.  Its effect is strong.

The sixth infusion starts into a very nice round malty sweet or deep sweetness ininitally.  The wood tastes round out the profile.  Highnotes and fruit tastes glances the midprofile and sticks around.  The taste has mellowed but is equally complex with many deep and high nuances.  The moufeel now seems almost as sticky than astringent.

The seventh infusion taste of deeper, darker fruity tastes initially like grape and plumb the wood/ forest taste is underneath and almost seems to blend with the darker fruity tastes.  The profile of this puerh is very long and ends in a pungent cooling taste.  There are some grainy and even nutty notes in the mix as well here.  The lips are tingling here as fruit tastes pop.

The eighth starts off with fruity grape like sweetness which tapers off into a slighty grainy slightly woody taste.  The aftertaste is long and pungent.  This infusion starts to loose its boldness but not much complexity.

The ninth infusion starts with that blast of fruit before deeper forest tastes and astringency and mild bitterness appears.  There is a deeper warmer spicier note developing in there as well.  The aftertaste is almost bready, almost candy, and quite pungent.  The throatfeel of this tea is quite deep- very nice.

The tenth infusion has a deeper fruitier taste with nuances of wood and forest.  The fruit taste is almost like a blackberry preserves type of taste mixed with grape and plum.  Qi makes for a relaxing session with a noticeable thought slowing Qi.

The eleventh infusion I add 15 seconds to the flash to push it a bit. It gives off a malty fruit taste of nuanced dried and fresh fruits.  A grainy taste develops over a returning pungent sweetness.

The tweveth infusion has 20 seconds added to the flash infusion and has a fruity taste, slightly astringent, slightly bitter.  Long fruitiness in some pungency.  The mouthfeeling holds but the fruitiness is less here.

The thirteenth has 25 seconds added and has an apple pie like taste initially with bitter and astringency tucked in there.  Woody tastes emerge and start to dominate now.  The aftertaste has a grape fruit edge which is long lasting.

The fourteenth is at 35 seconds and gives off a very fruity grapy taste the fruit taste is deep here but there is a certain vibrancy to it still.  This infusion is much more fruity again.  A rubbery taste is in the aftertaste with a mild lingering fruit sweetness and menthol.

The fifteenth is steeped for maybe 50 seconds and is a touch bitter and astringent and woody and not as fruity.  There is a rubbery barely fruity lingering aftertaste along with wood tastes there.

The sixteenth has a minute or so on there and gives us a more woody taste mixed with lingering fruits and lingering menthol.  The mind is nice and relaxed curled up by the fire somewhere and yet there is a robust feeling in the chest, a subtle fluttering feeling that give me a soft nudge of energy throughout this session.

The seventeeth is put into a long infusion and is a bitter, very astringent, fruity taste.  Interesting but truly overpowering.

Overall, this is one of my favorite new fresh tastings of Yiwu puerh in recent times.  Last year, Essence of Tea released a 2017 Essence of Tea Spring YiWu GuoYuLin that I had the pleasure of sampling.  The description of the tea on Essence of Tea’s website stated that this was their favorite tea pressed to date- it sold out pretty quickly.  I think this one is considerably better in that it offers a much more engaging astringency and mouth feeling as well as a deeper throatfeeling.  Apparently, many GuoYuLin puerh in 2018 have shown much more astringency due to this year’s weather patterns. Some see this as a negative but in my experience this can be a big positive.  The astringency ensures that the tea will have might even with age.  Another thing is the Qi, the qi is much more deep and penetrating and overt in this 2018 than the 2017 as well.

“Ten Years to Sharpen a Sword” to me means that the last ten years was just the beginning.  The true treasure from Essence of Tea has been presented to us in this extraordinary example of puerh tea.  If this is any indication of things to come, I welcome it.

Congratulations David and Yingxi.

Peace