Revisit: 2013 Biyun Hao Mahei

I revisited this puerh because it was my favorite of the blind sessions by Marco (which happened to include many puerh from Teas We Like) and I am considering an order.  When I tried this one blind I actually had just finished a full blind tasting sessionof the 2015 Biyun Hao Lishan Gongcha and felt quite relaxed and stoned but was hoping for an energy boost.  I never sample two teas for review back to back or side by side.  You simply can’t get a really clear read on the Qi as the first tea can often interact with the second.  I wondered if that effect happened when I last sampled this one?...

Dry leaves smell of sweet floral woody odours.  Nice long leaves. Initial taste is quite floral with a full chalky mouthcoating and full long lingering candy fullness and perfume floral over a mild bitter-astringency woody base with hints of cherry and coco.  The taste is obviously gushu but has a certain intensity to it.  There is strength in both the mouthfeeling, flavor, and qi yet elegance.  Strong intense bodyfeeling of Heart racing and racing euphoria that builds up in the mind.  Although the taste is strong it is not a dense or deeply layered taste but rather pure and clear and gushu layers of taste.  Sometimes I feel like this puerh has too much space in the taste. 

I think the weakness of this puerh is twofold… 1- The taste is not super deep or dense but presents rather like a bunch of superficial but super delicious and quite complimentary tastes.  The tastes work really well together but they don’t give you a certain satisfying depth. 2- the active phase of this puerh is somewhat short- especially for the Qi which really blows your socks off early but drops off fast in the midsession the kind of way a Bulang will often present.  Also the Qi was strong but maybe not as strong as my initial appraisal and I think it was piggy backing some of the subtle power of the 2015 Biyun Hao Li Shan Gong Cha.  I think my most interesting observation about the blind sampling was my attempt to blindly price something like this which I said “it could be priced higher than the 2005 Nanqiao Double Lion Bulang.”  This goes for $220 and the double lion for $237.  So I guess it’s probably priced a bit lower but either way it doesn’t present with such value that I feel so strongly enough to put an order through at a time when I’m buying much less puerh.  Definitely enjoyable and still on my radar… but maybe just not yet…

Peace

2020 Zheng Si Long Ma Hei: Very Ma Hei-y

I really enjoyed the thick presentation of the 2019 Zheng Si Long Ma Hei and wondered how this 2020 Zheng Si Long Ma Hei ($202.03 for 400gcake or $0.51/g) would compare?

Dry leaves smell of very salty savory and distinct wildflower sweetness.

The first infusion has a mellow watery woody with a faint bitter astringency and finishes with distinct sweet candy icing sugar finish.  There is a mineral almost mossy or pondy base taste that reminds me of Sencha.  There is a mossy aftertaste.

The second infusion has a thick vegetal grassy pondy woody onset that ends in distinct cake icing sugar like sweetness.  It pushes some saliva out of the throat with a mossy soft mouth and throat feeling and mild bitter astringency.  Overall there is a mild oily viscosity in the mouth.  Minutes later there is a nice floral finish. 

Third has a nice thicker floral onset with a bit of depth in a faint woody/ pondy taste that turns quickly to cake icing sugar sweet notes and minutes long florals.  The mouthfeeling is this thicker moss feeling in the mouth and throat.  There is a mild oily feeling to the puerh.  There is a sneaky hypnotic Qi to this puerh that comes on slow, deep, and a bit strong.

Fourth infusion has a pear with almost woody onset that has a bit of juiciness and descends into an icing sugar and pear peel type of taste.  The floral nuances appear on the breath later.  There is a nice mossy mouthfeeling and subtle throatfeeling.  The very mild bitter astringency is gone here.  The Qi is relaxing.

The fifth has a pear and creamy subtle tropical fruit onset with hints of mild bitter.  There is some fresh spearmint bursts in here that are kind of forest/ evergreen menthol but have a strong sweetness to them.  Like a toothpaste taste or mint candy.  However, the sweetness Is not really candy sweet its more fruity and floral sweet.  Soft gentle relaxing Qi.

The sixth infusion has a creamy fruity pear and floral onset with a faint woody almost mineral base.  There is a returning sweet spearmint taste then a not as strong icing sugar with a notable floral finish.  The Qi is relaxing and mellow. 

The seventh has a pondy Sencha grassy woody onset with a blandy woody middle which finishes slightly icing sugar sweet and mainly floral woody.  Nice mild mossy full coating in mouth and a soft mossy stimulation of the upper throat. 

The eighth is left to cool in the cup before imbibing… the result is a pear fruity kind of bitter woody onset with a moderately sweet and more floral finish.   There is a mild fresh pungency and longer bland floral taste now.  The mossy tongue coating holds.

The ninth has a woody, dirt-mineral, and mainly flat fruitiness.  The aftertaste is juicy peach and pear fruits which fades out into the aftertaste.  This infusion is juicy fruity and less floral.  The mossy mouthfeeling is lessening here.  The Qi is relaxing in the body and has a nice smoothness to it.

The tenth has a woody smooth apricot sweet fruity onset that expands in the mouth.  The sweet fruity apricot taste is nice and long with not much interruption over a mossy soft coating.  The relaxing vibe is nice the body feels a bit light.  There is almost a creamy icing sugar cookie like taste in the returning sweetness that overlaps briefly with apricot sweetness.

The 11^th infusion has a creamy woody subtle fruity sweetness. The sweet fruitiness stays for a while over a weakening mossy mouthfeeling. 

The 12^th is still at flash infusion and tastes woody, almost bitter, mineral, faintly floral, and mainly fruity apricot.

The 13^th I add 30seconds to the flash infusions and pull out much creamier and sweeter fruit apricot tastes with woody base.  The mouthfeeling becomes mossier.  Qi still mellow and relaxing. 

14^th is another 30second steeping and gives off watery creamy sweet fruity tastes over wood on a mossy mouthfeeling and empty throatfeeling.  Still nice delicious summertime puerh tastes here.

15^th is a long steeping and mainly just pushes out bitterness with a faint fruity and chalky creamy not that sweet edge.

I put the rest into overnight steeping.

Vs 2019 Zheng Si Long Ma Hei-  The 2020 is much more typical Ma Hei woody fruity sweet tasting comfortable in the body.  This one has a touch of bitterness that can be pushed out under longer infusions to give it some bredth.  Overall a nice smooth relaxing Qi.  There is a reason why Ma Hei puerh is so popular… it’s just really nice to drink.  This 2020 Ma Hei also kind of reminds me a bit of Gedeng in its presentation of some mineral then floral nuance.  Blind guessing this puerh I might have guessed it Gedeng.  Comparing it to the very favorable 2019, the 2019 has a very dense thick coating mouthfeel which makes it really engaging and takes the nice flavours of Ma Hei and really cranks them up.  The 2019 was my favorite of the Zheng Si Long offerings at Tea Encounter last year for this reason.

Peace

Marco’s Blind Tasting “Gamma” (2013 Biyun Hao Mahei)

After sampling Marco’s blind tasting “Delta” it was still mid-morning.  I had started very early in the morning an hour before work and was definitely hoping for a powerful energy boost.  I ended up receiving a very elegant and somewhat energizing experience in the blind “Delta”.  With seeing some unexpected gaps in my work schedule and still looking for more power I grab the sealed bag marked with the symbol “Gamma”… and it ended up really kicking the shit out of me….

Dry leaves have a loose compression and smell of faint woody barely sweet smell. Smells pretty dry stored to me…

The first infusion is flat dry wood with a quiet perfume lingering and a mineral stone mid taste with faint candy finish.  The mouthfeeling is watery.  The taste has a unique sweetness and a bubble gum like finish.

The second pours a very reddish-brown colour… the onset is of thick oily very aging woody berries- strawberry, even orange tastes that lead into a deep camphor and caramel finish mixed with a layered faint candy finish.  The mouthfeeling is slippery and lubricating in the mouth.  There is a perfume quality to the taste.  The taste is very rich and deep with a lot of layers and nuance.  The taste is really viscus and oily and very dense and full.  The Qi is very strong and I feel a strong onset of euphoria and strong body feeling and floating face and lightness.  Chest opening and heart beats head tingling.  The Qi is very strong and the taste is very rich, deep and complex.  This is very expensive puerh I think.  I suspect quality Menghai region material here folks.

The third infusion is a thick oily dark rich berry coco coffee onset.  A thick rich lubricating mouthfeeling with a camphor taste.  There is a lingering coco chocolate and sweet candy breath.  The flavor presentation is very strong and dark and rich.  A thick comforting Qi layers with Qi complexity and euphoria and pulsing bodyfeelings.  The Qi is very strong in the body and in the mind.  I wanted power… now I cower in the corner from it… hahaha…

The fourth infusion has a very thick oily woody and top note of sweet blackberry layered in with rich coco flavours woody flavours rich comforting flavours.  There is a deep camphor resonance in the deep throat and lingers strong on the breath.  There is some creamy chocolate, slight caramel, and even long candy breath finish.  The mouthfeeling is very oily and lubricating and saliva producing.  The Qi is very strong and pushes me into an almost out of body feeling.  With a tingling down the spine, face, chest opening, leg numbing. Very nice, very engaging.  I think this is more moderate humid Taiwanese storage on this puerh.  There is a lingering perfume to this puerh.

The 5^th has a rich cherry fruit, mahogany wood, and deep rich coco chocolate onset.  With a perfume floral depth in a rich deep base of coco.  The flavours come on very rich and thick and oily.  The mouthfeel is oily and lubricating and simulates the throat to salivate.  There is a creamy moca late type of sweet aftertaste.  The mouthfeel is oily and slippery and very full as is the throatfeeling.  The Qi is really big and pushes me into a sweat.  My face, limbs, spine feel the qi pulsing through.  I feel a surge of energy but feel outside myself.  Qi feels more like Bulang to me it has that milky coco bitterness to it.  I think this is Bulang puerh.  It’s not factory bulang and is like a gourmet, top shelf, Bulang.  Higher quality material and maybe more powerful than 2005 Nanqiao Double Lion and would probably sell for more.  I thought maybe even Lao Ban Zhang but this one doesn’t have the elegance of Lao Ban Zhang its more Bulang through and through but very high quality.

The 6^th infusion has a cherry and woody onset with a coco chocolate finish.  There are perfume like florals that appear before the returning sweetness of milky sweet chocolate.  Big Sweat, intense Qi.  Mocha late coco bitter finish.  Big Bulang mind shattering out of body Qi experience.  The heart races- bodyfeels with concurrent deep relaxing.  The Qi is fuckin me up good.

The 7^th infusion has a bitter coco flat creamy typical bulang taste.  The Qi pushes out a big crazy sweat.  There is a mild fruitiness in the cooled off cup even a bready yeasty note.  But the taste has dropped off as most Bulang do here and we got a milky flat coco chocolate taste over a slippery not as oily mouthfeeling.

The 8^th has a mellow fruity woody cherry like initial taste in a slight bitter coco finish.  The Qi pushes me into a sweat.  Feel a strong intense push on the mind.  The flavor has flattened out considerably.  The mouthfeeling is more sticky/slight sandy/slight dry now with faint cooling menthol throat.  Mild milky coco finish.

The 9^th has a flat coco and faded fruity coco bitterness.  The taste has flattened out, something that is characteristic of all Bulang really.  I feel out of my body and like I’ve been hit by a truck.  The Qi is making me feel post workout here.  I feel a bit heavy and tired now.

The 10^th has a bitter coco and black current taste which flattens out into a milky creamy sweet bitterness in the aftertaste.  The density and complexity of this puerh has flattened out into a mainly bitter coco creamy sweetness with a flat sticky mouthfeeling.

The 11^th has a flat fruity bitter coco taste that holds into the aftertaste without much fuss.  There is some camphor left in there and a mildly stimulating but overly relaxing qi.

The 12^th has a flat almost fruity flat milk bitter coco with a thinning slight sandy mouthfeeling.  It has an evergreen forest kind of base to it.  Warming but relaxing post workout Qi here that follows from the more intense start of the session.

I throw the rest into a mug and grandpa it for a while and it gives off deep coco and vibrant berry sweetness but also a bit of smoke that was pretty mild/ non-existent in my flash steepings of the puerh.  The flavor is really yummy in this mug- quite complex, rich and sweet.  Coco bitter sweet berry deliciousness with a touch of incense smoke… brilliant puerh!  When will Teas We Like offer this masterpiece????

Overall, this is a really powerful Bulang puerh!  Its throws everything at you quickly early on with a very thick oily and viscous and rich chocolate feeling with pronounced depth of taste which has a complex offering of berry and cherry sweetness on top of coco and woods.  There is a vibrant perfume floral taste underneath which gives this Bulang some elegance and suggestions of Ban Zhang.  Strong milky bitter coco tastes so typical of Bulang.  The Qi oh… the Qi is strong.  Even stronger than the Nan Qiao productions from Teas We Like.  Big bodyfeelings in this one- the Qi doesn’t really get bigger than this!

Guess: Middle aged mild-moderately humid Taiwanese storage higher quality boutique Bulang production.  This one could easily be priced higher than the 2005 Nan Qiao Double Lion Bulang on Teas We Like.  Overall, it might be stronger in Qi and is a somewhat truer Bulang taste, feel and essence.  It has a gushu feel to it rather than a factory Bulang feel to it.  The Qi I think is even crazier than Double Lion.  I like this puerh a lot but I feel like it must be quite expensive…

Edit Aug 16/20: I went back and re-read all my first impressions on the blind samples Marco sent me and was least satisfied with this conclusion.  To me just reading the notes it sounds a lot like a darker Yiwu to me.

Answer: 2013 Biyun Yao from Teas We Like

Peace

2019 Zheng Si Long Ma Hei = Thicc!

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