Interesting: 2018 Puerist Da Miao

Da Miao is a relatively unknown area of Yiwu that has very low output each year.  Puerist has been producing cakes from this area for a while now.  I find the puerh from Da Miao to be interesting for the price with a Qi sensation of a much more expensive Gushu.  Readers of this blog may have remembered that I blind sampled the 2021 Puerist Da Miao with a bit of comparison that followed.  This 2018 Puerist Da Miao goes for approx $97.00 for 200g cake.  This post and the next few posts on the 2019 &2020 Puerist Da Miao cakes were taken from notes taken a few years ago…

The small dry leaves have a sweet creamy woody grassiness to it with an expanding fluffy sweet undertone.

The first infusion has a watery woody flat sweet taste almost metallic and clean with a bit of mushroom savory sweet finish.  Very mild faint empty mouthfeeling and throat feeling.

The second has a mushroom woody almost savoury brothy taste that kind of reminds me of Northern areas.  The finish is kind of metallic and sweet savoury mushroom.  Lots of interesting subtle light airy complexity.  Flat sticky faint tongue feeling.  The cooled down cup as a caramel and creamy candy.  The mouthfeeling is very thin faint flat.  No bitterness or astringency.

The third infusion has a mild milky mushroomy broth almost olive oil that is very clear and smooth almost a faint silky mouthfeeling.  The tastes kind of fade into the distance without a faint retuning candy with a thin silky faint oily feeling lingers in the saliva.  The Qi is very mild and there is a faint mid spine tension feeling in the body.  Cooled cup has a faint deep cooling almost mushroomy pineapple taste savoury and sweet like salted caramel. 

The fourth infusion has a mushroom caramel broth almost grassy and salty taste over a flat thin mouthfeeling and saliva producing mid-opening throatfeeling.  Nice Qi sensation.

The fifth develops a pungent grassy minty mushroom woody caramel taste.  Quite clear and complex over a flat tonguefeeling and opening mid-throat sensation.  There is a savory salty aftertaste left in the mouth with cantaloupe tastes and tangerine peel.  Very expansive and freeing Qi in the mind with open spine feeling a subtle feeling.  There is a little bit of hard to notice astringency that hits my empty stomach.

The sixth infusion has a broth, mushroom, almost orange peel onset with a mild bitterness developing.  The bitter dwells on the tongue and gives the mouth a puckering feeling.  The aftertaste is a bitter orange peel and mushroom taste.  There is a low almost minty pungency.  Qi is expansive in the mind and has soft spine feelings.  It makes me feel happy and free.

The seventh infusion has an orange juicy that quickly turns metallic in the mouth over a flat slight dry sand tounge sensation.  There is an almost peach taste with grassy woody and savoury broth salty finish.  There is a faint low pungency with mild candy finish.  There is lots going on here and I would guess this to be an area blend rather than a strict single estate thing.  There is a faint long candy finish minutes later because the throat at a deep-mid opening sensation.  This is an interesting puerh.

The eighth infusion is consumed cool and gives off a salted caramel taste with a faint building pungency and a candy finish.  Nice gritty tongue coating and open throat sensation.  Nice mind freeing expansive Qi.  Body wobbling sensation and soft spine tingles.

The ninth infusion has a salty, broth, savory, orange peel, mild bitter, candy grassy complex taste.  The mouthfeeling is gritting on tongue and ethereal and opening to mid-to-deep throat.  Nice happy feeling with subtle body sensations.

The 10^th infusion has an almost coco milky orange peel and grassy onset.  It transforms to a salty and savoury faint candy sweetness in the breath. There is a complex and interesting transformation of tastes across each sip.  The mouthfeeling is kind of unusually gritty but soft and the throat is ethereal.  Long candy finish and spacy qi is developing with nice subtle body spine feelings.

The 11^th has a juicy woody savoury taste which ends grassy salty and not too sweet.  There is still a complex flavor but its starting to wane at flash infusions.

At the first signs of wavering I mug steep it out… but it likely could have given a few more good infusions…

There is a bitter orange peel with mushroom grass and candy some dry wood caramel nice balance of savory and sweet and bitter and bland… no sour but nice taste dimensions here.

Complex taste, interesting mouthfeeling.

 Peace 

Single Tree: 2019 Puerist Ban Po Lao Zhai Single Tree #10

I sampled this 2019 Puerist Ban Po Lao Zhai Tree #10 back-to-back with the 2016 Puerist Ban Po Lao Zhai Tree #6. These are both from the same garden but different years and different single trees!

Looser than the 2016 dry leaves have a prune plum forest odour.

Rinsed leaves are very sweet plum sugar plum odours.

First infusion has a vibrant pear fresh melon with a tingling tongue mouthfeel and warm cinnamon spice mix taste.  There is a very spicy warm spices taste and tingling mouthfeel with a sweet raisin bread sweet taste with eddies of dried date and overly ripe grapes.  Warming complexity.

Second infusion is left to cool but has a bitter bready sweetness with a chalky sticky mouthfeel and a long sugar finish with a honeydew melon pop of salivating sweetness.  Lots of mouthwatering long almost candy melon tastes. Chest tight feeling and neck lightness. Neck releasing feeling.

Third infusion has a spicy warming spice with sweet taste.  There is an emerging bitterness with some mouth and younger drying but balanced by lots of salivating.  Long candy melon sweetness in the finish. Neck release and chest tight with mild spacy feel and mild energy upwards some face heavy sensations.

Fourth infusion has a milky almost metallic spicy onset there is a sweet underbelly that turns more into sweetness in the finish but also there is a mild bitterness and slight tight sandy dry feeling balanced by a mild lubricating feeling. Sticky mouth finish.  Warm and slightly tingling face with loose neck and tight chest. Mild spacy feeling.

5th has a warm spice and woody taste with some mild bitter astringency.  There is some pucker mouthfeel with mild- moderate drying and a sweet melon is ground out by bitter coco nuances in the aftertaste. There is some candy melon they tried to push through the bitter drying astringency with a sugar finish under bitter coco.  Warming face with numb lips and face open neck and tight chest.  Slightly spacy feeling but also with energetic uplift.

6th infusion has a watery melon sweet bitter taste. There is a candy melon finish and sugar layer as well.  Bigger heart beasts now with sticky flat tongue feeling not drying very mild pucker.  Energy warmth and surge with face flushing and neck feelings with tight chest.  Energy uplift.

7th is left to cool and has splashes of very sweet candy melon with a bitter flat mid taste coco finish that ends with sugar.  Slight spacy but also energized with feelings in face, neck, chest.

8th was letting the cup overnight and has a bitter malt sweet taste with oily silty mouthfeeling.  Lively uplifting Qi.

9th the leaves were left and the following day had another infusion with was left to cool and comes out oily and very sweet candy melon with moderate bitterness.  Juicy at first then slowly bitter with an oily feeling and overall sweet fresh fruity taste.  Nice uplifting feeling with a tight chest knotted feeling and face flush.

10th has a woody bland sort of taste with a flat bitterness and sugar finish.  There are some fresh fruity taste mid way.  Some chest Qi and face with uplifting Qi.

11th has a watery juicy taste with a mid profile moderate bitterness there is some returning banana sweetness. Long sweet almost candy melon. Spacy uplift Qi with face and chest Qi.

12th has a bland sort of woody bitter onset with chalky creamy sweetness and oily texture.  Not as sweet with some driness and mouth pucker.  Chest my and uplifting.  

13th has a bland woody bitter onset with gripping and pucker. Still a bit oily with salivating with a lesser chalky creamy sweetness. 

Mug steeping of spent leaves…has a vibrant bitter fresh fruity almost orange-melon sweetness with lots of stimulating mouthfeel and cool pungency.  Strong Qi in chest.  Some mild astringent pucker and bitter flat tongue but mainly sweetness… still quite complex here with nice stamina.

Days later steeping is oily with a fresh melon-peachy candy taste. Long cool sweet pungent fresh taste.Very mouthwatering and oily and delicious!

Bottom is the 2016 and top is the 2019.

Peace

Single Tree: 2016 Puerist Ban Po Lao Zhai Single Tree #6

I had an amazing blind sample of one of these Ban Po Lao Zhai Danzhu a few weeks ago in my Puerist Blind Dragonball sampling.  I remembered that I had a few more of these samples that I was saving… I will review this 2016 Puerist Ban Po Lao Zhai Tree #6 today…

Dry leaves have a prune sweetness sweet creamy fruity odour.

Rinsed leaves have a sweet piercing icing sugary sweetness with deeper prune and plum nuances.

First infusion has a sweet pop with prune and plum but a quick splash of fresh fruits with strong mouthwatering salivating.  Cool breath with creamy icing sugar sweet finish.  Feel qi in chest and in limbs.  Deep sigh.

Second infusion has a lots of layers of taste and sweetness!  Big pop of prune and plum with big splashes of fresh fruits and creamy icing sugar finish with deep throat salivation yummy! Strong Qi in mind feels a high building spacy stoned.  Limbs heavy and chest swelling.

Third infusion is left to cool and is very very sweet with very vibrant layering- prune/plum, fresh watermelon/honey dew melon, long sweet layered sugar cling sugar finish.  Feeling in arms and limbs heavy chest swelling sith a spacy mild high happy feeling. Lots of pops of sweet and mouthwatering with deep throat overall lubricating feeling.  Coco chocolate finish developing.

Fourth infusion has a splash of very sweet layers with strong mouth salivation lots of juicy fruity taste is the dominant sweet taste then a deep throat salivation and finish a sweet icing sugar coco.  Big happy slight stoning Qi with arms heavy and chest puffy.

5th has a sweet pop of milky creamy sweetness watermelon rind in the background.  Nice Qi swelling up in chest with light arms.  Sweet melon returns with coco finish.  Lubricating and salivating feeling with deep throat feeling. Spacy with mild heart racing and happy high feeling. 

6th has a creamy bittersweet coco with a watermelon rind taste.  Less sweet layers but still very lubricating and more flat tongue feel somewhat more bitter with coco bitter taste throughout.  Break a sweat and chest sweeping with happy high feeling. 

7th a bit watery with sweet juicy bitter coco and strong spacy happy high. Heavy shoulders.  Slight flat tongue and sticky sand feel with less lubricant feeling. Bigger chest beats now with chest swelling.  

8th is left to cool and is more sweet with that watermelon rind juicy refreshing taste with a flat tongue deep throat and bitter coco finish underneath.  Big qi in chest and gives an energetic happy high feeling.

9th left to cool is a watery sweet melon rind refreshing sweet lubricant if feel a happy high feeling. Lubricating coco finish . Big Qi in chest! Limbs heavy!

10th has a juicy fruity oily lubricating sweet fresh fruity plum and melon taste.  Slight flat tongue with vibrant sweet finish.  Bursts and splashes of sweet taste. Energetic and vibrant happy high feeling!  This puerh made me feel fantastic today!

The next day I infuse the 11th and it is very sweet chalky creamy expanding sweet flavour but also a touch bland creamy icing sugar sweet. Cooled down it has an icing sugar stronger sweet taste with faint fresh fruits.  Swelling in chest with heavy limbs.

12th infusion has a bland almost woody taste with sugar and icing sugar sweetness…. Almost faint banana taste … chest swelling and mind peace happy feeling.

13th has a watery bland icing sugar taste with some mouthwatering feeling and chest and limb bodyfeeling. Long sweet icing sugar finish. Happy peaceful feeling with chest swelling and limbs.

14th is left to cool and comes out with a pure fresh fruity taste long pure fresh fruity and icing sugar creamy taste is long and refreshing. Happy Qi with chest swelling. Great stamina in this single tree.

Long mug steeping of spent leaves is chalky oily and sweet with thick oily mouthwatering texture and happy uplifting Qi.  Sticky mouthfeel.  

Days long infusion yields a melon oily honeydew melon sweetness.  With deep throat oily mouthfeeling. 

Peace

2020 Puerist Man Zhuan Autumn

This was a free sample from Puerist that came along with the complimentary Dragonballs which I sampled blindly in the last few posts. I believe this might be the one Mark Turner of Puerist was talking about a few years ago when we’re were discussing the 2018 Puerist WaLong GuoYouLin.  He had mentioned to me that he tired a few really delicious ManZhuan but they were a bit crazy expensive… not sure if this is an Autumnal pick from the same area or maybe just completely different Puerh.  Either way I had a really good experience with it smooth thinking in the mouth and sweet!

Dry leaves have a creamy sweet odour very sweet strawberries and cherries.

Rinsed leaves are very sweet sweet rich strawberries and fresh forest.

First infusion has a watery woody very sweet creamy woody rich strawberry sweet fluffy oily feeling.  Taste doesn’t keep up with the smell.

Second infusion has a woody empty sweet taste with some oily feeling in the mouth. Pure clear watery. Strawberries and cherry watery finish.  Tastes in some ways similar to the 2019 Puerist WaLong GuoYouLin.

Third infusion sweet tingling strawberry cherry.  Very sweet and delicious long cool throat faint woody with strong distinct strawberries and cherries.  Peaceful and floating feeling.

Fourth has a creamy woody but watery pure taste with strong strawberries and cherries.  Very tasty with nice floating qi effect.  Nice pure tasty a bit thickening. 

5th look eft to cool has a woody watery fruity strawberry taste with a vacuous almost oily feel.  Spacy bigger peaceful Qi building up.

6th infusion has that woody with creamy strawberries and cherries sweetness.  Chest opening calm with some spacy happy feeling.

7th has a woody rich cherry strawberry with mouth numb tingling mouthfeel.  Really nice with a spicy happy chest expanding feeling.  Oily watery mouthwatering mouthfeel.  Nice happy expanding chest feeling slight floating body feel.

8th has a watery sweet woody onset with sweet strawberries long lingering sweetness.  There is a nice tingling mouthfeel and long lingering sweet strawberries almost chalky creamy taste.

9th is left to cool and has a creamy chalky woody strawberries.  Mouthfeel is light and fluffy in the classic Man Zhuan style some salivating and longer strawberries sweetness.  Nice happy uplifting feel good qi.

10th has a juicy sweet strawberries with a woody empty taste filled with sweet tastes. More watery and less sweet but pretty sweet still with creamy strawberries sweetness.  Uplifting happy qi with some floating. Good stamina nice Man Zhuan Gushu profile.

The leaves are left overnight to steep…

Peace

Puerist Blind Dragonball Sample #8

 

Dry leaves have a sweet almost cherry plum odour.

Rinsed leaves have a very sweet creamy sort of strawberries and mainly peachy fresh fruity smell.

First infusion has a sugar sweet woody watery infusion.  Nice long barnyard cool pungent pure sugar sweetness.  Pure clear watery tastes.  Slight mild sticky feeling in mouth.

Second infusion has a creamy sugar peachy sweet pure onset with a mildly oily slight sticky sandy feeling in mouth.  Nice cool breath.  Warm face and happy cozy feeling. 

Third infusion has a watery woody not as sweet taste but some faint had to grasp peach. Nice relaxing happy and even a touch warming energy.

Fourth infusion has a pure sugary sweet peach taste onset with a moderate oily texture.  The sweet oily peach taste extends into a long sweet pure aftertaste.  Nice happy deep sighs relaxing vibe with some warming face and brow.

Fifth infusion has a sweet fresh pure peach taste in an oily texture mouthwatering with another pop of peach with a deep throat feeling of saliva gob there.  Nice long peaches and pure sugar sweetness!  A big of qi in chest and heavy limbs. 

6th has a sweet peach onset with oily mouthfeeling and vibrant and juicy pops of peach.  Long creamy candy almost like those Fuzzy Peaches candies.  Chest release with deeper sighs and full mouthwatering oily peachy juicy taste.  Happy and focused mind.

7th infusion has an oily very pure peachy sweetness with an oily sticky mouthfeel and deep throat stimulation.  Ashy jucy peach with long sweet candy peach finish deep throat gob of saliva with chest chest and face warmth shoulders relaxed and open and heavy feeling.  Happy focused and refreshed mind. 

8th has a vibrant fresh peachy ashy taste with oily mouthfeel and deep throat gob with long peachy taste. Slight oily sticky feeling.  Qi is building up and feels big and euphoric but not spacey and strongly focusing now.

9th very juicy peachy ashy woody very sweet and oily with deep throat saliva producing effects.  Big almost transcendent Qi feeling.  It really pulls me out of this mundane day-to-day mind that Ai have been in and elevates it! Not sure where this teas is from but has some GuaFengZhai/ ChaWangShu/ TianMenShan type of strong quality Qi in there!

The next day I come back to the leaves…10th has a peachy oily sweet taste with sweet very sugary finish over a slightly sticky mouthfeel.  Deep throat gobs and expanding feeling.   Heat expanding feeling.

11th has a sweet fruity peach oily taste with a deep throat saliva gob expanding mind feeling and chest and abdominal feelings as well.

12th oily delicious peachy thick oily sweetness deep throat peachy saliva gobs and long sweet taste.   Nice big Qi feeling.

13th has a peachy oily watery sweet taste. Still bother Qi feeling but has posts lots of flavour.  Pretty good stamina.

Guess: a powerful 2020 ish Yiwu Gushu area possibly near GuaFengZhai/ChaWangShu/ TianMenShan? Not sure exactly … 

Wrapper: TMS ‘19… hahaha yes… 2019 TianMenShan!

This was my last of these Puerist Dragonballs!  Thanks again Mark Turner for sending them!

Peace

Puerist Blind Dragonball Sample #7

 Dry leaves are sweet fresh peach.

Rinsed leaves have a deep creamy almost sweet pastry woody Forest odour.

First infusion is left to cool and has a watery forest woody taste with wet faint barely sweet sugar.

Second infusion has a sweet bread taste with a watery oily wet mouth feel and sweet mild melon finish some icing sugar minutes later.

Third infusion has an oily really delicious creamy buttery sweet mouthwatering layered sweetness.  Yummy! There is a faint cooling but mainly butter, creamy sweet.  There is a faint smoke in there that is really nice with the layered sweet tastes. Mild happy feeling Qi.

Fourth has a peachy wood oily taste creamy sort of pungent forest creamy finish.  With a sticky chalky mouth.  Some chest Qi is very faintly building.

5th has a watery woody creamy faint taste.  Very watery a wet feeling with just faint edges of wood and sugar.  Soft mouthfeeling subtle spacey relaxing qi. 

6th has a sweet caramel almost melon sort of sugar not complex or layered just faint and hard to explain. Mild space out relax.

7th is left to cool and has a very mild watery pure tasting relaxing sleepy qi.  Mild faint hard to grasp sweetness pure empty hard to grasp tastes. There is a faint creamy sweet taste that is most prominent.  Soft fluffy mouthfeel.

8th has a creamy sugar melon oily buttery onset soft oily watery mouthfeel with faint sticky edges.  Flat woody watery taste with faint cooling and sugary faint edges finish.  Slight sticky roof of mouth and sleepy relaxing Qi mind slow.

9th has a woody oily sweet pear and sugar taste. Pure, clean with a creamy sugary finish.  Sleepy relax.

10th infusion has a pear oily onset with a oily woody taste with a sugar creamy sweet throughout.  Mouthfeel is soft and oily with sticky edges.  Slight cool and creamy breath.  Sleepy relaxing qi.

11th infusion has a woody oily buttery taste with an oily bland sweet finish.  Sticky edges of the mouthfeel become slightly sandy and not that tight.  Deeper relaxing sleepiness.

12th has a woody oily bland sweet taste.  No astringency or bitternesss at all throughout this session- very pure clean sleepy energy very soft on the body and sedative on the mind.

Overnight infusion of spent leaves have a sweet coco pure taste.  Pure and refreshing coco sweetness.

Days long steeping has a coco sweet taste with a sugary sweet edge and silty mild mouthfeel.

Guess: has a generic but delicious 2020/21 Gushu feel … no one area character stands out too much … could be Yiwu???

Wrapper: SJ ‘15?…. ???? 

Mark Turner’s Comments: The SJ is Shuang Jiang, but that's an informed guess on my part. It was a bag of tea that I picked up somewhere and was never very clear about its origins.

Addendum: After the wrapper reveal I was wondering if it was Shuang Jiang but didn’t really match my experience that I had previously with the area.

Peace

Puerist Blind Dragonball Sample #6

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