2026 ZhengSiLong ZhengJiaLiangZi

 The last sample I tried from Tiago of Tea Encounter was this 2026 ZhengSiLong ZhengJiaLiangZi which goes for approx $103.00 for 200g cake or $0.52/g.

Dry leaves smell of very sweet perfume floral candy.

Rinsed leaves have a sweet roasted and candy odour.

First infusion is a watery chalky soft floral sugar with lingering sugar sweet fade out finish. There is a forest sort of vegital background taste throughout.  Soft light mouthfeel. Comfortable bodyfeeling. 

Second infusion has a sweet floral strong note that turns more into a sweet sugar and is long but fades out minutes later.  A long stretch of pure sugar with floral and faint forest notes. Sticky saliva sweetness with chesty light swelling feeling and happy relax spaceout.  Really spacy out relaxed right now.

Third infusion is a sweet sugar sweet note with a long sweet sugar finish.  It almost has a slight sour edge.  Saliva is sticky feeling. Chest expanding feeling floating high happy feeling.  Relaxing mind and body.cooled down it is a shimmering sweet pure sugary broth.  

4th is a sweet pure sugar and slight wildflowers edge. Sweet very long taste note that fades into a sticky mouth. Faint cooling on breath.  Open chest feeling with happy relaxing high feeling… sleepy feeling. 

5th has a vibrant sweet taste throughout and what was pure sugars and wildflowers now has some fruity layer almost a cantaloupe mango the mouthfeel is also more sticky almost gripping now. Long sweet taste and cool breath. 

6th is a sweet long pure juicy mango cantaloupe with long fade out taste and gappy high relaxing with comfortable bodyfeeling of chest swelling. Sticky mouthfeeling. This puerh is really nice very sweet and very comfortable. Cooled down it is very juicy fruity and sugar long sweetness. Feels very nice!

7th is a juicy fruity pure long sweet taste happy relaxing sleepy high feeling is very nice. Cooled down it is fruity sweet long sweet pure taste. No bitterness nor astringency and chest expanding and happy relaxed high.

8th is cooled down and is getting watery but still reasonably sweet.  Big chest expanding. 

9th maintains a steady long rather uninterrupted sweet taste .  There is some cooling throat and sticky mouth and some fruity mango melon suggestions. Mind melt happy Qi is pretty strong and very nice. 

2026 ZengSiLong MangZhi

This 2026 Tea Encounter Mang Zhi goes for $130.00 for 400g or $0.33/g.  I’m found of the ZhengSiLong MangZhi area puerh and this one doesn’t disappoint…

 Dry leaves have a deep rich fruity cherry note with layers of candy depth.

Rinsed leaves have a very sweet deep odour with cherry and light fruit in a forest upfront odour.

First infusion has a juicy dense delicious full spicy sweet taste almost bready pastry mouthwatering. Oil texture with full taste. Rejuvenating energy rising feeling.  Sweet sticky chalky feeling on the tongue with faint deeper throat opening.

Second infusion juicy thick viscus emerging mild bitter forest slight coco with sweet bready pastry sugary taste some berries with mild bitterness.  Big chest Qi feeling with energetic boost.  Sugar and vegital finish with subtle bitterness throat grabbing. 

3rd is left to cool and is sweet oily fruity sugar with a strong dense oily taste and feel.  full mouth with a syrupy sweet taste and returning strong sugarcane and fresh fruits underneath.  Chalky full mouthfeel with chesty beats and full heart bodyfeeling.  Energy boosting.

4th has a buttery sweet taste chalky full mouthfeel and chest Qi with bigger energy boosting up.

5th has a sweet juicy viscus dense sweet taste.  There is a mild to moderate bitterness there.  Big chesty Qi feeling.

6th is a sweet sugar juicy fruit pop with secondary bitterness.  Sweet bitter finish in mouth with full sticky almost dry chalky mouthfeel and faint cooling. Big chesty energy boost.

7th was left to cool and is a sweet mellow sugar juicy taste with chalky slight tight full mouthfeel.  Big chesty qi and energy boost.

8th is an overnight mug steeping…. The next day it is smooth sweet very oily viscus with a vegital almost coco very very mild bitter.  Big chest feeling of Qi trapped in chest! Energy boost bit also sighing.

I compare this with a N.E. t day steeping of 2025 Tea Encounter Mang Zhi… dry leaves have a muted forest bready almost coco forest sweetness…

First infusion is a clear sweet sugar and faint coco finish.  There is a clear pure sweet coco note.  Mouthwatering effect. Big chesty Qi feeling.

Second is a sweet o set with a foresty mild bitter coco with sticky almost tight mouthfeel. Sweet lingering in upper throat. Sticky saliva producing effect. Left to cool it is a juicy fruity viscus tropical juicy fruity with sugar layers sweet taste with big chesty feeling.  Very delicious! Big qi in chest like expanding.

Third infusion left to cool is a sweet very juicy sugary delicious sweet dense taste.  There is flavour sweet pop and lots of oily saliva producing effect. Long almost pastry sweet taste.  Sweet layers are absolutely delicious faint coco layer as well. 

4th is a sweet sugary pastry and juicy fruity onset of sweet layers viscous oily texture and mouthwatering effect really make the taste pop and linger in the mouth.  Chalky full mouthfeel.  Mid deep throat stimulation.  Long sweet taste.  Big chesty opening and expanding energy boost feeling. 

5th is left to cool and is a sweet juicy fruity pastry sugar sweet dense oily viscus taste and with a mild coco bitter note. Mouthwatering with mid throat mild saliva gob.  Chalky tongue coating.

6th infusion is a sweet dense sugary pastery coco and almost fruity with mid throat cooling then long tropical fruity a sugar pastry finish.

7th has a less juicy more dry woody almost coco and milder sugar.  Still strong chest expanding feeling chest beats and rising happy Qi feeling.

8th infusion is a sweet fruity dry woody sweet pastry taste. Mouthwatery slight dry woody mid-profile with   

Best Offering Yet From Tea Encounter

 I am still thinking about how awesome this years 2026 offerings from Tea Encounter are… taken as a whole line up it is satisfying and interesting… I honestly believe it is hands down their best line up since conception.  Their high end puerh are super interesting, they have a super strong budget offering in their 2026 Tea Encounter Yiwu GuaFengZhi and I think my favorite for the price is their Laos Gushu production, 2026 Tea Encounter HeBian that I ended up sampling blind and believed it was much more expensive than it was…. It was a puerh that I was still thinking about days after sampling and that says a lot considering all the samples I devour and how crazy busy life swirls around me these days… some days my morning matcha drank out in the garden or occasional mid day puerh is my solace.  Thanks Tiago for that!

Currently Tea Encounter has a 15% off Black Friday sale if anyone is interested in sampling what I believe to be their best whole line up yet!

Cheers!

Peace

Budget Recommendation: 2026 Tea Encounter Yiwu Guafengzhai

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2026 Tea Encounter Lengshuihe

This 2026 Tea Encounter LengHeShui goes for approx $444.00 for 200g or $2.22/g 

Dry leaves are a spicy warming almost beef jerky Laos odour.

Rinsed leaves have a deep dreary gamey sweet floral.  Again smell like Laos puerh.

First infusion is a sweet smooth gamy moves quickly and that melts into icing sugar sweet wet mouthfeel faint juicy almost front under sweet icing sugar sweet taste.  Elegant and evolving sweetness. Sugar return sweetness is really nice and happy swelling chest and mind qi feels good.

Second infusion has a fruity faint fade gamy barnyard and a viscus texture and evolving strong sweet icing sugar evolution and cool breath.  Happy swelling expansion. Cooled down it is a sugary sweet smooth with faint gamy barnyard and cooling throat aftertaste.  Body tingling and swelling light floating chest feeling.  Spaced out feeling.  Qi feels so good.

Third infusion has an icing sugar sweet sugary onset in a smooth wet slightly viscus broth.  Mild gamy barnyard.  Some melon fruity pokes through the base flavours. Floating light chest feeling. Sweet layered evolution sugar to icing sugar to melon to more creamy icing sugar.  Smooth wet viscus full powdery mouth coating.  Floating bodyfeeling and mind float too.

Fourth has a woody sweet slight dry mouth feel sugar sweet throughout and long sweetness that picks up some juicier melon notes mid profile.  Very delicious creamy layered evolving sweet taste with super relaxing floating feeling. So good!!!

5th is left to cool and starts with a creamy gamy onset… the mouthfeel is powdery and texture is viscous the result is excellent with a cooling throat after taste and long lingering very sweet taste.  Very high from this puerh now and trying to work at my job here… hahaha…. Ok body and mind max floating relax!

6th is a sweet creamy complex smooth like snow on the tongue icing sugar sweet taste.  Powdery mouthfeel with slight viscous and cooling lingering throat lots of tongue emerging sweet taste.  Happy high feeling and body floatong. Cooled down it is more sugary and fluffy and melon and long sweet.  Powdery cloud candy sweetness.

7th is a creamy sweet melon powerfully fluffy cooling throat sticky mild mouthfeel cooling opening throat.  Happy high feeling with body floating effect.

8th is a creamy sugary woody. Powdery full mouthfeel with high stoned feel and chest fluttering with light body. 

9th is left to cool and is a sweet fruity sugar oily very viscus with cool throat and return of long fluffy full sweetness and floating Qi.

10th is an overnight mug steeping and it is very sweet with icing sugar and melon sweet taste some faint rubbery vegital notes and cooling menthol almost medicinal sort of gamy barnyard mild bitterness in there as well.  Spacy peace out high!

Vs 2025 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai LengShuiHe…

I drink these back to back and the dry leaves smell much more sweet and floral very delicious…

Rinsed leaves have a bubble gum candy sweetness.

First infusion is a clear watery melon sugar fruity more subtle and less dense than 2026.  Cooling mid throat powdery coating. Nice evolution of subtle sweet taste but more watery and mild than 2026. Tingling body feel in shoulders and face.  Mild chest fluttering. Wet mouth.

Second infusion is sweet watery wet with lime woody sugar onset.  Soft powdery mouthfeel with chest fluttering and peaceful feeling. Refreshing lime melon is mild with faint woody and sticky powdery mouthfeel.  Lightness expands from the chest with a peaceful feeling.  

The third is left to cool and is a delicious creamy milky sugar deep caramelized sugar and melon. Tastes of French dessert Creme Brûlée mouthwatering wet mouthfeel juicy sweet taste.  Very taste flavourful dessert taste.  Happy peaceful feeling with face and shoulder tingling. 

Fourth is a sweet creamy powdery sugary onset with evolution of sweet taste.  Wet mouthfeel with smooth sweet evolving taste. Mild chest feel and peaceful feeling. Delicious taste.  Cooled down it has a long fluffy melon juicy sugary almost Crème Brûlée taste- custard delicious.  

5th has a creamy oily fruity sugary onset nice soft juicy mouthwatering sweet long taste. Mouthwatering taste pops in mouth long juicy viscus sweetness with happy peaceful feeling. Taste is not as deep or long and mouthfeel not as full nor Qi as deep nor as powerful as the 2026. But overall quite similar but less than.

6th is a sweet juicy creamy melon custard mouthwatering taste with full powdery taste.  Cooling throat with return of sweet evolution to sugars in the mouth.  Mild happy expanding or fluffy chest feeling and soft happy feeling mild spacing out feeling qi.

7th is a creamy watery sweet taste with faint almost woody and creamy taste. Long sweet taste somewhat but less custard with cooling breath long taste with faint chest fluttering and open chest with mold peaceful high.

8th is left to cool and is sweet melon soft cool throat long sweet taste happy vibes. Long evolving sweet taste chest flutters and some mild face and shoulders tingling. 

Peace

2026 Tea Encounter TianMenShan Gushu

This 2026 TianMenShan gors for $158.00 for 200g or $0.79/g.

Dry leaves are a sweet pungent piercing floral forest odour.

Rinsed leaves have a smooth vegital creamy icing sugar odour.

First infusion has a spicy watery mild sweet clear pure taste.  Soft mouthfeel with wet mouth a saliva producing effect and melon fruity sweetness develops and pools in the saliva it transforms into sugar on the breath.  Silky texture.

Second is a tropical fruity banana creamy sweetness with a silky textured approach. Evolution of sweetness from tropical fruity to creamy sweet to sugar then to melon.  Some cooling menthol breath.  Wet mouth with creamy custard like mouthfeeling and long evolving sweetness develops taste.  Mild chest fluttering and comfortable bodyfeeling.  Mind peace out floating.

Third infusion has a watery wet tropical fruity onset that turns to a lime/ orange creamy sweetness taste then into sugar and to a melon. Nice long evolving sweetness develops taste here! The mouthfeel is wet chalky and velvety and sticky mild throat opening and coolness. Peaced out feeling with mild face qi and comfortable bodyfeeling.

Fourth infusion has a juicy fruity tropical fruity slight citrus. With thick silky texture and mild mid bitterness with juicy fruity evolution of sweet long taste. Arms tingling and face too.  Peace out relaxing vibes.  Sticky chalky mouthfeel.  Floating peace out Qi.  Saliva producing mid throat feeling.

5th has a juicy creamy/chalky fruity taste there is some sugar and melon finish but it’s less sweet than previous infusions. The mouthfeel is stick almost gripping dry but not quite with a woody faintness.  Peaceful feeling.

6th is left to cool and is a sweet juicy pear sugar melon with sticky sandy mouthfeel and mild bitter slight dry gripping. Peaceful feeling with some faint tingling and chest lightness.

7th has a jucy fruity woody onset with the long evolving sweetness coalescing into more of a single dense note and being balanced with a drier woody mildly bitter note. Peaceful happy peaceful float. 

8th Cooled down is more creamy sugars come out. There is a denser juicer taste developing.  Spacy feeling and sighs.

9th infusion is left to cool and is a sweet sugar almost juicy fruity sweet counterbalanced by a slight dry wood bitter.  Long faint sweetness aftertaste.  Peaceful and slight floating.

10th is a long 40 minutes mug steeping and is a chalky fruity woody ashy with slight throat drying and mild gripping bitter.  Mid throat long mild cooling with lime citrus sour and chest opening light feeling and peaceful relaxing high feeling.   Lots of dense flavours still.

Again, great puerh with lots of stamina for its price…

Peace

2026 Tea Encounter WanGong

 This 2026 Tea Encounter Wangong goes for $283.00 for 200g or $1.42/g….. This was the third day of mind blowing samples from Tea Encounter’s 2026 line…

Dry leaves are a candy icing sugar like fresh forest odour.  Very vibrantly sweet almost cherry as well.mouthwatering…

Rinsed leaves have strong sugar creamy notes.

First infusion has a watery sweet sugar onset with melon candy notes linging in the mouth there is a moderately deep cooling throat and chalky mouthfeel. Spacy high feeling.chest flutters.  Long lingering sweet taste. 

Second infusion has a sweet candy sugar pop then that movies to a slight bitter taste creamy and milky almost pastery sweet evolution. Happy uplifting spacy feeling.  Chest flutters and face tingling.  Very nice sweet evolutions of sweetness. With a chalky mouthfeel. Very nice!

Third infusion has a very sweet juicy sugar candy fruity pop mouthwatering with a quick mild bitter mouth salivating with wet chalky creamy mouthfeel. Moderatly deep thrust cooling long evolving sweet taste.  Happy euphoria with face tinging and chest flutters.  Such a nice experience here! Very delicious and full taste experience with high grade Qi!

Fourth infusion is a fruity sugar chalky thick pop with a quick bitterness then long evolving melon fruity sugar pastry sweetness. Chest fluttering face tingling.  

5th is left to cool and has a peachy melon candy sugar pop onset with fast moving bitter and more of a bready pastry finish.  Spacy happy high with face tingling and numbness.  Chest fluttering feeling.

6th has a sweet onset with melon peach sugar some ashy taste mildly bitter. Long sweet sugar pastry taste.  Chalky full feeling in mouth mid throat cooling that lingers in the throat.  Chest fluttering face numb and happy euphoria.

7th is left to cool and is a sweet juicy fruity taste with ashy mild bitter and long sweet finish with mid throat opening and full chalky mouthfeel.  Happy floating euphoria. Soft full tongue coat.  Happy high. Mild chest fluttering with face Qi.

8th infusion is a creamy fruity sweet sugar pop with mild bitterness that is quick mid-profile and it leaves a sugary full chalky taste in the mouth with chest flutters and numb face.  Slight sweet cereal aftertaste. Long sweet evolution of taste.  Nice qi feeling for me!

9th is a sweet fruity sugar with mild quick moving bitter which induces salivation.  Long sweet finish with lingering cool mud throat and long sweet aftertaste.  Very nice even in later infusions. 

10is an overnight mug steeping and it is a sweet oily juicy fruity taste with an ashy oily texture very mild background bitterness and ashy taste. There is still lots of chest fluttering and sugary candy long taste under the initial fruity taste and fast chalky bitterness.  

I like this puerh a lot!

Peace