Save the best for last simply because LaoBanZhang is the king of puerh! This 2024 ChenYuan Hao LaiBanZhang goes for approx $545.00 for 100g cake or $5.45/g which is most definitely the most expensive fresh puerh I have ever sampled!
Dry leaves have a sweet odour faint almost grape/ berry.
Rinsed leaves have an almost roasty sweet forest odour.
First infusion has a woody watery onset with slight barnyard gamey edges. There is a very faint sugar pure sweetness that emerges late with cool breath and deep throat opening. It leaves gentle sugary edges behind. An evolving returning sugary pure sweet taste. Subtle body tingling and face and scalp tingle. Mild spacy uplift early here.
Second infusion has a watery clear woody onset with some pungent faint barnyard. Sticky mouthfeel with cooling breath and open deep throat. Sugary faint return and expanding in the deep throat. Cool edges give way to long sweet faint taste. Tingling body and head and scalp. Spacy chest floating out of body feeling with a mild high/ happy feeling.
Third infusion is left to cool and has a fruity woody sweet taste with sticky slight right at the edges mouthfeel. Deep cooling throat and deep opening. Lingering sugar sweet finish that expands from the returning sweetness. Sweet almost candy gum faint minutes later coming from the throat. Tingling body. Chest expanding floating. Scalp and head sensations. High relaxing.
Fourth infusion has a sweet pure watery entry- sugar and lesser wood. Clear taste with sugar sweet mild return and expanding. Cool mild deep thrust opening. Soft sticky mouthfeel. Cool expanding sugar clear aftertaste. Tingling arms and head and face with chest rising up bodyfeeling.
Fifth has a sugar slight fruity mild sweet taste. The sugar sweetness returns with faint fruity and stretches into the aftertaste. Sticky oily texture. Mild pop of fruity sweet return and stretching into aftertaste. Tingling arms and elbows. Face and head.
Sixth has a bitter fruity woody taste with purfume musky floral almost grape with gripping slight dry feeling and cool deep thrust opening. Chest floating done tingles in face head. Spacy peace.
Seventh is a watery clear sweet sugar fruity with faint woody. Deep throat opening. Mild flavours but expanding faint evolving sweet sugar taste. Sticky mouthfeel. Tingling and spacy feelings. Spacy relaxing. Cooled down it’s has a more fruity sweet oily onset with returning cool breath mild sweet sugars. Mild taste. Quality moderate bodyfeels and mild spacy Qi. This is a really gentle Lao Ban Zhang.
Eighth has a sugar woody onset- more woody now with a dry tighter mouthfeel. Not much sweetness returns in the cool deeper throat that feels tighter now. Spacy tingling with chest floating bodyfeeling.
Days Long mug infusion has that classic bitter fast moving onset with oily sweetness sugar candy fruity to follow. The cold drink is bitter with a fruity floral almost sweet chalky sticky mouthfeel. Lots of strength in here still. Needs to be pushed harder. Really enjoying this long steep… could have went a few more infusions for sure.
I put it for a few more days steeping and it is oily with an almost grape woody sugar sweet taste still very faint bitter to sweetness.
This Lao Ban Zhang is all about the tingling body feels and chest floating mild unique feeling. The deep throat coolness and mild expanding pure sugar sweet is also nice and delicate. When push hard you get that classic Lao Ban Zhang bitter to sweetness characteristic profile.
Peace