Thursday, February 6, 2025

Best 2004?: 2004 Yang Qing Hao Zhencang Chawang



Ok the Yang Qing Hao Re-Experiencing project is back online here…it’s next in the cue pending a few surprise samples I’m receiving in the mail.  But you want it and I’m committing to it…. This tea is definitely the last time I feel like I got a complete steal of a bargain … so that was like 4 years ago… ha!

I picked up a bunch of these cakes in early 2021 when Yang was clearing out the last of his cakes and offered them at a special clearance price because some in the tongs had damaged wrappers but none of mine were even damaged.  This 2004 Yang Qing Hao Zhencang 400g cake unbelievably sold for $250.00 for 400g or $0.63/g.  I like them so much I grabbed a few more from Liquid Proust who bought up the last tongs and immediately turned them around for $325.00 for 400g or $0.81/g he too sold out fast.  It should be noted that there is also a 500g version of this same material.

A lot of the older reviewers seemed to place the 2004 Yang Qing Hao Dingji Yesheng and the 2004 Teiji ahead of this cake but age has treated this one very well and it might be the favourite cake I own…

Dry leaves smell of creamy sweetness.

First infusion is vibrant honey floral fresh fruity clearer taste than Dingji YehSheng.  Sweet fruity honey clear taste. Mouthwatering and vibrant.  Slight rubbery soft mouthfeel. Slow heat beats and face numb with happy feelings.

Second infusion has a vibrant resin honey taste.  There is an overarching sweet taste that becomes creamy in the aftertaste.  There is a pure long creamy honey slight woody aftertaste with cool breath.  Nice resinous woody balances the sweet.  Doesn’t have the typical washed out Yang feel is a bit clearer and purer.  Happy Euphoria feeling with face and shoulders tingling. Long honey creamy taste.  Slight sticky rubbery mouthfeeling.

Third infusion has a vibrantly sweet onset with a mouthwatering effect.  The sweetness is a pure honey almost fruity and almost purfume floral.  There is a resin base to it.  Silty mouthfeeling.  Really nice honey layers and resin base with spacy happy feeling. Slow chest beats and happy floating feeling.  Long honey resin finish that fades out.  Face and should numbness and lightness.



Fourth infusion has a creamy sweet pop of flavour with a resin woody mid and honey creamy sweet finish.  The mouthfeel is a bit drying.  Creamy chalky sweet taste left on a slightly pasty dry tongue.  Happy space feeling.

5th infusion has a sweet creamy resin woody pure honey taste.   Mouthwatering chalky sweet taste with honey fade out in the mouth.  Silty chalky mouth coating.  Spacy happy vibes. Light floating bodyfeeling.

6th has a woody resin sweet creamy taste with honey sweet finish that fades out with resin dry woody.  Slight dry silty mouthfeel.  

7th has a sweet woody resin with a sweet fade out finish.  Silty slight mouthwatering.  Happy floating feeling.

8th has a pop of coco bittersweet honey that fades quickly into a woody resin onset with less sweetness now- there is some and it lingers as a honey sweet in the background. Honey sweet fade out.  Happy floating feeling. 

9th has a honey sweet resin onset with pop of initial sweetness almost bitter pure and vibrant still.  Silty faintly dry mouthfeel.  Happy floating qi.

10th has a honey woody clear taste initially with a creamy chalky return.  Clear pure tastes with a silty mouthfeel.

11th is a long mug steeping and has a woody resin slight bitter honey taste. Slight dry mouthfeel with some cooling throat.  Big slow heart beats with floating bodyfeeling and spacy happy high feeling.  Some faint candy under the dry woody aftertaste. 


…. So good had a session yesterday and it makes me feel so so good every time…. Maybe it’s the best puerh produced in 2004!

Peace

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

2004 Yang Qing Hao Jin Cha vs Tuo Cha!

 Okay… back to the Yang Qing Hao re-experiencing posts




This 2004 Yang Qing Hao Jin Cha goes for $200 for 300g Jincha or $0.66/g.  Dry leaves smell sweeter than other 2004 due to tight Jincha compression.

First infusion is a watery meaty smoked beef jerky taste.  Mesquite BBQ but mainly watery a bit creamy sweet… this flash infusion is still too compressed but the meaty mesquite supersized me none the less.

Second infusion cooled down is a creamy oily slight smoke mesquite with a wet oily mouthfeel.

Third infusion has a watery creamy sweet taste with much much less mesquite which is so faint now. The aftertaste is an icing sugar but faint almost minty herby.  Wet/ oily mouthfeel.  Some chest and collarbone heaviness with mild qi quietude.



Fourth left to cool is a creamy sweet watery oily soft chalky creamy sweeet.  Subtle smoke background.

Fifth a fruity smoke pop of sweetness with mouthwatering almost melon sweetness oily taste.  Oily Smokey creamy melon finish. Mild relaxing qi.

Sixth infusion is left to cool and has a creamy sweet oily smooth taste.  Slight faint melon and creamy very slight smoke. Creamy sweet and smooth.  Soft chalky wet slight oily feeling. Peaceful Qi.

Seventh has a melon creamy sweet watery taste faint rubbery vegital some faint mesquite.  Mouthfeel is slightly dry.  Mild relaxing qi mild qi in face and forearms. Heavy collarbones feeling. 

Eighth has a melon dry bark slight smoke slight dry mouthfeel.  It’s lots it’s oily and soft feel and has a drier almost bitter feel.almost bitter coco bland taste as well. Rubbery sweet finish.

Ninth rubbery dry woody with throat grip.  Rubbery squeeky gums.  Dry vegetal rubbery bland taste that isn’t very seeet but some mouth cooling. 

10th has a woody almost sweet under the squeaky gripping dry mouth and throat.  Pucker dry feeling is strong.. 

11th the next day back to the leaves … its back to a creamy almost fruity watery taste.  Creamy watery aftertaste with soft silty almost dry mouthfeel.

12th has a fruity almost minty onset with woody dry base and some pops of fruity fresh melon sweetness. Mild tastes of sweet creamy finish.   Mild relax peace.

13th left yo cool is a more distinct creamy sweet.  It still has a pop and some vibrancy with an almost fruity pure clean creamy sweet taste.  Mouthwatering effect still. Mild relaxing. Some mild face tingling.

14th is left to cool and has a mild sweet melon slight sour pop with a vegital taste.  Mild relaxing qi.

15th is a long mug steeping… has a dirt bitter bland woody taste with dry mouthfeel.  Mild spacy relax.  The Yang storage notes are just starting to feel strong here from the very tight Jincha compression. 

Hours later it has a woody dirt syrupy sweetness and an oily mouthfeel with squeaky feeling.  There is a pucker sweet cherry fruity finish in the mouth.  Reminds me of choke cherries.  Too yummy so I drink it up and do another long mug infusion …. Still getting through the tight Jincha compression…

17th is overnight and is a woody sweet faint dirt oily taste.  Oily feeling one day later. Almost coco taste.  Syrupy sweet woody.



Vs 

2004 Yang Qing Hao Tuo Cha goes for $200.00 for 300g Toucha or $0.66/g.



Dry leaves are a creamy bready sweetness.  Not as compressed as the Jin cha sample I got and smells more bready slight less leaves in the pot and more crushed up is the sample I have.

The rinsed leaves have a sweet almost tobbaco leaf pungent sweet quality.

First infusion has a creamy watery sweetness.

Second is left to cool and is a creamy woody slight bland bitter sweetness over a watery mouthfeel with slight dry squeaky feeling.  Some Heart beats heavy feeling in chest.  Almost cherry taste ghostly minutes later.

Third infusion has a watery woody dry sweet straw and almost fruity creamy not that sweet taste. Some creamy almost pungent sweet very faintly returns.  Any smoke or mesquite at all in this sample compared to JinCha. Spacy almost mild sleepy qi.



Fourth infusion had a watery woody creamy sweet slight quick moving pungent creamy sweet return with melon fresh fruity finish.  Slight dry mouthfeeling with sqeeky gums.  Spacy lazy qi.  Wu is more sleepy and stronger and slightly warmer than Jincha.  Long lingering muted fruity taste.

Fifth infusion is a woody creamy dry sweet taste.  Some straw cereal sweet taste returns. Cooled down is a woody dry mouthfeeling with a fruity sweet slight dry bitter finish.  Dry mouth with squeaky. 

Sixth infusion has a woody creamy dry mouthfeel with slight creamy sweet but mainly dry bitter bland finish.  Dry chocking throat feeling.

Seventh infusion I get back to the leaves the next day.. and it’s a smooth woody sweet almost smooth rich woody.

Eighth is left to cool and is a watery woody almost nutty almond sweet taste.

9th is a woody dry slight creamy almost dry root beer vegital taste.  Is a bit bitter and bland and dry not much sweet in these flash infusions.

10th has a woody dry sweet dry wood taste.  Some sort of vegital dry taste.

I mug steep out these spent leaves for a long infusion and it has a woody dirt sort of oily sweet taste with a vegital bland taste.

Then I overnight steep it and it is a woody minty slight root beer.  Smooth slight oily taste.  Not bitter but a bit oily and savoury salty.



Overall, the two have more differences than I thought!  The Tuo Cha which was much less compressed, leafed lighter in the pot, and was more broken up was much better in taste and surprisingly in Qi as well.  The Jincha has the mesquite flavour and rubbery, vegital, and bitter tastes which intermingle with sweet tastes but it doesn’t come off as too tasty to me.  The Jincha has a mild relaxing feel.  The Toucha has a spacy and sleepy better quality qi and feels warmer in nature.  At 20 years old the Jincha still needs some aging out but even then…. Not bad at all … Not sure if it’s worth it.

Out of all the Yang Qing Hao productions I have tried so far these two were some of my least favourites.  The mild Qi with light sometimes a bit akward favours put these lower on the list for me.

Peace

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Damn Year of the Snake Don’t You Dare Tariff My Tea!?!?!?

 Happy Year of the Snake gentle readers…. Okay even rough readers as well! 

It’s been a rather busy year for me here.  All my many offspring are getting a bit older.  There is a certain busyness that comes at this point in life where they still rely on you very much but yet they are starting to do many things outside the home.  Work life is also busy… especially in the last half of the year where you see my posts drop off… work is where I get my evaluative sessions in and write ups used to occur napping young-in’s or rocking the babies…. Yes I’m that dad! But kiddies nap no more!  I am propping up a sick sleeping coughing kid as I write which gives me just enough time for this post…

Boy did I have a nice run of the fresh stuff this year! Thanks vendors that sent some in to me. I went into the autumn with my fresh 2024 samples and had to drink aged shu daily to counter balance the cold energy from damaging my Spleen/Stomach.

Wow! James even dropped a few new articles on TeaDB. Congrats James on joining the League of Distinguished Tea Daddies! Haha….

My blog goals this year are to finish sampling and posting the Yang Qing Hao Re-Experiencing project thing I’ve been working on.  It is my most important blog thing and I have given it a high priority to finish it before fresh samples start to arrive in my mailbox.  I have a few really nice samples from Liquid Proust that I drank over the last month or so that I have to post. I have some really great ChenYuan Hao samples and some early Gushu stuff from Puerh.uk that are of second priority!

Yes I am drinking some amazing puerhs daily!! STILL! ! It’s mainly teas that are in my way or in my path.., I am not curating a specially selected puerh to drink… it’s the random stuff that I can reach for …. But I keep good company close by…. It’s scary how I can destroy a cake of very nice puerh without thinking twice!

I got some nice Yame Matcha that arrived last week and some friends coming down from Calgary that like drinking that stuff … so might post on how fun that is… not sure but there is a few matcha in there I have not sampled ever which I’m excited about!

Oh No…. I think the snake swallowed up some samples that were sent to me a week or two by a kind vendor! Canada post strike which was resolved over a month ago has made reviving packages even today… a bit more difficult than usual.  But I’m actually not buying much…. The Canadian dollar was bad this year and I have not been buying…. Currently it is at all time lows because some other snake is putting on a joke of a performance… and I’m left wondering if our tea will be tariffed anytime soon? 

Huh …. Let me meditate on that a little…

Peace


Tuesday, October 29, 2024

2024 Laos Chawang Single Extra Tall Ancient Tree #5


I was most excited about this 2024 Laos Single Extra Tall Tree(approx $300.00 for 200g cake or $1.50/g) sample having never tried a single tree sample from Laos before despite travelling there to the tea growing region.  It was not a preferable method of tea drinking back then large trees were always combined together ...

Dry leaves have a very sweet candy almost slight pungent but deeply sweet Yiwu odour. 

First infusion has a light watery creamy sweet fluffy soft mouthfeel. There is a movement towards returning sweet taste. Sugar to creamy sweet to melon. Soft sticky feeling left on the tongue. Some tingling out of body mild feeling developing.

Second infusion has a soft sweet onset with a gentle curved sweet evolution.  There is sugar, creamy sweet and a pop and trailing off of melon.  Silty smooth mouthfeel.  Mild body floating feeling. Tingling face. Deep sigh.

Third has a creamy very soft sweetness that melts into a slight pungent creamy sweetness.  Watery soft with an easy transition through some soft smooth sweet tastes.  Some tingling in the scalp and head.  



Fourth infusion has a watery pungent sweet taste onset with a slight sandy mouthfeel and sandy roof of mouth.  Some cool throat.  Face tingling is the most pronounced bodyfeeling along with a nice diaphragm releasing sigh.  Melon aftertaste on the roof of the mouth.

Fifth is left to cool and is a sweet oily soft creamy melon light flufffy airy very very smooth profile that weaves in and out of sweetness, coolness, pungency but mainly a soft sweetness.   Mouthwatering honeydew melon taste sums prominent.

Sixth has a watery woody dry bark onset with a soft emerging sweet melon creamy taste building. Peaceful sighing energy.  Face tingling. 

Seventh is woody sweet gentle with cool breath and creamy sweet soft reveal.  Cool pungent is very gentle and end and flows within soft honeydew melon taste. Refreshing vibes.  Soft body with face tingling a bit stronger. Chest unraveling.

Eighth is felt to cool and is a cooling pungent creamy sweet smooth soft sweetness with face tingling.  Open chest with deep sigh relaxing.



long mug steeping and it has a pungent cooling forest taste with long deeper cooling breath a menthol woody Forest taste almost bitter woody is in there too.  Open chest with tingles.

Days long infusion is a pungent forest oily ashy with a light sweet underbelly.

Peace 


Saturday, October 26, 2024

2024 Puerh.uk TianMenShan Single Extra Tall Ancient Tree #5



These were early samples so I’m unsure if this sample was this 2024 Puerh.uk TianManShan Extra Tall Ancient Tree or this 2024 Puerh.uk TianManShan Single Big Extra Tall Ancient Tree…. Was a nice experience…

Dry leaves have a deep rich cloying floral sweet candy odour.

Rinsed leaf has a sweet spicy candy odour.

First infusion has a sweet candy melon oily sweet taste.  There is a mid throat gob of saliva and return of a chalky creamy sweet taste.  Chest expanding feelings.  Brow and face warming.

Second infusion has a sweet oily fruity woody with amid throatiness.  Pear and peach family linger minutes later on the breath.  Deep to mid deep throat sensation and flavour trap.  Sticky slight tight mouthfeel.  Subtle high feeling. Face warmth.  Nice emerging pear taste.

Third has a pungent soapy floral sweet chalky onset sticky slight tight mouthfeel with squeaky roof and gums.  Lingering sort of floral woody sweet on the breath and in the throat.  Some mild face sensations. Heavy shoulders release feeling is nice and reminds me of the nice bodyfeeling of 2006 YQH Shenpin Chawang  ….Some gentle high feeling. Slow expanding chest feeling. Nice body feel very nice!



Fourth has a woody slight sweet floral taste.  There is a mild bitter woody sweet finish.  Lingering faint candy in the aftertaste.  Some mild mid throat stimulation. Peaceful feeling with some face sensations. Cooled down it has a sugary watery pear taste with creamy sugar finish.

Fifth infusion has a mild woody sweet fruit taste.  Slight woody edges with chalky slight sandy sticky mouthfeel.  Deep cooling throat.  Lingering sweetness.  Mild peaceful feel. Cooled down it is a sweet woody chalky taste that turns into creamy sweet taste with cool breath.  

Sixth infusion has a woody sweet honey taste.  There is a sweet sort of wildflower honey sweet finish.  Peaceful slightly dleepy feeling Qi.

Seventh has a woody sweet onset with a honey wildflower finish.  Subtle fast moving bitterness.  Peaceful sleepy Qi feeling.  Heavy shoulders.  Sweet almost melon finish minutes later.

Eighth has a bitter woody onset with a quick moving bitter to soapy wildflower not much sweetness now and a slight tight drier mouthfeel m. Long cool breath. Some shoulder Qi feelings and chest opening with sleepy peace feeling.  Faint bready melon sweet taste minutes later.

Ninth infusion is left to cool and is a sweet woody onset with mid profile quick moving bitterness that turns to honey and wildflowers and ends cooling in the throat and slightly creamy sweet.

Long mug steeping has a bitter woody onset with a slight honey finish.  Sweet melon in the aftertaste. Peaceful sleepy qi feeling.



Days long infusion has a bitter drying slight floral slightly sweet almost fruity taste.  Pop of honeydew melon. Chalky full feeling. Chest beats strong with face tingling.

Peace






Tuesday, October 22, 2024

2024 Puerh.uk YiWu Long Tan Qing



This 2024 Puerh.uk YiWu Long Tan Qing goes for Approx $253.00 for 200g cake or $1.27/g.

Dry leaves have a pungent evergreen sweet lingering odour.  

First infusion has a light creamy sweet taste.  Long uninterrupted creamy sugar.  Cooled down is icing sugar sweet pure taste.  Soft mouthfeel with creamy sweet sugar returns.  Creamy…. 

Second is oily sweet creamy pure soft oily mouthfeel pop of creamy return.  Smooth soft feeling in body. Peaceful clear mind.

Third infusion has a sweet grains soft mouthfeel with sweet grain finish.  Soft edges sticky mouthfeel. Peaceful easy bodyfeeling.  Some arms lightness. Cooled down is clear sweet sugar melon taste.  Sweet returns as icing sugar.  



Fourth has a viscus sweet taste with a sweet icing sugar return.  Soft mouthfeel.  Cooled down it comes off as sweet watery icing sugar with soft cool feeling.  Peaceful Qi mild in the mind with light limbs.

Fifth has a watery gentle sweet taste.  Cooled down it has a more melon sweet taste.  Sticky edges.  Faint cooling breath. Gentle and peaceful.

Sixth infusion has a watery woody faintly sweet taste.  Grains wood with background sweetness now.  Peaceful vibes gentle bodyfeeling.  Cooled down is a watery sweet sugar.

Seventh is left to cool for hours and is a watery clear sweet creamy taste with woody background slight grains taste.  Cool breath.  Peaceful gentle feeling. Sweet lingering melon sweetness minutes later.

The long mug infusion has a bitter soapy woody sort of muted floral with sticky mouthfeel.  Faint long woody sweet taste.  Peaceful waves of energy with chest opening feeling.



The days long infusion of spent leaves is a smooth trying to be creamy smooth sweet.  Icing sugar cool breath.  Sweeet icing sugar taste. 

Peace