This sample comes care of Hobbes of The Half-Dipper and is available for purchase at Yunnan Sourcing. There is great article on Lao Man E from the Tea Urchin that is worth a read if you haven't (here). With the unseasonably cool, rainy, and cloudy spring in Victoria, one has been drinking lots of puerh. Next week the Korean tea will start arriving at the doorstep but if the weather doesn't improve prehaps one will still be drinking puerh?
Today is one of those unseasonable days. Let's stay warm with some puerh from Lao Man E...
The long, hairy, dry leaves are filled with many white buds and smell of pungent, barely sweet forest odours with a deep sweetness staying in the nose.
The first infusion has an initial taste of deep mushrooms with a subtle sweet taste. There are pungent-foresty-spicy notes in the finish. The breath has a soft returning coolness over the pungent forest base which is quite nice. The mouthfeel is soft and thin and already its presence is felt in the upper throat. Its qi is felt tossing in the stomach even after the first cup.
The second infusion is made up of a creamy, mushroom-forest pungent tastes that trail into a long very light pungent but creamy sweet aftertaste. A soft creamy-cooling sensation lingers in the mouth. Their are some muddled berry tastes minutes later on the breath. The mouthfeel is very soft but now reaches deep into the throat.
The third infusion has much the same flavour as above however now slight bitter notes infringe on the taste profile- the higher notes seem muted by this new show of strength. The mouthfeel becomes somewhat thicker and slightly pasty on the lips. The qi swells up in the chest and swirls in the stomach.
The fourth infusion delivers soft, smooth, light mushroom-pungent-forest initial tastes. It develops into smooth-sweetness over a faint smokey-roasted coffee-forest depth. There are distinct cherry notes in the aftertaste as well giving it an interesting complexity.
In the fifth infusion the liquor reveals clear, slightly creamy, almost nutty-chocolate tastes. It has a cool nutty finish. The qi now seems to toss the mind about and one can feel the heart beating in the chest from this powerful chaqi.
The sixth and seventh infusions have clear, light foresty notes that carry a slight but distinct dark coco edge. The taste finishes in the mouth with a light, dirty forest and slight coco taste. The taste becomes more simple in these infusions. The qi has a nice warmth to it and brings warmth to the head, face, and spine. The mouthfeel is sticky, full and throaty.
The eighth infusion is much like the last but simple fruity notes can now be noticed.
The ninth infusion becomes more brackish with soft bitter, dirty forest, and coco still easily found in the taste. There is also still a nice cool finish in the throat with berry edges in the aftertaste.
The subsequent infusions become more dirty and muddled with a very simple distinct bitter-coco taste. The chaqi is powerful even into the twelfth infusion.
Link to Hobbes' (The Half-Dipper) Tasting Notes
Peace
Upon reading this I think I have found one of the samples I need in my next Yunnan Sourcing order. Thanks for sharing the experience.
ReplyDeleteTrevor,
ReplyDeleteAgreed this puerh is at least sample worthy perhaps purchase worthy. Interesting finding: when trying this tea for the second time less leaves were used and the flavour and mouthfeel were less present whereas the chaqi was just as strong. One suggests shorter infusions with more tea leaf.
Peace