2010 Essence of Tea Da Xue Shan Wild 1KG Brick (What’s Not To Like?)

I choose some of this in Essence of Tea’s Black Friday promotion of 20% free tea.

I have to admit, I was excited about this 2010 Essence of Tea Da Xue Shan Wild ($0.26/g) right from the start…

What’s not to like about this?

It’s from one of my favorite vendors, the Essence of Tea.

It’s of yesheng material and I do like wild tea.

It’s very tightly machine pressed, exactly the way I like high noted tea.

It’s stored on the drier end of the spectrum, most often optimal for wild tea I suspect.

It’s material is from Da Xue Shan, an area which I always seem to enjoy.

And last but not least,

It comes in an over the top 1KG Brick!

Really, it checks all the boxes for me.

The oily purple hued dry leaves give off a delicious odour…

The first infusion starts with a watery, empty taste with a slight vegetal, slight turbid\ barnyard taste there are just glimpse of juicy fruity, barely there as this compression needs to release more.  What is most noticeable is the long breath cooling and faint almost cotton candy sensation.  This wild will be quite nice, I think.

The second starts with a subtle smoky and mainly juicy fruits and subtle sour onset with layers of almost tobacco and woody notes.  There is a long cool lingering returning undulation and creamy sweet breath, slightly talc with almost cherry tastes left on tongue.

The third infusion starts off with punchy tangy fruity tastes with a nice astringent feel.  Then there is slight woody layer, tobacco and slight smoke then long cherry returning taste with decent cooling.  The slightly forest, slight wood, slight creamy taste is long.  The mouthfeel is nice and astringent but not overly so.  It’s mainly felt on the tongue and cheeks as well as mid throat.  Nice full feel for a wild tea for sure.

The fourth has a woody, juicy fruity taste with very mild smoke then to a building pungent cooling in the throat.  There is more of a full onset with woods and fruits layered in.  The mouthfeel is nicely simulating for a wild tea, much more full than even the better yesheng I’ve had.

The fifth infusion becomes very thick right from the onset.  The liquor is quite viscus and denser layers of wood, slight sour, barely noticeable barnyard/turbid taste, thick dried fruits, slight juicier fruits which stretch into the aftertaste and breath.  The long ring of cooling pungent taste makes this wild special as well. Very refreshing.  The throatfeel paired with the sour slight astringency pushes saliva into the throat along with the deep, dense, layered flavours.  The Qi is very floating but my mind feels quite sharp, a very nice qi.

The sixth infusion starts off in a vibrant soapy guy (Thrills gum) taste and turbid/wild/slight barnyard taste with woods and fruits under this almost grapy sweet soapy taste.  The long pungent returning kicks in and rolling creamy talc sweetness.  The mouth/throatfeeling are nice and do a nice thing with the saliva.  I feel so floaty but clear in the head.

The seventh starts layered, dense, complex with layering of woods, sweetnesses, chalk, forest, fruits, juicy, and is capped with a strong pungent coolness and long creamy, talc sweetness with mild dancing fruits in the distance.  The sweet taste is quite strong and long.  The throat does a capturing of taste with the saliva even minutes later.

The eighth infusion is a thick dense onset.  The thickness of the liquor and mouthfeel really make the complex interplay of flavours hold.  Instead of coming one at a time flavours come all at once.  The Qi makes my heart pound with a certain intensity but I feel slightly spacy.  Like I have lots of energy but don’t know what to do with myself.

The ninth infusion is sweet, almost juicy smokey, dense, onset, with creamy menthol sweetness long on the breath.  The taste is barely sour, faintly astringent, long dense sweetness, long cooling. The interplay and complexity of this wild make it special, I think.

This tenth and eleventh infusion is more watery fresh almost fruity juicy type I’m more familiar with.  There is a mild juicy fruity taste throughout.  The deeper tastes and rolling pungency seems less here.  This is more like a solid and more typical wild presentation but this one is especially nice.

The 12th is smooth fruity and woody to start plumb and blackcurrents come to mind.  There is a wave of menthol coolness then a long woody and subtle sweetness.  I would say the wood note is the dominant here.

13^th has a slight sour tart onset with a choke cherry like initial taste there is more of a slightly sandy and dry mouthfeeling now.

13^th starts woody mainly with fruits underneath capped by a menthol taste.  Some sweetness and fruit in the aftertaste.  14^th is much the same.

The 15^th is brilliantly fruity and long the mouthfeel is a touch slit-like.  The Qi pushes me into a sweat.

I end up long steeping this one for a few days and get brilliantly viscous fruity flavors.  It goes for a few more days like this and I quite enjoy it.

Overall, this wild is really enjoyable, it really does have everything I look for in a wild tea.  So will I be buying up a few bricks? I’m afraid not.  Why?

The reasons are many but are mainly personal reasons.

Firstly, despite what you read here on this blog, I only drink wild tea/ yesheng infrequently.  I only go for it maybe once a month, that’s it.  The other times I’m downing puerh.

Secondly, I already own over 3KG of wild tea probably enough to last me a lifetime considering how infrequently I consume it.

Thirdly, I just picked up a KG of a very similar wild from Teapals, a 2003 Shuangjiang Mengku Da Xue Shan Wild 250g (very compressed) brick for($0.16/g).

Fourthly, although I consider this 2010 Essence of Tea Da Xue Shan Wild one of the finest example of wild tea but I have a very similar tasting (although admittedly inferior) dry stored, very tightly compressed, factory-esque feeling, and similar Qi pattern.  Mine is maybe ½ as delicious, though.

Overall, this has got to be one of my favorite Northern Xishuangbanna wilds…

I just can’t rationalize buying more…

Peace

 

gushu? 2016 Chawangshop Manmai Selected Gushu

I really like this one but some reason can’t justify purchasing more…

I snuck a sample cake of this 2016 Chawangshop Manmai Selected Gushu in my order of 2016 Chawangshop Bada.  A few days ago all the prices of these Bada puerh increased.  This rather nice one now sells for $69.00 for 200g cake ($0.35/g), got mine for $60.00 last month.

Whenever I hear the word it always makes me chuckle... it reminds me of a time in the history of puerh drinking when everything was apparently “Gushu” but yet no one really knew what gushu puerh actually was…. Hahaha the good ol days…

Let’s see why I like this one so much…

Dry faint distant dry woods and grasses and florals.  A distant meadow kind of odour.

First infusion starts off with a tangy sweetness and straw taste and a slightly buzzing/ tingling mild mouthfeeling.  The aftertaste is at first mild menthol then mango then a long cotton candy sweetness.  The mouthfeel is sticky and slippery.

The second infusion starts off complex with wheat, sweet, and pungent tastes all at once the mouthfeel is full and stimulating.  The aftertaste is an arm of this pungency but the sweet taste turns into a longer cotton candy like taste on the breath.  There is a bready almost warming spice/ baked apple pie faint base taste in the initial and mid infusions.

The third infusion starts of very viscous and full with dry woody, bready and sweet potato notes, the tea liquor is very thick and there is a warm pungency in it as well.  The aftertaste turns into candy floss.

The fourth infusion starts off slightly astringent and almost bitter with a thick viscous liquor that fills the mouth.  The initially flood of density gives way to a long cotton candy finish in the mouth.  The mouthfeel and tea liquor are intense and full.

The fifth infusion is very full in the mouth, it has a certain intensity to it but it’s not overly bitter or astringent but rather feels like a thick blanket in the mouth.  The initial taste is slightly vegetal and slightly hay and sweet potato.  The aftertaste is very long and sweet.  Bread notes and warm pungent notes a faint but interesting.

The sixth infusion starts off licorice, viscous, and oily thick.  There is a mild wave of cooling and then bread, pudding, homemade baking and a long sweet candy taste.  The Qi is stuffy in the head and makes the eyes feel blurry.

The seventh has a juicy dense dried fig taste upfront now with a thick and slightly bitter density throughout.  The aftertaste is at first sweet baking then into long candy.

The eighth taste more dense sweet upfront, and with long dried fruit tastes sweet cereal grains, sweet bread taste and a candy pop in the aftertaste and longer sweeter candy finish.  The mouthfeel and viscosity are nice and dense and thick.  The candy taste is minutes long on the breath.  The qi feels stuffy in the head.  This qi makes me just stare out into space.

The ninth infusion has a real thick oily onset of dried fruit sweetness in turns into bread then slowly into a candy taste on the breath.  These last infusions have lost some of that intensity of mouthfeel and slight bitterness and now feel very full but not overwhelmingly so.

The tenth has a high noted sweet onset then drops to a lower, almost dried fruit/sweet potato sweetness, then breads, then long candy breath.  The taste and density is real enjoyable here.

The 11^th has a high noted pungency to it right off the bat.  It has sweet potato, and breads in there too.  The breath is long, slightly grainy sweetness and candy.  The aftertaste is real long.

The 12^th has a buttery slightly bitter onset the mid profile is a nice bread taste then goes into a cool menthol on the breath.   Candy long lingering minutes later.

The 13^th infusion is much the same with the sweet bread note more prominent as well as the cooling pungency.  The bitter is gone here.

The 14^th infusion gets real smooth bready malty smoothness with nice cooling and long sweet taste.  Thick viscous liquid.

The 15^th infusion is very juicy sweet fruit, an abundant splash of sweetness, almost dry fruity like raisin, then mild cool, then sweet bread tastes, then candy.  This puerh is brilliant in these later infusions.

16^th is much the same delicious really.  Very full in the mouth very sweet, layered, and long.

I haven’t the time of day to continue to steep this one but I have faith that it would easily go 20+ infusions with amazing tastes.

Overall, this selected gushu is really enjoyable for its price.  Comparing it to the enjoyable 2016 (not selected) this one is considerably better even when the extra price is factored in.  Comparing it to the standard Bada these are both good and cheap in their own right.  There is a subtle thing about these selected leaves that doesn’t make me feel as good as it should and I chalk that up to mainly its youth and maybe its purity.  There is something in this puerh that makes me keep coming back to it despite this- it’s probably because of its thick viscous feeling, vitality, and nice qi.  Don’t let the price fool you, it checks out as gushu in my books.
 

Peace

In Search of Bada & 2016 Chawangshop Manmai (Not Selected) Gushu

Oh, to be not selected… do you remember what it felt like to have your hand up in class and to be not selected by the teacher?….

…So in many ways I feel kind of bad for this free sample of 2016 Chawangshop Manmai (Not Selected) Gushu that was sent along with my recent order of 2016 Chawangshop Bada …

Wait a minute… it was selected as my free sample… that has to count for something?…

This is coming from someone who has a long history with Bada area puerh but who has never been able to close the deal and select it…

In my mind it goes back quite a while actually…

My search for a good Bada area puerh was first piqued back in 2006 and 2007 when I tried the famous puerh mountain cake series by Douji in those years.  While I ended up going for the Yiwu cakes instead, their examples of Bada were pretty good and left an impression on me.  As time passed I convinced myself I need some Bada puerh in my drinking repertoire but this proved to be no easy task.  Firstly, because it’s hard to find quality Bada and secondly, very few Western puerh vendors sell Bada (even the might library of Yunnan Sourcing onlybrings us 3 such Bada area cakes ).

One of the best Bada’s in my memory has to be the famous 2010 Essence of Tea Manmai.  This one sold out and was at a time that I was not really buying too much fresh young puerh. However, as time went on I seemed to crave the simple satisfying Bada profile more and more.  One time in 2012 or 2013 I got quite desperate and rather weak and my puerh drinking buddy in Victoria had to twist my arm in an attempt to prevent me from overspending on a measly 2003 Bada toucha (thank you my friend)… but in the end I was still left without any Bada.

I think part of my yearning for Bada has to do with Hobbes continual hyping (maybe even exaggerating) of very economical Bada cakes on this blog around this time.  He highlighted many Bada from Chawangshop which were priced at $17/$18 for 200g cake at that time.  He is also credited for the speedy selling out of the 2012 Puerh.sk Bada (I never tried that one but did sample their 2013).  His sketch of the Bada profile depicted in Star Wars images is forever seared in my mind when thinking of Bada as well.

Today I choose this 2016 Chawangshop Manmai Gushu ($40.00 for 200g cake or $0.20/g)…

Dry leaves smell of weeds, dandelion, cut grass, salty seaweeds and creamy sweetness.  Vegetal sweetness is the phrase that comes to mind.

First infusion is very light hay and dry grassy notes almost ghostly icing sugar taste in a very watery light broth with very faint coolness and, dry hay sweetness returning.  Very mild here in this first infusion.

The second infusion starts with more strength in its icing sugar sweetness.  Icing sugar is the base taste here.  It stretches out long on the breath.  There is only faint hints of hay in the distance.  This is mainly just delicate and pure long sweet icing sugar taste.  The taste is very long on the breath.

The third infusion is much the same pure and strong icing sugar taste.  There is a faint note of string beans in the background.  The mouthfeel is juicy feeling and moderately lubricated feeling.  The sweet pure aftertaste is very long.

The four infusion has a very very mild touch of bitterness which is just a blip to induce sweetness in the mouth.  A quick grape-like sweetness pops and recedes quickly there very faint sweet hay.  Very nice icing sugar sweetness along with a creamier, more solid sweetness over top.  Qi is very mild relaxing type.  Mainly in head.

The fifth starts with an astringent glimpse then a creamy, malty almost caramel sweetness, almost cookie like, there is a longer grape note and returning coolness with layered sweetness of grape, icing sugar, and creamy sweet.  There is a certain clarity and purity to this tea.  The aftertaste somehow gets trapped in the mid to deep throat but the mouthfeel is so subtle almost mossy.  The aftertaste is very long. 

The sixth infusion has that same quick astringency then unravels into creamy malty sweetness.  There are very mild notes of dry hay in the distance.  This profile is dominated by sweet layers.  The mouthfeel has a mild astringent feel to it now.  The sweetness is denser now as well. The qi can be felt nicly fluttering in the heart as well as giving the head a mild spacy sensation.  The long mild pungent coolness drags these sweetness out.

The seventh has a bubble gum, almost grapey taste initial sweetness that has an almost juicy almost hay and woody undertone.  The grape sweetness is the most pronounced in the initial taste and the creamy sweetness is the most pronounced in the aftertaste icing sugar sweetness is the most noticeable on the breath.  It’s a layered, pure, vibrant sweet layer thing going on her.  The qi is starting to build and excite the mild making the world rush around me.  My heart flutters.

The eighth infusion starts with a grassy but juicy almost grape fruity burst.  Just as above, the sweetnesses take their turn unraveling.  The mouthfeel is mossy, mildly sticky.  It is mainly felt on the lips.  The throat opens deeply.  The aftertaste is very long.  The qi sensation is really nice.  I can feel it in the superficial face, like it’s numb.  I feel quite high from this one.

The ninth infusion starts with a quick moving astringency, then grape, then wild mint, then creamy, slight malt, then icing sugar.

The tenth infusion starts with a more drawn out almost citrus like astringency with a buttery taste underneath.  The creamy and icing sugar sweetness play out in the aftertaste/ breath.

The eleventh infusion is sweet and buttery almost hay sweetness.  The mouthfeel is sticky and almost sandy.  This infusion has lessened in the initial taste but the aftertaste remains long and very sweet.

The twelfth infusion is almost dry wood and hay with a buttery sweetness underneath.  The returning sweetness is strong and unwavering pure long sweetness.

Thirteenth infusion turned out a bit bitter initially with a dry woody aspect.  Might have not got all the tea liquor out of the pot.  The aftertaste is much the same.  This tea makes me break a sweet.

The fourteenth is more buttery and flowery along with an increasing and lasting bitter astringency.  The aftertaste is stable and nice.

The fifteenth is buttery and hay tasting with long sweetness over a bitterness and slight dryness that now enters the aftertaste.  A returning coolness is trying to punch through.

The sixteenth I put to a 30 second infusion and push out more buttery and layer sweetnesses in both the initial and aftertastes.

The seventeenth I put into a long infusion and get a deep dense dark honey sweetness with some bitter and astringency.

I ended up steeping what was left of the sample today with a much fewer grams of dry leaf and got a completely different session out of it.  Today’s under leafed session was very grassy, weedy, and dandelion.  The bitterness was much less but the icing sugar finish was almost unnoticeable.  This tells me that this puerh need to be pushed hard to a point that it is slightly bitter so there is a strong returning sweetness.  I also question how this one will age out give then weaker presentation today.

Overall, this one has decently nice Qi, a nice long aftertaste, this puerh is real crisp and nicely processed.  I feel a very very mild itch in my body so I wonder about the purity but overall it feels pretty good in my body.  I won’t be ordering this one but for $40.00 xiao bing it’s a decent enough deal as this one is significantly better than its price tag, I think.

Surely, a solid choice for the budget drinker looking for something of quality on the cheap.

Peace

 

The Best of the Cheapest: 2016 Chawangshop Bada

Chawangshop seems to have a great reputation for pressing puerh that is cheap but of good quality and value.  So in a time when people are looking for value in puerh why is no one is talking about or reviewing Chawangshop these days?  Have a look at #chawangshop and see how long it takes you to see a picture of a chawangshop puerh wrapper on Instagram and yet #white2tea there are daily pics.  Why exactly is that?

While I suppose the answer is many…

First, Chawangshop’s marketing, social media, and online presence is pretty quiet.  I know they have Facebook page which they seem to update regularly and Instagram but they use it rarely and they don’t even have links from their webpage.

I guess their check out system seems a bit less straightforward because they calculate the shipping based on the actual price instead of doing flat rates or free shipping… But this shouldn’t turn you off from an order, they are just ensuring that you pay exactly for the shipping no less and no more… that sounds fair to me.

I know Hobbes used to make Chawangshop’s puerh a regular on his blog but no recent bloggers seem to be writing much about their puerh lately.  I kind of missed out from sampling Chawangshop as they seemed to open as I was drifting away from the puerh scene in 2011/2012.  Cwyn N drops their name every once in a while (link Splendid), I think the last time a blogger featured Chawangshop it was this Death By Tea post on the 2016 Chawangshop Hekai Gushu.

Perhaps another reason they have not gotten much attention lately maybe because of push back on some blunt comments they made in 2016 when Chawangshop owners were telling their customers a bit too bluntly how to drink, buy, and age their puerh.  Maybe the response was a dialed back social media presence too, who knows.

Another possible reason for less attention is that Chawangshop tend to release their yearly pressings much later (about a half a year later) than most vendors.  By the time they release their cakes the spring hype is up, black Friday is over, and eager puerh drinkers are already looking to the year ahead.

Last year they released their 2017 line late and only pressed 5 cakes.  In 2016 they have all 16 cakes still available.  So, I suppose they are less present because they are offering less, that makes sense too.  It seems like they have been focusing a bit more on Liu Bao over the last few years a move that Essence of Tea has also made over the last few years.

Another reason that they may not be on everyone’s radar is because they stopped offering samples.  You got to by the full cake to sample, but that’s fine for me because I consider those 200g Xiao Bings pretty much a big sample anyways… ahahah

Well, I am just as guilty as you, my readers and have never even tried any Chawangshop puerh before this very first order.  I think their passive marketing attitude just didn’t grab me, that’s all and no one on social medial has really drummed up support for their puerh recently.  Overall, I feel that Chawangshop might simply have been overlooked by many puerh drinkers.  But in my quest for the best cheapest fresh sheng puerh, I just couldn’t resist Chawangshop- this is basically what they are famous for!

I picked up a 1 kg tong of this very cheap 2016 Chawangshop “Bada”(200g cake at $20.00 or $0.10/g, a price that hasn’t gone up since release) to make it worth the shipping.  It is a recommendation from a bunch of old experienced puerh drinkers on Steepster (link) who did a cake splitting sample between them.  It should also be differentiated between other Bada area cakes they sell.

Dry leaves smell of grassy plains with faint but distant wild florals.

The first infusion starts with a woody, grassy onset, there is some peppery taste then it converts into a grassy woody sweetness, almost chalky fruits and florals linger on the breath.  There is a subtle bitterness underneath it all.  The mouthfeel has a slight stickiness even the throat feels sticky.  The liquor doesn’t feel flat at all but has a touch of thickness right of the go.  An interesting first infusion shows signs of promise.

The second infusion starts grassy, woody and sweet there is a flash of bitter before converting into wild flower floral tastes.  There is even a candy like sweetness lingering on the breath.  The mouthfeel is real nice a very sticky full sensation in the mouth and even opening the upper and even mid throat widely.  The sensation creates a real long candy like aftertaste.  I can feel the Qi pooling in the head and brain.  It feel heavy and stuffy in the mind.  The body feel tight and relaxed at the same time.

The third infusion starts grassy and dry woody bark with a grassy sweetness that turns to a quick bitterness then opens the long sweet candy like aftertaste.  There are some salty tastes in there as well as an almost seaweed like note, these come in the initial taste and disappear once the bitterness hits.

The fourth infusion starts with a licorice and grassy onset.  The mouthfeel is very nice and full very sticky and stimulating.  There is a lingering sweetness after the bitter pops.  The bitterness is stronger here but the long wildflower floral and candy sweetness is quite long.  The Qi is real heady and stuffy in the thoughts.  I feel like popping and cracking my joints and it feels good.  This qi is a stress reducer, I feel nice but energized.

The fifth infusion starts off with sweet grassy and licorice sweetness, there is a quick pop of bitter before turning into lingering candy sweetness on the breath.  The mouthfeel is very full sticky and astringent even in the upper and almost mid throats.  It opens the throat nicely.  Apricot sweetness is found in the aftertaste here.

The sixth infusion has a grassy and licorice approach.  There are some mild minerals, dry tree bark and almost seaweed/ pond flavours in the initial profile which is reset quickly by a pop of bitter and long now pronounced sweet fresh apricot sweetness in faint wildflower florals.

The seventh infusion has a mellower almost fruity juicy onset with grass, dry bark, and licorice in the background the bitter pops and there is almost a coco edge to the bitter.  There is some lingering floral and some more faint apricot sweetness.  The coolness isn’t obvious but take a breath in and you can feel it in the throat.  The apricot taste lingers and crest minutes after swallowing.  The mouthfeel full and the qi is heavy in the mind and urges the body to release tension.  You can feel the body qi in the joints of the body, the limbs.

The eighth infusion has a sweet onset of fruity florals, nice expansive coolness, opening throat feeling.  The pungent coolness, fruit apricot taste, and long candy aftertaste is featured here.  The licorice, grass, and wood tastes are faint now.  Very nice.

The ninth infusion has a woody almost buttery, metallic and apricot onset.  The bitterness pops and delivers cool pungency, fruity apricot and soft candy in the distance.  The mouthfeel is full and stimulating but never drying.  Very nice.

The tenth infusion is full of interesting wild floral notes.  These are the most distinct here.  Its starts of a bit grassy sweetness, a touch fruity then bitter quickly returns to a long sweet floral apricot taste.  The candy like sweetness lingers in the mouth.

The eleventh infusion starts off with dry woods, almost buttery tastes, and after bitter tastes a woody fruity sweetness.  The candy like taste lingers on the breath.  This infusion gets a touch muddled, just slightly here.

The twelveth infusion is more bitter and woody initially.  The initial tastes are become less vibrant but the aftertaste remain fruity and long.  The mouthfeel is chalky and sticky here.  There is still significant cooling on the breath and fruity/ floral aftertaste.

Thirteenth taste fruitier and more floral now.  These tastes are found in the initial as well as aftertastes.  This infusion is better than the last few and displays high noted deliciousness.

Fourteenth starts of a touch watery and light.  It has a light fruity taste throughout.  It tastes refreshing with a slightly sticky mouthfeeling and long almost but not quite tropical fruit taste.

The fifteenth infusion is much the same.  This tea is washing out a bit but what is left to enjoy is nice with a cooling returning sweetness and sticky full mouthfeeling.  Sixteenth and seventeenth are much the same.  The aftertaste continues to be quite long and enjoyable.

I put it into 20 seconds beyond flash infusion and get an almost sour wood onset with a faint floral sweet aftertaste.  The 19^th I put into 30 second beyond flash infusion and get a woody mainly bitter infusion with cooling aftertaste and buttery floral finish.  The dry woody bitter lingers throughout.  These leaves were pretty much done after the 13^th infusion but these later infusions are still enjoyable enough to drink, so I do.  The Qi in these late infusions have a mellow relaxing feeling to them.

Overall this is a really enjoyable left to be wild plantation Bada puerh.  Its main downside is exactly that that- it has a nice characteristic Bada area profile.  Bada is one of the famous puerh mountains known often for blending material similar to (Bulang is another such area).  But this one is a really nice example of Bada plantation none the less. Where else can you get southern Xishuangbanna puerh from one of the famous puerh moutains for $0.10/g?  It has that slightly empty onset of grassy/ dry woody taste but it’s easy to set aside with this 2016 Chawangshop Bada because its processing is so clean, and its energy pure.  The mouthfeel and throat feel are solid and the bitterness adds a lot of depth to what is there but is never too much.

At $0.10/g how does this one compare to other puerh in my search for the cheapest fresh younger sheng puerh???

The only other single estate puerh I’ve tried in this recent search was an entry from the Essence of Tea, their 2018 Bamboo Spring ($0.16/g).  These teas are very different other than both being single estate  and Spring material.  The 2018 Bamboo Spring is very ethereal and light with no bitterness or low notes.  Its strength is the beautiful light Wuliang character and vibrancy.  But the price of this nice character is almost double the price of this Bada.   Also the 2018 Bamboo Spring is apparently non-plantation material and this 2018 Chawangshop Bada is straight terrace puerh (very good plantation), I’m pretty sure.  This Bada has many more layers to it- grassy/woody, seaweed/pondy, even interesting flavours of peppery and metallic, then there is the apricot and wildflower tastes in there which form the main enjoyable flavors but the moderate bitterness and solid stimulating mouthfeeling is what give this one legs.  I’m sure there is enough here to age nicely but it wasn’t harsh to enjoy now.  The 2018 Essence of Tea Bamboo Spring, I think is easier to enjoy now.  Altough the 2018 Bada doesn’t have that “wow” finish, its more interesting even at half the price.

How does it compare to the other super cheap $0.10/g or under selections in my challenge like the 2017 white2tea Snoozefest ($0.08/g) and 2017 Yunnan Sourcing Impression ($0.08/g)???

First, these other two are Autumn blends and are both currently sold out.  The blends really do different things compared to single estate.  2018 white2tea Snoozefest also has a distinct floral note and nice stimulating mouthfeeling.  The difference between these floral notes is that the Bada is a more wildflower and the Snoozefest more of an orchid type.  The Soozefest floral is more separate and singular and the Bada is usually mixed with a fruity almost apricot and other complex taste.  The Snoozefest has more of a varied mouthfeeling from it being a blend but it lacks throat simulation like the Bada which I feel is what makes the Bada better here.  The throat feel and bitterness which changes to sweetness in the mouth when drinking the 2016 Chawangshop Bada is much better than the Snoozefest.  The Bada just has a very nice and long profile throughout were the Snoozefest is more of a spurt.

Comparing the 2016 Chawangshop Bada to the 2017 Yunnan Sourcing Impression.  The Impression is a more complex blended thing and is cleared completely pestiside free too.  The Impression has a more fragrant and flavorful and complex profile but the Bada is much longer and nuanced.  The biggest weakness of the Impression is that it’s pretty much completely done after 9 infusions but the Bada lasts a handful more.  They also both have good Qi but the Bada is more active and stimulating and the Impression is more relaxing to me.  There is something about the Bada that is a touch harsh that can probably be aged out while the Impression is harmonious enough that you could almost drink it now.  Overall, I need to do a speed test with these two, I’m not sure which I would prefer, it would be close.  But since the 2017 Impression is sold out, I will say the 2016 Chawangshop Bada has won by acclimation and is the best of the very very cheapest fresh sheng puerh (at or under $0.10/g)!

But wait…. How does it do compared to the 2018 white2tea Splendid the reining champ for the Best Cheapest Sheng Puerh???

The 2018 white2tea Splendid seems to be more processed to drink now although I stated that it will probably age decent.  The 2016 Bada has real crisp processing that it more typical that you’d see for aging puerh.  With that said, I think if you were planning on aging out both, the Bada might edge out Splendid in this regard and likely display more typical aging.  The thickness and blended complexity as well as the strength of 2018 white2tea Splendid has it still defeating the Bada, I think.  The Splendid has a bit more stamina too.

However, it should be noted that the Spledid costs 40% more at ($0.14/g) but I think is still better even if you include the extra costs.

So there you have it, the 2018 white2tea Splendid is still the Best of the Cheapest Fresh Sheng puerh but I would say that this 2016 Chawangshop Bada is the best of the Very Cheapest Fresh Sheng Puerh.  To put it one way, to get a 1Kg tong of 2018 white2tea Splendid you could get a 1KG tong plus another 2 cakes for the same price!  You can’t beat that.

In the end I'm still left wondering why nobody is paying attention to Chawangpu?

Maybe its time for everyone to "Wang their Chawangpu"???

Peace