This 2019 Zhang Si Long Ge Deng sample was kindly gifted to
me for review (cake goes for $222.24 for 400g cake or $0.56/g).
Dry leaves smell of intense penetrating pungent deep forest
odour with a lingering almost rose faint floral.
The first infusion starts with a slippery stone and watery
onset. There is slight suragy notes in
there is a faint woodiness and barely tropical fruit in the distant
aftertaste…. Hasn’t opened up yet. The
mouthfeel is silky and soft
The second infusion has a woody, almost pine forest taste
nuance with slight floral suggestions.
All tastes are mutted still. The
mouthfeel remains silky and soft.
Eligant first infusions.
The third infusion has a woody slight forsty almost mineral onset
the mouthfeel is lightly fuzzy and dry.
There is a faint floral lingering barely there in the breath. The infusion is again very soft and elegant. I can start to feel the Qi building softy
behind the eyes. My body feels just a
touch relaxed here.
The fourth has a sweet floral onset that has a slight
mineral nuance almost seaweed tasting underneath. The mouthfeeling is silky and the throat
doesn’t seem to be stimulated at all.
There is this almost creamy, kind of sweet almost soft floral elegant note
that skirts throughout the profile. The
head starts feeling this hypnotic qi sensation, like a head wobble.
The fifth starts with a melon fruit and foresty onset with
slight honey taste underneath. The mild
taste is over a mild silky mouthfeeling which is becoming a bit astringent but mildly. The throat seems to be mainly ignored. The Qi in the head is slightly hypnotic.
The sixth starts with a sweetness that is almost creamy,
kind of mineral and foresty with a distinct floral edge. The throat receives enough astringency now to
push the saliva and trap it in the mid-throat along with creamy sweet
notes. This infusion is filled with this
delicious creamy sweet floral nuance.
The Qi in the head is pretty strongly hypnotic. The Qi in mainly in the mind and the body
feel light like it is levitating.
The seventh infusion has a fruity sweet almost nutty and
persimmon and melon unique fruit taste for the onset there is foresty notes in
there as well. The mouthfeel is a
moderate sticky/silky with faint astringency.
A melon sweetness emerges in the aftertaste. The throat doesn’t preform like the last
infusion but feels a bit more open than the early infusions. A sweet floral fresh melon essence is through
the profile.
The eighth onset is of creamy banana and slight tropical
creamy fruits with a fotrest back taste.
The mouthfeeling is sticky and silky.
There are creamy fruity tastes faint in the aftertaste which also
carries stone tastes with an almost floral edge. The aftertaste is mainly rubbery. The Qi is hypnotic in the mind and relaxing
now. The body feels a bit light.
The ninth infusion start off with a not that sweet sugary
almost fruity sweetness with a stone/ mineral taste next to it. There is a subtle fruity sweetness going on
there as well. The mouthfeeling is a
mild/moderate silkiness. The throat
isn’t very stimulated. There is a flat
stone aftertaste with has subtle edges of sweet floral.
The 10th starts off with a sweetness that is
almost surgary but not that sweet which is supported with a stone mineral
taste. The Qi feels real nice, relaxing,
hypnotic. The aftertaste is a bit
rubbery almost floral sweet. The tastes
of this puerh are not super strong or overly engaging but the Qi is really
nice. The weakest point is the
throatfeeling which doesn engage the taste that much.
The 11th infusion has a fruity juicy taste to it
of melon, pear, it is almost spicy here with a nice foresty back taste. The mouthfeel is more velvety and sticky in
the infusion and the throat is felt this time.
A faint creamy sweet and slightly rubbery aftertaste occurs as the mind
relaxes deeply and feels like the mind slows.
The 12th infusion is faintly sweet like pear or
melon but has a distinct stone base taste.
The aftertaste is flat, with a stone and rubbery taste. The Qi is slightly hyponotic and for surely
relaxing.
The 13th infusion starts stone tasting and as a
subtle floral pear tasting nusnace in the aftertaste. The mouthfeeling is slightly sandy and thin. The 14th is even thinner with
mainly a monotone stone taste with slight suggestions of floral and sweet over
a sandy mouthfeeling.
15th 30 seconds above flash pushes out more stone
taste initially and not much for sweet.
There is a bit more stone but also slightly more barely floral. The Qi is relaxing here.
16th I add 60seconds to flash and it pushes out
some fruit sweetnesses. The nice part
about a puerh that isn’t so bitter or astringent, at least while drinking
young, is that you can push it with longer infusion times. The taste is mainly fruity an almost peach
but more Asian pear tasting sweetness with a background of stone.
The 17th I go 90 seconds and it pushes fruit out
in mineral taste but the fruit is faint in the aftertaste.
I put this one to as long infusion and it comes out mainly
stone, mineral and bitter.
The next day I drink the 2018 Zheng Si Long Gedeng as a
comparison and I can see the similarities in them but there are also more
differences than similarities…
Pictured below is the 2018 on the left with the 2019 on the
right.
In order of personal preference of the 2017-2019 Zheng Si Long
Gedeng offered at Tea Encounter with price/ value in consideration:
2018 Zheng Si Long Ge Deng- $0.71/g- Sold Out- Big bodyfeel,
strong condensed taste, Nice Qi in the head, Classic Gedeng Flavors, engaging
bitter astringency with solid mouth and throatfeeling. This one sold out fast worth much more than initial
asking price.
2017 Zheng Si Long Ge Deng- $0.41/g- Sold Out/ Samples
Available- This one is only better than the 2019 because it sold for
significantly less, it has a very classic Gedeng profile and was super
enjoyable to me. It has a more mellow
relaxing Qi.
2019 Zheng Si Long Ge Deng- $0.56/g- This 2019 is better than the 2017 if price isn't a consideration, I think. It has some milder tight bodyfeel,
but more of a moderate hypnotic Qi in the mind.
I like the Qi here. Qi vaguely
resembles the 2018. Has a weaker
throatfeeling in some infusions and the mouthfeel is more approachable but less
strength in it. The taste profile is
less distinctly Gedeng but still some nice tastes in there. Overall, another nice Gedeng.
2016 Zheng Si Long Ge Deng- $0.40/g- Have not sampled-
Overall, these are all nice Gedeng puerh for what they
are.
Peace
No comments:
Post a Comment