There is something about this description that laid down a
bit of a challenge which I couldn’t resist…
So far every tea that has been offered for sale on the hyper curated Teas
We Like have basically been ready to drink.
Either aged out or at least pushed past any harsh or awkward stages for
this we are all grateful. The
description of this one is subtle but suggestive, “Highly recommended for
further aging.”… Unable to turn off such curiosity I purchase one of these ($165.00 for 357g cake or $0.46/g) in a re-order of the 2005 Nan Qiao Double Lion Bulang.
There is a recent puerh trend of puerh nostalgia I just want
to touch on here. Basically, a renewed
appreciation for traditionally processed puerh that used old production methods
and left the end product sometimes smokey and sometimes with charred leaves and
even other burned wood stuffs or other random stuffs (hair, plastic from
processing bags, other plant leaves, ect) pressed into the cake. There are going to be people who will never
get why you would want smoke and char in a puerh. Those people, I guarantee, were not drinking
puerh back in the day when the material was of much better quality that you can
generally acquire today but the processing methods were not always perfect. I suppose there are also those that have
never tried these old school puerhs and are new to it all but find something
alternative in a rustic puerh. This is
the lure of these nostalgic puerhs.
The very distinct mesquite odour of the dry leaves comes on
strong then a bunch of depth is revealed in the smokey overture. Faint autumn leaf, creamy sweetness, cheery
fruitiness, woodiness, slight humid storage basement note. Very complex with strong and subtle notes
presenting at once in the nose.
The first infusion has a surprisingly sweet onset a vibrant,
tangy sweetness that has a tingling pungency on the tongue and feels
surprisingly vibrant and fresh and mainly sweet with a subtle mesquite then a
bit of pungent than a long vegetal sweet potato sweetness. The mouthfeeling is sticky and soft. The throat opens nicely and deeply. There is a very long tangy cherry sweetness
and almost a vegetal like sweetness minutes later. Overall, this first infusion can be described
as quite acrid, cooling and pungently sweet.
The Qi is strong in the chest almost immediately.
The second infusion has a sweet mesquite onset that reminds
me of BBQ sauce in its thickness. There
is like a port wine like nuance to this puerh’s taste. Like a deep, rich sweetness of grapes. There are also other layers of sweetness like
blackberry, sweet potato, even a vegetal sweetness. The pungency is fuzzy and stimulating. This puerh seems very vibrant but yet coated
in some faint smoke and depth. The smoke
is faint not strong. This puerh is very
tasty and complex in its layers. It has
a deep in the throat reach and numbing cooling sensation in the mouth. The Qi is very alerting
The third: A thick caramel sweetness comes fast then a
slight mesquite then a pungency pushes a creamy sweet and almost fruity nuance
deep into the throat. The mouthfeeling
is numbing and there is an overall feeling of vibrant and active pungency and
out right numbing. The puerh feels very pure,
despite its questionable processing.
There is an uplifting, re-energizing overall feeling to this puerh. The Qi is making the mind sharp and body
restless. The sweet aftertaste is very
long and sometimes like port wine or sweet potato even Chinese date taste. The storage of this puerh is really
interesting and does well for something like this. It feels dry stored- the leaves are still
olive green but it has a suggestion of deeper humidity. It works really well to bring out the
polarities of depth and lightness of this puer.
4th comes off with a chalky, powdery sweet taste,
there is nuances of caramel, potato, vegetal, date that is trapped in a blob of
saliva in the mouth. There is a
under-reaching pungency in here that pushes out a long returning sweetness-
some woodiness, port, slight oak, and mesquite. The smoke is throughout but is
mild. There is a richness to the taste
here as well like a roasted coffee subtle bitterness that comes out on the
breath. It has a mineral taste to it as
well almost like a Yancha (cliff tea).
The mouthfeeling is silky and chalky and sticky. The Qi is vibrant and energizing.
The 5th infusion has a caramel apple date like
onset. It has a robust rich almost
coffee like vibe to it. The flavor
really stays long in the mouth, throat, and breath. There is nuances of chestnut, minerals, dates,
woods, faint smoke throughout. The smoke
is not upfront just faint. The sweetness
is rich and long. This puerh is really dazzling,
vibrant, active, and rich in these first infusions. The Qi is warming in my body and is not
harsh. I would say this is sufficiently
aged for most to drink now and doesn’t necessarily need to be aged anymore to
enjoy. The Qi in the head is starting to
feel floating and expansive.
The 6th infusion has a sweet, rich, almost nutty,
roasted coffee like feeling. There is
some bitterness still in here but it is integrated into a roasted nutty bitter
like nuts can be bitter. The belly feels
an intense warming sensation. The
mouthfeeling is almost sandy, oily, sticky feeling. The taste really stays in the mouth, throat, and
breath for a long time. There is a
chalky sweetness up front as well that has glimpses of melon high notes and
pear skin still present. The strength and
length of taste is profound and surprising really.
7th starts with a incense woody subtle charcoal
with a creamy sweet finish there is some mild pungency, woody, there is more of
a woody creamy sweet thing going on now with much less pungency and more of a subtle
creamy sweetness, woody incense charcoal and the mouthfeeling, throatfeeling
and aftertaste is starting to wane a bit now.
The 8th has a mesquite sweetness with incense the
sweetness is a vegetal sweetness with a long creaminess that comes out in the
aftertaste. There is faint smoke
throughout and a full sticky, almost dry, coating in the mouth. There is a bit of rich nutty sweetness in the
aftertaste. The Qi is more relaxing in
the mind now and heavy in the body. The
length and complexity of this puerh seems to drop off fast in typical factory
style.
The ninth I leave in the cup for a while and come back to a
cup that has a woody incense taste with a subtle creaminess. There are suggestions of Chinese date in the
returning sweetness. The taste is still
sunny but not as full or complex and much more incense, woody, charcoal
now. It can’t seem to get deep into the
throat so I’m going to push it with a 20 second stepping now…
The 10th oops I flashed steeped it again out of
habbit… hahahha.. this one has a more rich nuttiness to it also a sweeter mesquite
tastes. Lots of woodiness comes out of here
in the end.
11th is at 30 seconds and pushes out a thicker
creamier sweeter broth- the sweetness dominates throughout here. Some incense
and woody base. Creamy almost
yeast-bread sweet aftertaste. The
pungency was also pushed out more giving this one a fuller and longer sweetness
now.
12th is at 45 seconds and pushes a pungent
sweetness out nicely again. There is
lots of creamy sweetness pushed out and a deep pungency. This puerh needs quite a bit of nudging
earlier on than most but the result is really nice as not much bitterness comes
out. There is a distinct incense base
taste. The Qi gives up quite early too
and now is a bit stuffy in the chest and floaty in the head. A long creamy sweetness can be found here.
The 13th I push longer… and it gives back nice
camphor woody pungent and sweet notes with a sticky mouthfeeling and pungency
that tries to go into the mid throat.
Creamy bread like sweet finish.
I long steep the 14th and out comes a sweet and
woody with a resounding pungency of cool. This infusion starts to get a touch dry. The smoke is faint here.
I put this one into an overnight steeping…
I like this tea and it’s a factory production to a
fault. Very tasty early on with a very
active stimulation in the mouth but poor stamina typical of factory puerh. I think it will age into a very date tasting
and camphor tasting puerh. Better than Menghai factory stuff of the same
age. Very nice stuff.
I’m happy to have one and if I hadn’t just ordered a bunch
of Double Lion I might have even bought another.
Peace
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