I sampled this 2014 Tea Urchin Lao Man E that goes for$82.00 for 200g cake or $0.41/g this month and ended up caking it. I wanted to compare to the 2013 but forgot to order that sample in my last order. The 2012 Tea Urchin Lao Man E sold out quickly when it was released. The 2011 is a favorite of mine and the 2013 is also highly regarded. The 2011 and 2012 are sweet Lao Man E whereas the 2013 & 2014 are blended sweet and bitter varietals. The 2011 I tired is very nice gushu quality.. Okay lets…
Dry leaves smell of faint fruity distant almost grapefruity
woody notes.
The first infusion has a nice creamy pie like or bread like
peachy note it is long and goes deep into the throat and aftertaste. Very yummy and hints at how good this is
going to be. This is one very nice very
long very deep sweet note. The mouthfeel
is a soft fluffy feeling. The Qi has
immediate effect.
The second infusion has a very very mild bitter woody peachy
pie onset. The peach note is really long
in the mouth. Very very long… there is
only the faintest of bitterness here. It
has that soft fluffy tongue feeling a deep throat coolness but the flavor is
consistently bready peachy pie woody clear pure single note. The Qi races the Heart a bit and focuses the
mind. You can really feel it in the
chest.
The third infusion has a very fruity peachy onset that is
very creamy and custard like not any woodiness now just clear, pure sweet
flavor notes. A fluffy soft tongue
coating acts as a landing pad for a strong saliva push and along with the
deep-mid throat sensation. The flavor is
long and pure and starts on the tongue then travels into the deeper throat,
then expands on the returning saliva then stretches into the breath. The experience is very nice with really no
bitterness which is surprising to me. I
would say the bitterness is so faint its just enough to add depth. The taste is particularly exceptional and the
mouth/throat/textures are top notch. The
Qi is heart racing and euphoric.
The fourth infusion has a strong blast of fruity tastes with
only a mild quick moving bitterness that comes off as a bitter-sweet coco. The bitterness is a touch stronger here but
only a mild-moderate. Nice mouth,
throat, saliva producing. The increase
bitterness comes also with increased viscosity.
The coco tastes stretch into the aftertaste enweaving with peach
pie. The heart racing is strong and so
is the euphoria.
The fifth infusion has a strong juicy fruitiness with a pop
of moderate bitterness that presents as bitter coco and peachy sort of woody
taste. The mouthfeeling and texture of
this puerh is exceptional. Thick pudding
like feeling saliva with deep cool throat and a slightly full tighter tongue
coating. I sweat from the strong energy
of the tea. The heart races and I shift
into euphoria.
The 6th infusion has a soupy almost herbal
pungent bitterness with a peachy and melon rind like taste. There is a creamy sweetness that emerges as
the mild bitterness recedes there is still lots of bread-like custard tastes
but the fruity taste is more complex- peachy, melon, dragonfruit, yellow melon. The mouthfeeling, holds with still lots of returning
saliva. Lots of heart pounding Qi with a
vigorous energy and a bit of euphoria now.
The 7th has a thick fruity bitter coco taste with
a long mild bitterness that mainly presents as chocolate amongst the fruity
thick and creamy bready tastes. The
mouthfeel has gotten fuller as the bitterness slowly increases throughout the
infusions. The power is strong with this
one.
The 8th infusion has a bitter coco onset with
layers of fruity nuance that are brought out with the bitterness. There is a deep cool throat and coco bitter
layers. There is a strong mouthwatering
effect as well. The bitter sweet taste
is long in the mouth. The power is
strong in the body even with some face tingling but the energy is comforting
and warm in the body.
The 9th infusion has a fruity coco mild bitter
onset with an oily presenting liquor with deep faint cool throat and saliva
returning. The Qi has lots of punchy
energy in the mind while being very comfortable in the body. The mouthfeel is starting to end sandy now.
The 10th infusion has a very fruity bitter coco
taste. The cool throat is definitely
more pronounced here with a longer creamier coco in the aftertaste. The bitterness slowly gets stronger but not
that bad.. I would say a moderate bitterness now.
The 11th is a silky almost fruity bitter coco
taste. As the session progresses the
bitterness becomes more pronounced but so does the long deep throat cooling
effect. There is still lots of oily
texture and saliva returning. Great
heart beating Qi.
Running out of time in my day to savour this beauty, I dump
it in a mug and grandpa steep the wet leaves out… The bitterness of the warm
mug is moderate-high bitterness with a coco taste and subtle sweet fruit. The soaked leaves the next day are really
nice- sweet melon, subtle spicy pungency with a pumpkin and coco taste.
Overall, this is a great Lao Man E puerh with high points of very good texture, returning saliva, mouthfeeling, deep throat pungency, strong energetic Qi. The complex interplay of the sweet material with the more bitter slowly revealing itself throughout the session is the real beauty of this Lao Man E blend which adds a certain complexity and intrigue to it. Admittedly, it’s not of the same higher quality Gushu leaves of the 2011 Tea Urchin Lao Man E production but the blend makes up for its lack of singular quality. Liked this one enough to cake it but I’m still left wondering about the 2013 Tea Urchin Lao Man E…
Peace
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