2003 Xiang Yin Spring Tuocha

I got this 300g tuocha as a free gift from Tea Urchin.  If you put a larger order in they sometimes/randomly gift you a big gift like a whole tuo cha, a large bag of fresh Maocha (I got this one before), even 200g cakes or 100g mini cakes!  Free samples are a way vendors traditionally sharesome of their tea.  I think this is the only Western facing puerh vendor that gives bigger gifts away.  I was hoping to review some of these that I acquired over the years from Tea Urchin.  I think I got this one a years or so ago.  I wanted to review this one first primarily to compare to my blogging buddy Alex who also received this as a free gift …

Dry leaves are a creamy sweet and fruity sweet pungent mouthwatering smells.  Smells really complex and delicious…

First infusion has a light fruity watery sweetness.  It is quite watery and flat but decently sweet.  There is a paper bag and almost slight bitterness to it.  The mouthfeeling is grainy and slight tight.

The second infusion is left to cool and has a very caramel, strong fresh pungent cooling kind of minty herby taste.  Lots of complex tastes.  Nice fresh herbal with some orange rind, some mild bitterness and a mix between fresh herbs, caramel fruity sweetness and bitterness.  Flat, slightly grainy, sandy profile.

The third infusion has a flat caramel woody bitter onset followed by a complex herby onset with some citrus tastes to it.  There is a mild citrusy sour sweet returning sweetness.  The mouthfeeling is tight, grainy, almost puckering.  The Qi is warming and makes me sweat.  A mild effect on the mind with not any bodyfeeling noticed.

The fourth infusion has a bitter juicy caramel and citrus taste which ends herby.  The mouthfeeling is dry grainy and quite puckering now.  There is an almost floral citrus finish aftertaste that comes after cooling pungent herbs.

The fifth infusion has a bitter orange blossom sweet taste it has more of a bitter fruity orange taste and less herbal pungent taste now.  The mouthfeeling is sandy puckering.  There is some cool throat.  Qi is mild with a bit of warming.

The 6^th infusion has a bitter orange peel and floral bitter onset subtle almost herb mid profile with some cooling. There is some faint coco emerging in the saliva minutes later.

7^th has a bitter orange rind and floral onset with dry, flat sandy and slight puckering mouthfeeling.  The throat is mainly just cooling with not much simulation there.  The stimulation comes from the tongue and mouth being bitter.  The infusions are getting bitterer as they go.

8^th was left to cool and is a bit coco and fruity floral.  This puerh is descending into a fruity floral base taste with some bitter pith and coco.

9^th has a bitter coco brackish dirt kind of taste with some faint citrus fruit and bitter orange peel and florals in the aftertaste.  A flat puckering but full mouthfeeling resumes with less coolness in the throat.  Nice warming feeling with an otherwise mild Qi feeling.

The rest goes into the mug for long steepings… oily vegetal bitter with a subtle coco bitter with nice floral nuance.  Flat, grainy, and slightly puckering mouthfeeling.

This is a nice factory tuo likely from Mengku maybe Simao.  Still feels quite young, bitter, and vegetal with a strong sweet/ floral inclination.  This younger and colder and drier stored presentation is contrasted with a Qi that is pretty mild with mainly warming feeling that can only come with age.  Likely stored dry maybe in Kunming the first half of its aging before spending the rest in Shanghai storage… A fair enough everyday drinker that could be stored for another 15 years.  I would have guessed this tuo to be 2005-2007 material, I think, but that warming feeling gives it away to be a bit older, I suppose.  I think a lot of my stored cakes might turn into something like this that is a bit conflicting between cooler and more preserved tastes with a bit warmer, almost aged Qi.  I surprisingly enjoyed this puerh a lot!

Vs 2006 Shuangjiang Mengku Arbour King Brick.  Similar, storage and compression and material location the Shuangjiang Mengku definitely has some older material in the blend with a much more produced long cooling aftertaste more complexity in its sweet floral and euphoric high Qi.  The taste is similar with a bitter vegetal floral taste.  This tuo is a bit older and more warming Qi it also has more of a herbal profile also much more intensely bitter.  These are actually quite similar with the 2006 Arbour King being a bit more complex in Qi and flavor.

Alex’s Tasting Notes

Peace