2005 Greatful Tea Factory Zhengshan Banzhang: Very Laobanzhang!

 

Dry leaves smell of vibrant smooth creamy sweet fruity odours.

The first infusion has a blank watery dry almost pond and peat drier natural Taiwanese storage taste onset with a bit of wood that finishes very very faintly creamy fruity sweet that trails on the breath.  Right off the bat it is believably 2005 aged material.  As the liquid cools there is a more significant long creamy sweetness left behind.

Second infusion has a blank almost faint pond/ marsh taste with a returning throat coolness and creamy sweetness.  The creamy sweetness has a sugar sweet edge to it as well and comes with some nice saliva returning in the mouth.  There is some lesser woody, bark, and even sour notes.  Nice tingling sensation in the limbs and scalp and some relaxing qi.

The third infusion has a faint pondy marsh onset with sour, woody, fruity notes that have a nice saliva producing with a returning coolness with creamy sweet bready aftertaste.  Some fuzzy head Qi sensations.

The fourth infusion has a slight bitter woody and lesser fruity taste.  There is some cooling with a creamy sweet returning taste with a bit of coco in the finish.  Tastier infusion here.  Stronger stuffy head feeling now.

The fifth infusion is a bit bitter coco woody onset with some creamy sugar sweetness that comes after a soft cooling.  The mouthfeeling is really soft so I hadn’t really mentioned it.  There is some sort of peat and creamy sweetness in the aftertaste.  Some nice salivating.  Stuffy strong heady Qi.  Heavy head feeling.  The cooled down cup of tea tastes like a bit bitter wine coco woody with a faint coolness and returning creamy sweetness.  This infusion has an unmistakably Lao Ban Zhang taste and feeling to it.

The sixth infusion has a bitter woody wine onset with some creamy sweet and coco in the finish.  Strong stuffy head Qi.  Some saliva producing.  Nice taste her.

The seventh infusion has a soft velvety mouthfeeling with watery wine woody onset and some cooling in the mouth then a creamy sugar finish.  Nice sugar sweetness in the mouth a few minutes later.

The eighth infusion is left to cool… it gives off creamy sweet almost but not quite banana sweetness with woody sugar sweetness.  It tastes pretty good with stuffy head Qi.

My day gets too busy and I’m let with no choice but to abandon my tea session…

I resume the next day…

And more deliciousness gets pushes out… really yummy and obvious Lao Ban Zhang Taste and Qi with this one.  It has that classic bitter-wine-coco then creamy sweet taste that I highly value and is very Lao Ban Zhang.  I push the spent leaves hard in the mug and these tastes and feelings have lots of depth and stamina in them.  This has enough of the Laobanzhang character in it that it has me interested…

This 2005 Greatful Tea Factory Ban Zhang Zhongshan was initially only offered in the In Search of Real Lao Ban Zhang tasting set but has since been offered at Puerh.uk in quarter cakes and full cakes at approx. $470.00 for 357 g cake or $1.34/g.

Peace