I was recently sent this free 2023 Tea Encounter Gua Feng Zhai maocha with a cake purchase of the very satisfying 2023 Tea Encounter Douyishu (there are only 2 cakes left for sale and I recommend it!). Gua Feng Zhai Gushu is a common staple of Tea Encounter Gushu productions released in 2020 and 2021. Sometimes they release them a few months later than their 2023 release, so watch out if you are interested. I purchased their 2020 Tea Encounter Gua Feng Zhai and was offered a free sample of their 2021 Tea Encounter Gua Feng Zhai Chaping Gushu. The 2021 was not as enjoyable as the 2020 for me, not a powerful singular Gua Feng Zhai experience none the less quite delicious and satisfying. I ended up sampling this 2023 Tea Encounter Gua Feng Zhai Chaping Gushu after two top shelf 2023 Gua FengZhai area puerh from ChenYuan Hao.
It should be noted the the Chaping area of GuaFengZhai is a much less expensive garden area of GuaFengZhai and is located in south Gua Feng Zhai. Whereas the 2023 ChenYuan Hao Chawangshu (wet leaves pictured Left) and 2023 ChenYuan Hao Bai Cha Yuan (wet leaves pictured right) are no question very top shelf.
Following this tasting I tasted the 2021 Tea Encounter GuaFengZhai Chaping then the 2020 Tea Encounter Chaping for comparison…
Dry leaves smell of very creamy sweet cooling pungent over faint forestry odours.
First infusion is a creamy sweet very pungent forest woody mainly so very cooling pungent breath with a long woody. There is some floral layer in there as well. Over a sticky lip drying feeling in the mouth. A rubbery woody Forest taste linger minutes later. Qi is chesty with an enlivening chest energy and expanding mind energetic.
Second infusion left to cool is a forestry strong cooling pungent forest taste with some lingering returning almost melon tastes. There is a gob of saliva forming. Mainly oily sticky mouthfeeling. Deep sigh relaxing with expanding chesty beats. Deeper throat opening with saliva producing.
Third infusion is left to cool and has a forest pungent grassy melon floral taste. Nice deep mild cooling throat with a sticky mouthfeel and open deeper throat. Spacy Ali with chest beats and expansive chest feeling.
Fourth has a watery sweet creamy potato woody Forest. Cooling deep breath woody with a sticky drying mouthfeel that is almost gripping. There is a rubbery Forest sort of finish long cooling taste minutes later. Chest expansion and active energy.
5th is again left to cool and is quite watery with a faint grassy forest taste cool deep breath. Not as oily but subtle stick mouth coating with dry stick lips. Mild chest expanding high energetic feeling.
6th is a long steeping..
I then tried the 2021 Tea Encounter Guafengzhai Chaping Gushu. I think this year is more similar to the 2023 Gushu I just tried from the same garden in Chaping…
Dry leaves have a piercing woody creamy sweet but strong minty pungent odour.
First infusion has a woody creamy pungent taste that is really nice and pure. Nice chest relief and uplifting with sighing. Cool deep woody aftertaste with a slight dry sticky coating.
Second infusion has a woody creamy sweet slight roasted cereal and potato taste with long deep cooling breath and almost melon almond sweetness. Candy melon sweetness is trapped in the saliva minutes later. Spacy high feeling almost like leaving body. Chest expanding.
Third infusion has a watery woody cool creamy pure flavours taste. Slight drying gripping mouthfeel and cereal grains taste. Big spacy high feeling. Chest beating.
Fourth infusion has a watery woody taste with a grains cereal mid aftertaste. Cooling breath is less. More grains woody now.
5th has a woody lime and grassy with faint sweet edges.
6th long infusion …
Then I sampled the 2020 Tea Encounter GuaFengZhai Chaping Gushu. The notes ended up not saving but I’ll go into what I found…
It comes on really thick… it’s really thickened up smoother than I sampled it two years ago. Thick lubricating and saliva producing sort of in between a ManZhuan and Yi Shan Mo. very sweet as well with thick fruity taste. Very sweet with some forestry pungent and even potato but mainly just thick fruity sweetness. Strong deep relaxing high. Instantly relaxes and unwinds. It’s retains much sweetness throughout the session and is supported by an increasingly full stimulating throat and mouthfeel. A bit different than the 2021 and 2023- maybe 2020 was just the year?
Peace
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