2023 Tea Encounter Nanma Gushu: Heavy Header

 According to the Tea Encounter website Nanma is an area of Laos just across the border from GuaFengZhai.  This would make it the third Laos production from Tea Encounter over the years.  All three seem to focus on the area around GuaFengZhai/Laos but they are all very very different puerh.  The 2019 Tea Encounter Laos is a Xiaoshu GuaFengZhai and Gushu Laos blend and has the most as far as the depth of the blend goes. The 2022 is a Xiaoshu TianMenShan Gushu Laos blend (which I sampled following this tasting) and has a juicy oily profile.  This year is a single area Gushu from Laos…. and it’s by far the best of the three!  I’ve read Alex’s excellent review but I enjoyed this puerh significantly more than him, I think.

This 2023 Tea Encounter Nanma Gushu goes for $132.00 for 200g cake or $0.66/g.  This one came free for review with a purchase but out of all the 2023 Tea Encounter Gushus this might probably be the one I would purchase.





Dry leaves have that characteristic Laos gamey barnyard odour but this one is less overpowering with a counterbalance of a deep almost peach pear creamy sweetness. 

First infusion has a slight gamey but mainly with creamy sugar Forest almost spice taste.  There is a soft cottony mouthfeeling with a wet salivating feeling.  The mouthfeel is really nice returning cool breath dry lips with an almost spicy but sugary sweetness.   Head twitches and heavy head feeling.  Slight rubbery finish.

Second infusion has a watery gamey forest sweet taste.  Somewhat perfume with a floral edge and almost fruity sweetness.  Heavy head sensations.  Spacy with heavy head.

Third infusion is cooled down and has a sweet spicy floral taste.  Long cooling and creamy sweet taste.  Creamy returning sweet pops and shines with faint edges of peach under he creamy sweet. The mouthfeel is a fine full sandy feeling.  Long sweet peachy breath.  Heavy body and head with spacey mind slowing.  A bit wild tea tasting profile.

Fourth infusion has a forest floral soapy fruity sweetness with a fine sandy mouthfeel.  There is a juicy pop of fruity oily sweetness and nice returning long cool breath.  Deep throat opening with rubbery sweet after finish.  Spacey mind with heady head and body.  Some forestry almost rubbery floral bland bitter taste in the mouth.

5th has a bit bitter with floral pucker nice long cooling floral breath .  There is a bready yeasty sweetness mid profile.  Lots of pucker and bitter astringency with strong mind slowing Qi warming Qi slowing Qi. Mind transporting.

6th strong bitter floral intensity with mind escape.  Bitter sweet fruity floral intensity with silty mouthfeel deep cooling throat and very intense breaking a sweat qi.  Long bitter florals. My face is sweating…. I have to step away from the tea today and the next day I drink the rest of the cooled down cup and it has a bitter floral power with a sweet bready and gingerbread taste with a returning fruity floral under the bitter.  Strong flat mouthfeeling.  Strong head Qi heaviness.  Almost caramel sweet taste.

7th has a fruity floral watery oily taste their is some mild bitterness lingering cool breath with floral finish. Heavy head and mind.

8th has a floral chalky watery bland bitter taste.  There isn’t much sweetness left here mainly bitter and bland.  Strong Head heavy and stuffy Qi.

9th is an overnight thermos steeping and it comes out somewhat GuaFengZhi tasting- quickish moving bitterness, potato, melon,  floral with expanding creamy sweet taste in a chalky mouthfeeling that becomes gripping.  There is a pop of candy sweetness.  Lots of dense flavour still. Lots of excellent stamina.  Long sweet saliva producing.

Peace